RTHK: Grain will get to you, Russia's Lavrov tells Egypt

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered reassurances over Russian grain supplies to Egypt during a visit to Cairo on Sunday, amid uncertainty over a deal to resume Ukrainian exports from the Black Sea.

Egypt is one of the world's top wheat importers and last year bought about 80 percent of those imports from Russia and Ukraine. Russia's February 24 attack on Ukraine disrupted shipments and sped up a rise in global commodity prices, delivering a financial shock to Egypt.

In its response to the war, Egypt has been torn between long-standing ties to Russia and its close relationship to Western powers that have sanctioned and sought to isolate Moscow.

Western embassies had lobbied Egypt and the Arab League ahead of Lavrov's visit, which included talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and representatives of the Arab League.

"We reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to meet all their commitments," Lavrov said in a press conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

"We discussed specific parameters of cooperation in this area, agreed on further contacts between the relevant ministries, and we have a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis."

Since the start of the war, a blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia's Black Sea fleet has trapped tens of millions of tonnes of grain, worsening global supply chain bottlenecks.

Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations signed a deal on Friday to restart Ukrainian wheat exports by sea, but a Russian strike on Odesa on Saturday put implementation of the agreement in doubt.

Lavrov is visiting Egypt at the start of a regional tour of African states. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-07-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Int'l community welcomes Russia-Ukraine grain export deal, expects full implementation

Xinhua) 09:41, July 24, 2022

Russia and Ukraine are signing an agreement with Turkey and the United Nations on shipping Ukrainian grain, foodstuff, and fertilizer to international markets via the Black Sea in Istanbul, on July 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Shadati)

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Ukraine separately signed a deal in Istanbul on Friday with Trkiye and the UN to resume grain shipments from Ukrainian ports to international markets via the Black Sea.

The deal, officially called "the Black Sea Grain Initiative," was first signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and later by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov with the other two sides.

It would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website.

A copy of the deal released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian President's Office, showed that the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be renewed for the same duration unless one of the signing parties terminates.

Following the signing of the deal, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for efforts to effectively implement the agreements on transporting Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports and on promoting Russian exports of food and fertilizers.

Given the significant share of Russian and Ukrainian agricultural products in international markets, ensuring uninterrupted shipping meets the pressing objectives of maintaining food security, especially for the developing and least developed countries, Lavrov said.

"The UN assistance that is provided in good faith and the constructive approach of the international community, including the Western countries, will be instrumental in this (implementing the agreements)," he said.

Also on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal fully meets Ukraine's interests and will enable Ukraine to export 20 million tons of last year's grain harvest and part of this year's harvest.

The long-awaited deal was welcome news for the international community as a food crisis has already been plaguing countries heavily dependent on grain imports from Ukraine and Russia. Officials worldwide have voiced hope for an early and full implementation of the deal to ease the global grain shortage.

Ukraine and Russia are breadbaskets of the world, producing almost one-third of its wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizers and the raw materials for its production, Guterres' press office said in a note to correspondents.

UN reports revealed that more than 800 million people around the world directly face the possibility of hunger at the moment, and the number could rise.

Following the deal, the price of wheat for delivery in September dropped 5.9 percent to 7.59 U.S. dollars per bushel on Friday in Chicago. Prices in Europe tumbled by a similar amount, media reports showed.

"This apparent agreement is not an indication of a normalization in Ukrainian export flows but certainly a step in the right direction for global food supplies," The Wall Street Journal quoted a recent note by analysts at J. P. Morgan to clients as saying in its article published Friday.

Calling the deal "a beacon of hope," Guterres said the shipment of grain and food stocks into world markets will help bridge the global food supply gap and reduce pressure on high prices.

"This initiative must be fully implemented because the world so desperately needs it to tackle the global food crisis," he said.

Guterres also announced the establishment of a joint coordination center in Istanbul to monitor the implementation of the deal.

Present at the signing ceremony, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the export traffic will be initiated in the coming days, which will open a "pathway for taking fresh air to many countries."

"We are talking about 25 million tonnes of grain," Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar told reporters after the ceremony, reckoning as urgent the need for a safe transport corridor to transfer these products by sea.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell described the deal as "a critical step in overcoming the global food insecurity."

Borrell tweeted that the EU "remains committed" to helping with the implementation of the deal.

Meanwhile, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the United States fully expects the implementation of the deal "to commence swiftly to prevent the world's most vulnerable people from sliding deeper into food insecurity and malnutrition, as well as extreme hunger."

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Ulsan Jungbu Police Station Senior Superintendent Ryu Sam-young, center, leaves the Police Human Resources Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, after holding a meeting of high-ranking police officials nationwide, Saturday. Two hours after the meeting, Ryu was suspended from his job. Yonhap





By Nam Hyun-woo







Rival parties traded salvoes on Sunday over a police superintendent in Ulsan who was suspended from his job after spearheading a meeting of high-ranking police officials nationwide to protest the government's plan to set up a supervisory bureau to oversee the nation's police forces under the direct control of the interior ministry.







Rep. Woo Sang-ho, interim chief of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), voiced worries about the interior ministry's plan to put the police under its direct control, saying that is what a "military junta would do."







"Let me ask those who are saying that because there's a supervisory bureau for the prosecution in the justice ministry, there could be a supervisory bureau for the police in the interior ministry," Woo said during a press conference.







"If that's the case, and there can be meetings of public prosecutors and of the nation's chief prosecutors, then why can't there be a meeting of the nation's police chiefs? I strongly doubt this matter needs to be dealt with by suspension, and this is not a problem that can be addressed by silencing the police," he said.







Democratic Party of Korea interim chief Rep. Woo Sang-ho speaks during a press conference at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press Corps




Meanwhile, individuals have tried to fight it in the High Court, claiming it breaches the constitution for the Commonwealth to fund religious outfits, though the cases have so far been stymied on technical grounds. Because of the legal complexities regarding roles of state and federal governments, the Commonwealth gives the $61 million a year chaplain funding to states to distribute to schools that want a chaplain. Loading Yes, chaplains are only one component of a schools overall approach to student welfare, which includes psychologists, nurses and support officers, but the money for those comes out of school budgets. And yes, a parent can choose for their child not to see the chaplain, but this is not the point  it is taxpayers funding a service with hiring systems that shut out half the potential applicants.

WA is the least religious state, according to the latest census which showed almost 43 per cent of us have no religious affiliation, compared to Australias 38.4 per cent. WAs government, albeit quietly and minutely, relaxed its approach even before the Clare announcement. The Rationalist Society of Australia, pushing for changes in discriminatory recruitment, wrote in early 2021 to WA Equal Opportunity Commissioner John Byrne who agreed with them that the selection criteria for taxpayer-funded chaplaincy roles was discriminatory under the law. The society, mid-last year, asked the state government how it would rectify this. It wrote that chaplains did a great job supporting students but the system excluded a large number of suitably qualified and experienced people  who are perfectly capable of doing the work required in these chaplaincy roles  solely on the basis of their lack of religious belief.

Since then, the governments Chaplaincy Buyers Guide for schools was changed from saying chaplains may be of any faith to include or no faith. The WA government between March and June also updated its website; chaplains may be of any faith was changed to any or no faith. But can they in reality? Federal Education Minister Jason Clare. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The rule has always been schools must use a service provider to get a chaplain; any one, or one of the three with an agreement in place: OnPsych Chaplaincy, Scripture Union WA or YouthCARE.

My inquiries indicate there are only these three. Scripture Union and YouthCare are Christian, and require their chaplains be too. However, managing director Martin Grigg was happy to confirm OnPsych is not in any way religious. He says around 2012, when starting out, he obtained his workers an endorsement from a Uniting Church representative purely to satisfy the requirements of the Commonwealth at that time. OnPsych only requires academic qualifications in chaplaincy, youth work or pastoral care and competencies in mental health and referrals.

OnPsych employs about 15 or 17 chaplains in WA and I dont know what faith they are. And I dont care, I dont want to know, Grigg says. Loading But OnPsych is a tiny presence in WA compared to the two other providers serving the bulk of the 668 schools using chaplains. Maylands Primary parents wrote to the peak body representing parents of public schoolchildren here, WACSSO. In September they will put a motion to its conference that no pastoral care position should have a religious requirement. What would this mean for WA?

In an article for The Conversation, Monash University constitutional law expert Professor Luke Beck wrote that in saying schools should be let choose, the federal minister had not explained how a public school, legally secular in character, could ever justify choosing that Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or atheist youth workers should not be eligible for a pastoral care job. Unless new providers come onto the scene, he said, public schools would have little choice but to keep engaging existing providers who would keep hiring only Christians. Grigg tells me chaplaincy is hardly lucrative; the reason he does it is because he also employs psychologists who work under Medicare and NDIS schemes who co-ordinate well with chaplains when they have crossover clients. You have to ask yourself why would anyone want to be a chaplaincy provider? he says. You dont make a lot of money, so unless you are driven by ideology

Surely, though, Maylands Primary can just request their school goes through OnPsych? Not so simple. One, funding composition varies from school to school. At Maylands their chaplaincy position is three days a week, but the federal program only funds two days a week. The third is funded in part by their local council and if they want to maintain that service level when they appoint a new chaplain, they will have to ask their council to change where the funding goes. I would love to think it will be easy for parents to bring this up with schools but I suspect it might not always be. Credit:SDI Productions This sounds simple, and with their council it may be, but with the number of unflattering news stories recently about irrational decisions councils in Perth are able to make with impunity, I suspect it may not be simple for all. Two, I am told other school parents have approached school leaders about this and been stonewalled.

Beck suggests chaplaincy providers are jettisoned and schools permitted to hire their own chaplains without the middleman. But Grigg says this is inadvisable  and not just because hes one of them. He says in-house psychologists experience conflicts of interest. Providers also look after issues of indemnity, training and professional supervision and support for a stressful job. They need to be independent from a school very much in the way your doctor needs to be independent from your employer, he says. The federal minister says he will work with states to revise agreements by 2023.
Pocock, who is part of the independent push for a stronger emissions-reduction target, also vowed to put restoring integrity in politics at the top of his agenda as Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus consults on the national corruption watchdog Labor has promised to set up by years end. Former Wallabies captain Senator David Pocock will be a key power player in the 47th parliament. Credit:Rhett Wyman In a melding of Westminster and Australian tradition, the sitting will open with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony and a gun salute for Governor-General David Hurley, who will conduct an Inspection of the Guard before ascending to the Senate chamber to make a speech about the priorities of the new government. No legislation will be tabled on the first sitting day, which is devoted to ceremony and electing a Speaker of the House  widely expected to be Queensland Labor MP Milton Dick. It is a constitutional requirement for a Speaker to be elected before any Parliamentary business takes place.

The Speaker then presents himself to the governor-general, who grants them the authority to administer the oath to any members unable to make it to parliament to be sworn in that day. Other ceremonial activities include a fanfare  a short musical flourish played by trumpets  in the Parliaments Great Hall and an afternoon reception with the Governor-General in the Members Hall for MPs and senators. A Motion of Condolence is likely to be moved in the House of Representatives this week to honour the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on July 8. The Address in Reply, the formal acknowledgement by the House to the Governor-General for the speech given at an opening of Parliament, is expected to begin on Tuesday night. Printed on goatskin parchment, the Address is signed by the Speaker and the clerk of the House and presented for a debate that can last several days.

This is when the dozens of new MPs and senators are expected to start making their first speeches. There are 35 new lower house MPs including teal independents Kylea Tink, Zoe Daniel, Sophie Scamps, Monique Ryan, Kate Chaney and Allegra Spender. Independents Monique Ryan, Zoe Daniel, Kate Chaney, Kylea Tink, Dai Le with Greens MP Elizabeth Watson-Brown and independents Sophie Scamps and Allegra Spender. Credit:James Brickwood Other first speeches to watch include Fowler MP Dai Le, the independent who won the seat from Labors former foreign affairs spokeswoman Kristina Keneally. New Labor MPs include Sally Sitou, who won the seat of Reid from former Liberal MP Fiona Martin.

Among the new senators are Indigenous women NT Country Liberal Jacinta Price, South Australian Liberal Kerrynne Liddle and Victorian Labors Jana Stewart. The Greens have three new lower house MPs  Stephen Bates, Max Chandler-Mather and Elizabeth Watson-Brown, all from Brisbane  and three new senators. The government is expected to begin introducing legislation on Wednesday and Thursday. Steggall said she hoped for slightly more productive politics than during the 46th parliament and that the Albanese government must implement all recommendations of the Jenkins review into parliamentary workplaces, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Crossbenchers are also pushing for Albanese to reverse cuts to their staffing allocations.

The Greens will pressure the government over new coal and gas mines which will make the climate crisis worse and demand Albanese drop the stage 3 tax cuts for people earning more than $200,000 a year, legislated by the former government. The Coalition is expected to use question time to attack the government on soaring electricity prices, its policy costings, its approach to dealing with the threat of foot and mouth disease, and its hesitancy to reintroduce COVID-19 disaster payments. Loading Manager of opposition business Paul Fletcher said the Albanese governments early performance raised concerns and that we will be doing our job as an effective opposition to scrutinise the governments policies. To hold the government to account through the scrutiny of question time and other parliamentary processes is very important, Fletcher said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will push the government on its election promise to deliver lower electricity prices as gas and electricity shortages put the grid under pressure. Fletcher said the Coalition would need to look at the detail before we state our position on government legislation but was expected to vote against the climate bill after taking a 26-28 per cent emissions-reduction target to the election. Well be guided by particularly where weve stated election commitments and positions, Fletcher said. The climate bill is expected to be referred to a Senate committee. The Coalition declined to match Labors election pledge to introduce 10 days of paid domestic violence leave, a policy championed by the Greens.
Pressed by the West to condemn the invasion, these governments also seek to maintain access to Russian grain and other exports and to preserve friendly ties with Russia that in some cases date back to the Soviet era. Seeing no gain in alienating either side, some have tried to simply not take sides in the conflict. Refuses to condemn Russia: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Credit:AP For his part, Egypts president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, has refused to condemn Moscow as strongly as the US wanted. And on Sunday, after meeting with Lavrov, the Egyptian foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry, had warm words for his counterpart. Egyptian-Russian relations are historical, characterised by friendship and branched out into many fields politically, economically and culturally, Shoukry declared at a news conference. We look forward to further close cooperation based on mutual respect and shared interest, he said.

Lavrov said Russian agricultural exporters were committed to meeting their obligations and that Russian and Egyptian ministries had agreed to continue cooperating on the issue, according to Russian and Egyptian media reports. We have reiterated the Russian grain exporters adherence to their commitments, he said at a joint news conference with Shoukry, adding that Russia and Egypt had a common understanding concerning the causes of the grain crisis. Loading Western nations, too, have waged a concerted campaign in the region, trying to keep countries from getting too close to Russia. Ahead of Lavrovs visit Sunday, Western diplomats in Cairo lobbied Egypt behind the scenes not to give the Russian minister too warm a reception. The American special envoy for the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, was also set to visit the region starting on Sunday, with plans to travel to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia for talks. The same day, the US Embassy in Cairo reminded reporters in a news release that President Joe Biden had pledged $US50 million for Egypt to help offset the rapid rise in prices of wheat and other staple foods set off by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

But Western attempts at counter-programming, including editorials and social media posts, have done little to attract more public support in the Middle East. Russian disinformation and propaganda have found fertile ground in a region where many Arabs have long harboured anti-American and anti-Western sentiment stemming from the US invasion of Iraq and Western support for Israel. For months, the United States, Britain and the European Union have tried to turn the argument in their favour by laying the responsibility for the soaring price of bread and other basic foods squarely at Putins feet, roundly condemning Russia for shutting down the flow of Ukrainian grain to the world through the Black Sea. On Friday, Russia agreed to a deal brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that would allow Ukraine to export its grain. The next morning, however, Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa, raising questions about whether the deal might collapse. Samantha Power, administrator of the US Agency for International Development, said in a video posted Saturday from Kenya, where she was travelling, that the Odesa attack was just the latest indication of the cold indifference Vladimir Putin has for the cost of the war in Ukraine, a man-made war that he created for no reason. Ukraine, for its part, said the arrangement was still on. Oksana Markarova, Ukraines ambassador to the United States, told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday that Ukraine would do everything possible to feed the world. The strikes on Odesa, Markarova said, demonstrated that Russia was not operating in good faith. Our farmers are even planting and harvesting under the fire, she said.

In March, el-Sissi called Putin to reaffirm Egypts commitment to cooperation after it voted in favour of a United Nations resolution to condemn the invasion. And last month, he gave a speech at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia. Elsewhere on the African continent, public opinion has appeared to waver between support for Ukraine and sympathy with Russias justification of its invasion. While few African leaders have publicly supported Russia, no African countries have joined the American and European sanctions against Moscow. That balancing act was apparent last month when the head of the African Union, President Macky Sall of Senegal, met with Putin. Sall implored Putin to free up the trapped Ukrainian grain  but he also echoed Moscows argument that Western sanctions had worsened the food crisis, explicitly calling for lifting restrictions on exports of Russian wheat and fertiliser. Though the sanctions do not cover those commodities, shipping companies, insurers, banks and other businesses have been reluctant to do business with Russia for fear of breaking the rules or harming their reputations.

In his article ahead of the trip to Africa, Lavrov praised African leaders for resisting Western pressure to join the sanctions against Russia. Such an independent path deserves deep respect, he wrote. Putin has traded heavily on his theme of Russia as leading a worldwide uprising against Western hegemony. Again and again, he has repeatedly described the Americans and their European allies as a golden billion. They live well, he says, at the expense of the rest of the world. That argument is likely to resonate with many Arabs and Africans who resent the Wests long history of meddling in their affairs and extracting their resources. Why should this golden billion, which is only part of the global population, dominate everyone else and enforce its rules of conduct that are based on the illusion of exceptionalism? Putin said Wednesday at a forum in Moscow. It mainly got to where it is by robbing other peoples in Asia and Africa. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
London: Britain and France have pointed the finger at each other as long traffic jams outside the Port of Dover, Britains main gateway to Europe, have stretched into a third day.

Travellers setting out at the start of the British school summer holidays, as well as the usual flow of goods lorries, have faced long delays because of slow border checks.

Long queues of travellers at French border control before boarding ferries from the Port of Dover. Credit:Bloomberg

The Kent Resilience Forum, which brings together local councils and emergency services, declared a major incident. The BBC and Sky News reported that travellers faced seven-hour queues on Saturday to cross the channel.

The UK government has blamed the problems on a lack of French border force staff, while France says more checks are needed because Britain is no longer a member of the European Union.
Auto dealers' body FADA said it expects automakers to launch higher number of models this festive season compared to the last two years when Covid-19 pandemic overshadowed the festive cheer.

Federation of Automobile Dealers' Association (FADA) president Vinkesh Gulati had termed 2021 festive season as the "worst" in a decade in terms of business of its retail partners.

In an interaction with PTI, Gulati said this time the demand is "too good", except for the non-electric two-wheeler segment which remains the "biggest stress" on the industry owing to a host of factors.

"If I compare with the last two years, you will find at least double the model launch during the festive season. Moreover, we are seeing a lot of electric vehicles being launched also. So you will find a lot of launches (ahead of the festive season)," Gulati told PTI.

However, most of the new vehicle launches are expected to be in the compact SUV or SUV segment, he said and emphasised that "90 per cent of the launches (will be) driven towards the SUV segment."



Gulati termed the coming 4-5 months as the best for the vehicle sales as the festive season in the country falls during this period.

"We are seeing good footfalls and enquiries at the dealerships. No doubt there are issues like high waiting period in the car segment, which is a deterrent to the customer. But customers are still supporting the dealerships despite a long waiting period," he said.

"Overall, car segment is doing very good and we have very good footfalls. We have a very huge order book, ranging over 7.5 lakh cars in the system. And people are still booking. The way things are going, I don't think this number is going to come down at least for a year," Gulati said.

According to him, the car makers in the country have been producing 3 lakh cars per month since February, which is a good sign.

Car segment is looking good for the coming five month and can go above 3 lakh-plus on the back of the numbers that the companies like M&M, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai and Kia are forecasting, which is cumulatively around 3.50 lakh per month, he said.

"But even if they do 3 lakh, they will be too above the past year," Gulati said.

On the Commercial Vehicle (CV) demand, he said that though sales in that segment is positive, it is still not as compared to pre-axle load norms period.

The CV demand started declining from November 2018 due to the introduction of axle-load norms and other factors.

Commercial vehicles should be in green. Besides, the kind of "infrastructure support we are getting from the infrastructure push of the government" is also pushing the segment to the positive side, he added.

According to Gulati, increasing electrification in the three-wheeler space is a "positive" for the segment.

"The e-three wheelers demand will grow further with a lot of companies coming out with more and more products. It will be positive. But on the other hand, the negative aspect is that ICE or CNG three-wheeler sales are degrowing and steadily," he said.

He said that the tractor segment is already positive and the monsoon has supported the demand.

Three-wheeler electric demand is growing and it is so high that it is trying to cover the degrowth of no-electric segment. But it is not so in the case of two-wheelers, where the degrowth is 25 per cent-plus compared to the per-Covid level and despite electric two-wheeler growth it will not be able to cover up.

"Non-electric two-wheelers' demand is the biggest stress. And this is the worry for FADA," Gulati said, citing a number of reasons in the last two years, including transition from BSIV to BSVI, which jacked up two-wheeler prices by a whopping 30 per cent, higher fuel prices and "growing intervention from the roat transport ministry regarding safety features and other norms.

"Also, there is a structural shift from the customer side such as customer preference and expectations. The kind of stress that we saw in rural areas owing to the pandemic is also a major issue," 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.)
THE DIGITAL REPUBLIC: On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century

Author: Jamie Susskind

Publisher: Pegasus Books

Price: $28.95

Pages: 304

Anyone who lived through the dot-com boom of the late 1990s remembers the cyber-utopianism of the early days. I felt it myself as a young journalist traversing Silicon Valley to report on the new world being born. I wrote a book about eBay, based on interviews with its visionary founder, Pierre Omidyar. In keeping with the heady spirit of the times, I gave the book, which stressed eBays ability to be a force for global economic opportunity, the idealistic title The Perfect Store.

Many of those early dreams about the internets potential came true. The list of positive changes the digital age ushered in is endless: Online libraries available to people around the world, smartphone GPS that has made getting lost a thing of the past, telemedicine and a whole lot more.

The snake, however, was always lurking in this online Eden, and the fall came quickly. Now, when we think of the we are as likely to focus on its dark side: Identity theft and cyberstalking; proliferation of fake news and vitriol that is eroding American democracy; and the damage social media is doing to the fragile psyches of young people.

Everyone talks about the dangers, but almost no one is suggesting what to do about them. That makes The Digital Republic, by the British lawyer and academic Jamie Susskind, a welcome arrival. Mr Susskind does an excellent job of diagnosing the problems and offers an array of well-constructed solutions, though some are more practical than others.

As his title suggests, Mr Susskind embraces republicanism (small r, most emphatically), a philosophy diametrically opposed to market individualism. Republicans (in Mr Susskinds definition) oppose social structures that enable one group to exercise unaccountable power, also known as domination, over others.

Not surprisingly, Mr Susskind sees domination throughout the current digital world. A few large corporations and platforms control our digital lives. They capture our personal data, storing it and selling it at will. They facilitate the spread of false information and hateful ideas. They use secret algorithms that discriminate against some users.

Crucially, Mr Susskinds republicans believe these problems are not the fault of a few bad apple corporations or individuals, but rather the result of a whole superstructure. They object, Mr Susskind explains, to the idea of someone with Mark Zuckerbergs power, not Mr Zuckerberg himself.

Mr Susskind is a keen observer of the digital worlds dangers and his analysis is enhanced, for American readers, by his outsiders eye. He brings the perspective of a European who is more sceptical of the market and corporations than many Americans, and more open to bold solutions to the problems large tech companies create.

As Mr Susskind makes clear, the problem of big tech will not be solved by lobbing barbed critiques or by waiting for corporations to do the right thing. What we need are new laws that will force the companies to be less dominant and do less damage. Mr Susskind offers an array of solutions, and they are the most important part of the book.

Many of his proposals could do a lot of good. Congress should, as he suggests, require tech companies to be more transparent about their inner workings. Audits of their algorithms and procedures, like inspections of industrial plants, would allow regulators and users to understand how tech products operate and assess what harm they may be doing.

Another promising idea is establishing a system of premarket certification for digital products. In the same way the Food and Drug Administration clears drugs for the market, a regulatory body could review and evaluate software and other digital products before they are released to ensure they comply with the law, and perhaps evaluate how they comport with community values.

Some proposals, however, seem more suited to the ivory tower than the real world. Mr Susskind calls for a vast system of deliberative mini-publics, groups of ordinary citizens that would develop policies in areas like taxation of data processing. Its an idea that no doubt has great appeal in the seminar room, but Ive taken to looking at my fellow subway passengers and wondering how they would do hammering out data-processing taxation policy. Im sceptical.

Mr Susskind also proposes a system for regulating the moderation of websites, including checklists of things moderators must do. He suggests disciplinary mechanisms by which moderators could be subject to fines or disqualification. As we saw this spring with the debacle of the Department of Homeland Securitys advisory board to combat disinformation, Americans, at least, have a deep resistance to the idea of government getting too involved in deciding what speech is acceptable. Even if Mr Susskinds idea is a good one, its Orwellian overtones would doubtless make it, at least in the United States, a political nonstarter.

Mr Susskind notes that he was too young for 1990s cyber-utopianism, but at times he seems to be engaging in a 2020s version, such as his vision of citizen panels churning out policy edicts to fix big techs problems. Still, in trying to make the world right, an excess of idealism is not the worst thing. As we take on the task of pushing back against the Internets baleful influences  which we must  Mr Susskinds intelligent book can serve as a valuable guide.
solutions provider Daiki Axis plans to set up its third plant in the country in the southern region, a company official said.

The company is setting up its second plant with a capacity to produce 1,000 sewage treatment units with Japanese "Johkasou" technology at Palwal, Haryana, Daiki Axis India CEO Kamal Tiwari told PTI during an interaction.

"We have one plant in Vapi, Gujarat, second one is coming up in Haryana. We are planning another one somewhere in Southern India," he said.

The Palwal plant is being set up at a cost of about Rs 200 crore.

Daiki Axis India is a subsidiary of Japan-based Daiki Axis .

Tiwari further said his company is exploring locations in Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to set up the third plant.

The company will begin to work on the plan from next year as the immediate focus is to make the Palwal plant operational by October 2022.

When asked about the investment, the CEO said it will be of "a capacity of 500-1000 units per annum" and such projects need an investment of Rs 100 crore.

The official also informed that India and recently signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) for waste water management through Johkasou technology.

This technology is used to treat domestic waste water locally for reuse, which is very appropriate for India in current circumstances, Tiwari 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.)
Should a high subscription fee stop those living in rural India from enjoying shows? Not really! A "sachet subscription" for Rs 10 per movie can play all the trick, says fintech firm PayNearby.

Internet data consumption for chatting, content and social media is alike in urban and rural areas. However, it is skewed in favour of the urban population for shopping, education, job searches, medicine and mobile banking, among others as compared to those living in rural and semi-urban areas, said Anand Kumar Bajaj, founder MD & CEO, PayNearby.

"Today there is availability of easy credit, easy insurance, easy content and many other services. As per BCG data, in urban and rural areas, people are mostly using data for chat and content on social media whereas for shopping they use it less in rural and more in urban areas.

"Imagine if I start selling one movie on at Rs 10 in cash, it is going to crash down their servers. So to cater to this mass segment which we call Bharat... we are in talks with already," Bajaj told PTI in an interview.

PayNearby is a fintech startup which offers branchless banking and other financial services to the mass segment of the country by enabling the local neighbourhood kirana merchants commonly known as 'Digital Pradhans'.

Citing data from global consulting firm BCG, he said the internet data consumption for free OTT (Over-The-Top) content platforms is 39 per cent in rural areas, whereas zero per cent for paid subscription.

"I want to change that in the next five years. We can take it to 20 per cent for paid OTT subscriptions in rural areas in five years from now," Bajaj said.

PayNearby, through its tech-led DaaS (Distribution as a Service) network, serves 75 per cent of India with services like cash withdrawal, remittance, Aadhaar banking, bill payment and recharges, savings, travel, digital payments and insurance.

A former banker with ICICI Bank and Yes Bank, Bajaj said there is India and there is Bharat.

"The 10 per cent is the digital savvy, value seeking while the 90 per cent segment is what we call Bharat. The digitised segment has all kinds of facilities and services like banking, debit card, credit card, shopping. All the big techs are pouring services to them only, besides offering them cashbacks.

"And there is this 90 per cent marginalised, subsidised segment on the other hand for which the government is making efforts. If we wish to integrate Bharat with India, this can be accomplished faster with digitisation," Bajaj said.

He said it will not be viable to take the distribution supply chain to the masses through physical means only. But if you make that physical digitally powered, the phygital model, you can deliver credit, content, consumption, insurance, payments, education among others. So you can relay everything digitally provided you have included digital payment in that.

Bajaj said as much as Rs 1.5 lakh crore dispensed under Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) has been lying unwithdrawn in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, which is "curtailing consumption artificially".

"People have money in their accounts, bank is there, but no banking. There are 32,000 bank branches in India around 6 lakh villages, which are not enough to cater to their needs. The government has fulfilled its responsibility by crediting that money to the users' accounts, but how do the citizens use or access that money, that is where enablers like us come to the play. It needs to be done through what we are doing."



He said 'Har Dukan Digital Pradhan' is the motto where every shop will be a digital enabler.

A micro entrepreneur can bring the high-end technology in a simplified sachetised manner to every citizen. One can go to a shop to buy 1 kg potato, 1 kg pulses, one OTT recharge, one insurance installment payment -- it is like all at one stop, he said, adding this has also helped boost the sales of the kirana merchant.

"Every month, we are able to dispense Rs 7,500 crore worth of sachetised financial services to Bharat which respects the services. These merchants were the enablers who helped disburse the government subsidy to people during the lockdown and their trust factor has augmented to a great extent," Bajaj said.

Akin to the name, the PayNearby founder said the company wants to bring everything nearby to a consumer.

"We want to do retail sashaktikaran (empowerment). This is a journey which will help in the transition of India and Bharat from an assisted service to self service model and we will be responsible for that as well," Bajaj added.

According to PayNearby, its 50 lakh-plus micro entrepreneurs across over 19,000 PIN codes assist more than 20 crore customers across the country.

(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.)


By Robert Skidelsky





LONDON  Nearly all political careers end in failure, but Boris Johnson is the first British prime minister to be toppled for scandalous behavior. That should worry us.



The three most notable downfalls of 20th-century British leaders were caused by political factors. Neville Chamberlain was undone by his failed appeasement policy. The Suez fiasco forced Anthony Eden to resign in 1957. And Margaret Thatcher fell in 1990 because popular resistance to the poll tax persuaded Tory MPs that they could not win again with her as leader.



True, Harold Macmillan was undone in 1963 by the Profumo sex scandal, but this involved a secretary of state for war and possible breaches of national security. Election defeats following economic failure brought down Edward Heath and James Callaghan in the 1970s. Tony Blair was forced to resign by the Iraq debacle and Gordon Brown's impatience to succeed him. David Cameron was skewered by Brexit, and Theresa May by her failure to deliver Brexit.



No such events explain Johnson's fall.



David Lloyd George, a much greater leader than Johnson, is his only serious rival in sleaze. But though the sale of seats in the House of Lords, slipshod administrative methods, and dishonesty had weakened Lloyd George, the immediate cause of his fall (exactly a century ago) was his mishandling of the Chanak crisis, which brought Britain and Turkey to the brink of war.



The more familiar comparison is with U.S. President Richard Nixon. Every Johnson misdemeanor is routinely labeled "gate" after the Watergate break-in that ended Nixon.



John Maynard Keynes called Lloyd George a "crook"; Nixon famously denied that he was one. Neither they nor Johnson were crooks in the technical sense (of being convicted of crimes), but Nixon would have been impeached in 1974 had he not resigned, and Johnson was fined 50 pounds for breaking lockdown rules. Moreover, all three showed contempt for the laws they were elected to uphold, and for the norms of conduct expected from public officials.



We struggle to describe their character flaws: "unprincipled," "amoral," and "serial liar" seem to capture Johnson. But they describe more successful political leaders as well. To explain his fall, we need to consider two factors specific to our times.



The first is that we no longer distinguish personal qualities from political qualities. Nowadays, the personal really is political: personal failings are ipso facto political failings. Gone is the distinction between the private and the public, between subjective feeling and objective reality, and between moral and religious matters and those that government must address.



Politics has crossed into the realm previously occupied by psychiatry. This was bound to happen once affluence undermined the old class basis of politics. Questions of personal identity arising from race, gender, sexual preference, and so on now dominate the spaces vacated by the politics of distribution. Redressing discrimination, not addressing inequality, became the task of politics.



Johnson is both a creature and a victim of identity politics. His rhetoric was about "leveling up" and "our National Health Service." But, in practice, he made his personality the content of his politics. No previous British leaders would have squandered their moral capital on trivial misdemeanors and attempted cover-ups, because they knew that it had to be kept in reserve for momentous events. But momentous events are now about oneself, so when a personality is seen as flawed, there is no other story to tell.



Johnson's personality-as-politics was also the creation of the media. In the past, newspapers, by and large, reported the news; now, focusing on personalities, they create it. This change has given rise to a corrupt relationship: personalities use the media to promote themselves, and the media expose their frailties to sell copy.



There has always been a large market for sexual and financial gossip. But even in the old "yellow press," there was a recognized sphere of public events that took priority. Now the gossip stories are the public events.



This development has radically transformed public perceptions about the qualities a political leader should have. Previous generations of political leaders were by no means all prudes. They lied, drank, fornicated, and took bribes. But everyone concerned with politics recognized that it was important to protect the public sphere. Leaders' moral failings were largely shielded from scrutiny, unless they became egregious. And even when the public became aware of them, they were forgiven, provided the leaders delivered the goods politically.



Most of the offenses that led to Johnson's resignation would never have been reported in the past. But today the doctrine of personal accountability justifies stripping political leaders naked. Every peccadillo, every lapse from correct expression, becomes a credibility-destroying "disgrace" or "shame." People's ability to operate in the public sphere depends on privacy. Once that is gone, their ability to act effectively when they need to vanish.



The other new factor is that politics is no longer viewed as a vocation so much as a stepping stone to money. Media obsession with what a political career is worth, rather than whether politicians are worthy of their jobs, is bound to affect what politically ambitious people expect to achieve and the public's view of what to expect from them. Blair is reported to have amassed millions in speaking engagements and consultancies since leaving office. In keeping with the times, The Times has estimated how much money Johnson could earn from speaking fees and book deals, and how much more he is worth than May.



In his resignation speech, Johnson sought to defend the "best job in the world" in traditional terms, while criticizing the "eccentricity" of being removed in mid-delivery of his promises. But this defense of his premiership sounded insincere, because his career was not a testimony to his words. The cause of his fall was not just his perceived lack of morality, but also his perceived lack of a political compass. For Johnson, the personal simply exposed the hollowness of the political.





Robert Skidelsky, a member of the British House of Lords and professor emeritus of political economy at Warwick University, was a non-executive director of the private Russian oil company PJSC Russneft from 2016 to 2021. This article was distributed by Project Syndicate (www.project-syndicate.org).


firm Sahasra Semiconductors has said it expects to become the first company to set up a memory chip assembly, test and packaging unit in the country and start selling locally-made chips by December.

Sahasra Semiconductors chairman and managing director Amrit Manwani told PTI that the company plans to invest a total of Rs 750 crore in setting up the unit at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan.

"We will invest Rs 150 crore in this financial year for setting up the ATMP facility in Elcina manufacturing cluster in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. We expect it to be operational by the end of this year. Once the market is established and we touch revenue in the range of Rs 250-300 crore then we will again invest Rs 600 crore. In total, we plan to invest Rs 750 crore initially," Manwani said.

He said that the first full financial year of the company's commercial production is expected to generate a revenue of around Rs 50 crore, which is expected to grow to Rs 500 crore by 2025-26.

Semiconductors are converted into a complete product ready for sale at ATMP (Assembly, Testing, Marking and Packaging) units. It is the next step after the wafers or chips are produced at a fabrication plant.

Manwani said the company has already invested Rs 60 crore in the current fiscal and by March 2023 it will complete the investment of Rs 75 crore. The remaining Rs 75 crore will be invested in 2023-24.

The company has largely invested in buying equipment and setting up clean room facilities required for semiconductor packaging.

"We expect the first set of equipment to leave from Singapore this week and arrive at our factory by mid-August. Many equipment will come between August and September. We will have trial runs probably in November and we will be able to commercialise production by December of this year," Manwani said.

Sahasra Semiconductors is one of the whose proposal to set up an ATMP unit has been approved under the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS) of production linked incentive scheme.

Manwani said that the company has been in the business of selling semiconductors after importing them but has now decided to plunge in the packaging of the semiconductors due to growth opportunities in the domestic market arising out of government policies, geopolitical situation and concerns around security.

He said that the Sahasra group has sold memory products for a Japanese and a US-based technology but after their exit from memory products in India, the company started selling products in its own brand name.

"The demand for memory products is identified. We will not only utilise the semiconductors for our captive consumption but will give out to brands who demand for it. We have been one of the important players in the memory segment. We have been supplying pen drives, SD cards and also solid state drives for the computer segment," Manvani said.

He said total demand for semiconductors is around Rs 7000-10,000 crore and the company is confident of garnering 5-7 per cent market share by 2025-26.

"There is huge demand coming for domestically made products both from original equipment makers and the retail market. People are looking for domestically made products in the wake of dollar fluctuation, India China stand-off, US-China stand off. People want an alternate source to China. We believe customers will definitely welcome domestically manufactured memory semiconductors," Manvani said.

He said that locally manufactured memory products will be preferred by for security purposes as memory products are also installed in data servers, high-end industrial PCs as well as in communication equipment.

"Both the government and private organisations desire that these things should be locally manufactured," Manwani said.

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A city court on Saturday denied interim bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to an alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East riots.

Additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat rejected the bail plea nothing there was not sufficient ground to grant the relief. During the hearing, Imam's counsel Ahmad Ibrahim told the court that the accused met the conditions for bail and he was not a flight risk, nor at the risk of influencing witnesses or tampering with the evidence.

The apex court had said that all pending trials, appeals and proceedings with respect to the charge framed under Section 124A of IPC be kept at abeyance. Adjudication with respect to other sections, if any, could proceed if the Court are of the opinion that no prejudice would be caused to the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of Karkardooma Court on Saturday, while dismissing the oral plea for a stay in the case referred to the order passed by the Supreme Court. He said, "Thus, there is no total embargo on the continuance of trial in a case involving various offences, including Section 124A (Sedition) Indian Penal Code (IPC)."

The Court said, "In the present case, the trial is continuing against accused Sharjeel Imam not only in respect of the offence under Section 124A IPC, but also for the offence under Section 153A, 153B, 505 of IPC and 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA).

"It is correct that some of the witnesses like the complainant or the witness who has to prove sanction in respect of Section 124A IPC or the Investigation Officers cannot be examined in view of the order of the Supreme Court of India as their examination could cause prejudice to the accused," the Court said.

It is also said, " However, witnesses like Dharmender Kumar, who has to prove sanction order in respect of Section 13 UAPA, or forensic experts or other experts who have to prove their reports can still be examined without causing any prejudice to the accused."

Now, the court has listed the matter for prosecution evidence in respect of UAPA on August 22, 2022.

Advocate Talib Mustafa and Ahmad Ibrahim, counsels for the accused, had submitted that in view of the direction passed by the Supreme Court on May 11, 2022, in the case of SG Vombatkere Vs. Union of India, all pending trials with respect to charge framed under Section 124A IPC have been kept in abeyance.

The counsels strongly argued that in another case titled State Vs. Anal Hussain, in an FIR registered at the police station New Friends Colony, the prosecution had taken a stand that the prosecution of accused Sharjeel Imam for an offence under Section 124A IPC is to be kept in abeyance for the alleged speech and since Section 153A IPC have invoked on the basis of the said speech, therefore, the prosecution under the said section also cannot proceed with. Hence, the trial in the present matter should also be stayed.

On the other hand, the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad had submitted that in the case titled State vs Anal Hussain, the requisite sanction regarding the offence under Section 124A and 153A of IPC have not been received and thus, that case cannot be compared with the present matter where not only the requisite sanction had already been accorded but also even charges have been framed and a lot of prosecution witnesses have been examined.

It was also submitted by the SPP that in the present case, apart from section 124A IPC, other provisions of law, are also invoked including Section 13 of UAPA and the trial can proceed without causing prejudice to the accused by examination of many witnesses.

Police had registered a case against JNU's former student Sharjeel Imam for the alleged seditious speeches during the anti CAA-NRC protest. Police Crime Branch has filed chargesheet and charges have been framed under section 124A IPC along with 13 of UAPA.

(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 hesitation to receive vaccination doses continues among people and currently 3.54 crore in are yet to receive the COVID-19 precautionary dose even after completing the six-month period after the second dose, State Minister Ma Subramanian said on Sunday.

The minister for medical and family welfare after inspecting the 32 mega vaccination camp held across said, the total number of people who are yet to receive the vaccination shots including both first and second dose increased to 4.21 crore.

"Nearly 31.78 lakh people are yet to get first dose while 95.46 lakh people need to receive second dose. There are 3.54 crore people who are eligible to receive the precautionary booster dose despite having completed the mandatory six-month period after receiving the second dose," he told reporters.

Referring to government-run healthcare facilities, including primary health centres, hospitals in districts which administer free vaccination doses, he said, "Even if it is available for free at government-run centres, people continue to hesitate to receive the vaccination shots."



Batting for more vaccination among the public, he said, the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of omicron were spreading very fast world-over and every 24 hours there were about 50-60 people who are affected by that variant.

"Those people who were vaccinated did not suffer any serious illness even if they tested positive for BA.4 and BA.5 variants. Therefore, getting vaccinated is the only solution. Currently, BA.4 and BA.5 variants has spread in 110 countries and people without any hesitancy should take the jabs," he said.

Subramanian said in Tamil Nadu, 95.37 per cent of the people received first dose, while 87.63 per cent got the second dose.

The Centre has allowed states to administer precautionary booster dose free of charge till September 30, he said.

"After September 30, it will be charged at private healthcare facilities for about Rs 386.25 a dose, and since there is an opportunity to receive the doses free of charge currently, people should come forward and take the shots without any hesitancy," he said.

On the monkeypox disease, Subramanian said the government was leaving no stone turned as health department officials have intensified screening in all vital locations of the state after Kerala reported cases recently.

"Authorities at all the four international airports have been instructed to intensify screening of people and also conduct RT-PCR tests by randomly selecting two per cent of passengers. We have also stepped up the measures to monitor people in 13 locations that border with Kerala. People who arrive from Kerala by road also undergo tests at these locations," he said.

To a query about passengers arriving to the state by trains, he said currently, those passengers arriving from Kerala undergo screening for monkeypox and COVID-19 at the railway stations.

Referring to players coming to Chennai to take part in the 44th Chess Olympiad scheduled to begin in neighbouring Mamallapuram on July 28, he said, "any individual arriving from overseas needs to undergo screening for monkeypox disease. Thermal screening and RT-PCR tests are also conducted for them...

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Three people, who were scalded in a fire tragedy at a sparkler birthday candle factory, have succumbed to their injuries, police here said on Sunday.

The incident had occurred on Saturday evening in the factory at Tarihal Industrial Area in the district injuring at least eight people.

The entire unit was gutted in the blaze and police are investigating the cause behind the fire. Police said the factory started operations only recently.

Among the injured, three persons breathed their last in hospital. The condition of the other injured persons is said to be serious.

The deceased were identified as Vijayalakshmi Ichchanagar (34), Gouramma Hiremnath (45), and Malesh Haddannavar (27). All three persons were local residents.

The police have arrested the manager of the factory while the owner is reportedly at large. A manhunt has been launched to trace the owner.

(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.)
Agniveer Vayu examination for recruitment of the first batch of (IAF) personnel under the newly launched Agnipath scheme was held on Sunday at two centres of Ranchi amid tight security, an official said.

Aspirants were seen huddling at the two centres -- Oxford Public School and Sanskar IT and Management Services since morning, with security forces deployed outside.

Exams are being held in three shifts across 250 centres of the country, including the two in Ranchi. Ranchi deputy commissioner (DC) Rahul Sinha told PTI that adequate number of magistrates and security forces has been posted outside the centres to ensure free and fair examination.

Pawan Kumar, an examinee from Patna, said, My examination was scheduled during the first shift at Oxford Public School. It started at 9 am. Questions were majorly based on Class 12 syllabus.

Another examinee, Debkanta Das, who came all the way from Bankura district in West Bengal, said, My test was scheduled at Sanskar IT and Management Services during the third shift. I am a little nervous as this was my first such entrance exam.

The Agnipath scheme, which was rolled out this year, recruits youth in the armed forces for a period of four years. Those selected under the scheme will be known as Agniveers.

Widespread protests had broken out against Agnipath' in various parts of the country earlier in the year, with aspirants staging demonstrations and putting up rail blockades opposing the short-service job scheme.

(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 34-year-old man from the capital with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox virus, official sources said on Sunday.

This is the fourth case of the disease being reported in India.

The man had attended a stag party recently in Manali in Himachal Pradesh, official sources told PTI.

A resident of West Delhi, the man was admitted to the Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital here around three days ago after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.

His samples were sent to the Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive, the sources said.

"Contact tracing process has been initiated," the sources said.

Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala.

The WHO had on Saturday declared monkeypox as a global public health emergency of international concern.

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets.

Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far due to the outbreak.

In the WHO South-East Asia Region, besides India, one case has been detected from Thailand.

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As many as 217 employees of Fisheries Development Corporation (AFDC) Ltd may lose their jobs following allegations that they joined the corporation by adopting illegal means.

The employees have been served a show-cause notice seeking to know why they should not be terminated from their jobs.

The move came after a committee headed by the Additional Chief Secretary found that these employees were appointed by adopting illegal means.

After the committee submitted its report, the AFDC MD sent a notice to the employees which said that after verifying all the relevant documents, it has been found that they were appointed illegally without any advertisement or interview.

The employees have been asked to submit their reply on or before July 28.

State Fisheries Minister Parimal Suklabaidya said, "If the accused employees fail to submit a satisfactory reply before the stipulated date, they will be dismissed from service. The state government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, and the guilty will not be spared."

Meanwhile, allegations have also been levelled against BJP MLA Ramakanta Deuri, as the appointments were made during his tenure as the Chairman of the Fisheries Development Corporation.

However, the ruling party legislator denied the allegations and claimed that the accused were given jobs on a daily payment basis.

"The then MD of AFDC can divulge further details about the appointments," he said.

Former MD Anuradha Adhikari Sharma and another official named Padma Hazarika are under scanner for their alleged involvement in the recruitment irregularities.

--IANS

tanuj/arm

(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 children of unwed mothers and rape victims can live in this country with the fundamental rights of privacy, liberty, and dignity, the High Court has said and allowed a person to include his mother's name alone in the birth certificate, identity certificates and other documents.

Justice P V Kunhikrishnan, in an order issued on July 19, said a child of an unwed mother is also a citizen of this country and nobody can infringe any of his/her fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

"The children of unwed mothers and the children of raped victim can also live in this country with the fundamental rights of privacy, liberty, and dignity. None can intrude into their personal life, and if it happens, the constitutional Court of this country will protect their fundamental rights," the order said.

The name of the father of the petitioner, who is the son of an unwed mother, was different in three of his documents.

The court directed the Registrar of Births and Deaths to expunge and remove the name of the father from the Birth Register maintained at the office regarding the petitioner and issue a certificate showing the name of mother only as a single parent, if such a request is made by the petitioners.

"He/she is a son/daughter of not only the unwed mother but this great country India," the court said in its order.

The court also said the state should protect citizens of all kind as equal to other citizens without disclosing their identity and privacy. "Otherwise, they will face unimaginable mental agonies," it said.

"We want a society with no such characters like 'Karna', who curses his life because of the insult he faced for not knowing the whereabouts of his parents. We want the real brave 'Karna' who was the real hero and fighter in 'Mahabharata'. Our Constitution and the constitutional Courts will protect all of them and the new age 'Karnas' can live like any other citizen with dignity and pride," Justice Kunhikrishnan said.

The court had also directed the General Education Department, the Board of Higher Secondary Examinations, the UIDAI, the IT Department, the Passport Officer, the Election Commission of India and the State Election Commission to effect the consequential expunge of the name of the father from their official records and databases.

(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 Union government on Sunday held a high-level review meeting after a 34-year-old man from the national capital with no history of foreign travel tested positive for the monkeypox virus, becoming the fourth case of the disease reported in India.

Sources said the meeting was chaired by the Directorate General of Health Sciences (DGHS) and attended by officials from the Health ministry, National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and ICMR. The new patient who is presently recovering at a designated isolation centre at the Lok Nayak hospital had attended a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh recently, official sources told PTI.

A resident of West Delhi, the patient was isolated at the Hospital around three days ago after he showed symptoms of the disease. His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive, Union officials said.

The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine as per the guidelines, the said in a statement.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said a separate isolation ward had been set up at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital (LNJP) here for patients affected by monkeypox.

Asking people not to panic, Kejriwal said the patient is stable and recovering.

Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala. Airport and Port Health Officers and regional directors from regional offices of health and family welfare were advised to ensure strict health screening of all arriving international travellers to minimise the risk of importation of monkeypox cases into the country, a ministry statement had said.

They were advised to coordinate with stakeholder agencies at international ports and airports to streamline health screening processes besides ensuring suitable linkages with hospital facilities earmarked to each port of entry for timely referral and isolation.

WHAT IS MONKEYPOX VIRUS

According to WHO, monkeypox is caused by a virus transmitted to humans from animals and has symptoms similar to those seen in the past in smallpox patients

Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions or body fluids, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets

Can be transmitted through indirect contact with contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person

Presents with fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes, and may lead to medical complications

Usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting for 2-4 weeks

According to Centres guidelines, fatality ratio has historically ranged from 0 to 11% in general population and has been higher among young children. In recent times, case fatality ratio has been 3 to 6%



A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY

WHO has declared monkeypox a global emergency of international concern

A emergency of international concern is the rarely used top alert available to WHO to tackle a global disease outbreak

Reported in 75 countries

Over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries

There have been five deaths so far due to the outbreak

In India, the Delhi case takes the total number to four, including three from Kerala

EFFORTS TO CURB RISE IN CASES

The has advised airport and port health officers and regional directors from regional offices to ensure strict health screening of all arriving international travellers to minimise the risk of importation of monkeypox cases into the country.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 40-year old person, who returned from abroad to Kamareddy district in Telangana, has shown symptoms of monkeypox, state health officials said on Sunday.

The patient is being shifted to Government Fever Hospital here, they said.

The person, who showed symptoms of monkeypox, came from Kuwait on July 6 and developed fever on July 20.

The person got admitted to a private hospital in Kamareddy district after developing rashes on July 23, State Director of Public Health G Srinivasa Rao said in a release.

The doctor at the private hospital after noticing symptoms of monkeypox referred the person to the government hospital in Kamareddy district and from there the patient is being shifted to Fever Hospital here, Rao said.

After collecting samples from the patient, it will be sent to the NIV Pune and till then the patient will be kept in an isolation ward.

"We have identified six people who were in contact with the person. Though they do not have any symptoms, they have also been kept in isolation," the senior health official said.

Health Minister T Harish Rao reviewed the situation and based on his directions all necessary measures are being undertaken, the health official added.

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Settlement should lead to resolving structural problems



The subcontractor workers of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) ended their 51-day strike at a shipyard on a southeastern island, Friday. Managers and unionists agreed on a 4.5 percent wage hike, payment of allowances and employment succession of workers at closed subcontractors. It's a relief that the highly volatile industrial action was settled without mishaps.



However, structural problems remain unsolved, leaving a spark for recurrent conflicts. In building a ship, subcontractors do almost all the labor-intensive work, such as melding and cutting, while primary contractors handle design and management. Under a multilevel subcontracting structure, workers at subcontracting firms are forced to do hard and dangerous labor at low wages. The just-ended walkout demonstrated the underlying weakness of Korea's shipbuilding industry, which unduly depends on low wages for subcontractor workers.



As a result, the domestic shipyards are enjoying the biggest order boom in seven years but suffer a labor shortage. The unionists' struggle aimed to show the plight of subcontractor workers, in which the wages of workers with 20 years of experience barely exceed the legal minimum wage. They called for severing the vicious circle of mass layoffs and wage cuts whenever the industry falls into a slump.



Considering that DSME's largest shareholder is the state-run Korea Development Bank (KDB), the government's response to the latest situation was regrettable for various reasons. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration sat back and did nothing in the strike's early phase, aggravating the situation. Instead of creating an atmosphere for dialogue, President Yoon hinted at sending in the riot police, saying, "We've waited long enough."



It is also worrying that related ministers have threatened to punish some union leaders, holding them responsible. Their return to strong-arm tactics even before the ink dries on the labor-management agreement will rekindle the dispute. The government must act as the conflict coordinator and industrial policy enforcer by rectifying such chronic problems. If policymakers simply keep parroting the words "law and order," they will never be able to normalize the nation's shipbuilding industry.






The Investigation Agency has filed charge sheet before a special court here against three persons in connection with a that left one person dead in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district in January this year.

In the charge sheet, the has named Kankan Karan, the owner of the house where the bomb had exploded while being manufactured, besides Samar Shankar Mandal and Ratan Pramanik.

The name of Karan's associate Anup Das who was killed in the blast in Paschim Bhanganmari village on January 3 also featured in the charge sheet filed on Friday, according to a statement of the central agency.

"Investigation has revealed that accused Samar Shankar Mondal had entered into a criminal conspiracy with other co-accused Ratan Pramanik, Kankan Karan and deceased accused Anup Das for preparation and unlawful possession of crude bombs and explosive substances with nefarious designs, the statement read.

Further investigations in the case are in progress, said the which took over the case on January 25.

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Outgoing will address the nation on Sunday on the eve of demitting office, the President's Secretariat informed.

The address will be broadcast from 19:00 hours on the entire network of All India Radio (AIR) and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan.

Droupadi Murmu was elected to be the next on Friday after she comprehensively defeated the opposition's presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha.

She will take oath at the Central Hall of Parliament on Monday.

Murmu, 64, won by a thumping margin, garnering over 64 per cent valid votes. She will succeed to become the country's 15th president.

Murmu will be the first person from a tribal background to take the office. Murmu is likely to take oath on July 25 with incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind's tenure ending on July 24.

Murmu, a 64-year-old, also becomes just the second woman to take over the role.

Her candidature also created a divide in the opposition camp. The JMM party in Jharkhand extended support to her due to her tribal credentials. A few other tribal MPs and MLAs cutting across party lines also voted for her.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in congratulating Murmu and visited her residence in Delhi to wish her. "India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President. Congratulations to Smt Droupadi Murmu ji on this feat," he said on Twitter.

Murmu will be only the second woman to become President, after Pratibha Patil. Belonging to the Santhal tribe of Odisha, she hails from the Mayurbhanj region of the state. She started out as a teacher and then became a junior assistant in the irrigation department, before entering politics. She served as a minister in the BJD-BJP government in Odisha and held the fisheries, animal resource development, commerce and transport portfolios. Years later, she became the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021, the first tribal woman to do so.

Sinha conceded defeat and congratulated Murmu for winning the election. In a statement, he said, "I hope - indeed, every Indian hopes - that as the 15th she functions as the custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour. I join my fellow countrymen in extending best wishes to her."

He said his contesting served two purposes, that of bringing the opposition parties on a common platform and of highlighting major issues like the "blatant and rampant weaponisation of ED, CBI, Income Tax and even the office of governor against opposition parties and their leaders".

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Union Defence Minister is scheduled to visit on Sunday to participate in the commemoration ceremony in Jammu on .

"Tomorrow, 24th July, I shall be visiting Jammu to attend a programme commemorating 'Kargil Vijay Diwas'. Looking forward to it," tweeted on Saturday.

is scheduled to arrive today along with the RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale, where he will address a gathering at Gulshan ground near Jammu University.

The Indian Army is also gearing up for the 23rd commemoration to be conducted at the Kargil War Memorial. is observed every year on July 26 to commemorate India's victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War in 1999.

Meanwhile, preparations are also underway at the Kargil War Memorial for a three-day event. Several programs will be held in the area, attended by dignitaries from the army and civil administration as well as the gallantry awardees and their families.

Earlier on Friday, the Kargil Vijay Diwas motorcycle rally flagged off from the War Memorial in Delhi reached Srinagar, with riders laid a wreath at the Chinar War Memorial at Badami Bagh Cantonment here to pay obeisance to the bravehearts who had made the supreme sacrifice. The rally was flagged off by Lieutenant General BS Raju, Vice Chief of Army Staff, on July 18 from the War Memorial in New Delhi to commemorate the saga of bravery and sacrifice of the gallant soldiers of the Indian Army in the Kargil War. According to Srinagar-based PRO Defence Colonel Emron Musavi, the rally is travelling along two axis -- Delhi-Srinagar-Zojila-Kargil-Dras, and Delhi-Chandigarh-Rohtang-Leh-Dras.

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President-elect may wear a traditional Santali saree when she takes the oath of office in Delhi on Monday.

Her sister-in-law Sukri Tudu is travelling to Delhi with a special saree used by Santal women in Eastern India.

Sukri along with her husband Tarinisen Tudu on Saturday left for the capital to witness the oath taking ceremony to be held at the Parliament's central hall.

I am carrying a Santali traditional saree for 'Didi' (elder sister) and pray she will wear it during the oath taking. I am not sure what she will actually wear on the occasion. The Rashtrapati Bhawan will decide the dress of the new president, Sukri said.

The Santali sarees have some stripe work on one end and is worn by the Santal women on special occasions. The saree is vertically symmetric and has both the ends designed with the same motifs.

Sukri, who along with her husband and family members, live in Uparbeda village near Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, said she is also carrying traditional sweet pancakes, also called Arisa Pitha' for Murmu.

Meanwhile, Murmu's daughter Itishree, a bank officer and her husband Ganesh Hembram, have reached New Delhi and are staying with the President elect.

Only four members of the President-elect's family - brother, sister-in-law, daughter and son-in-law - will attend the oath taking ceremony, said a senior BJP leader adding that essence of adivasi' culture and tradition could be reflected in the swearing in of the country's 15th President.

BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday left on a four day tour to the capital during which he is scheduled to attend Murmu's swearing in ceremony.

Apart from six BJP MLAs from Mayurbhanj district, three members of the Ishwariya Prajapati Brahmakumari's Rairangpur branch- Brahma Kumari Supriya, Brahma Kumari Basanti and Brahma Kumar Govind, have also reached New Delhi and met Murmu during the day, sources said.

Meanwhile, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisweswar Tudu, party MPs Suresh Pujari, Basant Panda,Sangeeta kumara Singhdeo and her husband KV Singhdeo, met Murmu in New Delhi. They are expected to be present at the ceremony.

Coming from a humble family of Uparbeda village near Rairangpur, 64-year-old Murmu has come a long way from a councilor to an MLA, a minister and Jharkhand Governor to being elected .

There were celebrations everywhere in the state as 'ladoos' (sweetmeats) were distributed even on Saturday at the Bhubaneswar railway station.

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With the culling of over 300 pigs to commence from Sunday in Kerala's Wayanad in the wake of African swine fever being reported from two farms here, a farmer who would be affected by the government decision has opposed the move.

One of the farmers, where some pigs tested positive for the disease, claimed that the allegedly infected animals appear hale and hearty for the last several days and therefore, authorities should wait for a few more days before going ahead with the culling of the animals.

However, in another farm where the disease was detected, more than 40 pigs had reportedly died.

The owner of the farm where some pigs tested positive for the disease told a TV channel that there are 360 pigs there and he cannot believe that any of them are infected.

He said the pigs which tested positive are healthy and showing no signs of the disease and therefore, he believes that it is some lobby which is behind the whole incident.

A representative of a farmers association in the Wayanad district told a TV channel that since the pigs that tested positive are still healthy, the authorities should maybe wait and watch for a few more days before going ahead with the culling.

He also said a representation to that effect has been made to the authorities.

Minister for Animal Husbandry J Chinchu Rani had on Friday confirmed the infection in the state and directed the pig farms to strictly implement the biosecurity and waste disposal mechanism as part of the swine fever action plan.

African swine fever has been reported from two farms in Mananthavady region of Kerala's Wayanad district.

The disease was confirmed among pigs of the two farms after the samples were tested at the Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.

Pursuant to the test results, the state government had extended the ban on the inter-state sale and transportation of pigs and pork-related products.

had earlier this month tightened bio-security measures following an alert from the Centre that African swine fever had been reported in Bihar and a few northeastern states.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), African swine fever is a highly contagious and fatal viral disease of domestic pigs.

It was first detected in Kenya, East Africa, in 1921 as a disease that killed settlers' pigs. Contact with warthogs was proven to be an important factor in transmission of the virus.

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Maharashtra's Thane district has reported 122 new COVID-19 cases, taking its infection tally to 7,33,358, a health official said on Sunday.

With the addition of the latest cases on Saturday, the district currently has 904 active COVID-19 cases, he said.

One death was also reported on Saturday, raising the district's COVID-19 fatality toll to 11,925, he said.

The recovery count in Thane has reached 7,22,856, the official added.

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In view of heavy rainfall, the irrigation department officials of on Saturday opened three gates of the Srisailam Dam up and released water downstream.

State Irrigation Minister Ambati Rambabu, Nandyal MP Pocha Brahmananda Reddy, Srisailam MLA Shilpa Chakrapani Reddy and Nandyal District Collector Manazir Jeelani lifted the three gates of the Srisailam project.

Minister Ambati performed pujas and offered a saree in water. The Minister and officials opened gate number five, six and seven to release water.

As against its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 885 ft, the water levels in Srisailam Dam reached 881.60 ft. Following that, three gates were raised by 10 feet.

About 80 thousand cusecs of water were released to Nagarjuna Sagar.

As the gates were lifted, there was a rush of tourists at the Srisailam project.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and south coastal for four days from Saturday.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over coastal and Rayalaseema for the next three days.

Three districts - Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal - might register heavy rainfall today.

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Tourism industry, the mainstay of Sikkim's economy, has got back on its feet since the lifting of the COVID 19-induced lockdown late last year, officials said.

According to tourism department records, as many as 3.08 lakh domestic travellers visited the hill state between October last year and March 2022, with January being the most profitable month for various stakeholders of the sector at 98,456 visitors.

"We have seen a massive growth of the tourism industry with the arrival of large number of visitors from across the country since late last year after the lockdown was lifted by the state government, a tourist department official told PTI.

As far as foreigners' footfall is concerned, 6,055 people visited during the period, he said.

In 2019, the Himalayan state had recorded around 16 lakh tourist arrivals, and numbers, this year, too, are expected to rise over the course of the next few months, the officials said.

Travel agents, after a lull for almost two years, have breathed a sigh of relief.

"During the peak season, all hotels, stay homes and lodges were fully occupied. The state witnessed massive revenue generation after a while," SN Lachungpa, the president of Travel Agents Association of (TAAS), said.

Almost 75 per cent of the local population depends on the tourism industry in Sikkim, directly or indirectly, official sources stated.

The temporary shutdown of the tourism industry had spiked unemployment rate in Sikkim, which stood at 10 per cent when the COVID-19 situation was at its nadir, as per the data provided by the state's Directorate of Economics, Statistics, Monitoring and Evaluation



Tour operators, hoteliers, traders, vendors and taxi drivers were among the worst sufferers, Tourism Development Commission Chairman Lukendra Rasaily said.

Rasaily estimated that the sector incurred losses in the range of Rs 600 crore to Rs 700 crore at that time due to restrictions on movement.

Sensing the distress of people, who were rendered unemployed by the pandemic, the state government had provided a financial support of Rs 6,000 to all taxi drivers for livelihood, said Gangtok MLA Sonam Venchungpa, who is also the chairman of Economic Revival Committee set up by the Prem Singh Tamang government.

The committee has prepared a comprehensive report with recommendations for long-term support to the tourism sector which employs 78,800 people, to be the second highest behind agriculture as far employment generation in Sikkim is concerned, Venchungpa explained.

The report also proposed a support package of Rs 200-250 crores in light of pending and incomplete tourism-related projects, he added.

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Chief Minister on Sunday announced a scholarship of Rs 20,000 per month for two years to Anjali Yadav, who topped the CBSE exam with 100 per cent marks.

Khattar also spoke with Anjali's family members over a video call and congratulated her for bringing laurels to the state and her village.

Anjali, a resident Mahendragarh, scored 100 per cent marks in Class X. During the call, she told the chief minister she wanted to become a doctor.

After Anjali and her mother shared their financial condition with the chief minister, he announced a scholarship of Rs 20,000 per month to her for the next two years, an official statement said.

He also assured of all cooperation from the government in her studies.

Meanwhile, Khattar in a statement said his government has distributed tablets to five lakh students of Classes X, XI and XII.

" is the first state in the country to distribute tablets to five lakh students of government schools. The state government is striving for more reforms in . An amount of Rs 20,000 crore has been earmarked for in this budget. The present era is of technology and we do not want to leave our students behind in any field," Khattar said.

He said while the central government has set a target to implement the New Policy in the country by 2030, has decided to bring it into effect by 2025.

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Amidst condemnation of violent attacks on anti-

government protesters on early hours of Friday, newly-elected President

said that he reaffirms the country's commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly and said there are reserved locations around Colombo city for public protests.

He gave the assurance to Colombo-based diplomats while detailing the removal of the protesters who had been illegally occupied the Presidential Secretariat.

He stated that both Article 21 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which governs the rights of peaceful assembly, would be upheld by the government.

Wickremesinghe, who was voted in as President with majority of the former party, said that the instructions given by the American Civil Liberties Union stated

that protesters were not permitted to block government buildings and interfere with

other purposes the property was designed for.

Soon after military and police carried out violent attacks injuring nearly

50 including protesters, lawyers and journalists, US Ambassador to Colombo, Julie

Chung strongly criticised the state-sponsored attack.

"This is not the time to crack down on citizens, but instead to look ahead at the

immediate and tangible steps the government can take to regain the trust of the people, restore stability and rebuild the economy," she tweeted.

On Friday, she met Wickremesinghe and referred to the brutal attacks as "unnecessary and deeply troubling escalation of violence against protesters".

Wickremesinghe has told diplomats that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives and four venues including an open-air theatre at a public part, two playgrounds and a public building have been allocated for non-violent protests.

Several foreign nations and the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty condemned the attack carried out within less than 24 hours of Wickremesinghe being sworn in as President.

Amid the unprecedented economic crisis, people launched a massive anti-government protests against regime, forcing PM Mahinda and his cabinet and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.

The UN Human Rights Office condemned the attack, stating: "We have concerns that the raid on the camp sends a chilling message to peaceful protesters, including elsewhere in the country." It stated that it was alarmed by the unnecessary use of force allegedly exerted by military attacking the protesters with clubs, and wires despite the fact that they had planned to hand over the area to the security on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile the European Union -- the country's major trading partner which has helped

to win trade concession GSP plus to export garments to earn over $5 billion

annually - stressed the need of upholding freedom of opinion and expression and

individual rights of Sri Lankan citizens in the process of a democratic, peaceful

and orderly transition.

Sri Lanka police had justified the removal of protesters with force, claiming that it

could not trust the word of protesters who promised to vacate it on Friday afternoon.

"But we were at a position where we couldn't trust them anymore. That is why the forces and the STF removed these members of an illegal gathering from the place," police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told media.

Country's main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, led by Sajith Premadasa, whose candidate was defeated to Wickremesinghe on Thursday's election, urged the government to summon Parliament on Monday to discuss on the brutal attacks, which the opposition described as a blow to democracy.

Wickremesinghe has appointed pro-Rajapaksa strongman, Dinesh Gunawardena as new PM and a 18-member cabinet most who were loyal to Rajapaksas and people have condemned Wickremesinghe's allegiance to the former regime and protests have already started by Sri Lankan communities in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.

--IANS

sfl/vd

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Question is how to lure Pyongyang back to dialogue



The Yoon Suk-yeol administration's North Korea policy is taking shape, as the new president on Friday instructed the Ministry of Unification to work out details for his "bold plan" to revive the North's moribund economy in return for denuclearization. The ministry and other government agencies need to devise a new strategy to encourage the Kim Jong-un regime to return to dialogue and scrap its nuclear weapons program.



The "bold plan" is Yoon's catchphrase that appeared for the first time in his May 10 inaugural address. It implies that if Pyongyang takes a big step toward a complete denuclearization, Seoul will offer a big reward to North Korea. The plan, which needs to take concrete shape, is emerging as Yoon's roadmap for realizing the denuclearization of the North.



The Yoon administration has floated the idea of offering generous economic assistance and security guarantees to the North in exchange for bold action to abandon its nuclear arsenal. In a policy briefing to Yoon last Friday, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se said that the government will present a plan that could make the North feel no need to develop nuclear weapons. He said the plan is to take phased and simultaneous steps corresponding to the North's moves toward denuclearization. He made it clear that it is different from a "big deal" solution or a "denuclearization first and compensation later" formula.



The key point of the plan is to help the North resuscitate its devastated economy and improve the living standards of its people. Additionally, Seoul is set to include measures to address Pyongyang's security concerns in case of denuclearization. The government seems determined to render the proposal enticing enough to make the North accept it readily.



Yet, the question is whether the Kim regime will respond positively to such a proposal as the Yoon administration hopes. Given the long-stalled denuclearization talks and the North's continued test-firing of ICBMs and other ballistic missiles, it is hard to expect Pyongyang to accommodate any offer from Seoul. More seriously, the North is ready to conduct a seventh nuclear test anytime soon.



In this situation, Yoon's plan may end up as wishful thinking. His administration needs to learn lessons from its predecessors' failures. The plan is reminiscent of the previous Lee Myung-bak government's failed initiative that promised to increase the North's per capita GDP to $3,000 if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear ambitions. Former President Moon Jae-in's active engagement policy went up in smoke despite inter-Korean detente and summits between the U.S. and North Korea.



That's why the Yoon government should map out a new strategy that can better deal with the recalcitrant North. It also needs to make more thorough preparations and devise detailed action plans to resume dialogue with the North and improve soured inter-Korean ties. First it must figure out whether Pyongyang has the real intention of denuclearization. Then it is necessary to restore mutual trust with the North before discussing the nuclear issue. The Kim regime, for its part, should realize that nuclear weapons cannot guarantee the North's survival and security.




Chinas Belt and Road financing and investments fell in the first half, with no new spending in Russia, and Egypt, according to a study by the Green Finance & Development Center.

Financing and investments were at $28.4 billion in the first six months, compared with $29.4 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to the center which is an affiliate of Fudan University. The first-half figures were 40 per cent lower compared with the same period in 2019, it said.

About $11.8 billion went toward investments and $16.5 billion went to construction contracts partly financed by Chinese loans. Saudi Arabia was a major recipient of Chinese investments, while no coal projects received funds in the first half, according to the study.

Chinas belt and road program has come under criticism, and over the past few years, the US has accused of using debt diplomacy to make developing nations more dependent on Beijing.

Also, the Belt and Road Initiative agreement signed between Nepal and has crossed the five-year mark, however, the projects under the initiative are nowhere to be seen on the horizon, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Former Information Minister and Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the country had been suffering from a political crisis because of the "unnecessary adventure of the establishment".

Speaking to the media in Lahore, Chaudhry asked the establishments not to "trifle" with as the country was in the middle of political and economic instability, The Express Tribune reported.

"How did Chaudhary Shujaat's letter land in the deputy speaker's pocket," Fawad wondered, adding that the Mazari should be summoned to court for contempt.

Meanwhile, the frustration after the result of the Punjab chief minister's re-election cooled down when the Supreme Court gave its verdict in the favour of the PTI, the party said that the decision would rout Pakistan Muslim League-N from Punjab, reported The Express Tribune.

The party further claimed the fall of Hamza Shehbaz-led government was a 'fait accompli'.

Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court's Lahore registry on Saturday, PTI leader Farrukh Habib said that PML-N had lost the political battle and was left with no option to salvage the teetering Punjab government led by PML-N.

"Nobody is ready to defend the illegal and unconstitutional ruling of the deputy speaker," he said.

The PTI leader was referring to the apex court's short order issued earlier in the day, wherein the top court suspended the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker's ruling and restrained Hamza to exercise absolute powers and serve only as a "trustee" chief minister until the hearing resumed in Islamabad on Monday.

The ruling came a day after the dramatic day, Hamza Shehbaz has been re-elected as Chief Minister of Punjab as the provincial Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari rejected the votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi.

As the vote counting in the crucial session of the Punjab provincial assembly began, Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari ruled that PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi's votes will not be counted in the election of the Punjab Chief Minister in light of party head Chaudhry Shujaat's letter, the Dawn reported.

According to Mazari, the joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q, Pervaiz Elahi received 186 votes, while Hamza Shehbaz got 179 votes. However, 10 votes of the PML-Q leader were cancelled by Deputy Speaker, reducing his vote count to 176.

Before announcing the result, Mazari read Shujaat's letter out loud. "As party head of Pakistan Muslim League, I have issued directions to all my provincial members to cast their votes in favour of Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif," Mazari quoted Hussain as saying, the Dawn reported.

"As per this letter, according to the ruling of the Supreme Court, all the 10 votes cast by PML-Q leaders have been rejected," Mazari ruled. The 10 members whose votes were not counted included Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Shuja Nawaz, Muhammad Abdullah Warraich, Parvez Elahi, Muhammad Rizwan, Sajjad Sajid Ahmed Khan, Ehsanullah Chaudhry, Muhammad Afzal, Bismah Chaudhry, and Khadija Umar.

The assembly session presided over by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari began with the recitation of the Quran and its translation, the Dawn reported.

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Unidentified gunmen on Thursday attacked a community in central Nigeria's Plateau state, killing five people, local authorities said on Saturday.The five victims belonged to a family in the Fusa community in Jos East local government area of the state, police said in a statement, adding that "frantic efforts" were made to arrest the gunmen.

The most populous African country has been hit by a series of armed attacks this year, which caused the death of civilians and security operatives.

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Sri Lanka's newly-elected President has reaffirmed his commitment to uphold the rights of peaceful and non-violent assembly, saying the protest site was left untouched in Friday midnight operation to remove protesters from the Presidential Secretariat, his office said on Sunday.

Sri Lanka's security forces forcibly evicted anti-government protesters camped outside the presidential office in Colombo in a pre-dawn raid on Friday on the order of Wickremesinghe.

Protesters were camping outside the presidential office for months, demanding the resignation of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country on July 13, and Wickremesinghe, a key Rajapaksa ally.

During a meeting with the diplomatic personnel in Colombo on Friday, President Wickremesinghe affirmed that the Government will uphold both Article 21 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 14 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which governs the right to peaceful assembly, said a statement issued by the President's office.

The statement came as US Ambassador Julie Chung had taken the Lankan government to task for the attack on the unarmed protesters.

"The President further explained that the instructions given by the American Civil Liberties Union stated that protesters were not permitted to block government buildings and interfere with other purposes the property was designed for, the statement said.

"Addressing concerns regarding the GotaGoGama protest site, it was explained that it had not been removed by security forces, contrary to erroneous social media reports," it added.

Furthermore, the participants were also briefed by the Attorney General on the legal avenues being pursued, including producing all those arrested by the police before the Colombo Magistrate Court, it said.

The protesters blocked the secretariat gate on April 9, demanding the resignation of then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

On July 9, they stormed the official residence of the president forcing him to flee to safety and occupied his office, the site of the continuous protest since April 9.

The removal of the protesters came on the same night as Wickremesinghe took oaths as the succeeding president for the balance under three-year term of Rajapaksa.

Protestors on Saturday stayed about 100 metres away from the Presidential Secretariat and held no protest during the day.

The protest, also known as the Aragalaya - a Sinhalese word for "struggle" - disrupted work for a prolonged period at the Presidential Secretariat, which has gone through heavy damages during the agitation and requires necessary renovations.

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A Nigerian man, who has contracted monkeypox and fled recently, was found here in the capital of on Saturday evening, a deputy governor said.

The 27-year-old man, identified as Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, was found at Phsar Deum Thkov area in the Chamkarmon district after a report from the Thai authority, deputy governor of the Phnom Penh Municipality Koeut Chhe was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

"The Nigerian man was detained and sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital," he told the news agency via telephone. "We have also deployed our police force at the hospital to monitor the man as he does not cooperate with health staff."

The Nigerian man was confirmed to be infected with monkeypox by the Thai health authority on Thursday.

The patient, who entered Thailand's southern tourist island of Phuket in October 2021 with no departure record, had been sick for more than a week, developing symptoms including fever, sore throat, coughing and rashes, and sought treatment at a local hospital as an outpatient last week.

According to the Phuket health authority, after the test result turned out to be positive, the patient refused to receive treatment, turned off his phone, did not contact the hospital and fled to .

--IANS

int/shs

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Pakistani Prime Minister wished US President Joe Biden, who tested positive for COVID on Thursday, a speedy recovery.

In a tweet, Sharif wrote, "I wish H.E. President Biden a speedy and complete recovery from corona."

US President who is suffering from COVID 19 is likely to be infected by the highly contagious Omicron subvariant BA.5.

"Our preliminary sequencing results have returned. The President's causative agent is most likely the BA5 variant. This is the SARS-CoV-2 variant which is responsible for 75-80 per cent of infections in the United States at this time," said President Biden's physician Dr Kevin O'Connor in a memo.

However, Biden is recovering from COVID-19 and is improving following antiviral treatment, according to a letter from the White House physician on Saturday.

"President Biden completed his second full day of PAXLOVID last night. His symptoms continue to improve. His primary symptoms, though less troublesome, now include sore throat, rhinorrhea, loose cough and body aches. His voice remains deep. His pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remain entirely normal. His oxygen saturation continues to be excellent on room air. His lungs remain clear," added the memo.

A new study found that BA.5 is four times as resistant to vaccines as previous strains. The president is fully vaccinated and received a second booster shot in March.

"The President continues to tolerate treatment well. We will continue PAXLOVID as planned. His symptoms will continue to be treated supportively with oral hydration, acetaminophen (TYLENOL), and the albuterol inhaler that he uses as needed for cough (2-3 times a day). He is experiencing no shortness of breath at all. He will continue low dose aspirin as an alternative type of blood thinner," added Dr Kevin O'Connor.

Meanwhile, Biden is responding to therapy as expected. The BA5 variant is particularly transmissible and he will continue to isolate in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations.

"We will continue to monitor him closely, during this very common outpatient treatment regimen," said President's physician.

Biden is isolated at the White House and will return to work in person only after he tests negative. During this time, he will continue to carry out all his duties fully from his residence.

His last previous test for COVID-19 was Tuesday when he had a negative test result, the White House 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.)
Protests were held in Turbat and the provincial capital Quetta in against the alleged "fake encounter" of Baloch missing persons by the Pakistani security forces in Ziarat, media reports said.

The families of the victims staged a three-day sit-in protest in front of the Governor's house in Quetta and warned that if the culprits of the Ziarat incident are not brought to justice, the protests will be expanded throughout the province indefinitely, Post reported.

Hundreds marched in Turbat carrying placards and banners, demanding justice for the victims of the alleged fake encounter.

The BNP-Mengal also carried out a protest in Dalbandin, Dera Allah Yaar, Chaghi, Noshki, Turbat and Jafarabad against the Ziarat incident.

Activists on social media condemned the fake encounter and campaigned for the perpetrators to be given the comeuppance. The hashtag #StopBalochGenocide trended on Twitter in for hours, Post reported.

The families of the victims were also joined by activists from the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, the National Democratic Party and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.

The protesters claimed that the nine men killed in the Ziarat incident were Baloch missing persons who were picked up by the Pakistani security forces. The protesters said the victims were killed in a fake encounter by the Pakistani security forces and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice.

The families had lodged FIRs against their "enforced disappearance", entered their names in the missing persons' list and filed applications against their "abduction" in the missing persons' commission of .

Furthermore, the families also visited the missing persons' camp in Quetta and participated in demonstrations, asking for the safe recovery of their loved ones.

The Home Minister of Balochistan, Zia Langove, also confirmed that five men had their names on the missing persons' list, Balochistan Post reported.

--IANS

san/arm

(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.)
Russian defence ministry officials on Sunday insisted that an airstrike on the port of Odesa  less than a day after and Ukraine signed an agreement on resuming grain shipments from there  had hit only military targets.

In the seaport in the city of Odesa, on the territory of a shipyard, sea-based high-precision long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the US to the Kyiv regime, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

The United States condemned the attack. This attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to yesterdays deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said in his nightly televised address on Saturday that the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with .

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said that no grain storage facilities were hit. Turkeys defence minister, however, said he had received reports from Ukrainian authorities that one missile struck a grain silo while another landed nearby, although neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and injure civilians in Ukraines south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two which make up Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russias offensive, said that two civilians had been killed and two more had been injured over the previous 24 hours.

The UK military on Sunday morning reported in its daily intelligence update that was making minimal progress in its ongoing Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on eastern Donetsk region.
on Sunday focussed on the sensitive issue of immigration by promising a healthy dose of common sense approach as part of his bid to win over voters in the leadership race for a new party leader to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

On the controversial policy of deporting some illegal migrants to Rwanda, he declared that the cannot waste large sums of taxpayers money on the policy only to fall at the first legal hurdle.

I will make the policy work and will do whatever it takes to implement it and pursue additional similar partnerships, he declared.

The 42-year-old British-Indian former Chancellor laid out a 10-point plan to secure the UKs borders if he wins in the Tory members postal ballot, the results of which will be known on September 5.

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, he also promised to curb the power of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), withhold aid money if countries refuse to take back failed asylum seekers and criminals, and use cruise ships to house illegal migrants.

The ECHR cannot inhibit our ability to properly control our borders and we shouldnt let it. We need to inject a healthy dose of common sense into the system, and that is what my plan does, he wrote.

The Tory MP for Richmond (Yorks) suggested that the government has so far failed to deliver on the Vote Leave Brexit pledge to take back control of the countrys borders, as he described the countrys asylum system as chaotic and broken.

Numbers [of refugees] should be determined by need. Our Parliament will be given control of the number of refugees we accept each year, he wrote in the newspaper.

Reviving his Brexit credentials, as someone who campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union (EU) in the 2016 referendum, Sunak pointed out that immigration and a desire to control Britains borders was one of the factors that motivated him towards that decision.

He also referenced his own Indian immigrant roots as he set out his plan for a controlled system, a move seen as appealing to the extreme right of the Tory party which has currently put his opponent in the race, Liz Truss, in the lead.

As my own family experienced when they came to this country over 60 years ago, Britain is a generous, ambitious and compassionate country and that is something to be proud of, he wrote.

Successive waves of immigrants have come to the UK, seeking a better life and giving so much back in return. And where we have a duty for those seeking asylum  whether it be those fleeing war-torn countries such as Ukraine or escaping persecution as we are seeing in Hong Kong  we will fulfil it.

But basic human decency must be accompanied with hard-headed common sense. In June 2016, the people of this country sent a clear message. I heard them and as Prime Minister, I will do what was promised and take back control, he added.

Truss also geared her campaign focus towards immigration on Sunday as she also pledged to ensure the scheme to deport some illegal migrants to Rwanda is fully implemented.

As Prime Minister, I am determined to see the Rwanda policy through to full implementation as well as exploring other countries where we can work on similar partnerships, she said.

Sunak and Truss will face off each other in a televised debate on the BBC on Monday, the first since the leadership shortlist was whittled down to the final two.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The refusal of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), which spearheaded the year-long protests on Delhis borders against the three Central farm laws, to join the 29-member committee formed by the government to make minimum support prices (MSPs) more effective and transparent is wholly unwarranted. Setting up such a panel, apart from repealing the controversial laws, was among the terms agreed to by the SKM for ending its agitation in November last year. Now that the government has, as part of its commitment, announced the panel, the SKM has decided to boycott it. The main reasons cited by it in support of this move are that the proposed committee is packed with government loyalists and supporters of the controversial statutes and that some extraneous issues like crop diversification and natural farming have been added to its agenda. The SKM wanted the committee to concentrate exclusively on making legally binding. These pleas, regardless of their merit, are hard to uphold because any such panel would be incomplete without the representation of viewpoints of all sections of the farmers, including those who differed with the protestors. The stir, it is worth recalling, was sustained primarily by the from Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, with little participation from other regions of the country. Many farmers bodies of southern states had, in fact, supported the proposed marketing reforms.
By Jason Lim





The first legitimate political bombshell of the new Yoon administration is here. It's about the forced repatriation of the two North Korean squid fishermen who confessed to killing 16 of their fellow crew members after being captured by the South Korean Navy in November 2019. After a three-day investigation by South Korean authorities, the two North Korean men were sent back to North Korea for having committed "heinous crimes."



Although there is criticism over the hurried nature of the investigation and decision to repatriate, most seem to agree even now that these two men, by their own admission, committed heinous crimes. The crux of the controversy is less about the fact of the crimes than about due process. Here is where the Republic of Korea's Constitution comes in, especially three places that are particularly interesting when seen in the context of this issue.



One, the Preamble reads, "We, the people of Korea, proud of a resplendent history and traditions dating from time immemorial, upholding the cause of the Provisional Republic of Korea Government born of the March First Independence Movement of 1919 and the democratic ideals of the April Nineteenth Uprising of 1960 against injustice ..."



So, the Constitution traces back its legitimacy to the March 1 Independence Movement of 1919 when Korea was still unified throughout the peninsula. However, it also mentions the April 19, 1960, uprising against Syngman Rhee, the first president-turned-dictator of South Korea. This uprising was a seminal event only applicable to South Korea. The inevitable schizophrenia of Korea's modern history is evident from the very beginning of the South Korean Constitution.



This problem is further highlighted by Article 3, "The territory of the Republic of Korea shall consist of the Korean peninsula and its adjacent islands." In other words, South Korea is claiming the whole territory of the Korean peninsula as its own. This claim is the legal foundation that is most often cited as allowing all North Koreans to be treated as automatic South Korean citizens, including the two fishermen who were forcibly returned.



Therefore, if Article 3 holds, then Article 27.1, "All citizens shall have the right to be tried in conformity with the Act by judges qualified under the Constitution and the Act," should have applied to the two North Korean fishermen. The rest of Article 27 lays out familiar cascading rights such as the right to a speedy trial and the presumption of innocence, which should also have been brought into play.



However, the right to be tried for their crimes in South Korea according to South Korean laws only holds if we take Article 3 literally and recognize that South Korea has legal sovereignty over all of the Korean peninsula. This claim naturally means that North Korea is not an independent country, and there is no legitimate government in the peninsula north of the 38th parallel.



However, whatever is stated on a South Korean piece of paper, North Korea has been a de-facto independent country since the split in 1945, with its own history, political and socioeconomic systems, leadership, culture, military, etc., recognized by the international community as such. Even the United Nations admitted both countries as separate, independent members in 1991.



Therefore, it's difficult to take politically posturing language from the South Korean Constitution and apply it literally in order to justify trying the two men  who allegedly killed 16 North Korean citizens  in South Korean courts as South Korean citizens.



Also, the critics of the previous administration's decision concerning this case further cite that South Korea is a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which states that individuals may not be deported to places where they likely face torture. And it is certainly true that the two fishermen would have faced certain torture and death when sent back to North Korea.



However, for an international treaty to hold, the relationship between two Koreas would have to be between two independent nation-states, which would actually go against the argument that the two fishermen were automatic South Korean citizens. So, the critics of the repatriation decision seem to hold two contradictory positions.



Having said that, the counterargument that Moon was right to send the two men back because they were heinous criminals who would have gotten off  for lack of evidence  in South Korean courts is also engaging in circumlocution. In other words, they are heinous criminals whom we can't prove that they are heinous criminals, according to the rule of law, so we have to send them back to face certain torture and death.



Even while admitting that the two fishermen are not automatic South Korean citizens, don't they have universal human rights to due process that need to be respected or at least agonized over, instead of a quick investigation and repatriation to a place where it is well-known that their human rights won't be respected?





Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture.




The political temperature in Bihar is set to soar over the next weekend when Union Home Minister and BJP president J P Nadda arrive in the state capital to address a two-day joint convention of the party's morchas'.

State president Sanjay Jaiswal and co-in charge for Bihar Harish Dwivedi said at a joint press conference that Nadda will be setting the tone on the inaugural day on July 30, while Shah will wrap up the function a day later.

Nadda will reach the venue, Gyan Bhavan, leading a roadshow from the statue of Ambedkar near the high court. It is a historic and proud moment for the Bihar unit as the state has been chosen for holding the first-ever joint executive of all seven morchas, they said.

However, the highlight of the two-day deliberations will be the valedictory address, on July 31, by Shah, the party's principal strategist.

Shah, who was last seen in Bihar a few months ago to attend a couple of functions in Bhojpur and Rohtas, will be visiting the state capital for the first time since the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Besides Shah and Nadda, others who will be attending the function include all the general secretaries of the party and office bearers of the morchas, said Dwivedi and Kushwaha.

They also said the event will serve as a workshop for yet another experiment that the BJP decided to undertake at the recent national executive meeting held in Hyderabad.

It was decided that office-bearers of the party and its morchas will spend a couple of days each in various parts to apprise the common people of the welfare measures being taken by the Narendra Modi government, they said.

In Bihar, the central leadership has earmarked 200 assembly segments where this mass outreach will be undertaken in the first phase.

"Nearly 800 delegates will reach the city ahead of the two-day conclave, stay at assigned places and return for the weekend function to share their feedback, the BJP leaders said.

This evoked the query whether the 200 assembly segments, in a state where the total number is 243, were chosen keeping in mind the compulsions of coalition politics, since Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) has 45 seats in its kitty.

That is a wrong interpretation. In Bihar, we will be talking about the Modi government as well as the government in the state. Moreover, the remaining assembly segments may be covered at a later stage, they underscored.

Relations between the JD(U) and the BJP have been through a rough patch in recent times, when the alliance partners have squabbled over issues ranging from terrorism to the need for a population control law and the Agnipath' scheme of recruitment in the armed forces.

(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.)
Attacking the Centre, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin on Sunday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is working towards making Muslims second class citizens.

"The Prime Minister said his party's slogan is sabka saath, sabka vikash aur sabka viswas. But this always has been false. The data given by the Ministry of Urban and Housing Affairs reveals that out of the 32.26 lakh loans meant for street vendors under the SVANidhi scheme, only 331 loans were disbursed to minorities. Why is the government cheating with the minorities or Muslims?", said .

"The government data says the share of Muslims in self-employment in urban areas is 50 per cent. Now, Muslims have a 50 per cent share but only 331 loans were given to minorities. It is clear the government is fulfilling the dream of Golwalkar and Savarkar to make Indian Muslims second-class citizens. BJP's core voters get happy with these policies. The government is not giving the due share of Muslims in government schemes," added the AIMIM chief.

Taking to Twitter, he shared a link to a blog of a Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) in which a Right To Information (RTI) query by Venkatesh Nayak, a member of the CHRI, was mentioned.

According to the data shared by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on the RTI query, only 0.01 per cent of street vendors belonging to minority communities have benefitted from the Centre's PM SVANidhi scheme between June 2020 and May 2022.

A total of 32.26 lakh loans were disbursed across the country under the scheme during this period of which only 331 of these beneficiaries are street vendors belonging to minority communities. This is 0.0102 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries.

The RTI query also mentioned that only 3.15 per cent of beneficiaries were from the ST category and just 0.92 per cent were persons with disabilities (PwD).

Maharashtra reported the highest number (162) of minority community beneficiaries, followed by Delhi (110), Telangana (22), Gujarat (12) and Odisha (8). Andhra Pradesh reported three disbursals and Rajasthan two in this category.

Uttar Pradesh reported the highest success rate of 100 per cent, meaning all 12 applications were able to secure the first loan, followed by Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Even though Maharashtra did record the largest number of applications for both first and second loans, the success rate in the state was only 56.45 per cent.

When it comes to those in the PwD category, Tamil Nadu had the highest number of first loan applications (8,631) followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.

Out of the loans disbursed to those in the PwD category, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number (7,278) for first and second loans.

The country-wide PM SVANidhi scheme for street vendors was implemented by the Centre in June 2020.

(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 two-day 'Navsankalp Chintan Shivir' organised by the Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) concluded here on Sunday with the party taking a number of decisions on combating the alleged "Hindutva" and "divisive" of the BJP government at the Centre and the policies of the LDF dispensation in the southern state.

The event, similar to the recent national-level session held at Udaipur in Rajasthan, was organised to prepare the party for the Lok Sabha polls in 2024.

Speaking at the concluding session of the two-day event, KPCC chief K Sudhakaran began his speech referring to the alleged divisive of the BJP government at the Centre and claimed that they were following the same tactics as that of the British when they occupied the country.

He also said that the Sangh Parivar's "Hindutva nation" agenda was against the democratic principles of the country.

The KPCC chief also slammed the Centre for allegedly using the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as a tool of political vendetta by "hunting" Congress president and Rahul Gandhi.

Sudhakaran did not spare the ruling LDF dispensation in the state also, by terming its policies to be similar to that of Sangh Parivar by being opposed to anyone questioning or criticising them.

He alleged that independent thinking as well as individual freedoms were under threat in the state as well as the country.

He further said that there will be those in LDF who would have to leave the alliance due to its allegedly increasing right wing political outlook and such persons would be welcomed by the UDF.

He also pointed out that the kind of allegations Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was facing were never levelled against any chief minister of the country and if not for the support of the BJP government at the Centre, he would have had to resign by now.

Sudhakaran also said that in order to divert attention from the allegations Vijayan was facing, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's Wayanad office was vandalised and thereafter, an attack on CPI(M) headquarters AKG Centre was allegedly orchestrated.

He also said that there would be a reorganisation within the party in accordance with the suggestions and timelines given by the All India Congress Committee (AICC).

As part of the reorganisation, women and Dalits would also be represented in district to booth-level leaderships, the KPCC chief said.

Besides that various committees, including for political affairs, would be formed in each district and constituency and training would be imparted to party workers, he said at the meeting.

Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state assembly V D Satheesan, who also attended the meeting, told reporters outside the event that leadership from DCC to booth level would be decided as per the AICC timeline.

He said that while groups would be there within the party and it was not going against them, the party was much bigger than that.

On whether the party was going to continue with its protests against the ruling front in the state, Satheesan said they were only taking up relevant issues.

He said that the party took the Silverline survey issue and the state government was allegedly forced to roll back its decision to use concrete poles as survey stones.

Similarly, the next issue the party has taken up is the gold smuggling through diplomatic bags case and it will continue its protests in connection with that till its demand for a High Court monitored CBI probe is met, the LoP said.

Apart from Sudhakaran and Satheesan, MP Digvijaya Singh, senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar, former Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, former chief minister Oommen Chandy and various other party MPs also took part in the event.

Close to 200 delegates including KPCC members, district committee presidents and others participated in the meeting.

(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.)
Environment Minister on Sunday alleged that the Centre tried to hijack an event of the government at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary with the Police putting up banners carrying pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the venue last night.

No immediate reaction was available from the police.

He said Chief Minister was supposed to attend the event but decided not to participate in it following the incident.

Kejriwal had also skipped the weekly meeting with Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday, against the backdrop of the LG recommending a CBI probe into alleged lapses and irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy.

Rai alleged the Delhi Police acted on the directions of the prime minister's office.

The 'Van Mahotsav' which started from the Central Ridge on July 11 was to culminate with the plantation of 1 lakh saplings at the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary on Sunday.

"The Delhi Police reached the location of the event and took control of the pandal last night. They forcibly put up banners carrying pictures of PM Modi... Banners carrying photos of Lieutenant Governor (VK Saxena) and Chief Minister Kejriwal were taken down," Rai alleged at a press conference.

The Delhi Police warned people not to touch banners carrying pictures of PM Modi while the banners belonging to the AAP government were torn down, he claimed.

The lieutenant governor and the chief minister were supposed to attend the event and all preparations had been made, he said.

"An event of the Kejriwal government has been turned into a political event of PM Modi and he was not even going to attend it... Following the incident, the Delhi chief minister and I have now decided not to participate in the programme," Rai said.

However, the LG participated in the event.

Attempts are being made to malign the Delhi government. Satyendar Jain was arrested on frivolous charges. Now a conspiracy is being hatched to arrest Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The CM had to go to Singapore but the file was stalled, Rai said.

He alleged the incidents that have transpired in the last one and half months could not have happened "without the go ahead from the PMO".

Who doesn't know your face and name, PM Modi... But sending police to put up your photos in the dark of the night shows you have developed a deep-seated fear of Kejriwal, Rai said.

He said the police are supposed to ensure the safety and security of people and not put up banners of PM Modi.

"I wonder what message they want to send out to people. This is not the first time we are conducting a tree plantation event," the minister said.

Rai told reporters that the banners carrying pictures of PM Modi were put up on an LED screen installed to show educational programmes to children.

We do not want to fight anyone. We will continue our plantation drive. So far, we have planted around 9 lakh saplings. The target is to plant 35 lakh saplings this year, 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.)
Prime Minister on Sunday interacted with all 12 Chief Ministers and eight Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP/NDA-ruled states in the Chief Ministers Council Meeting at the party office in Delhi on Sunday.

President Jagat Prakash Nadda was also present at the meeting.

The last such meeting was held in Varanasi in December 2021.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Modi emphasized the better implementation of some of the key schemes and initiatives of the government like GatiShakti, Har Ghar Jal, Svamitva, DBT implementation, Government eMarketplace, especially in the BJP-ruled states.

Talking about rural areas, PM Modi spoke about the significance of Gobardhan and the need to further popularise the initiative. He underlined the positive impact of nano-fertilizers on crop productivity and spoke about increasing their usage.

He stressed the need to ensure saturation-level coverage of all key schemes and said that BJP-ruled states should take a lead towards this.

PM Modi put significant emphasis on the need to ensure ease of doing business. He spoke about several initiatives taken by the government towards this.

He encouraged states to take steps towards further boosting the business environment in the country.

PM Modi asked the chief ministers to ensure that their states accord due importance to sports and ensure the provision of the best facilities for encouraging participation and engagement of youth in large numbers.

He emphasized that BJP-ruled states should aim to become known for their sporting culture. He also talked about the significance of all towns, villages and cities celebrating their foundation days.

During the meeting, the progress of various welfare schemes and development programmes of the central government in these states were reviewed.

Strategies to ensure last-mile delivery of welfare schemes, usage of e-governance systems to ensure greater accountability with zero pilferage, prioritising outreach of schemes to remote areas and achieving 100 per cent coverage of eligible beneficiaries were discussed.

The progress of the Amrit Sarovar Mission and preparation for the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign were also reviewed. All CMs committed to striving to convert Azadi ka Amrit Kaal into an era of Antyodaya through Good Governance.

(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.)
Delhi Chief Minister and national convenor will visit Somnath temple and hold a townhall meeting with traders in Gujarat's Rajkot city on July 26, a party official said on Sunday.

This will be Kejriwal's second visit to the poll-bound state in less than a week and third this month.

The AAP leader will arrive in Gujarat for a two-day visit on Monday, during which he will hold a townhall meeting with traders in Rajkot after offering prayers at Somnath temple.

"Arvindji will land at Rajkot airport on Monday evening and will leave for Somnath town in Gir Somnath district, where he will stay the night. He will offer prayers at the Somnath temple the next morning and will arrive at Rajkot, where he will hold a townhall with traders in the afternoon," Rajguru said.

During his visit to Surat on July 21, Kejriwal had promised free electricity up to 300 units per month if voted to power in the Assembly elections due this year.

The Delhi chief minister has also guaranteed uninterrupted power supply without cuts and waiver of all pending electricity bills issued before December 31, 2021.

He had said that in the next few weeks, the AAP will share with the people of Gujarat its agenda on what it plans to do for them if voted to power in the state.

Kejriwal had visited Gujarat on July 3, when he held a townhall on the issue of free electricity in Ahmedabad.

Presenting the "Delhi model", the AAP leader had said that free electricity is possible in Gujarat if corruption is eliminated.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister and his cabinet colleague and rival T S Singh Deo will meet the high command here on Sunday amid the continuing turf war between the two.

Baghel is likely to raise with the leadership the issue of his differences with state minister Singh Deo, who he alleges has given the BJP a handle to attack the party, sources said.

Deo had recently tendered his resignation as Panchayat Minister, saying no funds were made available to his department and hence no work could be undertaken on the PM Awas Yojna to provide houses to the poor.

Baghel is in Delhi to participate in the Congress' strategy meet ahead of the Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. He is the chief observer for the assembly polls in Himachal Pradesh slated later this year.

Singh Deo, who was in Bhopal, too left for Delhi on Saturday and will be seeking a meeting with the top leaders, sources close to him said.

The development suggested that the tussle between the two Congress leaders was intensifying with Assembly elections more than a year away.

On July 16, Singh Deo resigned as the minister of Panchayat and Rural Development, though he retained his other portfolios.

In June 2021, the rivalry between Baghel and Singh Deo had come to the fore for a brief period after Baghel completed half term as chief minister.

Singh Deo's supporters claimed that as per an understanding reached in 2018, he was supposed to take over after Baghel completed half of his term.

While Singh Deo later backed down after both the leaders visited Delhi and met the party high command, recently he voiced opposition to coal mine projects in the Hasdeo Arand forest area of Surguja district, and hinted that the truce was over.

(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 Sunday alleged that the Woodburn ward of state-run SSKM Hospital in Kolkata has become a "resort" for scam-tainted TMC leaders.

West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar said the practice of "tainted" ruling party leaders getting admitted to SSKM citing "uneasiness" must stop.

He said they should be treated at any medical establishment which is outside the control of the state government so that they can't influence hospital authorities in reporting their health condition in a way favourable to them.

State minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday in connection with its probe into the alleged school jobs scam, was hospitalised at SSKM after he complained of "uneasiness". He was remanded to two-day ED custody by a city court.

"These scam-tainted TMC leaders have developed a habit of enjoying state hospitality at SSKM citing uneasiness. There is every possibility of them influencing hospital authorities in reporting their health condition in a way favourable to them. This must stop. Chatterjee should have been treated at a hospital which is not under the state government's control," he said.

Reacting to the allegation, TMC state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said Chatterjee, the state industry and commerce minister, was admitted to SSKM after the court granted his prayer for medical treatment.

"The court and ED will take a call on this. The party has nothing to say on the matter," he said.

In May this year, TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal was in SSKM Hospital for 15 days citing ill-health, skipping several summonses issued by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with its probe into a cattle smuggling case.

Last year, TMC ministers Firhad Hakim and late Subrata Mukherjee, besides MLA Madan Mitra got admitted to SSKM Hospital citing ill-health after being arrested by CBI in connection with its probe into Narada sting operation.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In its 125-year journey, Godrej and Boyce, the first Indian company to make typewriters, refrigerators and ballot boxes for Independent India's maiden election, still considers indigenous manufacturing as one of its core areas to fuel growth, an official said.

Started with making of locks in 1897 and safes in 1902 by its founders Ardeshir and Pirojsha Godrej, the group's flagship company now has presence in construction, electrical and electronics, industrial engineering, appliances, furniture and aerospace, and aims at 15-20 per cent growth in revenue this year riding on its understanding on consumer insights and innovation, Sr VP and Head of Brand and Strategic Insights, Godrej & Boyce, Mehernosh Pithawala told PTI.

The Mumbai-headquartered company clocked a revenue of Rs 11,800 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal, he said.

The diversified conglomerate intends to strengthen its position as a global source of manufacturing with the world looking at a "China plus" policy and is planning to increase its exports by 30 per cent year-on-year for the next two years, he said.

Ardeshir spotted a business opportunity in making locks in 1897 as incidents of burglary were on the rise at that time and he started making safes five years later, said Pithawala.

"This is how the company started its journey. We have done a lot of things which are the first in the country, ranging from typewriters and refrigerators to the development and delivery of proportional solenoid valves for ventilators to DRDO to help combat Covid-19.

"The company believes in an Atmanirbhar Bharat and thus indigenous manufacturing remains core to us. We have plants for all products that we make from our 14 business verticals, " he told PTI.

Godrej and Boyce currently has 38 factories in 12 locations across the country.

Pithawala said the company has progressed with a focus on innovation, sustainability and durability among others and these pillars of success will remain intact as it, in recent times, introduced or innovated a slew of products such as medical refrigerators with a cooling technology that ensures temperature control with no risk of freezing vaccines, 3D concretes, recycled concrete blocks, installing of cameras on forklift and IoT-enabled items such as video door phones, biometric and digital locks.

"One of the strengths that Godrej has is the understanding of the need of Indian consumers. We do innovate around that and bring technology which is relevant to the country.

"For example, Godrej produced India's first indigenous typewriter in 1955. There were close to around 1,800 components and we indigenously manufactured all in the country," he said.

The company has close to 80 patents and filed around 273 applications, he said, adding that it has collaborated with 8-9 startups to drive innovation of products for semiconductors, cameras, 3D concrete and locking systems and zinc-manganese batteries etc.

Elaborating on the reputation of its products, he cited the 1944 explosion.

"The S.S. Fort Stikine, a 7,142-tonne cargo vessel, blew up in Victoria Dock No. 1 in Bombay. Hundreds were killed and the dock was badly damaged. Godrej safes, installed in the merchants' officers at the docks, stayed intact," Pithawala claimed.

As the conglomerate partnered with Amar Chitra Katha to lock its history in a book as part of the 125th year celebrations, it is also keen to make strides in the expansion of businesses to "double the revenue" in the next five years.

"We are looking to grow both B2B (Business to Business)and B2C (Business to Consumer) segments. The export is a focus area as we are looking at a 30 per cent growth year-on-year in our shipments in the next two years to increase its share from seven per cent of the total annual revenue to over 10 per cent," Pithawala told PTI.

He said the company is confident to achieve the exports objective as "right now, the world is looking at a China -plus policy and therefore, a lot of manufacturing opportunities or orders are coming to India".

Pithawala said there are scopes to grow in many categories where Godrej and Boyce has its presence.

"For instance, refrigerator segment has 28 per cent penetration in the Indian market, while the same for air conditioners is around five-odd per cent. We expect lots of growth and expansion of businesses in tier II and III cities," he said, adding that intralogistics is also an area of focus.

The conglomerate is looking at "adjacencies to its existing businesses as part of its expansion plan", the official said.

"We are expanding our portfolios in the categories where we have presence now and will continue to do that. For example, in locks, we will strengthen digital ones in this category, surveillance camera in the security business, appliances offerings will be broadened," he said.

Pithawala said the company is not looking at any acquisition at present as the scope for organic growth is "immense".

The company's B2C segment, which includes locks and security solutions, appliances and furniture, contributes 60 per cent of its revenue, while the B2B segment, comprising industrial engineering, process equipment, construction, storing solutions and others, accounts for 40 per cent.

(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 34-year-old man from with no history of foreign travel tested positive for monkeypox, taking India's tally of cases to four and prompting the Centre to hold a high-level review meeting, the government said on Sunday.

Three cases of monkeypox was earlier reported from Kerala.

The patient who is presently recovering at a designated isolation centre at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital in had attended a stag party in Manali in Himachal Pradesh recently, official sources told PTI.

According to official sources, so far nine contacts, including family members of the patients, have been quarantined and they are being followed up. They are asymptomatic as of now.

The west resident was isolated at LNJP hospital here three days ago after he showed symptoms of the disease. Union officials said his samples were sent to the Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive.

"The person is recovering at the designated isolation centre at the LNJP hospital. The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine following the guidelines," they said.

"Public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing, and sensitisation of private practitioners are being carried out. A high-level review of the situation has been planned by the Directorate General of Health Sciences on Sunday at 3 pm," the ministry said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries and there have been five deaths so far.

In the WHO South-East Asia Region, besides India, one case has been detected in Thailand.

According to sources, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Atul Goel on Sunday reviewed the monkeypox situation in the country and directed the Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to carry out a detailed epidemiological investigation of the cases.

The DGHS also highlighted the need for a targeted approach towards men who have sex with men by the AIDS Control Organisation (NACO).

It was highlighted that health facilities should keep a lookout for people who complain of an unexplained rash and have travelled in the last 21 days to a country that has recently had confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox.

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans either through indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions and respiratory droplets.

The had last week reviewed the screening procedure of international travellers arriving in India after cases of the virus were reported in the country.

Airport and Port Health Officers and directors of regional offices of the health and family welfare ministry were advised to ensure strict screening of all international travellers to minimise the risk of monkeypox cases in the country.

According to WHO, monkeypox is a viral zoonosis a virus transmitted to humans from animals with symptoms similar to smallpox although clinically less severe.

Monkeypox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications. It is usually a self-limited disease with symptoms lasting for two to four weeks.

The 'Guidelines on Management of Monkeypox Disease' issued by the Centre, stated that human-to-human transmission occurs primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact.

It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, and indirect contact with lesion material such as through contaminated clothing or linen of an infected person. Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch of infected animals or through bush meat preparation.

The incubation period is usually from six to 13 days and the case fatality rate of monkeypox has historically ranged up to 11 per cent in the general population and higher among children. In recent times, the case fatality rate has been around three to six per cent.

The symptoms include lesions which usually begin within one to three days from the onset of fever, lasting for around two to four weeks and are often described as painful until the healing phase when they become itchy. A notable predilection for palm and soles is characteristic of monkeypox, the guidelines stated.

Experts, however, said there is no need to panic as it is less contagious and rarely fatal.

A monkeypox outbreak can be tackled by strong surveillance. The virus spread can be contained by isolation of confirmed cases and quarantine of contacts, they said and underlined that immunocompromised individuals need to be taken care of.

Senior scientist at NIV Dr Pragya Yadav said the monkeypox virus is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus having two distinct genetic clades -- the central African (Congo Basin) clade and the west African clade.

"The recent outbreak which has affected several countries leading to a worrisome situation is caused by the West African strain which is less severe than the Congo lineage reported earlier. The cases reported in India are also of the less severe West African lineage," she 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.)


By Jang Daul





Heat waves and forest fires are devastating Europe right now. Starting from the middle of June, many Europeans have been suffering from extreme heat waves. A "red," extreme heat warning was issued for the first time in the United Kingdom. In Portugal and Spain, temperatures rose up to around 46 degrees Celsius. There have been more than 3,600 deaths reported in Europe as of Tuesday.



It is not only Europe that is suffering from heat waves. Around 15,600 people were transported to hospitals by ambulance all over Japan in June due to heat stroke. In China, the average temperature in June was 21.3 degrees Celsius, which was the highest since 1961. The temperature on June 23 rose up to 32 degrees Celsius in Norilsk, a city in Russia where the average highest temperature in June is usually around 10 degrees.



In South Korea we are also not free from the risk of increasing heat waves. Six out of the top 10 hottest years in history have happened in the last seven years except for 2017.



Heat waves cause various socioeconomic consequences in our society. As is well-known, the 2018 heatwave was the worst one. In 2018, the highest temperature rose close to 40 degrees Celsius in Seoul.



The number of patients with heat-related illnesses in 2018 was reported at around 44,000. The 2018 heat wave also caused the deaths of more than 6 million farm animals, as well as damages to 3,000 hectares of farmland.



As a chain effect, damage to agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, ecosystems and industrial infrastructure could cause food crises, GDP losses and business interruptions, which could eventually result in migration, government failures, populism, armed conflicts and global market destabilization.



Though not as serious as in Europe, we are experiencing hotter weather this year too. The average temperature in June 2022 was 22.4 degrees Celsius, which was recorded as the third-hottest average temperature of the month of June since 1973. The first heat wave warning of 2022 was issued on July 3 while that of 2021 came on July 19. The first day of the year that the daily high temperature reached over 30 degrees Celsius was May 23. It is no wonder that the length of summer in Korea has increased by 20 more days over the last century.



Due to global heating, the temperatures formerly considered as "extreme" are now becoming simply "unusual." And by extension, temperatures previously considered "impossible" have become the new "extreme." The 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report made clear that average and extreme heat are increasing on every continent and that the main cause is human-caused climate change.



The report also predicted that a heatwave that would have occurred once in 10 years in the latter half of the 19th century will now occur 2.8 times over ten years and be 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter. Furthermore, if the earth's temperature rises two degrees Celsius, a heatwave that would have occurred only once in 10 years in the latter half of the 19th century will instead occur 5.6 times and be 2.6 degrees Celsius hotter.



However, the above analyses are averaged numbers for moderate heatwaves. Climate scientists warn that changes in their likelihood happen fastest for the most extreme temperatures. This fact means that extreme heat waves in specific locations could be much more severe. The record-smashing heat wave of 2021 in Western Canada and the U.S., as well as the Siberian heat wave of 2020 are such examples.



Now, unfortunately we are still on the path to raising the temperature of the planet by 2.7 degrees Celsius. In other words, even in the best scenario of climate action  the scenario in which the temperature rises only 1.5 degrees  we will be forced to learn how to survive during more frequent and more severe heatwaves for the rest of our lives. In the current and worst scenarios, we will face "collective suicide" due to the climate crisis, as the U.N. chief recently warned once again.



It is frustrating that even though we clearly witness increases in both the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events all over the planet, the governments of the world's countries still do not establish and implement carbon mitigation measures effective enough to meet the goal of 1.5 degrees. And South Korea is one of the planet's major climate villains.



According to the analysis of Climate Action Tracker, the overall rating of South Korea's climate targets and action plans is "highly insufficient." Also, South Korea was one of the worst performers together with Australia, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan by the 2022 Climate Change Performance Index by Germanwatch.



The presidential office, the ministries, and the National Assembly need to take the overseas evaluations very seriously and develop Korea's first Carbon Neutrality Basic Plan as soon as possible as required by the recently enacted Framework Act on Low Carbon, Green Growth.



The key to carbon neutrality is energy transition, since 87 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea come from energy uses. Shifting from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the power sector is the first step. However, the new administration has not revealed its plans for how to decrease fossil fuels and increase renewables yet.



President Yoon Suk-yeol and key policymakers in the government should learn important lessons from the ongoing European heatwave crisis.





Jang Daul (daul.jang@greenpeace.org) is a government relations and advocacy specialist at Greenpeace East Asia Seoul Office.




South Korean tech giant Samsung's upcoming foldable smartphones, which is all set to release on August 10, may start at 1,080 euros ($1,103 approx) in the European market.

Galaxy Z Flip4 may come at three internal storage variants -- 128GB, 256GB and 512GB -- for 1,080.90 euros, 1,158.89 euros and 1,275.89 euros, respectively.

Galaxy Z Fold4 with 256GB and 512GB internal storage may come at 1,864 euros and 1,982 euros, respectively, GSMArena reported.

Meanwhile, Samsung's next-generation smartwatch Galaxy Watch5 40mm (BT only version) will go for 259 euros ($264 approx), while the 44mm model may come at 286 euros.

The Watch5 Pro's price tag will supposedly be 430 euros for the 45mm BT-only option, which is a slight price bump from last year.

The report mentioned that the pricing details come from a "reliable European retailer", which usually gets its prices right, citing reports.

A recent report said that Galaxy Watch5 Pro will likely come with a huge 572 mAh battery.

To put that into context, the biggest Galaxy Watch4 and Classic models have a 361 mAh cell. So this would be an almost 60 per cent bigger capacity on the upcoming watch, which would probably still give under two-day battery life for the most intensive users.

Recently, the company said that the next-generation foldable smartphones, Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4, will be showcased during the Galaxy Unpacked online event, "Unfold Your World", slated for August 10.

--IANS

vc/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.)




South Korean steel giant POSCO Group has put itself on an emergency management footing, its holding company said Sunday, as business units across the group brace for weaker profits amid an expected slowdown of the global economy.







The decision came in a Thursday meeting of Chairman Choi Jeong-woo and other top executives of POSCO Group, POSCO Holdings Inc. said.







POSCO Holdings said the group's top executives reviewed risk factors for each major businesses unit, such as steel, infrastructure, energy and second battery materials.







The group assessed that the global economy was facing a "complex crisis," and predicted weakening of profits due to sluggish demand, rising raw material and energy costs and supply chain instabilities.







The executives decided to seek efforts to strengthen profitability by overhauling its overall procurement, production and sales operations, and reassess group-wide investment plans, POSCO Holdings said. (Yonhap)






American Chamber of Commerce in Korea Chairman James Kim, right, shakes hands with President Yoon Suk-yeol at Conrad Seoul in this December 2021 file photo. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun



By Park Jae-hyuk



The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) expressed its gratitude to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration for proposing a tax reform plan corresponding to requests from foreign businesspeople here.



Last Thursday, the government announced various measures aimed at cutting corporate and income taxes to encourage investment and reduce taxation, including the lowering of the maximum corporate tax rate to 22 percent from 25 percent. The proposal will be submitted to the National Assembly for approval before Sept. 2.



"AMCHAM greatly appreciates the willingness of the Korean government to listen and promptly respond to the concerns and recommendations of AMCHAM and the foreign business community," AMCHAM Chairman James Kim said.



"I also appreciate that the Korean government has recognized the importance of FDI inducement and shown that they value stakeholder input from the international business community. As the U.S is one of the largest FDI investors in Korea, I believe we could do better with these reform measures in place."



In April, the AMCHAM Board of Governors delivered a letter to the presidential office detailing several proposals that would improve the business environment in Korea. Containing the signatures of 34 board members, the letter addressed the need to restore the flat tax rate for foreign residents, restructure the inheritance tax obligations on foreign residents, improve the flexibility of employment conditions, mitigate CEO risk and improve the regulatory environment to ensure proactive communication in support of transforming Korea's position as a regional hub in Asia.



"I am seeing more interest than ever from U.S. companies in investing in Korea across all industries. Korea can increase its economic dynamism and become attractive to foreign investors by adjusting to meet global standards," the AMCHAM chairman said.



"Korea's corporate and individual tax regime could be made much more competitive compared to its peer countries in Asia. In the most recent AMCHAM Fireside Chat event with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, he reiterated his stance on supporting the numerous desires of the AMCHAM business community."


Where to start: We Lived in Grass (1995). Hykades bold and ballsy student film put him on the animation worlds map. Hykades rough, raw, and harrowing coming-of-age epic about masculinity in crisis, cancer, love, and rejection is told from the perspective of a young boy whose macho father develops testicular cancer.

What to watch next: Hykades follow up, Ring of Fire (1999), represented a major shift from his debut. While themes of toxic and troubled male behavior remain central in this Western-inspired short about two cowboys and sexual desires, gone are the vibrant colors of We Lived in Grass, replaced by a striking black and white look for a world that is anything but. Johnny Cash turned down an invitation to narrate.

Other key works: Aside from Hykades other outstanding shorts including The Runt (2005), Love and Theft (2010), Nuggets (2015), and Altotting (2020), he has made a number of commercial works, most notably the inspired childrens series, TOMs Band (2002).

Influences: The Bible, American rock band The Cramps, writer Carson Mccullers.

Says: I always understand my critics, they are my most important source. With TOMs Band we got lots of criticism about how dumb it was and we used that to change the characters. I try to use my critics more than my friends. Your enemies will always keep you alert and alive.

Currently working on: Dealing with War (2022), a brief anti-war short about the corruptive temptation of power.
Disney has promoted Douglas Bensimon and Edward Mejia to VPs of Current Series, Disney Television Animation. Both will report to Khaki Jones, senior vice president of Current Series, Disney Television Animation.

Details:

Disney Television Animation is the animation studio within Disney Branded Television. It currently has 1,200 half-hours of animated content in production for the kids and family demographic, destined for Disneys linear and streaming platforms.

Bensimons updated responsibilities include heading a team concentrated primarily on Disney Television Animations series properties for Disney+ and Disney Channel. He will work closely with Marvel on its branded content for kids and family.

Bensimons career has been spent in the Current Series department at Disney TV Animation, with the newly-promoted executive having joined a decade ago as an assistant in the Current Department. He has worked as coordinator, manager, director, and, since 2021, executive director of Current Series. Among the series hes championed are the upcoming Marvels Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur for Disney+ and The Ghost and Molly McGee and Amphibia for Disney Channel.

Mejia leads a team focused on Disney Television Animations titles from Disney heritage characters and stories for Disney+ and Disney Channel. He began his career at Disney in 2005 as an assistant to the president of Disney Channels Worldwide and went on to work in the Disney Channel Original Series department and Disney Television Animation.

During his time with the company, he has worked across Development and Current Series and was eventually promoted to coordinator, manager, director, and in 2020, executive director of Current Series. Series produced during his time in the department include Disney+s Monsters at Work, the upcoming Kiff and Primos for Disney Channel, and DuckTales, Mickey Mouse, Star vs. The Forces of Evil for Disney Channel.

The promotions were announced by Meredith Roberts, executive vice president of TV Animation, Disney Branded Television, who said in a release: One of our guiding principles is to prepare high-potential team members for greater levels of responsibility and to recognize the contributions of innovative, diverse, ready-to-lead executives. As a result of their sheer talent, solid experience and Khakis mentorship, Edward and Doug are highly skilled in imaginative, visual story-based work, and each has a deep appreciation for our brands and a trusted rapport with content creators that helps us achieve our goals.

Pictured at top, Marvels Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
Photo: RCMP Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil

Coquitlam RCMP is backtracking on the photographs it released of the alleged accomplices of a man on trial for first degree murder who escaped Thursday from North Fraser Pretrial Centre, after a reporter noticed nearly identical images were published on various obscure websites.



Rabih (Robby) Alkhalil, 35, was dressed in a black jumpsuit and high visibility vest when he left in a white Ford Econoline van at 6:48 p.m. July 21 with two others who were posing as contractors.



The RCMPs news release from the late morning of July 22 showed black and white images of two men, but not their names. Later in the day, the RCMP issued a news release that said police had tentatively identified the two suspects.



However, a reporter contacted Const. Deanna Law with the Coquitlam RCMP just after 2 p.m. on July 23, noting that colour images of Suspect 2 were found on three different websites with three different names. A fourth image was found on a passport printing website in India. Law was asked to explain whether the RCMP-issued photograph of Suspect 2 was genuine or if the image was used because it most closely resembled the suspect.



Almost an hour later, Law responded by email to say she was in contact with investigators and would respond with an update as soon as possible.



At 4:31 p.m., the RCMP issued a third news release about the case, confirming that the photographs were not the suspects.



It is believed that the suspects who helped Alkhalil escape bear a close resemblance to the photos they left behind, but those images are not them, Law said in a prepared statement. As with many complex investigations, the information is rapidly changing as we progress. For this case, time is crucial and its important to keep the public as informed as possible even though the facts could change as we go.



Meanwhile, the RCMP says the Ford Econoline getaway van was found and is being examined by forensics experts. It also said North Fraser Pretrial Centre is cooperating with the investigation, which is turning into a global search.



Alkhalils first degree murder trial will go on without him. He is charged with the Jan. 17, 2012 killing of gangster Sandip Duhre at the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel in Vancouver. Hells Angel Larry Ronald Amero is also standing trial for conspiring to murder Duhre.



B.C. Supreme Court Justice Miriam Maisonville recalled the jury July 22 to say jurors would return on Wednesday to carry on the trial. She informed the jury that Alkhalil had absconded and said she would instruct them later how to handle that fact. She also warned jurors to ignore any media reports about the case.



I remind you again that both accused including including Mr. Alkhalil, who is not before you, is presumed innocent until the Crown has proven their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, Maisonville said.



In the original bulletin issued at 10:19 p.m. on July 22, Coquitlam RCMP said corrections staff informed the RCMP of the escape at 7:30 p.m. It said Alkhalil left in the van at 6:48 p.m., but Law would not comment on the actual time that the warden had considered Alkhalil to have escaped.
A woman on Palms Court told police she had applied for credit and found that there is an account with Acima on her credit that is two months behind. She said she called Acima and they told her a diamond was leased through them using her information, but a different name, address and phone number. She said Amica is requiring a police report in order to get this off of her credit. She said because of this being on her credit report, she was denied credit. The woman told police she was also searching online for a payday loan. She said she had not applied with anyone, but got a text message from someone asking if she was still wanting to borrow money. She said she followed through and gave all of her necessary information, including her bank account information with USAA Federal Savings Bank. She said the unknown person deposited $1,100 in her account and instructed her to get gift cards for that amount and call back. She said she purchased a $500 gift card, a $450 gift card and a $125 gift card. She said she called the person and gave the gift card numbers as instructed. She said then the unknown person took the money back out of her bank account leaving her $1,100 overdrawn with her bank.

* * *

A property manager at Brookdale Hixson, 4515 Hixson Pike, told police a man was attempting to pull under the overhang and struck one of the pillars with his vehicle. The man said he did not notice any substantial damage to his vehicle that needing fixing. Police only observed some paint transfer. There was damage to the pillar, and the property manager said they would want it fixed.

* * *

While responding to an alarm on E. 43rd Street, police noticed a white female who appeared to be stuck under the fence. Police spoke with the woman, who said she had permission to stay on the property. She said she was leaving and realized she got stuck inside the fence and police pointed out a hole in a fence. The woman left on her own accord.

* * *

A man told police he parked his 2006 Toyota Tacoma pickup at apartments on Lindsay Street overnight and that morning he discovered someone had cut the catalytic converter off of his vehicle and stolen it.

* * *

A man on W. 40th Street told police someone had slashed his right rear tire while he was at a friend's house in Rossville the night before, and he would like to make a police report about it. The man was told that since the incident did not occur in the city of Chattanooga, he would have to go to the Rossville, Ga. Police Department to file a police report with them.

* * *

A woman on Duncan Avenue told police she found a round and picked it up. The round appears to be a 9mm round projectile (a fired round). The woman said she found it around 7:30 p.m., and it was not there at 1 p.m. the same day. Officers could not locate any markings on her brick wall to signify where it struck. The round was turned into Property.

* * *

While on patrol, police observed a vehicle traveling east on Main Street. The brake light was out and registration was expired. Police stopped it and identified the driver. Police located a rifle-style gun. Police gave the driver a verbal warning.

* * *

An employee at Food City, 3600 Hixson Pike, provided police with camera footage of a homeless man coming into the store and concealing merchandise in his backpack before leaving the store without paying for it. Attempts will be made to identify the man.

* * *



A man called police saying there was about to be a disorder at an address on W. 14th Street Court. The man was outside of the residence with his belongings when police arrived. He said that he left the situation because he did not want to get into any kind of trouble. He said that it was all verbal and nothing got physical. The other half of this disorder left prior to police arrival. The man then left and said that he would not be returning.

* * *

Police were provided camera footage of a black male going through multiple vehicles in the parking lot at Davron Technologies, 4563 Pinnacle Ln. A man there discovered that his firearm had been taken after his truck was broken into. That was the only thing noticed as stolen. The

weapon was entered into NCIC as stolen.

* * *

While on patrol, police noticed a white male panhandling at Exit 5 on the off ramp at I-75 NB/Shallowford Road. Police approached the man and identified him. The man was informed of the panhandling laws and that pedestrians are not allowed on the interstate. The man informed police he was clear on that and left the area without further issue.

* * *

The manager of the Comfort Inn, 2420 Williams St., told police the driver of a semi had attempted to pull into the front awning area and the top of the truck damaged the awning. Police observed the damage to the awning. The man who had been driving his Mack Truck said he misjudged the height. Police were unable to observe any damage to the truck; it is assumed to be cosmetic only.

Police did not observe any height indicators on the structure or awning.

* * *

A woman on Georgia Avenue told police a homeless man was outside her apartment going through the trash. She said the man has been hanging around for the last couple of months and going through her garbage cans. She said he sometimes hangs around the entrance to her apartment building and it makes her uneasy when she returns home late at night. Police were unable to verify the man's information, but he was told to move along and stay away from this location.

* * *

A man on McCallie Avenue told police he met a girl named "Gisella" approximately three weeks ago on Tender. He said that they had hung out several times and that she came to his residence that evening. He said she was intoxicated when she arrived and then when he did not wish to talk about their feelings, she got upset. He said after he called police to have her removed, she left. The man reported everything was verbal and she left his residence without incident.

* * *

A man at the Crash Pad hostel, 29 Johnson St., called for police help. When police arrived, he requested if we could sit in the back of the patrol vehicle together so we could be out of the heat. Police instead suggested the shade. The man then showed police texts from a woman named "Mayah." It was difficult to get information from the man, and he did not volunteer any information. He was more concerned with going to the police officer's "office" in the air conditioning to make the report, and said it would probably take them hours. Police were able to determine that the man met "Mayah" online through a dating service and he said she took money from him. He would not provide any information regarding the alleged theft. He then wanted to know what to do about her sending him harassing texts. Police asked if he had tried blocking her number, and he said he hadn't.




The Seinfeld finale is among the most criticized finales in television history, and thats saying something. After the 1998 series finale, fans and critics lambasted the shows writers, arguing that the ending didnt make much sense. More than a decade later, Jerry Seinfeld would defend the finale. Still, the fans didnt and still dont get it. One Seinfeld fan theory makes the conclusion of the show a lot more interesting.

Jerry Seinfeld and his friends went to jail to end the series

In the finale episodes of Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza finally get their television deal. The pals plan to fly to Paris to celebrate with Cosmo Kramer and Elaine Benes. On their way, their plane has a problem, and they are forced to make an emergency landing in a rural town in Massachusetts.

Seinfeld finale | Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

While Jerry and his friends wait for their plane to be repaired, they walk around the quaint town of Latham. During their stroll, they see a man being carjacked. Instead of helping, the foursome makes jokes. They are arrested and tried for criminal indifference, eventually being found guilty and sentenced to a year behind bars.

A fan theorized that Jerry and his pals died in the Seinfeld finale

The outcome of Seinfeld all hinged on a pretty absurd trial that wouldnt have ever happened in the real world. A fan theory about the Seinfeld finale hinges on the fact. In a 2019 Reddit post, a fan theorized that the trial was actually Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramers judgment for all the wrongdoings in their life after they die.

The fan suggests that Latham was not a town where their plane made an emergency landing, but rather where the pals went after their plane crashed and they died. Basically, Latham would be purgatory. According to the fans theory, the trial was essentially a retelling of events to decide if Jerry and his friends belonged in heaven and hell. Since they had all done so much wrong in their lives, their sentence in jail was actually their final judgment.

While the actual finale felt a little unrealistic, this take on the criminal trial makes a lot more sense. It would stand to reason that all of the people that Jerry and his friend had wronged over the years would be mentioned in an actual review of their lives. Its less realistic for them to show up at a trial based on a strange small town law.

Jerry Seinfeld defended the finale in 2014

While the fan theory certainly makes the series finale feel a lot more complete and way more interesting, it doesnt seem like the writing team would have entertained any alternatives. Jerry Seinfeld himself has defended the choices that were made.

In a 2014 Reddit AMA, Seinfeld explained the rationale behind writing the finale. He said the goal was to thank the people who had worked on the show over the years. He was happy with how it turned out. Seinfeld said, I was happy with the Seinfeld finale because we didnt want to do another episode as much as we wanted to have everybody come back to the show we had so much fun with. It was a way to thank all of the people who worked on the show over the years that we thought made the show work. I dont believe in trying to change the past but Im very happy with it.

The cast of Seinfeld | George Lange/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Regardless of what Seinfeld thinks, there were some issues with the finale. The fan theory certainly makes the entire concept feel a bit more interesting. Then again, it also suggests Jerry and his friends are dead, which is a little dark for a sitcom about nothing.

RELATED: Seinfeld: 3 Times Jerry Seinfeld and His Friends Shared Etiquette Tips
Dennis Wilson was one of the founding members of The Beach Boys, playing the drums on several well-known songs by the surf rock group. At his time of death, though, this musician was nearly broke due to his distance from the band. Heres what we know about Dennis Wilson and his net worth.

How did Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys die?

Dennis Wilson the drummer for the Beach Boys is with the Beach Boys when the performed at a Day on the Green | Larry Hulst/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Theyre picking up good vibrations. The Beach Boys are the artists behind songs like God Only Knows, I Get Around, and Kokomo. With the original lineup consisting of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson appeared as a drummer for the group.

In 1983, Wilson died at age 39. The artist was spending time at Californias Marina del Rey, and after diving into the water to retrieve objects from the ocean floor, Wilson reportedly drowned.

What was Dennis Wilsons net worth at the time of death?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, this Beach Boy had an estimated net worth of $20 million at the peak of his wealth. This was thanks to the success of the surf rock band, with the Beach Boys selling over 100 million records worldwide.

The same website reports that because he was banned from Beach Boys events (and asked to get sober before approaching the group again), Dennis Wilson was nearly broke when he died. He even had to sell his yacht to pay expenses.

He is survived by four children: Jennifer Beth, by his first wife, Carole Freedman; Carl Benton and Michael Dennis, by his second wife, Barbara Carol Charren; and Gage Dennis, by his last wife, Shawn.

What was the Beach Boys net worth?

As the final Wilson brother still performing music, Brian Wilsons net worth is an estimated $83 million, according to CA Knowledge. Thats thanks to his work as a musician, songwriter, and producer. Wilson also enjoyed a cameo on the sitcom Full House and continues to perform as a solo artist. In 2022, the artist appears on tour with Chicago and the Beach Boys Jardine.

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Mike Love of the Beach Boys has an estimated net worth of $80 million. He received songwriting credit on several of the groups original songs. Today, hes the only person legally allowed to perform using the bands name.

Al Jardine, who continues to play and write music, has an estimated net worth of $40 million, according to the same website. This founding member took a step back from the Beach Boys to pursue a different career. However, he returned to perform on well-known hits.

Now, some of Jardines solo project is available on Spotify, although not every original song has been cleared for streaming on the music service. Music by the Beach Boys is available on most major streaming platforms.

RELATED: Beach Boys Founder Brian Wilson Wants People to Learn From His Life: Drugs Can Be Very Detrimental
Fire officials set up air mattress at a dockyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, July 21. Korea Times file



By Lee Kyung-min



Civil damage claims of up to 800 billion won ($610 million) will continue to haunt the unionized subcontractors of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), despite the last-minute breakthrough in management-labor talk that ended their 51-day strike, according to market watchers, Sunday.



The weeks-long impasse was broken July 22, largely because the subcontractors agreed to a lower-than-demanded wage increase and guarantees of job security in the event their employers  partner firms of the shipbuilder  dismiss them.



However, lacking in the much-rushed agreement was whether the shipbuilder would file a civil suit seeking about 800 billion won in damages from the strike-induced corporate losses. Also left unclear was whether and how many unionized members would be referred to the prosecution on charges of obstruction of business.



The clear absence of the two critical conditions were, according to observers, the shipbuilder's move to seek accountability for the significant monetary and reputational damage from the collective action. The shipbuilder filed a criminal complaint against five leaders of the group of subcontractors last month, highly likely to be followed by a civil suit in the coming months. Also at play is the need to avoid criminal prosecution of key DSME executives on charges of breach of trust, a lingering risk for management certain to arise if their inaction to recover damages continues.



The shipbuilder's 816.5 billion won losses include 646.8 billion won in sales, 142.6 billion won in fixed expenses and 27.1 billion won for overseas delivery delays.



Barely a win



The subcontractors who occupied the dockyard of the shipbuilder on Geoje Island left the premises immediately after management and labor reached an agreement on a wage increase of 4.5 percent, late Friday, as put forth earlier by management. The workers had been demanding a 30 percent increase. They demanded a bonus three times their base pay for Lunar New Year, Chuseok and summer vacation season, but ended up accepting management's offer of a combined 1.4 million won bonus a year.



Among the thorniest remaining issues for the subcontractors and their employers is whether they can agree on workers being exempt from penalties of any kind or criminal prosecution for obstruction of business.



"The issues that remain unresolved will be something all parties involved will have to work on," a representative of the unionized workers said.



The strike ended, but not the decades-long issue of labor risks, according to Lee In-ho, former chairman of the Korean Economics Association.



"Korea's global reputation took a hit, as evidenced by tens of billions of won in delivery delay fees," he said. "The longstanding labor risk can undermine the country's recent growth momentum spurred by overseas orders."


TL;DR:

The release date for My Hero Academia Season 6 has been revealed alongside a new visual.

The news was announced during Hero Fes 2022, where attendees watched the premiere.

Deku and his friends will face all-out war when My Hero Academia returns in October.

Izuku Midoriya in My Hero Academia | K. Horikoshi/Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project

Fall 2022 is shaping up to be one of the biggest television seasons this year, especially when it comes to anime. My Hero Academia Season 6 is among the many highly anticipated releases planned for the fall. And it looks like fans can finally mark their calendars. The release date for My Hero Academia Season 6 was revealed during Hero Fes 2022, along with a new visual teasing the Paranormal Liberation War Arc.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: 5 Questions the Anime Needs to Answer in Season 6

San Diego Comic-Con brought plenty of announcements on the pop culture front this weekend, but its not the only event to drop exciting news. Hero Fes 2022 took place on July 24 in Tokyo, Japan. And in the midst of the My Hero Academia celebration, fans finally got a release date for season 6.

Deku and the rest of Class 1-A will return to the small screen on Oct. 1. It looks like theyll kick off the fall 2022 anime season. Thats fitting since My Hero Academia is set to be one of its biggest releases. Theres no word on whether the series will stream outside of Japan on the same date. However, previous seasons of the show have been simulcast.

Alongside the premiere date, the animes official Twitter shared a new visual teasing the looming war. It features Class 1-A and several other major players in the Paranormal Liberation War Arc, as well as Shigaraki and his band of villains. The two groups will face in the coming episodes, which may be some of the animes darkest yet.

The premiere of My Hero Academia Season 6 aired during Hero Fes 2022

International fans of My Hero Academia finally got a season 6 release date from Hero Fes 2022. However, those lucky enough to attend the event also watched the premiere a little early.

ComicBook.com reported back in April that the premiere would drop during the event, giving attendees a sneak peek at whats to come. Unfortunately, the rest of us will have to wait until the fall to tune in. But with a release date to look forward to, the animes return doesnt feel all that far away.

What to expect when Deku and Class 1-A return this October

So, what exactly can fans expect from My Hero Academia Season 6 when its release date finally arrives? We know the anime will follow the Paranormal Liberation War Arc from Kohei Horikoshis manga, but what does that entail?

Assuming the series sticks to the source material  and it usually does  Deku and his classmates will find themselves wrapped up in the Pro Heroes fight against the League of Villains. Theyve found new allies in the Meta Liberation Army, branding themselves as one big organization: the Paranormal Liberation Front.

With the villains leveling up during My Hero Academia Season 5, even Hawks warning may not give the heroes enough time to prepare for the coming battle. The brief teasers for the coming season suggest a grim tone  one that leaves viewers to question who will come out on top. Well learn the answer to that question when the series returns.

My Hero Academia Season 6 debuts on Oct. 1, 2022.

RELATED: My Hero Academia: All 3 Movies, Ranked From Pretty Good to Plus Ultra
Your home is supposed to be your sanctuary. But what if a stranger invaded your space, and you didnt even know they were there? Lifetimes unsettling new true crime series Phrogging: Hider in My House looks at real-life cases where people discovered another person living inside their home, and its sure to make your skin crawl.

Truth is stranger than fiction in Lifetimes new series Phrogging: Hider in My House

RELATED: Cruise Ship Killers Highlights a Problem Most People Didnt Know Existed

Phrogging  pronounced frogging  sounds like an urban legend. It describes a little-known but all-too-real phenomenon where a person secretly takes up residence in a persons home without their knowledge.

When executive producer Jesica Everleth initially started working on the project, she thought finding victims of this weird crime would be difficult. But tracking down cases to profile for the show was much easier than she expected.

I thought it was an interesting mystery, she told MediaVillage. Then I thought, Is this really common? How hard is it going to be to find stories? To my shock and amazement, I found something like 200 stories very quickly.

A family in Hawaii deals with a creepy stalker in the shows first episode

Brittany Campbell in Phrogging Hider in My House | Lifetime via YouTube

Each episode of Phrogging: Hider in My House features two stories. In the series premiere, which aired July 18, a family living in Hawaii began to notice some odd things happening in their house. Boxes in the garage were opened and had been riffled through. Items were disappearing from their home. The family heard strange noises and discovered previously locked doors had been unlocked.

Brittany Campbell, who lived in the house with her husband James and their two kids, felt she was going crazy. But when the family returned home after a week-long vacation, they realized that the strange goings-on werent just in their imaginations. A man was actually living in their house. Police arrested him, and evidence  including diary entries on one of the familys old computers  revealed hed been in the house for some time. Even more disturbing, it seemed that hed been plotting to perform DIY surgeries on the Campbells.

Upcoming installments of the 10-episode series include stories of a couple who finds a person living in the crawl space under their dream home and three men living in a college dorm who thought they had a ghost as a roommate, but who ultimately realized they werent dealing with the supernatural.

Some people didnt want to share their phrogging stories

What would you do in this very moment? Dont miss an all new episode of #Phrogging: Hider in My House next Monday, July 25th at 10/9c. pic.twitter.com/gl5zs8xOAA  Lifetime (@lifetimetv) July 22, 2022

While Everleth said she had no problem tracking down real-life cases of phrogging, not every victim was willing to go on camera and share their story.

Some people did not want to come forward, even though the phrogger had been prosecuted, she said. There was a case we found, and didnt do on the show, because it was so traumatizing for them to relive. It really depended on their story. Others were glad to talk.

In the meantime, Everleth urged people to check the hidden places in their own homes.

The takeaway is I think people should look, she said. We find new stories every week, so theres no shortage.

Phrogging: Hider in My House airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET on Lifetime.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheets YouTube channel.

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The James Bond movies provide plenty of action, intrigue, and shaken martinis for movie fans. For the actors and crew, the movies sometimes bring accidents and injuries on the set. The second film in the franchise, From Russia With Love, avoided on-set mishaps, but one of Sean Connerys co-stars died tragically before the movie wrapped.

Pedro Armendariz (left) and Sean Connery in From Russia With Love | Sunset Boulevard/Getty Images

How many James Bond movies did Sean Connery make?

When author Ian Fleming and producers Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman decided to bring James Bond to the big screen, Connery received the nod to don the tux. The way he walked caught the producers attention, but his attire and attitude during an audition came across as unprofessional.

Any misgivings the producers had about Connery didnt cost him the part. He starred in five straight Bond movies in the 1960s: Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), and You Only Live Twice (1967). He also starred in 1971s Diamonds Are Forever (after insulting George Lazenbys Bond single Bond performance) and returned in the unofficial Bond movie Never Say Never Again (a Thunderball remake) in 1983. Thats five straight outings, six total in the official franchise, and seven times playing Bond on the big screen.

Connery achieved success and recognition with James Bond performances. To many, he ranks as the best actor in the franchise, and his movies remain some of the best. But tragedy surrounded From Russia With Love. One of Connerys primary co-stars died tragically before the film finished shooting, and it might have been connected to a John Wayne flop.

Connerys From Russia With Love co-star died before the film finished shooting

Connerys Bond finds himself in Istanbul early in From Russia With Love as he begins his hunt for a code-breaking machine. Mexican actor Pedro Armendariz stars as Kerim Bey, his intelligence contact. Its a key role, and one Armendariz plays well, but he didnt live to see himself on the screen.

Armendariz acted in the panned 1956 John Wayne movie The Conquerer. Wayne, his sons, and dozens of people who worked on the movie allegedly developed cancer from the radioactive fallout of nuclear tests near the on-location shooting.

As Express reports, Armendariz had from inoperable neck cancer when From Russia With Love filming commenced. Producers scheduled as many of his scenes as possible early in the production, but Armendarizs symptoms made it impossible for him to finish filming. As he sought treatment in a hospital, Armendariz died by suicide in June 1963, just four months before the world premiere. It was his final role on the big screen.

Armendarizs tragic death cast a pall on From Russia With Love. Still, in the end, the film caused James Bond author Ian Fleming to change the character forever.

Connery was so good in From Russia With Love that Ian Fleming changed Bonds heritage

RELATED: Sean Connerys James Bond Movies Ranked

Connery didnt necessarily make the best impression on James Bond producers, and he regretted his James Bond role even though it made him a star. Fleming wasnt a Connery fan until he saw him in From Russia With Love.

The author wasnt pleased to have a working-class Scotsman playing a high-class English spy. The author and actor didnt meet until filming on Dr. No was well underway, and Fleming insulted his acting abilities.

Everything changed when Fleming saw Connerys performance in From Russia With Love. The author was so impressed that he paid homage to Connery by adding Scottish ancestry for James Bond in every subsequent novel he wrote.

Flemings switch to adding Scottish heritage remained a staple for years. Skyfall, the third of Daniel Craigs five Bond movies, climaxes with a shootout at his familys estate in Scotland.

RELATED: Sean Connery Hated His Last Movie So Much He Retired From Acting: Im Fed Up With the Idiots

What was the last Connery film he made before he died?

RELATED: Sean Connery Hated His Last Movie So Much He Retired From Acting: Im Fed Up With the Idiots

Connery left the Bond franchise behind in the early 1970s and retired from the role after 1983s Never Say Never Again.

Some of his career highlights include The Man Who Would Be King, The Name of the Rose, The Untouchables, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and The Rock.

Connerys final film flew under the radar. He voiced the title character in the 2012 Scottish animated movie Sir Billi. His final on-screen appearance in a feature film came in 2003s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.

RELATED: A Look Back at the Life and Career of Sean Connery
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Chinese authorities demolish underground church after bishop resists CCPs orders

Authorities in Chinas Hebei province demolished an underground Catholic church after its leader refused to join an association authorized by the Chinese Communist Party, according to a report.

The underground Catholic church had been gathering under a tent structure in Youtong village of Luancheng District in the city of Shijiazhuang when it was demolished while the churchs leader, Dong Baolu, who suffers from hemiplegia, was at a hospital for a check-up last month, Radio Free Asia reported.

China's communist regime ordered Dong and members of the church to align with the Catholic Patriotic Association, which they refused to do.

The church is part of the Zhengding diocese and many of its priests have already signed an agreement to join the state-sanctioned church. I am the only one left. Do you think theyd let me pass? I am the remaining one among more than 100 priests, certainly they will not spare me, the priest was quoted as saying.

The parishioners did not fight back against the demolition.

While the Vatican doesn't have formal relations with the Chinese Communist Party, it has participated in negotiations with Beijing since 2014 and signed a provisional deal with the regime in 2018 on the appointment of bishops that was renewed in 2020.

China and the Vatican have renewed a controversial agreement on the appointment of bishops, drawing criticism from rights groups who warn the deal will further hamper religious freedom in the communist country.

In October 2020, the Holy See and Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the renewal of the 2018 deal that was extended for two more years and will be due for renewal this fall.

The deal, the details of which have never been published, permits the Chinese government to propose names for new bishops to the Vatican through its state-approved Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, with the pope having veto power on the decision.

In turn, the Vatican recognizes the legitimacy of bishops previously appointed by the Chinese communist government and excommunicated by the church.

When communists gained power in China in 1949, they expelled Christian missionaries while allowing churches to function under the governments control. In 1957, the Chinese government established the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, which is not under the authority of the Holy See.

Chinese Christians faced severe persecution during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s and the 1970s under Mao, who saw religion as poison.

Churches are now allowed to function but only as long as they register with the government and thereby come under its control.

Open Doors USA, which monitors the persecution of Christians in over 60 countries, estimates that China has more than 97 million Christians, many of whom worship in unregistered or so-called illegal underground churches.

The five state-sanctioned religious groups in China are the Buddhist Association of China, the Chinese Taoist Association, the Islamic Association of China, the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association.

However, even the organizations within the five authorized religions are subject to surveillance and limitations, Bitter Winter previously reported.

In 2018, the Chinese government banned the sale of Bibles at online bookstores across the country to comply with a white paper that dictated compliance with the core values of socialism.

ABC News Australia reported at the time that copies of the Gospels had been removed from online retailers following the release of a regime document titled, Chinas Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief.

The white paper declared that Chinese faith communities should adhere to the direction of localizing the religion, practice the core values of socialism, develop and expand the fine Chinese tradition and actively explore the religious thought which accords with Chinas national circumstances.

As Beijing hosted the Winter Olympics earlier this year, many expressed outrage about Chinas treatment of religious minority communities. While China was accused of genocide for its detainment of Uyghur and other ethnic Muslims in western China, human rights activists had voiced concern for years about the Chinese governments longtime crackdown on unregistered churches and house church movements.
Pastor among 10 killed in ambush attack in Indonesias Papua

Separatist gunmen in Indonesias troubled Papua province ambushed a truck and opened fire on passengers, killing at least 10 people, including a Christian pastor, and wounding two others.

The Christian pastor has been identified as Eliaser Baner, who was on his way to a church conference, and the other nine were traders transporting goods through a remote highland area on July 16, when they were ambushed by 20 gunmen, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said.

The West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB, the military wing of Papuas main separatist group, the Free Papua Organization, claimed responsibility for the killing, claiming they were Jakartas spies disguised as workers, The Jakarta Post reported last week.

We shot 11 [Indonesian] people, and a Papuan because he took our pictures and fought back when the TPNPB questioned him, the groups spokesperson Egianus Kogeya was quoted as saying in a statement.

The spokesperson added that the rebel group would not compromise with anyone, either non-Papuans or suspicious Papuans, until Papua gained its independence. If you ignore this warning, you are part of the Indonesian terrorist security forces.

Re. Henrek Lokra, executive secretary of the Justice and Peace Desk at the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, responded to the tragedy, urging the government to form an independent investigation team to  [look] into the killings of civilians, ICC said.

The armed insurgency for independence started in Papua after Indonesias alleged annexation of the territory in 1969 through a referendum, which many local people believe was a sham.

The Southeast Asian country, which is home to the worlds largest Muslim population, has 20.4 million Protestants and 8.42 million Catholics, who together comprise 10.58% of the total population of 272.23 million, according to the latest data from the Directorate General of the Department of Population and Civil Registration of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Geographically, there are 30 Muslim-majority provinces. In only four provinces is Islam a minority religion or below 50%, including West Papua.

Indonesias Constitution is based on the doctrine of Pancasila  five principles upholding the nations belief in the one and only God and social justice, humanity, unity and democracy for all.

While Pastor Baner wasnt killed just because of his Christian identity, there are many extremist groups in Indonesia that oppose Pancasila and target the Christian minority.

Churches often face opposition from groups that attempt to obstruct the construction of non-Muslim houses of worship. Human Rights Watch previously said that more than 1,000 churches in the archipelago had been closed due to pressure from such groups.
Franklin Graham urges Christians worldwide to pray for Bidens recovery from COVID-19

Christians should pray for President Joe Biden's full recovery from COVID-19, evangelist Franklin Graham told his millions of followers on social media, stressing that the Bible instructs believers to pray for those in authority.

The news reports that President Joe Biden has COVID-19 and is experiencing very mild symptoms, Graham, who heads Samaritans Purse and Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, wrote on Facebook.

We need to lift him up in prayer. The Bible instructs us to pray for all those in authority, and that includes whether we agree with their policies and politics or not, he added.

The fully vaccinated and twice boosted Biden tested positive on Thursday morning, though the 79-year-old commander-in-chief is experiencing very mild symptoms, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Biden's staff also tweeted on behalf of the president from his official Twitter account to thank people for their concerns and assure them that he was doing well, despite being COVID-19 positive.

Folks, Im doing great. Thanks for your concern. Just called Senator Casey, Congressman Cartwright, and Mayor Cognetti (and my Scranton cousins!) to send my regrets for missing our event today. Keeping busy! the tweet said.

An update from Bidens doctor, Kevin OConnor, said Saturday the president was experiencing mild symptoms of sore throat, runny nose, body aches, and loose cough.

The president continues to tolerate treatment well. We will continue Paxlovid as planned, the memo said.

Bidens COVID infection is likely BA5, the variant from which about 80% of the infected people are currently suffering in the United States.

Dr. Deborah Birx, who served as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator under former President Donald Trump, told Fox News, I knew these vaccines were not going to protect against infection and I think we overplayed the vaccines ...

She added that vaccines protect against severe disease and hospitalization and said that 50% of those who died due to the Omicron variant were older in age and vaccinated.

News of Bidens positive test comes a couple of days after his administration announced the approval of the latest vaccine against COVID-19, a protein-based product by Novavax.

The Novavax vaccine received approval from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement by Biden on Tuesday.

We now have four safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to protect Americans against serious illness, hospitalizations and death, Biden stated.

I encourage everyone to get their booster if they are eligible. If youre age 50 or older, or a moderately or severely immunocompromised individual, and havent gotten a vaccine shot this year  you should get one right away. It is free, easy, and could save your life.

A White House official last week told a pool reporter on background that Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 even though she was with Biden last Tuesday.

Harris tested positive for COVID-19 in April. She was also fully vaccinated and boosted and had an asymptomatic case of COVID-19.
Encountering storms even in the center of God's will

When I came back to the Lord in my late 20s, one of the biggest surprises I encountered was that following God is not easy. We get sick and even go through financial, relational, emotional, and mental challenges.

My life actually became more difficult, but a hundred times more rewarding. As I poured over the Word of God, I was constantly reminded that God is for us, therefore, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

In short, nothing can prevent God from working in and through you. Even though demons are against you, the world hates you, carnal believers mock you, and friends and family may ridicule you, God is with you!

What is causing the storm?

A storm may be a time to build strength and endurance, or it could be a test. Although Gods sovereignty is my sanity, following His plans often brings challenges.

We should have peace in the center of Gods will but not freedom from difficult circumstances. At times, we may fight bouts of anxiety, depression, and fear. Many biblical heroes fought hardship and anxiety while being in the center of Gods will.

How can we determine if a challenge is the result of being in Gods will or because of disobedience?

First, check your motives. Why are you doing what youre doing? Second, focus on obeying Gods Word. This is the only way to truly stay on course. Third, is there a besetting sin that God wants to deal with? Like Jonah, sometimes storms are the result of disobedience. Fourth, seek biblical counsel from those who will shoot it to you straight. Fifth, try to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Being in the center of Gods will does not prevent challenges; it often creates them.

Forewarned is forearmed

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells the story of a wise man who built his house on solid rock (Gods Word) rather than on shifting sand (mans philosophy). As a result, his house withstood the storm, but the foolish man who built his house on sand lost everything. Remember, both men encountered the storm; one was prepared the other was not. Adversity comes to all of us. We should expect storms, but we can only weather them successfully when we look to God for strength.

Genesis 25:21-24 gives a good example of this. Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. But it appears that Rebekah had a difficult pregnancy as the children struggled within her. She said, If all is well, why am I like this? In other words, if Im in Gods will, why is this happening to me?

Challenges change us

Rebekahs story is a great reminder that Gods will is not about our comfort. He often gives us a crisis to conform us and a challenge to change us. The Lord told her that two nations were in her womb and the fulfillment of that promise would not be easy.

Submitting to Gods will can be challenging for most people. But Rebekah and Isaac submitted to Gods plan. Submitting is yielding, and its a crucial piece of Gods will. What happens if you dont yield at an intersection? You wreck your car, and you may wreck your life, too.

Whats inside spills out

I remember watching a news story about an enormous oil tanker that sprung a leak off in the ocean. Because the tanker was full of oil, millions of gallons gushed into the sea; it was a horrific sight and an environmental disaster. In the same way, when were hit with a storm, whats inside spills out. When youre jostled or shaken, is anger, pride, unforgiveness, or selfishness exposed, or does adversity reveal patience, humility, forgiveness, and self-control?

Natural storms bring nourishing rainfall, and spiritual storms also nourish our soul when they deepen our walk with God. Natural storms break up toxic bacteria in water, and spiritual storms can break sin out of our lives and clean the landscape of our soul through repentance. This is why endurance is so important. It helps us keep the course during spiritual hurricanes.

Building spiritual muscle

From time to time you may feel like giving up and returning to your familiar comfort zone. Dont! Instead, press through. You are exercising a very important spiritual muscle called perseverance. There is a saying that ships are safest in the harbor, but they are not made for the harbor. Remember, you were designed to weather storms successfully. When life becomes difficult and challenging, set your sights on the goal, not on the challenge. You were not created to fail; you were created to succeed.

Romans 5:3-4 tells us to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And Galatians 6:9 adds, And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

One thing is certain, God will hold your vessel together even in the darkest and deepest storm as you cling to Him: He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6).
Justin Welby says he has no plans to retire from CofE top job ahead of Lambeth Conference Some Anglican leaders warn against focusing on peripheral matters

Justin Welby said he has no plans to retire early from his position as archbishop of Canterbury days before Anglican bishops gather for the Lambeth Conference which some leaders are boycotting amid ongoing debates over the denomination's stance on human sexuality and marriage.

As long as he is healthy and "people are happy with him, Welby told The U.K. Times, he has no plans to leave his post until he reaches the retirement age of 70 in 2026.

Its not about me, its whats best for the church, Welby added, days before the gathering of more than 650 global Anglican leaders in Canterbury, England. I will certainly take advice and if my health is good and people are happy that Im still there, then Ill still be there."

If Welby remains in office until January 2026, completing about 13 years of service, he will become the longest-serving archbishop of Canterbury in half a century.

Any decision about taking early retirement, he said, would be arrived at in prayer, thoughtful consultation with others, family, colleagues, friends.

The Anglican denomination boasts nearly 100 million members worldwide and Lambeth Conference, which is held once every 10 years, is attended by bishops who represent autonomous member churches from 165 countries. This year's conference is taking place after a gap of 14 years, instead of 10 years, due to differences over controversial issues and the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.

Bishops from Rwanda, Nigeria and Uganda have already decided not to attend in response to Anglican churches in the U.S., Scotland and Wales allowing clergy to officiate same-sex weddings. Separately, six other bishops are refusing to attend the conference because their same-sex spouses have been denied an invitation.

In response to church leaders who are boycotting the conference because they believe organizers are focusing on peripheral matters" such as climate change, Welby said: Im concerned.  We will miss them. We regret very much they wont be there.

Welby added that the invitation to attend is still open to all bishops and only one three-hour session will be spent on the topic of human sexuality and ensuing debates on the matter.

The Communions position that same-sex marriage is not permissible is on the agenda this year, alongside calls for reparations for slavery and discussions on climate change, war, migration and persecution, according to Religion Media Center.

The bishops could be asked to vote on Resolution 1.10 of the 1998 Conference, which rejected homosexual practice as incompatible with scripture.

Last week, draft calls to be made during the conference were published in a new booklet for the bishops.

Some calls will be on contentious subjects, not with the aim of a dramatic change to the Churchs teaching, but on bringing us into deeper love for one another and understanding how God is calling us to be Gods Church for Gods world, the archbishop of Canterbury told a virtual press conference last month, according to Church Times.

The call to reaffirm Resolution 1.10 is part of the Call on Human Dignity, led by the Primate of the West Indies, Howard Gregory.

All human beings are made in the image of God. Therefore Anglicans are committed to respect, protect and acknowledge the dignity of all, it reads. That has been, however, a gap between rhetoric and reality.

It continues: Historical exploitation, deepening poverty, and prejudice continues to threaten human dignity. Amid these threats, and our own divisions and discernment, we call for: (i) an Archbishops Commission for Redemptive Action; (ii) the establishment of an Anglican Innovation Fund; and (iii) the reaffirmation of Lambeth 1:10 that upholds marriage as between a man and a woman and requires deeper work to uphold the dignity and witness of LGBTQ Anglicans.

In a message sent to the bishops ahead of the conference, Welby wrote that his prayer is that they reflect on the draft Call on Anglican Identity, which states that Anglicans belong to a tradition that seeks faithfulness to God in richly diverse cultures, distinct human experiences, and deep disagreements.

That call, he continued, also states: The Anglican Communion is a gift from God. Governed by Scripture, affirming the ancient creeds, sacramentally centered, and episcopally-led-Anglicans seek to be faithful to God in their agreement and in their disagreements.

The issues on which the bishops deeply disagree do matter, but they should approach the conference with an even deeper sense of what unites us: the love of Jesus Christ and His calling to serve Gods world, he concluded.
In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second left, and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, right, attend talks in Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, July 24. AP-Yonhap



Lavrov landed in Cairo late Saturday, the first leg of his Africa trip that will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Russia's state-run RT television network.



The Russian chief diplomat met Sunday morning with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in a Cairo presidential palace, the Egyptian leader's office said. Lavrov then held talks with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry.



Lavrov was scheduled to meet later Sunday with the Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit. He will also address the permanent representatives of the pan-Arab organization, RT reported.



Russia's war in Ukraine has had dire effects on the world economy, driving up oil and gas prices to unprecedented levels.



Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia's invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports have halted shipments. Some Ukrainian grain is transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but with higher transportation costs.



The war has disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies did not want to deal with Western sanctions on the country.



African counties are among those most affected by ripples of the war. The prices of vital commodities skyrocketed and billions of dollars in aid have been directed to help those who fled the war in Europe. That has left millions of people in conflict areas in Africa and the Middle East suffering from worsening growing shortages in food and other assistance.



In an article posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, Lavrov rejected the West accusations that Russia is responsible for the global food crisis, as ''another attempt to shift the blame to others.''



Seeking to rally African nations on his country's side, he hailed what he called ''an independent path'' such nations took when they refrained from joining the West in sanctioning Russia.



''We know that the African colleagues does not approve of the undisguised attempts of the U.S. and their European satellites to gain the upper hand, and to impose a unipolar world order to the international community,'' he wrote in the article, which also was published in four African newspapers.



Lavrov's meetings with Egyptian officials and Arab envoys in Cairo come less than two weeks after U.S. President Joe Biden's Mideast trip. Biden met with the leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, before convening a summit with the leaders of Arab Gulf countries, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq in Saudi Arabia.



Egypt, the Arab World's most populous country, refused to take sides since the war in Ukraine began in February as it maintains close ties with both Moscow and the West. Egypt is among the world's largest importers of wheat, with much of that from Russia and Ukraine.



El-Sissi, the Egyptian leader, has cultivated a close personal rapport with Russia President Vladimir Putin. Both leaders have strengthened bilateral ties considerably in the past few years.



Lavrov's visit to Cairo came as Russia's state-owned atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, began last week the construction of a four-reactor power plant it is building in Egypt. (AP)


Kidnapped Catholic priest killed in Nigeria; another escapes abductors

ABUJA, Nigeria (Morning Star News)  The body of one of two Catholic priests kidnapped on Friday (July 15) in Kaduna state, Nigeria, was recovered Tuesday morning (July 19), sources said.

The Rev. John Mark Cheitnum was director of communications of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan. Kidnapped at gunpoint from the parish rectory of Christ the King Catholic Church in Yalding Garu, Lere County along with the Rev. Donatus Cleopas Sulaiman, Cheitnum was killed while Sulaiman was able to escape, according to the Kafanchan diocese.

The Rev. Fr. Donatus Cleophas escaped from his abductors and has reunited with us, said the Rev. Emmanuel Uchechukwu Okolo, chancellor of the Catholic Diocese of Kafanchan, in a press statement. However, it is with a deep sense of sorrow and pain that the bishop, clergy and laity of the Diocese of Kafanchan announce the gruesome murder of Very Rev. Fr. John Mark Cheitnum.

Cheitnum served as priest at St. James Parish in Fori, Jemaa Local Government Area, according to the diocese.

The Kaduna state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), the Rev. John Joseph Hayab, said Cheitnum had served as the CAN chairman of the Jemaa Local Government Area as well Southern Kaduna CAN coordinator.

Cheitnums body was found in the wilderness on Tuesday morning, four area residents told Morning Star News by text message. One resident, Bitrus Defend, asked why terrorists target church leaders.

It is hard, but we pray that may the ever loving and merciful God rest your soul in the peace of Heaven, till we meet at Jesus feet, padre, Defend said, while area resident Comfort Bwans said, Oh, Rev. John Mark, your killers will not know peace. They shall suffer for the rest of their lives. May God accept your soul.

In Kujama, Kaduna state, another Catholic priest was killed on June 25, according to the Rev. Moses Bonugada, a Catholic priest in Chikun County. He said the Rev. Vitus Bogoro was killed by armed bandits as he worked on his farm.

Bogoros brother, Cyril Borogo, was kidnapped in the assault, Bonugada said.

On July 4, such bandits abducted the Rev. Emmanuel Silas of St. Charles Catholic Church, Zambina, Kauru County, Kaduna state, Bonugada said. He said 18 Catholic priests have been kidnapped thus far in 2022.

Nigeria led the world in Christians killed for their faith last year (Oct. 1, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021) at 4,650, up from 3,530 the previous year, according to Open Doors 2022 World Watch List report. The number of kidnapped Christians was also highest in Nigeria, at more than 2,500, up from 990 the previous year, according to the WWL report.

Nigeria trailed only China in the number of churches attacked, with 470 cases, according to the report.

In the 2022 World Watch List of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria jumped to seventh place, its highest ranking ever, from No. 9 the previous year.

Originally published at Morning Star News.
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TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albanias new president was sworn in on Sunday and urged the nation's political parties to cooperate on the country's future and consolidate the rule of law.

President Bajram Begaj, 55, who won after getting 78 votes in the 140-seat Parliament, formally took office at a ceremony in parliament.

I won't stand neutral to anyone putting personal interests above those of our nation, said Begaj, a former army chief-of-staff general.

At a later ceremony at the presidential office the Constitutional Court head handed over the country's Constitution to Begaj.

Begaj was nominated by the governing left-wing Socialist Party after no compromise candidate was reached with the opposition. Most opposition lawmakers boycotted the voting and some avoided the swearing in ceremony too.

Begaj is post-communist Albanias eighth president and the third from the military ranks. The five-year presidency has a largely ceremonial role and the president is expected to stand above partisan divisions. The president is the army's commander general, also holding some authority over the judiciary and the armed forces.

Begaj started his speech at parliament talking about Albania's irreversible European path.

Earlier this month Albania, a NATO member since 2009, launched accession talks with the European Union.

European Albania, today a promise and tomorrow a reality, is the crown of the most beautiful historical dream of the Albanian people, he said.

The EU, the United States and other Western countries welcomed Begaj in his new post.

European Council President Charles Michel congratulated Begaj in a tweet Sunday, adding that With the opening of accession talks, we are at an exciting time in EU-Albania relations."

___

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
KEARNEY, Neb. - Last year, when the state board of education proposed new sex-education standards for teaching about issues such as sexual orientation, gender identity and consent, a retired pediatrician in this central Nebraska town reached out to Gov. Pete Ricketts and state lawmakers.

"This is NOT Sex Ed as anyone knows it," Sue Greenwald wrote in a July 16, 2021, email obtained by The Washington Post. Lessons that met these standards, she wrote, would be " 'grooming' children to be sexual victims."

It was a shocking claim, and it was catching on - repeated by Greenwald, by members of the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition, a group she co-founded to oppose the standards, and embraced by Ricketts, a Republican, himself. The message also spread through screenings at libraries and churches of "The Mind Polluters," billed as an "investigative documentary" that "shows how the vast majority of America's public schools are prematurely sexualizing children."

Grooming erupted as a national issue earlier this year, but this state in America's heartland has been roiled by that attack on comprehensive sex education since last spring, providing a unique window into a newly inflamed debate. The unsubstantiated claim helped activate an army of self-described Nebraska patriots who rose up against the standards, took over the local Republican Party and propelled a wave of far-right candidates for local and statewide school boards, a Post examination found. Earlier this month, these activists were part of a broader, anti-establishment insurgency that toppled leaders of the state Republican Party.

The term "groomer" has become a catchall epithet hurled by the right wing against the left, particularly against advocates for LGBT people, who have become the target of a recent surge in violent threats and attacks. The Post's examination focused on the specific claim that modern sex education - including lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity - makes children more vulnerable to pedophiles.

Greenwald and others who have endorsed that claim acknowledged to The Post that there is no scientific body of research that shows such lessons make children more likely to be victimized. The American Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics both back a comprehensive approach to sex ed that includes discussions of sexual orientation, contraception and consent. Leading child abuse experts say that arming children with information helps protect them against harm.

Nonetheless, the claim that comprehensive sex ed amounts to grooming has simmered on the right for decades, often fanned by Christian conservatives who disapprove of same-sex relationships and favor home schooling and private schools over public education, The Post found. The foundation was laid in part by Judith Reisman, a self-styled expert who opposed gay rights, claimed that gay people are more likely to sexually abuse children, and spent decades trying to discredit pioneering work by the sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.

Reisman, who died last year, makes multiple appearances in "The Mind Polluters" to bolster the argument that modern sex education makes children more vulnerable to predators. Greenwald and candidates endorsed by a political committee she helped launch have promoted the film, and much of their criticism of the proposed standards echoed Reisman's views.

Paul Hazard, a former state trooper who dubbed the proposed sex-ed standards "a pedophile's dream," was the top vote-getter in the May primary among eight candidates for the Kearney school board. Sherry Jones, a retired educator who has said the standards "sealed" her decision to run for an open seat on the state school board, garnered more than twice as many primary votes as Danielle Helzer, who supported the sex-ed framework. Elections for the local and state school boards are nonpartisan.

"Vote for SHERRY!!! Helzer wants to groom your kids for pedophiles & traffickers," one Jones supporter wrote on Facebook. Helzer, 36, is a former teacher who has screened volunteers for the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program.

"I don't take it personally because I know it's not true, but I don't take it lightly," Helzer, who as the runner-up will move on to the general election in November, said in an interview. "People are genuinely fearful of their kids being sexually abused, and that fear has driven them to use grooming as a political weapon."

Jones and Hazard did not respond to requests for comment.

In an email to The Post, Greenwald, 64, wrote that as a pediatrician who has examined abused children and testified in court as an expert witness, she believes there are similarities between materials currently used in public school sex-ed programs and the sexually explicit language and images used by pedophiles.

"The fact that they are already desensitized or 'groomed' by a trusted adult to accept sexual language and images as appropriate could make it that much easier for a predator to gain that child's cooperation in understanding and accepting sexual demands," Greenwald wrote.

- - -

Reisman was not trained as a psychologist or sociologist or sex researcher. She had worked as a songwriter for the children's television program "Captain Kangaroo" in the 1970s. Then, concerned about the effect of television on children, she earned a doctorate in communications in 1980, according to her resume.

Her 10-year-old daughter had been sexually assaulted years earlier by a neighbor boy who had been looking at his father's Playboy magazines, Reisman later recalled in an essay, and she focused some of her research on pornography. But she made a name for herself by criticizing Kinsey, whose work had helped to usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s and 1970s. Reisman highlighted data he had published about children's orgasms, claiming that his work had justified child sexual abuse and triggered a cultural decline.

Her work caught the attention of conservatives in Washington, and in the early 1980s, President Ronald Reagan's Justice Department approved a grant of more than $700,000 that she used to study cartoon images of children in Playboy, Hustler and Penthouse magazines. The fact that the grant had been awarded on a noncompetitive basis, coupled with questions about Reisman's credentials and an auditor's finding that the study as originally proposed could be done for $60,000, fueled congressional oversight hearings.

Reisman defended her work in a 1985 Washington Post op-ed, writing that her efforts to catalogue depictions of children engaged in sexual or violent activities would lay a foundation for preventing abuse. "When it is completed, I believe the citizenry will consider their $734,000 well spent," she wrote.

The 1986 report was harshly criticized by some academics on a peer-review panel. The Justice Department declined to publish it. The agency eventually made it publicly available but did not endorse its methodology or findings.

Reisman went on to a career as an independent researcher, and later as a research professor at the Liberty University School of Law and at the evangelical university's School of Behavioral Sciences, though she was not trained as a lawyer or psychologist. Her advocacy helped prompt the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University to disclose that a pedophile's diary had been the source of the data on children's orgasms.

She likened school clubs that supported LGBT students to Hitler Youth groups, claiming that both sought to cut children off from their parents' traditions and beliefs, a review of her writings shows. She praised "Pink Swastika," a widely denounced book whose authors claim that gay people were "the guiding force behind many Nazi atrocities." And she claimed gay adults were trying to persuade children to be gay using "vigilant and organized wooing."

Reisman was dedicated to fighting what she called "Kinseyan" sex education that she said was becoming the norm in the United States. A 1990 book she co-wrote argued that modern sex education was tainted with a "gay agenda" and a "pedophile agenda."

Over the years, Reisman continued claiming links between sex education and pedophilia, though the terminology shifted: What she and her allies once called "Kinseyan" sex education got a new name, "comprehensive sexuality education," or CSE.

In 2012, she spoke at a gathering of the powerful network of Republican donors and activists known as the Council for National Policy, according to a confidential agenda obtained by the watchdog group Documented. "Action steps" circulated after the session, also obtained by Documented, included a call for investigating sex educators "for criminal 'grooming,' lowering children's . . . resistance to both pedophile predation and victimization."

Those who echo Reisman's views today often cite an FBI agent's 2002 congressional testimony describing how pedophiles aim to "sexually arouse children" and "expose them to sexual acts before they are naturally curious." Sex-education materials do the same thing, critics argue.

Sharon Slater, president of Family Watch International, an Arizona-based nonprofit that works with Greenwald's group and opposes CSE and LGBT rights, wrote in an email to The Post: "While there is no empirical evidence supporting the claims that CSE can make children more vulnerable to sexual abuse, there is ample evidence based on the many CSE programs Family Watch has analyzed that an alarming number of popular CSE programs utilize the same techniques often used by pedophiles to sexualize children or groom children to engage in sex."

David Finkelhor, a child abuse expert at the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, said research on comprehensive sex education shows that it reduces risky sexual behavior and may be in part responsible for decreases in teen pregnancy and early onset of sexual activity. Research also suggests that sex education - including teaching children the proper names of private body parts - helps "prevent grooming rather than to make them vulnerable to grooming," Finkelhor said.

Reisman, he added, for years took "extreme and alarmist positions that are far outside the bounds of social science findings about children and sex education."

- - -

On March 10, 2021, Nebraska's education department released proposed health-education standards, including grade-by-grade guidelines for sex education. Kindergartners would learn medically accurate terms for body parts, including genitalia, and about interracial and same-sex families. They would also learn about "consent" and "how to clearly say no." First-graders would learn the definitions of gender identity and gender-role stereotypes. The meaning of sexual orientation would be explained in third grade.

Opposition was led by Greenwald and other residents of Kearney, a college town in an agricultural community. It is the seat of government for Buffalo County, where three out of five voters are Republicans. Donald Trump twice carried the predominantly White county of about 50,000 people.

Eight days after Nebraska officials released the standards, parents and grandparents formed a private Facebook group, which became a key organizing tool of the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition.

Kearney resident Kathy Adams, 67, a retired nurse, recalled printing the standards out and using a yellow highlighter and red pen to register her objections. "Pornography," she called the standards. Homosexuality is at odds with her Christian faith, she told The Post, and she questioned the idea that a person's gender identity could be different from the sex they were assigned at birth.

Adams said she also was concerned about the effect of peer pressure and social media, remembering that when she worked as a middle school teaching assistant a few years ago, "all of sudden it was like a fad and it was kind of taking off, either claiming to be gay or claiming to be transgender." The proposed sex-ed framework would make children curious to take risks, she added, and would "make it easier for kids to get abused."

By May 2021, the Protect Nebraska Children Coalition counted more than 14,000 followers on Facebook. Slater said Family Watch International provided advice and technical support for the coalition. Greenwald, who in the Facebook group called Slater "an extraordinary mentor," described the coalition to The Post as grass-roots and Nebraska-led.

Slater has written that teaching children that homosexuality is normal is part of a broad effort to "justify behavior that is inherently destructive to both society and to the individual." She told The Post that her organization condemns imparting any information that would "sexualize children," including lessons about heterosexual sex.

The Protect Nebraska Children Coalition helped build a groundswell against the standards by starting a petition drive, lobbying public officials and launching a Facebook campaign targeting the Nebraska Department of Education and some state school board members. "#AbolishNDE," said one July 2021 Facebook post featuring photos of drag queens next to state education officials. "Get your kids out of Nebraska public schools."

By then, Greenwald had been making her case to Ricketts, the governor, for months, emails show. In the email she sent to a legislative aide on June 23 and then forwarded to three state lawmakers and a staffer to Ricketts in July, Greenwald claimed that the goal of CSE is to "unmoor children from their parents' values."

She elaborated in her email to The Post, saying that a CSE curriculum already in some schools, developed by the nonprofit Advocates for Youth, teaches 10th-grade students about forms of contraception they might choose if they are afraid of their parents finding out. "Parents want excellent public education, free from sexual content, religion or political and gender ideology, just as it has been for generations," she told The Post.

In the CSE curriculum that Greenwald flagged, when lessons in older grades turn more explicitly to sex and sexuality, assignments call for children to talk with their parents about their values, a review of the curriculum shows. It does suggest that teachers can discuss options for teenagers who want to use birth control without their parents' knowledge, one of which is talking about forms of contraception that are easier to hide. Lessons in early grades focus on naming body parts and respecting personal boundaries.

As an example of "sexually explicit" terms taught to young children, Greenwald pointed to language describing the vagina and penis, but the descriptions come from a page labeled "teacher's use only . . . not to be distributed to students." She also said she objected to material that "normalizes masturbation" and "describes orgasm in detail."

Masturbation is mentioned in a seventh-grade lesson as an activity that carries no risk of sexually transmitted disease, along with kissing on the lips and holding hands, the review shows. The lesson on orgasm is designated for 12th-graders.

Advocates for Youth said in a statement to The Post that opponents of comprehensive sex education misrepresent what it teaches. If parents examine the curriculum themselves, the statement said, they will find it "encourages students to think critically, act responsibly and respect each other's boundaries and diversity."

As they attacked the proposed curriculum, Greenwald and like-minded activists had a powerful ally in Ricketts, who called for the standards to be scrapped just one day after their release and then toured the state to galvanize opposition. At a July 1 "Protect Our Kids & Schools" town hall meeting he held, Ricketts referenced Greenwald: "These standards are sexualizing our children. I talked to one pediatrician who said this is 'Grooming 101.' "

- - -

Drew Blessing, a Kearney school board member, early on joined the Protect Nebraska Children group on Facebook and tried to correct what he called "a ton of misinformation" about the proposed standards. But Blessing said he was shut out from the private group over the summer. Some foes of the standards accused him of being a "groomer" in emails, he said.

"We're talking about public schools, not Christian schools," said Blessing, 34, who is active in his church. "We are not trying to teach kids to be gay or trans . . . but we have to acknowledge these differences exist and that we all deserve kindness and respect."

Greenwald said Blessing was excluded from the Facebook group after "multiple complaints" from other participants, which she did not detail.

On July 29, 2021, Nebraska education officials announced revised standards that omitted references to genitalia, sexual orientation and same-sex and interracial families. Gender identity would not be introduced until seventh grade, and "consent" would not be mentioned until eighth grade. School districts would not be required to adopt the standards.

Protect Nebraska Children Coalition opposed this draft, too, arguing that it still contained Kinsey-inspired CSE, according to materials posted to the group's Facebook page. One standard highlighted as objectionable said: "Describe ways to show dignity and respect for all people." Greenwald said that standard was "intentionally vague" and could open the door to "divisive" ideas such as critical race theory, an academic framework that examines the way policies and laws perpetuate systemic racism.

Nebraska officials announced Sept. 3 they were shelving the standards. Greenwald issued a rallying cry.

"We know our opponent now; who they associate with and who funds them," she wrote that day on Facebook. "We know who our allies are in the Legislature and the Governor's office. We know who to support and who to replace on all our respective local school boards. . . . We will not be caught sleeping again."

In November, Greenwald and other leaders of her group launched the Protect Nebraska Children political action committee to endorse candidates for local and state school boards. Michael Meyer, a Kearney health insurance agent who had testified before the state board against the sex-ed standards, helped candidates backed by the new political committee set up websites.

"I've been more politically active in the last year than I was in my entire life combined. And I am 54 years old," he told The Post.

Soon, "The Mind Polluters" began showing around Nebraska. Adams, the resident who took a pen and highlighter to the standards, who like Meyer had not been involved in politics, said she organized several screenings at Kearney Public Library.

The movie was produced last year by Mark and Amber Archer, a Christian couple from Indiana whose "statement of faith" on the website of their Fearless Features filmmaking ministry describes homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexuality as "sexual immorality," grouped with bestiality and incest. The Archers did not respond to requests for comment.

The movie claims students "are being groomed for sex with pedophiles" and says parents are obligated as Christians to remove their children from public schools.

The film became a political organizing tool, as many Protect Nebraska Children PAC-backed candidates either hosted screenings or attended them and spoke to audience members afterward, according to social media reviewed by The Post.

Helzer, the state school board candidate in the district that includes Kearney, attended a screening in March, 2022, hosted by her opponent, Jones, at Jones's church. In a Facebook post, Helzer said she thought it was "weak in research but strong in scare tactics."

- - -

Starting in February, a debate over sex education erupted in Florida and began drawing national media attention. Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, was pushing what a spokeswoman called "an anti-grooming bill," which barred teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with young children. Opponents derided the legislation as "don't say gay."

Over the three previous years, Twitter averaged 940 mentions per day of the term "groomer," according to an analysis by Advance Democracy Inc., a nonpartisan nonprofit that conducts public interest research. On March 28, the day DeSantis signed the bill, that jumped to more than 11,000 mentions. By April 6, it had climbed to more than 80,000 mentions.

A Post analysis also found an increase in grooming chatter after March 28 on platforms favored by right-wing activists, such as Gab, Patriots.win and Telegram.

By then, Christopher Rufo, a right-wing influencer credited with spearheading attacks on critical race theory, had turned his attention to grooming, his Twitter account shows. "Grooming has a range of definitions: one can be groomed into an ideology, groomed into a gender identity, or groomed for physical abuse," he wrote in one April Twitter post. Another April post described public schools as "hunting grounds for sexual predators." It linked to an essay he wrote citing a 2004 study by scholar Charol Shakeshaft, who estimated that 10% of K-12 students receive unwanted sexual attention from a school employee.

In an interview, Shakeshaft told The Post that she is "distraught" that her research has been used to justify claims that sex education amounts to grooming. She supports teaching comprehensive sex education. "It gives the child a set of tools to help keep themselves safe," she said.

Rufo told The Post that Shakeshaft has done important research that deserves federally funded further investigation, adding that he finds it "quite strange that she is 'distraught' that the public is learning more about this problem and expressing concern."

While grooming was peaking on social media, central Nebraska was starting to see the political effect of the attacks on comprehensive sex education.

After their victory over the standards, the newly emboldened activists took on the Buffalo County Republican Party. Almost 100 people signed up to be delegates to the county GOP's biennial convention on March 31, nearly triple the number in three previous election cycles, records show.

"We didn't know what the hell was going on," said Buffalo County Election Commissioner Lisa Poff, whose office is required to verify that delegates are registered Republicans.

At the convention, the surge of delegates elected a new slate of officers - nearly all of whom had been involved in the sex-ed fight. Greenwald was named state committeewoman. Kirby Wilson, a 56-year-old Kearney businessman who quoted a Bible passage referring to "homosexual offenders" at one state school board meeting, was tapped as state committeeman. Joe Maul, a 54-year-old insurance adjuster who had helped start a group called the Central Nebraska Patriots, which also opposed the standards, was elected chairman.

The outgoing slate of officers had not supported the standards, according to several people who attended the convention, but they had not been on the front lines to oppose them either. Faced with a crowd of insurgents, none of the current officers sought reelection. None responded to calls or emails from The Post.

"They didn't work hard enough so they got replaced," Maul said.

J.L. Spray, a Nebraska GOP national committeeman who attended the convention, said party leaders in roughly a dozen other counties were supplanted in recent months by activists mobilized, in part, by the fight over sex education.

On the eve of the May primary, James Clark, the Buffalo County party's new vice chairman, was setting up folding chairs for the monthly meeting at the Kearney library. Clark, 69, had testified against the standards and said the debate was a major reason he decided "it's time" to get involved.

Clark had never been to a local party meeting before his own election. "I was never invited. It was like they didn't know me," Clark said, grinning. "They know me now."

About 50 people attended the meeting, mostly middle-aged folks and seniors. Maul waxed nostalgic about a time when his parents didn't lock the front door. Whether anyone was "gay or straight" was never discussed. Parents were responsible for warning their kids about the neighborhood "pervert."

"There's been a lot of people that have woken up to the fact that the public school system now no longer teaches reading, writing and 'rithmetic," he told the receptive crowd, adding that teachers are trying to "usurp the parents' responsibility and teach our kids about sexuality, gender, you name it. And when did that happen and why? As Christian conservatives, why would we ever agree with that?"

In the next day's primary, all four of the state school board candidates endorsed by the Protect Nebraska Children PAC advanced to the general election. For seats on the Kearney school board, only one of the four candidates the political committee backed did not garner enough primary votes to compete in November.

Earlier this month, Protect Nebraska Children Coalition members were among the newly minted Republican activists who flooded the party's state convention, held in Kearney. Many had been mobilized by false claims of election fraud and a divisive gubernatorial primary. And much like leaders of the Buffalo County GOP in late March, leaders of the state party faced a mutiny.

The drama began a few days earlier, when half a dozen Republicans at odds with the sitting GOP governor were denied credentials to attend the convention. Among them was Matt Innis, a former U.S. Senate candidate and prominent opponent of the proposed sex-ed standards.

On Saturday, Innis, 51, was arrested for trespassing at the convention. He later regained entry. The state party chairman was sacked and a number of party officers immediately resigned.

"When I traveled the state to talk about the standards, I would tell people they no longer have the option not to pay attention," Innis said. "They have to be involved so the radical left doesn't indoctrinate our children anymore. People have woken up."

- - -

The Washington Post's Jeremy Merrill and Alice Crites contributed to this report.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Authorities say they still are investigating the reported theft of an ancient Torah from a man who was staying at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip.

Metro Police said the item was reported stolen from The Venetian last month.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian defense officials insisted Sunday that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa hit only military targets, but the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault.

Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

Speaking late Saturday in his nightly televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

Under the grain-shipment agreement obtained by The Associated Press, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative, including the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The Ukrainian military said the attack involved four cruise missiles, two of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit. Turkeys defense minister, however, said he had had reports from Ukrainian authorities that one missile struck a grain silo while another landed nearby, although neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

It was not immediately clear how the airstrike would affect plans to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of the ports.

Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed identical agreements with the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer.

Senior U.N. officials voiced hopes that the deal would end a months-long standoff that threatened food security around the globe.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and wound civilians in Ukraines south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two that make up Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russias offensive, said two civilians had been killed and two more wounded over the previous 24 hours.

The U.K. military reported Sunday in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making minimal progress in its Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff confirmed in its regular update that Russia was conducting military operations to create conditions for an assault on Bakhmut, while firing on surrounding settlements and battling Ukrainian defenders for control of a nearby thermal plant.

In Ukraines south, regional officials said that at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"Also, as a result of the scattering of munitions and their fragments, fires occurred in open areas in the city, said Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region.

In other developments:

 A Washington-based think tank said Ukrainian forces are likely preparing to launch or have launched a counteroffensive in the Kherson region.

The Institute for the Study of War quoted Kherson Oblast Administration Adviser Serhiy Khlan as saying Ukrainian forces have seized unspecified settlements in the region, but he called on Ukrainian civilians to remain silent on the progress of the counteroffensive until Ukrainian authorities released official statements.

The ISW noted that open-source information on any progress by Ukrainian troops will likely be limited and lag behind events.

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov landed in Cairo late Saturday on the first leg of his Africa trip, which will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo, according to Russias state-run RT television network.

Speaking at a news conference following bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, on Sunday, Lavrov said that he had reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to fulfill all their obligations in the wake of the U.N.-backed deal to unblock grain shipments.

 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a speech in Romania that Western sanctions against Russia have failed and that the war in Ukraine will not end until there is a Russian-U.S. peace negotiation.

Orban said Saturday in a speech in Baile Tusnad in central Romania that a new strategy is needed which should focus on peace talks  instead of winning the war.

The situation is that today we are sitting in a car with flat tires on all four wheels, he said. It is quite obvious that the war cannot be won this way. Ukrainians will never win a war against Russia with American training officers and weapons.

The far-right leader went on to say that had Donald Trump and Germanys Angela Merkel still been in charge in their countries, then this war would never have broken out.
Elaine Riddick was 13 years old when she says she was raped by a neighbor in Winfall, North Carolina. Nine months later, in 1968, she was involuntarily sterilized in the hospital while delivering her first and only child.

"I had no idea," she told The Washington Post, adding that she didn't find out about the operation until five years later, at age 19, after she had married and hoped to have more children.

The doctors "butchered" her - cutting, tying and cauterizing her fallopian tubes - she said she was told when she learned of her sterilization during a medical examination. After the sterilization, Riddick had lost blood and fallen ill frequently. "I didn't have a childhood because of the hemorrhaging and passing out," she said. "This is how badly they damaged my insides."

Riddick, who is now 68 and lives in Marietta, Georgia, is one of tens of thousands of survivors of forced sterilization in the 20th century - a disproportionate share of them Black, like Riddick. She was subjected to a eugenics program by the state of North Carolina, which sterilized 7,600 people between 1929 and 1974 because they were deemed "unfit" to be parents. In 2017, after fighting for compensation for almost 50 years, she received $47,000 from the state.

North Carolina had labeled Riddick "feebleminded" - the same justification that had been used in 1924 to authorize the sterilization of Carrie Buck, a Virginia woman who had also been raped as a minor. Buck's case went to the Supreme Court, which in its 1927 ruling in Buck v. Bell upheld mandatory sterilizations of people considered unfit to bear and raise children. That decision has never formally been overturned.

With the Supreme Court's decision last month in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, states now have full license to legally compel a person to continue a pregnancy. For many activists and legal experts, this isn't a far cry from Buck, which used similar legal reasoning to allow the government to prevent certain people from becoming pregnant in the first place. Some lawyers and activists worry that the use of forced sterilization could be expanded after the Dobbs decision.

The Buck case paved the way for thousands of forced sterilizations throughout the 20th century. Today, these sterilizations continue, primarily affecting people with disabilities, and individuals under guardianships and conservatorships.

Professor Victoria Nourse at Georgetown University Law Center said the Buck ruling denied "a right of bodily integrity, or that there was a claim of equality." She added, "And Dobbs does the same thing."

Justice Clarence Thomas cited Buck in a 2019 opinion on two Indiana abortion laws to tie his opposition to abortion to the historical use of abortions in racial eugenics schemes. Some historians and legal scholars have called the comparison misguided.

"Justice Thomas has very selectively and opportunistically misread Buck v. Bell as something that is about racism against Black people and abortion, which it was not," said Michele Goodwin, a law professor at the University of California at Irvine.

But legal experts say there are notable similarities between Dobbs and Buck, even if one compelled pregnancy and the other precluded it.

"On one hand, there is a law that says that certain categories of people shall be prevented from determining their own reproductive destiny, such as to be able to have a child," Goodwin said. "On the other hand is lawmakers enacting laws saying, 'We will force you to have children even when you don't want to,' and there's a lot in common in that."

For Jasmine Harris, a University of Pennsylvania law professor, the issue of forced sterilization has personal significance: She is descended from one of its survivors. She was 11 years old and growing up in the Bronx when her Puerto Rican grandmother, Rita, mentioned "la operacion."

She learned that Rita, after giving birth to Harris's father in the early 1950s, had received a hysterectomy, a procedure to which Puerto Rican women of that generation were sometimes subjected without their informed consent.

"She vaguely remembers someone saying, 'Are you done [having children]?' " said Harris, "and she said she was done and they basically performed a hysterectomy."

One-third of all women in Puerto Rico between the ages of 20 and 49 were forcibly sterilized between the 1930s and 1970s through a program supported by the U.S. government that sought to control the growth of the island's population. The program also aimed to promote the migration of textile workers to New York, Harris said, under the theory that having children would make it difficult for women to enter the workforce. Rita, a textile seamstress, worked in a Bronx factory and traveled between Puerto Rico and New York throughout her life.

Today, 31 states have laws that allow the forced sterilization of people with disabilities, according to a report issued in January by the National Women's Law Center.

"That's really grounded in the assumption that disabled people like me can't or shouldn't make our own decisions about our bodies, that other people need to make those decisions for us," said Ma'ayan Anafi, the report's author and the center's senior counsel for health equity and justice, who is autistic. "We know that assumption is wrong and it's dangerous, and it's been used for years to justify the reproductive coercion of disabled people."

Often, these states deem a person with a disability unable to provide informed consent to a sterilization and claim the individual's health would be harmed by a pregnancy, according to the report.

Anafi added, "Laws were passed as recently as 2019, so the legacy of forced sterilization is very much alive today."

Robyn Powell, an associate professor of law at the University of Oklahoma, who uses a wheelchair because of arthrogryposis, a condition characterized by joint stiffness, said she has been offered a hysterectomy by doctors "dozens of times, for no reason other than the assumption that I shouldn't reproduce."

Powell said doctors have suggested hysterectomies since her early 20s without providing a reason. "It's not for any sort of medical reason," she said. "It's always been this societal belief that, 'Oh my goodness, you're a woman in a wheelchair. Why would you want to reproduce?' or 'Should you be reproducing?' "

Anafi worries that judges could use the Dobbs decision to allow more people with disabilities to be forcibly sterilized. Before ruling on sterilization, judges often consider a person's access to abortion and other methods of nonpermanent birth control. The Dobbs ruling has abortion rights advocates worried that the court could curtail access to birth control, particularly given Thomas's concurrence suggesting that the court revisit decisions including one protecting the right to contraception.

"A lot of judges have said that disabled people have a lot of trouble getting nonpermanent birth control," Anafi said. "They assume the person won't be able to use it properly, and so because of that, they conclude that sterilization is the best and sometimes only option."

As a survivor of forced sterilization, Riddick worries about the impact of Dobbs. Although she opposes abortion, she is concerned that the decision will lead to more forced sterilizations among Black women. She worries that the government could restrict family size for people receiving government assistance.

Ultimately, Riddick believes that "women should have control of their reproductive health" and that the government should not interfere with their decisions.

"I think a woman should have control of her body," she said. "I didn't have control of my body, and I have been devastated since I found out that this is what happened to me. I never had the chance to say yes or no."
APACHE JUNCTION, Ariz. (AP)  A suspect has been arrested after allegedly stabbing three people at an Apache Junction bar, authorities said Sunday.

City police said charges are pending against 41-year-old Weston James. It's unclear if he has a lawyer yet.
CLAREMONT, Calif. - Early in 2016, as Donald Trump's march toward the Republican presidential nomination gathered the air of inevitability, alumni of a conservative think tank nestled here at the base of Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains received an email with a tough question: Was it time for supporters of the Claremont Institute to help make Trump president?

"I'd sooner cut off my arm with a rusty spoon!" replied Nathan Harden, an editor at RealClearEducation, an offshoot of the political site RealClearPolitics, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post.

Others were interested, however. "I'm graduating this May and would very much like to get involved," wrote Darren Beattie, a philosophy graduate student who would later work in Trump's White House, until he was fired in 2018, after revelations that he had attended a conference with white nationalists. Harden declined to comment. Beattie did not respond to requests for comment.

The next four years would revolutionize the role of the Claremont Institute and a handful of other intellectual institutions that preach an America-first, originalist ideology. The institute - along with its journal, the Claremont Review of Books, as well as related journals such as American Greatness, and allied organizations, including Michigan's Hillsdale College - gained influence during Trump's tenure, funneling ideas and personnel to the administration despite Trump's lifelong suspicion of academics and other experts.

Claremont blossomed under Trump just as the Heritage Foundation and the American Enterprise Institute had during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, adding a Washington office and expanding its recruitment of conservative activists and sheriffs to study its ideas.

But now, as the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol reaches its zenith, the role played by one of Claremont's leaders, John Eastman, has divided its followers and raised some of the same questions posed in that 2016 email: How far should scholars go to put their ideas into action?

Eastman, once a clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was a mainstay of the institute from its earliest days and an architect of its approach to the Constitution. He argued, against centuries of legal precedent, that Kamala Harris was ineligible to serve as vice president because her parents weren't American citizens when she was born in California. Then, in the final months of 2020, he burst into the national consciousness as he helped lead Trump's drive to overturn the results of the 2020 election. He wrote confidential memos urging then-Vice President Mike Pence to reject official electoral vote totals and went on former Trump adviser Steve Bannon's show to build support for his widely discredited theory. And, on Jan. 6, he rallied Trump supporters at the Ellipse before a mob stormed the Capitol.

As dozens of courts rejected Eastman's arguments, he fell from grace in many quarters. At Chapman University, where he was a professor and former dean of the law school, more than 140 faculty members signed a letter demanding he be disciplined. The university quickly announced his resignation.

But the Claremont Institute, where he sits on the board of directors, stood by Eastman, keeping him on as head of its Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence, a position for which he was paid $120,000 in 2020, tax records show. An institute statement condemned "widespread lies peddled by malicious domestic political opponents" and decried a "blackout on the Claremont Institute or on John."

That statement belied the debates and tensions that have persisted for more than a year, as the institute remains divided and other conservative journals ask what "happened to the Claremont Institute?"

To some who have gone through institute programs, its trajectory is less surprising. Several former Claremont fellows said Eastman's legal strategy drew on doctrine that for many years has been at the heart of the institute's politics.

"How on earth does Eastman get to this point of being ready to jettison the Constitution?" said one former fellow, speaking on the condition of anonymity to avoid alienating friends at the institute. "It's by pushing deeper into this idea of natural rights, which justify any means necessary to preserve the republic. . . . That's how Claremont goes from this quirky intellectual outfit to one of the main intellectual architects of trying to overthrow the republic."

Charles Kesler - a senior fellow at the institute, editor of the Claremont Review of Books and a government professor at Claremont McKenna College, which is located nearby but is not related to the think tank - said the institute is split between some "who continue to believe that the election was stolen and some who have denied that from the beginning."

Many of the institute's leaders remain close with Eastman, but Kesler said: "I'm persuaded that John was wrong in the advice he gave Trump. ... Whether his actions will hurt us or not, I'm not sure. It's awkward and it raises some questions."

Eastman did not respond to requests for comment.

A spokesman for the institute's president, Ryan P. Williams, declined to make him available for an interview and asked for written questions. Those yielded no response. There was no answer when a reporter knocked on the door of Williams's home in Claremont. At the institute's headquarters, a two-story unit with gold-colored chandeliers at the back of a drab office building in nearby Upland, a receptionist said Williams was away.

Later, as The Post prepared to publish this story, Williams, 40, who has risen through the institute's ranks since graduating from Hillsdale College in 2004, sent an emailed statement that read, in part: "We're proud of what we do at the Claremont Institute; for over 40 years, our scholarship and teaching have had a positive and substantive effect on the nation's political discourse. . . . That said, the Claremont Institute is not interested in participating in the fiction that the Washington Post is a legitimate media outlet, or that its chronically discredited journalists are dispassionate fact-finders intent on bringing their readers objective news."

Ralph Rossum, who supervised Eastman's PhD work at Claremont Graduate University, which is unaffiliated with the institute, said Eastman's notion that Pence could overturn the election result left him "extraordinarily disappointed."

"His reputation is in tatters, and the institute is badly damaged," Rossum said.

Institute leaders, however, have been unwilling to speak out against Eastman because of long-standing philosophical agreement and enduring friendships, he added. "They are grappling with how to gracefully separate themselves from him," Rossum said.

But for some, no such separation is warranted. Brian T. Kennedy, a past institute president and current member of its board, said Eastman's association with Claremont remains, for him, a "point of pride. A lot of the lawyers on the right ran for the hills when it came to Trump and the election."

The institute has also stood by Eastman because it has not paid much of a price for its association with him, according to people close to the institute and in wider conservative circles. A tax filing shows its revenue grew to $9.5 million in the 12 months ending June 2021.

"There's been a subtle retreat from Eastman," said David Swartz, a sociologist at Boston University who researches Trump's impact on American academia, "but the institute is doing well despite the publicity about Eastman. Their network of influence continues to spread."

- - -

'Know where your loyalty lies'

For much of the Claremont Institute's history, the idea of embracing a presidential campaign and placing its people in White House jobs seemed far-fetched. Founded in 1979 by students of conservative political philosopher Harry V. Jaffa, the institute steered clear of policy analysis, preferring to focus on "deeper philosophical developments, the causes of our deep political discontents," according to Kesler.

But by the 2010s, many at the institute had come to believe that America had fallen into precipitous cultural decline, accelerated, in their view, by the left's demands for racial and gender equality. The institute "evolved in the direction of impatience," Kesler said. "We have a legitimacy crisis in America. We're one nation with two ideas of our Constitution - the conservatives' view of the Founders' vision, and the liberal notion of a living, evolving Constitution - and it's not sustainable to have two constitutions governing one nation."

Then came Trump.

The dilemma involved in going to work for Trump was expressed in biblical terms by Michael Buschbacher, a Washington lawyer who had been a Claremont fellow. In an email to other former fellows, which was obtained by The Post, he described Trump as "singularly uninterested" in the institute's mission of applying "the principles of the American Founding" to the job of "preserving constitutional government."

There was, Buschbacher argued, "a case to be made for helping Trump in a Daniel-in-the-court-of-Darius sort of way," referring to the Old Testament story of a Jewish captive thrown to the lions for staying loyal to his God. Buschbacher exhorted conservatives who decided to enter the lion's den and join Trump to "do great work, but know where your loyalty lies, not with earthly power, but with truth."

Buschbacher himself later joined the Trump administration, serving as counsel to Jeffrey Clark, the assistant attorney general who, former colleagues have said in testimony before the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, volunteered himself as acting attorney general in the final weeks of Trump's presidency to help push false claims of election fraud. Buschbacher told The Post that a family emergency kept him away from work in the weeks after the 2020 election and that he learned about Clark's ambitions from media reports. He did not respond to other questions about the dilemma he had articulated in 2016.

Once Trump took over the Republican Party, many Claremonsters, as some at the institute call themselves, concluded that despite their misgivings about the candidate's personal behavior and lack of commitment to conservative principles, he could be effective in bringing a nationalist focus to U.S. policies and deepening the ranks of originalist judges on the federal bench.

Their rhetorical styles were not in sync, but the institute's view of the country echoed Trump's in basic ways: Its scholars preach an America-first approach that is suspicious of international entanglements (they opposed the Iraq War) and joined Trump in embracing the long-standing view among Christian evangelicals that America was in spiritual and cultural decline. The institute and the Trump administration also shared a loathing for the "administrative state," the term they both used to deride the federal regulatory bureaucracy, and encouraged a flavor of patriotism that rejected the critical approach to American history dominant in some academic and media circles.

The institute came to fill the ranks of its fellowship programs, which admit about 30 people a year, with pro-Trump influencers, such as Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of Turning Point USA; Jack Posobiec, who once promoted the false Pizzagate conspiracy theory; and Raheem Kassam, a former Breitbart News editor and Bannon acolyte.

Meanwhile, some institute leaders adopted a rougher rhetorical style, seemingly inspired in part by Trump. Williams, the institute's president, launches Twitter fusillades about "tyrannical left-liberalism" and "unmanly liberalism" and shares GOP talking points labeling testimony about Trump's conduct on Jan. 6 a "hoax." Williams was awarded a National Humanities Medal by Trump in 2019.

Rossum, the Claremont McKenna professor who is close to many institute leaders, said, "They're not cultural warriors, they're political warriors."

The pivotal moment for many at the institute was its publication of a 2016 article by Michael Anton called "The Flight 93 Election," which argued that the United States was in such dire trouble that Americans had to do whatever it took to grab control over the country from liberals and social reformers - and especially from Hillary Clinton.

Anton, a former investment banker, argued that electing Clinton was equivalent to choosing not to charge the cockpit of a plane hijacked in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

When Trump won, he rewarded several Claremont leaders with policy positions. Anton joined the National Security Council. Michael Pack, a former institute president and conservative filmmaker, was tapped to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which became engulfed in scandal when he fired leaders of the news outlets under his direction and launched an investigation of his own top executives. Anton and Pack did not respond to requests for comment.

Both the administration and Republicans in Congress liked to point to intellectual and legal foundations for their policy proposals, and scholars at the institute could provide those arguments.

"Trump was such an amateur that he didn't have contacts even with the establishment conservative think tanks in Washington, like Heritage and AEI," Kesler said. "That was an opportunity for us to have a little more influence as an outsider."

Trump named Kesler and Larry Arnn, vice chairman of the institute's board and president of Hillsdale College, to serve on his 1776 Commission. The panel was created to promote patriotic education as a response to the New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project, which argued that slavery and white supremacy were the organizing themes of the nation's founding. Arnn did not respond to a request for comment.

The Claremont Institute crowd "saw Trump as a vehicle for their ambitions," argued William Kristol, editor at large of the Bulwark and a lifelong conservative who became a prominent voice of the "Never Trump" movement. "They always had a streak of radicalism, which could be provocative and interesting."

But in recent years, Kristol added, "they had a big impact in legitimizing the demagoguery, the mean-spirited willingness to demonize outsider groups."

Still, William Voegeli, a senior fellow of the institute and senior editor at the Claremont Review of Books who wrote a response to Anton's "Flight 93" warning of Trump's dangers to conservatism, said he has never been prevented from expressing his misgivings about Trump in institute publications. He has called Trump "volatile and vindictive . . . lightly informed and unjustifiably self-assured." Voegeli said in an interview at his home in California that he would prefer the GOP choose a different nominee in 2024, but added that he would back Trump over a Democrat.

- - -

'Not just a group of political philosophers'

The Claremont Institute's main funder is Thomas D. Klingenstein, a Manhattan investment manager who chairs the institute's board and has argued that the United States is in a "cold civil war." His firm, Cohen Klingenstein, reported about $2.4 billion worth of stock in publicly traded companies this year, including investments worth a combined total of nearly $20 million in Facebook and Twitter and nearly $1 million in a fund that invests in large Chinese companies. Those comparatively small holdings contrast with the institute's criticism of Silicon Valley and China.

Klingenstein's philanthropy, the Thomas D. Klingenstein Fund, gave $2.5 million to the institute in 2019, the last year for which a tax filing is available. A filing for 2020 was due more than a year ago but is late because "there were some questions that needed to be addressed," said Amy Marder of Prager Metis, the accounting firm listed on the fund's tax filings.

Klingenstein, 68, declined to be interviewed and did not respond to written questions, and leaders of his firm did not respond to requests for comment. Appearing on Bannon's "War Room" show last week, Klingenstein said the institute has been widely "recognized as the intellectual basis for Trump," making this "a great time for us. . . . Our budget is going way up. The Washington Post is going to write a hit piece on us and we take great pride in that. . . . It tells you that they think we're important, and we're not just a group of political philosophers."

Other institute funders include the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation - controlled by the family of Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos, who resigned following the Jan. 6 attack - and the Sarah Scaife Foundation, a Pittsburgh-based conservative philanthropy. Each donated several hundred thousand dollars in 2020, according to tax filings. A spokesman for the DeVos foundation said the support had no connection to Eastman, noting, "Claremont does work in many areas." A Scaife representative did not respond to a request for comment.

The continuing success of the institute's fellowship programs has strengthened its resolve to remain "all in" on its association with Eastman, Kristol said: "No one is paying a price for going out there. They're getting ambitious 28-year-olds who say, 'I'm a Republican, I want to move up, and this Claremont stuff seems to be a good way to get there.'"

Graduates of the institute's Publius fellowship and similar programs end up in a wide array of Washington roles. "They're trying to train people to take a kind of extreme populist right-wing ideology back with them to Washington," said Swartz, the Boston University sociologist.

Former fellows include Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., right-wing filmmaker and commentator Dinesh D'Souza, Fox News host Laura Ingraham, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat and conservative podcaster Ben Shapiro.

After Jan. 6, the institute's fellowships still attract prominent conservatives, including Kirk of Turning Point USA; Anthony Sabatini, a member of the Florida House of Representatives and an ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis, R; and Jack Murphy, a podcaster who runs a men's group called Liminal Order.

The institute set up a Washington office last year, announcing that the Center for the American Way of Life would push for a "restored Right," proposing to counter "radical feminism and globalism" with "mental and moral toughness."

Claremont also last year launched a program to bring sheriffs to California for a week-long training on the Constitution and "the Roots of Radical Leftist Ideology," among other topics. Invitees have included conservative sheriffs who gained national notice with appearances on Fox News or at Trump's White House. Of three participating sheriffs who spoke to The Post - Michael A. Lewis of Maryland's Wicomico County, Mark Lamb of Arizona's Pinal County and Brian Hieatt of Virginia's Tazewell County - none would acknowledge the 2020 election was legitimate.

Lewis said he agreed with Claremont leaders that the country is locked in a cold civil war. "Our country is upside down," he said. "It's unrecognizable." He praised the program and its focus on "the myth of systemic police racism."

Institute leaders say that as they have expanded their role in politics, they have stayed true to the ideas of their mentor, Jaffa, who advised Barry Goldwater in his 1964 presidential campaign and wrote the Arizona senator's famous statement that "extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice."

Some who were close to Jaffa, who died in 2015 and was a scholar of Abraham Lincoln, see matters differently.

Charles C. Johnson, a former intern and fellow at the institute who studied under Jaffa, wrote the 2016 notice asking if former associates of the institute wanted to help elect Trump. Once a right-wing provocateur who has since stepped away from those endeavors, Johnson said the institute today has "little to do" with the worldview of his former professor. "I regret my involvement," he said, stressing in particular the institute's rhetoric about a "cold civil war."

Jaffa would have been disappointed but unsurprised by the institute's fealty to Trump, according to one of his sons, Philip Jaffa, who said his late father had grown disturbed by the institute's teachings.

Philip Jaffa said his father had harsh words for the institute, which he "repeated endlessly those last few years."

"They did not wait to bury the teaching with the teacher," Jaffa recalled his father saying. "What they are trying to do is put a top hat on Jefferson Davis and call it Abraham Lincoln and the dust cover of the 'Nicomachean Ethics' on 'Atlas Shrugged' and call it Aristotle."

- - -

Fisher reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Alice Crites in Washington contributed to this report.
NEAR IZYUM, Ukraine - If only they had more, and more sophisticated, weapons from the West, Ukrainian officials often tell their American counterparts and anyone else who will listen, they could make short work of Russian invaders. Last month's arrival of the first of what are now a dozen U.S. multiple-launch precision rocket systems, known as HIMARS, has already been a game changer, soldiers here said this week.

Since a recent HIMARS strike on an enemy ammunition depot in Izyum, located southeast of Ukraine's second-largest city Kharkiv, Russian shelling has been "10 times less" than before, said Bohdan Dmytruk, a battalion commander in Ukraine's 93rd Mechanized Brigade.

Yet the Biden administration has parceled out the rocket systems slowly, watching how the Ukrainians handle them - and how the Russians respond. To fighters on the ground, that makes little sense at a crucial moment in the war.

In his battalion alone, Dmytruk said, the number of killed and injured has fallen dramatically compared to when his soldiers moved to this part of the front line three months ago. "We have about one guy suffer a concussion every week now. Before the HIMARS hit, it was about two to three a day because of the intensity of the shelling."

Dmytruk and soldiers in the area attributed the drop-off in what was near-constant bombardment to the Russians' need to conserve shells after the depot was destroyed, and their fear that firing their own artillery will alert the far more accurate and agile HIMARS to their positions.

"They have no idea where it is," Dmytruk said of the wheeled launch vehicle and its four-man crew, which can fire and drive away at up to 60 miles per hour within two minutes. Already, he said, the Russians are likely adjusting to the new weapons by moving their supplies deeper into Russian-held territory beyond the 50-mile HIMAR range.

The administration announced Friday that it would send four additional HIMARS - High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems - to Ukraine, bringing the total to 16. Britain and Germany also have each sent or pledged three similar multiple-launch long-range systems. But the Ukrainians and some other close observers of the conflict say the need is far greater and immediate.

Ukrainian government and military officials have said at various times that they need dozens, hundreds or even thousands of HIMARS. "For an effective counteroffensive, we need at least 100," with longer-range munition than what has been supplied, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Tuesday in a video appearance at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. "That would be a game changer."

The provision of security assistance to Ukraine has become a massive operation, involving more than 50 countries. The United States leads the effort, with the most money spent and weapons sent - $8.2 billion worth since the beginning of the administration, with billions more expected - although others have collectively provided billions worth of light and heavy military equipment. To Washington, confronting Russia with a large and united global front is worth the occasional headaches of coordinating donations from around the world, ensuring equipment is in working order and matches needs on the ground, and seeing that it gets to the right place inside Ukraine.

The nerve center of the operation is a large, secure room at the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. Cables taped along the floor and folding tables lined with laptops gave it a makeshift atmosphere during a reporter's recent visit, with a World War II allied vibe as uniformed officers from many countries traded documents, pointed at screens filled with lists and graphs, and consulted on telephones in various languages. The to-do list is complex. Norwegian tanks have needed new barrels to match donated ammunition from somewhere else. Aging Spanish tanks, made in Germany, required refurbishment after years in storage. Shells and spare parts for Ukraine's own Soviet-era artillery are being solicited from other former U.S.S.R. states. There are logistics routes to be plotted and, always, new Ukrainian requests to consider.

Most attention has focused on big-ticket items that only the United States and a few of its NATO allies have been able or willing to provide. From antitank weapons to air defense to howitzers and now HIMARS, each escalation has required consideration by individual governments of what is possible and advisable.

For some critics, and many Ukrainians, the steps in that process do not always match the urgency of the situation, especially as Russia has said it plans to annex parts of occupied southern Ukraine and made slow but steady progress expanding its hold on the east.

Some argue the objective should be to put Ukraine in a better position for cease-fire negotiations to keep Russia from conquering more territory. Others say the goal of the ally-provided aid, now that the Ukrainians have shown their fighting mettle, should be arming them for a counteroffensive to push the Russians back across their own border.

"There's a window of opportunity that's narrowing rather rapidly to change the trajectory of this war. But right now, I just don't hear the urgency to do so," said Alina Polyakova, president and chief executive of the Center for European Policy Analysis. She defined that window as within the next four to six months.

U.S. and allied incrementalism - the measured provision of more and better equipment after, instead of before, Russians have advanced in a particular battlespace - will make it ever-harder to dislodge established Russian facts on the ground, Polyakova and others said.

U.S. administration and military officials have said that one of their top concerns is not provoking Russia into a direct conflict with NATO, even as Ukraine points out that Russia invaded their country without provocation. The range of the ammunition the United States is providing for the HIMARS will not reach across the occupied east to Russia itself from Ukrainian front lines, but it allows what Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaking at a Wednesday news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, called an "echelon of fires," with shorter-range weapons, across various distances.

At the same time, Austin indicated, such sophisticated weapons don't just come out of the box ready to use. So far, he said, 200 Ukrainians have been trained outside the country on using and maintaining the HIMARS.

"It's not good enough just to provide a piece of equipment," Austin said. "We need to have that piece of gear plus spare parts, plus tools to repair it."

The HIMARS have been used to destroy Russian command posts, ammunition depots and other logistics hubs. In the southern region of Kherson, an area occupied by Russia since the first days of the war, recent strikes have targeted Antonovskiy Bridge, a key supply route that connects the Crimean Peninsula, where Russia has a military base, to their troops in Kherson.

The HIMARS have been so effective that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered commanders to prioritize them for targeting. Moscow is hoping to use drones - likely bought from Iran, according to U.S. officials - to find and destroy the HIMARS. Russia has already claimed to have hit at least four of the weapons systems.

But "we haven't lost a single HIMARS, despite what the Russians have claimed," Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said in an interview.

The HIMARS can also fire a munition called the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with a range of nearly 186 miles, nearly quadruple what they are now supplied with, but the Pentagon has withheld those out of concern the missiles might land in Russia itself. The restriction has frustrated Ukrainian officials, who described it as paternalistic.

In a battle now largely conducted with artillery at distances where troops of opposite sides rarely see each other, the longer-range missiles would also allow Ukrainian forces to move their HIMARS further back from the front lines, better insulating them from enemy detection.

"The sooner we receive them, the more lives of our soldiers we will save, and the sooner we will start the counteroffensive operation," Yehor Cherniev, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, said in a statement. "It is unfortunate that we have to spend weeks and months to convince our partners."

In late May, as the decision to provide HIMARS was being made, President Joe Biden told reporters that "we're not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia." At the news conference, Austin and Milley sidestepped questions about whether the Pentagon would supply the ATACMS. "We think what they're working with [now] is giving them a lot of capability," Milley said.

The Americans have said they want to see how the Ukrainians use and absorb particular capabilities into their arsenal before they send more advanced weaponry, even if potential delays cost lives.

From Ukraine's perspective, that decision process is "like in a computer game," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview. "You have to unlock the next level, but before you do it, you usually die a couple of times. The problem with real life is that you can't die multiple times before you get to the next level."

Another potential U.S. concern is the availability of the weapons themselves. There are likely between 1,000 and 3,000 ATACMS in U.S. stocks, said Chris Dougherty, a senior defense fellow at the Center for a New American Security. They're the oldest missiles in Army inventory, according to the service, and are periodically tested to ensure viability. The replacement munition, which can fire even further, is not yet in production.

The Defense Department said in 2020 that the United States had a supply of 410 HIMARS, but the Pentagon declined to produce a current figure. Stockpiles are "internal to DoD," said spokesperson Jessica Maxwell.

Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, said the longest-range system currently in his country's arsenal is the Tochka-U, a Soviet-era system with a maximum distance of about 75 miles, and "very few of them are left."

But for now, he said, they have the HIMARS. "We'll fight with these," he said. "If we get the longer-range [munitions], we'll use those. And the Russians know that either way, it's the end for them with these weapons."

- - -

DeYoung, Horton and Demirjian reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  The U.N. envoy for Yemen on Sunday condemned suspected rebel shelling of a residential neighborhood in the southwestern city of Taiz the previous day that killed at least one child and wounded 10.

Taiz, Yemens third largest city and the capital of the province by the same name, has been under blockade since 2016, imposed by the Houthi rebels, who are waging war against the country's internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis have rejected two U.N. proposals to end their blockade. A truce between the waring sides that initially took effect in April and was extended in June has called for the reopening of the roads around Taiz and elsewhere in Yemen.

According to Fathi al-Saqqaf, an eyewitness, a group of children were playing in an open area in Taiz's neighborhood of Zaid al-Moshki when the attack took place on Saturday. A house was also damaged in the shelling, the eyewitness said.

Moammar al-Iryani, information minister of the internationally recognized government, said one of the wounded children died on Sunday. He blamed the Houthis for the attack, which came amid U.N. efforts to have the truce extended again in August.

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. envoy, said he was especially alarmed" by the attack.

The killing and injuring of children is particularly reprehensible, he said. The people of Taiz have suffered immensely ... and they, too, need the truce to deliver for them in all its aspects.

A spokesman for the Houthis did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Since April, both sides have traded accusations of violations of the truce but the cease-fire has mostly held, the first nationwide halt in fighting in the past six years of the conflict.

The war in Yemen, the Arab worlds most impoverished nation, erupted in 2014, when the Houthis descended from their northern enclave and took over the capital, Sanaa, forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power.

The conflict, which eventually descended into a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has killed over 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians, and created one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises, pushing millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine.
China releases images of Martian satellite

Xinhua) 10:24, July 24, 2022

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China's Tianwen-1 probe beamed back high-resolution images of Mars' natural satellite Phobos on Saturday, marking the second anniversary of the launch.

Phobos and Deimos are two natural satellites of the red planet. Phobos is the larger one with an irregular shape with no atmosphere and the closest satellite to the main star in the solar system.

The Tianwen-1 operation team seized the timing when the orbiter was close to Phobos and obtained clear images of the satellite in its "full moon" state, said the China National Space Administration.

It is China's first time conducting Phobos imaging exploration and obtaining first-hand scientific data at close range. It provides valuable data for scientists to research Phobos' topography and operation laws and accumulates experience for China's planetary exploration program, said experts from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The Tianwen-1 probe consists of an orbiter, a lander, and a rover. On May 15, 2021, it touched down on its pre-selected landing area in Utopia Planitia, a vast Martian plain, marking China's maiden probe voyage on the planet.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Pope Francis arrives at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International airport Sunday, July 24, 2022, to board his flight to Edmonton, Canada, where he will start a six-day pastoral visit to the country. Pope Francis begins a weeklong trip to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the abuses committed by Catholic missionaries in the country's notorious residential schools. AP-Yonhap





Pope Francis began a fraught visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Church's efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.







Francis was flying to Edmonton, Alberta, where he was to be greeted on the tarmac by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary May Simon, an Inuk who is Canada's first Indigenous governor general. Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to deliver an apology.







Aboard the papal plane, Francis told reporters this was a ''penitential voyage'' and he urged prayers in particular for elderly people and grandparents.







Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the residential schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of Indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums.







''This apology validates our experiences and creates an opportunity for the church to repair relationships with Indigenous peoples across the world,'' said Grand Chief George Arcand Jr., of the Confederacy of Treaty Six. But he stressed: ''It doesn't end here - there is a lot to be done. It is a beginning.''







Francis' weeklong trip _ which will take him to Edmonton; Quebec City and finally Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the far north _ follows meetings he held in the spring at the Vatican with delegations from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Those meetings culminated with a historic April 1 apology for the ''deplorable'' abuses committed by some Catholic missionaries in residential schools.







The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse were rampant in the state-funded Christian schools that operated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes, Native languages and cultures and assimilate them into Canada's Christian society.







Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 had called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil, but it was only after the 2021 discovery of the remains of around 200 children at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia that the Vatican mobilized to comply with the request.







''I honestly believe that if it wasn't for the discovery ... and all the spotlight that was placed on the Oblates or the Catholic Church as well, I don't think any of this would have happened,'' said Raymond Frogner, head archivist at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, which serves as an online resource for research into the residential schools.







Frogner just returned from Rome where he spent five days at the headquarters of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 of the 139 Christian-run residential schools, the most of any Catholic order. After the graves were discovered, the Oblates finally offered ''complete transparency and accountability'' and allowed him into its headquarters to research the names of alleged sex abusers from a single school in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan, he said.







While there, he found 1,000 original black-and-white photos of schools and their students, with inscriptions on the back, that he said would be of immense value to survivors and their families hoping to find traces of their loved ones. He said the Oblates agreed on a joint project to digitize the photographs and make them available online.







The Inuit community, for its part, is seeking Vatican assistance to extradite a single Oblate priest, the Rev. Joannes Rivoire, who ministered to Inuit communities until he left in the 1990s and returned to France. Canadian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 1998 on accusations of several counts of sexual abuse, but it has never been served.







Inuit leader Natan Obed personally asked Francis for the Vatican's help in extraditing Rivoire, telling The Associated Press in March that it was one specific thing the Vatican could do to bring healing to his many victims.







''This is a part of the reconciliation journey that we are on together,'' he said then.







Asked about the request, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said last week that he didn't have any information on the case.







At a news conference Saturday in Edmonton, meanwhile, organizers said they will do all they can to enable school survivors to get to the papal events, particularly for the Maskwacis apology and the Tuesday gathering at Lac Ste. Anne, long a popular pilgrimage site for Indigenous Catholics.







Both are in rural areas, and organizers are arranging shuttle transport from various park-and-ride lots. They noted that many survivors are now elderly and frail and may need accessible vehicle transport, diabetic-friendly snacks and other services.







The Rev. Cristino Bouvette, national liturgical coordinator for the papal visit, who is partly of Indigenous heritage, said he hopes the visit is healing for those who ''have borne a wound, a cross that they have suffered with, in some cases for generations.''







Bouvette, a priest in the Diocese of Calgary, said the papal liturgical events will have strong Indigenous representation _ including prominent roles for Indigenous clergy and the use of Native languages, music and motifs on liturgical vestments.







Bouvette said he's doing this work particularly in honor of his ''kokum,'' the Cree word for grandmother, who spent 12 years at a residential school in Edmonton. She ''could have probably never imagined those many years later that her grandson would be involved in this work.'' (AP)


PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. (AP)  A U.S. marshal and a suspect in a killing were shot Sunday as officers tried to arrest the man at a mobile home park in an Atlanta suburb, authorities said.

Both the officer and the suspect were taken to the hospital and are expected to recover, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation sad in a statement.
Inside Hook

What happens when an organization thats in need of a financial boost opts to sell off land thats historically been undeveloped space? Thats become a growing question when it comes to the Boy Scouts, with various chapters selling off land that could stay preserved  or might end up being the site of new developments.



They arent the only outdoors-minded organization at the center of a controversy, however. The Washington Post recently published an editorial by Janet Gingold, chair of the Prince Georges Sierra Club addressing 633 acres in Prince Georges County, Maryland.



Gingolds article notes that the land in question was donated by developers to the Girl Scout Council of the Nations Capital. The organization plans to sell the land and use the money to fund their operations.



Gingold is herself a former Girl Scout, and notes that [f]unding for scouting is important. Her argument, though, is that the ecological loss incurred by losing 633 acres of forest takes a higher precedent that that. The fact that forests play an important role in the carbon cycle, and in mitigating the effects of climate change, also comes into play.



Were living through a moment where preservation and rewilding are gaining momentum even as the YIMBY movement also gains ground. As Gingold herself writes, these two dont need to be in conflict  a lot comes down to where new developments are located relative to existing infrastructure. But the conflict over these 633 acres puts a lot of the debate into sharp focus.
WFO ALBANY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Albany NY

956 PM EDT Sat Jul 23 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values in the upper 90s to lower 100s Sunday

afternoon.

* WHERE...The Hudson River Valley and the central and southern

Taconics in eastern New York, and northwestern Connecticut.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT Sunday.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat

related illnesses to occur if precautions are not taken.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Canadian Supreme Court updates process for making a reasonable decision on immigration applications Canadian government lays out parameters and procedures to ensure IRCC officers make fair and reasonable decisions. Julia Hornstein Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

A Canadian citizen at birth had his Canadian citizenship certificate cancelled because it was discovered that his parents were Russian spies.



The decision by the Canadian Registrar of Citizenship was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada where the standard of review for administrative decisions was discussed. In particular, the case helps the government of Canada set out parameters, policies and procedures for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers to use when making an administrative decision to ensure the most reasonable and fair decision gets made.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Alexander Vavilov was born in Toronto to parents who, it later was revealed, were under assumed names and Russian agents working for the Russian foreign intelligence service. Alexander did not know any of this. He believed that he was a Canadian citizen by birth and had a Canadian passport.

In 2010, Alexanders parents were arrested in the United States and charged with espionage. They plead guilty and were sent to Russia. When it was discovered who his parents really were, the Canadian Registrar of Citizenship cancelled Vavilovs citizenship certificate. Under the Citizenship Act, children of a diplomatic or consular officer or other representative or employee in Canada of a foreign government are barred from receiving citizenship, which is an exception from the general rule that individuals born in Canada obtain Canadian citizenship by birth.

The case went up to the Supreme Court of Canada, where the case was decided in favour of Vavilov, stating that the Registrars decision was unreasonable, and Vavilov was able to regain Canadian citizenship. In doing so, the court established a new standard of review for Canadian administrative law.

Decisions made by immigration, citizenship, passport and border services officers are administrative decisions, and are thus subject to judicial review. The standard of review for these types of decisions refers to the amount of deference that a court of law should demonstrate toward a decision. The Vavilov case established that a presumption of reasonableness is the standard of review of all administrative decisions. A court must consider the outcome of a decision and the justification for the decision.

A decision will be reasonable when the court is able to follow the decision makers reasoning and logic in coming to their conclusion. A decision made must be based on coherent reasoning and justified in accordance with the facts and the legal context. An officer must follow certain steps to ensure they are making reasonable decisions when it comes to any immigration application.

Identify the requirements that need to be satisfied for the specific application category. These requirements are found in legislation and can be broken down into specific elements supported by evidence. Identify the facts to be proven which are material to the decision at hand. A fact can be proven by an applicant when they have provided enough evidence for the officer to believe it to be likely. If the evidence does not lead to an officer finding that the fact is likely, then the officer can say the fact has not been established. Apply the appropriate standard of proof. Immigration decisions are civil in nature so the standard of proof based on a balance of probabilities applies. For something to be proven on a balance of probabilities, it must be more likely than not to be true (more than 50%). Officers must review the evidence presented for each element and weigh the evidence to determine if the standard of proof is met. Identify the relevant evidence to support the fact to be proven. This can be documentary evidence, physical evidence or verbal evidence. Any relevant evidence must be considered during the decision-making process and the applicant is responsible for providing sufficient evidence to satisfy the decision maker that the requirements have been met. Assess the credibility of the evidence by looking at believability and reliability of the evidence. There is a presumption that facts or evidence presented by the applicant are true unless there is a compelling reason to believe otherwise. Determine the evidences probative value by assessing the capacity of the evidence to establish the fact that needs to be proven. More weight is given to evidence that is definite, clear and probable. Speculation should be given no weight. Determine whether or not the evidence is sufficient. If the evidence is more probable than not, than the officer can make a decision. Make and record the decision. If there is credible and convincing evidence for each of the requirements, an officer may approve the application.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

 CIC News All Rights Reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your Canadian immigration options.




A gunman opened fire on university campus in the Philippine capital region on Sunday, killing a former town mayor and two others in a brazen attack ahead of a graduation ceremony, police said.







The suspect was armed with two pistols and was captured in a car he commandeered trying to escape the Ateneo de Manila University in suburban Quezon City, police said. He was blocked by witnesses and authorities outside the university gates.







The sprawling university was put under lockdown and the graduation rite at the law school on campus was canceled, police said.







Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who was supposed to be a speaker at the ceremony, was advised to turn back en route to the event, officials said.







Newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to have the attack swiftly investigated and those behind the killings brought to justice. He is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at the House of Representatives on Monday also in Quezon city, where police and other law enforcers had imposed a gun ban and heightened security before the shooting.







''We are shocked and saddened by the events at the Ateneo graduation today,'' Marcos Jr. said. ''We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded and those whose scars from this experience will run deep.''







Those killed in the attack included Rosita Furigay, a former mayor of Lamitan town in southern Basilan province, her aide and a university guard. Furigay's daughter, who was supposed to attend the graduation, was wounded and taken to a hospital, a police report said.







A picture from scene showed one of the victims sprawled on the ground near a bouquet of flowers.



Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack, but Quezon City police chief Brig. Gen. Remus Medina said the suspect, apparently a medical doctor, had a long-running feud with Furigay. (AP)


Concurs de selectare a unui/unei consultant/a (grup de consultanti sau companie) care sa realizeze materiale video si foto din cadrul initiativelor locale implementate in raioanele Cahul si Ungheni
Organizatii ale societatii civile conduse de femei vor fi sprijinite pentru a se implica mai eficient in sustinerea persoanelor refugiate din Ucraina
Ukrainian firefighters battle a fire on a boat burning in the port of Odessa after missiles hit the port, Saturday. / AFP-Yonhap



The Russian Defense Ministry said its widely condemned missile strikes on the Black Sea port of Odessa were to destroy weapons supplied by the United States as the war in Ukraine hit the five-month mark on Sunday.



Saturday's attack on Odessa triggered outrage as it came shortly after a deal between Ukraine and Russia to resume exports of millions of tons of trapped Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea.



The missiles were fired at a ship repair facility, the ministry said on Sunday, saying the strikes had destroyed a Ukrainian warship and a storehouse of U.S.-supplied Harpoon missiles that Kiev's fighters have used in the past to inflict heavy losses on the Russian Navy.



The attacks also hit facilities to repair and modernize Ukrainian Naval forces, the Russian ministry said in a statement.



Only hours earlier an agreement reached on the exports among the UN, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey had been greeted as a glimmer of hope in the war which has exacerbated a global food crisis.



The agreement, which remains valid, involved a promise by Moscow to not fire on ships passing through a sea corridor to export food and other goods.



The UN, which helped broker the agreement, had expressed hopes of building on the diplomacy to pave the way to ending the conflict.



However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Odessa strikes as a sign that dialogue would not help.



"If anyone in the world used to say that it is necessary to enter into dialogue with Russia, to reach agreements on a ceasefire without liberating our territory from the occupiers, today's missiles have destroyed the possibility of such statements," he said of an act he slammed as "obvious Russian barbarism."



Zelensky also said he was confident Ukraine would win the conflict as Russia's war on its neighbor reached its five-month mark.



"This war has not broken Ukraine and will not break it," Zelensky said on Telegram on Sunday.



Moscow's tanks rolled into Ukraine on February 24 in an invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claimed his country was threatened by Kiev's desire to join NATO.



"We will not give up. We will protect what is ours. We will win!" Zelensky said, adding that life went on in his country despite the fighting.



He posted photographs of people struggling amid the conflict, saying the war would "definitely not make us hostages of this horror that the invaders have brought to our country."



Zelensky repeated his call for the US and other NATO?member states to supply heavy weapons to halt the Russian advance and free territories occupied in the course of the war.



His comments came as the Ukrainian general staff reported fresh attacks by Russian forces on the eastern Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, some of which were repelled.



One of Moscow's stated aims in the war is to seize and the Donbass region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk, although many fear Russia has its sights on further targets.



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has claimed that Moscow's operation now includes new additional areas, including the Ukrainian regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, as a result of Western countries supplying longer range weapons to Ukraine, according to the British Defense Ministry.



So far, almost 40,000 Russian soldiers have died in the fighting since the war began, the general staff said, a far higher estimate than those of Western analysts. Moscow only released a statement regarding the death toll in March, saying 1,351 fighters had died.



The head of U.S. Central Intelligence Agency said this week around 15,000 troops on each side had likely died so far. (DPA)






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Until recent escalating attacks on the front runner, Connecticuts race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate had been oddly listless, waged by three candidates whose daily campaign schedules are not public.

A televised debate Tuesday night will provide the first and only opportunity for a broad audience to see Themis Klarides, the GOPs socially moderate convention choice, engage two Trump loyalists, Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj.

A primary featuring candidates opposite sides of the great divide over abortion and Donald Trump once offered the possibility of defining the political identity of a state Republican Party in transition.

But Republicans say they see little evidence their voters are closely following the mid-summer fight for a spot on the November ballot opposing Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat seeking a third term. The primary is Aug. 9.

A low turnout would limit its value as a bellwether of Trumps standing among GOP voters in Connecticut or their tolerance for a moderate deemed by convention delegates as the strongest candidate in a general election.

In the Republican redoubt of Darien, Rep. Thomas P. ODea of New Canaan said there was ample foot traffic last weekend by the canopy the GOP sets up on Saturdays, a favored form of outreach by both parties in Fairfield County.

There was little buzz about the primary.

A lot of people, at least there in Darien, were not aware of the August 9th primary, ODea said. And thats a problem.

The same is true in Bolton, an east-of-the-river Hartford suburb where the first selectman is Republican Pam Sawyer, who served with Klarides in the House and voted for her at the convention. There is no chatter about the fast-approaching primaries.

Its quiet, whisper quiet, Sawyer said.

The race got a jolt last week from Levy attacking Klarides, the former leader of the Republican minority in the Connecticut House, in messages to supporters and a TV commercial that, together, drew gasps for their content, tone and timing.

One missive claimed Klarides, who was largely the face and voice of the GOP during six years as the House minority leader, really was a Democrat in disguise.

The ad faulted Klarides for acknowledging systemic racism in condolences on Twitter to African Americans after the police killing of George Floyd two years ago, and it falsely accused her of helping Democrats cheat with mail-in ballots.

The commercial, whose images included a grainy photo of a distraught Klarides taken under unclear circumstances, was released while Klarides had suspended active campaigning to mourn the death of her 89-year-old mother, Theodora, who was buried Friday.

I dont think that what shes saying is accurate, even close, and I think even she knows its not accurate, ODea, a deputy House minority leader who supports Klarides, said of Levy, an old acquaintance.

Lumaj urged an end to the attacks, at least until after the funeral.

Tim Saler, the national GOP consultant advising Levys campaign, defended the ads line that Klarides accused America of systemic racism, saying most Republicans would disagree that systemic racism exists in the U.S.

He offered no example of absentee-ballot fraud in Connecticut arising from passage of a law temporarily allowing voters to use COVID-19 as excuse to vote by absentee in 2020.

Klarides support was not an outlier: The bill passed by votes of 144-2 in the House and 35-1 in the Senate.

The new ad cast Levy, a longtime player in establishment Republican fundraising, as an outsider in the mold of Trump and asserted, After 22 years in office, Themis Klarides isnt one of us.

A majority of delegates to the Republican State Convention, including many who hold public office or chair local Republican town committees, would beg to differ.

With 56.8 percent of the vote, Klarides, 56, easily won a first-ballot endorsement at the convention in May despite publicly acknowledging she did not vote for Trump in 2020. Instead, she said she cast a protest write-in vote.

Her predecessor as House leader, Lawrence F. Cafero of Norwalk, said he was heartened by the overwhelming convention and the refusal of delegates to turn against Klarides over her break with Trump and her support for abortion rights and gay marriage.

It gave me some hope there still remains a healthy diversity within the party, and its not all going in one direction, said Cafero, who had made Klarides his key deputy, raising her profile.

A change of heart on abortion, Trump

Klarides is a fiscal and law-and-order conservative, endorsed by the Connecticut State Police Union. But she voted for the post-Sandy Hook gun controls, the codification of gay marriage in state law and is a defender of abortion rights, all potential liabilities in a low-turnout Republican primary.

I am pro-choice, and Ive been pro-choice my [entire] career, said Klarides, who represented a swing district in the Naugatuck Valley for 22 years. And I support LGBTQ rights, because I believe everybody should be treated equally.

Democrats flipped her seat in 2020, when Klarides did not seek reelection.

Levy, 65, of Greenwich, was a commodities trader in her 20s, turning to philanthropy and eventually political fundraising after marriage and motherhood. Her reward for being a prolific GOP rainmaker was a seat on the Republican National Committee in 2017 and a nomination by Trump as ambassador to Chile in 2019. The then Republican-controlled Senate never voted on her confirmation.

A supporter of abortion rights in 2012 and critic of Trump in 2016, Levy has since repudiated both positions. She now proclaims herself opposed to all abortions, except in cases where a pregnancy is a consequence of rape or endangers the life of the pregnant person. Her campaign borrows from Trump, calling her an America First Conservative Outsider.

Six years ago, Levy was backing Jeb Bush for president and dismissing Trump as contemptible.

Trump has turned the Republican primary process into a circus for his own purposes and his own aggrandizement. He is vulgar, ill-mannered and disparages those whom he cannot intimidate, Levy wrote in a Greenwich Time opinion piece. It is the media who have done the American voters a huge disservice by falling for his sideshows and not covering the serious candidates.

Today, she faults the media for asking questions about Trumps role in the Jan. 6 insurrection and questions the legitimacy of the congressional investigation. She offers no assessment of the testimony from former Trump aides about his inaction during the assault on the U.S. Capitol.

Your question should be about the legitimacy of the committee, Levy said. Im not re-litigating the election. President Biden is the president, and if anybody doesnt believe it, they just need to look at our economy and where our country is.

Levy asserts Klarides deserves blame for Gov. Ned Lamonts touting Connecticuts support for abortion rights to out-of-state companies as a reason to do business here.

Theres something very wrong about that, Levy said. And my opponents vote and support for abortion have enabled our governor to do that.

Klarides had not yet arrived in the General Assembly when it codified the tenets of Roe v. Wade in state law in 1990, though she has applauded its passage. She no longer was in office when it passed a law in 2022 declaring Connecticut a safe harbor for abortion providers and patients.

A true conservative

Lumaj, 55, of Fairfield, is running for statewide office for the fourth time in 10 years. He dropped out of a Senate race before the primary in 2012, lost an election as the GOP nominee for secretary of the state in 2014, and failed to qualify for a gubernatorial primary in 2018.

With a masters degree in law, Lumaj provides immigration services in New York, where he says he also invests in real estate with family. A self-described refugee from Communist Albania, Lumaj is a fan of Trump and free-enterprise who views Levy as a conservative poseur, Klarides as an establishment Republican, and Blumenthal and Democrats as threats to capitalism.

The biggest threat to the Democratic Party right now is prosperity. If people prosper in the United States, the Democratic Party becomes obsolete, Lumaj said. Theres no values and they are trying to prevent people from prospering. You look at every city, inner city, in United States that is ruled by the Democrats. Look at the way they are.

During the 2018 race for governor, Lumaj told a Republican town committee he rejected an offer by the Trump administration to return to Albania as the U.S. ambassador, a claim the administration declined to confirm or deny. In an interview at the Southport Diner in Fairfield, he gestured towards another booth where he said a member of the Trump family made the offer.

Like Levy, Lumaj is an opponent of abortion. Unlike Levy, his position is unchanged.

Im a true conservative. I believe in God, family and country. I believe in the Constitution. I believe in the founding documents of this country, Lumaj said. Im pro life, Im pro Second Amendment. And these are things that I bring to the table that no one else does.

All three Republicans describe themselves as supporters of the Second Amendment, as do most, if not all, of the 15 Republican senators and 14 House members who voted with Blumenthal and other Democrats to pass a gun safety bill in response to the Uvalde, Texas school shooting.

Lumaj refused to say if he would have voted for the law, which requires enhanced background checks for gun buyers under age 21, among other things.

Tell me about the details of the bill, he said.

You havent read about them?

I just want to know if you read them, he said.

Lumaj smiled, clearly enjoying the exchange.

Pressed for an answer about how he would have voted, he repeatedly riffed on myriad aspects of gun control and crime, never quite landing on an answer about how he would have voted.

We need to go after illegal guns in this country, he said And if there are mental illnesses and problems of people out there, we should absolutely go after these things. On the other hand, the Second Amendment is the Second Amendment. I believe in the Second Amendment. And the reason why I believe in that, my family was persecuted severely in the country that we didnt have a Second Amendment.

Levy said she objected to a provision encouraging states to pass laws like one in Connecticut that authorizes the temporary seizure of firearms from owners deemed unfit. It should have required stronger due process provisions for gun owners, she said.

In 2013, Klarides was among 20 state House Republicans who voted with the Democratic majority after the Sandy Hook school shooting for one of the nations most comprehensive gun laws. It enhanced background checks for the purchase of firearms and ammunition and banned the sale of certain military-style rifles and large-capacity magazines.

Klarides called the gun vote difficult, but defended Republicans for participating in its crafting over the objections of some gun owners, saying the result was a better law.

Levy said she would have opposed it, saying its ban of ammo magazines holding more than 10 rounds was an infringement on gun owners.

Klarides benefits from having two opponents competing to be the most conservative and most loyal to Trump. Lumaj said Levy has suggested to him there is room in the race for only one of them.

Smiling, Lumaj said he agrees wholeheartedly: Levy should drop out and endorse him.

I would appreciate if she does that. If she were to do that, Ill win the primary, Lumaj said. I can win the general, but its up to her.

Listen: That Themis is this Themis

The public dynamic of the Senate primary has been simple.

Klarides is ignoring Levy and Lumaj, but focusing on Blumenthal. Levys campaign counters that Klarides has been quietly working for months to undermine Levy in contacts with GOP activists.

Levy is ignoring Lumaj, and targeting Klarides (and effectively acknowledging her as frontrunner). Lumaj zings all of them, though not since the death of Klarides mother.

Klarides pitch is twofold: One, she is the only candidate in the field who has won elections, held office and confronted Democrats in floor debates and other venues; Two, with an approval rating barely above water, the 76-year-old Blumenthal might be vulnerable to the right opponent.

I say it every day: Do you believe that Dick Blumenthal has lost his fastball and is not representing the people of Connecticut? Klarides said. If you believe thats the case, you should want the person who has the best chance to beat him. And that is absolutely me.

The House GOP leader for her last six years in office, Klarides described herself as the arch nemesis of Gov. Ned Lamont and his predecessor, Dannel P. Malloy, both Democrats. She promises to do the same with Blumenthal.

Im going to be this guys worst nightmare, because Im not going to back down, Klarides said. And Im not just telling you Im not. Ive actually proved it.

Klarides, who represented Derby in the legislature, spoke in an interview at the home by a creek in Madison she now shares with her husband, Greg Butler, a widower and senior Eversource executive she married in 2020.

The interviews with Klarides and Lumaj took place before the death of Klarides mother and the escalation of Levys attacks in emails to supporters and, more recently, two television commercials. Levy was interviewed Monday, a day before Lumaj urged a cessation of attacks.

Even before the period of mourning, Klarides had waged a subdued campaign, unusual for a politician who often has reveled in blunt gestures intended to discomfit opponents, especially the men who tend to dominate the top positions in Hartford.

At a Connecticut Business and Industry Association forum in 2017, where participants were given foam stress-reliever balls with the CBIA logo, Klarides made a memorable impression by setting two them on the table and saying, We need to grow a set of these.

Liking the reaction, she kept them as props to be employed for months.

At the Republican National Convention in 2012, Klarides spontaneously seconded a motion by a Rhode Island delegate to amend the platform to recognize civil unions for same-sex couples  surprising even the sponsor of the motion. Hard stares followed her second, which forced a vote no one wanted to take.

You would have thought I took off all my clothes and stood in the middle of the aisle, she said later.

That daring and playfulness has been absent from her campaign for Senate. Klarides has campaigned with caution, aware that being too aggressive in a primary could turn off elements of a GOP base.

Listen, that Themis is this Themis, she said.

At the debate Tuesday at 8 p.m. on WTNH, Channel 8, Klarides can expect to be the target of gibes disqualifying her in the eyes of conservative voters. Her challenge will be making a rebuttal that does not cost her in November.
On a bustling Friday morning, the aroma of rice and beans wafts through a cloud of hairspray in Romys Beauty Salon in Meriden. Merengue music soothes the senses. Customers exchange pleasantries in Spanish as Romy Norwood offers each a small bowl of arroz y habichuela, the Dominican staple of rice and beans. Later in the day, Norwood repeats the courtesy with small mugs of strong coffee, cafecito, prepared by her mother, Yolanda Sosa, in the kitchenette in the rear of the shop. Unlike Norwood and her mother, most clients arent wearing a mask.

Neither Norwood nor anyone in her immediate family has been infected with COVID-19. Norwood, 46, and her husband, Jeffrey Norwood, 65, live in Cheshire with their children Jennifer, 14, and Ramon, 12, and their dog, Zeus. Since the start of the pandemic, Norwood says, they have been vigilant about wearing masks, social distancing and getting tested and vaccinated. Two beloved aunts succumbed to COVID in the Dominican Republic, where Norwood grew up, but everyone else in her family has remained healthy, including 73-year-old Sosa, who splits time between Norwoods Cheshire home and her own home in the Dominican Republic.

By all accounts, Norwood and her loved ones appear to have dodged the most severe health outcomes of COVID. This is especially good news for the Norwoods since Black and Hispanic families have been disproportionately impacted by the virus in health outcomes and as small-business owners. According to a report by the U.S. Small Business Association, the total number of people who were self-employed and working declined by 20.2 percent between April 2019 and April 2020. Hispanic people experienced a more significant decline, at 26 percent. The biggest declines were experienced among Asian and Black people, with 37.1 percent for Asians and 37.6 percent for Blacks.

Norwoods beauty salon was shuttered for almost six months during the pandemic. I didnt have an emergency plan, Norwood says in Spanish. Some clients died of COVID, and others simply have not returned to her salon. She decided to forgo a federal PPP loan and incurred credit card debt. She estimates her business has returned to 75 percent of its pre-pandemic performance.

One way or another, COVID will get you, Norwood says about the mental fatigue her family has experienced. She says hypervigilance, anxiety and fear have crept in, replacing many of the happy feelings they had when they settled in Connecticut. The disease has taken an emotional toll on the family. They have been uninfected yet greatly affected by COVID.

Seeking refuge from COVID

While taking a leisurely Sunday drive through Meriden in 2006, Norwood was attracted to the citys quiet beauty and spirit. There were Black and brown people like her and Jeffrey. Spanish was spoken in bodegas. At the time, the couple was living and working in West Haven after having met in The Bronx. Norwood also liked that Meriden was far enough away from West Haven that she would not work in direct competition with her former beauty salon employer. So, she and Jeffrey, a physician at the West Haven VA Medical Center, moved to Meriden, and she opened Romys Beauty Salon on West Main Street. They lived in the upstairs apartment. In 2007, they were married in Jamao al Norte, Norwoods hometown in the fertile Cibao region of the Dominican Republic.

In Meriden, Norwood established a loyal clientele, and the couple started its family. Business was good. They became parishioners at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church, where today Norwood serves as a eucharistic minister and a leader on the parish council. As Jennifer and Ramon grew up, the family began to vacation two or three times a yearthe Bahamas, Mexico, Italy, Punta Cana. They went on cruises.

In March 2020, the Norwoods flew to the Turks and Caicos Islands to seek refuge from the global pandemic. Looking over their shoulders on the flight from Bradley International Airport, they realized they were the only passengers on the plane, Norwood says. When they arrived at Providenciales, Norwood recalls, tourists were scrambling to leave the island. The last flight to the United States departed shortly after their arrival. They initially embraced the lockdown in their hotel room, thinking they would weather the hype and fly home to normalcy.

Then all flights were grounded in Turks and Caicos. A curfew was imposed. They were permitted outdoors for one hour a day. Groceries at the local supermarket were rationed. Food quickly became a scarce resource. Leftovers, Norwood says, became the dreaded meal of the day. They were stuck, marooned on a tropical island, and werent even allowed to swim.

Then the hotel manager demanded $10,000 a week from Jeffrey Norwood to remain in their room beyond their original reservation. So, they found an online rental, bought linens and rid the house of cockroaches. It was a mess, Norwood says. They hunkered down.

Their only outside contact was Zeus, a scroungy, flea-infested watchdog.

At first, the family didnt have much to do with the spotted pit bull-dalmatian mix. They kept their distance. Could he transmit the virus? Norwood recalls thinking at the time, given the widespread uncertainty about COVID. Zeus was always hungry and thirsty. He scratched at their front door at night. Later they would learn he had been whipped with sticks and left outdoors during hurricanes.

Then one day, Zeus joined the family members on a walk during their one hour outdoors. When he was grazed and injured by a passing vehicle and began yelping, recalls Norwood, they decided to allow him into the house to clean him up and help him heal. Thus began the process of adopting Zeus.

The Norwoods spent a month on the island before Jeffrey chartered a private jet to fly his family home to Connecticut. They submitted the paperwork for Zeus. A month later, Jeffrey drove to Miami, picked up Zeus and returned to Cheshire.

I believe Zeus is an angel, says Norwood, her eyes sparkling, as she recounts how the Turks and Caicos misadventure represents both the best and worst of their pandemic experiences. God sent him to care for and protect us, she says. Today, she says, Zeus is king of the house. He has three beds, all the food he wants, adding that he adores her mom.

Up to here with COVID

COVID has affected the Norwood family in myriad ways.

Were without life, Norwood says in Spanish while taking a break between clients at her salon. No more family movie nights with popcorn, she says. No vacations. No romantic getaways. No games. No fun.

There have been a few weekend trips to New Hampshire, where they rent a house, but they take their food and sequester, Norwood says. The kids dont want to go back to New Hampshire, she says, because they arent allowed to leave the house. Im up to here with COVID, says Norwood. I dont want to hear anything else about COVID.

She says her moms help at home and in the salon has been unconditional. After the debacle on Turks and Caicos, Norwood described how she would come home from the salon, strip down in a separate area and shower. Her moms Dominican cooking was always waiting for her. My mother is everything to me, she says.

Her husband is fearful of getting COVID. Norwood says her husband doesnt talk about what he has experienced as a physician on the front lines. He still wears two masks and goggles or a shield, whether hes getting gas or going to a Mets game, Norwood says. In 2018, the couple relocated to Cheshire for its schools. When they returned to school, Jennifer and Ramon had fallen behind. Norwood says Jennifer has become less sociable and more of a homebody. She avoids crowds lest she be exposed to the virus. She has been bullied at school, where classmates have ridiculed her hair and body type. Her children have become anxious, Norwood says.

During the spike in infections last December, Norwood decided to keep Ramon home from school until the end of February, when he turned 12 and was eligible for the adult vaccine. She felt the higher dosage would be more protective and worth the wait. However, school officials hounded Norwood about Ramons absence. She suspects online instruction is purposely inferior to persuade parents to return their children to school.

Tengo temor porque el COVID es impredecible, Norwood says in Spanish. Im fearful because COVID is unpredictable. It may not affect you at all or it may send you to the hospital, she says. She fears for her children and her elderly mother. With all of her precautions, clients still sneeze while touching their hair, face and shoulders, she says. Many have later called to inform her that theyve tested positive. Jeffrey prefers that she close the salon and not work, she says.

I got the works, says longtime customer Jeannette Solano, 53, of Meriden, about getting her hair washed, colored and beautified by Norwood on a recent Saturday afternoon. For Solano, the salon experience is a reprieve from the daily grind of the pandemic. Estaba muy triste, she says in Spanish, I was very sad about Norwood salons hiatus in 2020. Describing Norwood as friendly, humble and fun to be around, she says she stops in once a month. Romy does it right, she says, explaining how a hairdresser recently damaged her hair during a visit home to the Dominican Republic. Solano has received two doses of the Moderna vaccine, she says.

During an afternoon lull at the salon, the air conditioner quits. Norwood sits down and asks Sosa to wash her hair. A few minutes later, Norwoods back on her feet. At the end of her 10-hour shift, the salon is quiet. Norwood sits beneath a hair dryer, elevates her bare feet and closes her eyes for 20 minutes. I need this, she says.

In July, Norwood, her children and her mother plan to vacation for three weeks in her pueblo Dominicano, Jamao al Norte. Jeffrey is not going, she says. I miss my life before COVID. I miss the freedom. The river, the food, the people, the beach, says Norwood during a break between clients. I cant wait.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team , a nonprofit news organization dedicated to health reporting.
NEW LONDON  A 13-month-old who survived what police suspect was an attempted double-murder-suicide and arson is listed in stable condition, police said Friday.

Our understanding at this time is that the baby is well, New London Police Chief Brian M. Wright said.

Its a piece of good news coming out of the Wednesday-night rampage, during which authorities say a serviceman with the U.S. Navy bludgeoned his wife, Shelby Dodson, 23, with a hammer and set fires in their house  including one intended to kill their baby  before slashing his own neck.

George Dodson, a nuclear-trained technician, was arrested on murder, arson and a half-dozen other charges and remains in custody under suicide watch at the Corrigan-Radgowski Correctional Center in the Uncasville section of Montville. His bail was set at $3 million.

People who know the family are reeling from the crime. Neighbors say theyve seen Shelby Dodson sitting with the baby on their front porch or out for a walk with him and her husband.

A search of state records turns up no prior arrests or divorce proceedings for George Dodson, 23, who has lived in the state for about three years. The couple purchased the house on Sherman Street in September 2020.

Its a quiet neighborhood, neighbor Elizabeth Tiger Maynard-White said Thursday. As she spoke, police were still working at the scene down the street, where a tarp covered the steps of the front porch on which she used to see mom and baby.

My heart is still breaking, she said.

Devon Lanier, of Calhoun, Ga., said the allegations against George Dodson dont come close to matching his memory of him. He had a class with Dodson when they were in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps together.

As far as I can remember, he was a very nice and respectful guy, Lanier said. We had JROTC together. Same goes with the way he treated his now wife, we all had the same class and he was very caring of her so to even start to believe [how] any of this came to be is pretty crazy.

According to Lt. Seth Koenig, a public affairs officer with the Submarine Readiness Squadron 32, Dodson is a 2nd class petty officer and nuclear-trained electronics technician.

Despite his arrest, his status as an active-duty sailor is unlikely to change through the adjudication of charges against him in the civilian legal system, Koenig said.

He said the U.S. Navy is cooperating with the police investigation.

Certainly, the incident that happened in New London is incredibly tragic, Koenig said. We would not want to see that happen to anybody, anywhere, whether they are with the Navy or not.

Dodson has been assigned to the USS Newport News nuclear attack submarine at the U.S. Submarine Base New London in Groton since June 2019, Koenig said. Koenig said he doesnt know where Dodson lived between June 2019 and September 2020, when he and his wife bought the Sherman Street house.

Like many incoming sailors, Dodsons first assignment was Great Lakes, Ill., for recruit training. After that, he went to a couple of schools in Charleston, S.C., to train in submarines and nuclear propulsion, Koenig said.

Dodson was briefly assigned to a command in Norfolk, Va., before he was assigned to New London, he said.

Inherently demanding profession

As an enlisted submarine warfare specialist, Dodson was in a highly specialized line of training, Koenig said. Asked if there is a lot of pressure involved, he said, military service is an inherently demanding profession.

However, the U.S. Navy does its best to provide a work-life balance, he said, and offers counseling to members who need it or want it. Koenig said he couldnt say if Dodson had such therapy.

Dodson received recognition for his accomplishments, Koenig said. He received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal, which he said is not an uncommon medal, and he qualified for the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.

He also received a National Defense Service Medal, Koenig said, which recognizes his years of service.

While people tried to reconcile the contrasting pictures of George Dodson, police were documenting and gathering evidence at the Sherman Street house.

After more than 17 hours at the scorched and bloody scene, police and fire investigators left the neighborhood of welcoming homes with front porches, children and hydrangeas late Thursday afternoon.

Only six months have passed since New London police investigated a similar crime. In January, a man fatally shot his girlfriend on Granite Street and set the house on fire before turning the gun on himself, police said.

Wright warned people to be on alert for signs of family violence.

Its important to pay attention and be mindful of red flags and indicators, he said. As you can see from these two examples, things can go to extremes real quick.

If you need help or just someone to talk to, visit CTSafeConnect.org or call or text 888-774-2900. Advocates available are available 24/7, according to the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence .
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WESTPORT  Women have been protesting for a long time, even back in Ancient Greece, said curator Melanie Prapopoulos.

Its something she hopes to show with the new exhibit at MoCA Westport, Women Pulling at the Threads of Social Discourse, which features female artistry through textiles  long viewed as a feminine realm.

The marriage of the female artist to the textile medium, both outwardly and socially expected to be weak, in the hands of these artists, is affirming that strength lies in durability, pliability, and resolve, said Ruth Mannes, MoCA Westports executive director.

The exhibit is available to view for free until Oct. 2, letting visitors learn about the crossroads of fiber art with political and social awareness.

Portions of this exhibition were originally displayed at the CAMP Gallery Miami in 2020, in partnership with the Fiber Artists Miami Association. It coincided with the death of former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, the presidential election and the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which gave most women the right to vote in the U.S.

The exhibition and its message  the right to vote, and the action and responsibility of everyone voting - is just as important now as in the past, Prapopoulos said. The artists are the present-day warriors still carrying the torch first lit over one hundred years ago.

This version of the exhibition focuses on flags, using them as a metaphor for women during the suffrage movement. The flags in the exhibition were created with fiber arts and ignited positive social change. Theyre made from a range of fibers, including velvet, silk, linen and repurposed materials, such as plastic and canvas, according to the museum.

Prapopoulos said MoCAs plans to bring this exhibition to Connecticut started before discussions surrounding the Supreme Courts decision about reproductive rights, which some of the artwork on display focuses on.

It was timely in 2020, and its timely now, she said.

She said she hopes visitors will see women holding a needle as more than crafters.

The assumption that this is a petty homemaker-type craft is really disturbing, she said. Its so laid in gender expectations.

Prapopoulous said she also wants people to understand that the feminine voice is just as valuable as the male voice.

This exhibition is shown alongside other works by artist Aurora Molina, sculptor Shelly McCoy and an interactive fiber intallation, as well as other artists.

One of the artists is a South Norwalk resident, Camille Eskell. Her piece, Rough Robe: Out from Under, is her first full-scale garment in her The Fez as Storyteller series. It is made with a variety of techniques, including digital art and hand sewing, and is created in part from an Indian sari she got on a visit to Mumbai.

Embracing the exotic and upending Orientalism, my ongoing series The Fez as Storyteller delves into my cultural history and familial heritage, Eskell said. As a first-generation American and the youngest of three girls from a turbulent Iraqi-Jewish family from Bombay, I examine the impact of this legacy through a feminist lens.

This work, in particular, focuses on the melding of cultural materials and symbols regularly found in her series. She said the imagery in the robe portrays the iconic Middle-Eastern figure of the belly dancer/harem girl, and Stars of David are interspersed.

Eskell also commented on how her piece adds to the overall theme of the exhibition.

Unfortunately, this social discourse is front and center now, given the recent reactionary political measures made against women's rights in this country, she said. This is one of the many important social issues reflected in the show.

Eskell said she hopes spectators learn the power of artists voices, particularly women, and their active participation in exposing and expressing important social, political and humanistic issues.

The story has been updated with the correct end date for the exhibit.

kayla.mutchler@hearstmediact.com
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo / Hearst Connecticut Media

One person died and two others were injured in a wrong-way accident involving two cars on Interstate 95 in Bridgeport early Saturday morning, according to State Police.

A motorist was driving a Saturn north in the I-95 southbound lanes near Exit 26 and collided head-on with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, authorities said. Danilo Mazariegos, a passenger in the Saturn, died at Bridgeport Hospital, state police said.
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CAIRO (AP)  Russia's top diplomat was in Cairo for talks Sunday with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break the diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Sergey Lavrov landed in Cairo late on Saturday, the first leg of his Africa trip that will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Russias state-run RT television network.

On Sunday, he first held talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, then his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukry. Lavrov also met with Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, before addressing the pan-Arab organization, the Arab League said.

In a joint news conference with Shukry, Lavrov said he discussed Russias military operation in Ukraine with Egyptian officials who urged for a political and diplomatic settlement to the conflict.

Lavrov laid the blame on Ukraine for the rupture of earlier peace talks.

We do not have any prejudices about resuming negotiations on a wider range of issues, but the matter does not depend on us, he said. Ukrainian authorities, from the president to his innumerable advisers, constantly say that there will be no negotiations until Ukraine defeats Russia on the battlefield.

The Russian diplomat used his speech at the Arab League to press the Kremlin's narrative that the West pushed his country to invade Ukraine and accused the West of ignoring Russia's security concerns stemming from NATOs expansion eastward.

Following Russia's airstrike Saturday on the port of Odesa, Ukraine, it was not immediately clear how plans to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of Ukrainian Black Sea ports would be affected.

Lavrov said in Cairo that Russian grain exporters are committed to fulfilling their obligations in the wake of twin U.N.-backed deals signed by Moscow and Kyiv to unblock the grain shipments from Ukrainian ports.

We discussed the specific parameters of cooperation in this area, agreed on further contacts between the relevant ministries, and we have a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis, he said, without elaborating.

Russia's war in Ukraine has had dire effects on the world economy, driving up oil and gas prices to unprecedented levels. Ukraine is one of the worlds largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russias invasion and naval blockade of its ports have halted shipments.

Some Ukrainian grain is transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but with higher transportation costs. The war has also disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies are reluctant to deal with Western sanctions on Russia.

African countries are among those most affected by ripples of the war. The prices of vital commodities skyrocketed and billions of dollars in aid have been directed to help those who fled the war in Europe. That has left millions of people in conflict areas in Africa and the Middle East suffering from worsening growing shortages in food and other assistance.

In an article posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website, Lavrov rejected the West's accusations that Russia is responsible for the global food crisis, as another attempt to shift the blame to others.

Seeking to rally African nations on his countrys side, he hailed what he called an independent path they took in refraining from joining the West in sanctioning Russia and the undisguised attempts of the U.S. and their European satellites to gain the upper hand, and to impose a unipolar world order to the international community.

The article was also published in four African newspapers.

At the Cairo news conference, Lavrov also said a second Russia-Africa summit will be held in mid-2023 as part of Moscows efforts to expand Russias clout in this part of the world. The first summit was held in 2019 the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Lavrov's visit comes less than two weeks after President Joe Biden's Mideast trip. Biden visited Israel and also the occupied West Bank before heading to Saudi Arabia. He also attended a regional summit of Gulf Arab countries and also Egypt, Jordan and Iraq in Saudi Arabia.

Egypt, the Arab worlds most populous country, has refused to take sides on Russia's war in Ukraine as it maintains close ties with both Moscow and the West. Egypt is also among the worlds largest importers of wheat, mainly from Russia and Ukraine.

El-Sissi completed a three-day visit to Serbia last week, the first in more than 30 years by an Egyptian president. Serbia has also abstained from joining Western sanctions against Russia and has maintained friendly relations with Moscow despite the war. The Egyptian leader also visited Germany and France last week.

Russia and Egypt have strengthened their ties considerably in recent years as el-Sissi and Russian President Vladimir Putin developed a close personal rapport, which helped increase military and economic cooperation.

Also last week, Russias state-owned atomic energy corporation, Rosatom, began construction of a four-reactor power plant it is building in Egypt.
WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Norman OK

246 PM CDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT MONDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 105 expected.

* WHERE...In Oklahoma, Cotton, Caddo, Woods and Comanche

Counties. In Texas, Archer, Wichita and Clay Counties.

* WHEN...From noon to 8 PM CDT today and Monday.

* IMPACTS...Continued 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.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Arroyo and low water crossing flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of western Texas, including the following

counties, El Paso and Hudspeth.

* WHEN...Until 345 PM MDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

Water running in normally dry arroyos. Water over roadways. Some

low-water crossings may become impassable.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 149 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to

thunderstorms. This will cause arroyo and small stream

flooding. Between 0.75 and 1.0 inches of rain have fallen.

- Additional rainfall of up to 0.5 to 1 inch is expected over

the area. This additional rain will result in minor flooding.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Loma Linda, Desert Haven, Hueco Tanks, Hueco Mountain

Estates, Butterfield and Homestead Meadows.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

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.

In hilly terrain there are numerous of low water crossings which are

potentially dangerous in heavy rain. Do not attempt to cross flooded

roads. Find an alternate route.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Just four days before they learn if theyve been chosen to be PM, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss will ingratiate themselves with the constituents that really matter  Tory donors.

A secret leadership dinner with the partys biggest chequebook-holders is planned for September 1, I can reveal. Guests at the tuxedos and tiaras shindig will express their love and largesse  while, of course, wanting nothing in return.

Strangely, this glitzy spectacle of democracy for sale doesnt feature on the Conservative Party HQs official leadership hustings programme.

Liz Truss could be reunited with Lubov Chernukhin, the Russian-born, now British-passport-holding party donor, who bought dinner with her, then-PM Theresa May and four other Cabinet Ministers for 135,000 in 2009 Pictured: Former investment banker and Conservative party donor Lubov Chernukhin arrives at the Victoria and Albert Museum during the Conservative Party Summer Party this year

Perhaps Truss will be reunited with Lubov Chernukhin, the Russian-born, now British-passport-holding donor, who in 2019 bought dinner with her, then-PM Theresa May and four other Cabinet Ministers for 135,000. Truss got into hot water by posting a picture of the group on her Instagram. As the Thatcher legacy candidate admitted last week, sometimes she just gets too enthusiastic.

For his part, Sunak will be among an audience where his 3,500 bespoke suits are de rigueur. A donor told me they expect the event to be less of a hustings, more selling yourself to the people you want at your side at the next election.

The secret September dinner could also be a swansong for party Treasurer and major donor Malik Karim as we await Boris Johnsons Lavender List of those heading for the House of Lords. Whatever promises Liz and Rishi make as they scrabble for the votes of 160,000 Tory members, expect the winner to bring a sudden batch of donor ideas with them to Downing Street.

Boris Johnsons farewell party at Chequers was as wonderfully vindictive as his approach to governing Pictured: Boris Johnson in his office at Chequers speaking to President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky

Boris Johnsons farewell party at Chequers was as wonderfully vindictive as his approach to governing. Only uber loyalists were allowed, one guest told me. Another added: The criteria was loyalty to the end. Among those not invited was Welsh Secretary Robert Buckland, who had called for Johnson to quit. Revellers enjoyed a BBQ while mingling with fellow dead-meat and offered a choice of Magnums or Twisters as they muttered sotto voce: What have we done?

Tory MPs are often called the most sophisticated electorate in the world.

Which will be why during the leadership ballots, several ran back into the voting room in a panic looking for the phones they had forgotten.

No more money for public-sector workers. The National Insurance tax hike stays. Plans to tackle the cost of living  but not until October. No, not the manifesto of continuity candidate Rishi Sunak. But the exciting radical alternative put forward by Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

No number of glossy interviews wearing flattering red dresses can compensate for the Blair heir having nothing new to say and policies that are copycat blue.
When John Bercow became House of Commons Speaker in 2009 he flaunted his woke credentials by jettisoning the posts traditional court dress.

I think it is perfectly proper the Speaker should wear a business suit and have a simple and unfussy gown over that suit, he said.

Now, I am pleased to report, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who has restored respect to the post after ten long years of pompous, preening Bercow, is to put the Speakers neckwear on display at Westminster.

Hoyle is in Honiton, Devon, today meeting Patricia Perryman who made the jabot, an intricately worked white lace ruffle.

Mrs Perryman, 84, spent two years making the original jabot for then Speaker Bernard Weatherill to wear at the State Opening of Parliament.

'I am pleased to report, Sir Lindsay Hoyle (pictured), who has restored respect to the post after ten long years of pompous, preening Bercow, is to put the Speakers neckwear on display at Westminster'

It featured a rose, thistle, shamrock and daffodil on the top layer to represent the four nations of the UK, while the lower layer depicted a sprig of Honiton honeysuckle, two otters to represent the towns river, and local landmark Dumpdon Hill.

Weatherill, a Savile Row master tailor, was so delighted he asked her to make matching cuffs.

Weatherills successors Betty Boothroyd and Michael Martin both wore the lace on State occasions. When John Bercow dispensed with it, it went on display at Honitons Allhallows Museum.

Now, Hoyle says: It would be a proud moment if we could return this beautiful gift to its rightful place in Speakers House.

And, great traditionalist that he is, I expect to see him wearing the Honiton lace at the next State Opening of Parliament.

Kemi stacks up trouble

Kemi Badenoch came a creditable fourth in the Tory leadership race

Former equalities minister Kemi Badenoch came a creditable fourth in the Tory leadership race after an assured campaign.

But her banker husband Hamish reveals she once offered a hostage to fortune by telling a newspaper she was able to balance politics and family life as he picked up a many of the household chores.

He says: Its useful... to deploy when there is a disagreement on whose turn it is to unstack the dishwasher.

After being knocked out of the Tory leadership contest, Penny Mordaunt claimed to have been above petty politicking. I have conducted my campaign in a way that I think is needed and has been the right thing to do, she said. Can this be the same Mordaunt who tweeted: Tory MPs  Vote for Rishi Sunak or Liz Truss today and you will murder the party you love

Labour's Jess Phillips attacks the Tories over the cost-of-living crisis but it does not appear to be affecting her. In her first appearances on BBC1s Have I Got News For You, she received 1,500 per episode as a panellist. According to the MPs register of interests, in her last airing, in May 2022, she got 5,000 for presenting the show, a 233 per cent rise.

Labour MP Stella Creasy is obsessing about Love Island

Labour's Stella Creasy is obsessing about Love Island.

Its just got me that after eight series of Love Island theres still one taboo it will never deal with... When will they have a girl with short hair on?! Now that really will be groundbreaking.

Is Creasy, who has short hair, after an audition for a place in the Love Island villa?

Some 150 years ago, another Mordaunt made headlines. Lady Harriet Mordaunt was petitioned for divorce by her husband Charles for adultery. But Lord Lexden, official Tory Party historian, says she was unfit to testify and spent the rest of her life confined as a lunatic, adding that she does not seem to be related to Penny Mordaunt.

Not the write stuff from Powell

Nadine Dorries (pictured) should write a book about the leadership poll entitled The Backstabber And The Snake, Labour MP Lucy Powell told the UK Music Summer Party

Nadine Dorries should write a book about the leadership poll entitled The Backstabber And The Snake, Labour MP Lucy Powell told the UK Music Summer Party.

After all, Culture Secretary Dorries (pictured) is already a bestselling author so the tome would have plenty of takers.

But the title sounds more appropriate for two of Powells shadow cabinet colleagues manoeuvring to replace Sir Keir Starmer in the expectation of Durham Constabulary fining him over Beergate. The penalty would have triggered his resignation. Alas, for the plotters no such fine materialised
Did you ever see A Bigger Splash? Its a holiday (disaster) movie set on the tiny Italian island of Pantelleria, where reclusive rock star Marianne (played by Tilda Swinton) and her boyfriend have rented a beautiful house to enjoy a quiet and relaxing break. Just the two of them.

Then Ralph Fienness character Harry turns up and everything goes wrong. He swims naked in the pool, gets sloshed all the time, flirts, makes a scene in the supermarket, shows off at the village dance, talks loudly and obnoxiously at the local restaurants and plays Rolling Stones records too loud on the villa hi-fi, strutting around the kitchen like a goon.

To make matters worse, he starts inviting friends round as if it were his own home and hogging the schedule by insisting on endless sightseeing jaunts. Oh, and Harrys precocious and smouldering daughter (Dakota Johnson) sleeps with Mariannes boyfriend who then (spoiler alert!) drowns Harry in the pool. You did see it? Well, a couple of summers back, my girlfriend and I rented that very same Pantelleria house.

Simon Mills explains why holidaying with your friends isn't always a good idea. UK-based writer describes an incident of infidelity in a group holiday he was on

Just the two of us, like Marianne and her BF had. And it was total bliss. Only with no Harry-style house guests to worry about, no pool murder to interrupt our cooking, lying around, lying in, swimming, sunbathing, reading and taking our little Citroen rental car on trips around Pantellerias volcanic wonders and magical coves.

Vacations like this, we decided during that heavenly week, were much too good to share with a group of Harrys. Our days of villa cohabitation were well and truly done. Holiday hell, we agreed, is other people.

My ex-wife and I (with our teenage kids) once stayed at a villa in Majorca with two other couples, waking one night to a huge row. The villa hosts husband, thinking that his wife had gone to bed, had started snogging another mans wife (he was also asleep) in the pool and had been rumbled by one of his wandering, insomniac kids, who quickly informed her mum. All this at around 2am. Chaos ensued; screaming, doors slamming, the sound of hire car engines revving, bags being packed and wheely-suitcases hastily dragged across gravel. By the morning there were only three grown-ups left.

Back home, divorce papers were issued soon after but the incident also proved to be something of a villa chiller in the Balearics. While the temperature hit the high 30s in the resort, things remained remarkably cool around our pool.

We knew he was taking money. But, being British, we kept quiet

Throwing together a cast of characters for a short, hot but intense period of time creates a micro-community where expectations and emotions run high. You commit not just to a holiday but also to taking on the mostly unwanted roles of tour guide, personal shopper, maitre d, matchmaker, caterer, nurse, ringmaster, Redcoat and concierge. Is anyone grateful? No. Non. Ochi.

The good news about villa sharing is that you can split the costs  thats the theory, anyway. The reality can be somewhat different. We once shared a villa with a City boy guest who decided to play house banker for the fortnight, making a big show of collecting the divvied-up cash when the dinner check for 15 arrived and doing the villa accounts when we hired a boat one day. It soon became clear that he was creaming 100 euros from each transaction. We all knew. And he knew that we knew. It was most embarrassing. Of course, being British, the rest of us said nothing but there was a tacit agreement that the fun we had gossiping about him around the pool was well worth the money wed lost.

You may think, meanwhile, that being invited as a villa guest (villa filler, if you will) rather than being the host is the way to avoid these woes. Not so. Take the example of my friends who were invited to a five-day break at a beautiful house in Mustique. All they had to do was get themselves there (London to St Lucia or Barbados then a twin-propeller transfer). Accommodation would be provided gratis, lunches cooked by capable house staff and they would be ferried around the island in the owners spare, air-conned 4x4. How could they resist a freebie holiday on the Caribbean island jewel made famous by Mick Jagger and Princess Margaret?

Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton show the perils of villa sharing in A Bigger Splash. Ralph Fienness character Harry turns up and everything goes wrong.

The trouble started when my friends were informed that they would have to tip the staff. Not only that but the host, it transpired, had already taken the liberty of doing this on their behalf. They were asked to transfer a thousand quid into the wifes account before arrival. Or better still, bring cash.

Then there was the hosts impromptu kids birthday party on the beach  a privately catered barbecue  burgers and ribs for 15 people (all previously unknown to my pals). My friends thought it would be a nice gesture, an obligation really, if they offered to pay. This cost them another 1,500. On departure, the hosts insisted that my friends muled a couple of heavy bags (their excess luggage as it happened) back to London because the familys battalion of suitcases wouldnt fit on the private plane. This ended up costing my pals  not rich people by any means  another 400 in charges. Total cost of holiday, with the very expensive flights? Around nine grand. And it rained most of the time. And they never got to meet Mick. You just dont get any of this kind of drama a deux. We can eat what we like, when we like, have full access to all four seats in the car and walk around naked sometimes.

As a couple we can dive into restaurants as walk-ins rather than calling ahead every night asking for a table for 12 or 15 and being told that the only slots they have are 6.30 or 10.30pm.

If we do chance to find ourselves at a property in Milos or Minorca with a spare room or two, weve learnt to be choosy  mindful of what happened in Ibiza a few years back. On this particular villa holiday, an invited guest of ours took it upon herself to ask another friend of hers, completely unknown to us, to stay possibly indefinitely? A deeply tanned, rogue singleton woman in a sarong and Birkenstocks duly showed up, plonked her small bag down and didnt introduce herself, presumably because she thought that we all knew her. She sat with us for meals, slept on a sun lounger at night, went out to the night club until late, and contributed nothing in terms of cash or kitchen duties. Then, one day, we woke up to find her gone. I never found out her name. Never saw her again.

Ben Elliot, founder of the Quintessentially concierge brand, recalls a Corfu holiday house guest who everyone else thought was someone elses friend. Turned out that no one knew them. In the end Ben chased them out of the house with a water pistol. They were so wasted, he said, they thought it was a real gun.

So, like I say, the only cast-iron way to avoid villa-fication this summer is to avoid either inviting or being a guest. When the phrase do drop in on us in Sardinia springs into your mind, just make sure thats where it stays.

Happy holidays!
A friend was recently showing me her super-duper engagement ring  made with a diamond mined in South Africa, a real dazzler. Would you still wear it if it were a lab diamond? I asked. Of course! was her response. But would it feel as special as the rock she was currently showing off? She scrunched up her face. No, I dont think it would.

She speaks for many of us, I think. Especially those of us of a certain age who were reared on stories of great stones, miraculously discovered and chiselled out of the earth having lain there for billions of years. Theres a romance to it. So much so, many of the greats have even been named: the Hope Diamond, the Cullinan. Or the Taylor-Burton  we were a generation reared watching Elizabeth Taylors very active love affair with diamonds.

Theres a misconception that a diamond created in the lab is essentially akin to a 29.99 cubic zirconia ring from Argos. The reality couldnt be further from the truth. Lab diamonds are made via intense heat and pressure, re-creating the natural diamond formation (only above ground and in a laboratory). Though often considered a pale imitation or, as jewellery designer Diane Kordas put it, not a part of nature but a product of technology, they are real.

Lab diamonds are made via intense heat and pressure, re-creating the natural diamond formation (only above ground and in a laboratory)

But attitudes have begun to shift. In 2018 the Federal Trade Commission stated that both lab-grown and mined stones are considered to be diamonds. More recently, in June, luxury conglomerate LVMH, home to the likes of Tiffany and Dior, announced a 75.5 million investment in lab-grown diamond start-up Lusix, while Tag Heuer unveiled a watch embellished with them in April.

Sales of lab-grown diamond engagement rings soared by 63 per cent between 2021 and 2022. Leading diamond analyst Paul Zimnisky believes that the lab-grown market will soon be worth 1.7 billion and in the past five years, production of jewellery quality lab-grown stones has gone from under one million to approaching ten million carats.

So what has shifted? As with many innovations, it takes time to educate, explains Frederic de Narp CEO of haute jewellery house Oscar Massin, who has formerly held top tier posts at Cartier and Harry Winston. That these stones are now being embraced by the luxury market, he says, means they are becoming truly legitimised.

For the younger generation, provenance is just as important as prominence. We are all increasingly aware of the environmental and social impact gemstone mining can have  improper mining can degrade the land where diamonds are found, which is why lab diamonds are a real alternative. They offer new and different benefits  incredible quality and value, straightforward traceability and lower environmental impact, says de Narp.

Mining can degrade the land where diamonds are found

Affordability is, of course, a factor. A lab-grown diamond will sell for approximately 30 per cent less than the mined equivalent (just as with mined stones, the quality, size and clarity of a lab-made diamond is variable and unique).

Bespoke jewellery manufacturer Diamonds Factory Ireland announced recently it was switching 70 per cent of its online designs to lab-grown stones to create less expensive options. Price was certainly an element in Pandoras decision to launch its Brilliance range of lab-diamond jewellery. We know that diamond jewellery can be expensive, says Rasmus Brix, managing director for Pandora UK and Ireland (prices for the collection start from 250). So were making beautiful diamond jewellery accessible to more customers at a lower price. But that isnt the only driving force. We know that there is growing interest from consumers to shop more sustainably. Our lab-created diamonds are grown using more than 60 per cent renewable energy and will soon be made using 100 per cent renewable energy. The carbon footprint is a tenth of a comparable mined diamond.

Environmental concerns seem a key reason for the mood change. At Vrai, the fine-jewellery offering from Diamond Foundry, customers want to know about the origin of their diamond, plus the impact on environment and communities, to make an educated decision, says a spokesperson.

Sales of lab-grown diamond engagement rings rose by 63 per cent between 2021 and 2022

Why do we still need to dig things up to put a ring on our fingers when technology allows us to do so many things? asks Jessica Warch, co-founder of Kimai, a fine jewellery brand that uses recycled gold and is the first lab-grown diamond jewellery range sold on luxury website net-a-porter.com (from 215). Warch comes from a family of diamond traders but preferred to bring innovation and change to the market.

This change of conscience had me wondering: are lab diamonds the new faux-fur in the luxury market, an ethical choice that once shifted could alter our habits for good? Zimnisky isnt convinced about the comparison, given fur directly relates to killing animals. You can still make a positive case about natural diamonds in that they create well-paying jobs and generate significant tax revenue for emerging economies. You can also make a case that a lot of lab diamonds are made using significant amounts of energy produced with coal and hydrocarbons. I think transparency is key here. Some are doing a good job as far as ESG [environmental, social and governance standards, that measure a businesss impact on society] goes, and some not so much  and this is the case for both natural and lab-diamond companies. Not all lab diamonds are created equally.

For the younger generation, provenance is just as important as prominence. We are all increasingly aware of the environmental and social impact gemstone mining can have  improper mining can degrade the land where diamonds are found, which is why lab diamonds are a real alternative.

Which of course puts pressure on designers to work with the right supplier. Matilde Mourinho, founder of Matilde Jewellery, which uses lab-created stones, says she would only have founded a jewellery brand today using these materials and that she did her due diligence when it came to sourcing, including all the accreditation and certification that backed up their environmental claims.

But lab diamonds still appear to have a way to go to be considered on an equal footing. At Couture, the leading jewellery fair held in Las Vegas, director Gannon Brousseau says that, While a handful of our designers may utilise lab-grown diamonds in select pieces, we dont currently accept designers or brands who work primarily with lab grown  although he adds that they are keeping tabs as to whether its a category we should include in our criteria.

As de Narp says, Reshuffling the cards doesnt mean a player is ejected  each player will re-adjust their strategy.
Australia's self-described 'Glitter King' has revealed more is always more when it comes to adding a few sparkles to your makeup routine before a night out.

Kevin Kaila, who is best known for his sparkly night-time looks, loves coating his beard, brows and eyes in various shades of glitter.

The entertainer told FEMAIL mixing different shapes and shades of glitter can also add to a look and make it even brighter.

Australia's self-described 'Glitter King' has revealed more is more when it comes to adding a few sparkles to your makeup routine before a night out

Kevin Kaila, who is best known for his very sparkly night-time looks, loves coating his beard, brows and eyes in various shades of glitter

For Kevin mixing glitter, adding it to his cut crease, creating an easy glitter lip and 'going wild' are all key to perfecting the look.

'Go Wild! It's glitter, you weren't aiming for subtle, were you?' he said when sharing his tips recently.

He said adding makeup to a cut crease is an easy way to achieve an even more dramatic look.

'Bonus tip for creating a cut crease. Use a little Bioderma Sensibio H2O Eye on the end of a cotton bud, to clean the cut crease. The formula works great to remove the makeup but leaves no oily residue and you can go straight back in with more makeup and glitter,' he said.

Glitter lips are also easy, according to the makeup artist.

'Use a fine glitter on top of any lipstick! It will both set the lip and make it glitter all night. Just dab on with your finger immediately after applying your lipstick,' he said.

The entertainer told FEMAIL mixing different shapes and shades of glitter can also add to a look and make it even brighter and believes people shouldn't go for subtle when using glitter

What are Kevin's tips for using glitter as makeup? Tip 1 - Mix your glitters! Finding different shapes and shades of glitter will make the end product sparkle even more! Tip 2 - Adding glitter to your cut crease! A cut crease is already a dramatic makeup look, but making that glitter, takes it up to the next level! Tip 3 - Easy glitter lip - Make any lip a glitter lip, use a fine glitter on top of any lipstick! It will both set the lip and make it glitter all night! Just dab on with your finger immediately after applying your lip stick! Tip 4 - When working with glitter keep a large dry fluffy fan brush handy. Use it to bush off any fall out on your skin where you don't want the glitter. Tip 5 - Go Wild! It's glitter, you weren't aiming for subtle, were you? Tip 6 - Bonus tip for creating a cut crease. Use a little Bioderma Sensibio H2O Eye on the end of a cotton bud, to clean the cut crease. The formula works great to remove the makeup but leaves no oily residue and you can go straight back in with more makeup/glitter! Source: Kevin Kaila Advertisement

Kevin, who has his own glitter range, says people shouldn't be afraid to use glitter.

'People get a bit stressed or sensitive that they keep finding specks of glitter for months. That's just little reminders of what a fabulous time you had. What's so wrong with that,' he asked.

Despite loving glitter he admits it shouldn't go everywhere.

'When working with glitter keep a large dry fluffy fan brush handy. Use it to bush off any fall out on your skin where you don't want the glitter,' he said.
There are 40% more tigers living in the wild than previously thought, a new study has shown.

A population assessment of the endangered species found that there are between 3,726 and 5,578 tigers living in the wild around the world - a huge jump from statistics taken in 2015.

The assessment, carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), used an improved method of monitoring the animals.

A population study has found there are more tigers living in the wild than previously thought

It is thought that much of the increase in numbers reported is down to this more accurate and efficient method.

Luke Hunter, executive director of the Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) big cat program, told NPR that governments have 'moved heaven and earth' to carry out surveys on a 'massive scale'.

He added the increase in tiger numbers can also be explained by the increased conservation efforts made by governments in the countries they inhabit.

While the statistics are welcomed by wildlife experts and tiger lovers, the big cats are still considered endangered and remain on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Despite the encouraging numbers the IUCN still lists tigers on its Threatened Species list

The organisation said the main threats to the species are poachers, who hunt both tigers themselves as well as their prey.

Another huge threat to tigers' survival is the destruction of their natural habitat, due to the agricultural industry and human settlement.

Mr Hunter said findings like these show conservation interventions can help endangered species recover.

The World Wildlife Fund also said the population of wild tigers is improving in habitats in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia and China.
A grandmother who thought she needed new glasses was shocked to learn her vision problems were being caused by a brain tumour.

Susan Hetherington, 56, from Solihull, said Specsavers 'saved her life' after she booked an eye test when she was experiencing blurry vision and seeing flashing lights.

The grandmother was urgently referred to Dudley Eye Hospital where she was diagnosed with a low-grade meningioma tumour.

Susan Hetherington, 56, (pictured) was diagnosed with a brain tumour after visiting Specsavers for a routine check

Birmingham Live reported she had to have an operation to remove the tumour and save her eyesight.

Susan said: 'I had started to get flashing lights in my eyes and my reading glasses were no longer helping my eyesight.

'When the road signs became blurry as I was driving I booked an eye test at my Specsavers in Chelmsley Wood where I live to check that my prescription hadn't changed.'

Three doctors told Susan that they had found a mass on her brain.

The mother-of-four from Solihull was experiencing blurred vision and flashing lights before booking the appointment

As she was told her diagnosis, all Susan could think about was her four children and grandson, and how she was going to tell them that she had a brain tumour.

Susan was booked in for an operation at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham to remove the tumour, in which there was a 10 per cent chance she could die or have a stroke on the operating table.

But just four days after her operation in November 2019, Susan was sent home to recover.

She has since been left with extreme fatigue and is now monitored with regular scans to check for regrowth of the tumour, and has joined Brain Tumour Research as a campaigner to help raise awareness of the lack of funding into research of the disease.

The surgery took place at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, with the neurosurgeon saying that there was a 10 per cent chance she could die or have a stroke on the operating table

She says that more should be done to raise awareness of brain tumours and that we need to understand more about how and why they happen.

Although feeling that her diagnosis flipped her world 'upside down, inside out and back to front,' Susan has praised Specsavers for catching her tumour before it was too late.

Just four days after her operation in November 2019, Susan was sent home to recover. She has been left with extreme fatigue

She said: 'I want to shout my story from the rooftops as I feel that Specsavers saved my life, and I would encourage everyone to have a regular eye test.'

Susan is now calling on the Government and the larger cancer charities to spend more on research into the disease.

According to the charity, brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just one per cent of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.

Brain Tumour Research is the only national charity in the UK singularly focused on finding a cure for brain tumours through campaigning for an increase in the national investment into research to 35 million per year, while fundraising to create a sustainable network of brain tumour research centres in the UK.

She has joined Brain Tumour Research as a campaigner to help raise awareness of the lack of funding into research of the disease

Susan praises her local Specsavers and thanks them for saving her life. She encourages people to get regular eye checks

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: 'We're sorry to hear about Susan's diagnosis and are grateful to her for sharing her story.

'We're delighted to have Susan join us as we campaign for better treatment options for people living with this disease as we work towards finding a cure.'
Brilliantly  and perhaps cannily (ker-ching!)  everyone and their dog is falling over themselves to produce menopause skin support these days.

Clarins new Super Restorative Day and Night Creams are lovely, nourishing affairs featuring a plant-based alternative to retinol suitable even for sensitive skins (from 60, clarins.com).M&S now boasts Prai's expanding MenoGlow line (from 22, praibeauty.co.uk), the store's best-selling skincare brand and most successful launch of 2021. Now six products and counting, such is MenoGlow's reputation for mitigating collagen loss and dehydration.

Vichy, owned by L'Oreal, has its Neovadiol range (from 20.25, lookfantastic.com) targeting dryness, dullness and loss of elasticity. And Avon brought us Adapt last year, with its budget menopause hydration trio of night cream, serum and facial mist (from 6, avon.uk.com).

On the evidence of the above, one might imagine fifty something hormonal horrors are confined to parched faces. Yet, for legions of women, an oily complexion is midlife's unwanted gift, with grease, cavernous pores and acne the issue, especially in a sweaty summer.

My friend Stephanie, 59, is the most glamorous of women  the last person one would associate with the phrase 'greasy skin'.

Clarins new Super Restorative Day and Night Creams are lovely, nourishing affairs featuring a plant-based alternative to retinol suitable even for sensitive skins (from 60, clarins.com) for spotty skin caused by the menopause (stock image)

And, yet, as she reveals: 'I've had an oily complexion and blemishes since my pre-teen years, and was looking forward to not having to worry about this. However, HRT has kept this problem alive.

'Basically, it's given me the face of a spotty adolescent.'

Not that one would ever know it. Stephanie's management of her skin is impeccable. I wanted to know how she does it on our collective behalf.

Her first and foremost tip is to go easy on things: 'Older skin can't bounce back as it might have done in puberty,' she advises. 'So balance all oil-combating measures with TLC to avoid any irritation.'

Your primary method of tender loving care should be facial mists as a morning spritz, meaning you don't need moisturiser.

Try the antioxidant-rich Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe (6.75, spacenk.com) or Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Miracle Hydrating Mist (22, elizabetharden.co.uk).

If you do find yourself craving a more traditional moisture hit, choose Advanced Clinicals Hyaluronic Acid Instant Skin Hydrator (12.29, amazon.co.uk), which feels wonderful, is easy-to-use, cheap-ish, and lasts for ever.

In sweltering summer, Dermalogica's Clear Start Cooling Aqua Jelly (22, dermalogica.co.uk) can be applied straight from the fridge.

A calming way to wash off the day will be Cetaphil's brilliant, budget Gentle Skin Cleanser (9.49 for 236ml, superdrug.com), great on spotty and sensitised skin alike. Otherwise, invest in Aussie botanical brand Sand & Sky's new Oil Control Clearing Cleanser (26, selfridges.com), so good it sold out on its own site within 72 hours.

Hannah Betts, pictured, recommends having a first-rate liquid exfoliant to hand, namely Paula's Choice Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2 per cent BHA, a leave-on toner with salicylic acid to combat shiny, spotty areas

I recommend having a first-rate liquid exfoliant to hand, namely Paula's Choice Daily Pore-Refining Treatment 2 per cent BHA (from 11, cultbeauty.com), a leave-on toner with salicylic acid to combat shiny, spotty areas.

To bring a blemish to the surface in order to treat it, use Mario Badescu's classic Silver Powder (11.50, spacenk.com) as a 'drawing' mask. A couple of times a week, seek out The Elements Az Skin Balancing Cream (9, the-elements.co.uk), an overnight treatment to clear blemishes that's kind to sensitive skin.

By day, opt for a matte sunscreen such as Paula's Choice subtly blurring Resist Anti-Aging Super-Light Moisturiser SPF30 (29.75, paulaschoice.co.uk). Next, a primer and/or pore-minimiser like Benefit's UK best-seller The POREfessional (29.50, benefitcosmetics.com).

A light foundation such as MAC Studio Fix Fluid spf 15 (29, maccosmetics.co.uk) comes in a splendid 67 shades, or try L'Oreal Age Perfect BB Cover spf 50 (11.99, boots.com), if you happen to fit into one of its six.

Oily eyelids often won't hold powder shadow even after primer. Instead, go for a wet-looking, sparkly cream such as Trish McEvoy 24-hour Eye Shadow and Liner (24, libertylondon.com), or Stila's fantastic Glisten & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow (24, stila.co.uk).

Follow this routine and nobody will ever have you down as a midlife teenager.

RACE YOU TO IT

Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray (26 for 200ml, cultbeauty.co.uk), a splash-proofing de-frizzer lasting up to three washes, has nearly 4,000 five-star reviews on Amazon. A bottle is sold every 30 seconds in the UK. cultbeauty.co.uk Shop

MY ICON OF THE WEEK

Julianne Moore, 61, pictured, likes using Teresa Tarmey's Retinol and massages her face with a vibrating beauty bar

The film beauty, 61, is the face of the new Hourglass Ambient Soft Glow Foundation (46, hourglasscosmetics.co.uk), being a 2.5 in its 32 shades. She is also a fan of Teresa Tarmey's Retinol (72, teresa tarmey.com) and massages her face with a vibrating beauty bar (try Jillian Dempsey Gold Bar, 185, harrods.com).

FIVE HITS FOR HOLIDAYS

Neutrogena Deep Moisture Express Body Mist Spray and go for soft, fresh, soothed skin in seconds. boots.com Shop

M&S 4-Piece Make-Up Bag Set Make like a professional and store your kit in practical clear and mesh cases. marksandspencer.com Shop

Ormonde Jayne Montabaco Impeccable travel scent: all cigar smoke on sun warmed skin. ormondejayne.com Shop

COSMETIC CRAVING
The past few days have had me searching for fashions equivalent of the unicorn. That is, clothes smart enough to wear to the office that are also melt-proof.

And I think Ive cracked it by revisiting the delights of broderie anglaise. Crisp, sturdy cottons that hold their shape, complete with delightful and breezy holes? Sold to the sweaty lady battling another unventilated bus ride, thank you very much.

Its not fashion news that delicate embroidery work on dresses is popular. Broderie anglaise (even with my scant grasp of French I can tell you it translates as English embroidery) has been a staple in British wardrobes since the 1840s. We can thank a combination of the Bridgerton effect and an insanely hot summer for making the look more popular than ever in 2022.

Given broderie anglaise had a huge showing on the runways thanks to Dolce & Gabbana, Erdem, Valentino and Chloe, its inevitably running rife on the High Street, too.

Theres a bold new rainbow of broderie out there, as evidenced here. For a start, I need that orange Jigsaw number in my life. Everything about it  the neckline, the flute sleeves, the sexy panel of embroidery in the skirt  is flattering and timeless, and perfect for office and weddings.

The La Redoute strappy dress is a powerful argument for the charms of summer black. If you want to tap into the styles traditionally demure vibes, choose the gorgeously modest pale pink look from L.K. Bennett. Feeling sexy? Flash those shoulders in M&Ss vibrant pink frock.

Any of these looks will move seamlessly with you into autumn: just add a cardi, a belt and a pair of ankle boots and youll be ready for cooler temperatures.
Australians have long declared chicken parmigiana one of their favourite pub meals - but there's a keen debate over whether the abbreviated version is parma, parmi or even parmy.

In Queensland parmi, sometimes spelled parmy, is the generally accepted name for the dish - but it doesn't necessarily translate across state lines.

In Victoria most people call the popular pub feed a parma while other states remain divided on the issue.

This picture was captioned 'Melbourne's Best Chicken Parma.'

In NSW, the parmi versus parma debate is pretty evenly split, while punters in Western Australia are also divided down the middle.

While those in South Australia agree the word sounds like par-mee but are at arms over how to spell it, arguing the 'i' and 'y' variations aren't interchangeable.

The debate has been sparked again thanks to a recent call for the slang names of Australian food to be officially included in the newest update of the Oxford Dictionary.

The team from ANU's Australian National Dictionary Centre believe it is important for the commonly used terms to appear in the Australian editions of the popular dictionary.

Poll What do you call a chicken parmigiana? Chicken parmigiana, I am not a bogan! It's a parmi! It's a parma! It's a parmy! What do you call a chicken parmigiana? Chicken parmigiana, I am not a bogan! 35 votes

It's a parmi! 43 votes

It's a parma! 38 votes

It's a parmy! 21 votes Now share your opinion





They are also appealing to the public to submit their own suggestions for slang words which should be incorporated in the new book.

ANDC director and chief editor of the Australian National Dictionary, Dr Amanda Laugesen said with the 21st century evolution of Australian culinary culture came a wide range of new words.

She hopes the debate over what to call the chicken dish will be settled soon.

Market research conducted by Arnott's in 2020 revealed 45 per cent of Australians prefer to use the word 'parmi', over 34 per cent who say 'parma'.

According to Good Food, The Grace Darling Hotel in committed the abbreviation to paper, with each menu bearing the word 'parma' rather than 'parmigiana'.

"I can't even remember the last time I heard someone use the word 'parmi'," says general manager Elena Gill.

While Sydney restaurants said the same of 'parma' not recalling the term used for 'years'.

'The Australian Chicken Parmi. Its a staple of pubs across the country and has become everyones go to counter meal,' one man posted alongside his picture of the meal

'There is a much wider range of food choices available now  multicultural dishes, street food, ingredients from native plants and animals. We also like our less formal ways of enjoying food, from sausage sizzles to food festivals,' Dr Laugesen said.

'We can choose to dine on souvas and potato gems in the evening and wake up to a Tim Tam slam and a flattie in the morning,' the team said, showing off some of the words people may expect in the newest edition of the dictionary.

'All of these changes are reflected in the language we use, and we expect that there are many new Australian food-related terms that we have not recorded.'

Some old favourites will be added though, to properly reflect the Australian culture, these include honey joy, tank loaf, bushman brownie and smiley fritz.
In a new series, we answer YOUR burning money questions...

My neighbour bought a funeral plan from a company called Safe Hands.

The firm has failed and she has been told her plan will now not provide the funeral she paid for in advance.

Are all plans now tarred with the same brush or is it possible to buy one that will deliver on its promise? S.P., Birmingham

Protection: New regulations are coming into force which should ensure consumers will be able to buy a funeral plan with greater confidence than ever

Your question could not be better timed. This Friday, new regulations come into force which should ensure consumers will be able to buy a funeral plan with greater confidence than ever.

A funeral plan  or a pre-paid funeral plan as it is often referred to  allows someone to pay for their funeral in advance of their death. It's an enticing proposition for many people, especially the elderly.

For example, it allows them to buy a plan at today's prices  and it also enables them to choose the funeral they want: everything from the type of coffin through to the number of limousines provided.

For grieving loved ones, it can be a big relief to know the funeral arrangements have all been paid for and agreed in advance. Yet, sadly, some plan providers have not played fair by customers.

For years, the industry has been subject to what can be best described as lax regulation.

This has allowed a minority of providers to get away with profiteering and high-pressure selling  and flout rules that require all customers' money to be ring-fenced in a trust fund and used primarily to pay for the funerals promised.

Evidence of this laxness bubbled to the surface earlier this year when Wakefield-based Safe Hands Plans  the company your neighbour has a plan with  plunged into administration.

It soon emerged that the trust fund did not have sufficient assets to pay for all the funerals promised, a result of hefty dividends taken from the fund by directors of Safe Hands and gross mismanagement of the fund's assets.

The shortfall is believed to be in the region of 65million, although it could be higher. The Mail on Sunday led the way in revealing the parlous state of the trust fund.

As your neighbour indicates, the 46,000 customers of Safe Hands have had their plans cancelled. Although the administrator is likely to offer alternative funeral arrangements from other companies, customers will have to pay for them.

So, new regulations are long overdue. They are being brought in by the Financial Conduct Authority, the City regulator, which over the past few months has been vetting companies that wish to sell plans in the new regulated market.

Only providers it has approved and authorised will be allowed to continue selling.

Any company that has not been authorised, but continues to offer plans, will be committing a criminal offence.

The new regulations will provide existing customers  and future buyers of plans  with reassurances that weren't available previously.

For a start, if an authorised provider goes bust, customers will not lose their money as happened with your neighbour. They will be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Also, if customers have an issue with a company, they can lodge a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Critically, no provider has been able to get authorisation from the FCA without providing evidence that their trust fund has sufficient assets to meet the cost of all the funerals sold to customers.

Although things will become clearer this Friday when the regulator publishes a list of authorised providers, there will be a big contraction in the number of providers.

The latest details indicate that around 30 companies will be selling plans next month  while 18 businesses have transferred their plans, or will do, to a provider that will operate under the new FCA regime.

The future of another 20 providers remains uncertain, although we should know more when the FCA gives more information on Friday.

The best way forward is to buy a plan from a big brand such as Co-op, Dignity or Golden Charter. They are financially robust and are not going away.

But it will pay to wait until the list of authorised businesses is published by the FCA. Indeed, Dignity stopped selling plans ten days ago, but says it will come back with an 'improved offering' next month.

Prices, that can range from 3,000 to nearly 5,000, are likely to rise as a result of regulation.
If you wanted one image to symbolise the economic turmoil that is 2022, you could do worse than a picture of an airport. Not only was the runway at London Luton Airport almost liquefied by the heatwave of the past few days, but the share prices of many travel companies and flight schedules are in meltdown, too.

And yet, as we enter the first summer without major travel restrictions since the advent of Covid in 2020, Britons are desperate to go abroad.

'Right now, people want to get away and many have got the savings to do it,' says Danni Hewson, financial analyst at wealth platform AJ Bell.

So why are travel shares, as well as planes, struggling to take off?

Turbulence: Why are travel shares, as well as planes, struggling to take off?

RESTRICTIONS GONE BUT TURBULENCE REMAINS

This time last year, we were in the middle of 'staycation summer' as Covid restrictions kept changing, meaning it was hard to leave the country.

Those brave enough to book a flight abroad faced the worry that their destination would be added to the 'Red List' while they were in mid-air, forcing quarantine on their return. There was also the extra cost of Covid travel testing hanging over them.

For travel businesses, the uncertainty was disastrous, and many went cap-in-hand to their shareholders for bailouts. Now, though few restrictions remain, for the vaccinated at least, and most are desperate to go on holidays, travel seems to be faring worse than ever.

Earlier this month, Heathrow Airport bosses announced they were capping the number of people going through its gates, due to a lack of security staff and other issues.

Other airports have done the same, while airlines had already been trimming flights due to staffing problems. Flight delays are now the norm, rather than the exception. Every one of the travel horror stories you hear is bad news for travel stocks.

'Every tale of disruption is likely to come with a compensation bill, which is more money the airlines can't afford to lose,' Hewson warns. 'This summer was supposed to bring salvation to the travel industry and instead it has brought more troubles.'

BARGAIN PRICE DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN 'BUY'

Small wonder, given current disruptions, that many travel shares are grounded. British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) has seen its shares drop by 28 per cent since the start of the year, while respective falls of 37, 47, 54 and 59 per cent have been recorded by easyJet, TUI Travel, cruise liner firm Carnival Corporation and Wizz Air.

But with uncertainty around how much these shares will recover, and how quickly, investment experts are divided on whether now represents a buying opportunity. Richard Hunter, head of markets at wealth platform Interactive Investor, points out that due to lingering pandemic-related issues, these businesses are not in good financial shape and many have had to refinance.

'None of these stocks are therefore paying a dividend, nor are they likely to do so until their balance sheets have been repaired,' he adds.

Analysts are bullish on some travel stocks. EasyJet, for example, is rated as a strong 'buy' by most analysts, while shares in IAG are considered a 'hold'. Both TUI and Carnival are still rated as 'sells' by most analysts.

WHY HOTEL GROUPS ARE STILL HOLIDAY HOTTIES

Some travel brands have fared better than others  and may continue to do so.

Rob Burgeman is senior investment manager at wealth manager Brewin Dolphin. He suggests hotel groups might be a winner, both at home and abroad. He says that shares in Intercontinental Hotels Group  owner of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and InterContinental Hotels and Resorts  are 'well liked by analysts and are not particularly expensive'.

Meanwhile, Whitbread, the former brewer, is now more or less a bet on the fortunes of Premier Inn  its core brand. The budget hotel brand is popular with staycationers and UK business travellers alike.

Burgeman adds: 'Their hotels may not represent the most glamorous getaway, but they do what they say on the tin and are largely well-run operations. Whitbread also provides a route into the staycation market if people decide going abroad is too much hassle.'

He also likes its growing German business. Whitbread shares are down 5.25 per cent over the past year while shares in IHG are up 4.5 per cent. Since the start of the year, the shares are down 14 and 4.8 per cent respectively.

Blake Hutchins, co-manager on investment trust Troy Income & Growth and James Harries, manager of Securities Trust of Scotland, also like IHG, which they say proved its worth during the pandemic by not having to raise capital from shareholders.

Harries says: 'As a brand owner, as opposed to a physical hotel owner, IHG enjoys high profit margins. It is cash generative and far more resilient than typical hotel and leisure companies.

'Whilst IHG is exposed to the economic cycle to some extent, its high margins and propensity to pay good dividends make it a good investment proposition.'

CONSIDER BUYING INTO THE WIDER LANDSCAPE

Other ways to cash in on people's hunger for travel include looking at the businesses that benefit as we move around the globe.

Burgeman, at Brewin Dolphin, likes WHSmith, whose branches are in airports, train stations and service stations.

'The shares are up by around 50 per cent on their Covid-19 low, but still some way off their peak prior to the pandemic,' he says.

Alternatively, you could look at SSP, which owns the businesses where people spend money when their plane gets delayed  the likes of UpperCrust, Camden Food Co and Ritazza. He adds: 'With more delays at airports inevitable, SSP will benefit from more people having to spend longer in terminals  having to eat, drink, or read.'

Shares in SSP are up 6 per cent over the past year while WHSmith's shares are down 11 per cent. Since the turn of the year, the shares are down 0.23 and 6.8 per cent, respectively.

Or, as the cost-of-living crisis begins to bite, you could consider National Express, which will benefit if families stay in the UK and can't afford the petrol to travel by car, or the ticket prices charged by train operators. Mark Wright, manager of investment trust Momentum Multi-Asset Value, says National Express is a 'strong' company.

He adds: 'National Express has de-risked its balance sheet and is winning new contracts. So much so that the company is publicly targeting an additional 1billion of revenues between now and 2027.

'Earnings have also been steadily improving ever since the first half of 2020 when the pandemic first struck and look on course to reach pre-pandemic levels by 2024.'

INVESTMENT FUNDS MAY BE THE TICKET

As well as Momentum Multi-Asset Value, Troy Income & Growth and Securities Trust of Scotland, many mainstream investment funds have exposure to travel stocks.

Interactive Investor suggests Ninety One UK Alpha. It is one of the platform's recommended funds, appearing in its list of top 'super 60' investments. It has holdings in both Ryanair and easyJet. Its price is down 0.5 per cent over three years, 6.1 per cent over one year.

Jupiter UK Special Situations also has exposure to the airline industry. The fund has recorded positive returns of 17 per cent over the past three years and 8.1 per cent over the last year.

However you choose to travel this summer, it seems likely that your experience will be almost as stressful as following the stock market has been so far this year.

You could do worse than adopting the same principles to get through the experience. Be patient, plan for the worst and hold on  the destination will be worth the journey.
An extraordinary battle has broken out between two titans of the airline industry over who is to blame for the travel chaos blighting holidaymakers' summer plans.

While many are stuck in queues or waiting hours for their bags to arrive, former Heathrow chairman Sir Nigel Rudd and ex-BA boss Willie Walsh are this weekend engaged in a verbal punch-up.

City veteran Rudd launched a volley of criticism at Walsh, accusing him of an 'obsession' with slashing costs that left the airline a 'laughing stock'. Rudd, chair at Heathrow from 2007 until 2016, said British Airways 'lost its way during Willie's reign'.

Going head-to-head: 'Slasher' Walsh vs Razor Rudd in bitter battle of the air barons

His comments came in a letter he sent to The Mail on Sunday this weekend after being infuriated by Walsh's comments in this newspaper last week in which the former BA boss branded Heathrow's 100,000-a-day passenger cap 'farcical'.

The controversial decision to limit the number of passengers was made in an effort to alleviate queues. The decision, which has angered airlines, will restrict arrivals and departures until after the October half term.

In his letter, he accuses Walsh of 'constant jibing at Heathrow'. Recalling his own stint in the chair at the airport group, Rudd said he had 'wanted to fight back' but that he was advised against doing so.

'The prevailing view was that we couldn't as he was our largest customer,' Rudd added. 'I wish I had ignored that advice and exposed him for what he was  a person that trashed a great brand and created a company that is a byword for poor service.'

Walsh was chief executive of British Airways and then ran its parent, International Airlines Group, from 2011 until 2021 after the UK flag carrier merged with Spain's Iberia.

He criticised Heathrow boss John Holland-Kaye last weekend in the MoS for his failure to cope with a surge in demand over the summer holiday period  claiming the airport 'should have been better prepared' and 'clearly can't cope'. Walsh added: 'If we are in the same position next year, then without question, people should be fired.'

The 60-year-old Irishman even branded Heathrow bosses 'a bunch of idiots'. He also backed calls for investors  the Spanish giant Ferrovial and the Qatar Investment Authority  to stump up cash instead of asking permission from the regulator to charge passengers more to boost its financial performance.

'The shareholders are extremely rich,' Walsh said. 'They have done extremely well out of Heathrow. I think there is a strong case that has been made that, if Heathrow's balance sheet needs to be repaired, the first place it should go now is to its shareholders.'

He now runs the International Air Transport Association which represents hundreds of airlines including his former employer IAG.

He told the MoS: 'I think they [Heathrow] should have been better prepared. It is farcical imposing these restrictions at the last minute on airlines when in many cases they have sold tickets. It is a terrible way of doing business.'

But Rudd, 75, said: 'I was chairman of Heathrow when Willie Walsh was leading British Airways. While I was leading unprecedented investment in critical national infrastructure at the airport, what I witnessed on his watch was a man so obsessed with 'slashing' costs that our country's flag carrier nosedived from one of the best in the world to a laughing stock.

'Complimentary economy meals and free hold baggage ditched, hard-working flight crew sleeping in cars because their pay was so low, thousands of people were fired and rehired on inferior contracts and critical IT systems left to rot, leaving millions stranded when they stopped working.

Today, whenever BA is raised with me in a conversation, the universal view is that it's an airline that entirely lost its way during Willie's reign. I'm relieved to see that the current management team at BA are flushing his approach down the lavatory.'

Walsh  once given the nickname 'Slasher'  was among airline bosses who cut thousands of staff at the beginning of the pandemic  more than 12,000 at International Airlines Group, which he ran until 2021. EasyJet made a similar decision as it slashed 4,500 roles.

Instead of pouring out torrents of invective and bile on one another, these two jumbos of the airline industry should turn their minds to helping customers Ruth Sunderland

Rudd continued: 'Willie got on his soapbox in this paper last week about airports being unprepared for the summer, but the irony is that he appears totally oblivious that this is just his cost-cutting legacy coming home to roost.'

Rudd said the root of the crisis in the industry was a shortage of baggage handlers. He called on Walsh to galvanise his members to invest in them and solve the problem.

Over the past two years more than 50 per cent of Europe's ground handling staff have left the industry, many going to work in higher paid delivery jobs.

'Why would anyone want to be an airline ground handler when you can get more pay and better conditions delivering for Amazon?

'It's high time he stopped blaming everyone else...and admitted that you can't 'slash' your way to a resilient, reliable service.'

But last night Walsh hit back, saying: 'Heathrow's efforts to deflect attention from their abysmal performance are laughable.' He added: 'My criticism seems to have upset them. I will continue to hold them to account and enjoy exposing their failures.'

RUTH SUNDERLAND: Stop fighting... and help the paying public instead

Entertaining though it is to see two corporate titans bashing seven bells out of one another, I imagine I speak for most of the travelling public when I say Sir Nigel Rudd and Willie Walsh could make far better use of their verbal talents.

Instead of pouring out torrents of invective and bile on one another, these two jumbos of the airline industry should turn their minds to helping customers.

Who is right in the row? The terrible thing is that they both are. There are large nuggets of truth in their mutual recriminations, and this is no consolation whatsoever to passengers whose holidays and business trips have been wrecked. Never has the old phrase about the pot and the kettle been so apt.

When Rudd, sounding like a shop-steward on steroids, accuses Walsh of being obsessed with slashing costs, he hits a nerve.

For his part, Walsh is on the money when he lambasts Heathrow's move to cap passenger numbers as 'farcical'. He is also quite right to argue that the airport's rich foreign share holders should put their hands in their pockets to repair its debt-riddled balance sheet.

Neither man comes with a reputation as a corporate saint  in fact, they both have enough baggage to jam a carousel.

When he was head of BA's parent company, Walsh's relations with unions was toxic. To take just one example, early on in the pandemic he was attacked by MPs who suspected him of using Covid as cover to cut 12,000 jobs.

Veteran industrialist Rudd is a serial chairman who has sold a string of British companies to foreign bidders, earning himself the nickname Sir Sell-Off. The most recent of these, defence firm Meggitt, has just been cleared by the Government for sale to a US aerospace company.

Both men have a reputation for being forthright. As former bosses, they are able to dispense with diplomacy in a way the current top brass at Heathrow and BA cannot. Whether the pair have been put up to it by their former employers or are acting on their own initiative, they are proxy generals in an unedifying battle to deny blame.

Rather than this self-indulgent festival of insults, Walsh and Rudd could have used their stature as elder statesmen to co-operate on alleviating the airport chaos.

Fat chance. Each has adopted a pose of bristling, self-righteous indignation, painting their organisation as the injured party. There is more than a touch of absurdity about this, coming from a couple of very rich men representing powerful corporate interests.

Neither seems to care much about the real victims here  the poor old passengers.
Sarah Murdoch's brother allegedly told one of his employees to 'f**k off' in an email argument - before claiming his account was hacked.

Shaun O'Hare, whose model and actress sister is married to media mogul Lachlan Murdoch, runs international consultancy firm Eutility.

A resigning energy broker was arguing with managing director Clynton Higgs and chief financial officer Sara Marks when Mr O'Hare allegedly interjected.

'F**k off, you deal with me now,' he allegedly sent from his iPhone on July 14 in an email chain seen by Daily Mail Australia.

Shaun O'Hare is pictured with burlesque dancer Lucy Ellem arriving at his sister Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch's 20th anniversary party at Bondi Icebergs in 2019

Mr O'Hare is the brother of model Sarah Murdoch, who is married to News Corp media mogul Lachlan Murdoch

The 55-year-old employee said he would complain to the Fair Work Ombudsman about the email and events leading up to it.

'I was absolutely shocked. disgusted, annoyed, and scared when I saw that email,' he said in an interview.

Mr O'Hare, having been called out by the employee, sent a far more conciliatory follow up claiming he never sent the offending email.

'We are tracing a potential email hack as I certainly didnt send that email,' he wrote.

'I wish you all the best in your new endeavours and I am confident both Clynton and yourself will work this out. I certainly have no involvement at this point.

'I am sure our paths will cross again and will look forward to seeing you if it does.'

The employee rejected this explanation and said he was sure his former boss sent the email.

Mr O'Hare stuck to his story when contacted by Daily Mail Australia while on holiday in Spain and said he believed he had 'patched things up' with his ex-employee.

'That's still under investigation... I haven't got the latest yet from my office, I've been travelling on holidays,' he said.

Mr O'Hare got engaged to burlesque dancer and model Lucy Ellem, known professionally as Lulu Belle, in October 2020

When not holidaying in Europe, Mr O'Hare has spent much of the past few years during Covid at his vacation home in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, rather than his Sydney home

'I've told him if I see him on the street I'd shake his hand. It's just one of those things that happens.'

However, the employee claimed Mr O'Hare called him soon after speaking with Daily Mail Australia and admitted to sending the 'f**k off' email.

'He apologised for the email, he said it was poor form,' he said.

The dispute arose when the employee resigned after six years at Eutility, an energy and telecommunication management company, to work for a competitor.

He claimed he was owed about $10,000 in commissions but the company was dragging its feet, prompting the email chain into which Mr O'Hare interjected.

Ms Marks also agreed to let the broker keep his mobile phone number, but Mr Higgs reneged on the deal.

'As you are going to a competitor I have overruled Sara's offer,' he wrote in a text.

The staffer also claimed Mr O'Hare called him in November to say if he did not improve his results he wouldn't have a job by the end of March.

'[Since the call] I had not been sleeping well and I did everything I could to try to improve my result and re-build,' he wrote to Mr O'Hare.

He claimed the call was illegal as he wasn't warned or told what to do to improve beforehand, and he was later given an 'unachievable' performance improvement plan to manage him out of the company.

Mr O'Hare strongly denies making the phone call.

Ms Ellem promotes herself as being well practiced in the 'art of seduction/burlesque/trapeze'

Ms Ellem started dating Mr O'Hare in November 2018, but their relationship status is now up in the air

When not holidaying in Europe, Mr O'Hare has spent much of the past few years during Covid at his vacation home in Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, rather than his Sydney home.

During that time he got engaged to burlesque dancer and model Lucy Ellem, known professionally as Lulu Belle, in October 2020 after they started dating in November 2018.

'Very happy to announce Lucy Ellem and my engagement to be married whenever these travel restrictions end... love you darling,' he wrote on Facebook at the time.

Ms Ellem, whose promotes herself as being well practiced in the 'art of seduction/burlesque/trapeze', was even a guest at Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch's 20th wedding anniversary party in April 2019.

However, both changed their social media profile pictures to photos without each other, and Mr O'Hare was coy about their relationship status.

'Lucy and I are very good friends,' he said when asked if they were still together, and confirmed she did not travel to Europe with him.

When asked if that meant they were just friends and the engagement was off, he responded: 'That's still to be determined... She's a lovely girl.'

He moments later walked back from his comments, saying they were still together.

Mr O'Hare has two teenage daughters, Ashleigh and Tara, from a previous relationship.

He started Eutility in 1999 and serves as its executive director.
Australian couples may be aborting pregnancies after finding out they are having a girl, alarming data has revealed.

The world average is between 102 and 106 males for every 100 females born, meaning the national average of 105.2 in 2020 - the most recent data set available - is normal.

But for Indian and Chinese communities in Australia, the numbers are as high as 108.2 and 109.5 respectively, something experts say could indicate gender-selective abortions.

For first generation migrants from those communities who already have several children, the figures are as high as 125 boys for every 100 girls.

Advocates are now calling out for a 'missing girls' culture, rife in other nations, to be stopped, with taxpayers unknowingly forking out for these 'sexist' abortions.

One Melbourne GP even revealed to Daily Mail Australia how he told a couple to get 'into the 21st century' after they revealed they may seek an abortion if an ultrasound revealed they were having a girl.

'There is an overwhelming trend in the country for more girls to be aborted than boys,' an Australian Christian advocate said (pictured, a neonatal ward)

The latest an abortion can be carried out depends on where you live, with the ACT allowing a woman to have an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy

Wendy Francis from the Australian Christian Lobby said: 'There is a trend in the country for more girls to be aborted than boys.

'It isn't prevalent, but it is growing and particularly in some ethnic communities.'

Her comments come as Australia's women's ministers met in Adelaide on Friday to discuss streamlining abortion legislation and changes to Medicare.

The meeting, hosted by Federal Minister for Women Katy Gallagher, aims to examine a national approach to abortion laws.

It comes on the back of the controversial decision made in the US Supreme Court, which ruled women in America don't have a constitutional right to an abortion - leading to many states aiming to outlaw it entirely - including Texas, Utah, Mississippi to name a few.

The Christian Lobby has called for a change to the taxpayer-funded abortions happening through Medicare.

'One of the policies that needs to be changed in order to pursue equality, [is that] Medicare should not be funding sex-selection abortions - that is not something that passes the pub test for Australians or advances women's rights,' Ms Francis said.

She said taxpayers pick up the tab for about 90,000 abortions each year through Medicare and would be paying for the rising numbers of gender-selected terminations.

ACL National Director Wendy Francis (pictured) said Aussie tax-payers pick up the tab for about 90,000 abortions each year and shouldn't be funding sex-selective abortions - 'that is not something that passes the pub test'

'Now that the Australian ministers for women are talking about abortion laws and Medicare, this is one of the aspects they really need to look at,' Ms Francis said.

'This is something we can get on the front foot on and make sure it doesn't happen in Australia.'

There have been unusual variations in Australian birth rates, according to the latest available data, particularly among Indian and Chinese migrants.

The UN said when the numbers are higher than their standard, it suggests sex selection is taking place.

A 2018 Latrobe University study noted a cultural preference for sons within ethnic groups had led to a trend of more boys being born than girls in Victoria.

Lead researcher Dr Kristina Edvardsson said at the time the 'skew' towards boys shows that pre-natal gender selection was being carried out by migrants from countries where these practices are well documented.

'Our research revealed a higher than expected proportion of male births to mothers born in India, China and South-East Asia,' Dr Edvardsson said at the time.

'When comparing registered births of all first-generation migrants to registered births of Australian-born mothers, we found the number of male births among Indian and Chinese-born mothers was highest,' Dr Edvardsson said.

'[Over a five-year period] 122 and 125 boys were born to every 100 girls, respectively if the mother had two or more previous births.'

Melbourne GP Dr Gurdip Aurora (pictured) said he doesn't think there is a major issue in the Indian community in Australia with sex-selective abortions

Melbourne GP Dr Gurdip Aurora told Daily Mail Australia he recently saw an Indian couple who approached him seeking an ultrasound to determine the baby's gender in 2018.

The couple already had three daughters and told him if the next baby was a girl, they would have to make a decision about terminating her.

'They said "we have three girls and we don't want a fourth girl" and I said "we're in the 21st century ... please don't go to [another GP] because they will laugh at you".'

Dr Aurora said the woman was two months pregnant and the couple returned to him after eight months for another medical issue.

He asked about the baby and she said she had a miscarriage in India.

'I knew exactly what was happening, they went to India and had an abortion,' Dr Aurora said.

He added he has not had any similar requests since and didn't think there was a major gender-selective issue in the Indian community.

But he said the problem was common in India and parts of the Arab world.

'There is a gender inequality, there are more males than females so they can't find ladies to marry,' he added.

An estimated two million girls go missing each year in India, the Indian government has said.

'There are several contributing factors, including sex-selective abortion and neglect of and discrimination towards girl children,' a Missing Girls of India report said in 2021.

Dr Mark Hobart (pictured) refused to refer a couple for an abortion after they said they didn't want the baby because of her gender

In some cases girls are killed soon after birth - a practice that has been going on for centuries, the report said.

One Victorian doctor was under investigation by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in 2013 for refusing to help a couple get an abortion at 19 weeks.

Dr Mark Hobart was threatened with deregistration after he turned down Indian parents who wanted to terminate a healthy baby girl because of her gender, the Herald Sun said.

Meanwhile, RMIT University Senior Lecturer Dr Caroline Norma told Daily Mail Australia there were more pressing issues with abortions.

'Bigger problems of how abortion features as part of domestic violence, incest, and prostitution need to be investigated,' Dr Norma said.

RMIT University Senior Lecturer and author Dr Caroline Norma (pictured) said other issues plague abortions in Australia more, like unwanted pregnancies hailing from domestic violence, incest and prostitution

'These other problems are likely more widespread and affecting the Australian population as a whole.

'I think the problem lies with the Australian medical system that offers ultrasound with disclosure of foetus sex.

'Such disclosures should be banned - not just for people in communities more likely to want sex-selective abortions - but for everyone.

'Just as free and easily available should be residential facilities for mothers and babies, so that young women can realistically go through with a pregnancy if they want to,' she added.

Dr Norma said the gender-selective issue in Australia is easily fixed by banning ultrasounds that determine sex in an unborn baby

Ms Francis said women facing unwanted or unexpected pregnancies need more support in getting advice and financial help.

'What we need to do is that women [should] have full options before they feel like their only option is abortion,' Ms Francis said.

'Sometimes aborting the baby is not the answer the woman actually wants - but it's the only answer we give.'

She suggested government-funded pregnancy centres, where women can get financial support, advice and help in domestic violence cases.

'At the moment there is nothing like that, there are charities and community groups set up but we don't have government-funded areas where they can go.'

She said a lot of the time women find themselves pregnant and alone and they need somebody to walk with them on that journey.

Federal Health Minister Mark Butler was contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.

The procedure is legal in all states and territories but they have different rules on how, when and where it can be accessed - with the agenda looking into streamlining and protecting women's abortion rights.

The latest an abortion can be carried out depends on where you live, with the ACT allowing a woman to have an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy.

The gender of a baby can be revealed via blood tests in Australia at ten weeks, with most abortions being carried out in the first 12 weeks after conception.

Women can get an ultrasound done of their babies between 18 and 20 weeks to also determine sex.
While most Australians have had enough of Covid-19 restrictions after more than two years, ABC presenters are still haranguing politicians on television and radio about bringing back mask mandates.

Such is the unity among journalists at the national broadcaster about forcing citizens to wear face coverings again it might appear to have almost become part of the ABC's charter.

As the taxpayers who fund Aunty get on with their jobs and learn to live with the virus, observers claim 'groupthink' has set in at ABC studios.

From David Speers on Insiders to Michael Rowland on News Breakfast and Patricia Karvelas on Radio National, there is a relentless push to bring back mask mandates.

Leading the way, as he has from the beginning, is Dr Norman Swan, host of Radio National's The Health Report and the Coronacast podcast.

While most Australians have had enough of Covid-19 restrictions after more than two years, ABC presenters are still haranguing politicians on television and radio about mask mandates

Sky News host Chris Kenny will present an hour-long examination of the 90-year-old institution on Tuesday night called Your ABC Exposed.

Kenny has long been a critic of the country's biggest broadcaster and has noted its presenters' fixation on wanting Covid restrictions to be imposed by government.

'Right from the start of the pandemic the ABC has led the charge in fuelling hysteria and public paranoia while encouraging maximum government intervention,' he said.

'No matter how many times Norman Swan and others have been proven wrong, they have simply doubled down.

'Yet, even now, with everyone who wants a vaccine jabbed up to four times, and all the evidence and lived experience showing most people have little to fear, ABC presenters keep up the fear-mongering and push for mandates and illiberal approaches.'

So far, governments have resisted the calls for mask mandates but federal Health Minister Mark Butler knows he will likely be grilled about the topic whenever he appears on an ABC program.

From David Speers on Insiders to Michael Rowland on News Breakfast and Patricia Karvelas (above) on Radio National, there is a relentless push to bring back mask mandates

On July 8, Rowland went as far as suggesting Butler and his political colleagues were 'accepting' deaths by not re-introducing compulsory face coverings.

[As of this week there had been fewer than 300 deaths of Australians aged under 50 to have contracted Covid, from a total of fatal cases under 11,000].

Butler said the advice from chief health officers was that the nation had 'moved beyond the era of very broad mask mandates and lockdowns', and that Australians could make their own choice about wearing a mask indoors.

Rowland refused to accept that position and kept pushing for mask mandates.

'We do know there are studies reflecting this, that compulsory mask mandates have close to 100 per cent success rate,' he said.

'[That's] as opposed to what you're saying, just asking people to wear them. You're not worried about people not making the right decision here?'

Butler hit back by saying Australians could 'take control of their own circumstances' in the pandemic's third year as they got used to living with the virus.

On July 8, ABC News Breakfast Michael Rowland (above) suggested Health Minister Mark Butler and his political colleagues were 'accepting' deaths by not re-introducing compulsory face coverings

Rowland was still not satisfied and pointed to the more than 10,000 people who had died with Covid since the pandemic's start.

'By not taking steps to minimise transmissions... aren't we, Mark Butler, as a society, implicitly accepting that death toll?' he said. 'And are you comfortable with that?'

By not taking steps to minimise transmissions... aren't we, Mark Butler, as a society, implicitly accepting that death toll? News Breakfast's Michael Rowland

Butler noted the lives 'tragically lost' and tried to answer the question but was cut off by Rowland. 'As a society, do we just sit back and accept that?' the host said.

Butler: 'No, we don't sit back and accept it.'

Two days later over on Insiders it was Speers nudging Butler towards forcing Australians to wear masks over winter.

'You say we've moved to a new phase of the pandemic but you just told us we're in a new wave that's very serious, you're worried about this,' Speers said.

'Are we really in a new phase of the pandemic where we don't need to consider some of these old measures, like mask mandates, in particular?

On July 10 Insiders host David Speers quizzed Health Minister Mark Butler about why mask mandates had not been reinstated. 'Why don't we look at that for the next six weeks?' he asked

'Why don't we look at that for the next six weeks?'

Butler had received no advice to mandate mask-wearing and said face coverings were better in 'targeted' places such as hospitals and airports and to protect vulnerable residents in aged care facilities.

Are we really in a new phase of the pandemic where we don't need to consider some of these old measures, like mask mandates, in particular? Insiders host David Speers

'And if you're in a crowding indoor space with no ability to socially distance you should give strong consideration to wearing a mask,' he said.

Speers then said recommending people wear masks was 'ineffectual' and the proof could be seen in shopping centres and sporting stadiums where few were worn.

'Wasn't one of the lessons of this pandemic, mask mandates for a fixed period, work?' he asked.

Butler: 'But we're deep into the third year. They did work very well for the first couple of years.'

Speers: 'We're in a third wave'.

Swan said on July 18 the country could be 'stuffed' unless mask mandates were brought back before the next Covid variant arrived on our shores.

'We probably do need to mandate masks and N95s in high risk environments,' he told Karvelas.

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'Otherwise when the next variant comes along and it's more virulent than this one - in other words more likely to kill you or make you seriously ill - we'll be stuffed.'

Swan said governments had a responsibility reinstate mask rules, and insisted vaccines alone weren't enough to protect the population.

'The government has loaded the dice on the vaccines and the vaccines are not enough,' he said.

Karvelas continued with the theme on July 20 when she interviewed Professor Paul Kelly, Australia's chief medical officer.

'Okay, let me ask then, have you recommended mask mandates?' she asked.

'I have recommended that we need to increase mask use,' Kelly replied. 'We do of course have mandates that are existing.'

Kelly said he had recommended increasing mask use throughout the community, 'and we have left it there for others to consider the pros and cons of how to do that - that's really a matter for others.'

Karvelas: 'Why haven't you made that recommendation stronger?'

Kelly: 'It's a pretty strong recommendation.'

But Karvelas was not letting Kelly off the hook. 'Well you're saying it's up to them,' she said.

'You're not saying it should be mandated. It's different language in the past, I'm not trying to be, I just want to understand why your recommendation hasn't been given.

'We're seeing this wave and you're saying it's going to peak in hospitals higher than ever in our country in the past, why there hasn't been a firm recommendation?'

Radio National's The Health Report host Norman Swan said on July 18 the country could be 'stuffed' unless mask mandates were brought back before the next Covid variant arrived on our shores

On Monday, parents in Victoria were advised by the heads of all school systems that children over the age of eight should cover their faces in class but the state government insisted that was not a mask mandate.

Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper reported the new advice under the front page headline 'Mask Madness', which set off the city's ABC Radio drive host Raf Epstein.

'Helpful aren't they?' Epstein wrote on Twitter. 'Simple science @advice saying masks are a good idea at school is weaponised as "madness".'

Sky News host Chris Kenny has accused ABC presenters and producers of 'groupthink' in their attitude to Covid mask mandates

Kenny described ABC presenters' Covid views as groupthink and suggested they did not represent the majority of Australians.

'For more than two years many people have faced real job insecurity, small businesses have shut, kids have missed school and people have been separated from loved ones,' he said.

'But ABC presenters and other government employees have had job security and been able to work from home, yet they are still encouraging over-the-top authoritarian responses that, in the real world, can dramatically affect people's quality of life and even undermine their livelihoods.

'The groupthink at the ABC is extraordinary, with all presenters and producers seeming to share the same view, instinctively favouring government intervention and compulsion.

'They need to mix with mainstream Australians who have a different perspective, valuing freedom of choice, resilience and individual responsibility.'

The ABC was contacted for comment. Your ABC Exposed premieres on Sky News on Tuesday, July 26 at 8pm AEST.
A flight attendant-turned FIFO worker has explained how she earns $3,200 a week after tax in Australia's mines, but also revealed a sleazy downside.

Megan Meeke, an ex-Virgin fight attendant, bumped up her weekly pay by more than 30 per cent after taking a simple eight hour training course online which gave her more registered skills to use on job sites.

She warned that it's far from easy money though, describing how she often has to work up to 77 hours a week - not to mention dealing with offensive comments from male colleagues.

Scroll down for video

Megan Meeke (pictured) did training for three new tickets to get a job as a trade assistant - which saw her pay rocket to $3,200-a-week - but it's not without its downsides

Completing the training took Ms Meeke (pictured) just one day, with eight hours of online training

Ms Meeke also revealed how brutal her roster is - working 77 hours-a-week

'You only got the job in mines cos you got on your knees,' she said that one man told her.

A follower, who works in mining in north Queensland commented, saying: 'As if we didnt have to go through months worth of medicals and interviews.'

A Perth FIFO supervisor also chipped in, claiming he'd had someone fired 'for saying this to one of the female truckies'.

'There's no room for that,' he said.

Earlier Ms Meeke uploaded a viral post to TikTok celebrating signing a new contract worth $3,200 a week - after tax.

She explained to a curious follower how the pay rise came about.

Ms Meeke did training for three new tickets to get a job as a trade assistant: working in confined spaces, working at heights and a gas testing atmospheres ticket.

The training involved a one day course and eight hours of online training.

Some commenters pointed out that even after her pay rise, Ms Meeke 'only' gets $41 an hour - after tax - for her brutal 77 hour week.

Megan Meeke, 27, a former Virgin flight attendant, makes $3,200 a week after tax from her FIFO work in Western Australia's Pilbara mining region

Ms Meeke (pictured) did training for three new tickets to get a job as a trade assistant: working in confined spaces, working at heights and a gas testing atmospheres ticket

A typical day starts at 3.30am if she's working 4am to 4pm, or 4.30am - which is a sleep-in - for the 5am to 5pm shift.

While most Australians are still getting their last couple of hours' of sleep, Ms Meeke is on site early for a pre-work safety briefing.

Everyone gets an hour lunch break plus two other 20 minute breaks a day.

After her 12 hour shift, it's home for a shower, then dinner in the dry mess and if she has the energy, a drink with co-workers in the tavern.

'Or go to my room and pass out because Im so tired, I try and sleep by 9pm.'

But she pointed out she can save far more than she would on the same hourly rate in a city job because everything is paid for.

'When you are up on site for those two weeks, everything is paid for - accommodation (called 'dongas'), all your food, drinks, snacks - everything.

'They also have games nights, bingo, gyms, pools, everything you could need to be honest! And it's all free. Not that I've been to the gym yet I'm always too tired from the day.'

Her roster, known as a 'swing', involves her doing 14 days straight before she gets a day off.

The former Virgin air hostess came to Australia in 2019 and tried several jobs to support her travels before settling on fly-in-fly-out mining work

At least once a month, she hops on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous resort locations such as the Maldives, Dubai , Thailand and Bali

Then at least once a month, she hops on a plane to explore another part of Australia or party in glamorous resort locations such as the Maldives, Dubai, Thailand and Bali.

'It is definitely a tiring job but also an amazing lifestyle if you are someone that wants to travel the world and earn amazing money,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

Unskilled but well-paid: entry-level mining jobs Truck drivers and 'nippers: $90,000 to $120,000 (0-12 months experience) Service crew: around $150,000 (6-12 months experience) Diamond driller: $150,000 to $190,000 Boggers and charge-up: $160,000 to $200,000 (2-5 years) Jumbo operators: $200,000 to $250,000 Supervisors and foremen: Up to $300,000 Source: Underground Training Advertisement

'FIFO is something I really do recommend, especially if your young and want to travel, you earn amazing money and the lifestyle is great!

'You work hard for two weeks, then you have your week off to go off to another country or explore more of Australia, then go back to work, work hard earn big money and then travel again.'

Since arriving in Australia, she has travelled to Bali, Croatia, Mexico, America and Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Dubai and Singapore.

The best thing about FIFO work, she said, is definitely the money.
A man was hospitalised with a rare disease that kills nearly a third of those who catch it - and can cause sufferers to bleed from the eyes.

The middle-aged patient was bitten by a tick before being diagnosed with Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) and taken to hospital in Castile and Leon, Spain.

He was then airlifted to another hospital by the Spanish Ministry of Defence on Thursday.

As many as 40 per cent of those who catch CCHF are killed, often within two weeks.

According to the WHO, the overall morality rate is 30 per cent.

One of CCHF's most common symptoms is bleeding from the eyes and on the skin (file image)

CCHF is usually carried by ticks. It can be transmitted by humans via blood or body fluids (file)

CCHF is usually carried by ticks and livestock. It can be transmitted between humans via infectious blood or bodily fluids.

How to treat CCHF in people and animals General supportive care with treatment of symptoms is the main approach to managing Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in people. The antiviral drug ribavirin has been used to treat CCHF infection with apparent benefit. Both oral and intravenous formulations seem to be effective. It is difficult to prevent or control CCHF infection in animals and ticks as the tick-animal-tick cycle usually goes unnoticed and the infection in domestic animals is usually not apparent. Tick vectors are numerous and widespread, so tick control with acaricides (chemicals intended to kill ticks) is only a realistic option for well-managed livestock production facilities. There are no vaccines widely available for human or animal use. In the absence of a vaccine, the only way to reduce infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to the virus. Source: World Health Organization Advertisement

Symptoms tend to appear suddenly and include fever, muscle ache, dizziness, mood swings, confusion, bleeding in the eyes and on the skin, among numerous others.

It was first found in Crimea nearly 70 years ago. Today CCHF is endemic in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Balkans, with cases rarely recorded in northern Europe.

Health authorities in Leon wrote: 'He has a tick bite and remains in a stable condition, despite the clinical severity that this pathology implies.'

Spain detected its first case of CCHF in 2011 and a Spanish man died in 2016 after being diagnosed with the disease following a tick bite.

In March a British woman was found to be carrying the disease, the UK's fourth case since 2012.

She received specialist care at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, said the virus does not spread easily between people and the overall risk to the public is very low.

It came after a mysterious Ebola-like illness killed three people in Tanzania ten days ago.

Authorities in the East African nation south of Kenya called the outbreak 'strange'.

Health chiefs were dispatched to investigate the illness, which has struck 13 people in total.

None of the 13 Tanzanian patients, who live in the southern Lindi region, have tested positive for either of the haemorrhagic viruses.

Covid swabs also came back negative, according to the country's ministry of health.

Tanzania's chief medical officer Aifello Sichalwen said one of the patients had fully recovered while the others were being isolated.

He added: 'The government formed a team of professionals who are still investigating this unknown disease.'

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan said the 'strange' disease may have been caused by 'growing interaction' between humans and wild animals.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly planning to a third trip to Ukraine before he leaves office to bid adieu to President Zelensky.

Mr Johnson has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine's resistance against the Russian invasion and has won plaudits from its people.

On Friday, Mr Johnson had a phonecall with his ally Mr Zelensky, who told the PM he had watched his final Prime Minister's Questions last week and approved of his parting comment, 'Hasta la vista, baby,' The Telegraph reports.

An insider said: 'He is really feeling the burden of responsibility having been [Mr Zelensky's] biggest backer. He can't just walk away and not make sure the world has got his back.

'He is hoping to see him again before he leaves office.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) is reportedly planning to a third trip to Ukraine before he leaves office to bid adieu to President Zelensky (left)

Yesterday, the Prime Minister was pictured visiting Ukrainian troops being trained by British soldiers in North Yorkshire, and he personally tried out some of their maneuvers

In a call between the two leaders, Mr Johnson 'stressed the UK's ongoing determination to support the Ukrainian people and that resolve will not waver'

The PMs spokesman would not comment on 'hypothetical trips to Ukraine' when asked on Thursday.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister was pictured visiting Ukrainian troops being trained by British soldiers in North Yorkshire.

Commentators have suggested the PM may be scaling back his activities as his premiership enters its last stages.

It is understood Mr Johnson won't address the decennial Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops and spouses, on Tuesday.

Around 8,000 members of the Conservative Party are alleged to have signed a petition calling for a vote on whether Mr Johnson can stay on as Prime Minister.

During his call to Zelensky on Friday, Mr Johnson insisted that British support will 'not waver' regardless of who becomes the next leader of the country.

The Prime Minister also welcomed news of a much-anticipated deal to get grain out of Ukraine, amid hopes that the agreement can avoid a global food crisis.

I Mr Johnson 'stressed the UK's ongoing determination to support the Ukrainian people and said that resolve will not waver, no matter who becomes the next UK prime minister'.

In a call to Volodymyr Zelensky (right) today, Boris Johnson (left) stressed the UK's 'ongoing determination to support the Ukrainian people', adding that 'resolve will not waver, no matter who becomes the next UK prime minister'

Boris Johnson and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, walking side-by-side prior to talks during his second visit to Kyiv since the beginning of Russia's invasion in June

Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements today with Turkey and the United Nations to clear the way to export millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain as well as Russian grain and fertiliser. Pictured: Wheat grains in a storage facility on a farm near Izmail, in the Odessa region of Ukraine

A Downing Street spokeswoman said, 'President Zelensky thanked the PM for his staunch support for Ukraine, and for his kind words in his last address to Parliament.

'The Prime Minister outlined the recent steps the UK has taken to bolster Ukraine's resistance, including training thousands of Ukrainian troops in the UK.

'The UK is working to expand this training effort, including through the involvement of international partners. President Zelensky said the military support being provided by the UK and others is making a real difference in the conflict.

'The Prime Minister welcomed today's announcement of a UN-brokered deal to get grain out of Ukraine via the Black Sea and end Russia's blockade. Both the Prime Minister and President Zelensky stressed the need for the deal to be implemented in full by all parties.'

Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements today with Turkey and the United Nations to clear the way to export millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain as well as Russian grain and fertiliser.

The moves end a stand-off that had threatened food security around the globe.
An illegal migrant who last month crossed to Britain in a small boat has been caught by The Mail on Sunday gloating about the ease with which he has been able to disappear.

Elvis Zoto, 19, boasted on social media about entering the UK illegally and even posted a picture of his Home Office registration form that shows the Albanian arrived in Dover on June 29.

He claims to have been moved from detention to a hotel after just two days and says he promptly escaped by climbing through a window. Asylum seekers are required to maintain contact with the Home Office as part of their release and to inform the authorities of any new address.

A video posted on Zotos TikTok social media account earlier this month shows him sitting outside a cafe on a busy London street. The video is accompanied by laughing emojis. Separate images show Zoto posing with huge wads of 20 and 50 banknotes.

An illegal migrant who last month crossed to Britain in a small boat has been caught by The Mail on Sunday gloating about the ease with which he has been able to disappear. Migrants are seen arriving into Dover earlier this month

Approached by a Mail on Sunday reporter posing as an immigrant in France, Zoto claimed the journey to the UK was easy, but advised them to hurry with their trip because the law will change soon.

Asked about the dangers of crossing the Channel on a small boat, he said: Do not be scared of it. I arrived on a boat. A journey that doesnt need a lot of money and the best for you . . . Hurry up and do not wait long. The law will change soon. It will get worse.

In a later message, he added: They keep you in detention a maximum of two days, then send you to a hotel. In the detention centre its good conditions. You tell them you are married and thats the end of the story. You have to get away from the hotel and just wait for your relatives to get you in a car. I left from the window of that hotel . . . I disappeared . . . Keep a low profile and after a month get a solicitor.

He also told the undercover reporter to ignore the threat of removal to Rwanda under the Governments controversial plan to send migrants to the East African country.

He also told the undercover reporter to ignore the threat of removal to Rwanda under the Governments controversial plan to send migrants to the East African country. One of the hotels which was ready to host the migrants is pictured above

Well thats what the State says but its not true, he said.

Asked about Zotos comments, Alp Mehmet, chairman of the think-tank Migration Watch, said: This sums up the sorry state of our immigration and asylum systems.

The ease with which our borders can be breached by such mickey-taking chancers who then go on to simply disappear is a disgrace.

The case comes just days after a report by David Neal, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, revealed 227 migrants absconded from supposedly secure hotels between last September and January and remain missing.

He wrote: The Home Offices performance in delivering an effective and efficient response to the challenge posed by the increasing volume of migrant arrivals via small boats is poor.

More than 15,000 people  including criminals who had previously been deported from the UK  have crossed the Channel this year. Last night, a Home Office spokesman said: If an asylum seeker absconds before a decision is made on their claim, or if they fail to comply with our processes, their asylum claim can be withdrawn.

We have a dedicated national absconder tracing team working with the police, other government agencies and commercial companies to track down and bring absconders back into contact with the Home Office.

Models warning after watching a man drown crossing the English Channel

An Ethiopian beauty queen has warned of the dangers of crossing the Channel after watching a fellow migrant drown during a terrifying voyage to Britain.

Selamawit Teklay, who represented her country in pageants around the world and ran a successful fashion label, fled the war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia last year.

Selamawit Teklay fled the war-torn Tigray region of Ethiopia last year

She made her way to Calais before boarding a crowded boat to cross the treacherous waters last November.

In an interview with the BBCs Tigrinya language service, she said: In that boat, I realised that the decision I had made was wrong. Weve seen terrible things back home. But to cross this sea is so perilous that no one should try.

The 27-year-old, whose beauty pageant appearances include the Miss Grand International competition in Vietnam in 2017, told how the boats engine fell off midway across the Channel, leaving them stranded. An Arab man jumped into the sea to try to get it out. He couldnt, she said. Then one of our Tigrayan brothers went in. He never came back! We searched for him. We heard him shouting. We couldnt find him.

We made desperate calls for help. However, the lifeguards arrived three hours later. Our brother drowned in front of me. I saw his demise with my own eyes.

The incident came four days before another boat sank, killing 27 of the migrants on board, including an Ethiopian whom Ms Teklay had befriended while in a camp in Calais.

Ms Teklay fled Ethiopia after an uncle was killed in the civil war between government forces and rebels from the countrys former ruling party, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front.

The migrants on her stricken vessel were eventually rescued by the coastguard. She is now claiming asylum.
Donald Trump's claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged got a standing ovation from a crowd of young conservatives in Tampa on Friday night.

At another point he blasted the global climate crisis as a 'hoax' that had to be 'defeated' by Republicans.

After arriving more than an hour late to his scheduled appearance at Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit, the former president delivered a lengthy hour-and-a-half speech in which he raged at the Biden administration, Democrats' agenda, the border crisis - and dropped more hints he could run to change that in 2024.

'Our country has never been in a position like this. The election was stolen, it was rigged,' the former president said in his speech, sponsored by Turning Point Action.

'I ran twice, I won twice, and I did much better the second time than the first.'

The audience in the Tampa Convention Center erupted in cheers - a departure from the lackluster reception his complaints about the 2020 race have gotten at recent campaign rallies.

And dropping yet another hint about his 2024 ambitions, Trump added: 'And now we may just have to do it again.'

Audience members broke into chants of 'Take it back' while the ex-president looked on approvingly.

Trump's election fraud message resonating with young voices would be a significant shift from establishment Republicans' warnings that voters are not interested in re-litigating the past.

Donald Trump took the stage at Turning Point's Student Action Summit more than an hour after his scheduled appearance

He then gave a lengthy 90-minute speech less than 24 hours after holding a rally in Arizona

The crowd of young conservatives was electrified by the former president and even cheered his 2020 election fraud claims

In another White House tease toward the end of his speech, Trump said: 'If I agreed to stay silent, if I stayed home, if I announced that I was not going to run for office, the persecution of Donald Trump would be stopped.'

'But that's what they want me to do - and you know what, there's no chance I do that,' he added.

The former presidents son, Donald Trump Jr., opened for his father in his first public speech since the death of his mother, Ivana Trump, just days ago.

If Im like low energy Jeb, I hope you guys will forgive me and let it slide this once, Don Jr. told supporters, referencing 2016 Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush.

But he was still at Saturday nights event, he said, because I know it matters and I know my mom would want me to be here.

His speech and that of his father were sponsored by Turning Point Action.

Meanwhile, battle lines for the 2024 election cycle appear to have been drawn at the multi-day Republican student event.

The multi-day event attracted teenage and young adult Republicans from across the country

The day before Trumps speech, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a campaign-like address to an enthusiastic audience on the first day of the summit Friday.

While hes insisted that he is focusing on his 2022 re-election in Florida, DeSantis has not ruled out facing Trump in a surely contentious GOP presidential primary - which has reportedly infuriated the former president, according to Politico.

DeSantis swung at the Biden administration and poked fun at the presidents COVID-19 diagnosis, wishing the country a very speedy recovery from Joe Biden.

He also touted his leadership on education and his public battle with Disney, while taking shots at California Governor Gavin Newsom - whos widely seen as a 2024 Democratic hopeful if Biden does not run.

The popular Republican governor made no mention of Trump during his 30-minute address.

Other potential 2024 GOP hopefuls who spoke at the event were Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Trumps appearance in Tampa comes after he received rare jeers from his rally crowd in Arizona on Friday night - prompting the confused ex-president to ask: But you like me, right?

DeSantis' speech on Friday night hovered between a national political message and touting his accomplishments in Florida

His otherwise adoring audience booed when Trump mentioned his recent endorsement of House GOP hopeful Eli Crane, who is running for Arizonas 2nd Congressional District despite reportedly having no ties to the state.

It was Trumps second rally in Arizona this year, held on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and Senate candidate Blake Masters

During the rally Trump also raged against the House January 6 committee, which wrapped its last in a series of eight hearings on Thursday - though its Vice Chair Liz Cheney promised more would come in the fall.

A friend of mine recently said that I was the most persecuted person in the history of our country,' he said. 'I thought about it, and I felt, you know, he may very well be right.'

The panels eighth hearing unveiled new information about what the former president did in the 187 minutes between when he urged his supporters to march on the US Capitol in his Stop the Steal rally and when he told them to go home.

Lawmakers contrasted the images of Trump watching the violence unfold from the White House dining room and then-Vice President Mike Pence being rushed out by his security detail, just barely missing the rioters.

It also included audio from an unnamed White House security official who said Secret Service agents protecting Pence 'started to fear for their own lives' and even placed calls to family to say goodbye.
The mom of a 23 year-old suspected of murdering a mom, dad and little girl he didn't know has told of the moment the couple's sole surviving child rushed up to her to tell her what her son had done.

Cecelia Sherwin spoke out two days after her son Anthony, 23, allegedly killed Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their six year-old daughter Lula at Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, Iowa.

Cecelia, from La Vista in Nebraska, said that her family was camping in the park with a legally-held gun that was safely-stored when the horror unfolded. On Friday morning, she says that she was awoken by gunshots and a young boy - the Schmidt's nine year-old son Arlo - who told her that a man clad in black just killed his family.

The shooter's mother said that her son was wearing green, not black, and refuses to believe he is behind the horrific triple-murder suicide. It is unclear if he used the family weapon to kill his victims and himself.

Cecilia told the Omaha World-Herald: 'We think (Anthony) might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety. We refuse to believe the news. We are deeply saddened as he had so much to live for and gave us no indication that anything was wrong.'

Officials are unsure if Sherwin had any connection to the victims, and his mom didn't clarify.

Parents Sarah and Tyler Schmidt, both 42, and their daughter Lula, 6, were shot and killed on Friday morning while camping in Iowa. Arlo Schmidt, 9, was the sole survivor

DailyMail.com has contacted his family for further information.

Sherwin was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound just west of the campgrounds.

It is unclear if Arlo was in the same place as his sister and parents when they were murdered, and further information about how he was spared has not emerged.

Anthony Sherwin lived with his parents in a neat apartment, and local police say he had no known criminal record.

His Facebook page is completely blank, bar a black square that he used as his profile picture.

Sarah's sister, Jana Morehouse, mourned the loss of her sibling and called the attack 'a random act of violence.'

Mitch Mortvedt, from the Iowa Department of Public Safety also suggested that the attack may well have been random.

'We don't know what led up to this, what precipitated it,' he said, adding that so far, 'the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.'

'Today, my life has been shattered,' Morehouse wrote. 'My beautiful, smart, funny, curly haired sister, her husband, and their 6 year old daughter were victims of a random act of violence while camping as a family in Iowa.

'Their 9 year old son was able to survive and has a lifetime of trauma ahead.'

The family of the victims have set up a GoFundMe page to help support Arlo and set up an education fund for his future.

Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, of Nebraska, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe Sherwin shot the Schmidts at a Maquoketa Caves State Park campground

No motive for the murders has emerged. Sherwin was visiting Iowa from Nebraska. His empty Facebook profile is pictured above

Loved ones are mourning the tragedy as they rally to raise funds for the orphaned boy

The campgrounds were cleared following the shooting as police searched for Sherwin, whose body was found just west of the campground

She added that it was unthinkable for life to go on without her sister or young niece.

I cannot fathom that [Sarah] will no longer be on the other side of the phone,' Morehouse said. 'I cannot fathom that I don't get to see Lula grow up.'

Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, a neighbor of the Schmidts, also mourned the family's tragic death on Friday, urging residents to help support Arlo.

Green, who knew Sarah as she worked at the Cedar Falls Public Library, wrote: 'Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts' many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy.'

By Saturday afternoon, the GoFundMe for the Arlo raised more than $66,000, with a Meal Train fundraising page also collecting $850 for the nine-year-old's food budget.

Pictured: Sarah and Tyler Schmit. The couple were neighbor's of Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who urged the community to support their son

Pictured: An undated photo of Tyler playing with his daughter Lula. Family members were distraught at knowing they would not see the child grow up

Officials are unsure if Sherwin had any connection to the victims as no evidence has been discovered so far that the 23-year-old ever interacted with the family

Green and Morehouse described the attack on the Schmidt family as a 'random act of violence,' which appears to be the initial conclusion police have come up with.

Police did not say whether or not Sherwin had a permit to carry a gun and did not disclose any information about the firearm used in the shootings.

Mortvedt said autopsies on Sherwin and the victims will be conducted over the weekend.
The countrys most dangerous terrorists will be sent straight to specialist extremist wings in jails following sentencing under new Government rules.

Units for prisons most high-risk, radicalising terrorists were established in 2017 to stop extremists spreading their ideology to other inmates. Currently there are three such units in operation across the country, which held around ten terrorists earlier this year.

The Government is moving to expand the use of the units  known as separation centres  and has now changed the rules so that prisoners can be referred to the wings immediately after being sentenced in court.

Previously jail staff could apply to move extremists into the units as a last resort and only after spotting any tell-tale signs of radicalisation inside prison  even when a convicted terrorist has a long-documented history of preaching hate.

New rules will allow prisoners to be immediately sent to 'separation centres' after being sentenced instead of waiting for signs of radicalisation (pictured: Hashem Abedi, who organised the Manchester Arena bomb attack and has reportedly been held in a high-risk unit)

Among those who have been held in the units are a high-explosives bomb expert, an Islamic State fighter, and reportedly Hashem Abedi, who organised and directed the Manchester Arena bomb attack which killed 22 people in 2017.

Radical hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who was released in 2018, was one of the first prisoners to be held in the terror unit at HMP Frankland, near Durham.

A second unit at HMP Woodhill, Milton Keynes, is now fully operational, and a third specialist terror wing at HMP Full Sutton, near York, is on standby.

There are currently around 220 terrorist offenders in UK jails, with a similar number on an at-risk radar over fears they could be radicalised, more than four-fifths of which are of Islamist ideology.

Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab called the rule change common sense

Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab described the rule change as common sense.

He said: With more and more terrorists being convicted and jailed for longer, we must prevent the most dangerous from radicalising the rest of the prison population.

So we are changing the rules to target the most dangerous offenders, so they can be sent directly from the dock of a court into one of our top security separation centres.

Mr Raab added: We also need to pass our Bill of Rights, to safeguard our ability to make these common-sense changes.

That will prevent terrorists using the Human Rights Act to claim a right to socialise in prison  protecting the public and making our streets safer.
Technology used in space exploration and mining is being used to catch paedophiles and fight organised crime.

Col Blanch was appointed as Western Australian police commissioner on July 15 after 30 years on the force and was the cop who broke the news that kidnapped toddler Cleo Smith was found safe.

Known for his 'fierce work ethic', he warned that his focus was firmly on safeguarding children from abuse and exploitation.

His previous experience includes several high-profile roles including director of intelligence for the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

New WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch (pictured) said he will 'aggressively' crack down on child exploitation and organised crime

Mr Blanch said artificial intelligence technology had already played a significant role in locating kidnapped toddler Cleo Smith who was found safe after she went missing for 18 days last year (pictured)

'I'll be targeting those type of offenders in the community... using partners like Telstra, like the FBI, like the Commonwealth, we will be finding people in our community who are exploiting our children,' he told The Sunday Times.

'We are going to use technology super aggressively... we've found a way to rapidly identify them all very quickly.'

Commissioner Blanch said cops were using cutting-edge technology being developed for other industries, and applying it to policework.

He pointed to geo-data company Fugro as an example, saying its work on remote mine sites for Rio Tinto and BHP and space exploration with NASA was already being used to find people lost in the bush or on the ocean.

WA Police awarded a $4.9 million contract to Fugro which is already heavily involved in the Australian Space Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Control Complex in Perth.

He said communications and robotics technologies could be directly applied to policework and artificial intelligence was being used to sift through mountains of information far more quickly than officers physically could.

He said this had already been successfully used on cases he had overseen including the bikie-linked assassination of Nick Martin at a drag racing event and helping to locate kidnapped toddler Cleo Smith.

Mr Blanch has more than three decades of experience in policing (pictured early on in his career)

Bikie gangs and other organised criminals are another particular focus of Commissioner Blanch, who wants to build on anti-bikie laws introduced in 2021.

He said he not only intended to make WA a 'hostile' place for bikies, he wanted to cut off their connections with larger organisations.

'In the next couple of weeks I intend to go and speak to the Commonwealth about what they can do to support us in that. We are going to have a very aggressive posture against those offshore and on the east coast who are targeting WA,' he said.

After a wave of resignations at WA's police force over the past 12 months, Commissioner Blanch also said he wanted to support officers as much as possible.

More than 300 officers resigned between July 2021 and July 2022.

He said one of his first tasks as commissioner would be increasing communication with officers and other specialists such as police psychologists.
A 10-year-old boy is among three people who have died following a horrific townhouse fire in south-west Sydney.

Emergency services were called to a house on Rottnest Avenue in Hinchinbrook just after 5.40am on Sunday after reports of a blaze.

Six people were evacuated from the house, three were able to flee themselves and three were rescued by firefighters.

Two women died at the scene while the child was taken to Westmead Children's Hospital in a serious condition before he later died.

Investigators believe the fire started in the garage and that the family became trapped upstairs.

Emergency services were called to a house on Rottnest Avenue in Hinchinbrook just after 5.40am on Sunday after reports of a blaze

A 10-year-old boy is among three people who have died following a horrific house fire in south-west Sydney

Ten fire trucks and a team of 60 firefighters fought the inferno with it only extinguished well after the rescue efforts

A police forensics officer is pictured at the scene of a fatal house fire in Sydney's southwest

A neighbour tried to douse the flames with a garden house before firefighters arrived on scene.

Ten fire trucks and a team of 60 firefighters battled to extinguish the inferno with crew using a ladder to reach the family trapped upstairs.

Two firefighters were injured with one suffering an electric shock and another falling through a window on the second-storey floor.

It's not clear yet what triggered the fire but police are investigating.

A man in his 40s was left in a critical condition while a woman in her 60s was left in a stable condition with the pair taken to Concord Hospital.

Another woman, in her 30s, was taken to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition.

A neighbour tried to douse the flames with a garden house before firefighters arrived on scene (pictured is the blackened home)

Two firefighters were injured with one suffering an electric shock and another falling through a window on the second-storey floor (pictured, the cordoned-off scene on Sunday)

NSW Ambulance's Dominic Carr said paramedics had treated eight people altogether and did everything within their power to save the boy (pictured, a person takes flowers to the scene)

NSW Ambulance's Dominic Carr said paramedics had treated eight people altogether and did everything within their power to try and save the boy.

'Look, it's never easy. You get there you give it your best go. You try everything you can,' he said.

'We did everything we could. The hospital was waiting for us. They dd everything they could. Unfortunately, the child succumbed to their injuries.'

Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Luke Unsworth described the blaze as 'intense'.

Safety crews are seen surveying the scene of the fatal house fire on Sunday

Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Luke Unsworth described the blaze as 'intense'

It's not clear yet what triggered the fire but police are investigating (pictured is the scene)

A man in his 40s was left in a critical condition while a woman in her 60s was left in a stable condition with the pair taken to Concord Hospital

'The fire was so intense that firefighters actually couldn't make it to the front door because of the radiant heat,' he said.

'They made their way up onto the second storey, and at that location managed to rescue three people who were handed over to ambulance for treatment.

'Unfortunately, two of those three people have been confirmed to be deceased  which is a tragic outcome for both the family and the local community.'

A neighbour described the family as 'nice' and said they were frequently spotted taking a walk around the area.

'We said hello to them. I remember there was husband, wife and son,' she told Daily Telegraph.

'They were a young couple. They were really nice people. We always saw them when we went to walk.

The two people who died are yet to be formally identified.

A crime scene has been established and forensic police will scour the ruins later on Sunday

A 10-year-old boy is among three people who have died following a horrific house fire

Thirteen people have died from fires this winter while 500 houses have gone up in flames since June

A crime scene has been established and forensic police will scour the ruins later on Sunday.

Superintendent Unsworth urged residents to take care during winter saying the colder months were a 'significantly dangerous time' for housefires.

'We are really urging all of the local community to engage when it comes to our fire-safety messaging,' he said.

'It's absolutely critical.'

Thirteen people have died from fires this winter while 500 houses have gone up in flames since June.
The first picture has emerged of the British father feared to have drowned while saving his son after the boy got into difficulty during a family trip to Lake Garda on Friday.

Sales director Aran Chada, 51, was with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children - a 14-year old boy and a girl aged seven - on a boat trip to northern Italy.

The family, who live outside Loughborough, Leicestershire, were understood to have just started their holiday which would have included Mr Chada's birthday on Tuesday, The Times reports.

While on a pleasure boat some 500 metres from the town of Limone, Mr Chada spotted his son struggling in the water and jumped into to rescue him.

An eyewitness said: 'He managed to get the boy back to the boat, where he was pulled in by his mother, but the man then slipped beneath the surface, perhaps suffering a seizure.'

Sales director Aran Chada, 51, was with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children - a 14-year old boy and a girl aged seven - on a boat trip to northern Italy

Mr Chadas partner then called emergency services, who traced the boat and send two coastguard vessels .

Helicopters, rescue boats, divers and a robot submarine were also sent the scour the 300m deep lake, but there has been no trace of Mr Chada yet.

Coastguard commander Antonello Ragadale said: 'This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but were doing everything we can to find his body.

'Divers arrived with the helicopters but could do little because a steep, rocky shelf descends to a great depth at that point, so a civil protection agency remote control mini-sub was sent down and searched for the man until late into the night, but to no avail.

Ms Mosley and her children were escorted back to their hotel where they are reportedly being supported by professional counsellors.

According to his LinkedIn page, Mr Chada worked for Global Energy Ventures, a company that services oilfields in Africa.

Commander Ragadale added: 'The search went on for several hours on Friday until it got dark and started again at first light on Saturday.

Friday saw warm weather in Limone, but the water was reportedly cold (rescue boat pictured)

Limone sul Garda, a picturesque lakeside town in northern Italy, was the scene of the accident

'The weather today is windy so the search is proving difficult but we will press on for as long as it takes so we can give some comfort to the poor woman and her children.

'The whole family are very upset and have been offered counselling while the search goes on and the British consulate has been informed.

'The water goes down to more than 200m in some places so we are using divers and underwater robots.

'The father was very brave in what he did. He saw his child in danger and he did what any parent would do and tried to save them which he did but sadly it would appear that he has lost his life.'

Known for its picturesque setting with dramatic mountains tumbling into the crystal clear lake, the area is a magnet for British holidaymakers and former PM Theresa May, who is a regular visitor and currently staying close by.

An eyewitness told local media: 'We were about 100m from the shore when we heard a woman screaming for help.

'I looked over and she was on a boat with two children shouting and pointing to the water so we called the emergency services and they were there very quickly.'

Temperatures at the time of the incident on Friday afternoon were around 38C but the water was considerably colder and officials believe the man may have had a thermal shock seizure.

As well as coastguard units, a firefighting boat and several volunteer vessels were used in the search. A helicopter also scanned the water, which reaches a maximum depth of 300 metres.

Known for its stunning setting and plunging cliffs, the area is a magnet for British holidayers

A robot camera which can scour the bed of the lake was also brought in and a specialist team of divers deployed.

A coastguard spokesman said: 'The family has rented a boat from a local company for two and a half hours and were due to return it a little before the accident.

'The man dived in to save his eldest child who was in difficulty and he managed to push him back towards the boat but he then got into trouble.

'It was very hot on Friday afternoon but the water was a good ten degrees colder so it's possible he could have had a seizure due to the thermal shock.

'The search went on for almost seven hours and stopped when it got dark but has now resumed. The family are in their hotel with police and a psychologist has been offered to them for support.'

The Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Italy and are in contact with the Italian police.
Britons imported almost 600,000 cats from overseas last year, including many subjected to the illegal process of declawing.

Experts are alarmed by a burgeoning trade in kitten smuggling fuelled by the growing popularity of pedigree breeds costing up to 2,000, such as Scottish Fold, furless Sphinx, Bengal and Maine Coons.

Just two per cent of the UK feline population were born abroad in 2020, but that has now risen to six per cent.

Experts are alarmed by a burgeoning trade in kitten smuggling fuelled by the growing popularity of pedigree breeds costing up to 2,000, such as Maine Coons (file pic)

Of the 590,000 cats imported last year from countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, the veterinary charity PDSA believes 31,000 were declawed, a practice banned in Britain, but being driven by a trend for more house cats.

A decade ago, 15 per cent of cats were kept indoors, but that has risen to 28 per cent.

Senior PDSA vet Dr Sean Wensley said: We are concerned about the welfare of imported cats and the increased risk of spreading new diseases in this country.

Declawing has been compared to cutting off someones toes or fingers. Side effects include loss of balance, back ache and stress.

The charities Cats Protection and RSPCA have joined forces to demand tougher pet travel rules to prevent exploitation of cats by unscrupulous traders.

They want cats to be at least six months old before they can enter Britain  up from 15 weeks  and a ban on pregnant and declawed animals.

Declawing has been compared to cutting off someones toes or fingers, with side effects including loss of balance, back ache and stress. Pictured: A cat's claws are trimmed (file photo)

Madison Rogers, acting head of advocacy at Cats Protection, said: It is clear there is a growth in cat imports and we need tougher measures before the trade gets out of control.

The Government has previously resisted a ban on declawed cats, but a consultation is now underway.

A Defra spokesman said: The Government takes animal welfare very seriously and we operate one of the most robust pet travel check regimes in Europe.
The British High Commission is pleased to invite proposals for projects in Mauritius and Rodrigues.

. Women and girls  Provide women and girls with the support they need to succeed, unlocking their potential, supporting their empowerment and protecting them against violence

. Climate and Nature  Reduce global emissions, build resilience, and halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity

. Good Governance  Supporting sustainable long-term development including good governance and democracy

. Sustainable economic development including trade facilitation

. Global Health  Supporting resilience and the reduction of social and economic impacts of health threats.

The British High Commission invite proposals from non-profit organisations, academic institutions, multilateral partners and government entities.

Funding will be up to MUR 850,000 per project. Activities should be completed by end of January 2023.

Applicants are invited to submit proposals using the project proposal form and activity-based budget template available International Programme Fund  call for bids 2022-23  GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

All necessary instructions are provided on International Programme Fund  call for bids 2022-23  GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Short-listed applicants will be asked to sign an agreement with the High Commission and commit to reporting requirements agreed between both parties.

Projects should not generate a profit for the implementers.

Deadline: 4 pm on 10 August 2022

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A member of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee warned that bio-weapons are being made that use a target's DNA to only kill that person.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum on Friday, US Rep Jason Crow of Colorado warned Americans to not be so cavalier about sharing their DNA with private companies due to the coming of the new type of weapon.

'You can actually take someone's DNA, take, you know, their medical profile and you can target a biological weapon that will kill that person or take them off the battlefield or make them inoperable,' Crow said.

The congressman said the development of the weapons is worrisome given the popularity of DNA testing services, where people willingly share their genetic mapping with businesses to gain insight on their genealogy and health.

'You can't have a discussion about this without talking about privacy and the protection of commercial data because expectations of privacy have degraded over the last 20 years,' the Democratic lawmaker said.

'Young folks actually have very little expectation of privacy, that's what the polling and the data show."

Crow, a former Army Ranger who served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, continued: 'People will very rapidly spit into a cup and send it to 23andMe and get really interesting data about their background.'

U.S. Rep Jason Crow, of Colorado, warned that bio-weapons are being made that use a target's DNA to only kill that person during the Aspen Security Forum on Friday

The congressman said the development of the weapons were worrying given the popularity of DNA testing services like 23andMe

23andMe has repeatedly stated that it does not sell off customers' private information, but other DNA companies have provided information to police upon request

'And guess what? Their DNA is now owned by a private company. It can be sold off with very little intellectual property protection or privacy protection and we don't have legal and regulatory regimes to deal with that.'

'We have to have an open and public discussion about... what the protection of healthcare information, DNA information, and your data look like because that data is actually going to be procured and collected by our adversaries for the development of these systems.'

23andMe has repeatedly stated that it does not sell off customers' private information, but other DNA companies have provided information to police upon request.

US Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the US rivals could use such DNA bio-weapons to target food supplies on a vast scale.

Ernst warned that biological weapons could be used to target specific animals that citizens, troops or cities depend on, bringing about scarcity and food insecurity to weaken people.

'Food insecurity drives a lot of other insecurities around the globe,' Ernst said.

'There's a number of ways we can look at biological weapons and the need to make sure not only are we securing human beings, but then also the food that will sustain us.'

US Senator Joni Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the US rivals could use such DNA bio-weapons to target food supplies on a vast scale

Earlier this week, the Washington Examiner reported on just how easy it could be for privately-owned databases to be used to develop bioweapons such as the ones touted by Crow.

The publication explained how DNA belonging to a target - or the close relative of a target - could be stolen and used to form a biological weapon effective against that person only.

That technology could lead to highly-targeted assassination programs, and also make it much harder for killers to be tracked down.

Similar technology could be deployed against US agriculture by designing weapons which target only a certain breed of farm animal, or crop.

That could plunge the country into famine, and leave the US on its knees in the face of hostilities from a rival like Russia or China.

Army General Richard Clark, commander of the US Special Operations Command, highlighted how Russia had already shot to infamy with a less-sophisticated version of the same scheme.

Discussing the nerve agent poisoning of former double agent Sergei Skripal in England in 2018, he said: 'Russia is willing to use those against political opponents. They're willing to use them on their own soil, but then to go in on the soil of a NATO ally in the UK and use those ... and as we go into the future, we have to be prepared for that eventualities.

'And I don't think we talk about it as much as we should and look for methods to continue to combat.'

Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned with the nerve agent Novichok in the English town of Salisbury, and almost died from their injuries. Britain's then-Prime Minister Theresa May blamed Russia for the outrage days later.

Last year, US Sen. Marco Rubio sounded the alarm that Russian and Chinese labs were processing the DNA tests of Americans through Medicare and Medicaid.

'It is ridiculous that our current policies enable the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans' genomic data,' Rubio said in a statement.

'There is absolutely no reason that Beijing, which routinely seeks to undermine US national security, should be handed the genomic data of American citizens.

In 2018, Ancestry, 23andMe, Habit, Helix, and MyHeritage all signed on to the policy drafted with the help of The Future of Privacy Forum, a non-profit, in support of 'advancing responsible data practices in support of emerging technologies,' according to Gizmodo.

The guidelines, titled Privacy Best Practices for Consumer Genetic Testing Services and released on Tuesday, deal with scenarios where users' personally identifiable and anonymous genetic information might be shared with law enforcement (without a warrant) and other third parties.

The new voluntary policies call for requiring separate consent from users before sharing 'individual-level information' with other businesses and more transparency about the number of requests for data received by, and fulfilled for, law enforcement.

While all the companies have said they agree to these standards of practice, there is no law enforcing the rules.
If Boris Johnson had listened to ex-Olympic rower Alex Story, he would almost certainly not have had to stand down as Prime Minister.

Former Conservative parliamentary candidate Mr Story revealed the sex-pest antics of ex-Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher, whose misconduct last month triggered Mr Johnsons downfall, way back in 2017.

Even though Pincher resigned as a whip, he was cleared by a Tory inquiry, reinstated by Theresa May and then promoted by Johnson.

Mr Johnson was forced to resign after it emerged he had failed to tell the truth about being told Pincher was disciplined for a separate piece of misbehaviour as a Foreign Office Minister in 2019.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, financier Mr Story, 47, a member of the British rowing team in the 1996 Olympics, says that if Mr Johnson had not lied about Pincher he would be staying in No 10.

A victim of Chris Pincher has said that Theresa May should be blamed not Boris Johnson, after she reinstated Mr Pincher when he had resigned him following an inquiry

Tory MP Chris Pinchers constituents are campaigning to remove him as their MP after he allegedly groped two men while drunk last month

However, Mr Story believes the main culprit for the scandal is Theresa May, for failing to act decisively five years ago when he first spoke of his ordeal with Pincher. He describes the Tory inquiry into the incident as a complete joke, claiming they never spoke to him.

Mrs May must not be allowed to get away with this lightly. She is walking around holier than thou  but she brought Pincher back.

In 2017 this newspaper reported that Mr Story had accused Pincher of behaving like a pound shop Harvey Weinstein after persuading him to come back to his London home after they met while canvassing at Tory HQ in Westminster in 2001.

Mr Story, who was 26 at the time and is now married with four children, said Pincher started untucking the back of my shirt, massaging my neck and whispered, Youll go far in the Conservative Party.

Former Conservative parliamentary candidate Alex Story called May's inquiry into the incident a complete joke

Pincher then disappeared into another room and returned in a bathrobe like a pound shop Harvey Weinstein, with his chest and belly sticking out. Mr Story then left.

Tamworth MP Pincher said at the time: If Mr Story has ever felt offended by anything I said then I can only apologise to him.

Today, Mr Story says the whole Tory party must shoulder responsibility for Pincher being allowed to continue his behaviour. In effect, Pincher served under three Prime Ministers. Pincher was an MP under David Cameron, a whip under May and a Minister under Johnson.

Mr Johnson was forced to resign after it emerged he had failed to tell the truth about being told Pincher was disciplined for a separate piece of misbehaviour as a Foreign Office Minister in 2019

Nor is Labour totally blameless, he argues, claiming parties conspire to cover up each others sex scandals.

There is a tacit pact, You dont talk about our sex pests and we wont talk about yours.

The so-called inquiry the Tories held into Pincher is what political parties do. They just hope another story will come along to distract people so they can keep their buddies in place.

Mr Story even has some sympathy for Mr Johnson: I know he is flawed but there was an orchestrated campaign to get him out. His critics are morally bankrupt themselves.
Campaigners have demanded a change in the law to better protect the victims of the soaring number of sinister cults in Britain.

In a new report, The Family Survival Trust urges the Government to amend a section of the 2015 Serious Crime Act which makes it illegal to engage in patterns of coercively controlling behaviour in an intimate or family relationship so that it also applies to those lured into the clutches of cults.

The number of cults in the UK is estimated to have soared from around 500 to as many as 2,000 since the 1990s.

The Family Survival Trust is urging the Government to better protect victims of cults in the UK

Former Tory Home Office Minister Tom Sackville, chairman of the Trust which supports cult victims, said: I strongly object to charlatans exploiting innocent people and there being no laws to protect them.

Coercive control is now considered a crime if it occurs in a domestic violence context.

The idea that exploitation, brainwashing and abuse is only a crime if the person you live with does it to you, but not a crime if your neighbour does it is odd, implying that mental manipulation cannot be a crime outside a relationship.

Government Ministers now need to do something about long-standing cultic abuse. It has been getting steadily worse over four decades.

The Trusts report  Coercive Control In Cultic Groups In The UK  features testimonies from 105 victims of 36 different cults.

Almost one in five (17 per cent) was raped and nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) worked for low pay or for nothing.

Many described becoming separated from their families and friends and being fleeced out of their savings.

A new report featuring testimonies from 105 victims of 36 different cults found one in five (17 per cent) was raped and nearly two-thirds (62 per cent) worked for low pay or for nothing

Dr Alex Stein, a former cult victim and now a trustee of the charity, said: The psychological dynamics in a cult are the same as those of a coercively controlling domestic relationship.

'In both cases the victim is isolated, put down and abused in numerous ways, including the control of their close relationships.

'This often goes with sexual abuse of one kind or another.

Dr Gillie Jenkinson, 69, who was recruited into a religious cult in the 1970s when she was 20 and now counsels victims, said: The environment was one of coercive control, bullying, gaslighting and financial exploitation.

Dr Jenkinson, who was beaten but escaped after eight years, added: The Government has to extend the legislation to make coercive control a crime within cultic groups.
Two of Britains most senior airline bosses are this weekend locked in a bitter exchange of insults over who is to blame for the summer travel chaos.

Former Heathrow chairman Sir Nigel Rudd and ex-BA boss Willie Walsh have become embroiled in the row after weeks of cancelled flights and passengers being forced to wait hours for their bags.

Rudd has written to The Mail on Sunday after Walsh complained to this newspaper last weekend that Heathrows recent performance has been farcical and that limits imposed on the number of passengers allowed through the airport was a terrible way of doing business. He also described Heathrow bosses as a bunch of idiots.

But Rudd, chairman at Heathrow until 2016, has broken cover to level the score. He says Walsh trashed the British Airways brand during his tenure and left it a laughing stock. Im relieved to see that the current management team at BA are flushing his approach down the lavatory, he added.

Heathrow has a limit on daily flights which is set to be in place until after the October half term, raising fears of cancellations and travel misery lasting well into the autumn

Former Heathrow chairman Sir Nigel Rudd (left) and ex-BA boss Willie Walsh (right) have been arguing over cancelled flights

Recalling his stint as chair at the airport group, Rudd said he had wanted to fight back but that he was advised against doing so. The prevailing view was that we couldnt as he was our largest customer, he added. I wish I had ignored that advice and exposed him for what he was  a person that trashed a great brand and created a company that is a byword for poor service.

Walsh was chief executive of British Airways and then ran its parent, International Airlines Group (IAG), from 2011 until 2021. The 60-year-old Irishman now runs the International Air Transport Association, which represents hundreds of airlines around the world.

He told the MoS last week: I think they [Heathrow] should have been better prepared. It is farcical imposing these restrictions at the last minute on airlines when in many cases they have sold tickets. It is a terrible way of doing business.

Under the new plans, the number of daily flights leaving and arriving to Heathrow will be capped at 1,100 until August 31

After being informed about the letters publication, Walsh last night added: I will continue to hold them to account and enjoy exposing their failures.

But Rudd, 75, said: The main problem facing the aviation system in Europe this summer is a shortage of airline ground handlers. It is precisely because for too long airlines have squeezed tighter and tighter contracts out of their ground handlers that there is a shortfall of people willing to work for them.

Willie would be wise to start by putting all of his efforts into getting his airline members to invest more in their ground handlers rather than passing the buck to someone else.
Composer Matthew Strachan, who co-wrote the theme tune for Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, left more than 1.5 million in his will.

Strachan died aged 50 in August last year. He was famed for writing the TV quiz shows theme and dramatic incidental music with his father Keith over eight days in 1998.

The pair wrote 95 snippets of music to cover every event on the show. They increased the music cues by a semitone each time a contestant was asked a more difficult question to heighten tension and excitement.

The musical backdrop became an integral part of the show, and was well-known around the world thanks to the programme's many international versions.

Composer Matthew Strachan, who co-wrote the theme tune for Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, left more than 1.5 million in his will

It won Strachan and his father an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers award for ten years in a row as the most-broadcast piece of music on US television.

Probate records reveal that Strachan, of Twickenham, South-west London, left an estate of 1,588,109 to his wife Bernadette after legal and funeral expenses.

Strachan of Twickenham, south west London, collaborated with his chick-lit author wife, to jointly write musicals and two novels.

He also composed music for countless radio and television shows including Question Time, Winning Lines, The National Lottery, EastEnders and Radio 4's World Ware One drama series Home Front which ran from 2014 to 2018.

Strachan died just weeks after being sentenced at Kingston Crown Court for setting fire to his house in a drunken suicide attempt in March 2020 after struggling over the breakdown of his marriage.

The court heard he had started fires in his kitchen and in piles of bedding before dialling 999, saying it was likely he would be dead before rescuers arrived.

The call handler heard him as he jumped out of a first-floor window.

He was given a ten month jail sentence suspended for two years, and ordered to undergo treatment for alcohol and mental health problems.
Households might have to turn down their thermostats and switch off lights to avoid blockouts under emergency plans.

Government measures to tackle the energy crisis this winter would include appeals to the public to cut down on energy use in the event of an electricity or gas supply shortage.

A document of contingency plans by the National Grid seen by The Telegraph showed ministers would use the option if the energy crisis worsened even further.

The news comes as EU countries were told to cut their usage by 15 per cent from next month over concerns they will not be able to store enough for winter after Russia reduced its supply of gas on the NordStream pipeline.

The government might have to tell the public to cut down on energy use this winter to avoid blackouts and shortages if the energy crisis deepens this winter

Countries such as Germany, France and Austria have already appealed for their citizens to cut down on energy use by turning off lights, turning down thermostats and taking shorter showers.

The UK document said that if the government had to introduce energy-savings measures, the messaged could be send via TV, radio, social media and posters.

To avoid rolling blackouts in the UK, the National Grid could also pay some large energy users to use less power to ease the pressure on the grid.

Household bills are expected to soar even further this winter to more than 3,300 as the UK's energy crisis deepens.

Some EU countries have already told people to save energy by by turning off lights, turning down thermostats and taking shorter showers

Energy Consultant Cornwall recently said the price cap for the average household could increase by 360 more than expected.

The rise in the cost of energy will put further pressure on Britain's struggling households as the cost of living continues to rise.

The government has announced a 15 billion package to ease the crisis - giving up to 1,200 to the most vulnerable households.

However, if Cornwall's predictions are correct, household will still be 900 worse off by January even with the maximum help from the government.

The National Grid will release an early winter outlook next week, aimed at tackling what is expected to be difficult winter.

Consumer champion Martin Lewis has warned millions of people could be pushed into poverty by the rising cost of living and energy crisis.
Shoppers can now buy multipacks of soft drinks without all the plastic wrapping.

In a move set to save 45 million pieces of plastic a year, Tesco is ditching the wrapping on its own-brand juice cartons, water bottles and fizzy drink cans.

Instead, shoppers can buy the same number of single drinks  mixing and matching flavours  and pay the same as they did for the plastic-covered multipack.

Tesco spokesman Johnny Neville said: Not only is this move great news for the environment but it will also offer customers more choice and flexibility'

Cans of fizz that used to come only in a pack of four for 1 are being sold as individual cans for 50p each  but shoppers can pick any four for 1.

The UK supermarket said that the move will save 12 million pieces of plastic. A further 33 million will be saved from the autumn when more plastic is removed. Childrens drinks, energy drinks, larger bottles of water and litre cartons of fruit juice will then come under the deal, which customers need a Clubcard to use.

Tesco spokesman Johnny Neville said: Not only is this move great news for the environment but it will also offer customers more choice and flexibility.

Customers are focused on getting great value right now, but they still want to use less plastic.

To meet customer demand, supermarkets and brands are all trying to reduce the amount of single use plastic in their packaging.

Selling multipacks of soft drinks without the plastic wrapping will save 45 million pieces of plastic a year

In January 2020, Tesco saved 67 million pieces of plastic a year by removing multipack wraps from all its tins, including branded and own-brand beans, soup and tuna.

The same year, Heineken  which also manufacturers Fosters and Kronenbourg 1664 - also removed the plastic rings holding its alcoholic beverages together and replaced them with a cardboard version.

This was designed to cut 517million tonnes of plastic globally a year, and also remove the rings that can trap or choke birds, fish and turtles.
The Mail on Sunday has scored a victory for Press freedom after the information watchdog ruled that media regulator Ofcom must disclose details of some of its meetings and emails with Facebook chief Sir Nick Clegg.

Clegg met Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom, shortly before he reportedly lobbied over the appointment of a new chairman of the regulator. The MoS last year revealed that Sir Nick met her on April 16, 2020 and February 3, 2021  but Ofcom refused to reveal what was discussed.

Now the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) has ordered Ofcom to publish some of the emails.

The Mail on Sunday will be able to view details of some of Ofcom's meetings and emails with Facebook chief Sir Nick Clegg

Dame Melanie Dawes, chief executive of Ofcom, met with Nick Clegg shortly before he lobbied over the appointment of a new chairman of the regulator

The ICO said some of the information that Ofcom refused to release were routine emails to highlight news of broad interest rather than anything sensitive and some of that kept secret was already in the public domain. It was also highly sceptical that, as Ofcom claimed, anyone there could be prosecuted under the Communications Act 2003 if information was disclosed.

Last night, an Ofcom spokesman said: We note the ICOs decision and will review its findings.
A senior Qantas pilot has lifted the lid on the reality of flying a plane for the troubled airline after he returned to the skies following the height of the Covid pandemic.

The pilot, under the pseudonym Tom, described Qantas as a 'rudderless' ship saying he had never seen anything like it in his three decades on the job.

'There is no one to talk to and when you go to work you are basically on your own,' he said. 'It's like we're running a virtual airline.'

The reputation of Qantas has taken a massive blow as the airline battles mass flight cancellations, lengthy delays, understaffing, and misplaced baggage.

One couple claimed their 13-month-old child was moved to a different flight while another passenger said their three hour flight from Cairns to Uluru was turned into a 16 hour journey when the plane was diverted to Melbourne.

A senior Qantas pilot has lifted the lid on the reality of flying an airplane for the troubled airline (stock image)

The pilot, who spoke under the pseudonym Tom, described Qantas as a 'rudderless' ship saying he had never seen anything like it in his three decades on the job (stock image)

Tom told the ABC he was stood down during much of the Covid pandemic when lockdowns grounded most flights.

He received a call to come back to work when international borders fully reopened in February.

Tom said he was forced to delay take-off for an international flight because of several issues on the ground.

All of the passengers had already boarded the plane but he was still waiting on drinking water to be loaded onto the flight and to receive the load sheet.

The load sheet records the weight and balance of the aircraft, crew, pantry, fuel, passengers, baggage, cargo and mail.

It is a necessary document to ensure the plane is not overloaded and can safely fly.

Tom and his co-pilot tried to contact Qantas crew on the ground to get an update but he claimed they received only radio silence.

Qantas' reputation has taken a massive blow as the airline battles mass flight cancellations, lengthy customer delays, understaffing and misplaced baggage issues

Passenger Katie Tartare complained directly to the airline after her three hour flight from Cairns to Uluru was diverted to Melbourne - adding another 12 hours to the flight

An engineer then called him and informed the pilot that none of the baggage had been loaded onto the aircraft and another 15 containers were on the way.

Tom was then told there was no available water for the flight and staff were unable to tell him when it would come.

'Keeping to departure times has always been sacred in the airline industry. In the past we would be kept informed  you will be 10 minutes late, 15 minutes late,' he said.

'Now you must pursue the information yourself and they may, or may not, know the answer.'

Qantas said the airline rejected 'the broad suggestion that Qantas is somehow not supporting our pilots or supporting them less than before Covid'.

Passenger Katie Tartare complained directly to the airline after her three hour flight from Cairns to Uluru was diverted to Melbourne - adding another 12 hours to the flight.

A young couple was horrified when Qantas rescheduled their 13-month-old daughter onto a different flight - and then spent 20 hours on hold trying to change it

Stephanie and Andrew Braham had been travelling through Europe with their baby girl before their trip home to Australia was rescheduled by the airline

Ms Tartare booked a direct flight to the Northern Territory but was told she would have to catch a connecting flight from Victoria.

Her flight was pushed ahead by a day and she had to spend nine hours waiting in the terminal at Melbourne Domestic Airport before finally catching her connecting flight.

She then she encountered luggage problems after catching the plane from Uluru to Brisbane and almost missed her connecting flight back to Cairns.

'And why oh why cannot luggage going from 1 domestic location to another be booked through?' Ms Tartare wrote in her complaint.

'We almost missed the flight from Brisbane to Cairns yesterday because the Jetstar flight was late from Ayers Rock, and then the luggage was delayed, causing us and another family muss stress and having to run between the carousel and the bag drop for the next flight.'

Another young couple was horrified when Qantas moved their 13-month-old daughter onto a different flight, and they had to spend 20 hours on hold trying to change it.

Tom has joined an increasing group of people who have lashed out at the airline and its quality of service (stock image)

Stephanie and Andrew Braham were travelling through Europe with their baby girl before their trip home to Australia was rescheduled by the airline.

But after learning their trip had been cancelled, the couple were shocked to find out Qantas had moved their baby onto a completely separate flight from the one they were booked on.

To make matters worse, the pair spent nearly 21 hours on hold across 55 different calls to Qantas' disastrous offshore support centre to sort the issue out.

After nearly a full day of waiting on hold, Qantas finally agreed to move the trio onto a flight together - 12 days later than they were supposed to depart.

In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Qantas said it 'sincerely apologised' to the family and that a 'backend administrative error' between the airline and partner KLM saw the child automatically moved to another flight.

'We are reaching out to the family to provide support and will provide reimbursement for their accommodation,' it said.
Touted as a future prime minister by his teachers at the age of nine, Rishi Sunak grew up as the family golden boy, overshadowing his younger brother and sister who strived to match his youthful success.

He would go on to become head boy at his 45,000 a year boarding school, Winchester College, before gaining a place at Oxford Universitys Lincoln College to read philosophy, politics and economics.

His younger brother Sanjay is remembered by friends as less chatty but, although two years younger, followed a similar trajectory in his early years of education.

Rishi Sunak grew up as the family golden boy, overshadowing his younger brother and sister who strived to match his youthful success. Pictured delivering a speech at Vaculug tyre specialists at Gonerby Hill Foot, Grantham on July 23

His younger brother Sanjay is remembered by friends as less chatty but, although two years younger, followed a similar trajectory in his early years of education

GP father Yashvir and pharmacist mother Usha, who lived in a six-bedroom house in Southampton, paid for Sanjay to go to the same private primary as Rishi, Stroud School.

Sanjay followed in his parents footsteps to work in medicine, specialising in psychology, he enrolled as an undergraduate at University College London in 1999 before moving on to postgraduate studies at Birkbeck, University of London, specialising in criminology.

At Kings College London he studied forensic mental health before doctorate studies at the University of Surrey in clinical psychology. While studying and teaching there he also began working for the NHS.

Now 40, he is likely to earn a six-figure salary as a consultant clinical psychologist working for a private clinic and Bupa, the private health insurer.

Rishis sister Raakhi, 37, works in New York as chief of strategy and planning at the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies

Meanwhile, Rishis sister Raakhi, 37, works in New York as chief of strategy and planning at the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies.

As an undergraduate, she founded Oxfords Unicef society, growing its membership to around 400. Now known as Raakhi Williams after marrying international aid specialist Peter Williams, she helped to organise last years COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow for the Government before moving to America to work for the UN.

The three siblings are still close, with Rishi taking time off from political campaigning in 2015 to speak at Raakhis wedding.
One of late former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirais ex-advisors Maxwell Shumba says he will contest the 2023 presidential elections using public welfare as his major selling point.

The United States based politician Maxwell Shumba, who served as Tsvangirais chief strategist, now leads a political outfit known as Zimbabwe People First (ZimFirst).

Zanu PF has already endorsed President Emmerson Mnangagwa as the party presidential candidate, His nemesis, Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa is likely to square off with Mnangagwa who won the 2018 polls with a slight margin.

Among Shumbas main arguments is that Zimbabwe needs a party that brings together the Diaspora community, and those at home as key stakeholders in charting the future of the country.

ZimFirst is a people first party that is founded on principles of accountability, honesty and unity.

Our key message to the Zimbabwean people is we put forward the peoples welfare because people come first, Shumba said.

Our core message to the people of Zimbabwe is that we got independence yes and we need to unite to fight the war against poverty that has afflicted the majority of citizens because of Zanu PF, corruption, greed (and) incompetence.

ZimFirst has come with a leadership that is untainted, clean, and fresh.

I urge Zimbabweans that this election presents them with an opportunity to elect a leader with proven technological expertise, global experience and a heart for the people.

Shumba said his partys campaign strategy was founded on a deep understanding of how Zanu PF works and how it manages to stay in power despite the majority of citizens rejecting it.

We do have a strategy for them that is beyond merely holding rallies to show off supporters.

We launched a Silent Revolution (Chimhukutira/Umtshetsha Phansi). Chimhukutira is a unique strategy that was developed based on experience of past opposition failures to defeat Zanu PF.

I cannot divulge the details of our strategy, but I would like the nation to know that ZimFirst is here with a transformative vision for the country and ask for their support because together we will make Zimbabwe work again.

Shumba failed to contest in the 2018 elections as his party was still in its infancy.

Our target is to build a critical mass that will bear pressure on the Zanu PF government to agree on the much needed electoral reforms that are key for free and fair elections, he said.

We have a roadmap and we are on track. We intend to launch our ground game (campaign) at some point.

The party is using its own resources from members to fund operations and activities, Shumba said.

We are apprehensive that launching a national campaign is a mammoth task financially, but I am very confident that we will be equal to the task because as Zimbabweans begin to familiarise with our vision, our seriousness, and our thought driven methodical approach they will come on board en masse.

We believe people come first so with this commitment we are prepared to fund our campaign with our own resources and we will mobilise enough resources for the needs of our campaign. Standard
Former AG Bill Barr said Mexican drug cartels should be wiped off the Earth like ISIS because they're far too rich and powerful to prosecute.

Barr, 72, sat down with Newsmax's Greta Van Susteren to discuss to Mexican drug cartels.

He likened them to terrorist groups, and said they should be treated as such, particularly as they've been blamed for inundating the US with deadly fentanyl.

'I think [the Mexicans] have to be forced and pushed into action with us,' he said. 'I think we have to more active against the cartels. In my mind, we have to approach the cartels more like ISIS and less like the mafia.'

He also said the individualized prosecution against cartels is ineffective, as they are 'effectively' acting like 'terrorist organizations.'

'And the idea of a case-by-case prosecution down there to stop these organizations would be like going after, you know, ISIS and Syria on the same basis,' he said. 'They are increasingly building their connections with terrorists. Their paramilitary can take on the Mexican military and they have so much money they can corrupt any system, the justice system in Mexico.

'Even a normal everyday murder is (in Mexico) about a four percent chance of getting caught and prosecuted. It's a dysfunctional system. So we - in my mind - the United States cannot have these cartels operating on our border, poisoning our country.'

Former AG Bill Barr, 72, said the Mexican government isn't 'serious enough' about disbanding the cartels, who are 'poisoning' Americans with fentanyl. 'I think [the Mexicans] have to be forced and pushed into action with us,' he said. 'We have to approach the cartels more like ISIS and less like the mafia'

Barr, who served as the US Attorney General under Donald Trump in 2019 and 2020, said the cartels are bringing in methamphetamines and other drugs with fentanyl and 'poisoning' Americans, who 'don't even know what's in the drugs.'

In a June report by border patrol, cocaine seizures went up a shocking 62 percent and methamphetamine seizures also increased 14 percent. However, heroin and fentanyl seizures decreased 49 and 41 percent.

'We can reduce supply, it's most vulnerable at the point of origin. It's almost all now originating in Mexico, or at least distributed from Mexico,' he said.

Earlier this month, nine people died and 10 were hospitalized for fentanyl overdoses over July 4th in Gadsden County, Florida.

Mexico's top drug lord El Chapo being escorted off a plane on Long Island in January 2017

Barr went onto say that 'Colombia was a success for many years' because the US and country worked in 'sync' to destroy the cartels, but said that Mexico was more worried about 'hugs, not bullets' and that's causing an issue.

He said the Mexican government is 'sharing national sovereignty with the cartels.' Barr claimed the Mexican government is forcing the US to give all their intel over first and make it clear what they plan to do before going after the cartels.

'Of course, you lose all your sources,' he said.

Under the Trump administration, ISIS' land dwindled and many were liberated, according to the Daily Wire. Military leaders reportedly claimed Trump's aggressive approach was key.

White House Special Envoy, Brett McGurk, credited the change to its success. He said: 'These delegations of tactical authorities from the president has really made a difference on the ground.'

The majority of those who crossed in June were single adults, with 140,000. There was also 51,780 in family units and 15,271 unaccompanied children, as well as, six on terrorists lists

Barr claims the Biden Administration has 'abandoned the border.'

More than 207,000 migrants were also seen on the southern border in June. Six of them were on terrorist watch-list.

Recently, Biden and Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met to discuss the immigration crisis at the border.
Every holder of an online betting account in Australia will now receive a monthly statement detailing how much money they have won and lost.

The emails begin on July 31 and are part of measures to combat problem gambling introduced in the 2018 Consumer Protection Framework for Online Wagering in Australia.

Australians lose an average of $1,276 a year on online betting, more than any other country.

The massive industry is the fastest growing platform of gambling, expanding at three times the rate of other avenues, as Australians pour about $1.4 billion a year into online wagering sites.

Online punters will now get a monthly statement detailing how much they've spent, won and lost under new rules (stock image)

Research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority found about 11 per cent of Australians placed a bet online in the first six months of 2021 - about 2.6 million people.

The statements will clearly show the total amount a customer wagered that month, how much they won, how much they lost, the number of bets placed, and a graph tracking their gambling activity over six months.

Customers whose account has not been used in a year will not be sent the statements.

The email will also provide a link to an exact transaction list and responsible gambling resources.

The government consulted with the country's 52 gambling corporations and 102 on-site bookmakers before the framework was established.

Other measures introduced in the framework include a national self-exclusion register, responsible gambling training for staff, and the requirement to have deposit limit options as part of the account sign-up process.

The government consulted with Australia's 52 online betting corporations and 102 on-track bookmakers over the new policies (file image of Randwick racecourse)

Financial Counselling Australia director of policy and campaigns Lauren Levin welcomed the changes.

'I hardly ever talk to someone who knows how much they have lost, as the gambling companies like to keep punters in the dark about their losses,' she told The Daily Telegraph.

'So, it is fantastic that the companies won't be able to withhold this information any more.

Government research showed gamblers who were provided with activity statements, particularly those with 'loss-chasing tendencies and lower financial literacy' spent significantly less.

The national framework was introduced by the previous Morrison Government but has been taken up as a priority by the newly elected Albanese Government.
Anthony Albanese will hit the ground running after vowing to introduce 'at least 18' pieces of legislation into his first sitting week of parliament as prime minister.

The bills will include aged care reforms, setting emissions targets, and introducing 10 days of domestic violence leave.

Mr Albanese said he didn't 'want to waste a day' when parliament resumes on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is ready to hit the ground running vowing to introduce 18 pieces of legislation into parliament on its first sitting week since Labor won power

'We want action to occur in aged care reform and that is important legislation but so too is legislation on our emissions target, the legislation for 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave, the legislation to establish Jobs and Skills Australia,' he told Sky News.

'These are all a part of our position that we took to the election that received the endorsement of the Australian people. We will be introducing at least 18 pieces of legislation in our first week in parliament.'

Labor promised to legislate a 43 per cent emissions reduction target for 2030, upping the ante from the Morrison Government that only committed to a 26 per cent reduction.

Labor plans to introduce laws allowing victims of family or domestic violence to get 10 days paid leave annually

The revised target will also have a new reporting and monitoring regime.

Proposed aged care reforms will bring in new minimum staffing levels, including a registered nurse in every aged care home 24/7 by next July.

This will requite a funding increase of nearly 10 per cent for every person in residential care.

Also on the agenda will be abolishing the cashless welfare card and establishing Jobs and Skills Australia, which will be an agency that researches and advises on what vocational training is needed to fill in-demand jobs for the future.

Mr Albanese promised a parliament more open to debate from MPs of all sides.

He said members would not be cut off as brutally as were by the previous government, which liberally applied the 'gag' rule to bring speeches to a halt.

'I'm very confident that we can have a much better functioning parliament,' Mr Albanese said.

'We need to be prepared to have debate and dialogue in the parliament. That's the way that you get better outcomes.'

Mr Albanese did not back down on cutting staffing levels for crossbench MPs, who have signalled how unhappy they are with the move.

'This was a matter of fairness,' he said.

Labor will beef up Australia's emissions target meaning more renewable energy such as solar will have to brought online

Mr Albanese will take some time out from parliament to welcome the new US ambassador Caroline Kennedy (pictured)

'We have a trillion dollars of debt. We need to make sure that there's equity in terms of the way that staff are allocated but that also we don't see government expenditure continue to climb at a time when we've had cutbacks in permanent public service.'

It will be a very busy week for Mr Albanese as he is also scheduled to meet with the new US Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, on Wednesday.

Other items Labor has promised in its first term are a new federal integrity commission, a national reconstruction fund, changes to the emergency response fund and a new national centre for disease control.

Mr Albanese also vowed to bring an indigenous voice to parliament, which requires a referendum.

Labor also intends to strip the construction watchdog of many of its powers arguing the Australian Building and Construction Commission is a politicised agency that targets the union movement.
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A huge wildfire near Yosemite has almost doubled in size to 12,000 acres and - firefighters have warned that it is still zero percent contained.

The Oak Fire in Mariposa County had destroyed around 6,555 acres of land on Saturday afternoon, but that figure had rocketed to 11,900 acres by the end of the day. It has yet to breach the perimeter of Yosemite.

At least 10 homes have been destroyed, with five further structures damaged, and more than 6,000 people forced to evacuate as firefighters tackle the inferno.

There have not yet been reports of any injuries.

Cal Fire reported on Saturday that the fire was 'explosive' and challenging firefighters trying to tame it. Embers are causing the fire to spread into spot fires, which is causing firefighters to have a difficult time establishing containment lines.

'The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to two miles yesterday,' Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest, said. 'These are exceptional fire conditions.' The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire has become one of California's largest wildfires this year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of Yosemite near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 19 square miles, according to Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

A home burns as the Oak Fire moves through the area on Saturday near Mariposa, California

A family's dinner table is consumed by flames from the Oak Fire on Saturday

Firefighters help an elderly man from his car he crashed into a ditch while driving away from the Oak Fire

A helicopter drops a load of water onto the fire as firefighters try to contain the fire. Firefighters said the fire remains zero percent contained as of Saturday

Three firefighters prepare to drag a hose out of the back of the truck in Mariposa County on Saturday

A firefighter sprints to grab a hose on Triangle Road as the tree leaves an ashen path in its wake

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.

Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment, the utility said.

The burn zone of the Oak Fire near Midpines is seen on Saturday after the wildfire exploded in size

The flames completely consume a home on Triangle Road. Dark smoke and heat smolder the trees around it

Firefighters bravely work to put out the flames in the Jerseydale community on Saturday

If the fire continues on the same path, it could hit a burn scar from the Ferguson Fire in 2018, which could cause it to slow down.

A shoeless older man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.

Jane and Wes Smith's home of 37 years has also caught fire and burned to the ground, according to a GoFundMe, set up by their son Nick.

'My mom, Jane Smith only had enough time to load her horses and get out. My father Wes Smith a Mariposa Sheriff officer was out working the fire and was unable to save his home. They lived in their home for over 37 years, and now have lost everything,' Nick wrote.

He said his parents 'need pretty much everything' and 'all they have are the clothes on their back and their horses.'

The fundraiser has surpassed it's $3,000 by a mile, bringing in $13,300.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.

A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people

A home burns as the Oak Fire moves through the area on Saturday near Mariposa, California. The fast moving Oak Fire burning outside of Yosemite National Park has forced evacuations

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday morning had rapidly grown to 10.2 square miles

'Fire activity is extreme,' Cal Fire said in a situation report on Saturday, noting that the wildfire is at zero percent containment. 'Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters'

The Washburn Fire was 79 percent contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at nine square miles.

The origin of the Oak Fire is under investigation. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road - blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.

Hot weather, low humidity and bone dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades was fueling the blaze and challenging fire crews, Patterson said.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years.

Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

'The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday,' Patterson said. 'These are exceptional fire conditions.' The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Allison Baggett watches the Oak Fire burn close to her Mariposa, California home before evacuating on Friday night

Residents of Mariposa County prepare to evacuate as the Oak Fire grows in size on Friday evening

A home burns as the Oak Fire moves through the area on Saturday near Mariposa, California

By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said

A plane drops retardant while battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County on Friday evening

Firefighters look on as the Oak Fire burns in Darrah in Mariposa County on Saturday

A Cal Fire firefighter lights a backfire while battling the Oak Fire on Saturday near Mariposa, California
The vast majority of Queensland's Covid deaths in the past fortnight have come from elderly people who didn't have their booster shot.

The state recorded another 5,804 new infections on Sunday while Australia as a whole had 46,310 - slightly under the seven-day average.

Acting chief health officer Peter Aitken said 97 per cent of the state's deaths were people over 65 and two thirds of them hadn't received their third shot.

'Remember the vaccine is about stopping people getting sick,' he said.

Two-thirds of Queensland's Covid deaths in the past fortnight have come from elderly people who have received their booster shot

Dr Aitken said national modelling suggested the latest wave was yet to reach its peak and urged everyone to get their latest inoculation

'It is up to all of us to prove the modelling wrong, in many ways,' he said.

There are 5,307 people around the country battling the virus in hospital, with 159 in intensive care and 33 requiring ventilators.

Queensland has 1,078 of them, a record for the entire pandemic, with 19 in ICU and 12 on ventilators.

Dr Aitken said people should re-embrace mask use and work from home when possible if they were feeling unwell.

He said his office was 'working to get a final decision' with other state leaders in national discussions about when to end the seven-day isolation period.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conceded it was understandable some Australians were confused about the latest advice for wearing face masks.

No state leaders are considering a new mask mandate, but most are advocating their use indoors or when social distancing is not possible.

'The issue of mandates, of course, is a matter for (which) state and territory governments have been responsible,' the Mr Albanese said on Sunday.

ICU numbers are relatively low compared to previous waves, but experts said cases were likely to keep rising and Australians shouldn't get complacent.

Dr Peter Aitken, QLD's Acting Chief Health Officer, said 97 per cent of the state's deaths are people aged over 65 and the majority of them hadn't received their latest shot

Aged care providers are calling for urgent action to protect residents and staff from a winter Covid-19 wave which is hitting more than a third of the nation's facilities.

Aged and Community Care Providers Association said 6,000 residents and 3,400 staff were infected in 1013 facilities.

The association's interim chief executive Paul Sadler said 10-15 per cent of staff are already isolating or quarantining at home, and the coming weeks will put intense pressure on residents and workers.

'(The association) is concerned that anywhere up to two-thirds of aged care homes could be affected by active outbreaks over coming weeks,' he said in a statement on Sunday.

'The increased availability in surge workforce including the Australian Defence Force over the past week has been welcome, but there is still a shortfall.

'The reality is we can't leave older people without adequate levels of care for too long.'

ve been responsible,' the Prime Minister said on Sunday. While ICU numbers remain relatively low compared to previous waves, experts say case numbers are likely to continue to rise

Mr Sadler said 2301 residents have died in 2022, including 114 in the past week.

He called for more support for a surge workforce, including ADF personnel, until at least September.

Over the longer term, Mr Sadler said the federal government must plan to fix chronic workforce shortfalls, prepare for future outbreaks and implement reforms recommended by the recent royal commission into aged care.

'The coming weeks are critical for aged care. We must do all we can to put the protection of older people first and support our aged care workers,' he said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells has recently highlighted the importance of a unified approach to preventing the further spread of the virus in the sector.

'I enthusiastically encourage these matters to go back to national cabinet so we can get a national approach to this,' she said.

Australia's death toll has surpassed 11,000, rising by 36 on Sunday.
There are renewed calls for mask mandates in Australia as Covid cases rise across the nation and take hold in a third of aged care homes.

Australia's Covid death toll surpassed 11,000, rising by 36 on Sunday, with thousands of new cases reported.

Epidemiologist and former World Health Organisation advisor professor Adrian Esterman said state and territory governments needed 'to be persuaded' to bring back mask mandates or cases and deaths would keep going up.

There are calls to bring back mandatory mask wearing as Covid cases surge in Australia

'What we need is vaccination plus some other strategies,' he told the Nine network.

Most states and territories are advocating mask use indoors or when social distancing is not possible but have not imposed mandates.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese conceded some Australians might be confused about the latest advice for wearing face masks.

'The issue of mandates, of course, is a matter for (which) state and territory governments have been responsible,' the prime minister said on Sunday.

The hyper-infectious nature of the Omicron sub-variants is sparking Covid concerns worldwide.

The prestigious British Medical Journal published a piece by senior doctors stating the UK's National Health Service is 'not living with Covid-19, it's dying from it'.

Former World Health Organisation advisor professor Adrian Esterman says vaccines alone won't bring down Covid cases and called for a return to mask mandates

Professor Esterman said if the governments wouldn't act, people should take personal measures to cut transmission such as mask wearing.

'I think the least we can do is to get much better messaging to the general public,' he said.

Doctors also warned about the debilitating effects, particularly for women, of long Covid cases.

New research found five per cent of Australians who are infected with Covid develop the condition.

At Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital, the long Covid clinic already has a four-month wait to see patients, with the majority being young, previously fit, and many women.

Research showed women were 22 per cent more likely than men to develop the condition.

Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute executive director Jason Kovacic said the projected impacts of long Covid were 'sobering, staggering numbers'.

'The 55,000 people in Australia who tested positive today... equates to 2000 to 3000 new cases of long Covid,' he told The Age.

Professor Kovacic estimated this meant half a million people would suffer long-term effects over in the coming months.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says mask mandates are a matter for the states and territories

The prevalence of long Covid in women could effect workforces that are predominantly female such as in healthcare and education.

'It's no longer about our ICUs being overwhelmed with acutely unwell cases, but the very serious impacts long Covid is going to have on our community, on our hospitals, airlines, public transport, right across the board,' he said.

Common symptoms of long Covid include fatigue, shortness of breath, cognitive dysfunction, and general impairment of functioning.

To be classified as long Covid, the symptoms must occur for at least two months after a Covid infection and can remain constant or fluctuate over time.

Meanwhile aged care providers are also calling for urgent action to protect residents and staff from the winter Covid wave, which is hitting more than one third of the nation's facilities.

The Aged and Community Care Providers Association said 6,000 residents and 3400 staff were infected in 1013 facilities.

The association's interim chief executive Paul Sadler said 10-15 per cent of staff are already isolating or quarantining at home, and the coming weeks will put intense pressure on residents and workers.

'(The association) is concerned that anywhere up to two-thirds of aged care homes could be affected by active outbreaks over coming weeks,' he said in a statement on Sunday.

'The increased availability in surge workforce including the Australian Defence Force over the past week has been welcome, but there is still a shortfall.

'The reality is we can't leave older people without adequate levels of care for too long.'

Mr Sadler said 2301 residents have died in 2022, including 114 in the past week.

A third of aged care homes in Australia are battling outbreaks among residents and staff

He called for more support for a surge workforce, including ADF personnel, until at least September.

Over the longer term, Mr Sadler said the federal government must plan to fix chronic workforce shortfalls, prepare for future outbreaks and implement reforms recommended by the recent royal commission into aged care.

'The coming weeks are critical for aged care. We must do all we can to put the protection of older people first and support our aged care workers,' he said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells recently highlighted the importance of a unified approach to preventing the further spread of the virus in the sector.

'I enthusiastically encourage these matters to go back to national cabinet so we can get a national approach to this,' she said.

Aged Care Minister Anika Wells wants a national approach to protect aged care homes from Covid

New South Wales recorded 12,820 new cases of the virus on Sunday.

Fourteen people have lost their lives due to COVID-19-related illness in the latest reporting period.

There are currently 2260 people in hospital across the state receiving care, with 56 of those in ICU.

Victoria recorded 9501 new cases of COVID-19.

Another 12 people have died due to the virus, and the state has 849 people undergoing hospital treatment.

Queensland has recorded 5804 new cases of COVID-19 overnight.

While no deaths were recorded in the latest period, the state has 1042 people with the virus undergoing treatment in hospital.

WA had 4356 new cases with 437 people in hospital, 23 in ICU and seven deaths, dating back to July 17.

There were 3340 new cases in SA with two deaths and 74 in hospital including 12 in ICU.

Tasmania recorded 1155 cases with two deaths and had 174 in hospital and three in ICU.

Australia's Covid-related death toll has climbed past 11,000

The ACT had 712 cases with 155 in hospital and one in ICU. while the NT recorded 355 cases with 71 in hospital.

As of Sunday, 71.1 per cent of eligible Australians had received three or more vaccine doses.

Booster coverage includes 95.3 per cent of eligible aged care residents.

Almost 55 per cent of eligible Indigenous people have received three or more vaccine doses.

As for fourth doses, 31.5 per cent of the eligible population aged 30 and over have received a winter booster.

The Victorian government is continuing to provide free rapid antigen tests to those who are eligible with disability, extending support to some of the most vulnerable in the community until the end of September.
Actions taken by the federal government in a bid to keep the devastating foot and mouth disease from infecting Australian livestock are the 'strongest ever,' Anthony Albanese has declared despite not shutting the border to infected countries.

The prime minister defended the government's position to keep the border with Indonesia open as the country battles an outbreak.

'These are the strongest ever measures introduced by an Australian government ever in terms of biosecurity when it comes to foot and mouth disease,' he told Sky News on Sunday.

All Australian travellers returning home from Bali will be forced to clean their shoes or step over sanitation mats in designated airport response zones

'It's important to note that Australia is foot and mouth disease free, that our products continue to be available to the world.'

Mr Albanese said the nation's farming bodies backed his government on not banning flights, which would have a 'severe' impact on the economy and trade.

It will be shoes off at airports when coming from Indonesia

'You don't do that by just jumping to a position that the former government never, ever implemented,' he said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has resisted calls to shut the border to Indonesia to keep out foot and mouth disease

'No Coalition government has implemented that strong measures that we have announced and put in place during this current current issue as it's been rolled out.'

Travellers would be directed to comply with biosecurity measures, including removing their shoes or walking over sanitation mats, and be questioned by officers.

It's the first time the Biosecurity Act powers have been used in Australia.

The Coalition has called for the border to close, and has criticised the speed the government has reacted with.

Indonesia has been grappling with the spread of the foot and mouth disease which was recently detected in Bali (stock image), a popular holiday destination for Australians

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt on Friday authorised the establishment of biosecurity response zones across international airports where travellers arriving in Australia can be screened more thoroughly.

Senator Watt had also announced a $14 million package to help reduce the risk of disease spreading from Bali.

The disease is highly contagious and affects cattle, sheep, goats, camelids, deer and pigs.

Experts predict if the virus takes hold in Australia it could wipe $80 billion off the economy over the space of 10 years.

Foot and mouth is a viral disease that causes lesions and lameness in livestock and is predicted to cause an $80 billion hit to the economy over 10 years if it spreads to Australia

The virus is carried by live animals and can present in meat and dairy products, soil, bones, untreated hides, vehicles and equipment used with farm animals.
Anthony Albanese has lashed the coalition over its 'abuse' of the public service on election day, saying it trashed caretaker conventions by pressuring officials to release news of an asylum seeker boat arrival.

Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo released a report on Friday about events that took place on May 21, which found there 'was pressure placed on officials' to issue a statement on the arrival.

The boat was intercepted near Christmas Island on its way to Australia from Sri Lanka before being eventually turned back.

The Prime Minister said Mr Pezzullo acted appropriately on the day in the face of the pressure being applied by the coalition.

'This was the final act of the Morrison government and that was one that trashed convention and sought to abuse the relationship with the public service,' he told Sky News on Sunday.

'That was a disgraceful event that shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't ever happen again.'

Anthony Albanese has lashed the coalition over its 'abuse' of the public service on election day after Scott Morrison pressured officials to message Australians about an asylum seeker boat

Mr Albanese said the government would consider changing caretaker conventions so that information was only released when lives were threatened.

'The point here is the word convention relies upon some element of decency and goodwill,' he said.

'There was nothing respectful about the actions of the government on that day. It was opportunistic, it was unprincipled, it was unprecedented and it shouldn't have happened.'

Former home affairs minister Karen Andrews pressured officials while the on-water operation was still in play, Mr Pezzullo found.

Ms Andrews on Saturday said there was no breach of caretaker conventions which ensure a bipartisan approach to the government of the nation once an election is called.

'I was asked by the prime minister to issue the statement and that is exactly what I did,' she said.

She said she wanted a statement that 'stuck to the facts,' and that it was a 'lawful request'.

'That was a disgraceful event that shouldn't have happened, and it shouldn't ever happen again,' Mr Albanese said of Mr Morrison

The former government also wanted information about the boat intercept given to 'selected journalists', which Mr Pezzullo at the time rejected, saying this should happen 'under no circumstances'.

Officials also refused requests to 'amplify' the news by putting it on social media.

After the statement was put up on the Australian Border Force website, text messages were sent out by the Liberal Party telling Australians to vote Liberal to 'keep our borders secure'.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley says that China has become significantly more aggressive and a danger to the U.S. and its allies over the last five years.

'The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region,' Milley said during a stop in Indonesia on Sunday.

General Milley, during a trip to the Indo-Pacific over the weekend, said Sunday that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the region has increased significantly in the last half decade.

He also said the number of unsafe interactions by Chinese against the U.S. and other partners forces has risen by similar proportions.

Miley recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. doubles down on its efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region.

The Biden administration considers China its 'pacing threat' and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the threat coming from China.

He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this week in Sydney, Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

Chairman of the Joints Chief of Staff Mark Milley (second from left) said that the threat from China in the Indo-Pacific region has increased significantly in the last five years. Pictured: General Milley arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday, July 24 for meetings with defense leaders

'The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region,' Milley said during a stop in Indonesia on Sunday. Pictured: Milley (right) with Indonesia's military chief General Andika Perkasa (center) and his wife Diah Erwiany (left)

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwans chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of 'grave concern,' but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

Chinas top military officer, Gen. Li Zuocheng told Milley in a July 7 call that Beijing had 'no room for compromise' on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must 'cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait.'

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

'This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons,' Milley told reporters traveling with him. 'Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region.'

Milley's visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in Chinas backyard and counter China's growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an 'alarming increase' in the number of unsafe intercepts by People's Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Generals Milley and Perkasa salute during a welcome ceremony at the Indonesian Military Headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Milley shakes hands with Indonesia's military chief General Perkasa during a visit to the country on Sunday

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. And U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a 'statistically significant' increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an 'equal proportion.'

Milley, who will meet with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

'We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively,' Milley said, in order to ensure they can 'meet whatever challenge that China poses.'

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an 'Asian NATO.' During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. 'We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs,' he said.
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This is the incredible moment a brave farmer in Kent continued working to try and slow down a ferocious wildfire spreading across a field.

Do YOU know the farmer? Please email: Kaya.terry@mailonline.co.uk Advertisement

Firefighters were called to the scene to tackle a huge crop blaze that broke out in a field in Lenham Heath, between Maidstone and Ashford, in Kent just before 3.15pm on Saturday.

The inferno spread across almost 20 acres of land and could be seen by a huge queue of lorry drivers on the M20.

However, hero farmer Bill Alexander 'rapidly stepped in' and used his tractor to cut the crops around the fire to help slow it down after the wind turned the blaze towards a house.

Footage showed the green tractor just yards away from the huge inferno as Mr Alexander fearlessly drove the vehicle around the towering smoke and flames.

Andy Barr, who owns the Kent farm, praised his 'good neighbour' for his 'hero' actions and tweeted the image of the tractor cutting the crops.

Firefighters were called to the scene to tackle a huge crop blaze that broke out in a field in Lenham Heath, between Maidstone and Ashford, in Kent just before 3.15pm on Saturday

The inferno spread across almost 20 acres of land and could be seen by a huge queue of lorry drivers on the M20

He wrote: 'Please tell everyone to be careful what they do along roads and paths, 20ha of spring barley up in flames.

'This pic from my son was when the wind turned towards my brother's house, luckily Bill Alexander and Jonny & Ellie from TCAgri saved the day.'

The blaze was eventually put out after 90 minutes and local residents close by were also escorted to safety. It is not yet known what caused the inferno.

A fire service spokesman said: 'We were sent to reports of a standing crop fire in fields on Lenham Heath.

'Crews worked hard to get the fire under control which covered approximately eight hectares, the equivalent of almost 20 acres.

The fire has been brought under control and put out. Firefighters escorted persons who were in the vicinity to safety. There are no reports of any injuries.'

Farmer Bill Alexander 'rapidly stepped in' and used his tractor to cut the crops around the fire to help slow it down after the wind turned the blaze towards a house

Andy Barr, who owns the Kent farm, praised his 'good neighbour' for his 'hero' actions

The blaze comes after a series of wildfires broke out across the UK this week as families fled for their lives amid blazes across the country in record 40.3C heat.

Firefighters described the blazes tearing through homes and buildings in London on Tuesday as 'absolute hell' - with residents evacuated after homes were destroyed, two people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, and 1,600 calls for assistance.

Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people.

Fire services in London, Hertfordshire, Bucks, South Yorkshire, Suffolk and Leicestershire declared major incidents as they were hit with tens of thousands of calls following an extraordinary week of weather that saw the UK record a new all-time high of 40.3C (104.5F) at Coningsby in Lincolnshire on Tuesday, beating the previous record set in Cambridge in 2019 of 38.7C (101.7F).

Firefighters have warned the public that wildfires will likely break out every three years as they said the destruction of homes should be a 'wake-up call' to the country.

Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said Monday and Tuesday were a game changer and explained that fires are spreading quicker than ever before due to high temperatures.

London had its busiest day since the Second World War when bombs rained down on the capital city as record temperatures led to hundreds of fires across the capital, with the service taking 2,670 calls.

There were no deaths but 63 homes from Wennington and Dagenham to Norfolk and Barnsley were destroyed leaving villages 'looking like warzones'.

Reports of wildfires continued throughout the week just outside of Ipswich in Suffolk and Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

SHEFFIELD: In this aerial view Firefighters contain a wildfire that encroached on nearby homes in the Shiregreen area on Wednesday

SHEFFIELD: Multiple fires have continued to break out across the UK during this week as Britain battles wildfires

SNETTISHAM: Wildfire damage on the ground at Wild Ken Hill, which undoubtedly killed much wildlife as the fire quickly spread on the West Norfolk coastline

WENNINGTON: Burnout building are seen in the village after wildfires caused by heatwave destroyed homes

WATTON: This is the moment another wildfire threatens to engulf a Norfolk village as firefighters desperately battle to push back the advancing inferno

BRANCASTER STAITHE: Four homes in Norfolk are seen without roofs after devastating fires in the village earlier this week

WATTON: The blaze, which was being tackled by at least 60 firefighters, is thought to have started in a field near the homes and is believed to have spread to a number of houses

WENNINGTON: An aerial view shows the rubble and destruction in a residential area following a large blaze the previous day in Wennington, Greater London

WENNINGTON: Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as 'absolute hell.' (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday's inferno)

DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehicles

DAGENHAM: One of the worst scenes aside from Wennington was in Dagenham, east London, where video shows an almost post-apocalyptic scene following a blaze which has destroyed a number of properties. One person filming the devastation described it as 'like a warzone'

DAGENHAM: At least 14 homes and 25 vehicles are believed to have been destroyed in a blaze in Dagenham, east London

More than a dozen firefighters injured battling blazes in London A total of 16 fire fighters were injured tackling the series of fires that ripped through London on Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith of the London Fire Brigade. In unprecedented scenes, hundreds of firefighters tackled 15 fires in 40 degree temperatures as he warned that climate change would bring more of the same in the future. Speaking to reporters from the village of Wennington he said: 'We have never faced anything like what we saw across London yesterday. We have never had firefighters operating in 40-degree heat. 'We had 2,600 calls come through to our control room and we responded to well over 1,000 incidents. 'What we have to do to bring fires in the open back under control is extremely labour intensive. It is very physically draining, dragging hoses across fields. 'That's why we have had 16 firefighters injured altogether, all of whom have fully recovered.' Advertisement

London Fire Brigade (LFB) Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Smith said: '[Tuesday's] fires are another example of how we are increasingly being challenged by new extremes of weather as our climate changes, and we're developing long-term strategies to deal with more incidents like this in the future.'

Bosses at West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, which came close to calling a major incident, warned the situation across the country on Tuesday would not be a one-off and the UK needed to 'get prepared'.

West Yorkshire Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: '[Tuesday] was a game changer and took us to a completely new level. Fires were spreading much more quickly than ever before.'

He said that usually when a big fire happened, it was possible to call on neighbouring services to help, but on Tuesday 'everyone was busy and completely stacked out'.

'The predictions are we will get heatwaves like this much more regularly, even as much as every three years, due to climate change.

'This is very different position we are in now compared to a one-off event nearly 50 years ago, and we need to see this as a wake-up call.

'We need to learn how we get prepared as a country for this and how we rethink the resource we have or need, going forward, so we are ready for these, so homes, property and ultimately people's lives are saved,' he warned.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to more than 60 incidents, 38 of which were fires in the open, describing the situation as 'unprecedented'.

While firefighters in Norfolk were called to more than 80 incidents on Tuesday.

Across the UK, homes were destroyed including in London on 41, 19 homes in the village of Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London, and 14 homes and 25 vehicles in a blaze in Dagenham.

Outside of London, pictures show a row of six houses devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire.

Residents reportedly battled back the flames with hosepipes and buckets of water as they awaited the arrival of the fire brigade.

Another eight properties were destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham, and three in nearby Kiveton Park, alongside another three in Clayton, West Yorkshire.

It comes after terrified residents in Wennington were ordered out as 100 firefighters tried to halt a lethal wall of flame spreading from home to home, fanned by warm winds. One firefighter at the scene branded it 'absolute hell'.

Tim Stock, whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading.

The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.

'It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs have caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.

'It's heartbreaking really. I mean, I've been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we've been there 60-odd years, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

'And to see it all fall apart yesterday, it's really sad. But as I said, we'll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we'll start again.'

WENNINGTON: Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter's Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno

WENNINGTON: A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday

WENNINGTON: Firefighters are pictured dampening the flames in Wennington early on Wednesday morning, as warnings for fires remained in place due to the dry conditions

WENNINGTON: Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday

BRANCASTER STAITHE: In the village people revealed how they rescued their pets, while others attempted to dig trenches in a desperate bid to stop the advancing wall of fire

WENNINGTON: Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain's hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex)

BRANCASTER STAITHE: A tractor also destroyed in the devastation after the inferno swept towards the village in Norfolk

MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wild fire in Maltby yesterday, as fires broke out across the country amid a record 40C heatwave

MALTBY: An aerial view shows the burn out remains of homes after a wildfire ripped through properties in South Yorkshire yesterday

BARNSLEY: The remains of a property in Barnsley after a fire broke out in a back garden and spread to homes - destroying four properties

BARNSLEY: A row of homes destroyed by fire in Woodland Drive, Barnsley stand as empty shells following a devastating wildfire yesterday

BRANCASTER STAITHE: A completely gutted home is seen in the Norfolk village after wildfire advanced on properties near Watton

Where were properties destroyed by fire on Wednesday?  Wennington (East London) - 19  Dagenham (East London)  14  Chadwell Heath (East London)  1  Kenton (North West London) - 2  Brancaster Staithe (Norfolk) - 5  Ashmanhaugh (Norfolk) - 2  Kiveton Park (South Yorkshire) - 3  Barnsley (South Yorkshire) - 6  Maltby (South Yorkshire) - 8  Clayton (South Yorkshire)  3 Advertisement

NHS bosses have warned that the health service's 'crumbling' buildings are not fit to adapt to the heatwave, which saw hospitals forced to scale back the number of planned operations and install cooling units and try to cool down IT server rooms.

A spokesperson for Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust said on Wednesday that it had experienced significant disruption of its IT systems due to Tuesday's heat, which meant it had been forced to postpone some operations and appointments.

Meanwhile, soot-covered villagers sought sanctuary in a medieval church as blazing wildfires ravaged their homes on the hottest day in UK history, it was revealed on Friday.

Residents in Wennington, east London, say they took shelter in St Mary and St Peter's Church as the advancing inferno tore through the village.

The grade II listed medieval parish church was left undamaged in the blaze. Pictures show the stone building untouched - in sharp contrast to the blackened grass surrounding it.

It is understood that aggressive firefighting tactics prevented damage to the church and that the well maintained grass in the graveyard burned slowly - aiding crews in their efforts to save the historic building.

It comes as new video shows the fire advancing on the village from the surrounding countryside. The inferno was pushed towards the village by warm winds amid Tuesday's record-breaking 40.3C heatwave.

Despite the best efforts of 100 firefighters, as many as 19 homes in the village were gutted by the fire, with some families later revealing how they 'lost everything' in the blaze.

The Wennington fire was the most destructive of a number of major incidents on Tuesday, which saw as many as 63 properties destroyed across the UK, including 14 in nearby Dagenham.

Outside of London, six houses were devastated by wildfire in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Another eight properties were destroyed in Maltby, Rotherham, and three in nearby Kiveton Park, as well as three in Clayton, West Yorkshire.

With the clean-up now underway, and residents finally being allowed through a police cordon and back to their homes following Tuesday's devastation, one home owner in Wennington has given his account of the devastating wildfire.

Tim Stock, 66, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.

He said he managed to get everyone into the church only for that to fill up with smoke. And he described the village as looking like 'The Blitz' following Tuesday's fire.

WENNINGTON: Burnt grass surrounds St Mary and St Peter's Church in the village of Wennington, as historic place of worship miraculously remains largely untouched by the inferno It is believed that the fire had largely been brought under control by the time it had reached the church grounds and that its hard stone exterior, plus the intervention of firefighters, prevented any damage to the building.

WENNINGTON: Tim Stock (pictured here with wife Maggie) whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading

WENNINGTON: The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise. Pictured: The Stock's house after it was destroyed by fire

WENNINGTON: New video shows the wildfire on the outskirts of the village. Strong warm winds on Tuesday, when temperatures hit 40.3C in the UK, drove fire towards the village. At least 19 homes have been destroyed in Wennington

WENNINGTON: Video shows the fire in the distance, minutes before it swept through the village. Pictured: Smoke rises high into the air as the wildfire sweeps towards Wennington

Some of the residents allowed through the police cordon to view their properties in the village of Wennington, which went up in flames on Tuesday when tinder-dry conditions saw devastating fires break out in grassland before tearing through rows of houses

Did the capital narrowly avoid a new 'Great Fire of London'? Expert says unusually low winds stopped dozens of blazes spreading across city on Britain's hottest day

Wildfires that broke out across the UK during the record-breaking 40.3C heatwave spread in the same way as the Great Fire of London in 1666 and could have 'been worse if we had more wind', an expert has revealed.

Horrific fires swept through homes this week as Britain recorded the hottest day in its history, with the 40C (104F) barrier broken for the first time.

Firefighters described the blazes tearing through homes and buildings in London on Tuesday as 'absolute hell' - with residents evacuated after homes were destroyed, two people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, and 1,600 calls for assistance.

Two rows of terraced houses, four other homes, 12 stables and five cars were destroyed by the inferno in Wennington, near the Dartford Crossing east of London.

The London fire brigade said Tuesday was their busiest day since the end of the Second World War, with at least 110 fire trucks sent to blazes across the capital.

But, Guillermo Rein, professor of fire science at Imperial College London, has revealed the devastation could have had been far worse if the 14mph gusts of wind had been stronger, which played a huge factor in how the Great Fire of London was spread, reports The Observer.

A row of houses on fire in the village of Wennington in East London on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures soared

Ferocious fires break out in residential areas in Wennington, London earlier this week

The 1666 inferno, which destroyed 80 per cent of the city, raged for three nights, destroying 13,200 houses and 84 churches  even St Paul's Cathedral burned to the ground

The 1666 inferno, which destroyed 80 per cent of the city, raged for three nights, destroying 13,200 houses and 84 churches  even St Paul's Cathedral burned to the ground.

Although, miraculously, only six people are believed to have died in the fire, around 100,000 Londoners lost their homes. Many ended up living in tents and shacks for several years.

'While it was blowing, the [great fire of London] was completely unstoppable,' Professor Rein told the newspaper, 'So let's put it this way. Tuesday could have been even worse if we had more wind.'

Professor Rein said despite London being 'far safer' than it would have been in 1666, Tuesday was an 'urban fire' - which is the same as the Great Fire of London - and was especially dangerous due to 'embers carried by the wind'.

On Tuesday, at least 16 London firefighters were injured, including two taken to hospital with heat-exhaustion, according to officials. A further four firefighters were taken to hospital as they tackled a series of incidents in South Yorkshire. They have since made a full recovery.

Around 100 firefighters were called to an inferno in Wennington, Essex, alone, which one emergency worker described as 'absolute hell.' (Pictured: Row of destroyed homes in Wennington following Tuesday's inferno)

DAGENHAM: Firefighters at the scene of a blaze in Dagenham, east London, which destroyed a number of properties and vehicles

Residents and emergency services are assessing the damage this morning after Britain's hottest day on record sparked a string of devastating wild fires which destroyed dozens of homes and businesses. (Pictured: Aftermath in Wennington, Essex)

Elsewhere in the country hundreds of fire crews battled raging infernos in Wales, Scotland and the rest of England as 'tinderbox' dry conditions in the UK caused wildfires to threaten homes, animals and people.

Amid the scramble to evacuate in Wennington, one woman said her uncle was trapped  and was 'digging a trench' around his house to thwart the flames. Police later rescued him.

With its Norman church, Wennington features in the Domesday Book, and it seemed an apt description last night amid the smouldering ruins of charred homes. Local councillor Susan Ospreay had been 'devastated'.

The inferno appeared to have been sparked by a burning compost heap around 1pm in parched grassland adjacent to Wennington fire station  which meant firefighters were immediately on the scene.

Burned out cars are among the wreckage left by a fierce wildfire in Wennington, Essex, sparked by record-breaking temperatures on Tuesday

A woman is given water and comforted close to the blaze in the village of Wennington, east London, where 100 firefighters tackled a fire on Tuesday

The charred remains of a house in Wennington, Greater London, following a devastating wildfire which ripped through the village on Tuesday

A Union flag remains undamaged amid the devastation following the huge wildfire which ripped through the village of Wennington in east London

Wennington resident says she fled her home with just a photo album, her cat and her dead father's ashes A woman fled her burning home in scorched Wennington with just her photo album, a cat and her dead father's ashes, it emerged today. Two of her cats are still missing following the massive fire which she said might have started in a compost bin next door to her. The story emerged as a friend, who would not give his name, returned to the village to look for her cats. He said he was looking after two people who had lost their homes. He said: 'I just came down to look for the cats of two friends who are staying at mine in Upminster. 'I heard the scrapyard was looking after pets but I haven't seen the cats and the police aren't letting anyone through. 'The fire, it was next door to their house, and she seems to think it came from a compost bin. She said it enveloped the treeline. 'She tried to get her cats out, one jumped out of her hand, the other she got in a box and the other ran off. 'It scratched her hand it was so frightened. 'She was evacuated to the Windmill pub but luckily I'm local so I phoned them up when I heard and they came to stay with me in Upminster. 'They are more concerned about the cats than the rest of it. They're in shock but there are little bits coming back to them. 'She lost her father last year and she picked up her photo albums on the way out and his ashes. 'Otherwise it's all gone, everything. They've got two vehicles and they are not even letting them go in to get them, a van on The Green and a Porsche outside someone's house. 'At least if they get them they are mobile.' Advertisement

But they fought in vain to stop it rapidly spreading on to tinder dry scrubland and incinerating back gardens. As homes were gutted, residents said they could hear the sound of panicked horses whinnying in a surrounding field.

The heartbreaking village blaze was the most dramatic example of how the country was struggling to cope as the mercury reached unprecedented levels. One resident described the wrecked village as looking like 'a scene from the Blitz'.

Resident John Bishop claims he saw the fire from his back window as it started to spread. He told the Telegraph: 'I saw a compost heap which went up in flames and I'm wondering if that was the source of this fire.

'The fire became an inferno incredibly quickly. I really don't know about my home, I've been keeping an eye on it on the news via the helicopter pictures.'

Tim Stock, whose own house was destroyed, said he and his son saw the fire in his neighbour's garden but had been unable to stop it spreading.

The 66-year-old, who works as the village gravedigger and church warden, managed to escape with his family, two dogs and a tortoise.

He said: 'I lost everything. The house, the garden, we had two beehives, there was no going back. My son took some stuff and went round to his mate's house but about 10 minutes later that burnt down so he has got nothing either.

'I've been a gravedigger for 50 years. My truck has blown up, that belonged to the council. I didn't have time to get it out.

'Last night I stayed in Thurrock Hotel. The council was trying to put us up in people's houses but we've got two dogs and my tortoise Malty.'

Speaking about how the fire started, he said: 'The fire started across the cornfield, at one point I got stuck behind the cordon and the field was burning so I couldn't get out that way.

'We opened up the church because I have the keys, we got everyone in, people were covered in soot, they were having a drink of water, but then that started filling up with smoke so we had to get everyone out again. I'm surprised it didn't burn down as well to be honest. '

Describing the scene after Tuesday's blaze, he replied: 'It was like a warzone. Down the actual main road, all the windows had exploded out, all the roofs have caved, it was like a scene from the Blitz really.

'It's heartbreaking really. I mean, I've been there 41 years but my granddad was there before me, so we've been there 60-odd years, he told BBC Radio 5 Live.'And to see it all fall apart yesterday, it's really sad. But as I said, we'll get the site cleared, fit up a kind of mobile home there, and we'll start again.'


The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) rangers yesterday shot and killed two hyenas in Zaka which are suspected to be part of a pack of hynas that has developed human eating habits.

The hyenas attacked three members of the Maroyi family on Monday night resulting in one getting both hands amputated and the other losing all his fingers.

Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the shooting incident and said the hyenas had to be shot and killed because of the human eating habits.

Last year hyenas mauled the face of Rodwell Nyamazana, another boy from Zaka East who lost one eye, his cheek and lips leaving him severely deformed.

Farao said the hyenas were shot in Dzoro under Chief Bota.

Those injured on Monday were Robert Maroyi who lost all his fingers, his wife Muchaneta Munodya who then got amputated and Roberts father Rwativenga Muroyi who was injured all of the body.

The trio who are from Mapfumo Village under Chief Bota were attacked when they went out to ward off the hyenas which had come to their cattle pen.

The hyenas which have also decimated livestock are believed to number around five and they retreat to nearby hills during the day.

We have deployed a team of game rangers and they have so far managed to kill some hyenas. They will remain on the ground to make sure villagers and their livestock are safe from the marauding animals, said Farao.

Zaka Ward 32 councilor Togarepi Toruvanda expressed gratitude at Zimparks intervention. Masvingo Mirror
Pope Francis began a historic visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, one year after the bodies of nearly 200 students were found in a mass grave at a former school.

Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta, airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who's Canada's first Indigenous governor general.

The gesture set the tone of what Francis said is a 'penitential pilgrimage' to atone for the role of Catholic missionaries in the forced assimilation of generations of Native children - a visit that has stirred mixed emotions across Canada as survivors and their families cope with the trauma of their losses and receive a long-sought papal apology.

The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse were rampant in the state-funded Christian schools that operated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes, Native languages and cultures and assimilate them into Canada's Christian society.

Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the residential schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of Indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums.

Pope Francis is greeted by George Arcand, Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, as he arrives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Sunday, July 24

Pope Francis is greeted by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he arrives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, on Sunday, July 24

Francis exited the back of his plane with the help of an ambulift, given his strained knee ligaments have forced him to use a wheelchair. The simple welcome ceremony took place in airport hangar, where Indigenous drums and chanting broke the silence.

As Trudeau and Simon sat beside Francis, a succession of Indigenous leaders and elders greeted the pope and exchanged gifts. At one point, Francis kissed the hand of residential school survivor Elder Alma Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nations as she was introduced to him.

'Right now, many of our people are skeptical and they are hurt,' said Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, who greeted the pope. Yet he expressed hope that with the papal apology, 'We could begin our journey of healing .. and change the way things have been for our people for many, many years.'

Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to pray at a cemetery and apologize.

Pope Francis kisses the hand of residential school survivor Elder Alma Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nation on Sunday, July 24

Pope Francis meets the Canadian Indigenous people as he arrives at Edmonton's International airport, Canada, on Sunday

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, one of the country's most prominent Indigenous leaders, said several members of her family attended residential schools, including a sister who died at one in Ontario. She described it as 'an institution of assimilation and genocide.'

During her flight to Alberta, 'I was just so overcome with emotion and there were different times on the plane where I really had to stop myself from breaking into a deep sob,' she said. 'I realized that I am an intergenerational trauma survivor and there are so many people like me.'

Francis' week-long trip - which will take him to Edmonton; Quebec City and finally Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the far north - follows meetings he held in the spring at the Vatican with delegations from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Those meetings culminated with a historic April 1 apology for the 'deplorable' abuses committed by some Catholic missionaries in residential schools.

Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology over the residential schools in 2008. As part of a lawsuit settlement involving the government, churches and approximately 90,000 surviving students, Canada paid reparations that amounted to billions of dollars being transferred to Indigenous communities.

A six-person drum circle from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation perfoms to welcome Pope Francis Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Pope Francis, left, is welcomed by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon as he arrives at Edmonton's International airport, Canada, Sunday, July 24

Canada's Catholic Church says its dioceses and religious orders have provided more than $50 million in cash and in-kind contributions, and hope to add $30 million more over the next five years.

Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 had called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil, but it was only after the 2021 discovery of the possible remains of around 200 children at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia that the Vatican mobilized to comply with the request.

'I honestly believe that if it wasn't for the discovery... and all the spotlight that was placed on the Oblates or the Catholic Church as well, I don't think any of this would have happened,' said Raymond Frogner, head archivist at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Pope Francis greets residential school survivor Elder Vicki Arcand of the Alexander First Nation

Pope Francis is welcomed by a group of Indigenous leaders Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Frogner just returned from Rome where he spent five days at the headquarters of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 of the 139 Christian-run residential schools, the most of any Catholic order.

After the graves were discovered, the Oblates finally offered 'complete transparency and accountability' and allowed him into its headquarters to research the names of alleged sex abusers from a single school in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan, he said.

The Inuit community, for its part, is seeking Vatican assistance to extradite a single Oblate priest, the Rev. Joannes Rivoire, who ministered to Inuit communities until he left in the 1990s and returned to France. Canadian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 1998 on accusations of several counts of sexual abuse, but it has never been served.

Inuit leader Natan Obed personally asked Francis for the Vatican's help in extraditing Rivoire, telling The Associated Press in March that it was one specific thing the Vatican could do to bring healing to his many victims.

Asked about the request, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said last week that he had no information on the case.

Governor-General Mary Simon, right, receives a gift from an Indigenous person as Grand Chief George Arcand, center, looks on as they await the arrival of Pope Francis in Edmonton, Alberta

Grand Chief George Arcand of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations waits for the arrival of Pope Francis Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

At a news conference Saturday in Edmonton, organizers said they will do all they can to enable school survivors to attend the papal events, particularly for the Maskwacis apology and the Tuesday gathering at Lac Ste. Anne, long a popular pilgrimage site for Indigenous Catholics.

Both are in rural areas, and organizers are arranging shuttle transport from various park-and-ride lots. They noted that many survivors are now elderly and frail and may need accessible vehicle transport, diabetic-friendly snacks and other services.

The Rev. Cristino Bouvette, national liturgical coordinator for the papal visit, who is partly of Indigenous heritage, said he hopes the visit is healing for those who 'have borne a wound, a cross that they have suffered with, in some cases for generations.'

Bouvette, a priest in the Diocese of Calgary, said the papal liturgical events will have strong Indigenous representation - including prominent roles for Indigenous clergy and the use of Native languages, music and motifs on liturgical vestments.

Bouvette said he's doing this work in honor of his 'kokum,' the Cree word for grandmother, who spent 12 years at a residential school in Edmonton. She 'could have probably never imagined those many years later that her grandson would be involved in this work.'

Canadian and Vatican flags fly from the plane carrying Pope Francis as he arrives Sunday, July 24, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Pope Francis arrives at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International airport Sunday, July 24, 2022, to board his flight to Edmonton, Canada, where he will start a six-day pastoral visit to the country. Pope Francis begins a weeklong trip to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for the abuses committed by Catholic missionaries in the country's notorious residential schools. (AP Photo/Riccardo de Luca)
The devastated family of a model alleged to have been murdered by her boyfriend have remembered her as an 'incredible mother' as they vow to bring her justice.

Shereen Kumar, 43, was found dead in bushland four minutes away from her Dural home, in Sydney's northwest, on Saturday afternoon, bringing a four-day search to an end.

Hours later, police arrested her boyfriend Vincent Carlino, 37, and charged him with domestic violence murder.

Ms Kumar's ex-husband Gurpreet Beehan, who is the father of her two kids, told Daily Mail Australia the family are 'heartbroken' and will 'ensure' she gets the justice she deserves.

Shereen Kumar, 43, (pictured) has been remembered as an 'incredible mother' by her heartbroken family

He said Ms Kumar was a 'strong woman' who was devoted to their children, and her death had created a hole in their lives that would never be filled.

'She was an incredible mother to our kids and she will be missed forever,' Mr Beehan said.

'No one can replace a mother and this [alleged] crime has left us all devastated.'

Mr Beehan said he had to have a difficult conversation with his children about what happened to their mother.

'I don't have the answers,' he said.

Shocked friends have flocked online to pay tribute to the 'beautiful and kind soul' whose life was tragically cut short.

'I am in complete shock. Sending my condolences to her family,' one friend wrote, 'RIP Shereen.'

'Rest in peace angel such devastating news to wake up to,' Jess Terry said.

'My weekly dog walks definitely won't be the same without you! The most beautiful and kind soul gone way too soon, you'll be forever missed.'

'Very sad today, this is devastating,' another friend posted.

Vincent Carlino (pictured) told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week that he was 'extremely worried' about his missing partner, 43-year-old Shereen Kumar. He's since been charged with her murder

'Rest In Peace Shereen Kumar.'

Carlino told police Ms Kumar was last seen leaving her home on Taylors Road, in Dural, in her pyjamas at about 9pm on Wednesday.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia earlier this week, Carlino said he was 'extremely worried' about his missing partner.

After days of searching, detectives found a body matching the woman's description just in bushland off Laurie Road on Saturday at 5.50pm.

A crime scene was established, which is still teeming with specialist forensic officers. The body has not yet been formally identified, but police believe it is Ms Kumar.

Carlino and Ms Kumar ran a dog walking business in Sydney's northern suburbs

Just after 11.30pm on Saturday, police arrested Mr Carlino at the home he shared with Ms Kumar.

He was taken to Hornsby police station and formally charged with murder (DV). He was refused bail to appear in Parramatta Bail Court on Sunday.

Mr Carlino earlier told Daily Mail Australia he saw Ms Kumar leaving their home about 9pm on Wednesday. He alleged she left wordlessly and hadn't been seen since.

'She left and didn't take her phone or the van,' he said. 'I'm extremely worried.

'I've told police all of the places I think she could be.'

Mr Carlino and Ms Kumar took over as the franchises of the Hornsby Mad Dogs & Englishmen pet walking service in October last year.

Ms Kumar has since become the Director of the Chatswood Mad Dogs and Englishmen franchise while Mr Carlino runs the Hornsby business.

The couple's businesses appeared to be booming with Ms Kumar just last week issuing a recruitment post for a 'hardworking, trustworthy and reliable' dog walker in a local group chat.

Ms Kumar was last seen leaving her home on Taylors Road, in Dural in Sydney's north west, in her pyjamas about 9pm on Wednesday

Carlino and Ms Kumar took over as the franchises of the Hornsby Mad Dogs & Englishmen pet walking service in October last year

'We operate Monday to Friday with most walks conducted between 7.30am to 3pm,' the post reads.

'This role is perfect for individuals seeking flexibility or for those who require stable and long term employment.'

According to her social media profiles, Ms Kumar finished a degree at Western Sydney University in 2015 before launching her own HR business.

She is also a model, frequently posing for Sydney photographers and gracing the pages of magazines, including French fashion publication Malvie and Amsterdam-based Selin Magazine.

Earlier this month, she participated in a shoot for Australian creative group Hunter Creative, wearing a warrior-princess style costume and clutching a sword.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police.
Iran is already a nuclear weapons state with enough uranium to build 'one, if not two' bombs, an ex-US diplomat and nuclear weapons expert has warned.

Former Washington official Robert Joseph told MailOnline: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has documented that Iran has 60% of enriched uranium, enough for at least one if not two bombs.

'We have been saying for years "they're approaching this breakout point and we've really got to negotiate with them." They're there.'

The ex-United States Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security was speaking ahead of the 'Free Iran' summit in Albania, which was abruptly cancelled due to a terror threat.

Joseph is pictured at a State Department press conference on Iran during the Bush presidency

The US Department of State issued a security alert ahead of the summit this weekend, urging officials - including Joseph - not to attend.

Fellow Washington officials including former national security adviser John Bolton, senator Joe Lieberman and former NATO General James Jones were set to attend.

I am the last person who would suggest the use of force, either there or with North Korea, Joseph said in Tirana. But rather to support the opposition in overthrowing this regime.

Joseph was the chief negotiator to Libya in 2003 and is credited with convincing Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to give up his nuclear weapons programme.

He has been strongly critical of former president Barack Obamas regime and in its actions in aiding the overthrow of Gaddafis government in 2011, as well as the 2015 nuclear deal, which the administration agreed to prevent Iran from developing weapons of mass destruction.

The Iranian military fires ballistic missiles into the year in the Great Salt Desert last January

There are growing fears that Iran has the capacity to build its own nuclear bombs (2010 image)

The conference was being hosted by an exiled Iranian opposition group living in exile in the Ashraf 3 camp in Tirana, with some former US officials backing the campaigners as a potential replacement for the Islamic Republic currently running Iran.

The US government is aware of a potential threat targeting the Free Iran World Summit to be held near Durres, Albania on July 23-24, 2022, said the US Embassy in Albania one day prior to the event, asking US citizens to avoid the summit and be aware of your surroundings.

The IAEA, the UN nuclear watchdog, said in May that Irans breakout time  the time theoretically required for the regime to produce a nuclear weapons  had shrunk to two weeks.

But the Institute for Science and International Security said a month later the breakout time had hit zero.

We hear that they are regularly testing ballistic missiles, and they are seeking to get enough uranium that they are able to produce a weapon, said MP Matthew Offord, who had been scheduled to attend the event.

The issue with the ballistic missiles is that they would be longer range, he added. It wouldnt be in the immediate area, say as far as Israel, it could go a lot further than that.

The MP said he has been taking preventative actions after the death of his friend David Amess last year, a fellow MP murdered by an Islamist extremist.

Iranian agents have previously targeted events hosted by the members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the exiled opposition that relocated to Tirana after thousands of its members were executed during the 2013-2017 War in Iraq.

John Baird, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada who was also scheduled to attend, said the terror threat was only the second time in his career when a summit was cancelled because of a credible threat to attendees, the first also involving the NCRI.

In 2018, French police arrested an Iranian agent trying to bring explosives and a detonator to a NCRI rally in Paris.

Assadollah Assadi, 49, who worked at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, was given a 20-year jail term by the court in Antwerp in Belgium, the first time an Iranian official had faced such charges in the EU since the 1979 revolution.

But on Thursday the Belgian parliament ratified a treaty to swap the convicted terrorist with a Belgian citizen held hostage in Iran, a move strongly opposed by the Iranian opposition.

We need to stand with Iran in this great struggle. The people of Iran have got to know that the world recognises this regime for what it is, Baird added. I strongly support regime change, not outside with military force, but the National Council is probably the biggest and most effective opposition to the regime, so we need to support them.

The IAEA said in May that Irans stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent had grown to 95 pounds, an increase of more than 300% compared to the previous three months.

NCRI originally revealed the Iranian regimes nuclear weapons programme to the world in 2005, providing evidence to international bodies that the regime has worked on production of a neutron initiator by using Polonium 210 and Beryllium  granting it the capacity to enrich uranium and eventually acquire nuclear weapons.
Russia has been hitting ground targets in Ukraine with a surface-to-air missiles, reports have said, the latest sign of growing logistical issues faced by Moscow.

The Soviet-era S-300 missile system, first deployed in 1979, was originally designed to defend against air raids and cruise missiles for the Soviet Air Defence Forces.

But reports from Ukraine have said the system has been used by Russian forces to attack ground targets, with the British Defence Ministry saying this suggests Vladimir Putin's forces are experiencing 'critical shortages' of ground-attack weapons.

Reports said the missiles were equipped with an atypical explosive projectile that destroys everything in the vicinity of impact, with commentators accusing Russian forces of yet more war crimes for striking civilian areas with weapons capable of such indiscriminate destruction.

On Thursday, Vitaly Kim - governor of the southern Mykolaiv region - said it had been targeted with seven S-300 missiles, with one person wounded and impacts on infrastructure, energy facilities and storage areas.

On Thursday, Vitaly Kim - governor of the southern Mykolaiv region - said it had been targeted with seven S-300 missiles, with one person wounded and impacts on infrastructure, energy facilities and storage areas. Pictured: Damage to a residential building is seen in Mykolaiv

Pictured: A Soviet-era S-300 ground-to-air missile defence system is seen during a military parade (file photo). The S-300 missile system, first deployed in 1979, was originally designed to defend against air raids and cruise missiles for the Soviet Air Defence Forces

Earlier this month, on July 8, the governor also said S300 missiles had been used against ground targets, and claimed they have been retro-fitted with GPS devices to guide them to their targets. Despite this, they were still inaccurate, he said.

Pictures from the region showed a devastated residential building, while others showed firefighters in the wreckage of an industrial building. According to one report, the missile strike carved out huge pits '10 meters deep' in the ground.

While the S-300 missiles were originally only intended to strike targets in the air - such as warplanes or other in-coming missiles - reports have said they have been been retrofitted with some surface-to-surface capabilities.

According to The Drive, the S-300P series have inertial guidance systems which is updated by radio link and, when the missile gets close to its target, a semi-active radar homing system.

The news outlet said that this means the missiles are unlikely to before able to accurately strike smaller targets, but could be used against area targets.

Due to their high-speed and quasi-ballistic missiles, the S-300 missiles are also difficult to defend against, The Dive said. One analysts compared the accuracy of the missiles to the improvised rockets used by Hamas against Israel.

The British Defence Ministry said it believes that Russia is experiencing 'critical shortages' of dedicated ground-attack missiles and therefore has increased its use of air-defence missiles 'in secondary ground attack mode.'

Pictures from Mykolaiv showed a devastated residential building, while others showed firefighters in the wreckage of an industrial building. According to one report , the missile strike carved out huge pits '10 meters deep' in the ground

Pictured: A firefighter works to put out flames after a missile destroyed a building in Mykolaiv

Pictured: Russian anti-aicraft missile systems S-300 (right) and S-400 (left) on display at military industrial exhibition in 2014 (file photo)

The ministry said Russia has 'almost certainly' deployed S-300 and S-400 strategic air defence systems designed to shoot down aircraft and missiles at long range, and that there is a 'high chance' of them missing their intended targets and causing civilian casualties.

The weapons, which have relatively small warheads are designed to destroy aircraft, it said, adding that they could pose a significant threat against troops in the open and light buildings but are unlikely to penetrate hardened structures.

There is a high chance of these weapons missing their intended targets and causing civilian casualties because the missiles are not optimised for this role and their crews will have little training for such missions, the Defence ministry said.

Nataliya Gumenyuk, the head of the United Coordination Press Centre for the defence forces of the south of Ukraine, said the Russians are purposefully using the inaccurate missiles to terrorize Mykolaiv.

The reports of Russia's use of the S-300 missiles and suspected shortage of other weaponry come amid claims that Russia has been facing logistical issues as it attempts to push further into Ukraine.

Ukraine's fierce resistance has taken the Kremlin by surprise, with some estimates suggesting Putin has seen more than 30,000 of his troops killed.

When the invasion began on February 24, Moscow brazenly believed its forces would sweep to victory and depose Kyiv's government in a matter of days. Instead, Russia has been dragged into a protracted and costly conflict, with no end in sight.

And while Moscow's armies succeeded in seizing the majority of Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, reports have said Ukraine is gearing up for a counter-offensive that could see the war enter its bloodiest phase yet.

Meanwhile, Ukraine struck a bridge in the occupied Black Sea region of Kherson on Saturday, targeting a Russian supply route - as Kyiv prepares for the major counter-offensive - a Ukrainian regional official said.

A tank drives along a road in Donbass, Donetsk, Ukraine, 22 July 20222

Ukrainian sappers are looking for fragments of a Russian projectile that hit the yard Kharkiv National University of Urban Economy named after O. Beketov.in Kharkiv, Ukraine on July 23

A Ukrainian serviceman makes his way to a bomb shelter at the frontline in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, July 23, 2022

The strike hit the Daryivskyi bridge across the Ingulets river used for supplies by Russian troops, days after a key bridge over the nearby Dnieper was hit, said an adviser to the region's governor who is on Ukrainian-held territory.

'Every bridge is a weak point for logistics and our armed forces are skilfully destroying the enemy system. This is not yet the liberation of Kherson, but a serious preparatory step in that direction,' the official, Serhiy Khlan, wrote on Facebook.

The deputy head of the Russian-installed regional authority said the bridge had been hit by seven rockets from Western-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), but that the bridge still worked, Russia's TASS news agency said.

The assertions from both sides could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Ukraine has been using western-supplied long-range weapons to hit Russian supply lines and ammunition dumps in an effort to turn the tide in the war and prepare a counter-offensive in Kherson region.

Ukraine is also pressing ahead with efforts to restart grain exports from Odesa and other Black Sea ports after a missile attack that cast doubt over whether Russia would honour a deal aimed at easing global food shortages caused by the war.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy denounced the strikes on Odesa as blatant 'barbarism' that showed Moscow could not be trusted to implement Friday's deal, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations.

However, a government minister said preparations to resume grain shipments were ongoing, and public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not significantly damaged the port.

The deal signed by Moscow and Kyiv was hailed as a diplomatic breakthrough that would help curb soaring global food prices, but as the war entered its sixth month on Sunday there was no sign of a let-up in the fighting.

While the main theatre of combat has been the eastern region of Donbas, Zelenskiy said in video posted late on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were moving 'step by step' into the occupied eastern Black Sea region of Kherson.

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a sea port of Odesa, southern Ukraine, July 23

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a sea port of Odesa, southern Ukraine, July 23

Ukraine's military on Sunday reported Russian shelling in numerous locations in the north, south and east, and again referred to Russian operations paving the way for an assault on Bakhmut in the Donbas.

The strikes on Odesa drew strong condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy. On Friday, U.N. officials had said they hoped the agreement would be operational in a few weeks.

Video released by the Ukrainian military showed firefighters battling a blaze on an unidentified boat moored alongside a tug boat. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video or the date it was filmed.

Turkey's defence minister said Russian officials told Ankara that Moscow had 'nothing to do' with the strikes. Neither Russian defence ministry statements nor the military's evening summary mentioned missile strikes in Odesa. The ministry did not reply to a Reuters request for comment.

Two Russian Kalibr missiles hit the area of a pumping station at the port, two others were shot down by air defence forces, according to Ukraine's military. Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat said the missiles were fired from warships in the Black Sea near Crimea.

Suspilne quoted Ukraine's southern military command as saying the port's grain storage area was not hit.

'Unfortunately there are wounded. The port's infrastructure was damaged,' said Odesa region governor Maksym Marchenko.

But Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Facebook that 'we continue technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports'.

The deal would restore grain shipments from the three reopened ports to pre-war levels of 5 million tonnes a month, U.N. officials said.
The Irish prime minister has claimed that the UK's Rwanda policy to deport migrants to central Africa has seen more people arrive in Ireland.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said the UK's new immigration policy has seen a surge in asylum seekers arrive in Ireland.

The news comes after Tory leadership candidate Liz Truss has said she will extend the controversial Rwanda asylum scheme, in a move to firm up support among Tory party voters in the race to succeed Boris Johnson.

Mr Martin said that refugees are using the Common Travel Area to apply for asylum after over 40,000 Ukrainians arrived in the country and as it was reported that most refugees are applying for leave to remain in Ireland through offices in Dublin and not at airports.

Mrs Truss today vowed to implement a hard line on immigration if she wins the keys to No 10  including extending the scheme under which migrants who cross the Channel in small boats can be sent to Rwanda.

Liz Truss, pictured on Saturday in Marden, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, suggested that as Prime Minister she would extend the Rwanda policy, despite it currently being in legal limbo

The Irish government has claimed that the UK's Rwanda policy to deport migrants to central Africa has seen more people arrive in Ireland. Pictured: A group of migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on Monday

2022 figures so far show numbers increasing at pace and look likely to eclipse 2021's figures

The Foreign Secretary uses an interview with The Mail on Sunday to try to cement her early lead over Rishi Sunak by promising to increase frontline border staff by 20 per cent, and by striking Rwanda-style deals with more countries.

Her pledges come as Mr Sunak  who has denied claims he tried to block the controversial policy while in Cabinet yesterday set out his own ten-point plan to tackle immigration, which he promised would be one of five major emergency responses he would enact during his first 100 days as Prime Minister.

Ms Truss says: The Rwanda policy is the right policy. Im determined to see it through to full implementation, as well as exploring other countries that we can work on similar partnerships with. Its the right thing to do.

Im also determined to make sure we have the right level of forces at our border. Im going to increase the Border Force to make sure that we have the proper protection in place directly at the border.

Ms Truss tells the MoS: Im determined to end the appalling people trafficking were seeing. I make sure things get done, and I will be working with my colleagues to deliver this as an absolute priority.

I understand its a priority for people and we need to make sure our immigration system is fair, and this illegal immigration that were seeing across the Channel is both unfair and incredibly dangerous, and it is one of my priorities to make sure it is sorted. She adds: We need to make sure that the British Bill of Rights fully delivers on giving the UK Government the powers and UK Parliament the sovereignty to be able to deliver the policy in full. Thats very important for me.

Britains borders will be protected under my leadership and I will do what it takes to make the Rwanda deal fully implemented and also look to other arrangements with other countries.

Mr Sunaks plan includes new laws to tighten the definition of who qualifies for asylum, the introduction of an annual cap set by Parliament on the number of refugees the UK accepts and withholding aid from countries that fail to co-operate over the return of migrants.

The former Chancellor has also promised to hold the French to account with clear targets for stopping boats while ending the farce of using hotels to house migrants. Mr Sunak said: Our immigration system is broken and we have to be honest about that.

In todays interview, Ms Truss also takes aim at former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings, who is supporting Mr Sunak, distances herself from comparisons with Baroness Thatcher and reveals her love of Bruce Springsteen and Honest Burgers.

Liz Truss (pictured in Marden on Saturday) has said she will extend the controversial Rwanda asylum scheme, in a move to firm up support among Tory party voters in the race to succeed Boris Johnson

Her intervention over immigration came after the initial stages of the Tory leadership campaign were dominated by rows over tax policy, with Ms Truss promising to axe Mr Sunaks National Insurance rise to stimulate growth. The Foreign Secretary says that if she beats her rival in the ballot of party members on September 5 she will increase frontline Border Force staff from 9,000 to 10,800.

Ms Truss will also introduce a strengthened Bill of Rights to give a sound legal basis to address illegal immigration.

Whether you believe that migration should be high or low, we can all agree that it should be legal and controlled.

Right now the system is chaotic, with law-abiding citizens seeing boats full of illegal immigrants coming from the safe country of France, with our sailors and coastguards seemingly powerless to stop them. It must stop and if I am Prime Minister I will stop it.

The Rwandan Government has conceded that it currently only has the capacity to take 200 migrants from the UK, although spokeswoman Yolande Makolo said officials would be able to scale up quickly and were ready to take as many as the UK is willing to send.

Britain has paid 120 million up front to Rwanda as part of the deal and could be liable for the cash even if the policy is ruled unlawful in a judicial review before the High Court in September.

Officials also confirmed migrants were free to leave Rwanda once they had arrived and could attempt new journeys back to the UK.

More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in the UK in small boats since the deal was signed in mid-April. In total, more than 15,000 have crossed the Channel this year, almost double the number that had arrived by this time last year.

Last week it emerged in a report by David Neal, the chief borders inspector, that Channel migrants who triggered alerts on security databases have been allowed to vanish after arriving in the UK.

Others were found to have arrived with guns or other weapons.

The Home Office sat on Mr Neals findings for five months until publishing them last week.

The report came a month after the first scheduled flight to Rwanda was blocked from departing after an 11th-hour ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

Ms Truss adds: In all of the areas that Ive had direct responsibility for, whether its putting the toughest sanctions regime on Russia, whether its dealing with the issues in Northern Ireland and putting the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to Parliament, whether its the trade deals Ive negotiated, Im somebody who gets things done and Im prepared to take on the Whitehall orthodoxy, Im prepared to take on the naysayers and the doubters around the country, and that is what I will absolutely do in this case because it is a priority to stop the appalling abuse thats taking place in the Channel.

Meanwhile, it has also been suggested, The Telegraph said, that Ireland has seen an accommodation crisis off the back of the measure forcing Ukrainians to be put in tents.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin (pictured) has made comments this week saying new migration measures in the UK has seen a spike in asylum seekers

The news comes as Mr Martin was defending Ireland's policy to suspend visa-free travel for refugees - but not Ukrainians - from 20 'safe' European countries for 12 months.

Speaking in Japan on Tuesday, he said: 'We have had the Department of Justice examining [the issue of asylum seekers] in terms of the convention around refugees in safe countries being in a position to travel. There has been a significant surge in people seeking international protection over the last number of months.

'I mean potentially we will have four to five times the number of people seeking international protection this year compared to pre-pandemic times.'

He added that he thinks that Rwanda policy has seen more people coming to utlise the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland, which means those travelling encounter visa-free travel.

A group of migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, onboard a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel on Monday

Mr Martin added: 'One can see, and maybe sense that that policy announcement, which I thought was a wrong policy announcement by the UK, a shocking sort of initiative in my view, to be doing some agreement with Rwanda, clearly may have motivated people utilising the Common Travel Area to come into the Republic  yes, I think it is one of a number of factors.'

An Irish government spokesman later clarified this comments to the Telegraph saying: 'Recent policy changes in other jurisdictions, including the UK, as the Taoiseach referred to, may be creating the perception of a less welcoming immigration and international protection environment, leading to secondary movements of applicants.'

The Irish government also believes this is happening as people travel between Northern Ireland and the Republic as 60 per cent of as asylum claims are being made at offices in Dublin and not the airport which typically sees almost two-thirds of asylum claims.

Earlier this week, the Irish Times reported an average of 1,400 people are now arriving from Ukraine every week, with more than 40,000 fleeing to Ireland with a population of 5million.

It also said that the Irish Army is purchasing more tents to house Ukrainians which is already exasperating the country's existing housing crisis while the government offers 135 (114.85) a night for hotels and B&Bs to house single adults.

It has also been suggested that Ireland has seen an accommodation crisis of the back of the measure forcing Ukrainians to be put in tents. Pictured: Environment Minister Eamon Ryan pictured on Thursday

Mr Ryan, Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, has previously said on the Rwanda policy: 'There is a real challenge. It is very, very difficult. But we will have to manage. We committed at the very start of this war that the right thing to do  and the Irish people agree with this  is to keep our door open, unlike our neighbours who haven't taken the same approach.

'And unlike our neighbours, we don't agree with the sort of approach where you might send a refugee back to another country as a solution to what is a real challenging problem.'

He also clarified his view again on Sunday, saying: 'You dont turn people away', according to the Irish Examiner.

The UK Home Office has refused to comment on the statements made by Mr Martin and Mr Ryan.
Millions of households might be facing requests to turn down their thermostats and switch off their lights, as the Government seeks to implement measures to avoid winter blackouts.

As concern about an upcoming gas or electricity supply shortage has grown, the National Grid has met with energy industry representatives.

This possible public appeal to use less energy is part of emergency contingency plans in place.

After Russia cut supply via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, EU countries have already been asked to reduce their gas usage by 15 per cent next month.

Among these are Germany, Austria and France, which have issued public appeals to shower for shorter, turn down thermostats and switch off lights.

After Russia cut supply via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, EU countries have already been asked to reduce their gas usage by 15 per cent next month. Among these are Germany, Austria and France, which have issued public appeals to shower for shorter, turn down thermostats and switch off lights

The Telegraph has revealed that the UK government might be considering doing similarly.

The official contingency plans lay out how regular radio, television and social media appeals would be made. Posters and leaflets encouraging the public to reduce electricity an gas usage would also be issued.

Additionally, the National Grid may even pay large energy users to switch off.

However, Arjan Geveke, the director of the Energy Intensive Users Group, which represents industry, told the newspaper that this option would come after the public appeal had been tried.

First of all they will want to do a public information campaign because thats the least costly option, he said. Theres obviously an increased risk of security of supply in the winter.

Another feature of the plans is National Grid's request to electricity suppliers, encouraging them to pay households to use energy when supply is at its peak - such as high solar power - and reduce usage at other times.

However, two major national suppliers, British Gas and Shell, told The Telegraph this was not something they were planning on doing this winter.

As the upcoming season is set to be tough, National Grid has brought forward its winter outlook release date, issuing the outlook next week rather than in the usual month of October.

As the upcoming season is set to be tough, National Grid has brought forward its winter outlook release date, issuing the outlook next week rather than in the usual month of October

While Britain is not dependent on gas supplies from Russia, the country could still be hit by a surge in demand for other sources in Europe.

Analysis carried out for the newspaper by consultancy EnAppSys found that blackouts in the UK are a real possibility if there are extreme gas curtailments across Europe.

Coal-fired power stations have been asked by the Government to stay open, despite their upcoming closure date. It is also set to reopen the Rough gas storage facility, five years after shutting.

But ministers are reportedly very reluctant to make the appeal to the public to reduce energy usage, believing instead that record high price will lead to a natural decrease in demand.

Under the October price cap, annual energy bills could soar to as much as 3,244, according to new estimates from consultancy Cornwall Insight. From January, they could even reach 3,363.

Under the October price cap, annual energy bills could soar to as much as 3,244, according to new estimates from consultancy Cornwall Insight. From January, they could even reach 3,363

If the worst-case scenario of millions of households experiencing electricity blackouts was at risk of coming to fruition, the Government would have to take action.

However, there are not any plans to actually cut gas use to households.

An update to the Government emergency protocols for gas and electricity supply is expected later this year.

A UK government spokesperson told the Telegraph: The UK has no issues with either gas or electricity supply, and the government is fully prepared for any scenario, even those that are extreme and very unlikely to occur.

National Grid Gas has standard, long-standing emergency procedures in place to protect the integrity of Britain's gas network in the extremely unlikely event of a supply emergency. Ministers are not involved in this process."
Distressing footage has surfaced of a machete-wielding gang attacking voters outside polling booths in Papua New Guinea.

The video shows at least a dozen men, armed with long blades and makeshift bats, causing chaos in the Northeast electorate in the capital of Port Moresby - about 500km north of Australia.

One man is seen being encircled by three others who take turns beating him with an unknown object before running towards the counting area in the city's centre.

The terrifying clip is the latest incident in a string of violent scenes being witnessed across the country amid the national election.

Observers took to Twitter as poll results were released triggering escalating acts of brutality between feuding factions.

Authorities are yet to comment on the unfolding situation but local media reports claim there have been several deaths.

'Election-related violence for Port Moresby Northeast electorate at the counting area, Vision City, Waigani, NCD,' the graphic video was captioned.

'Not safe please avoid the area. It's happening now.'

One man is encircled by three others who take turns beating him with an unknown object before running towards the counting area in the city centre

'Riots breaking all over PNG today, as election results are released, riots between rival factions start up. A number of people killed,' another tweeted.

'People have been attacked with machetes outside an election counting centre in #PNG's capital Port Moresby,' ABC correspondent Natalie Whiting posted.

'I've been told it's over a counting dispute for the Moresby North East electorate but waiting for official comment from police.'

At least 30 people are believed to have been killed during the six-week election campaign - in both violent clashes and road accidents.

A minister's convoy was set on fire in one area while an electorate official was shot in another.

The governments has been accused of not updating the common list of eligible voters, meaning at least one million will miss out on casting their vote.

Observers took to Twitter as election results were released, triggering escalating acts of violence between feuding factions and even deaths (pictured, scenes in Port Moresby)

The electoral commission did not have the financial means to update the electoral roll - with observers fearing the oversight would spark violence at polling booths.

There are also concerns over the transport of ballot papers and the number of electorate officials tasked with the security of the documents.

About 7,000 people have been enlisted to ensure the safety of voters at polling booths with citizens encouraged to report electoral offences.

PNG's last election in 2017 also became synonymous with violence as well as allegations of fraud and vote-buying in some electorates.

The two most likely candidates are Prime Minister James Marape and the man he displaced, former prime minister Peter O'Neill (pictured, scenes in Port Moresby)

The two most likely candidates are Prime Minister James Marape and the man he displaced, former prime minister Peter O'Neill.

Mr Marape's Pangu Party contested more than 80 seats, while Mr O'Neill's People's National Congress contested more than 90.

To add to the chaos of the election, three candidates have been excluded from the running over various criminal convictions.

One candidate was convicted of murder, another of rape and a third of conspiracy to defraud - while a fourth MP, Lohia Boe Samuel, was charged with murder after a shooting in a Port Moresby restaurant in March.

More than 50 parties will contest this election, with about half to be voted in with elections held every six years in PNG (pictured, violent scenes in Port Moresby)

As the court case is ongoing, the politician is able to recontest his seat.

More than 50 parties will contest this election, held every six years in PNG.

The results will be handed in on Friday, July 29 with the party with the highest number of MP's to form government in August.

Conducting an election in PNG is considerably challenging due to remote electorates, difficult terrain and poor infrastructure.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to visit the country soon after the new government is formed.
Prince William 'believes Diana would never have agreed to a Panorama interview without manipulation by Martin Bashir' and is 'frustrated' by the BBC's failure to address the 'false narrative' it established.

The Duke of Cambridge is said to be 'frustrated' and still feels 'a lot of hurt and pain' over the 1995 Panorama interview.

The interview, watched by 23 million people, saw Diana declare 'there were three of us in this marriage', causing a worldwide sensation.

It is widely thought to have contributed to her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996 - a year prior to her fatal car crash in the Tunnel de l'Alma in Paris.

William believes the BBC has failed to address the 'false narrative' that was established by Bashir's interview, The Sunday Times reports.

Bashir showed Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, forged bank statements to gain access to the Princess.

Those statements suggested Earl Spencer's former head of security was receiving money from a tabloid newspaper and the security services to spy on Earl Spencer and Diana.

Bashir then tricked her by peddling a string of lies, including the slur that Prince Charles was having an affair with then royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke - now Alexandra Pettifer - and that she became pregnant and had an abortion as a result.

Prince William believes his mother, Princess Diana, would not have agreed to an interview with Martin Bashir without his manipulation

Diana during her interview with BBC journalist Bashir, who tricked her by peddling a string of lies

Alexandra Pettifer, better known as Tiggy Legge-Bourke, a former nanny to the Duke of Cambridge, pictured outside the High Court on Thursday after the BBC agreed to pay her substantial damages

Pictured: Princess Diana in 1995. The interview, watched by 23 million people, saw Diana declare 'there were three of us in this marriage'

Bashir (left) showed Earl Spencer forged bank statements in 1995 to gain access to the Princess and then tricked her by peddling a string of lies

Tunnel de l'Alma in Paris, which was the site of the car accident that killed Princess Diana on August 31, 1997

How the BBC was finally forced to admit Bashir deceit AUGUST 31, 1995: BBC Panorama journalist Martin Bashir meets Earl Spencer and shows him fake bank statements that freelance designer Matt Wiessler mocked up for him. SEP 19, 1995: The Earl introduces Bashir to Princess Diana. NOV 5, 1995: The sensational Panorama interview with Diana is broadcast. LATE NOVEMBER 1995: Wiessler expresses concern to Panoramas series producer that the fake bank statements may have played a role in obtaining the interview. Bashir is asked for clarification. DEC 22, 1995: Bashir passes a note from Diana to his bosses in which she says: I was not shown any documents nor given any information by Martin Bashir that I was not already aware of. MAR 23, 1996: Bashir admits to BBC bosses that he had lied about not showing the fake bank statements to anybody. Yet two months later, he is sent a note  signed off by Tony Hall, then head of BBC News  that his dealings with Diana were absolutely straight and fair. APR 7, 1996: The Mail on Sunday publishes a story about the fake statements. The BBC denies they were used to obtain the interview, but Hall opens an inquiry. APR 25, 1996: Hall tells BBC governors that Bashir commissioned fake statements because he wasnt thinking, adding: I believe he is, even with this lapse, an honest and honourable man. Bashir leaves the BBC, but returns in 2016 as religious affairs editor. AUG 28, 1996: Dianas divorce from Prince Charles is finalised. AUG 31, 1997: Diana dies in a car crash in Paris. NOV 3, 2020: The Daily Mail publishes a letter written by Earl Spencer in which he accuses the BBC of sheer dishonesty. NOV 18, 2020: The BBC asks former Supreme Court Justice Lord Dyson to independently investigate the scandal. MAY 20, 2021: Lord Dysons report condemns Bashir as dishonest and criticises Halls investigation as flawed. Prince William condemns the BBCs incompetence. JUL 21, 2022: The BBC pays about 200,000 to royal nanny Tiggy Legge-Bourke and admits she was subjected to baseless smears by Bashir. Advertisement

This week the BBC paid out around 200,000 to Ms Legge-Bourke for the 'shocking' smears made against her by Bashir as part of his campaign to secure his now discredited interview.

The BBC also issued a grovelling apology, with corporation boss Tim Davie pledging to never show the programme again.

Miss Legge-Bourke's solicitor Louise Prince had earlier told the court that the allegations caused 'serious personal consequences for all concerned'.

Ms Prince said that Ms Legge-Bourke had not known the source of the allegations over the last 25 years, but that it was now likely that the 'false and malicious allegations arose as a result and in the context of BBC Panorama's efforts to procure an exclusive interview with Diana, Princess of Wales'.

The corporation's director-general Mr Davie directed a public apology to Charles, William and Harry, as well as Miss Legge-Bourke herself 'for the way in which Princess Diana was deceived and the subsequent impact on all their lives'.

He agreed with comments previously made by the Duke of Cambridge that the BBC 'failed to ask the tough questions' and admitted it was 'a matter of great regret' that bosses 'did not get to the facts'.

The Bashir scandal was reignited in November 2020 when the Daily Mail published revelations about the deception the BBC reporter deployed to obtain his scoop.

Then, in May 2021, Lord Dyson's damning report found that an internal inquiry into Bashir in 1996, led by Lord Hall, who was then head of news and current affairs and later became the Corporation's Director-General, had been woefully ineffective.

It also ruled that the BBC had covered up what it knew. In his article today, Earl Spencer questions 'who else at the BBC knew of Mr Bashir's work at the time?' He adds: 'In a story of such unique importance as this, it is reasonable to believe that the chain of command must have gone very high indeed  beyond Panorama to the upper reaches of the BBC.'

He highlights that two years to the day after he first met Bashir, Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris with 'no Royal Protection Officers on hand, having chosen to dispense with the services of those who she should have been able to trust implicitly with her safety'.

On Friday night, Earl Spencer said he was groomed by disgraced BBC reporter Martin Bashir, as he renewed his demand for Scotland Yard to investigate the broadcaster.

Writing exclusively for The Mail on Sunday, Earl Spencer urged the Metropolitan Police to 'reconsider their responsibilities' and launch a probe as he revealed lawyers had told him that 'unlawful and criminal behaviour' had been committed by figures at the BBC.

In a series of hard-hitting comments, Earl Spencer said only the police 'have the power to get to the bottom of this terrible scandal' as he detailed how Bashir deceived him over three weeks to get close to his sister.

Last year, following a devastating report into the scandal by former Supreme Court Judge Lord Dyson, the Met considered whether to launch an investigation into a range of potential offences, including forgery, misconduct in public office and blackmail. But in September, the force said it had 'not identified evidence of activity that constituted a criminal offence and will therefore be taking no further action'.

The decision has left Earl Spencer, 58, determined to continue to wage his campaign to win justice for his sister.

He wrote: 'The question I am repeatedly asked by concerned members of the public, furious at what my sister was put through, is why have the police not prosecuted those involved for what various senior lawyers have told me is clearly unlawful and criminal behaviour?

'I hope the police will reconsider their responsibilities in this matter. Only they have the power to get to the bottom of this terrible scandal, which led Diana to feel even more exposed and alone, and deceived her into forgoing those who cared for her and would have protected her.'

Earl Spencer's insistence that the Met probe the scandal represents one of the first major tests for the force's new Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley.

It is also a devastating blow for BBC bosses hoping that a string of compensation payments to Bashir's victims would allow the Corporation to move on from its biggest scandal.

The affair also threatens to continue to dog Mr Davie as he tries to save the licence fee and make swingeing cuts.
A drug baron known as the Pablo Escobar of Britain who earned a 200million fortune and has been linked to Colombian drug cartels is set for freedom after spending nearly half his life in jail.

Curtis Warren, 59, is set to be released in November after serving his latest 13-year minimum term and could be banned from Liverpool, where he used to be based.

Warren, known by the nickname the 'Cocky Watchman', spent the early 1980s as a nightclub bouncer before moving on to armed robbery and international drug trafficking through the 1990s which is believed to have involved Escobar's rivals the Cali Cartel.

He was first sentenced to 12 years in 1996 for trying to move a 125million drugs shipment from the Netherlands to the UK, given another four years for killing a fellow prisoner and just weeks after being released in 2007, was arrested again for a plot to get drugs into Jersey, and jailed for a further 13 years.

Warren is expected to be released in November under a serious crime prevention order, according to the Times. He is currently at a high-security prison in Worcestershire, believed to be HMP Long Lartin.

Curtis Warren, 59, could be released in a few months after serving his latest 13-year term - but will face curbs

Warren (pictured arriving at The Royal Court in St Hellier, Jersey) after he was found guilty of a 1million drug smuggling plot by a jury

Warren has been linked to Colombian drug cartels and called Britain's Pablo Escobar (his mugshot from 1977 when he was arrested in Medellin) after the notorious drug criminal

Warren, the only drug dealer to ever make it on to the Sunday Times Rich List, who once had an estimated fortune of 200million, was jailed for 13 years in 2009 over a plot to smuggle 1million of cannabis into Jersey.

He also failed to pay a 198million confiscation order and was told he would face another 10 years in jail.

The drug baron is also on the National Crime Agency's list of individuals issued with serious crime prevention orders.

The order, which will be in force for five years, will restrict his ability to buy cars and property, borrow money, make transfers, hold trusts or shares and use foreign or virtual currency. It is also to ban him from Liverpool, where people claim he has hidden 1million in plastic bags, and his old associates.

The consequences of breaking the conditions will be a further jail term.

Warren was 12 when he dropped out of school and launched his criminal career, by being caught by police driving a stolen car.

By the time he was 15, in 1978, he'd been sentenced to three months in a detention centre, and at 18 was sent to Borstal for assaulting police officers.

In 1981 Warren was sentenced to two years in jail for attacking a prostitute and her client. He was 20. The judge told him: 'But for your youth, your sentence would have been much longer'.

Pictured: Cannabis seized during a States of Jersey Police investigation that brought down a drugs plot controlled from Merseyside by Curtis Warren

On his release, the Liverpool police say Warren transformed himself into a bouncer at the city's clubs, and then started a business organising bouncers and by the time he was 22, Warren was reported to be selling cannabis and ecstasy.

According to a BBC podcast, Warren sailed in 1991 with Brian Charrington, also from Merseyside, who owned a yacht to Venezuela. There they were behind the importation of cocaine sealed inside lead ingots.

Don Dewer, senior investigator with HM Customs, told BBC 5 Live's Gangster, a podcast about Warren's activities about another incident.

'They left Heathrow airport in a Jaguar owned by Charrington, went to a cafe in North London, and eventually went out through Dover. They travelled to Brussels and then down to Malaga, up to Madrid and then a cash-paid one-way ticket with hand baggage to Caracas,' Mr Dewer sid.

'While they were there they were seen to meet up with Mario Halley (a key member of the Cali cartel), who had travelled from Amsterdam. This was when the shipment was organised.'

After a drugs trial collapsed at Newcastle crown court in 1993, Warren reportedly told customs officers 'I'm off to spend my 87million from the first shipment and you can't f***ing touch me'.

Three years later he was sentenced to 12 years in jail by Dutch authorities for trying to move a 125million drugs shipment from the Netherlands to the UK.

In 1996 the Dutch police - who had been eavesdropping on his phone calls - intercepted 400kilos of cocaine (again encased in lead).

At other addresses controlled by Warren they also found 1,500kilos of cannabis resin, 60kilos of heroin and 50kilos of Ecstasy.

Warren is expected to be released in November under a serious crime prevention order from a high-security prison in Worcestershire, believed to be HMP Long Lartin, pictured

There were also 960 CS gas canisters, three guns, ammunition and 400,000 in Dutch guilders - the whole haul was estimated to be worth 125million on the open market.

Then in 1999, Turkish prisoner Cemal Guclu was killed in the Nieuw Vosseveld maximum security jail yard after Warren kicked him in the head.

Close friend Stephen Mee, 63, said: 'That Turkish guy was a lunatic. That same morning he was trying to bite the guards. He attacked Curtis, and Curtis fought him off a couple of times. It wasn't Curtis's fault, that.'

Warren said Guclu attacked him and it was self-defence, but had four years added to his sentence.

In 2007, he was released and sent back to Liverpool, but was rearrested in Jersey within weeks on charges of conspiracy to smuggle cannabis.

When judge Sir Richard Tucker jailed him for 13 more years Warren closed the book he spent proceedings reading and was escorted out by prison guards.

And in 2020 Prison officer Stephanie Smithwhite (pictured) was jailed for two years after admitting misconduct in a public office over a sexual relationship with Warren at Frankland jail in Co Durham

And in 2020 Prison officer Stephanie Smithwhite was jailed for two years after admitting misconduct in a public office over a sexual relationship with Warren at Frankland jail in Co Durham between June and December 2018.

Smithwhite, denied cutting a hole in the trousers of her prison uniform for a sexual purpose, but the sentencing judge in February 2020 said it was hard to imagine why else it was there.

The court heard, she 'fell in love with the wrong man in the wrong situation' and exchanged hundreds of sexually explicit love letters with the infamous drug baron.

At his request she sent him a picture of herself and admitted kissing him and performing sex acts in his cell, a prison kitchen and a laundry room. In an interview Smithwhite admitted other sexual encounters.

She also admitted a second count related to her not reporting that she knew he had access to a smuggled phone. It was understood this tiny handset was a so-called 'prison phone' little bigger than a 2 coin.
An Eritrean boat migrant who claimed to be a 17-year-old boy was unmasked to UK authorities after his wife shared a wedding photo on Facebook.

The man, known as LS, reached Dover by dinghy and claimed asylum, a tribunal heard.

Originally from the East African country of Eritrea, the migrant made the perilous Channel crossing and told UK authorities upon arrival that he had been born in 2003.

His deep voice and facial feature, however, raised suspicions for council officials in Brent, North West London, according to The Sun.

The Eritrean migrant has been asked to hand over his marriage certificate.

Council officials in Brent, North West London, doubted the Eritrean migrant was a 17-year-old boy - as he had claimed - due to his deep voice and facial features

Judge John Keith said: 'I have little doubt that the certificate will reveal the applicants age.'

The judge ruled LS is likely to be five years older than claimed.

A final decision is still to be made.

More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September 2021, according to Home Office data.

Migration Watch UK, which campaigns for tougher border controls, suggested people traffickers were encouraging migrants to pretend to be children for special privileges.

A 2021 report by the campaign group warned that false age claims could also lead to the dangerous situation of adults being placed alongside vulnerable young people in schools and housing.

More than 1,100 migrants who claimed to be under 18 were found to be adults in the 12 months to September 2021, according to Home Office data

The group's chairman, Alp Mehmet, said: 'The asylum system is so open to abuse that adults claiming to be children can be given the benefit of the doubt and be placed among minors in both accommodation and schools.

'The risks to the safety of our children are obvious.

'It is high time the Government stopped pandering to the immigration industry and dealt with adult migrants as such and not as what they claim to be.'

Migrants who claim to be underage receive better housing and support, a more sympathetic hearing for their asylum claim and are less likely to be detained.

Each lone child migrant looked after by a local authority costs taxpayers 46,000 a year.
Senior CPC official addresses 5th Digital China Summit

Xinhua) 10:25, July 24, 2022

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the 5th Digital China Summit via video on Saturday.

Noting that major progress has been made in building a "digital China" since the 18th CPC National Congress, Huang called for more efforts to make new breakthroughs in key and core technologies and open up new prospects in infrastructure development.

Huang stressed that digital industrialization and industrial digitization should be vigorously promoted. He also required efforts to build a digital economy with data as the key element, accelerate the development of digital government, new smart cities and digital villages, and improve the digital literacy and skills of the general public.

The two-day summit, co-sponsored by authorities including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the government of east China's Fujian Province, is being held in the provincial capital of Fuzhou. It will conclude on Sunday.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
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.
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This is the moment flames roared along a Greek coastline on Saturday as the country continues to battle ferocious wildfires across the country, with higher temperatures raising concern over the possibility of more blazes.

Hundreds of tourists were evacuated from a nearby holiday resort on the island of Lesbos as the fire spread and destroyed at least four houses, as firefighters battled more blazes elsewhere in the country.

Terrifying footage from the island captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze.

Houses built along the coast could be seen through the haze as the flames closed in, while abandoned deck chairs and parasols lined the deserted beach.

A second video, also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke.

The country is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions.

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Terrifying footage (pictured) captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze

A second video (pictured), also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke

Residents look at fire burning trees near the houses at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

A canadair firefighting plane drops water at the wildfire approaching homes and hotels at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

Greece is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions

A Local sprays water as wildfire burns at the village of Vrisa, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A view of a burnt house following a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Copernicus, The European Union's Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the fire that broke out on Lesbos was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday

The smoke of a wildfire billows as it approaches Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

Fires raged in the north, east and south of Greece - including on the island of Lesbos. The fire on Lesbos broke out at 10am on Saturday, and was blazing on two fronts, heading towards the Vrisa village and another inside Vatera.

The blaze continued to rage on Sunday, causing the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and residents from the beachside village of Vatera, on the island's southern side.

Officials ordered the evacuation of around 200 people on Sunday afternoon from Vryssa village on Lesbos as flames crept closer, some 1,600 feet from houses, the deputy mayor of western Lesbos told Skai radio.

Elderly women carried plastic bags with only a few personal belongings as they boarded the first buses to leave the village. Thick clouds of smoke were already engulfing the first houses of Vryssa. Early in the afternoon, the village of Stavros was also evacuated.

The blaze broke out a day earlier, causing the evacuation of hundreds of tourists and residents from the beachside village of Vatera. At least four houses were destroyed in Vatera, state TV ERT reported, and fires damaged an unknown number of shops, hotels and beach bars in the village.

Copernicus, The European Union's Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the Lesbos fire was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday.

West Lesbos mayor Taxiarchis Verros ordered the evacuation of the busy beach resort as a precautionary measure, acting on the advice of the fire brigade, Athens News Agency reported. He did not provide figures on how many were evacuated but there were several buses and small boats to take people away.

A firefighter helicopter loads water from the sea during a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

A local sprays water as a wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A local throws water to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A view of a burnt area, as a wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting aircraft flies over a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

View of the interior of a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

Dozens of firefighters early on Sunday clamoured to control the blaze, with four water-dropping planes and two helicopters in operation.

A wildfire was ablaze for a fourth day in Dadia National Park, known for its black vulture colony, in the northeastern region of Evros. The fire has already destroyed nearly 1,220 acres of woodland.

More than 300 firefighters struggled to control the fire in Evros and late Saturday, the thick smoke forced the evacuation of the village of Dadias. It was not known how many people were evacuated.

View of the interior of a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting plane flies over wildfire burning near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

'The most important thing for us is the safety of the villagers and all forces will be deployed there,' Evros governor Dimitris Petrovits told Athens News Agency.

The fire had already passed the raptor birds observatory and was closing in on the buildings of the protected area management unit. Petrovits said collecting and treating injured animals was a high priority for authorities.

In the Peloponnese, a southern peninsula, a fire that broke out early Saturday forced the evacuation of Chrysokelaria village.

By midday on Sunday, firefighters had managed to contain the fire, which they said was in remission.

A wildfire in mountains near Athens on Wednesday also damaged homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate after gale-force winds earlier this week.

A firefighting helicopter flies over a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24

A firefighting helicopter filled with water flies over the sea, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighter aircraft drops water over a forest fire as smoke rises near Vrisa village, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Smoke ascends over the village of Vrisa, in the southern part of the Greek island of Lesbos, as the wildfire burn near tourist resorts for the second day, forcing vunerable residents to flee on July 24, 2022

The country's worst wildfire disaster was in the coastal suburb of Mati, claiming 102 lives in 2018, close to the area affected by Wednesday's blaze.

On Saturday, a memorial service was held at the seaside town to commemorate the victims.

A heatwave and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares (255,000 acres) and claimed three lives in Greece.

The latest fires come after a heatwave and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares (255,000 acres) and claimed three lives in Greece.

Fires in parts of France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021. The area, some 517,881 hectares, is equivalent to the size of Trinidad and Tobago.

The European Union gave Greece's forest service 72 million euros this year to help maintain forests and clear them to prevent fires from spreading.

Experts blame climate change for the soaring temperatures - and warned that worse is yet to come.

The flag of Greece is seen in the foreground as the smoke of the wildfire approaching Vatera coastal resort on Saturday

Pictured: A wooden beach bar corridor burns as wildfire rages near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece

Destroyed sunbeds and umbrellas are seen on a beach bar as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos

Pictured: Firefighters rest as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Saturday, July 23
This is the horrific moment a knifeman walked behind an unsuspecting man and stabbed him repeatedly in the back inside a crowded pub - as police hunt for the attacker.

Officers were called to the Fatling Hornchurch pub in Havering, east London, shortly after midnight on Saturday following reports of the stabbing.

The victim, 23, suffered 'a number of stab wounds' and was rushed to hospital following treatment at the scene.

He remains in a serious but stable condition at hospital, police have said. His next of kin have been informed.

Police have today released an image of a man detectives are trying to identify as part of an investigation into the incident.

Footage also shows the man having a conversation in a small group, before he appears to walk behind the victim and inflict a number of blows.

Footage shows the main trailing another pub-goer before inflicting a number of blows in the early hours of Saturday

Police today released this image of a man detectives are trying to identify as part of an investigation into the incident

The man could be seen walking behind the pub-goer after leaving a conversation with a small group nearby

He then appeared to inflict a number of blows to the unsuspecting man, who is in a serious condition in hospital

Officers were called to the Fatling Hornchurch pub (pictured) in Havering, east London, shortly after midnight on Saturday

Detective Sergeant Joe Seals, from the Metropolitan Police's local policing team in Havering, said: 'We have been carrying out a number of urgent enquiries to track down the person responsible and we are now in a position to release an image of a man we need to identify.

'I would encourage anyone who recognises this man, or any witnesses who have not yet spoken to police, to contact us immediately.'

A statement from the force added that enquiries into the incident are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 101 quoting CAD 36/23Jul.

It said: 'Detectives investigating a stabbing at a pub in Hornchurch are releasing an image of a man they would like to identify.

'At 12.06am on Saturday, officers on patrol were made aware of a 23-year-old man who had been stabbed at a pub on the High Street.

'They called for support from the London Ambulance Service and provided first aid to the man, who had suffered a number of stab wounds.

'He was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a serious, but stable condition.'

In a post on Facebook on Saturday, Fatling Hornchurch said: 'Sadly last night we had an incident here at the Fatling outside the pub, thankfully due to the speedy actions of the staff members and our medically trained door team the incident was dealt promptly and we are pleased to say the victim is well and recovering.'
Kyiv has claimed Ukrainian forces are retaking the Kherson region step-by-step as it launches a large counter-offensive against Vladimir Putin's invading armies, as dramatic video emerged of a Ukrainian soldier destroying a Russian vehicle.

Speaking on Sunday, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops were advancing into the occupied southern region to reclaim ground lost in the war.

In an intelligence update on Saturday, Britain's Ministry of Defence said heavy fighting had been taking place in Kherson Oblast.

While Russia was using artillery fire to slow the Ukrainian advance, the MoD said its supply line east of the river 'increasingly at risk'.

The video of the strike, captured on Saturday, suggests the fighting is heating up, and is the latest demonstration of Ukrainian forces successfully destroying Russian military vehicles with a Javelin missile.

Britain and the the US have sent thousands of the Javelin missile launchers to Ukraine to help in the country's defence.

The weapons have proven to be highly effective in the hands of Kyiv's troops, and have been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of Russian military vehicles since the Russian president ordered his forces into Ukraine on February 24.

The soldier, who is shown sitting cross-legged on the floor, is first seen looking through the missile launcher's thermal imaging screen - lining up his target.

The footage - captured on Saturday - then cuts to a view from a drone above the battlefield. A Russian armoured vehicle - reported to be a BTR (Bronetransporter) - is shown stationary on a dirt road running through some shrublands.

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Footage (pictured) has emerged of a Ukrainian soldier destroying a Russian armoured vehicle with a javelin missile. The soldier, who is shown sitting cross-legged on the floor, is first seen looking through the missile launcher's thermal imaging screen - lining up his target

The footage - captured on Saturday - then cuts to a view from a drone above the battlefield. A Russian armoured vehicle (pictured) - reported to be a BTR (Bronetransporter) - is shown stationary on a dirt road running through some shrublands

Cutting quickly back to the soldier, the video shows him fire the missile. The camera shakes as the missile blasts from the launcher, into the air and towards the BTR.

As the missile streams away from him, the soldier allows the launcher to slump to the ground as he watches to see if he has hit his mark.

The footage again returns to the drone's overhead view, and a small speck is showing flying through the air towards the Russian vehicle.

Suddenly, fire and smoke erupts from the front of the BTR - signalling a direct hit.

Pictured: The Ukrainian soldier fires the Javelin anti-tank missile towards the Russian BTR

The footage again returns to the drone's overhead view, and a small speck is showing flying through the air towards the Russian vehicle. Suddenly, fire and smoke erupts from the front of the BTR - signalling a direct hit (pictured)

Pictured: The smoking wreckage of the Russian vehicle is shown from across a field in Ukraine

After the strike, a third camera view shows the vehicle from across war-torn fields. By this stage, the BTR is in flames, and thick black smoke is shown rising into the sky.

The footage was posted to Facebook on Sunday by Roman Kostenko - the People's Deputy of Ukraine who is also a Ukrainian Secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence.

Kostenko said he personally witnessed the strike on the Russian BTR, and was close to the southern city of Kherson at the time.

He wrote that the soldier firing the javelin anti-tank missile was a SSO fighter, suggesting he was a member of Ukraine's Spetsnaz (special forces) units.

'Yesterday, I personally observed how the evening 'demilitarization' of the Rashists in the Kherson direction went according to plan,' he wrote. 'An SSO fighter plus a Javelin turns into a minus enemy armoured personnel carrier. Good job!'

It is unclear if anyone was killed in the strike.

In the early stages of the war, Russia employed out-dated Soviet-era military convoys when moving vast numbers of its vehicles into and throughout Ukraine.

Javelin anti-tank missiles have proven to be highly effective in the hands of Kyiv's troops, and have been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of Russian military vehicles since the Russian president orders his forces into Ukraine on February 24. Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers train with the missile launchers in February, before the invasion began

Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire a Javelin anti-tank missile while training in February

Britain and the the US have sent thousands of the Javelin missile launchers to Ukraine to help the country in its fight against Vladimir Putin's invading forces. Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen unpack Javelin anti-tank missiles on February 11, just days before Russia's invasion began

A mural depicts an image known as 'Saint Javelina'- Virgin Mary cradling a US-made FGM-148 anti-tank weapon Javelin - on a living house wall in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, June 6, 2022

For observers looking in, the situation appeared dire for the vastly outnumbered Ukrainian defenders, with Russia brazenly believing it would captured Kyiv in days.

But the Russian vehicles proved to be easy targets for Ukraine's more agile military units wielding light-weight weapons such as Javelin missile launchers, which allowed soldiers to strike vehicles from long-range while remaining agile on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, a Washington-based think tank said Ukrainian forces are likely preparing to launch or have launched a counteroffensive in the Kherson region.

The Institute for the Study of War quoted Kherson Oblast Administration Adviser Serhiy Khlan as saying Ukrainian forces have seized unspecified settlements in the region, but had called on Ukrainian civilians to remain silent on the progress of the counteroffensive until Ukrainian authorities release official statements.

The ISW noted that open-source information on any progress by Ukrainian troops 'will likely be limited and lag behind events.'

The ISW report came after Ukraine struck a bridge in the occupied Black Sea region of Kherson on Saturday, targeting a Russian supply route - and as reports said Kyiv is preparing for a major counter-offensive - a Ukrainian regional official said.

The strike hit the Daryivskyi bridge across the Ingulets river used for supplies by Russian troops, days after a key bridge over the nearby Dnieper was hit, said an adviser to the region's governor who is on Ukrainian-held territory.

'Every bridge is a weak point for logistics and our armed forces are skilfully destroying the enemy system. This is not yet the liberation of Kherson, but a serious preparatory step in that direction,' the official, Serhiy Khlan, wrote on Facebook.

The deputy head of the Russian-installed regional authority said the bridge had been hit by seven rockets from Western-supplied high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS), but that the bridge still worked, Russia's TASS news agency said.

The assertions from both sides could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Ukraine has been using western-supplied long-range weapons to hit Russian supply lines and ammunition dumps in an effort to turn the tide in the war and prepare a counter-offensive in Kherson region.

Russia has captured swathes of southern and eastern Ukraine since it invaded on Feb. 24.

The video was shared by Kostenko as Russian officials insisted that an air strike on Odesa - less than a day after Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on resuming grain shipments from the port - had hit only military targets.

Eyewitness video shows the moment the Russian cruise missile struck the grain processing facility on the banks of the Black Sea this morning. Kyiv said no grain was lost in the attack

Moscow has been widely condemned for the attack, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying it had 'destroyed the very possibility' of dialogue.

But Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing on Sunday that the air strike had targeted only Ukrainian military facilities - a claim Moscow has used before when accused of war crimes.

Russia's admission also came just a day after Turkey said the Kremlin had denied any involvement in the strikes.

'In the seaport in the city of Odesa, on the territory of a shipyard, sea-based, high-precision, long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the US to the Kyiv regime,' Konashenkov said.

The Ukrainian military said Moscow had attacked Odesa's port with four cruise missiles on Saturday, two of which had been shot down by air defences.

Footage recorded by Odesa locals today showed the port on fire after being struck by Russian Kalibr missiles. Two rockets are thought to have hit targets in the Black Sea export capital

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit in Odesa, but Turkey's defence minister said Ukrainian authorities had told him one missile struck a grain silo and another landed nearby. However, neither affected loading at Odesa's docks.

It is not clear how the air strikes will affect the plan to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

Ukraine and Russia signed identical deals on Friday with the UN and Turkey in Istanbul backing the plan, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed as 'a beacon of hope' for a world in which food prices are rising rapidly.

The head of Mr Zelensky's office, Andriy Yermak, said on Twitter on Saturday that the Odesa strike, coming so soon after the endorsement of the Black Sea deal, illustrates 'the Russian diplomatic dichotomy'.

Mr Guterres's office said the UN chief 'unequivocally condemns' the strikes.

A statement said: 'All parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets. These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people.'

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a sea port of Odesa, southern Ukraine, July 23

Firefighters work to put out a fire in a sea port of Odesa, southern Ukraine, July 23

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said: 'It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesa's port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the UN and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement.

'In case of non-fulfilment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.'

He described the missile strike on the 150th day of Russia's war in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'spit in the face of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach agreement'.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and injure civilians in Ukraine's south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two which make up Ukraine's industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russia's offensive, said two civilians had been killed and two more had been injured over the previous 24 hours.

The UK's Ministry of Defence on Sunday morning reported in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making 'minimal progress' in its ongoing Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk.
Pope Francis will arrive in Canada this afternoon for a week-long 'pilgrimage of penance' for the 'cultural genocide' inflicted at the country's Catholic schools and churches.

The pontiff, 85, left Rome for Edmonton, Alberta on a private plane this morning alongside journalists and Vatican leaders.

Between 1881 and 1996, more than 150,000 Indigenous Canadian children were separated from their families and brought to residential schools.

Many were starved, beaten and sexually abused in what Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has called 'cultural genocide.'

Francis cancelled a trip to Congo and South Sudan earlier this month amid knee ligament problems that forced him to use a wheelchair and a cane.

Pope Francis meets a trip organiser as he prepares to board the plane at Fiumicino airport

Francis was pictured being led onto the small private plane on a wheelchair due to knee woes

The health woes prompted chatter that he would resign - but Francis quickly swatted this away, insisting: 'I want to live my mission as long as God allows me and that's it.'

Canada will play host to its fourth papal visit and its first by Pope Francis.

John Paul II visited the country three times, in 1984, 1987 and 2002.

Francis plans to repeat his apologies for historical Church child sex abuse at boarding and day schools.

He will meet with Indigenous Canadians on their home territory, fulfilling a promise to apologise to community leaders for the Church's historical suppression of Indigenous culture at boarding schools.

Pope Francis appears contented as he arrives at Rome Fiumicino airport before his flight

Francis will also visit Quebec City and Iqaluit, the capital of the territory of Nunavut, before leaving on Friday.

Initial blocs of free tickets for the public were nabbed within 10 or 20 minutes of being made available, a spokesperson for trip organisers the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) told Reuters.

Thousands of tickets are being set aside for Indigenous survivors of residential schools, according to the CCCB spokesperson.

Indigenous leaders in the Treaty 6 region, the Pope's Alberta stop, said they were overwhelmed with queries from survivors wanting to attend.

While Canada's leaders have known about high numbers of children dying at the schools since 1907, the issue was thrust to the fore with the discoveries of suspected unmarked graves at or near former residential school sites last year.

In response to pressure stemming from those discoveries, Pope Francis apologized for the Catholic Church's role in the schools earlier this year during a visit by indigenous delegates to the Vatican.

Now he is coming to apologise on Canadian soil.

A Catholic church in Alberta prepares for the country's third ever papal visit and Francis's first

But survivors and Indigenous leaders say they want more than an apology.

Many have called for financial compensation, the return of indigenous artifacts, the release of school records, support for extraditing an accused abuser, and the rescinding of a 15th-Century doctrine justifying colonial dispossession of indigenous people in the form of a papal bull, or edict.

The setting matters, said Fernie Marty, a member of the Papaschase, a Cree nation in Alberta.

The 73-year-old is a survivor of a day school - part of a system that, like residential schools, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.

He appreciated the pope's Rome apology, but said: 'This is where all the atrocities happened. It's more meaningful coming on Canadian soil.'

Marty, an elder at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, said the pope's visit offers 'a tremendous opportunity for my own personal healing.'

But George Pipestem, 79, a member of the Montana First Nation and a survivor of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, questioned the relevance of a papal apology, just as he questioned apologies by Canadian prime ministers for the governments role in the schools.

He said the abusers should be the ones saying sorry: 'They're all gone, though.

'This apologising, it doesnt matter to me. It's like nothing. It's only a word.'

The United Church of Canada, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, apologised more than 20 years ago for its role in operating 15 residential schools for Indigenous youths.
Former BBC newsreader Jan Leeming fought off a would-be bag snatcher who rugby-tackled her to the floor in a French village - forcing him he fled empty-handed.

Ms Leeming, 80, says she has been left 'very shaken' and suffered a 'very deep graze' to her arm after she was attacked while her friends were using the ATM in 'sleepy little village' in France.

The ex-news anchor was 'rugby tackled to the ground' after the man approached her at first appearing 'courteous' and 'extending his hand' towards her.

Taking to Twitter following the incident, she said: 'Horrid experience. Attacked close to ATM friends were using.

'Youngish man seemed pleasant held out hand - like a first rate idiot being courteous I took it. Rugby tackled to ground. Bag was over my arm- he didnt get it. Got six inch gash on arm back of hand black and blue.

Jan Leeming pictured during the Swarowski pre-party to the opening night of The Wizard of Oz at the Royal Festival Hall in July 2008

Ms Leeming pictured during her news reading days at the BBC, where she was once mugged by three intruders

She added: 'It was horrid but well orchestrated with a getaway car. My head was very close to oncoming car.

'Think there was CCTV but he wore a mask - car took a left so friends couldnt get number plate.'

It comes 35 years after she was mugged at the BBC.

Ms Leeming said it 'brought back memories of the mugging' at the corporation's headquarters

In 1987, three intruders mugged her for her handbag and threw ammonia into her face before she ran screaming into the newsroom.

Responding to tweets of sympathy today, she added: 'He indicated that she should use the machine before him and might have snatched her cash.

'Then he asked me if I spoke French and extended his hand. I thought it was a friendly gesture. That's when he tackled me to the ground

'Even if he were caught I doubt very much he'd get a prison sentence - a rap on the knuckles and told not to do it again. In many respects the Law has gone soft.

'What could one carry? Pepper spray. We cant make allowances for every exigency however bad or we would batten down the hatches and never do anything.. One has to live.

'There was CCTV at the ATM but he wore a mask and the getaway car took an almost immediate left round a corner so friends didn't get the number plate - probably forged anyway.

'Gendarmerie was closed and when friends phoned number it went to answer. zilch chance of catching them.

'Please don't worry. I'm absolutely fine - not traumatised one little bit.. Just sore with a few bruises and a massive dressing on my arm.

'Thank you all so much for your warmth and good wishes.'
A paramedic who was called to an emergency at his own home has relived the horrific moment he realised his young son couldn't be saved - as the devastated father calls on Australians to become organ donors.

Troy Heise had been on duty the night his frantic wife Sarah made a call to triple zero and told operators their son Flynn, 12, wasn't breathing.

The veteran Queensland paramedic raced home and quickly began efforts to resuscitate his young son as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

'There was no reason for me to think that would ever happen in my home,' he said.

Paramedic Troy Heise (pictured) had been on duty when his frantic wife made a call to triple zero and told operators her son Flynn, 12, wasn't breathing

Flynn had been mucking around in the shower when he either panicked or slipped after realising the shower cord was wrapped around his neck.

Ms Heise found the little boy unresponsive on the bathroom floor with her husband later working on their son before his colleague was forced to take over.

'I wanted to help the best way I could,' Mr Heise told The Sunday Project.

'But when it's your own son, your emotionally attached, your scared, your angry, your worried... I couldn't perform.'

Mr Heise said after 30 minutes of resuscitation efforts, his 15 years of experience told him that these could be Flynn's last moments.

After miraculously finding a pulse, the 12-year-old was rushed to hospital with his family using the crucial final moments to say their goodbyes.

Flynn sadly died in hospital three days later, with staff asking the family if they would be interested in donating the little boy's organs.

After miraculously finding a pulse, 12-year-old Troy (front centre) was rushed to hospital with his family using the crucial final moments to say their goodbyes

Sarah Heise (pictured with family) found Flynn unresponsive on the bathroom floor with her paramedic husband later working on their son before his colleague was forced to take over

They were asked to donate Flynn's heart, lungs, liver and eye tissue, to which they agreed, after encouragement from his older sister Morgan.

'I remember sitting there and saying to mum, just imagine that family, imagine that call, "she's going to get another 10 years" or "she'll be able to go to formal",' she said.

Flynn's heart, lungs and liver were transplanted into young children who would have died without the donation with two women receiving his kidneys.

The 12-year-old's eye tissue was used to restore sight to several patients.

'Even though my son didn't make it, their family would be cheering and happy that their loved one is going to make it,' Ms Heise said.

Flynn's heart, lungs and liver were transplanted into young children who would have died without the donation with two women receiving his kidneys

Flynn will be remembered by his family as a little boy who lit up the room with his presence

'I'm so proud of what he's been able to do.'

There are nearly 2,000 people currently waiting for a life-changing organ with donations.

Since the Covid pandemic began, the organ donation rate has decreased by 25 per cent.

Flynn's sister is currently studying nursing in the hopes she can help other families as they grieve a loved one.

Mr Heise returned to work as a paramedic just months after losing his son and said while it had been difficult, it was his job to help others.

'It wasn't an easy decision. But my boy saved lives, and although he's not here, he is here. I'm just a proud dad,' he said.
The son of a retried New York City Supreme Court judge who jumped to his death naked from his family's 16th floor apartment after beating his mother to death with a lamp was 'rudderless' after flunking out of college, where he'd been a hard-parting frat boy, friends have said.

Douglas Solomon, 26, was found dead and 'butt naked' in the street outside his family's Upper East Side apartment on Tuesday morning.

His 56-year-old mother Diane was found inside the apartment. She had been beaten to death with a lamp.

Douglas's motive for the murder suicide remains unclear, but friends told The New York Post he was aimless and living at home without purpose years after flunking out of Rhodes, a prestigious liberal arts college in Tennessee.

Hard-partying frat boy: Douglas Solomon is shown in 2014, during his freshman year at Rhodes in Tennessee. He dropped out of the college in his freshman year

Diane Gallagher, 65, was beaten to death by her son with a lamp. Police say the night before, she and her husband had been discussing what to do with their 'rudderless' son

Douglas Solomon's body was found in the courtyard of the apartment complex (highlighted)

Police outside the luxury apartment building on 79th Street where the family have lived for years

His mom had been 'so proud' of him for getting into the school, friends said.

'He displayed a lot of signs of depression. He was not going out to clubs or doing much of anything.

'He was anti-social...it sounded like he didnt want to be reached out to.

'You dont want to ask whats going on to a person who has nothing going on,' one of his former classmates told The Post.

Another said the only possible explanation for the violent murder suicide was that 'something snapped' in him.

'Something snapped inside of Doug. It must have been a 30-second lapse of judgment and his life changed. I cant believe that any of it was premeditated.

Solomon, right, with friends outside the famed Peter Luger steakhouse in Brooklyn

Douglas (left) with his sister Leah, grandmother, and mother. Friends said he didn't have much going on and hadn't for years

Diane, shown during a vacation, was 'so proud' when Douglas was accepted into Rhodes in 2014, friends said

Douglas and his sister in 2017, in a photo she uploaded to Facebook in honor of National Sibling Day. Unlike her aimless brother, Leah has a career in NYC working for an acquisition firm

Solomon and Gallagher (left) are pictured with Charles Solomon (left), a retired NYC Supreme Court Judge Charles Solomon, who oversaw many high profile cases over the 30 year career

'He sees his mother unconscious and cant live with himself. He didnt want to rot away for 30 years in jail. He was such a nice kid.

Now, to be remembered for this, is awful,' the friend said.

His father, retried NYC Supreme Court judge Charles Solomon was not at home at the time of the pair's deaths.

The previous night, police sources say he and his wife had been discussing Doug's future.

The 26-year-old did not seem to have a job and he was not studying. He had dropped out of Rhodes in 2014, during his freshman year, despite having a promising future in sports.

In the years that followed, he spent his time quietly with his family but was prone to smoking pot and drinking at home, according to his friends.

Doug's older sister, Leah, also lives in the city. She works for an acquisition firm and lives in Kips Bay.

Neither Leah nor Charles has publicly commented on the killings.
An militant anti-Ukrainian motorcycle gang run by a friend and vehement supporter of Vladmir Putin was one of many hit by a round of sanctions from the EU this week - its boss dismissed them as having 'no meaning'

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A militant anti-Ukrainian motorcycle gang run by a friend and vehement supporter of Vladmir Putin was one of many hit by a round of sanctions from the EU this week - though its boss dismissed them as having 'no meaning.'

The Hell's Angels-esque biker group, The Night Wolves, has more than 7,000 members - and have staged rallies and protests in support of the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Members have also been said to have fought alongside pro-Russian militants in the ongoing war, and participated in attacks on the conflict's eastern front.

The club has also been described by many as a 'proxy' for the Kremlin, and have carried out and supported several military operations in the name of its government - all while remaining at arm's-length from Russian Premier Putin, a personal friend of the group's boss and outspoken supporter of its antics.

Alexander Zaldostanov, 51, the leather-clad head of the group who regularly meets with Putin, was one of several targeted by the sanctions, which were first reported by The Financial Times and approved by the bloc this week.

They are designed to punish propagandists who are publicly championing the war and include other prominent figures from the pro-Moscow rebel authorities who are fighting government troops in the war-torn country.

Zaldostanov - a gruff, looming hulk of a man who has seen his movement swell from a Soviet patriotic group in the late 80s to one of the largest pro-Russia groups in the country - said he was 'not surprised' by the sanctions Friday and that they 'have no meaning.'

The sanctions - which would freeze the assets of 48 pro-Putin individuals and nine entities, including the Night Wolves, and ban them from further aiding the Russian invasion - could, however, put to group's propagandizing road trips across Europe, where they have 44 other chapters.

The Hell's Angels-esque biker group, known as The Night Wolves, has more than 7,000 members - and have staged rallies and protests in support of the country's invasion of Ukraine. The group has also fought alongside pro-Russian militants in the ongoing war

Alexander Zaldostanov, 51, the leather-clad head of the group who regularly meets with Putin, was one of several targeted by the sanctions. Pictured is Putin (right) awarding Zaldostanov (left) the 'Medal For the Return of Crimea' for his activism in 2019, which included his offering the Night Wolves to the Russian Government as an informal militia

Zaldostanov - who staged a public ride with Putin in 2019 after offering his group to the Kremlin (pictured) - said Friday he was not worried of the sanctions, which would bar his group from engaging in rallies across the continent

The club has also been described by many as a 'proxy' for the Kremlin, and have carried out and supported several military operations in the name of its government - all while remaining at arm's-length from Russian Premier Putin, a personal friend of the group's boss (seen second from front of the procession in Kaliningrad, Russia, on May 9)

However, Zaldostanov - who staged a public ride with Putin in 2019 after offering his group to the Kremlin as an informal militia - told the Financial Times in a phone call that members would just convene in Russia if they were barred from doing so elsewhere.

'If we will no longer be able to make the trips, then our friends, our brothers,' Zaldostanov told the paper, 'will come here instead.'

Zaldostanov assumed leadership of the gang - which started as a mixture of rock music fans and motorcycle enthusiasts has since evolved into a patriotic activist group - in 1989, and soon found himself in favor with longstanding leader Putin, who came into power after a prominent career in the KGB in 2000.

In 2019, Zaldostanov was awarded the Crimea Medal of Freedom by Putin, and then embarked on a highly publicized motorcycle ride with the leader in August of that year to show support for him shortly before his upcoming election, for his controversial fourth presidential term.

Zaldostanov, 51, the leather-clad head of the group who regularly meets with Putin, was one of several targeted by the sanctions, which were first reported by The Financial Times and approved by the bloc this week

Putin, a fellow motorcycle enthusiast, has expressed support for the militant group, which has chapters all across Europe

Members of the motorcycling club 'Night Wolves' take part in a parade and the Immortal Regiment event on Victory Day, which marks the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, in May. The group - nicknamed 'Putin's Angels' - regularly holds rides and events to commemorate the Russian sides who fought in World War I and World War II

Members of the motorcycling club in Montenegro pose for a picture during a solidarity rally with their 'Russian brothers' whom they support in their ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions seek to stop the group from spreading propaganda across Europe, where they have 45 chapters

The Hell's Angels-esque motorcycle group supported by Vladimir Putin The Hell's Angels-esque biker group, The Night Wolves, has more than 7,000 members - and have staged rallies and protests in support of the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Members have also been said to have fought alongside pro-Russian militants in the ongoing war, and participated in attacks on the conflict's eastern front. The club has also been described by many as a 'proxy' for the Kremlin, and have carried out and supported several military operations in the name of its government - all while remaining at arm's-length from Russian Premier Putin, a personal friend of the group's boss and outspoken supporter of its antics. Alexander Zaldostanov - a gruff, looming hulk of a man - assumed leadership of the band in 1989 and has since seen his movement swell from a Soviet patriotic group to one of the largest pro-Russia groups in the country. The club engages in propagandizing road trips across Europe, where they have 44 other chapters. Putin, a close friend with Zaldostanov, awarded him the 'Medal For the Return of Crimea' for his activism, which included his offering the Night Wolves to the Russian Government as an informal militia. The club began forming out of a mixture of rock music fans and motorcycle enthusiasts who held then-illegal rock concerts in Moscow in 1983. By 1989 the club was consolidated as the 'Night Wolves', during the Perestroika era of the Soviet Union. It was the first official bike club in the USSR. The Night Wolves now have chapters in 45 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Germany, Bulgaria , Serbia, Romania, Australia, Slovakia, Belarus, Philippines, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Czech Republic and North Macedonia. Advertisement

Several other of the group's leadership was named in the sanctions as well - among them Josef Hambalek, president of the club's European chapter.

In the filing, officials accused the Slovak national of training members in a camp in his native Slovakia for combat in Ukraine.

The document asserts he 'has close ties with the former Slovakian government and can be connected to Russian President Vladimir Putin.'

The group currently collects cash donations from thousands across the European continent, intended for those living in the Russian-occupied states in eastern Ukraine.

Throughout the invasion, the gang has also been seen parading across Central Russia in thousands-strong processions, where members fly the pro-war Z symbol and Russian flags.

The group - nicknamed 'Putin's Angels' - regularly holds rides and events to commemorate the Russian sides who fought in World War I, World War II, and the victims who died in those wars.

Russia's top lender Sberbank and the head of giant zinc and copper firm UMMC, were also included in the sanctions, a draft of which revealed the individuals and companies banned for supporting Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Also sanctioned was Sergei Korolev, First Deputy Director of the Russian Feder Security Service. The leaked document says he 'is indicated as a potential replacement' for FSB head Alexander Bortnikov, who was already under sanctions.

Russia's commissioner for children's rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, was also among those sanctioned, accused of being 'one of the most involved persons in the illegal transportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and their adoption by Russian families.'

The move, expected to be adopted on Wednesday, would take to 1,229 the total number of individuals banned by the EU over the war in Ukraine, and increase to 110 the number of listed companies.

Ukraine has accused Russia of having relocated more than 200,000 children to the country since the start of the conflict in February. Moscow denies this, saying it has only taken in refugees.

Among family members of previously sanctioned business figures were Stanislav Chemezov, son of the chairman of defense firm Rostec, and Maya Bolotova, daughter of Nikolay Tokarev, the head of Russian State-controlled energy company Transneft.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin was also added to the list of sanctions, as was Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov, actors Sergei Bezrukov and Vladimir Mashkov, and various heads of public authorities set up by Russia in occupied parts of Ukraine, including the mayors of Mariupol and Kherson.

The biker gang had already been blacklisted from operating in the US, due to its taking part in the Russian annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula in 2014.

Those sanctions also stemmed from claims the group had members fight in the ranks of rebel fighters in the east of the country during the ensuing war.

As for the current conflict in Ukriane, Kyiv has has claimed Ukrainian forces are retaking the Kherson region step-by-step as it launches a large counter-offensive against Putin's invading armies, as the war enters its eighth month.

Britain and the the US have sent thousands of the Javelin missile launchers to Ukraine to help in the country's defence.

The weapons have proven to be highly effective in the hands of Kyiv's troops, and have been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of Russian military vehicles since the Russian president ordered his forces into Ukraine on February 24.

Throughout the invasion, the gang has also been seen parading across Central Russia in thousands-strong processions, where members fly the pro-war Z symbol and Russian flags

Putin (above, left) awarded Zaldostanov (right) a medal for the pro-Russia activism work he had done in the Crimean peninsula in July 2019
A 28-year-old man has been killed in a shooting at a gathering of up to 100 people in an east London park, while another man was stabbed at the same party.

Police were called to Cheney Row Park, Waltham Forest, at around 12.30am today to reports of shots being fired.

Soon afterwards, two men turned up to an east London hospital, one of whom later died of gunshot injuries.

The other man, aged in his 30s, had suffered stab injuries. He was later discharged from hospital and has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Forensics on the scene in Waltham Forest. Police were called to Cheney Row Park at around 12.30am today to reports of shots being fired

Police have urged witnesses to remember the victim's 'grieving mother and father' and help police with their inquiries

Witnesses have been urged to remember the victim's 'grieving mother and father' and help police with their inquiries.

Det Chief Inspector Kelly Allen from the Metropolitan Police, who is leading the investigation, said: 'My heart goes out to the family of the man who has lost his life in this reckless act of violence.

'I believe there were 50 to 100 people gathered in and around Cheney Row Park at the time of the shooting with music playing.

'I urgently need to speak with everyone who was at that event - even if you do not believe you saw anything significant, you need to come forward.

A 28-year-old man has been killed in a shooting at a gathering of up to 100 people in an east London park, while another man was stabbed at the same party

'There will have been footage and images captured at the event, and we need to see these.

'Please ensure that all such material is saved - we will provide a link for it to be uploaded shortly.

'To anyone considering whether or not to come forward to police, I ask you to put yourself in the position of the victim's grieving mother and father this morning. They deserve answers.'

Witnesses can contact the police on 101, quoting reference 267/24jul, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
January 6 committee Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Sunday suggested Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' wife, conservative activist Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas, could be force to comply with their investigation into last year's Capitol riot.

The Wyoming Republican told CNN's State of the Union that her committee is 'fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena' for Thomas if talks with her legal team fall through.

'The committee is engaged with her counsel,' Cheney said. 'We hope she'll agree to come in voluntarily.'

She indicated the committee would be hesitant to take such an explosive step now - but could in the future. It comes days after Cheney revealed that more hearings would be planned for September at the end of its set this summer wrapping on Thursday.

'I hope it doesn't get to that,' Cheney said of the subpoena.

'We've certainly spoken with numbers of people who are similarly situated in terms of the discussion she was having.'

Text messages in the committee's possession show Thomas pressing members of Donald Trump's inner circle to investigate his claims that the 2020 election was rigged, multiple outlets have reported.

The January 6 committee is in talks with Virginia 'Ginni' Thomas' lawyers, Rep. Liz Cheney said

"The committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena."@RepLizCheney says Jan. 6 committee will consider subpoenaing Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, because of messages sent to Mark Meadows about 2020 election results. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/uVsVDAvXtv  CNN (@CNN) July 24, 2022

She had vouched for 'Kraken' lawyer Sidney Powell, whose ideas were so extreme that Trump and his other lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis cut ties with her.

Thomas also exchanged messages with John Eastman, known for authoring a legal memo that said then-Vice President Mike Pence could unilaterally overturn the election, according to the Washington Post.

And the longtime Republican operative has also had private meetings with Trump alongside her husband - who, after Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement last month, is now the longest-serving jurist on the Supreme Court.

The messages' release sparked calls from the left for Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from election-related cases and even to be removed from the bench.

He was the lone dissent when the high court ruled Trump could not withhold documents from the January 6 committee, a vote that's since raised ethical alarm bells.

Her role in pushing Trump's election fraud lies has placed ethical scrutiny on her husband, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

Thomas' engagement with the panel, as revealed by Cheney on Sunday, is a relatively recent development in the 18 months it has been investigating the Capitol riot.

In May, Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) told CBS News that they were not looking to subpoena Thomas.

'She was not really a focal point of the broader committee's work... She just happens to be the wife of a Supreme Court justice,' Thompson said at the time.

If Thomas complies with the committee in some form, she could provide key insights for its next set of hearings - which Cheney announced at the end of the panel's last series.

'Even as we conduct our ninth hearing, we have considerably more to do. We have far more evidence to share with the American people, and more to gather,' Cheney said on Thursday.

'So our committee will spend August pursuing emerging information on multiple fronts before convening further hearings this September.'
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Roman Polanski was spotted at the Rolling Stones' Paris concert on Saturday, breaking cover for the first time in years as prosecutors in Los Angeles revisited his 45-year-old rape case.

Polanski, 88, attended the show with his French actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner, 56. The pair married in 1989, 11 years after he fled the US on the run from the law.

They were spotted strolling through the Hippodrome de Longchamp, sporting VIP stickers on their outfits.

Polanski is awaiting a decision in the long drawn out case of him raping an underage girl at Jack Nicholson's home in 1977, when he was in his early forties and the victim, Samantha Geimer was 13.

He admitted having sex with the minor after Geimer - who has since come forward to identify herself publicly - told police he drugged her champagne and forced himself on her.

While awaiting sentencing, Polanski fled L.A. for Europe. He has long claimed he was the victim of judicial misconduct and that the judge reneged on a promise not to jail him.

Last week, after decades of secrecy, court documents from the case were unsealed and they appeared to uphold Polanski's claim that the judge behaved improperly.

Now, Polanski and his attorneys are fighting for him to be sentenced in absentia, bringing an end to his decades-long status as a fugitive.

Roman Polanski, 88,with his wife Emmanuelle Geimer, 56, at The Rolling Stones show at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in Paris on Saturday

Polanski and Seigner have been married since 1989. He has not returned to the US since 1978

Polanski was wearing jeans, a blazer and a VIP sticker to attend the sold-out show. He and his wife were at ease as they made their way through the Hippodrome grounds

In 1978, he was due to be sentenced to probation by Judge Laurence Rittenband but at the last minute, discovered the judge planned to instead jail him for up to 120 days.

Samantha Geimer, 13, told police that Polanski spiked her champagne and forced her into having sex with him at Jack Nicholson's house in 1977

Rittenband, who died in 1993, said he had been influenced by the media and needed to be tougher on the then 45-year-old movie director.

He promised to get him out in under 120 days but Polanski, skittish after their reneged-deal and fearing he may be put behind bars for longer, ran for France. He has remained in Europe ever since, fighting off effort to have him sentenced in absentia or extradited to the US as a fugitive.

For decades, the case has been ringfenced by prosecutors in the L.A. District Attorney's office but it is now being revisited.

The newly unsealed documents are hundreds of pages of testimony from former Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson that have been unsealed after a request from journalists to make the papers public.

The request is supported by everyone involved - Polanski wanted them to be made public to prove judicial misconduct and Geimer, now 59, wants the case to be dismissed.

Last week, after resisting efforts to make the documents public like his predecessors, L.A. DA George Gascon agreed that they should be unsealed.

One of his advisers told Variety: 'The suspicion has been around this case for 40 years. Many people are suspicious that something untoward occurred. We share that curiosity and that concern.'

The California Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ordered them unsealed shortly afterwards.

Gunson gave the testimony in 2010 at the request of Polanski's legal team. At the time, he was suffering from unspecified health issues that Polanski's team feared may prevent him from testifying later, if the case was ever reopened.

Roman Polanski says he was lied to by Judge Laurence J. Rittenband (right) and that he is why he went on the run. Rittenband, who died in 1993, told the actor's legal team he would jail him for up to 120 days after initially promising not to jail him at all

The testimony seems to confirm Polanski's claim that the judge behaved improperly and shows how almost everyone involved - the prosecutors, Polanski and the victim - were dissatisfied.

'The judge had promised him on two occasions... something that he reneged on.

'So it wasnt surprising to me that, when he was told he was going to be sent off to state prison... that he could not or would not trust the judge,' Gunson said.

He testified that Rittenband took advice on the case from 'all over the place', being easily influenced by the media and celebrities.

The judge had promised him on two occasions... something that he reneged on. So it wasn't surprising to me that, when he was told he was going to be sent off to state prison... that he could not or would not trust the judge Deputy DA Roger Gunson, testifying in 2010 about the judge's misconduct that prompted Polanski to flee

Gunson even tried to have him recused but his request was shot down by his superiors.

He said that it was wrong for Rittenband to renege on his promise of a light sentence, but that it was wrong to have offered Polanski the deal in the first place.

He also testified about other flaws in the investigation.

According to him, police officers who went to Nicholson's home were caught taking photographs with the actor's Oscars.

Polanski's attorneys are fighting for him to be sentenced in absentia in order to end his current status as a fugitive. Their goal is for him to be handed a time served sentence.

Geimer, who won $600,000 from Polanski in a civil settlement, wants the case to be dropped.

She previously testified before a grand jury that during a photo shoot at Jack Nicholsons house in March 1977 when the actor wasnt home, Polanski gave her champagne and part of a sedative, then forced her to have sex.

She didnt fight him because she was afraid of him but her mother later called police.

Roman Polanski is shown in 1977 after being arrested for rape. He pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping drug, rape and sodomy charges

When she refused to testify in court, Polanski pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for prosecutors dropping drug, rape and sodomy charges.

Rittenband sent Polanski to state prison in 1978 for 90 days.

He spent 42 days there for a psychiatric evaluation, and received a recommendation from the prison that the film director should not serve any additional time.

Gunson, the prosecutor, wrote that Rittenband thought the recommendation was 'whitewash' and told Polanski's team he would sentence him to 120 days in prison, but would get him out sooner.

Gunson acknowledged during his testimony that the judge had discretion to sentence Polanski up to 50 years because there had been no agreed-upon sentence.

Fearing the worst, Polanski fled.

Rittenband, who also presided over the divorce between Elvis and Priscilla Presley, vowed to stay on the bench until the director returned to the US. He retired in 1989 and died four years later.

The L.A. District Attorney's Office has long resisted revisiting the case or making any of the documents public.

In the past, prosecutors have cited Geimer as their reason for the secrecy, despite her repeated requests to unseal the documents and dismiss the case.

Geimer, in 2017, has long been fighting for the documents to be made public and for the case to be dismissed. She says the decades-long saga has prolonged her suffering

In 2017, she traveled from her home in Hawaii to Los Angeles to urge a judge to end 'a 40-year sentence which has been imposed on the victim of a crime as well as the perpetrator.'

'I implore you to consider taking action to finally bring this matter to a close as an act of mercy to myself and my family,' Geimer said.

Geimer went public years ago and wrote a memoir titled 'The Girl: A Life in the Shadow of Roman Polanski.' The cover features a photo shot by Polanski.

Last month, she implored Gascon to agree to the documents being unsealed.

In a statement last week, he agreed.

'This case has been described by the courts as one of the longest-running sagas in California criminal justice history. For years, this office has fought the release of information that the victim and public have a right to know,' he said.

The California Appeals Court then ordered the documents to be made public.
Pete Buttigieg slammed Marco Rubio for calling the bill codifying same-sex marriage into law a 'stupid waste of time', claiming that he has plenty of time to take on the measure.

The Department of Transportation secretary went on the defense against his marriage Sunday morning.

'If he's got time to fight against Disney, I don't know why he wouldn't have time to help safeguard marriages like mine,' Buttigieg told CNN's State of the Union. 'This is really, really important to a lot of people. It's certainly important to me.'

He added: 'If they don't want to spend a lot of time on this, they can vote 'yes' and move on. And that would be really reassuring for a lot of families around America  including mine.'

Buttigieg is referencing Rubio attacking Disney World for public opposition to Florida's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill, which stops public school teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade.

The Transportation secretary and former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana has been married to his husband Chasten since 2018. The two adopted twins Joseph August and Penelope Rose last summer.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said if Senator Marco Rubio has 'time to fight against Disney, I don't know why he wouldn't have time to help safeguard marriages like mine'

"If he's got time to fight against Disney, I don't know why he wouldn't have time to safeguard marriages like mine."@PeteButtigieg reacts to some GOP senators saying they will vote against a bill that is meant to codify protections for same-sex marriage. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/Le9OSepeW6  CNN (@CNN) July 24, 2022

Comes after Rubio (pictured on May 17) said last week that the bill codifying gay marriage into law is just a 'stupid waste of time'

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in late June, concerns emerged that following abortion, contraceptives and gay marriage could be the next rights to be taken away at a federal level.

This led the House to bring a vote on codifying same-sex marriage into law, which it did on Tuesday  although there was a lot of GOP opposition.

The issue is moving to the upper chamber, where it is still unclear if there are ten Senate Republicans who will cross the line to codify the rights to same-sex marriage into law.

Rubio, when asked about the bill last week, told a CNN reporter at the Capitol that he would vote 'no' on codifying gay marriage into law and said the whole ordeal was a 'stupid waste of time.'

Buttigieg (right) married his husband Chasten (left) in 2018. The two adopted twins Joseph August and Penelope Rose last summer

When making these comments, according to CNN's Manu Raju, Senator Rubio was on the elevator with a colleague, Senator Tammy Baldwin, who is gay.

'Our marriage deserves to be treated equally,' Buttigieg told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday. 'I don't know why this would be hard for a senator, for a congressman.'

'I don't understand how such a majority of House Republicans voted no on our marriage as recently as Tuesday  hours after I was in a room with a lot of them talking about transportation policy,' he added. 'Having what I thought were perfectly normal conversations with many of them on that subject, only for some of them to go around the corner and say that my marriage doesn't deserve to continue.'
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The US's record-breaking heat wave continued in full force over the weekend, claiming two casualties as unseasonably high temperatures continue to roast much of the country.

The deaths, reported in New York and Pennsylvania, come as roughly 85 million Americans across the country suffer through the scorching temperatures.

Both victims died of hyperthermia brought on by the horrific heat - which in some states is 13F above average for this time of year.

The extreme weather, which in addition to the Northeast is affecting the American Midwest, South, and Southwest, has forced officials in several states to declare heat emergencies, warning citizens to stave off the swelter by staying hydrated and indoors.

Several of those advisories came in the Northeast, in cities like Philadelphia and Boston, where temperatures swelled to triple digits, forcing officials to to postpone events such as the lauded Boston Triathlon to August 21.

Elsewhere, in New York, where temperatures reached 100 degrees during the week but felt even hotter Sunday, another citizen died, after high temperatures forced officials to shorten the 2022 New York City Triathlon.

The extreme weather, which in addition to the Northeast is affecting the American Midwest, South, and Southwest, has forced officials in several states to declare heat emergencies, warning citizens to stave off the swelter by staying hydrated and indoors

The US's record-breaking heat wave continued in full force over the weekend, claiming two casualties as unseasonably high temperatures continue to roast much of the country. Pictured is the New York City skyline Sunday

Children play in the spray from the fire hydrant in the Bronx in New York City, where temperatures had a real-feel of 104F on Sunday

A construction worker drinks water during the heatwave in Boston Thursday, where temperatures continued to straddle 100F over the weekend, spurring officials to extend a heat emergency warning made earlier in the week through Sunday

Children play in a water fountain during the heatwave in Boston, as record breaking heat continued to scorch the Northeast Sunday

Similar conditions were - and have been - widespread across the country in recent days.

In Philly, where temperatures straddled the 100 degree mark at 98 Saturday, the city issued a warning to citizens saying that temperatures were expected to swell Sunday to more than 100 - a record for the city of brotherly love for this particular day of the month.

That heat served as a continuation of temperatures seen over the course of the week - which claimed the life of 73-year-old Allentown resident Thomas Bunting.

Bunting, who lived roughly 45 miles from Philadelphia, died Thursday at his home as a result of the extreme heat the city's coroner's office said, adding that the deceased's diabetes also played a part in his death.

Days later, the city declared the state of emergency, activating several city services designed to keep people cool - including making air-conditioned libraries available as cooling stations and parking air-conditioned buses for citizens to access throughout the city.

A few hundred miles up the Atlantic Coast, Boston also issued an emergency alert on Thursday - an extension of an earlier announced on Monday. The new alert will last through Sunday, when temperatures can hit 97 degrees,

However, when taking into account humidity and other factors, the heat will feel more like 105 degrees, officials warn.

Close by in the Big Apple, governor Kathy Hochul also warned citizens of worsening temperatures over the weekend, after the city's Chief Medical Examiner confirmed a heat-related death on Saturday.

In this case as well, other contributing factors - listed as hypertensive cardiovascular disease and emphysema - contributed to the unidentified victim's death, which officials said was caused by hyperthermia brought on by 'environmental exposure.'

No other information about the death - including the location and time, nor the age of the victim - was immediately released.

A homeless man in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is wheeled by a friend after being in a local hospital for dehydration Thursday. The heat wave, affecting multiple regions across the US, has since worsened, claiming at least two lives

A woman cools off in New York City's iconic Washington State Park during this week's record-setting heatwave

A man cools off near the fountain in Washington State Park Thursday, when temperatures reached 100F as New York City urged residents to stay indoors

The city was also forced to shorten its annual New York City Triathlon Sunday due to the sweltering temperatures, which officials said will feel like 104 degrees at its peak.

New Jersey and Delaware also issued heat emergencies through Sunday night, with officials at Newark airport reporting its fifth 100 degree day in a row Saturday, when temperatures on the tarmacs hit 101 degrees. Similar temperatures were expected for Sunday.

Those stood as just a small fraction of the heat advisories issued due to the sweltering conditions, with more than 85 million Americans woke up Sunday to excessive heat warnings or heat advisories.

Much of the heat was in the Northeast - where the weather service warned of 'extremely oppressive' conditions from Washington to Boston, but a large portion could be found elsewhere, from the Pacific Northwest to the southern Great Plains to the heavily populated I-95 corridor, the National Weather Service warned Sunday.

In addition to the Northeast, the heatwave has also ravished the American Southwest - a region currently at the mercy of a drought the likes of which have not been seen in more than 12 centuries.

On Sunday, cities like Las Vegas (106 degrees), Phoenix (105 degrees), San Antonio (101 degrees) and Oklahoma City (105 degrees) have all hit the 100 mark.

Other cities, such as Memphis, approached that level, with a high of 98 - but most have heat indexes of well over 100.

People rest in the shade in Bryant Park in midtown Manhattan as temperatures reach into the 90s, weather that prompted the city to shorten it's annual Triathlon

A child plays in a water fountain, during a heatwave, in Boston, Massachusetts

Experts warn that the heat - which experts say is a result of climate change and is mirrored by a similar phenomenon occurring in the UK - is hear to stay until the end of July, with millions set to continue seeing record-setting temperatures.

The extreme weather affected the Northeast and Midwest for much of the week for Thursday and Friday, as well as the Great Plains and Midwest, which officials said will likely see potential tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds this Saturday into Sunday, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Cities like Chicago, Detroit and much of Wisconsin - which have also face unseasonably high temperatures - also face slightly lower risk of extreme storms.

Meanwhile, parts of the northwest are currently under critical conditions for potential fire weather due to high temperatures seen in the region.
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Police believe a team of burglars discreetly tracked a truck carrying $100 million worth of jewels from a gem show in northern California to a Los Angeles area truck stop, before raiding the vehicle in one of the 'largest jewelry heists ever.'

The thieves robbed the armored Brink's truck around 2am on July 11 at a Flying J truck stop along Interstate 5 near Grapevine - an unincorporated community in the San Joaquin Valley - in just 27 minutes.

The burglars managed to bypass the truck's locking mechanism undetected and then loaded the gems into storage containers before hauling them away, law enforcement sources allege.

Investigators believe 'several thieves had to be involved' in the heist, which left eighteen victims suffering a loss of 'multi-millions.'

The merchandise had been loaded onto the truck the night before following an exhibit hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, south of San Francisco. It was heading to the Pasadena Convention Center.

Police are still probing how the thieves got into the truck and whether or not they knew about its valuable contents ahead of the theft.

Police believe a team of burglars discreetly tracked the truck carrying $100 million worth of jewels from a gem show to a California truck stop along, before raiding the vehicle in one of the 'largest jewelry heists ever'

Law enforcement sources told The Los Angeles Times that two armed guards left the big rig at the truck stop in the early hours of July 11.

The group of thieves then quickly broke into the truck, entered its tractor-trailer and started unloading containers holding jewelry, gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and lots of luxury designer watches, including Rolexes.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau Sgt. Michael Mileski declined to describe the locking mechanism but stated it 'would not be exceedingly difficult to crack.'

He also noted from the outside it wouldn't have appeared the truck was carrying riches, but guards openly carrying firearms while driving the vehicle could have tipped off a watcher-by.

FBI agents and major crimes investigators at the sheriff's office have searched the Flying J for clues, interviewed potential witnesses and reviewed security footage from the truck stop.

Milkeski declined to reveal further information about the case, saying: 'Obviously, we aren't about to say what we have at this stage.'

The burglars managed to bypass the truck's locking mechanism undetected and then loaded the gems into storage containers before hauling them away, law enforcement sources allege

Investigators believe 'several thieves had to be involved' in the heist, which left eighteen victims suffering a loss of 'multi millions'

The group of thieves quickly broke into the truck, entered its tractor-trailer and started unloading containers holding jewelry, gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and lots of luxury designer watches, including Rolexes

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Major Crimes Bureau Sgt. Michael Mileski declined to describe the truck's locking mechanism but stated it 'would not be exceedingly difficult to crack.' Two of the stolen pieces are pictured above

The merchandise had been loaded onto a Brink's truck (file photo) the night before following an exhibit hosted by the International Gem and Jewelry Show in San Mateo, south of San Francisco. It was heading to the Pasadena Convention Center in Los Angeles County

Initial estimates indicated $100 million worth of jewels were taken, despite the truck only having been insured for less than $10 million.

'We are talking multi millions here. It is a huge amount of money,' MIleski stated.

International Gem and Jewelry Show president Arnold Duke revealed the truck was transporting many 70 to 100-pound storage containers housing gems and jewelry. Previous reports indicated the thieves took between 25 and 30 bags, containing an unknown number of individual pieces.

'We are looking at more than $100 million in documented losses,' Duke said. 'This was an absolutely huge crime. One of the largest jewelry heists ever. We are talking gold, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and loads of luxury watches.'

He added: 'There were 15 exhibitors each with $5 [million] to $10 million in merchandise. These are small businesses with their entire wealth vested in that truck. It has destroyed them financially and it affected their health in some cases.'

Although the loss was massive, Duke noted the thieves did not manage to take all the valuables from the truck.

Brandy Swanson, the exhibition's director, explained shortly after the theft that even though their jewels are quite expensive, most vendors who travel between jewelry shows typically underinsure their merchandise because they can't afford to insure it fully.

'That's where the discrepancy comes in. These are mom-and-pop operators,' Swanson said. 'They're devastated. Some of these people have lost their entire livelihoods.'

International Gem and Jewelry Show president Arnold Duke revealed the truck was transporting many 70 to 100-pound storage containers housing gems and jewelry

Eighteen victims reported more than $100 million in losses but Brink said it was less than $10 million

The international jewelry show said that vendors who travel between jewelry shows typically underinsure their merchandise because they can't afford to insure it fully

Between 25 and 30 bags were taken, containing an unknown number of individual pieces

Duke wouldn't discuss security measures at the show, but did note that all people are photographed as they enter the facility.

He also claimed merchandise is typically transported in a semi with a bulletproof cab, equipped with tracking and elaborate camera systems. The vehicle is also driven by armed guards and its exact route is kept secret.

Officials, who have stated the thieves likely tracked the truck from San Mateo, are probing everyone with knowledge of the route.

Flying J's parent company has requested surveillance video from the travel center - which is open 24/7 - in attempt to help law enforcement with their investigation.

Brink's issued a statement shortly after the theft, stating: 'We are working with law enforcement, and we will fully reimburse our customers for the value of their assets that were stolen, in accordance with the terms of our contract.'

Additionally, insurance underwriters claim truck stop cargo thefts are 'relatively common.'

Cargo theft is a 'massive criminal enterprise' in the Los Angeles area and, last year alone, saw more than $57 million in cargo truck thefts. California is also the top state for cargo snatches.
After a man was stabbed to death inside a west London pub last night, a murder investigation has been launched.

Police were called at 11.55pm to reports a man had been knifed inside the Star & Scorpion pub on Uxbridge Road in Ealing.

Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service.

The man, believed to be aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police were called at 11.55pm to reports a man had been knifed inside the Star & Scorpion pub on Uxbridge Road in Ealing

After a man was stabbed to death inside a west London pub last night, a murder investigation has been launched

Officers attended along with the London Ambulance Service

According to Scotland Yard, the victim's family have been informed and they will be supported by specialist officers.

A post-mortem examination and formal identification will be arranged in due course, the force added.

No arrests have been made at what police said was an 'early stage' of the investigation.

Within an hour of this fatal stabbing, a 23-year-old man was repeatedly knifed in the back inside another London pub in an unrelated incident.

There have been no arrests at this early stage in the investigation

The man, believed to be aged in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene

Officers were called shortly after midnight last night to the Fatling Hornchurch pub in Havering, east London, following reports of the stabbing.

The victim, 23, suffered 'a number of stab wounds' and was treated at the scene, before being rushed to hospital.

Within an hour of this fatal stabbing, a 23-year-old man was repeatedly knifed in the back inside another London pub in a separate incident. Officers were called shortly after midnight last night to the Fatling Hornchurch pub in Havering, east London, following reports of the stabbing

He remains in a serious but stable condition at hospital, police have said. His next of kin have been informed.

Any witnesses or anyone with information about the fatal stabbing in Ealing are urged to call police on 101, referencing 8656/23jul. To remain anonymous, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Al Gore said on Sunday that there was 'nothing extraordinary' about his certifying George W. Bush's 2000 presidential victory despite famously challenging the results of the close race.

The former vice president to Bill Clinton was asked about his White House defeat against the two-term Republican leader in the wake of the January 6 committee's final hearing on Thursday.

Parallels had been drawn at the hearing between Gore's race, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, and Donald Trump's efforts to stay in power despite losing the 2020 election.

The hearings have revealed how Trump and his allies had pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to invoke a legal memo to unilaterally overturn the results, which Pence refused to do - but not before apparently consulting with others on the matter.

But for Gore, conceding the race after exhausting his legal options was not a 'difficult choice,' he said on Sunday.

Gore told ABC News' This Week that he was reminded of his ordeal while watching the January 6 committee describe Trump's attempts to upend democracy.

During his interview with ABC News, Gore said his ordeal in 2000 'of course' reminded him of the present-day January 6 hearings

'But all I did is what Winston Churchill once said about the American people, 'The American people generally do the right thing after first exhausting every available alternative." That's really all I did,' the Democrat said.

'The Constitution required what I did and there's nothing really extraordinary about it.'

The 2000 presidential race came down to less than 400 votes in the state of Florida.

The Sunshine State's Supreme Court sided with Gore in calling for a manual recount of ballots. Bush, however, petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the count - and it was granted in a 5-4 vote, handing him the presidency.

Gore went on to concede the race and then preside over the Joint Session of Congress that certified Bush's victory.

'Was it personally difficult? Well, you know, when the fate of the country and the traditions and honor of our democracy are at stake, it's not really a difficult choice,' Gore said on Sunday.

During Thursday's January 6 committee hearing, the final installment of their summer presentation, former Trump national security adviser Matthew Pottinger praised Gore as an example of a peaceful transition of power despite personal frustrations.

'We have an example of a Democratic candidate for president, Vice President Al Gore, who faced a very similar dilemma,' Pottinger said.

ice President Mike Pence presides over a joint session of Congress as it convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Jan. 6

Al Gore reads the results of the Joint Session of Congress for the counting of electoral votes from the November, 2000 U.S. presidential election declaring Texas Governor George W. Bush the next president of the United States

'He strongly disagreed with the Supreme Court decision that lost his election bid and allowed President George W. Bush to take office.'

Pottinger said Gore's concession speech, where he made clear he was only moving on for the sake of democracy, is 'a good model for any candidate for any office, up to and including president, and for any party to read, particularly right now.'

During his Sunday interview Gore said the January 6 committee has done an 'incredible job.'

'I would like to say that Bennie Thompson and Liz Cheney and every single member of that committee have performed an amazing service to our democracy,' Gore said.

'I think these hearings have been the most persuasive and effective since the Watergate hearings so long ago, and I think we're seeing a huge impact on public opinion in our country, too.'

And while Pence ultimately did the right thing in 2021, Bob Woodward and Robert Costa reported in their book late last year that he contemplated going along with Trump - and asked fellow former vice president Dan Quayle for advice.

'You don't know the position I'm in,' Pence reportedly told George H.W. Bush's former veep. Quayle replied: 'I do know the position you're in. I also know what the law is...You have no power.'
A British father-of-four is fighting for his life after being stabbed on a stag do in Portugal.

Joel Collins, 35, was brutally attacked while walking back to a popular resort he was staying at in the southern Algarve region, after being separated from friends on a night out.

His family said he was stabbed without provocation on July 4 in a suspected mugging.

A stranger found him unconscious in the street with four deep wounds in his abdomen.

Joel, of Troedyrhiw, South Wales, was rushed to hospital having suffered lacerations to his pancreas, lungs, intestines and stomach.

He has now undergone five surgeries with another scheduled for Monday and is still in intensive care.

British father-of-four Joel Collins was stabbed four times while on a stag do in Portugal

The 35-year-old in still in intensive care and has had five surgeries with another scheduled

His family say they feel like they've been left without any help or support by the Portuguese authorities.

Sister Heidi Collins said Joel had limited memory of what had happened to him three weeks ago in Albufeira, but nurses said it looked like he had been mugged.

Joel's last memory was getting his phone out to use Goggle maps before he arrived at the hospital without his phone or any ID.

Joel's parents, Heidi and his partner Gabriella are at his bedside regularly and are 'taking it day by day'.

His family are still unsure if the crime has been reported due to the language barrier

Joel's memory of the event is hazy but nurses said nurses said it looked like he had been mugged

The family is unsure if the incident has been reported to the Portuguese police due to the language barrier.

They said they'd been asked by nurses whether Joel had reported it or not and understood the police had called the hospital to see if Joel was able to talk to them.

'We are really confused,' said Heidi.

Despite trying to talk to police and the UK Embassy, they are still none the wiser.

It comes after fellow Welshman Alex Evans, of Treherbert, South Wales, was stabbed three times and left for dead at the same resort in May.

Alex posted on social media and said: 'On May 15 this year I was stabbed three times and left for dead whilst on a stag do in Albuferia Portugal.

'As I've slowly been recovering I was made aware of it happening again to Joel Collins.

'This is upsetting to hear as his story is very much similar and my thoughts are with his family and I'm hoping he has a speedy recovery.

'After speaking to his family I want to put this out there to make people aware of the knife crime that is happening out in Albufeira as it's not being made public, and to urge people to stick together.

'I didn't think I would be writing a post like this so soon after it happening to me, about someone who lives so close.

'Please, if everyone could share this, as I would hate for it to have to happen to another family.'

Joel's family have launched a fundraising page.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday claimed Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' law is keeping teachers of young students from the ability to 'love openly.'

Harris had been asked about why young people, who have been largely disenchanted with the Biden administration, should keep turning out at the ballot box. She warned that it was a matter of the fundamental right to vote.

'We all know your right to vote and the action of voting unlocks all the other rights, including same-sex marriage,' the vice president said during an interview with journalist Brian Tyler Cohen.

'Including whether we are going to stand up against a law that says "Don't Say Gay," restricting kindergarten through third grade teachers to be able to love openly and teach what they believe is important for people to understand.'

Harris also tore into 'so-called leaders' passing restrictions on abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court's ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Without mentioning them by name, Harris went after Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for their state's limits on abortion following the high court ruling.

'We have governors from Florida to Texas and other states who are approaching this from an extremist position, that is definitely about attacking the rights of women to make decisions about their own body,' she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris tore into leaders in Florida and Texas for rolling back abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned

'These various states with these extremist, so-called leaders are passing laws that make it more difficult for a woman to have access to reproductive care and to abortion.'

She later hit DeSantis again when she criticized his Parental Rights In Education law, dubbed 'Don't Say Gay' by opponents.

The controversial law's text says that 'classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.'

Critics of the law claimed it would stifle an already marginalized community - LGBTQ+ Americans - at a critical time in their development.

They're also concerned it restricts them from confiding in school counselors and nurses - in some cases, the only adults they can open up to.

Harris singled out Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, without mentioning him by name, because of his passage of abortion limitations and the controversial Parental Rights In Education bill

Abortion rights activists stage a sit-in just outside of the White House security fence to denounce the U.S. Supreme Court decision to end federal abortion rights protections on Saturday, Jul. 9

In addition to banning academic discussion on gender identity and sexual orientation, the law also requires public school districts to put procedures in place to require school officials to report a shift in a student's 'services or monitoring related to the student's mental, emotional, or physical health or well-being' to their parents.

It also allows parents to sue schools and school districts for running afoul of the new law.

The law's supporters point out that the word 'gay' does not appear in the legislation.

But the majority of Harris' Sunday interview focused on abortion access in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning federal protections for the procedure.

She ruled out expanding the Supreme Court to even out its conservative majority as a viable measure, insisting she was looking at solutions grounded in 'reality.'

'I think what we've got to do right now is deal with what we've got in front of us, and the reality is that we don't even have the votes in the United States Senate to codify Roe,' Harris said.

'The president has been clear that expansion of the court is not something that's on the table, so let's focus right now on what we need to do around winning this election with pro-choice, you know, people.'
A 73-year-old woman was stabbed by a 100-pound sailfish while fishing with some friends off the Florida coast.

The fish impaled Katherine Perkins, of Arnold, Maryland, in the groin area with its pointed bill on Tuesday while she was standing in the boat as two companions tried to bring it in on a fishing line.

Her friends immediately applied pressure to her wound and called 911 as they headed towards shore, where she was then flown to nearby HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital for treatment.

While her current condition remains unknown, Perkins was said to be in the hospital recovering on Thursday.

Katherine Perkins, 73, (pictured) was stabbed by a 100-pound sailfish while fishing with some friends off the coast of Stuart, Florida on Tuesday

Perkins and her friends were in a boat off near Stuart, a coastal town north of West Palm Beach that is regarded as the sailfish capital of the world, when they caught the 100-pound sailfish (file photo)

Perkins and her friends were in a boat two miles off the shore of Stuart - a coastal town north of West Palm Beach that is regarded as the sailfish capital of the world - when they caught the 100-pound sailfish.

The large fish charged at Perkins, who was standing next to the center console, while her companions were trying to take a picture with it, the Martin County Sheriff's Office confirmed to Treasure Coast Newspapers.

'The sailfish jumped out of the water and stabbed Katherine in the groin area while she was standing next to the center console,' authorities said.

Stuart residents Louis Toth, 75, and Dominic Bellezza, 77, applied pressure to her wound as she was transported to the hospital.

It is unclear if either of the pair were responsible for reeling in the 100-pounder.

Perkins told a deputy the incident happened so quickly that she didn't even have time to react.

Perkins and her fishing companion were in a boat off near Stuart (pictured) when the 100-pound fish leapt from the water and impaled her groin

Her friends called 911 and applied pressure to the wound as she was transported to nearby HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital (pictured) where she was said to be recovering on Thursday

Sailfish can grow to be 11 feet long and up to 220 pounds and are among the fastest fish species in the ocean.

Like the swordfish, sailfish are recognizable by their extended, pointed bills. They are strong fighters and known to deep dive and pull drag fishing reels, trying to dislodge fishing hooks.

While sailfish are usually released, Floridians try to fish for them. There is even a tournament which sees many residents from Stuart and nearby Fort Pierce trying to reel sailfish in.

The largest sailfish caught in Florida weighed 126 pounds, according to state records. It was reeled in on June 13, 2009 by Larry Maier off Big Pine Key.

During the Pelican Yacht Club Invitational Billfish Tournament in January 2019, 38 fishing boats caught and released a record 969 sailfish over the course of three days.

Wildlife experts advise that people take pictures of sailfish without pulling them from the water.
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An out-of-control wildfire raging near Yosemite National Park has burgeoned into one of the biggest blazes this year, forcing thousands of Californians to flee their homes in remote mountain communities as the fire raged for a third straight day.

Despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the fire, which began in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas Friday, was zero percent contained Sunday, state fire officials conceded.

Photos and video footage from the stricken region - a rural landscape home to nearly 18,000 - show the destruction left by the fast-moving inferno, which has spread east at a rapid rate, putting pressure on officials to contain the flames.

At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged - with another 2,000 still at risk.

Despite the efforts of more than 2,000 firefighters to contain the blaze, the fire, which began in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas Friday, was 0 percent contained Sunday, state fire officials said. Pictured is the raging fire behind a Smokey the Bear warning sign against forest fires on Sunday

Photos and video footage from the stricken region - a rural landscape home to nearly 18,000 - show the destruction left by the fast-moving inferno, which has spread east at a rapid rate, putting pressure on officials to contain the flames

Smoke from the Oak Fire hangs over hills on Sunday. At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged - with another 2,000 still at risk.

The Oak Fire burns through trees on Sunday. Officials described the fire's behavior as 'explosive,' citing how the rapidly spreading flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by one of the worst drought in the American Southwest in centuries, worsening the crisis

A column of smoke rises above the Oak Fire on Sunday. Firefighters' failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County - after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife

At least 10 structures have been destroyed thus far, California fire officials said Sunday, and five heavily damaged - with another 2,000 still at risk

Firefighters' failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County - after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife

Firefighters' failure to even begin to quell the conflagration has spurred officials to issue a state of emergency for Mariposa County - after the fire forced more than 6,000 to evacuate their homes, while also threatening local wildlife.

Officials ordered residents to pack up and vacate Friday, after the blaze suddenly surfaced southwest of the iconic national park at roughly 2:30 pm, near the small mountain town of Midpines, nine miles from Mariposa.

By Saturday, officials described the fire's behavior as 'explosive,' citing how the rapidly spreading flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by one of the worst drought in the American Southwest in centuries, worsening the crisis.

The drought, a 22-year-long 'megadrought' caused by low levels of rainfall, is the worst the region has seen in more than 1,200 years, and is connected intimately with climate change.

Firefighters have since struggled to put out the fire - dubbed the Oak Fire - utilizing an army of aircraft and bulldozers in steep terrain and amid spiking temperatures.

On Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection told onlookers to expect a similar lack of results on Sunday, due to unseasonably high temperatures and current dry conditions in the area.

A Sunday morning incident report warned citizens to stay away and let officials deal with the disaster - which is quickly becoming one of the worse ever in the region, consuming more than 22 square miles of forest land, Cal Fire said.

'Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5% and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts,' the agency said in a statement Sunday.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said.

Firefighters work to keep the Oak Fire from reaching a home in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday - the second straight day of the unprecedented blaze

A firefighter sprays water while battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday as the 'destructive' blaze wreaked havoc

A firefighters holds a hose while battling the Oak Fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday

Flames engulf a chair inside a burning home as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County on Saturday

Firefighter Joanna Jimenez holds a dog she found wandering in a fire evacuation zone as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County

Flames consume a home on Triangle Rd. as the Oak Fire burned in Mariposa County on Saturday, a harrowing visual showing the damage many families are facing

Evacuation orders were in place for more than 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fires effects.

Flames destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five others, Cal Fire said.

Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fires effects.

Numerous roads were closed, including State Route 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road  one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the western United States much warmer and drier over the past 30 years.

Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored.

PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment, the utility said as flames roared on Friday.

The Oak Fire was sparked as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park.

The 7.5-square-mile fire was nearly 80% contained after burning for two weeks and moving into the the Sierra National Forest.

An air tanker flies above the Oak Fire burning in Mariposa County on Friday as first responders increased their efforts to fight the flames
None of the 17 people who had close contact with Joe Biden around the time of his COVID diagnosis have tested positive for the disease, White House Coronavirus Coordinator Ashish Jha said.

'As of late yesterday, again, 17 is the number that we are tracking in the White House medical unit  none of them have tested positive as of late yesterday,' Jha told ABC's This Week program on Sunday morning.

'Obviously all those people have been contacted,' he added. 'They are following CDC protocol. And we'll continue to follow them.'

Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Jill Biden are among those considered close contacts along with some senior staff and members of Congress.

Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren along with Democratic Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating traveled with Biden on Air Force One Wednesday for the trip to Somerset, Massachusetts.

Protocol for a 'close contact' in the White House means that a person must be within six-feet of the person who tested positive for longer than 15 minutes. This is the sam guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

White House COVID Coordinator Ashish Jha said Sunday morning that all of the 17 people determined to have close contact with President Joe Biden have not tested positive for COVID. He also said that as of Saturday night, Biden is feeling 'much, much better'

None of the 17 people deemed close contacts with Pres. Biden have tested positive so far, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha tells @jonkarl.



Theyre following CDC protocol and well continue to follow them. https://t.co/47rUNba3Za pic.twitter.com/5m522LEfJC  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 24, 2022

Close contact include Democratic Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren along with Democratic Representatives Jake Auchincloss and Bill Keating, who traveled with Biden on Air Force One Wednesday for the trip to Somerset, Massachusetts

Jha noted that COVID-19 protocols have already been 'tight,' noting that Biden would often meet outdoors with people.

The president's doctor said in a Sunday update on his conditions that Biden's symptoms are improving 'significantly' but he still has a sore throat three days after initial COVID-19 diagnosis.

'His voice remains a bit deep,' White House Physician Kevin O'Connor noted in his letter to Biden's Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

The sore throat, Dr. O'Connor says, is 'likely a result of lymphoid activation as his body clears the virus, and is thus encouraging.'

'His rhinorrhea [runny nose], cough and body aches have diminished considerably,' he noted.

White House coronavirus response coordinator Ashish Jha also said Sunday morning that Biden is feeling 'much, much better' after his COVID-19 diagnosis.

'I checked in with his team late last night,' Jha told CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. 'He was feeling well. He had a good day yesterday. He's got a viral syndrome, an upper respiratory infection, that is, and he's doing just fine.'

'So we haven't gotten any updates this morning, but through last night, he was feeling much, much better,' Jha said hours before O'Connor released his update.

Biden received his positive diagnosis during a routine COVID test administered on Thursday.

White House Physician Kevin O'Connor sent another update on President Joe Biden's on Sunday following his positive COVID diagnosis. The letter states Biden's 'predominant symptom' is a sore throat and as a result a deeper-than-usual voice

White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Asish Jah confirms that President Biden was infected with the BA.5 variant of COVID 19 and is doing just fine. pic.twitter.com/ABiue2Y7xw  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) July 24, 2022

Dr. Kevin O'Connor is Biden's White House physician. He has sent updates on the president since his COVID diagnosis on Thursday

When news was released of his diagnosis, the president said he felt fine and was working from isolation at the White House.

Dr. O'Connor said Sunday morning that Biden completed his third day of PAXLOVID treatment on Saturday night.

Biden, the doctor said, will continue to isolate considering he has the highly contagious BA.5 variant.

Jha said that the emergence of the BA.5 variant is leading to more need for continued masking indoors.

'Masks work, right?' he said. 'They clearly slow down transmission. So in areas of high transmission, I think it's very prudent for people to be wearing masks indoors, especially if they're in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.'

The doctor said that 80 percent of current COVID infections in the U.S. are this BA. 5 variant.

'Thank goodness, our vaccines and therapeutics work well against [this variant], which is why I think the President's doing well,' he said on Sunday.

The president's physician Dr. Kevin OConnor wrote in a Saturday update on Biden's condition that his earlier symptoms, including a runny nose and a cough, have become 'less troublesome.'

His earlier notes following Biden's diagnosis Thursday did not mention any sore throat or body aches.

President Joe Biden speaks virtually during a meeting with his economic team in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington on Friday, July 22, 2022 as he remained in isolation following his COVID diagnosis

Biden's vital signs, such as blood pressure and respiratory rate, 'remain entirely normal,' and his oxygen saturation levels are 'excellent' with 'no shortness of breath at all,' the doctor wrote in his latest update.

'His lungs remain clear,' he added.

O'Connor said the results of the preliminary DNA sequencing that indicated Biden is infected with the BA.5 variant do not affect his treatment plan 'in any way.

Jha pledged on Sunday the White House would continue providing updates on the president's condition and whether he might have long-term symptoms.

'We think it's really important for the American people to know how well their president is doing,' he said.

'Obviously if he has persistent symptoms, obviously if any of them interfere with his ability to carry out his duties, we will disclose that early and often with the American people. But I suspect that this is going to be a course of COVID that we've seen in many Americans who have ben fully vaccinated, double boosted, getting treated with those tools in hand,' Jha added.

'The presidents been doing well and we're going to expect that he's going to continue to do so.'
Russian defence officials insisted Sunday that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Saturday hit only military targets, but the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault.

Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

Speaking late Saturday in his nightly televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack on Odesa 'destroyed the very possibility' of dialogue with Russia.

'This apparent Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining the very weapons we need for our victory,' Zelensky said.

Under the grain-shipment agreement signed earlier this week in Turkey, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative, including the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The Ukrainian military said the attack involved four cruise missiles - two of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defences - and confirmed the port's grain storage area was not hit.

'We continue technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports,' Ukraine's Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said in a Facebook post.

But further attacks in and around the port would undoubtedly disrupt operations and fly in the face of the breakthrough agreement signed only days ago.

Zelensky's economic advisor warned on Sunday the strike on Odesa signalled that diplomacy is unlikely to bring about any resolution in the conflict with Russia.

'Yesterday's strike indicates that it will definitely not work like that,' Oleh Ustenko told Ukrainian television.

He said Ukraine could export 60 million tonnes of grain over the next nine months, but it would take up to 24 months if its ports' operations were disrupted.

In this photo provided by the Odesa City Hall Press Office, firefighters put out a fire in a port after a Russian missiles attack in Odesa, Ukraine, Saturday, June 5, 2022. (Odesa City Hall Press Office via AP)

These images show the immediate aftermath of the Russian airstrike on the port of Odesaon Saturday

Firefighters work to put out a fire caused by a missile attack in Odesa as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, July 23, 2022

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, and U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, left sit as Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu shakes hands with Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, upon signing of the grain protection deal on Friday

Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed identical agreements with the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer.

Senior U.N. officials voiced hopes that the deal would end a months-long standoff that threatened food security around the globe.

Saturday's strikes on Odesa drew condemnation from the United Nations, the European Union, the United States, Britain, Germany and Italy, but Turkey's defence minister said Russian officials told Ankara that Moscow had 'nothing to do' with the strikes.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the strike 'undermined the effort to bring food to the hungry and the credibility of Russia's commitments to the deal to allow Ukrainian exports.'

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he 'unequivocally condemned' the strike.

As the war entered its sixth month on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and wound civilians in Ukraine's south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two that make up Ukraine's industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russia's offensive, said two civilians had been killed and two more wounded over the previous 24 hours.

British military reported Sunday in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making 'minimal progress' in its Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian military's General Staff confirmed in its regular update that Russia was 'conducting military operations to create conditions' for an assault on Bakhmut, while firing on surrounding settlements and battling Ukrainian defenders for control of a nearby thermal plant.

The Ukrainian army, which has become emboldened now Western supplies of long-range artillery have started arriving, is also blowing up bridges to stretch the invaders.

In Ukraine's south, regional officials said that at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv (pictured) on Saturday night

A structure in Mykolaiv is completely destroyed in a Russian missile attack

Firefighters are seen dousing a house following shelling in the Mykolaiv region

In Ukraine's south, regional officials said that at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

'Also, as a result of the scattering of munitions and their fragments, fires occurred in open areas in the city,' said Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov meanwhile was in Cairo on Sunday for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov landed in Cairo late Saturday on the first leg of his Africa trip, which will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo, according to Russia's state-run RT television network.

Speaking at a news conference following bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, on Sunday, Lavrov said that he had 'reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to fulfill all their obligations' in the wake of the U.N.-backed deal to unblock grain shipments.
The NYPD is hunting for three man who were filmed knocking over a pedestrian crossing the street then robbing him as he lay unconscious in the street.

The sickening incident was caught on surveillance camera. It shows the three men knocking over the victim, an unnamed 39-year-old man, on Saturday, July 23, 2022 at 6.40am.

They plowed right into the man, sending him flying in the air.

The man was crossing the street at 6.40am on Saturday morning when the car crashed into him

He was sent flying through the air, landing on the sidewalk unconscious

The car came to a stop but not to help the man. Instead, the occupants went through his pockets

One of the thieves watched as the other pilfered through the man's pockets

As the victim lay motionless on the ground, two of the men in the car hopped out to rifle through his pockets.

They then got back into the car and drove away. It is the latest incident in the steadily worsening crime crisis in New York City.

The victim was later taken to the hospital, where he now remains in a critical condition.

The three criminals in the video are now wanted by police.

The men are described by police as all being of thin build with dark skin.

Two of the three thieves who got out of the car to rob the 39-year-old victim. He remains in the hospital

The third thief involved in Saturday's sickening attack

Anyone with information is urged to contact the NYPD on (800) 577-TIPS.

The hit-and-run is only the latest incident in gradually worsening crime epidemic in New York City.

It is unclear whether or not the men knew their victim, or if it was an entirely random attack.

An NYPD spokesman on Sunday told DailyMail.com there was no evidence to suggest that it was deliberate.

The video outraged many in New York and in other cities, who viewed it as yet another example of the frightening crime and violence in the city.

'Get it together, this city is a mess,' some said on Twitter in response to the police appeal.

Others said residents would be safer in 'third world countries' than they would in New York.

Mayor Eric Adams, who vowed to crack down on crime when he took office in January, has so far failed to make a dent in the problem.

Earlier this week however, he announced a plan to house 3,000 illegal migrants in hotels across the city.

To fund his plan, he has asked for federal help that would come from tax payers.
Women over 35 who are planning to have a baby are often acutely aware of their biological clock.

But the influence of the fathers age could play a more vital role than they previously thought  if they are conceiving using IVF, a study suggests.

Analysis of nearly 19,000 IVF cycles revealed that for women under 35 or over 40, the age of their male partner made little difference to their chances of conceiving.

But there was a significant drop in the live birth rate for women between the ages of 35 and 40 if their partner was 40 and above.

The influence of the fathers age could play a more vital role than they previously thought  if they are conceiving using IVF, a study suggests

The findings could help shape fertility advice for couples trying to conceive. They will also challenge traditional assumptions that the age of the female partner should always be the primary consideration, the researchers said.

One of the authors of the study, Professor Geeta Nargund, medical director at IVF clinic group Create Fertility, told The Observer: Clearly it is very important that we do not ignore the paternal age when it comes to educating couples about fertility outcomes.

A womans age obviously plays a large role but not all the focus should be on her biological clock. Now we know that, for women in a certain age bracket, paternal age is more significant than previously thought when it comes to live birth rates.

The findings could help shape fertility advice for couples trying to conceive. They will also challenge traditional assumptions that the age of the female partner should always be the primary consideration, the researchers said

The study was based on analysis of anonymised data from the UK fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

It revealed that for women aged between 35 and 40, the live birth rate dropped from 32.8 per cent when the paternal age was under 35 to 27.9 per cent when the paternal age was between 40 and 44. When male partners were over 55 years old, the live birth rate was 25 per cent.

Professor Nargund, who is also a consultant gynaecologist at St Georges Hospital in Tooting, south London, said the study indicates that eggs from younger females have the capacity to repair the much higher incidence of DNA damage found in the sperm of older males. She also said the potential ability of both egg and sperm to repair the effects of the ageing process needs to be better understood.

Kate Brian, operations manager at Fertility Network UK, said the results add to a growing body of evidence that shows fertility is very much a male issue too.
A female cop remains hospitalized after being shot twice while chasing down a Texas carjacking suspect.

Video shows Missouri City Police Officer Crystal Sepulveda, 29, being carried into a Houston hospital early Saturday morning by her fellow officers after she had been struck her face and foot.

Sepulveda was rushed to the facility in the back of a cruiser after a suspected carjacker opened fire at her while running away from police in Missouri City, located about 20 miles southwest of Houston.

Officers from multiple agencies surrounded the area and found the suspect hiding out in a backyard with automatic pistols and extended magazines.

As police approached, he started shooting. The cops returned fire, striking the suspect several times. He was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead.

Sepulveda's colleagues said she is a 'fighter' and expected to 'survive her injuries.'

Missouri City Police Officer Crystal Sepulveda, 29, remains hospitalized after being shot twice while chasing down a Texas carjacking suspect early Saturday morning

Video shows Sepulveda being carried into a Houston hospital early Saturday morning by her fellow officers after she had been struck in the face and foot

Missouri City police started pursuing the suspect just before 2.30am Saturday after spotting a stolen vehicle at a local Texaco gas station.

Officers, who claim the car had been involved in an aggravated robbery on Friday, started pursuing the vehicle and tried to pull it over, but the suspect refused to stop. Houston police were called in for backup.

The driver finally stopped the car at a home in the 15500 block of Corsair Road in Houston, exited the vehicle and started running in between homes, towards the backyards, KHOU reported.

Police tried to approach him and he then opened fire on two officers, wounding Sepulveda. She was transported to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center and is currently at the hospital accompanied by her family and friends.

Police set up a perimeter around the neighborhood and located the suspect who Houston Police Chief Troy Finnier told KPRC 'was armed with two automatic pistols with extended magazines.'

'That's what we're facing, and everybody needs to know it,' the chief added.

The suspect starting shooting once again, prompting officers to fire back. He was taken to Ben Taub Hospital where he died from his injuries.

His identity has been withheld at this time, however police revealed he is believed to be between the ages of 25 and 30.

Sepulveda was rushed to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center in the back of a cruiser after a suspected carjacker opened fire at her while running away from police in Missouri City

Sepulveda's colleagues, who are seen carrying her into the hospital, said she is a 'fighter' and expected to 'survive her injuries'

Officers from multiple agencies surrounded the area and found the suspect hiding out in a backyard with automatic pistols and extended magazines. As police approached, he started shooting. The cops returned fire, striking the suspect several times. He was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead

Carolyn Smith, who claims the encounter happened outside her home, is grateful no stray bullets entered her house during the shootout.

'Bullets didnt go in the house. Bullets could have gone in the house,' she told FOX 26. 'The car could have came through the window, so I feel much better to know God protected my son that was here last night.'

Smith, shaken by the situation, was also grateful to learn that Sepulveda, a three-year veteran with Missouri City police, survived the attack.

'Before I got home, I thought she was gone,' she said. 'And I think that took me down mostly because when you have family members serving on the same job it does make you feel bad, but when I heard that she was okay, I felt a whole lot better.'

No other officers were injured during the shooting.

Chief Finner said two Houston cops, a Fort Bend County Sheriffs deputy and a Texas Department of Public Safety officer all engaged with the suspect.

The agencies will all conduct independent investigations into the shooting and the role their officials played in it.

Meantime, the Missouri City Police Officers Association - Fraternal Order of Police has created a fundraiser to help cover Sepulveda's medical expenses.

As of Sunday afternoon it had already exceeded its goal of $15,000 in donations.
A Texas dog owner is facing jail time after his seven pit bulls mauled a 71-year-old man to death as he walked to a local convenience store.

Security footage of the attack, which occurred earlier this month in Fresno, Texas, shows Freddy Garcia moments before he was savaged by the pack of hounds; he was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Seconds later, the video shows the dogs running after the the senior, who cops said had been walking to his neighborhood convenience store.

What followed was an attack so brutal that Garcia, a longtime resident of the area, was transported by helicopter to a hospital in nearby Houston, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Pit bulls mauled 71-year-old Freddy Garcia to death as he walked to his neighborhood store in Fresno, Texas, on Monday. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital where he later died

The dogs - all determined to be pit bull mixes - were first thought to be strays, but cops soon determined they belonged to 47-year-old Samuel Cartwright, who lived near Garcia.

Footage shows cops leading the dogs out of a property belonging to a family member of Cartwright Thursday, as the mutts snarl and attempt to attack their captors before being caged and carted off to animal control.

Their owner, meanwhile, has since been arrested, after the dogs were found at a family member's property who asserted they were strays.

He is charged with attack by dog resulting in death - a second-degree felony that could see him spend 20 years in prison. His bond is set at $100,000.

Scroll down for video:

Samuel Cartwright, the owner of the pit bulls, was arrested after the dogs were found at a family member's property. He is charged with attack by dog resulting in death, a second-degree felony, that could see him spend 20 years in prison

Footage shows cops leading the dogs out of a property belonging to a family member of Cartwright Tuesday - two days before the suspect's arrest - as the mutts snarl and attempt to attack their captors before being caged and carted off to animal control

The incident transpired on Monday - and police say Garcia did nothing to provoke the pit bulls, who were unleashed and away from Cartwright's property when the attack unfolded.

All seven were seized from property on Tuesday, two days the suspect's arrest. Police eventually determined the dogs belonged to him after retrieving at least one of the dogs from the property of Joey Cartwright, who also lives in Fresno,

After being confronted by cops, Joey Cartwright reportedly told cops that the dogs were strays, police said after the arrest - an assertion they eventually deemed false during their investigation.

It is not clear if Joey Cartwright will face charges for hindering a police investigation, but police did say he was related to the suspect.

It is also not yet clear if the dogs will be euthanized. Texas law, however, suggests the dogs will likely be deemed dangerous and be put to death.

The incident transpired on Monday - and police say Garcia (pictured just before the attack) did nothing to provoke the pit bulls, who were unleashed and away from Cartwright's property when the attack unfolded

Security footage of the attack, which transpired earlier this month in Fresno, shows Freddy Garcia moments before he savaged by the pack of hounds.

All seven dogs were seized Tuesday. Police eventually determined the dogs belonged to the suspect after retrieving them from the property of Joey Cartwright, who also lives in Fresno

It is not yet clear if the dogs will be euthanized for the attack, which police say was unprovoked. Texas law, however, suggests the dogs will likely be put to death

The attack has left Garcia's relatives beside themselves, asking whether or not the incident could have been avoided.

His brother, Jorge Garcia, told a local outlet through a translator: 'In reality, I can't understand how these types of accidents happen. In respects to him, not him or anybody deserves a death like this.'

He added: 'I feel more at ease that at least these animals are not going to hurt no one else, and I hope this doesn't happen anywhere else.'

Police also expressed their regret over the incident, which has left residents fearing for their own safety, in a neighborhood where offleash dogs are apparently commonplace.

His brother, Jorge Garcia, said through a translator: 'In reality, I can't understand how these types of accidents happen. In respects to him, not him or anybody deserves a death like this'

'This devastating tragedy didn't have to happen,' Sheriff Eric Fagan said in a statement. 'I extend my deepest condolences to the Garcia family and his neighbors as they adjust to the loss of Mr. Garcia.'

He added: 'Special thanks go out to our deputies, Fort Bend Animal Services Director Rene Vasquez, and Fort Bend District Attorney Brian Middleton for the collaborative work of capturing the dogs and making an arrest.'

Cartwright is currently being held in Fort Bend County Jail for the offense, for which he faces between two and 20 years and prison and up to a $10,000 fine.

His bond is set at $100,000.
Tributes were paid last night to a 'hero' British sales executive who is feared dead after diving into Lake Garda to save his son.

Aran Chada, 51, his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children  son Roman, 14, and daughter Floren, seven  had rented a boat on the lake in northern Italy when tragedy struck.

Mr Chada dived in when he saw Roman struggling while swimming. He managed to push the boy back to the boat but then disappeared under the water. Searches were continuing last night, with the diving unit of the Coast Guard of Genoa expected to join efforts today.

Sales director Aran Chada, 51, was with his partner Holly Mosley, 39, and their two children - a 14-year old boy and a girl aged seven - on a boat trip to northern Italy

The boat hired by the 51-year-old and his family is pictured after returning to shore

Rescuers said Mr Chada may have suffered a seizure in the cold water. Temperatures at the time of the incident on Friday afternoon were around 38C (100F) but the water was considerably colder. Neighbours of the family in the Leicestershire village of Woodhouse Eaves told of their shock last night.

Jon Lowe, 51, an electrician, said: 'Aran was a brilliant guy, always fun to be around. He was the best neighbour we could ask for.

'He always had a ready smile. We have been neighbours for 12 years and in all that time they have been such a kind family  they always stop for a word or a chat with you if you saw them in the village.

'This is such a shock, especially as he has always been such a fit lad. He was often at the gym and enjoyed keeping fit.'

His family were offered psychologist's help immediately after the incident, the coastguard confirmed Pictured: The resuce boat

A rescue helicopter continued its two-day search for the tourist well into Saturday afternoon

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: 'I can only imagine the pain his family is going through. This is thoroughly heart-breaking and desperately sad.'

And Holly's brother James told The Sun: 'It's devastating. What my sister and the family is going through is unimaginable.'

The family were about 200 yards from the shore near the town of Limone when Mr Chada vanished.

Miss Mosley called emergency services when her husband did not resurface. Witnesses also called for help after hearing her screams. Three coastguard boats as well as helicopters from the local firefighting and ambulance services were dispatched to the scene.

Divers and a robot submarine were also sent to the lake, which is 650ft deep in some places.

Limone sul Garda, a picturesque lakeside town in northern Italy, was the scene of the accident

He was staying with his family at the nearby four star Hotel du Lac et Du Parc

His family anxiously awaited news at a hotel on the banks of Lake Garda (file image)

The family were thought to have just started their holiday, which would have included Mr Chada's 52nd birthday tomorrow.

Coastguard Antonello Ragadale said: 'He managed to get the boy back to the boat, where he was pulled in by his mother, but the man then slipped beneath the surface, perhaps suffering a seizure.

'This man was a hero and we fear he drowned, but we're doing everything we can to find his body.

Known for its stunning setting and plunging cliffs, the area is a magnet for British holidayers

Members of Lake Garda's coastguard were pictured looking for the man, but were unsuccessful

Temperatures hit around 38C but the water was considerably colder

The picturesque lakeside town in between Garda and steep rocky cliffs is a popular haunt

'Divers arrived with the helicopters but could do little because a steep rocky shelf descends to a great depth at that point, so a civil protection agency remote-control mini-sub was sent down.'

He said rescuers would carry on for as long as it took to 'give some comfort to the poor woman and her children'. Miss Mosley and her children were taken back to their hotel and assisted by counsellors.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Chada was a sales director for Global Energy Ventures, which services oilfields in Africa. The Foreign Office said: 'We are supporting the family of a British man who has been reported missing in Italy.'
Police yesterday refused to investigate the BBC over its fraudulently obtained interview with Princess Diana  despite a fresh call from her brother.

The tragic royals sibling Earl Spencer is demanding Scotland Yard look anew at what he said lawyers called unlawful and criminal behaviour by the broadcaster.

He also claims the deceit ultimately led to her death. He spoke out days after the BBC paid 200,000 in damages to former Palace aide Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

Court action forced the BBC to pay up over disgraced reporter Martin Bashirs lies that she was having an affair with Prince Charles, and even aborted his baby, to secure his infamous 1995 interview with Diana.

Princess Diana sat down for an interview with BBC reporter Martin Bashir for Panorama that was aired on November 20, 1995. Bashir was subsequently disgraced over the deceitful method he used to gain access to the princess

Earl Spencer, 58, wrote in yesterdays Mail on Sunday: The question I am repeatedly asked... is why have the police not prosecuted those involved for what various senior lawyers have told me is clearly unlawful and criminal behaviour?

But a Metropolitan Police spokesman simply repeated its view that an investigation was not appropriate, adding: Theres no change as a result of the most recent reporting.

The bombshell interview famously featured the princess telling the world: There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

Only last year, the BBC finally stopped denying Bashirs wrongdoing after Supreme Court Judge Lord Dysons independent inquiry.

Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, has linked the death of the Princess to the infamous Newsnight interview with disgraced Martin Bashir

Earl Spencer, who was also groomed by the journalist, believes the deceit led to Prince Dianas death in a Paris underpass, when the car she was in with boyfriend Dodi Fayed crashed in 1997.

She no longer had Royal Protection Officers, having lost trust in officialdom thanks to Bashirs lies about a conspiracy against her.

BBC director-general Tim Davie has apologised for Bashirs tactics, promising that the interview will not be shown again.
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Greek firefighters continued to battle raging wildfires on the island of Lesbos for a second day on Sunday as well as new blazes in the western Peloponnese and in northern Greece, having been forced to evacuate nearby settlements as a heatwave sets in.

A wildfire that started in mountainous forests on Lesbos in the Aegean Sea near Turkey on Saturday and burned properties at the beach resort of Vatera was still blazing away today and prompted the evacuation of two more villages - Vrisa and Stavros.

In mainland Greece a new also threatened homes at Krestena in the western Peloponnese near to the famous archaeological site of Ancient Olympia, forcing the evacuation of Gryllos village.

'The flames have encircled Krestena, there are reports of damaged homes, we need help,' Anastasios Karnaros, a town council member, told Greek broadcaster Open TV.

Temperatures hit 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in parts of Greece on Sunday as a heatwave that has hit other parts of Europe spread east and was expected to last for most of the coming week, according to meteorologists.

Yesterday, hundreds of tourists were evacuated from a nearby holiday resort on the island of Lesbos as the fire spread and destroyed at least four houses.

Terrifying footage captured from a boat on showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze.

Houses built along the coast could be seen through the haze as the flames closed in, while abandoned deck chairs and parasols lined the deserted beach.

A second video, also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke.

Fire Service spokesman Yannis Artopoios said 125 firefighters and 43 fire engines were tackling the blazes in southern Greece alone, as well as four planes and four helicopters, but the aircraft can't operate at night.

Artopoios said 141 wildfires had started in Greece over the past three days.

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Greek firefighters continue to battle raging wildfires on the island of Lesbos for a second day on Sunday as well as new blazes in the western Peloponnese and in northern Greece, having been forced to evacuate nearby settlements as a heatwave sets in

A firefighting helicopter throws water near the village of Krestena south of Ancient Olympia as authorities evacuate urgently another five villages in the area, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

A spark lights on a power cable as fire burns near the village of Krestena south of Ancient Olympia, about 200 miles southwest of Athens

Terrifying footage (pictured) captured from a boat on Saturday showed roaring flames tearing through trees along the shoreline, with black smoke billowing into the air and covering the area in a thick haze

A second video (pictured), also from Lesbos, showed firefighters battling flames in a hellish landscape. The firefighters are shown working to put out flames in the dark, with daylight completely blocked by the smoke

Residents look at fire burning trees near the houses at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

A canadair firefighting plane drops water at the wildfire approaching homes and hotels at Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

Greece is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42 degrees Celsius in some regions

A Local sprays water as wildfire burns at the village of Vrisa, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A view of a burnt house following a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Copernicus, The European Union's Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the fire that broke out on Lesbos was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday

The smoke of a wildfire billows as it approaches Vatera coastal resort on the eastern island of Lesbos on July 23, 2022

The fire on Lesbos broke out at 10am on Saturday, and was blazing on two fronts, heading towards the Vrisa village and another inside Vatera.

As flames progressed towards populated centres on Sunday, hundreds more tourists and residents from the beachside village of Vatera, on the island's southern side, were forced to evacuate.

Officials then ordered the evacuation of around 200 people on Sunday afternoon from Vryssa village on Lesbos as flames crept closer, some 1,600 feet from houses, the deputy mayor of western Lesbos told Skai radio.

Elderly women carried plastic bags with only a few personal belongings as they boarded the first buses to leave the village. Thick clouds of smoke were already engulfing the first houses of Vryssa. Early in the afternoon, the village of Stavros was also evacuated.

At least four houses have been destroyed in Vatera, state TV ERT reported, and fires damaged an unknown number of shops, hotels and beach bars in the village.

Copernicus, The European Union's Earth Observation Programme, said on Sunday that smoke from the Lesbos fire was picked up by one of its satellites flying overhead on Saturday.

West Lesbos mayor Taxiarchis Verros ordered the evacuation of the busy beach resort as a precautionary measure, acting on the advice of the fire brigade, Athens News Agency reported.

He did not provide figures on how many were evacuated but there were several buses and small boats to take people away.

A firefighter helicopter loads water from the sea during a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

A local sprays water as a wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A local throws water to extinguish a wildfire burning near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A view of a burnt area, as a wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting aircraft flies over a forest fire near the beach resort of Vatera, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

View of the interior of a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

Dozens of firefighters early on Sunday clamoured to control the blaze, with four water-dropping planes and two helicopters in operation.

A wildfire was ablaze for a fourth day in Dadia National Park, known for its black vulture colony, in the northeastern region of Evros. The fire has already destroyed nearly 1,220 acres of woodland.

More than 300 firefighters struggled to control the fire in Evros and late Saturday, the thick smoke forced the evacuation of the village of Dadias. It was not known how many people were evacuated.

'The most important thing for us is the safety of the villagers and all forces will be deployed there,' Evros governor Dimitris Petrovits told Athens News Agency.

'We are dealing with difficult terrain and access with winds changing direction,' Civil Protection Minister Christos Stylianidis, coordinating efforts from the air and on the ground, told state TV ERT.

The fire had already passed the raptor birds observatory and was closing in on the buildings of the protected area management unit. Petrovits said collecting and treating injured animals was a high priority for authorities.

In the Peloponnese, a southern peninsula, a fire that broke out early Saturday forced the evacuation of Chrysokelaria village.

By midday on Sunday, firefighters had managed to contain the fire, which they said was in remission.

A wildfire in mountains near Athens on Wednesday also damaged homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate after gale-force winds earlier this week.

View of the interior of a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting plane flies over wildfire burning near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighting helicopter flies over a burnt house, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24

A firefighting helicopter filled with water flies over the sea, as wildfire burns near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, July 24, 2022

A firefighter aircraft drops water over a forest fire as smoke rises near Vrisa village, on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, on Sunday, July 24, 2022

Smoke ascends over the village of Vrisa, in the southern part of the Greek island of Lesbos, as the wildfire burn near tourist resorts for the second day, forcing vulnerable residents to flee on July 24, 2022

The country's worst wildfire disaster unfolded in 2018 in the coastal suburb of Mati and claimed 102 lives.

On Saturday, a memorial service was held at the seaside town to commemorate the victims.

The latest fires come after a heatwave and wildfires last year destroyed 103,000 hectares (255,000 acres) and claimed three lives in Greece.

Fires in parts of France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021. The area, some 517,881 hectares, is equivalent to the size of Trinidad and Tobago.

The European Union gave Greece's forest service 72 million euros this year to help maintain forests and clear them to prevent fires from spreading.

Experts blame climate change for the soaring temperatures - and warned that worse is yet to come.

The flag of Greece is seen in the foreground as the smoke of the wildfire approaching Vatera coastal resort on Saturday

Pictured: A wooden beach bar corridor burns as wildfire rages near the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece

Destroyed sunbeds and umbrellas are seen on a beach bar as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos

Pictured: Firefighters rest as a wildfire burns at the village of Vatera, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, on Saturday, July 23
Race tsar Tony Sewell will receive an honorary degree tomorrow months after he was snubbed in a cancel culture row.

He will receive the accolade from Buckingham University in recognition of his work to help disadvantaged children get on to degree courses.

It comes after the veteran education activist had a similar offer withdrawn by Nottingham University in March following pressure from woke campaigners. Dr Sewell wrote a controversial report for ministers which concluded there was no evidence the UK is institutionally racist.

Accolade: Tony Sewell

He will receive the accolade from Buckingham University (pictured) in recognition of his work to help disadvantaged children get on to degree courses

Nottingham then said it would no longer be giving Dr Sewell an honorary degree because the controversy would overshadow its degree ceremony. It prompted criticism that Nottingham was failing to protect his free speech and giving in to cancel culture.

Announcing Buckinghams move yesterday, vice chancellor Professor James Tooley said he had been impressed by Dr Sewells charitable work, as well as the government review. He said: The University of Buckingham is conferring the honorary degree on Dr Tony Sewell on the basis of merit alone.

It is worth noting, however, that the university is proud of its commitment to free speech and academic freedom.

Nottingham University withdrew the educational activists honorary degree in March after being pressured by woke campaigners

Buckingham settled on the idea last July, when Dr Sewell gave a talk about his work with disadvantaged children.

Dr Sewell already has honorary degrees from Essex and Exeter universities for his work to increase university access among underrepresented students. His charity Generating Genius aims to help young people into top science and technology jobs.

It comes amid a row over free speech at universities, with woke students campaigning to shut down speakers, academics and research they disagree with.

The Government hopes to tackle this with legislation going through Parliament which would see universities and student unions fined for cancelling legal views.
A woman has been killed and three people have been taken to hospital after a vintage caravan caught fire on a farm near Saxmundham in Suffolk early on Sunday morning.

Fire crews, the ambulance service and police descended on the Happy Days Retro Vacations caravan site at Wardspring Farm in Leiston Road shortly after the fatal blaze broke out at around 4.40am.

The blaze did not spread beyond the caravan, according to police.

The site, which opened in 2015, boasts seven fully restored American Airstream caravans built between the 1950s and 1970s costing from 550 a week, as well as a small British two berth caravan.

The cause of the fire has not yet been revealed, and police did not comment on the condition of the three injured in the incident.

But Suffolk county councillor Richard Smith said he understood the victims were a family who were holidaying in the area from Surrey.

Fire crews, the ambulance service and police descended on the Happy Days Retro Vacations caravan site at Wardspring Farm in Leiston Road (pictured) shortly after the fire was reported but were unable to save one of the victims

The blaze broke out in an American Airstream vintage caravan similar to the one pictured here

The area remained cordoned off by police on Sunday evening as officers began an investigation into the blaze along with Suffolk Fire Service and officials from East Suffolk Council.

A member of staff at the site simply said: 'It is still very raw. I am not saying anything.'

Councillor Smith said: 'As a county councillor, I am informed of serious incidents that happen in my area.

'I was very sad to hear of this tragic incident. I heard the family was in one caravan, but unfortunately one woman was not able to make it out.

'I understand that the others who were in the caravan suffered burns which is not surprising as they were trying to get out of a caravan on fire.

'It's a terrible tragedy for a family who had come up to Suffolk to enjoy a holiday in the good weather. All my thoughts are with the family, who have lost a wife and mother.

'I'm sure the fire service operatives did all they could. It is such a tragic story.

'I want to say how grateful I am for the fire service, who have had a tough job in the last week.'

Saxmundham town councillor Jeremy Smith also expressed his condolences to the family caught up in the tragedy.

The area remained cordoned off by police on Sunday evening as officers began an investigation into the blaze along with Suffolk Fire Service and officials from East Suffolk Council (entrance to the park is pictured)

A renovated American Airstream caravan is pictured on a site in Liverpool

He added: 'Obviously, it is extremely sad to hear that someone has died.

'From our point of view, in and around Saxmundham is a very safe place to be. It is extremely rare for this sort of thing to happen.

'Our full condolences go to the friends and family of the deceased.'

The site's owners did not respond to a request for comment and its own website appears to be offline.

Campfires and barbecues are permitted on the site, according to booking sites.

The incident is being jointly investigated by Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service, East Suffolk Council and Suffolk Police.
Republican Rep. Byron Donalds accused Democrats of criticizing the Supreme Court because it would no longer do 'their bidding' in a Friday speech.

At one point the Florida legislator brought up Chief Justice John Roberts, which prompted jeers from parts of his audience - which was mostly made up of young conservatives.

'You know why they're really upset? Because the Supreme Court has done their bidding for 100 years,' Donalds said of the left.

'You see, they have grown accustomed to just having their way at the highest court in the land. But things have changed - 2022 happened, and reality has struck back.'

Donalds spoke at the third day of Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit, which earlier featured marquee speeches from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday and Donald Trump on Saturday.

It comes amid weeks of protests over the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last month, a seismic ruling that shifted the landscape of reproductive health for millions of American women.

That and a ruling that dramatically expands Second Amendment rights are just two of the politically-charged decisions made by the court's conservative supermajority.

Rep. Byron Donalds spoke on the last day of Turning Point USA's Student Action Summit in Tampa on Sunday

It's caused Democrats to attack the legitimacy of the court, accusing it of partisanship and legislating from the bench.

But Donalds claimed the high court was under the control of the 'radical left' until recently, complaining in particular about the Supreme Court's 2012 ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate in a 5-4 vote.

'As conservatives, we were accustomed to the court. You know, we go and we fight the good fight. You charge the hill politically, you might have a case or two running through the court system,' he said.

'And the history has actually dictated that there'll be some court that'll come out with this crazy decision.'

Donalds added that the current conservative court, which includes three Trump appointees, is a new 'version' that would represent a more Constitutionalist era of the judicial body.

'You have a version of the court now that's basically saying, no, no, the Constitution is the Constitution. The letter of the law is the letter of the law.' he said.

Donalds claimed Democrats had 'grown accustomed to just having their way at the highest court in the land' before Trump expanded its conservative majority

The audience booed Chief Justice John Roberts' name when Donalds brought up his deciding vote in a 2012 case that upheld the Obamacare individual mandate

'Words do have meanings, and what we're not going to do, we're not going to do these new things that we might want to see in the Constitution, just to make it happen.'

It comes as progressives have renewed calls to expand the court past its nine seats in a bid to bring it back to the center.

But the Biden administration has repeatedly ruled out taking such action, with Vice President Kamala Harris most recently pouring cold water on the idea in a Sunday interview with Brian Tyler Cohen.

'I think what we've got to do right now is deal with what we've got in front of us, and the reality is that we don't even have the votes in the United States Senate to codify Roe,' Harris said.

'The president has been clear that expansion of the court is not something that's on the table, so let's focus right now on what we need to do around winning this election with pro-choice, you know, people.'
Under no circumstances would retired GP Dr Alison Durkin advise a heart patient with severe chest pains to embark on a five-hour, 300-mile road trip to A&E.

Dangerous, is the word she uses.

So what, then, made the 61-year-old former doctor from Cornwall ignore her own medical advice to do just that  the journey passing in a blur of anxiety that she might be having a heart attack?

Desperation, she replies. I felt that I had no option.

Last week Dr Durkin made headlines after taking the ill-advised car journey 12 days ago from her home to Londons Charing Cross Hospital in search of urgent medical attention.

Her story seemed to encapsulate the very worst of the crisis facing the NHS.

Three days earlier Alison, who suffers from a chronic heart condition, had spent six hours stuck in one of 33 ambulances queuing outside the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

Retired GP Dr Alison Durkin, who has a chronic heart condition, spent six hours waiting in an ambulance outside A&E in Cornwall

Paramedics had to spend their whole shifts in the backs of ambulances outside Cornwall's main hospital

Tests were done, including an electrocardiogram (ECG), which showed no evidence of a heart attack. She was discharged, without being admitted, with a suspected acute Covid infection after a routine hospital test was positive. The following day, however, her symptoms worsened. She felt very unwell. The pain  which felt like a heavy brick pressing down on my chest  continued. To her surprise, two home lateral flow tests were negative.

The former doctor upped her heart medication, rested and prayed the pain would settle, but felt so wretched she turned to her husband of 35 years, retired journalist Ross, 63, and said: I just cant go on.

Advised by the hospital to call 999 again if she deteriorated, Alison just couldnt face the stress of waiting in another long ambulance queue outside her closest A&E in Truro.

In any case, the Royal Cornwall Hospital had just declared an internal critical incident, meaning it was overwhelmed because of an acute pressure on beds, and was appealing to the public to stay away.

So at 7am on Thursday, July 14, Ross agreed to drive Alison all the way to London in their Honda CR-V  fearing his wife might pass away in the passenger seat next to him while they listened to Ken Bruce on Radio 2.

Ross says: We didnt know if wed turn up in London to find 50 ambulances queuing instead of 33, but the experience at Charing Cross couldnt have been a more stark contrast to the one at the Royal Cornwall Hospital. When we arrived, there was just one ambulance outside. Alison was whisked through A&E and within 20 minutes had a bed in a monitoring bay. From the moment I helped my wife stagger through the doors, all the staff have been incredible and the level of care fantastic.

Dr Durkin asked her husband to drive her to a hospital in London instead of risking a long wait outside the hospital in Cornwall

Today, Alison, a grandmother of eight, is relieved to be recovering back at home. Discharged from Charing Cross on Friday night, they arrived back in Cornwall at 3am on Saturday morning. This is her first interview about her ordeal and she says she and Ross are now on a mission to end the ambulance queues and campaign to save the NHS she loves from further decline.

During her eight days on the acute admissions ward at Charing Cross Hospital she underwent a whole battery of tests and scans, and was relieved to be told there was no evidence of a heart attack or new abnormality requiring immediate surgical intervention. No stone was left unturned and I am very grateful, says Alison, who is still awaiting the results of a CT angiogram, which she hopes will reveal the cause of her chest pain and debilitating symptoms.

What I did was dangerous and, as a doctor, I would never advise a heart patient with chest pains to embark on such a journey, but I was desperate, she says. I was in absolute agony. My husband Ross was very brave to agree to drive because it could have ended in disaster.

I only took that calculated risk because of my medical training and I would say to anyone, please dont do the same.

Dr Durkin had to give up her medical career in 1999 due to her heart condition

Alison, whose heart condition forced her to give up her medical career in 1999, has agreed to speak to me because she believes she has a unique perspective to offer.

As a former doctor and a patient with complex medical needs, she says she can empathise with all the medical staff trying to cope with unprecedented pressures on the NHS, but also with all those patients who are not getting the service they feel they deserve.

Alison, who in 2000 had three stents inserted to unblock coronary arteries and has been under the care of coronary consultants ever since, has a deep appreciation for the NHS and is proud to have once served it as a doctor. Her family has a strong history of heart disease. Her father died aged just 64 from a heart attack; her mother underwent quadruple bypass surgery aged 60. Two brothers have survived heart attacks while two sisters have also undergone heart bypass surgery.

She is deeply saddened by the changes she has witnessed in the NHS over the years.

This isnt just about me. People must be dying, lying in ambulances, kept waiting outside A&E, says Alison, still too weak to walk unaided.

What about all the really frail and elderly who cant even get through to their GP on the phone in the first place because of all the barriers that are now in place?

Im only 61, and computer literate, but even I can struggle with online forms you now have to fill out, especially when unwell.

What about all those seriously ill people who dial 999 but then wait hours for an ambulance because crews have to stay with patients queuing outside A&E? In Cornwall, some people are staying in ambulances all night. But what can you do when there are no beds? The hospital cant discharge people into social care because there is no set-up; that whole system is completely broken because of staff shortages and lack of carers in the community.

This is not new; its been going on for years and is now so much worse following Covid.

A graduate of Leicester University medical school, Alison was a GP in the Hertfordshire village where she grew up before her condition stopped her working.

Her health has fluctuated over the years, at times leaving her hospitalised or housebound, but she says: I am unsuitable for heart bypass surgery because of an artery abnormality. Since 2008 I have been told there is nothing more they can do. Its just something I have to live with and try to manage with medication.

This most recent downturn started after a Friday shopping trip to Truro with her 93-year-old mother and lunch with her niece.

It was a busy day and I thought at first Id just overdone it. Changes in temperature can affect me, so I put it down to the heat, says Alison, who has two adult sons. I thought I just needed to rest, but over the weekend the pain just wouldnt settle and by the Monday morning I felt so unwell I thought that something was seriously wrong.

Dr Durkin said she is deeply saddened by the changes she has witnessed in the NHS over the years

She contacted her surgery and was advised by her GP to dial 999 if her chest pains continued, so at around midday she reluctantly called emergency services. With just one A&E department serving the whole county, Alison was not surprised she waited more than two hours for an ambulance; crews were held up at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, unable to unload their patients because of overwhelming demand and acute pressure on beds.

After a tortuous two-hour journey to the hospital  caused by an earlier road accident and congestion  she arrived at around 4pm to a queue of 33 ambulances. Medical staff came out to examine her, take her medical history, and do some tests. She was briefly taken inside the hospital for an ECG, but she would spend the next six hours  frightened, in pain  in the back of that ambulance.

As a former doctor, she also worried about all the other ill, elderly or frail people either trapped in the ambulances like her or desperately waiting at home for help to arrive.

She also felt for the paramedics, unable to get on with their jobs, and the doctors and nurses overwhelmed by trying to cope. So she didnt complain but quietly waited, and waited, and waited.

It was 10pm when Alison was finally discharged and told to go home with a diagnosis of suspected acute Covid infection, after being told shed tested positive after a routine hospital test.

I was so surprised because Ive had Covid before, been fully vaccinated, and had none of the symptoms associated with the virus, she says. I remember one of the ambulance crew saying to me, I think youve been sold a bit short and I thought, So do I, but I just accepted the diagnosis and Ross came to take me home.

Medical staff were clearly overwhelmed and I didnt want to take up any more of their time.

Though she was advised to call 999 again if she didnt improve, Alison tried to rest and, with careful self-management, hoped the pain would subside. When that failed, she increased the dosage of her anti-anginal heart medication, but nothing worked.

In desperation, she tried to contact one of her former heart consultants at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London for advice, but after a sleepless night in pain  as she waited to hear back  she could bear no more. I said to Ross, I just cant go on. Doing nothing was just not an option.

She chose London because she knew she would be unlikely to have a better experience at other West Country hospitals. I knew the situation was almost as bad at hospitals in Plymouth and Exeter. When we called Bristol Royal Infirmary we were told they already had 88 people waiting in casualty. Also, while the Royal Brompton does not accept emergency patients she hoped she might be near her former consultants.

Husband Ross Durkin said that when his wife told to drive to Charing Cross Hospital he 'didn't question it'

I have known my wife for 40 years and she knows when there is something wrong with her, says Ross. When she told me we had to go to London, I didnt question it.

They picked Charing Cross Hospital because, being in West London, it was simply the easiest for them to drive to.

Ross says: What we did is no solution and it could have easily ended in disaster. What we need is for our hospital in Cornwall, every hospital in the UK, to be able to provide the service we received at Charing Cross, even though London faces the same pressures on services. How is it that Cornwall, with a population of 500,000, cant cope while London, with a population of almost nine million, can?

Alison is clear that she has no criticism of NHS medical staff in Cornwall, her home for the past 20 years. As a doctor, she empathises with the stress they are under and admires them for their daily battle to cope with a system which she describes as completely broken.

The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) has apologised to the Durkins for the distress caused. Last week they declared another internal critical incident owing to an acute pressure on beds. A spokesperson for the RCHT said: Our staff are working exceptionally hard in very difficult circumstances and will always make sure patients are assessed on their arrival at our emergency department and those most critically ill will be admitted straight away. We apologise to any patients who have had long waits and who are not getting the experience any of us would want as a result of the continued pressures faced across health and care services.

Cornwall MPs have raised the crisis in Parliament with one describing the situation and long ambulance queues as utterly dire.

RCHT chief executive Steve Williamson blamed bed-blocking, which  it was reported last week  now stands at a record high, for the crisis. He said: The number of people ready to leave our acute and community hospitals but waiting for care-home places or care at home has risen by well over 20 per cent since April.

Ross Durkin agrees that Cornwall Council needs to do more to improve the provision of adult social care to free up such beds. He has already written to MPs in the county and is urging others to write to theirs to stop ambulance queues becoming the new normal.

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said it is working closely with partners across the health and care sector to support people to leave hospital as soon as they can, but added that, despite a 45 million investment in adult social care, staff recruitment continues to be an issue.

Now, back at home, what Dr Durkin wants  even more than her own recovery  is for whoever takes over from Boris Johnson as the new prime minister to make the NHS a priority. We are on a mission she says. I love the NHS  its fantastic. Id say to anyone, Please dont do what I did, but something needs to be done.
One of Sydney's busiest McDonald's is so desperate for workers huge cash incentives have been offered to lure new employees.

McDonald's Chatswood manager Rhys Taylor offered a $1,000 sign-on bonus

The fast food chain is one of thousands of workplaces offering eyewatering start-up bonuses of up to $20,000 in a bid to attract staff in a competitive jobs market.

McDonald's Chatswood store manager Rhys Taylor welcomed the addition of 50 new staff to his store on Sydney's lower north shore during a recent recruitment drive.

More than a dozen new staff pocketed a $1,000 a sign-on bonus on offer which was in addition to a refer-a-friend incentive scheme advertised on posters in-store.

Mr Taylor resorted to the desperate measures after losing staff faster than they were being replaced.

McDonald's is one of thousands of companies offering sign-up bonuses to attract staff (pictured, a Sydney branch)

'We had lots of people asking about the sign-on bonuses when they saw the posters,' Mr Taylor told the Australian Financial Review.

There is one catch- staff must work a minimum 20 hours a week of day and night shifts to get the bonus.

McDonald's Australia stressed the sign-on bonus was not available at every store but is available for franchise managers to attract staff.

'Across the country, we are actively hiring people of all ages and experience levels across crew, management, barista, maintenance and corporate office roles,' a spokesperson said.

'McDonald's is well-known for offering incentives, such as flexible working hours and an unparalleled learning environment, including opportunities for crew to pursue externally recognised certifications in the retail, hospitality and food service industries.'

Chatswood McDonald's (pictured) on Sydney's lower north shore offered $1,000 for new staff

The fast food giant also recently held a statewide hiring blitz for its 260 stores across Victoria, where a five-minute interview could land you one of 5,000 jobs up for grabs, no application required.

McDonald's isn't the only employer which has resorted to cash bonuses to attract staff.

In Melbourne, Burger chain Grilld is offering a $10,000 sign-in bonus in its the hunt for several assistant managers while a GP vacancy in Lithgow west of Sydney comes with a $20,000 incentive.

On an employment website, Daily Mail Australia found a $10,000 sign-on bonus being offered by a Sydney law firm and up to $6,000 for multiple midwife and nurses roles in Perth.
A host on The Today Show was put in his place by an expert from the World Health Organisation after he questioned if they were 'too slow' in their response to Covid.

The WHO has now declared the monkeypox outbreak, which has been seen in more than 70 countries, a global public health emergency.

There are more than 16,000 cases worldwide and including upwards of 40 in Australia.

WHO epidemiologist Dr Margaret Harris appeared on the breakfast show on Monday morning and was asked whether the declaration was an 'overreaction'.

WHO epidemiologist Dr Margaret Harris appeared on The Today Show on Monday morning to discuss the recent declaration of monkeypox as a global public health emergency

'Doctor, I guess there's some concern because with the benefit of hindsight, now we remember those months in early 2020 when Covid was building around the world and the World Health Organisation didn't declare it an emergency,' co-host Charles Croucher said.

'Is this a reaction to, perhaps, being too slow on that front?'

Dr Harris replied: 'Actually that's wrong.

'We also declared a public health emergency of international concern for Covid on January 30, 2020, but we did that early again because we didn't want it to become a pandemic.

There are more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox worldwide and over 40 in Australia

'That's, again, why we declare these things early, to try to get the world together.'

Dr Harris said the reason for declaring monkeypox a global emergency so early on was to raise awareness, and 'bring the international scientific community together' to work on combating the virus.

She added the WHO was concerned the virus would have disastrous impacts on those who were immunosuppressed.

'We want the world to take it seriously and take the actions we've recommended and we want those actions taken now,' she said.

Dr Harris said the reason for declaring monkeypox (pictured) a global emergency so early on was to raise awareness, and 'bring the international scientific community together' to work on combating the virus

Co-host Ally Langdon then asked if the the emergency declaration may be sparking fear in the community unnecessarily.

Dr Harris said that was a factor taken into consideration when the decision was made.

'There is also concern that people would then stigmatise the populations in which the virus is transmitting very rapidly,' she said.

'And it is a hard one because you don't want people to say, "Oh, you're overreacting", or you don't want people to panic unnecessarily.'
The woman who allegedly broke up Elon Musk and Sergey Brin's years-long friendship grew up in poverty in the San Francisco Bay Area before becoming a lawyer and dating some of the world's richest men.

Nicole Shanahan, 37, is said to have had a brief affair with Musk at Art Basel, a multi-day art event in Miami, in December of last year, which prompted her Google co-founder husband to file for divorce in January.

Brin, who is estimated to have a net worth of $95 billion, cited 'irreconcilable differences' as the reason, but The Wall Street Journal on Sunday reported that it was Musk's dalliance with Nicole that signaled the end of their marriage.

They were both in Miami for the art festival, at a time when Shanahan and Brin were reportedly already having marital problems due to the stress of COVID-19 and raising their 4-year-old daughter.

Musk, meanwhile, had just separated from girlfriend Grimes.

Just about one month later, Brin filed for divorce - listing December 15 as their date of separation. He has also reportedly instructed his aides to take all of his investments out of Musk's many companies.

Now, sources say Shanahan is asking for $1 million in her divorce - more than what she agree to in a prenup, but a far cry from what she had as a child, when she lived off food stamps and tried to help her two unemployed parents financially.

She has since been heralded as a 'changemaker' for the work she has done fighting for criminal justice reform, helping to improve the environment and researching women's reproductive longevity.

Nicole Shanahan, 37, grew up on food stamps with two unemployed parents before she became an entrepreneur. She is pictured here in September at the Museum of Motion Pictures Opening Gala in Los Angeles

Shanahan is said to have had an affair with Tesla CEO Elon Musk when they were both at Art Basel, a multi-day art event in Miami, in December of last year. The affair reportedly led her husband, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, to file for divorce, and signaled an end to his friendship with Musk.

In an interview with Modern Luxury Magazine, Shanahan told of the struggles she faced as a child and how they led her to become an entrepreneur in her own right.

'As a kid, I really had to figure out how the world works on my own,' she said, explaining how her father was diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia when she was young, and her mother was a Chinese immigrant trying to make it in America.

'My dad was diagnosed with bipolar schizophrenia when I was 9, and my Chinese-born mom had only been in the US for two years when I was born,' Shanahan recounted.

'I had two unemployed parents for the majority of my childhood, so not only was there no money, there was almost no parental guidance,' she continued, 'and as you can imagine with a mentally ill father, there was a lot of chaos and fear.'

So, she said, she learned to make it on her own, bussing tables at the age of 12 and using the newfound Internet to help her succeed and apply for college and jobs.

'I learned how to compete in really creative ways by making broken objects perform at levels beyond their perceived capacity.'

By 2003, she started attending the University of Puget Sound, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and Mandarin Chinese, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She then went on to study global intellectual property trade and Chinese law at the National University of Singapore in 2013, before starting law at Santa Clara University.

Shanahan has said her struggles growing up in poverty had led her to become resourceful

In 2020, she founded Bia-Echo, an investment firm that pours money into organizations supporting reproductive longevity and equality; criminal justice reform; and preserving a healthy and livable planet

By the time she was in her early 20s, Modern Luxury reports, she got a job at RPX Corporation as a patent specialist, but she quit after just 10 months after she was sexually assaulted.

Shanahan said she then developed severe depression, quit law altogether and moved in with her aunt for a while.

But after a while, she was able to get her feet back on the ground - and even founded her own AI-enabled patent management company, ClearAccessIP, which she sold last year.

She has since devoted her time to Bia-Echo, an investment firm she founded that pours money into organizations supporting reproductive longevity and equality; criminal justice reform; and preserving a healthy and livable planet, according to its website.

Shanahan had earlier supported these goals through her husband's organization, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, but started working on these goals herself in 2020, when she founded the foundation.

It has since partnered with the Buck Center for Reproductive Longevity and Equality and the National University of Singapore's Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine to establish the Bia-Echo Asia Centre for Reproductive Longevity and Equality, where scientists are researching women's fertility.

It is also working on ways to promote soil health and make farming carbon neutral.

And in addition, Shanahan has worked as an academic fellow of Code X, the Stanford Center of Legal Informatics - a joint center between Stanford Law School and Computer Science - where she launched the Smart Prosecution project, a multi-disciplinary effort applying data science to the prosecutorial process with partnerships between district attorneys and community organizations.

Her goal, she says, is to create a 'legacy of ideas.

'I want my legacy to be one of ideas,' she said. 'I want it to be about evolving the human experience on this planet in an abundant way.

'I want it to be one of strength and love and compassion. I want it to be one of working hard, learning from one's mistakes, and of personal growth.'

Shanahan had met Brin - the eighth richest man in the world - at a yoga retreat in 2015, and the two were married in a private ceremony on November 7, 2018

In her personal life, Shanahan was married to a finance executive before she met and married Brin - the eighth richest man in the world - at a yoga retreat in 2015.

They were then married at a low-key wedding ceremony on November 7, 2018, according to the Economic Times.

They later welcomed a daughter into the world after suffering years of fertility issues, which Shanahan has spoken publicly about.

'Like many women who are not quite ready to start a family in their early 30s, I decided, or so I thought at the time, to take matters into my own hands and freeze embryos,' she told Page Six in 2019.

'However, after three failed attempts at embryo-making and three dozen visits to in vitro fertilization clinics around the Bay Area, I learned that I was not nearly as unshakable as I thought I was.'

But by January, Brin filed for divorce from his wife of four years after allegedly finding out about her dalliance with Musk.

He cited 'irreconcilable differences' in divorce papers but asked for the docket to be sealed to protect his young daughter.

The Google founder is now asking to share custody of her as part of the divorce arrangements, which they are fighting to keep private out of fear that their daughter will be put at risk of 'harassment' or 'kidnapping'.

Musk had been friends with Brin for years prior to the alleged affair, and Brin even gave Musk $500,000 to fund Tesla at the height of the financial crisis in 2008. They are pictured here with Larry Page in the early 2000s

Shanahan's affair brought an abrupt end to Elon and Sergey's years-long friendship.

The two tech moguls were spotted together several times in the early 2000s, and in 2008, Sergey gave $500,000 in funding to Tesla at the height of the financial crisis.

Elon has also spoken fondly of crashing at Sergey's homes.

At a party after Sergey filed for divorce, Musk is said to have run into him and begged for his forgiveness.

Publicly, he accepted his apology but the two - who were once close friends - are no longer on regular speaking terms, the Journal's sources say.

Brin has now reportedly ordered his aides to sell his multiple interests in Musk's many businesses.

Musk has not yet commented on the allegations.
A 28-year-old who was fatally shot a gathering in east London has been named as local man Sam Brown.

Police were called to Cheney Row Park, Waltham Forest, at about 12.30am on Sunday to reports of shots being fired.

Soon afterwards, two men, one of whom was Mr Brown, turned up to an east London hospital.

Mr Brown, from Waltham Forest, later died of gunshot injuries.

Sam Brown, 28, from Waltham Forest, died after being fatally shot in Waltham Forest, London

The other man, aged in his 30s, had suffered stab injuries. He was later discharged from hospital and has been arrested in connection with the incident.

Detectives are carrying out a murder investigation in relation to Mr Brown's death.

Police have urged any witnesses to remember his 'grieving mother and father' and help with their inquiries.

Residents near Cheney Row Park said they expected trouble when they saw groups arriving in the area.

One man, who did not want to be named, said: 'We live round the corner so didn't see anything but I did see earlier more and more kids showing up so we thought... there would be a fight.

'We didn't think it would be anything like this.'

Another resident, who also did not want to be identified, said he had to bring his young daughter home from the park at about 5pm, saying a group of teenagers had been 'smoking weed' and taking other drugs since early afternoon.

He said: 'There's always trouble around here.'

A large cordon remains in place around the park and neighbouring streets while officers have been carrying out door-to-door inquiries in the area.

A forensics team are also on the scene.

Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Allen, who is leading the investigation, said: 'My heart goes out to the family of Sam, who has lost his life in this reckless act of violence. I can assure them of my total dedication, and that of my team, to ensuring that they get justice.

A large cordon remains in place around the park and neighbouring streets while officers have been carrying out door-to-door inquiries in the area

'I believe there were 50 to 100 people gathered in and around Cheney Row Park at the time of the shooting with music playing. I urgently need to speak with everyone who was at that event - even if you do not believe you saw anything significant, you need to come forward and speak with officers.

'There will have been footage and images captured at the event, and we need to see these. Please ensure that all such material is saved - we will provide a link for it to be uploaded shortly.

'To anyone considering whether or not to come forward to police, I ask you to put yourself in the position of the victim's grieving mother and father this morning. They deserve answers.

'And whoever took a gun to a gathering like this does not deserve your protection, nor do they deserve to be free to inflict further harm on others. Please do the right thing and make contact today.'

Witnesses can contact the police on 101, quoting reference 267/24jul, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Patients should pay a fee of up to 8 for every day they are in hospital, a former health boss has suggested.

Professor Stephen Smith called on ministers to bring in charges to help cover the cost of expensive medical equipment.

The former chairman of the East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust also proposed that people aged 60 and over should start paying for prescriptions.

Raising funds: A former health boss wants over-60s to start paying for prescriptions

But critics said the proposals would end the foundations on which the health service has operated since it was set up in 1948.

Setting out his ideas in a new book, Professor Smith suggested patients pay between 4 and 8 up to a maximum of 28 days a year to help the struggling NHS.

The idea is modelled on Germanys system where patients are charged 10 (8.50) a night. Professor Smith said: I think the public would be prepared to pay some additional charges. Means testing would ensure the poor were not affected unfairly.

Rishi Sunak ory leadership hopeful has vowed to make cutting NHS waiting lists his number one public service priority if he becomes the next prime minister

But he was accused of promoting hare-brained ideas and zombie policies by the co-chairman of campaign group Keep Our NHS Public.

Dr John Puntis said: Charging people to cover part of the cost of a hospital stay would be a fundamental departure from the founding principles of the NHS and show that the long-standing consensus on a tax-funded public service model of healthcare has been truly abandoned.

Tory leadership hopeful Rishi Sunak has vowed to make cutting NHS waiting lists his number one public service priority if he becomes the next prime minister.

A record 6.6million people are waiting for routine NHS treatment, figures show.

Keep Our NHS Public co-director Dr John Puntis said: Charging people to cover part of the cost of a hospital stay would be a fundamental departure from the founding principles of the NHS and show that the long-standing consensus on a tax-funded public service model of healthcare has been truly abandoned'

Mr Sunak has pledged to eliminate one-year NHS waiting times by September 2024  six months earlier than planned  and to get overall numbers stable by next year.

Leadership favourite Liz Truss has promised to appoint a strong health secretary if she wins the keys to No 10 and said a prosperous economy will be needed to tackle the backlog.

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to comment last night.
John Barilaro has been filmed locked in a scuffle with a cameraman after the former deputy premier was confronted during a night out, with police now investigating the very public row.

The video captured the incident unfold outside of a bar in Manly, on Sydney's northern beaches, on Saturday.

The cameraman is seen in the footage resting a camera on his shoulder while holding his arm out at Mr Barilaro.

The former deputy premier then walks away putting his hands into his pockets.

Mr Barilaro told 2GB on Monday he had been out with friends grabbing a 'few drinks and pizza' when a 'microphone and camera' were shoved in his face.

He claimed he was being hounded by media after a parliamentary inquiry was launched into his appointment at a lucrative New York trade post, which he stood down from last month following backlash.

Police are investigating footage that appears to show former deputy premier John Barilaro locked in a scuffle with a cameraman

The video captured the incident unfold outside of a bar in Manly, on Sydney's northern beaches, on Saturday

'The reality is people are now piling on, harassing, intruding, not allowing me to get on with my life, I'm a private citizen,' Mr Barilaro said.

'They've turned up with a cameraman, I don't know who it was, all I know is you could see a bright light shining in my bl***y face.'

Mr Barilaro added: 'All I did was push a camera out of my way, did not manhandle an individual.

'I'll tell you what, some of those people who were at dinner with me, they were pushed and barged out of the way.'

Mr Barilaro challenged the Labor Party to call him up to the parliamentary inquiry with the former deputy premier currently not scheduled to make an appearance.

'I'm calling out, today, I'm available to turn up to an inquiry here this week to tell my side of the story, and let's do that before this gets even uglier,' he added.

'What occurred on Saturday night isn't pleasant for me, nor the cameraman. At the same time, I have every right to defend myself and protect myself and my friends.'

Former Member for Monaro Peter Cochran claimed Mr Barilaro was being 'denied his freedom'.

'John Barilaro is a private citizen who has committed no offence,' he said.

'He's being denied his freedom and is being harassed by the media. This will push him to the edge like it did with Gladys. The media needs to back off.'

NSW Police told Daily Mail Australia an investigation had been launched into the incident.

'Officers attached to Northern Beaches Police Area Command are investigating an incident that occurred about 7.30pm... outside a bar in Manly,' a spokesperson said.

Mr Barilaro claimed he was being hounded by media as a parliamentary inquiry continues into his appointment at a lucrative New York trade post

'Inquiries into the incident are ongoing and there is no further information at this stage.'

Mr Barilaro stood down from the $500,000 a year posting in New York last month following backlash over the appointment.

Joseph Brayford, a senior policy adviser in Mr Barilaro's office from 2019 to 2021, gave evidence in private to the upper house inquiry on Tuesday.

Mr Brayford said he received a text from Mr Barilaro last August about the plum trade role, according to a transcript published on Thursday.

He said his boss asked him to contact Investment NSW head Amy Brown 'ASAP' to 'request a cabinet submission converting the commissioner roles to ministerial appointments'.

The request was the first time in two-and-a-half years working for Mr Barilaro that he had received a text message from his boss asking him to prepare an urgent cabinet submission, he said.

'Nothing really surprised me with John,' Mr Brayford told the committee.

John Barilaro requested a change that would make the the US trade position a ministerial appointment, a senior advisor in his office told an inquiry last Tuesday

He added Mr Barilaro then told him he also wanted the London and Tokyo trade roles to be changed to ministerial appointments.

The proposition to change the way trade commissioners were appointed was put to cabinet in late September, shortly before Mr Barilaro's October announcement he would be quitting politics at the end of the year.

Mr Brayford described his former boss as an 'interesting character' and said he had never 'worked with someone so keen and so ambitious'.

Mr Barilaro said he would not comment on the claims until he was asked to appear at the inquiry. He is not currently scheduled to testify.
Martha Stewart is mourning the loss of her beloved pet peacocks that were savagely killed at her home in Katonah, New York.

The television personality, 80, took to her Instagram page on Saturday to share the news that her peacock named 'Blueboy' was among a group of her birds that were devoured by a pack of coyotes.

'RIP beautiful BlueBoy,' she began in the July 23 post, along with a video of the peacock spreading his incredible feathers.

Mourning: Martha Stewart, 80, shared the news that six of her pet birds, including a beloved peacock names BlueBoy, were killed by a group of coyotes; she's pictured in 2021

Tragic: The lifestyle guru posted a video of BlueBoy in her Instagram post on July 23

Stewart went on to share some of the details behind her tragic loss of BlueBoy and the others.

'The coyotes came in broad daylight and devoured him and five others including the magnificent White Boy,' the New Jersey native wrote, before asking her 1.6 million Instagram fans and followers for any tips on how to deal with coyotes.

'Any solutions for getting rid of six large and aggressive coyotes who have expensive tastes when it comes to poultry?' the Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia founder asked.

To accompany the clip, Stewart picked the song Let's Get It On by Marvin Gaye.

Heartbreaking: Stewart revealed the birds were killed in broad daylight and that they had been allowed to feely roam out of the yard

RIP: The video also showed a couple of other birds, including what appears to be White Boy, another of the birds that were 'devoured' by the coyotes

Safety tips: The television personality asked for tips from her 1.6 million Instagram fans and followers on how to deal with 'six large and aggressive coyotes'

Stewart has already taken some precautions to avoid another such attack happens again.

'We are no longer allowing the peafowl out of their yard, she shared, adding, 'We are enclosing the top of their large yard with wire fencing etc.'

Back in November 2021 the Martha Stewart Living star revealed on Instagram that her peacocks and peahens were being 'liberated', which entailed allowing them to roam the farm during the day outside of their enclosure.

'Having been confined for two years in a half acre enclosure I decided to grant them daylight freedom- aka the run of the farm !' she wrote at the time, along with a series of photos of the birds on her property. 'Until they have to return at twilight to their secure Palais for the night when the wild predators make the rounds of the chicken coops , pigeon house and geese yard The peacocks are so friendly and sociable and clean they are welcome everywhere. And they are beautiful.'

Truly amazing: The Martha Stewart Living star has made a habit of posting photos of her peacocks on her Instagram page over the years

Taking precautions: Stewart has already taken precautionary steps and are no longer allowing her birds to roam freely out of the yard

Spreading its wings: This male peacock, seeming BlueBoy, is show strutting out his feathers in front of Stewart's sprawling home believed to be in Westport, Connecticut

Over the years, Stewart has made a habit of posting photos of her birds on her Instagram page.

Just this past March, she shared a couple of photos of her beloved peacocks with its feathers spread.

'One of my "blues brothers" fully fanned for spring time activity. The peahens seem to like it! Photo thru fence by @petertmichaelis,' she wrote on March 9.

And then just 11 days later she shared an incredible photo of peacock, in all of its glory, seemingly out front of her home.

'It's that time of year!!!' she gushed on March 20. 'My male peacocks are out strutting and the females, Peahens, are taking note.'

Animal lover: The Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia founder has an assortment of different birds on her property
She took her time deciding, but Italian firecracker Nancy DellOlio has finally agreed to sit for her artist friend Lord Teynham  for a nude sculpture.

The Lord, David Roper-Curzon, first asked her to pose nude for him more than a decade ago and Nancy has been pondering the saucy offer ever since.

Lawyer Nancy, 60, already has a large collection of nudes of herself and says her favourite is a painting she had to battle her ex Sven-Goran Eriksson for.

Perhaps newly single Nancy is hoping the sculpture will attract the attention of a new beau.

She told me at Boisdale Life Editors Lunch & Awards at Boisdale of Canary Wharf: Another nude of me will bring even more pleasure to my guests visiting me at home in beautiful Puglia.

Italian firecracker Nancy DellOlio has finally agreed to sit for her artist friend Lord Teynham  for a nude sculpture

Lawyer Nancy, 60, already has a large collection of nudes of herself and says her favourite is a painting she had to battle her ex Sven-Goran Eriksson for

Anneka's beach treasure

It was all sunsets and celebs on the beach last week. Treasure Hunt star Anneka Rice stumbled upon James Norton, who had taken a trip to the same coast to celebrate his 37th birthday.

Anneka, 63, didnt reveal where she was  but posted a selfie with the Grantchester actor and seemed pleased with her find, captioning it: Look at this treasure I found on the beach.

Adorable!
Hugh Jackman proved to be a daring stuntman offscreen when he went barefoot in New York City on Saturday.

The Australian actor, 53, was spotted sans shoes as he walked on a city block in Manhattan alongside his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness, 66.

Hugh looked to be in high spirits as he casually strolled in the Big Apple in a long-sleeve T-shirt and shorts.

Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman, 53, (pictured) went barefoot on Saturday as he took a stroll in New York alongside wife Deborra-Lee Furness, 66

Hugh and wife Deborra-Lee looked to have just left the beach, with the actress spotted in an all-white ensemble.

Deborra wore a white top, white pants and a pair of runners. She carried her belongings in a stylish black leather bag.

Hugh tested positive for Covid-19 last month but is back on stage after making a full recovery.

Hugh looked to be in high spirits as he casually strolled in the Big Apple in a long-sleeve T-shirt and shorts. Hugh and Deborra-Lee (right) looked to have just left the beach, with the actress spotted in an all-white ensemble

At the time of his return, he thanked his supporters as well as the understudies who stepped in to make sure the show could go on.

'So so happy to get back to the Music Man family and get back in front of audiences,' he said on Instagram.

'Thanks for all the well-wishes but in particular thanks to Max Clayton, my incredible stand by.

Hugh and wife Deborra-Lee looked to have just left the beach as he stepped out of a car

Hugh announced in June he had tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, forcing him to temporarily step away from his Broadway production

'He did an incredible job, he absolutely crushed it.'

Hugh announced in June he had tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time, forcing him to temporarily step away from his Broadway production.

He told fans he would be focusing on his recovery and encouraged ticket holders to watch the show starring his talented understudy.

'I've frustratingly tested positive for Covid. Again. My standby, the amazingly talented @maxmclayton will step in for me,' he said.

Hugh previously tested positive for Covid-19 in December 2021.
He's been touring Europe on the Rolling Stones' SIXTY tour.

And Mick Jagger, 78, certainly delivered a performance of a lifetime alongside his bandmates as they took to the stage for a stellar show at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in Paris on Saturday.

Thie band's ever-energetic frontman appeared to be in great spirits as he set foot on stage to perform in front of a very large crowd.

Rocker: Mick Jagger, 78, certainly delivered a performance of a lifetime alongside his Rolling Stones bandmates at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in Paris on Saturday

The music legend looked ready to rock and roll as he was joined by fellow bandmates Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.

During the concert, Mick could be seen passionately singing into the mic whilst wearing a vibrant bomber jacket that featured bold flower detailing.

To complete the outfit he opted for a black T-shirt underneath the jacket, along with a pair of black jeans for a rock and roll look.

The musician was in his element as he performed and danced alongside bandmates for the much-anticipated concert in Paris.

Storming the stage: Thie band's ever-energetic frontman appeared to be in great spirits as he set foot on stage to perform in front of a very large crowd

Wow! The music legend looked ready to rock and roll as he was joined by fellow bandmates Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood

Sensational: Mick's fellow bandmate Keith Richards also looked every inch your typical rockstar as he sported a black leather jacket with a snazzy zebra print shirt

Mick's fellow bandmate Keith Richards also looked every inch your typical rockstar as he sported a black leather jacket with a snazzy zebra print shirt.

The star also went for a crazy hairstyle and adorned a pink and orange headband for the concert.

Ronnie Wood, on the other hand, wore a unique jacket just like his bandmate Mick for the show.

The concert comes after Mick recently explored Brussels ahead of the Rolling Stones' latest gig.

And during the trip, he posed for a variety of playful snaps, which he later on posted on to his Instagram page whilst sightseeing in Brussels.

When in Paris: The concert took place at the Hippodrome de Longchamp in Paris

He went on to caption his snaps: 'Had a great time exploring Brussels, looking forward to seeing you tonight at King Baudouin!'

The band recently returned to the stage in Amsterdam at the beginning of July after postponing their show for a month.

Their reason for the delay was that Mick had tested positive for COVID-19.

And last month, the rock star shared an update with his fans insisting that he was 'feeling much better' and thanked them all for his well wishes.

Taking to Instagram, Mick said: 'Thank you all so much for your well wishes and messages the last few days.'

'I'm feeling much better and can't wait to get back on stage next week! The Amsterdam date has been rescheduled for July 7 and we'll have news of the new Bern date ASAP.

He signed off: 'See you soon! Mick'.
Sam Burgess hasn't been unable to see his children Poppy, five, and Billy, three, for over seven months, reports claim.

The former NRL player, who shares his kids with ex-wife Phoebe Hooke, has been living in Coffs Harbour for the past few months and misses his kids dearly, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Phoebe meanwhile lives in a sprawling estate in Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands.

NRL star Sam Burgess, 33, hasn't been unable to see his children Poppy, five, and Billy, three, for over seven months, reports claim (all pictured)

The publication claims Burgess, who 'couldn't comment on the matter for legal reasons', hasn't seen his young children since December, when he was celebrating his 33rd birthday.

Sam, who finalised his divorce from Phoebe in 2020, shared a photo to Instagram of himself bonding with their children at the time, along with his mother Julie Burgess and his brothers and their partners.

Sam revealed in the post's caption that the reunion was well overdue, with it being the 'first time in over two years'.

Phoebe lives in a sprawling estate in Bowral, in the NSW Southern Highlands

The Daily Telegraph reports, Sam, who 'couldn't comment on the matter for legal reasons', hasn't seen his young children since December, when he celebrated his 33rd birthday

In the family photo, a casually dressed Sam huddled around the couch and was joined by mother Julie, and brothers George, Tom and Luke Burgess.

The wives and girlfriends were also present, including Luke's partner Tori May, Tom's fiancee Tahlia Giumelli, George's wife Joanna Burgess, and their children.

'Sundays done right. First time in over two years all together. 1 great grandmother. 1 grandmother. 8 great/grandkids. 4 Broskis (sic) and 3 partners in crime. HOW GOOD,' Sam captioned the post.

Documenting the reunion to Instagram, the NRL star was pictured with his children along with his mother Julie Burgess (centre) and his brothers

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting that Phoebe is any way responsible for Sam not seeing his children.

Sam and Pheobe, 33, were married for four years before their acrimonious split in October 2019.

Phoebe recently broke down in tears during a podcast interview as she recalled the devastating moment she discovered her then-husband, Sam, had cheated on her with a woman in Melbourne in 2017.

Phoebe recently broke down in tears during a podcast interview as she recalled the devastating moment she discovered her then-husband, Sam, had cheated on her with a woman in Melbourne in 2017. Phoebe and Sam are pictured in February 2016

She became emotional as she discussed Sam's infidelity on Mia Freedman's No Filter podcast.

Phoebe told host Mia she'd discovered her husband's affair after he confessed to her he was being investigated by his club over a 'sexting' scandal in 2018. He was later cleared of any involvement in the 'sexting' matter.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Phoebe and Sam in relation to this article.
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Bindi Irwin has chopped off her famous long blonde locks.

The Wildlife Warrior debuted her dramatic new 'do while celebrating her 24th birthday on Sunday with a glamorous photo shoot on the Sunshine Coast.

The images show Bindi with a shoulder-length bob posing outdoors in the bush with husband Chandler Powell, 25, and their daughter Grace, one.

Bindi Irwin has chopped off her famous long blonde locks. The Wildlife Warrior debuted her dramatic new 'do while celebrating her 24th birthday on Sunday, posing on Instagram for a glamorous photo shoot in Queensland. Pictured left before her haircut, and right on Sunday with shorter hair

Bindi's brother Robert, 18, and their mother Terri, 58, were also at the celebration.

Bindi's sophisticated new tresses were curled and styled in a side parting. She also swapped her famous khaki zookeeper outfit for a pair of tight blue jeans and a long plaid shirt.

The images show Bindi with a shoulder-length bob posing outdoors in the bush with husband Chandler Powell, 25, and their daughter Grace, one. Bindi's brother Robert, 18, and their mother Terri, 58, were also spotted in several pictures as they cut Bindi's birthday cake. L-R: Chandler, Grace, Bindi, Terri, Robert

Bindi's sophisticated new tresses were curled and styled in a side parting

In a post on Instagram, Bindi wrote: 'The last year has been filled with enormous growth, unpredictable/challenging times and above all, love beyond my wildest dreams.

'Without them realising, my sweet family has given me the greatest gifts this year through their extraordinary actions each and every day.'

Bindi went on to thank her relatives for how they have supported her and the valuable gifts they have given her over the past year.

Bindi swapped her famous khaki zookeeper outfit for a pair of tight blue jeans and a long plaid shirt.

'The last year has been filled with enormous growth, unpredictable/challenging times and above all, love beyond my wildest dreams,' Bindi wrote in the caption

'My in-laws, the gift of no distance standing in the way of family bonds. My mum, the gift of perseverance, strength and a shoulder to lean on,' she wrote.

'My brother, the gift of enthusiasm for life and remembering not to sweat the little things. My husband, the gift of steadfast support and infinite kindness.'

Bindi went on to share a tribute to little Grace, who looked adorable in sunshine-print jumper and pink frilly pants.

'Without them realising, my sweet family has given me the greatest gifts this year through their extraordinary actions each and every day,' she said

Bindi went on to share a tribute to little Grace, who looked adorable in sunshine-print jumper and pink frilly trousers

'My darling daughter, the gift of finding beauty in all things and running towards happiness (and bubbles, which are the same thing to her) with an open heart.'

She finished her post: 'I'm grateful for another trip around the sun and another year to do my best making difference in this world. Thank you to everyone who is part of my journey, I'm tremendously thankful for you.'

Chandler later shared his own tribute to Bindi, sharing more sweet photos from their outdoor family shoot.

'My darling daughter, the gift of finding beauty in all things and running towards happiness (and bubbles, which are the same thing to her) with an open heart'

'You are the most kind-hearted person, caring mama, loving wife and my best friend. I love you (and so does Grace).'

Bindi and Chandler married in a secret ceremony at Australia Zoo on March 25, 2020.

They welcomed Grace on March 25 last year.

Bindi's father Steve tragically died after a stingray pierced him in the chest on September 4, 2006, while filming a documentary series in the Great Barrier Reef.

Irwin was nicknamed Australia's Wildlife Warrior and Crocodile Hunter for his dedication to educating people on Australia's environment.

The pair welcomed daughter Grace on March 25 last year
Heidi Klum's mini-me daughter Leni Klum proved the importance of wearing sunblock on her Instagram page this week.

Leni, 18, posted a selfie of herself lying on a deck chair and wearing a bikini, thereby showing off her massive sunburn.

Making sure to retain her sense of humor about the situation, the fashion legacy quipped in the caption that she was 'a little past sun kissed.'

'A little past sun kissed': Heidi Klum's mini-me daughter Leni, 18, proved the importance of wearing sunblock on her Instagram page this week, showing off her massive sunburn

The teen model was recently spotted enjoying a lunch out in Beverly Hills with her adopted father Seal, who is Heidi's ex-husband.

Heidi and Seal were married from 2005 until 2014 and they welcomed three children together biologically: Henry, 16; Johan, 15; and Lou, 12.

Meanwhile Leni resulted from Heidi's previous relationship with Italian businessman Flavio Briatore, but in 2009 Seal legally adopted her as well.

'Leni is my natural daughter, but the three of us calmly agreed that it made the most sense that he adopt her, because a child needs to grow up in a family,' Flavio told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera in 2016.

Old country: Leni has followed her mother's footsteps into the modeling profession and even covered Vogue Germany with her last year

Flavio, 72, who eventually married a drastically younger Wonderbra model and welcomed a son named Nathan with her, added: 'Leni is Seal's family, Nathan mine.'

At the moment Heidi is married to her fellow German Tom Kaulitz, who rose to fame as the guitarist for the band Tokio Hotel.

Seal hit the headlines last year when he spoke candidly in public about the difficulties of co-parenting his children with Heidi.

'It can be challenging. It requires teamwork. If you are a team, if both parents are a team, then it's really easy and that's not a real challenge at all But you have to be a team. And if you're not a team, then it can all fall to pieces,' he told Us Weekly.

Making it happen: Heidi was seated supportively in the audience, filming her daughter's appearance to post proudly to her Instagram page

Spot the resemblance: Heidi and Leni are seen posing up together off the catwalk at the Dolce & Gabbana, with Leni still in her runway gear

Seal then explosively claimed that he and Heidi 'never had that teamwork' with one another when it came to bringing up their children.

Their differences hit the headlines in 2020 when she wanted to take the children to her native country so she could film Germany's Next Top Model there.

Seal objected on the grounds that the children might be exposed to coronavirus, but an emergency court hearing was held and Heidi prevailed.

The way they were: Heidi and Seal were married from 2005 until 2014; they are pictured attending the Grammys together in 2010

Although she was permitted to take them to Germany he was given 'expanded time' with them before and after the trip.

Leni has followed her mother's footsteps into the modeling profession and just last week could be spotted on the Dolce & Gabbana catwalk in Sicily.

Heidi was seated supportively in the audience, filming her daughter's appearance to post proudly to her Instagram page.
Can you spy the Hollywood legend behind the prosthetics and heavy make-up on the set of a new wartime movie?

With grey hair and leaning on a walking stick, the actor is playing a character based on the true story of D-Day veteran Bernard Jordan, who in 2014 sneaked out of his East Sussex care home and went to Normandy to pay tribute to comrades who had died 70 years earlier.

The 12 million film is called The Last Rifleman  although its biggest star might be rather better acquainted with the Walther PPK handgun  and is out next year.

Can you spy the Hollywood legend behind the prosthetics and heavy make-up on the set of a new wartime movie?

D-Day veteran Bernard Jordan back home in his Hove care home after sneaking away to go to the Normandy D-day celebrations without telling anyone

In a plot worthy of the best of secret agents, Mr Jordan  a former Royal Navy Lieutenant who braved the Atlantic and Arctic convoys  told care home staff that he was popping down to the shops, but instead walked to Brighton railway station, boarded a train for Portsmouth and bought a one-way ferry ticket to Caen. He later said: In the months leading up to the anniversary I was trying to get an official trip to Normandy but I didnt have the necessary passes. Then, the day before D-Day I saw all the TV coverage and thought, I have to go and be part of it. I was naughty and secretive.

The movie is being filmed in County Antrim in Northern Ireland, helpful for its leading man who grew up not too far away. Mr Jordan was made an honorary life member of the Veterans Association UK following his Normandy trip. He died a year after his adventure, aged 90.

Did you guess the actor playing a role based on D-Day veteran Bernard Jordans adventures?

Its Pierce Brosnan, who starred as James Bond in four 007 movies between 1995 and 2002. The 69-year-old grew up in County Meath, a two-hour drive from where The Last Rifleman is being filmed.
Amy Schumer was back to work on Saturday when she prepared for a new comedy show in East Hampton, New York.

The 41-year-old actress and comedian looked lovely as she arrived at the venue, The Club House, in a flattering blue flora-print dress.

The multitalented star has had plenty on her plate lately after starring in a recent Hulu series, working on a revival of Inside Amy Schumer and guest starring on Only Murders In The Building.

Back at it: Amy Schumer, 41, was back to work on Saturday when she prepared for a new comedy show at The Club House in East Hampton, New York

Amy's blue dress was decorated with pink, yellow and blue flowers petals, and it featured a plunging neckline with buttons running up her front.

The look featured a modest slit in the front and highlighted her trim legs, which culminated in relaxed lace-free black sneakers.

She wore her long blond hair down and cascading along her back, which framed her modestly made-up face.

Amy showed off a winning smile while strolling through the parking lot, and she stopped to wave at some of her fans.

Blue mood: Amy's blue dress was decorated with pink, yellow and blue flowers petals, and it featured a plunging neckline with buttons running up her front. The look featured a modest slit in the front and highlighted her trim legs, which culminated in relaxed lace-free black sneakers

Gracious: Amy showed off a winning smile while strolling through the parking lot, and she stopped to wave at some of her fans

Seemingly missing from the show was Amy's husband Chris Fischer.

The spouses, who married in 2018, share their three-year-old son Gene.

Last year on Instagram Amy gushed about her chef hubby as she noted, 'I feel loved and supported always. He takes care of our family and is a husband and father beyond my wildest dreams.'

Amy's newly coming off the success of her critically acclaimed Hulu dramedy Life & Beth, which costars Michael Cera as a romantic interest inspired by her husband.

Streaming star: She's coming off her critically acclaimed Hulu dramedy Life & Beth, which costars Michael Cera as a romantic interest inspired by her husband Chris

The comedian, who made a splash with Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall when she co-hosted the Academy Awards earlier this year, is hard at work on another series, the return of her long-dormant Comedy Central show Inside Amy Schumer.

The series' return was announced in February 2021, though filming appears to have only recently commenced in April of this year.

The show debuted on Comedy Central in 2013, following her earlier stand-up success and her 2012 special Mostly Sex Stuff, which highlighted her prototypical early material, which focused on sex-themed jokes and more offensive material that she has mostly jettisoned in recent years.

Amy is set to return with five Inside Amy Schumer specials, instead of a traditional season.

Prior to the show's hiatus, it was reported that she was under contract for an additional season, so it's unclear if she's merely fulfilling an obligation, or if she's interested in continuing with the show.
There's a new green superhero headed to the Marvel-verse, and her name is Jennifer Walters, attorney by day, crime fighter by night, or anytime needed.

Tatiana Maslany, 36, stars at the title character in the Disney+ series.

A new trailer for the action comedy was released at Comic-Con in San Diego Saturday.

She-Hulk: Disney+ revealed a news trailer for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Saturday at Comic-Con in San Diego

At a panel discussion for the show, the Canadian actress, best known for her multiple roles as clones in Orphan Black, said the character isn't a typical superhero.

'Whats so exciting about She-Hulk is this show is very different. Its irreverent humor. She-Hulk is trying not to be a superhero.'

The trailer opens with a sleeping Jennifer being awakened by a blow horn used by The Hulk, who happens to be her cousin.

Who is she?: Tatiana Maslany, 36, stars as attorney Jennifer Walters in the new nine episode series

Back story: Jennifer inherits superhuman strength and green color when she receives a blood transfusion from her cousin Bruce Banner aka The Hulk

Comic relief: There's a lot of comic relief in the series, including The Hulk explaining why spandex is a wardrobe staple

Jennifer got her super powers after receiving a life saving blood transfusion from Bruce Banner. The Avenger tries to help his cousin adjust to the changes that will be coming her way, and the results is a comic sort of 'anything you can do, I can do better' contest of strength.

With her newly acquired strength, and 6ft7in height, Jennifer longs for a return to her days as an anonymous attorney, but instead she becomes much more high profile and is hired at a firm that specializes in cases involving superhumans.

The trailer gives a glimpse at what and who She-Hulk will be up against, including Jamila Jamil as Titania, a rival with incredible strength and Tim Roth as bad guy Abomination. Benedict Wong reprises his role as as Wong, The Sorcerer Supreme from the Dr. Strange franchise.

New powers: Jennifer's new powers land her a new job at a law firm that specializes in cases involving superhumans

Ally: Benedict Wong reprises his role at Wong, The Sorcerer Supreme from the Dr. Strange franchise. Fans are excited about the prospect of Daredevil making a guest appearance

Rival: Jamila Jameel stars at Titania, a rival with incredible strength

Abomination: Tim Roth joins the cast as bad guy Abomination

On the Marvel and She-Hulk Instagram pages, fans were thrilled at the idea Daredevil aka Charlie Cox who is the other lawyer superhero in the Marvel canon. One fan wrote, 'Daredevil and She-Hulk. I cant wait.'

A teaser trailer for the show was released in May and many fans expressed their disappointment in the CGI but gave a thumbs up to the addition of the She-Hulk character, with one fan referring to her as 'the new face of MCU.'

The first of nine episodes debuts August 17 on Disney+.

Anticipation: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law debuts on Disney+ August 17
They forged a powerful alliance on Australian Survivor in 2019.

And the friendship between actress Pia Miranda, 49, and Janine Allis, 57, has clearly lasted the test of time, as the women reunited on Sunday to compete in the Real Insurance Sydney Harbour charity run at Sydney Harbour.

Looking For Alibrandi star Pia and Boost Juice queen Janine were spotted at the finish line posing arm-in-arm together, before later handing out medals to the race winners.

Former Australian Survivor co-stars Pia Miranda, 49, (right) and Janine Allis, 57, (left) reunited on Sunday to compete in the Real Insurance Sydney Harbour charity run at Sydney Harbour

Pia ran the full 10 kilometres, while Janine chose the five kilometre race option.

The event raised nearly $60,000 for the Australian Cancer Foundation (ACRF).

'I had a great run this morning. It was great to be back in Sydney to participate alongside such a great community of runners,' says Pia said in an official catement.

Pia ran the full 10 kilometres, while Janine chose the five kilometre race option

'I have had family and friends over the years who have been diagnosed with various forms of cancer.

'ACRF is an organisation that is so important because they fund a range of cancer research projects and the development of new treatments.'

Janine, meanwhile, spoke of how her own mother was a cancer survivor.

'I had a great run this morning. It was great to be back in Sydney to participate alongside such a great community of runners,' says Pia said, here presenting medals

The event raised nearly $60,000 for the Australian Cancer Foundation (ACRF)

'My mum was diagnosed with cancer, and she came through it and survived' Janine Allis said.

'Being able to combine fitness and raise awareness for ACRF is a winning combination.'

One in three Australians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. The remaining 2 will be closely affected by a diagnosis.

Since 1984, ACRF has enabled 81 research projects across 43 organisations  an investment of over $171 Million into cancer research across Australia.

ACRF provide grants of between $1M and $10M to support technology equipment and infrastructure vital to progress cancer research.
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She has become well known for showing off her beach-ready body in promotional materials and social media posts.

And on Saturday afternoon, Alessandra Ambrosio showed off much of her toned physique while playing volleyball at a beach in Santa Monica.

The 41-year-old fashion industry personality was joined by several of her friends, as well as her boyfriend, Richard Lee, during the outing.

Scenic views: Alessandra Ambrosio showed off much of her toned physique while playing volleyball at a beach in Santa Monica on Saturday afternoon. The 41-year-old fashion industry personality was joined by several of her friends, as well as her boyfriend, Richard Lee, during the outing

Ambrosio wore a heavily cut white t-shirt that featured a graphic print of the Beach Boys' logo during her outing.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel later removed her shirt and revealed a light blue bikini top.

The model also rocked a matching bottom that showed off her curvy hips and toned thighs.

She added various elements of shine to her look with several necklaces and a set of earrings.

Taking it easy: Ambrosio wore a heavily cut white t-shirt that featured a graphic print of the Beach Boys' logo during her outing. The former Victoria's Secret Angel later removed her shirt and revealed a light blue bikini top

Hot stuff! The model also rocked a matching bottom that showed off her curvy hips and toned thighs

Sparkle: She added various elements of shine to her look with several necklaces and a set of earrings

Ambrosio wore a pair of reflective sunglasses to keep the shining California sun rays out of her eyes as she spent time with her friends.

The fashion industry personality also donned a light purple cap during the volleyball game.

Although her lovely brunette locks were tied into a bun for part of her outing, she later let it flow freely onto her shoulders.

Accessorizing well: Ambrosio wore a pair of reflective sunglasses to keep the shining California sun rays out of her eyes as she spent time with her friends. The fashion industry personality also donned a light purple cap during the volleyball game

Organized: The social media powerhouse's locks were tied up into a bun for part of her outing

There they go: She later let her voluminous hair flow freely in the coastal breeze

Lee kept it relatively casual in a long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of black trunks while he spent time with his girlfriend.

Ambrosio was previously in a romantic relationship with businessman and designer Jamie Mazur.

The pair made headlines when it was revealed that they had become engaged in 2008.

Comfortable clothing: Lee kept it relatively casual in a long-sleeve t-shirt and a pair of black trunks while he spent time with his girlfriend

In the past: Ambrosio was previously in a romantic relationship with businessman and designer Jamie Mazur. The pair made headlines when it was revealed that they had become engaged in 2008

The former couple went on to welcome their daughter Anja Louise, aged 13, that same year.

The two waited for four years before they brought their son Noah Phoenix, aged 10, into their lives.

Ambrosio and Mazur became notable for not moving forward with their relationship past the engagement stage for much of their time together.

Starting a family: The former couple went on to welcome their daughter Anja Louise, aged 13, that same year. The two waited for four years before they brought their son Noah Phoenix, aged 10, into their lives

Taking their time: Ambrosio and Mazur became notable for not moving forward with their relationship past the engagement stage for much of their time together

It was later announced that the former couple had decided to go their separate ways in March of 2018.

The pair reportedly tried to keep news about their split quiet before it was revealed to the public, as per Us Weekly.

Ambrosio and Lee began seeing each other last February, according to Hola!

It's all over: It was later announced that the former couple had decided to go their separate ways in March of 2018

Separate ways: The pair reportedly tried to keep news about their split quiet before it was revealed to the public, as per Us Weekly

Starting fresh: Ambrosio and Lee began seeing each other last February, according to Hola!

They seemingly confirmed the news about their relationship when they publicly packed on the PDA during a dinner outing last March.

The supermodel notably called Lee her 'favorite person in the world' in a post that was shared to her Instagram account last month.

The fashion industry personality also expressed that she loved 'going through life' with her now-boyfriend.
Kaia Gerber showcased her mastery of casual style on Saturday when she stepped out in New York City for dinner with a friend.

The 20-year-old model-turned-actress was spotted out in the East Village in Manhattan in the early evening following a meal with a male friend.

She rocked a low-key white tank top that showed off a hint of her toned tummy.

Out and about: Kaia Gerber, 20, was spotted in the East Village on Saturday after enjoying dinner with a male friend

Kaia paired the top with simple black sweatpants, along with black-and-brown Adidas trainers.

She accessorized with a canvas tote bag with a bottle of wine and glass drawn on the side.

The daughter of Cindy Crawford wore her brunette locks down around her shoulders with a middle part, and she blocked out the setting sun with a slim set of black sunglasses.

Her companion opted for a dark look with a black short-sleeve button-up shirt, black pinstripe pants and matching boots and his own set of slim black sunglasses.

Stay comfortable: She rocked a casual white tank top with black sweatpants, black Adidas trainers, a tote bag and slim black sunglasses

Apart: Kaia was likely missing her boyfriend since December  Elvis star Austin Butler  who began his role as the villainous Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two on Monday overseas

The two were previously seen hanging out in New York City earlier in the week.

Kaia was likely missing her boyfriend since December  Elvis star Austin Butler  who began his role as the villainous Feyd-Rautha in Denis Villeneuve's Dune: Part Two on Monday overseas.

That same evening, Gerber joined Stranger Things star Maya Hawke at PUBLIC Hotel in Manhattan's Lower East Side for the wrap party of her debut studio album, Therese, due out this fall.

It's unclear if the LA native will be returning home to attend the sold-out premiere of The Palisades this Thursday during LA Shorts Fest.

Kaia portrays Alex in Carissa Gallo's 13-minute short film, and several members of the cast and crew got matching shell tattoos on their backs.

'The Palisades had a lot of sea references,' Gerber explained to ELLE UK on Monday.

Hey girl! That same evening, Gerber joined Stranger Things star Maya Hawke at PUBLIC Hotel in Manhattan's Lower East Side for the wrap party of her debut studio album, Therese, due out this fall

'But I've definitely slowed down on getting tattoos because it adds so much time at the beginning of a modeling job to cover them all up. Plus, I want to spare my parents the anxiety it gives them! At least I wasn't the first child to get a tattoo, my brother [Presley] got one first so I was like as long as he has more than me I can't be the problem child.'

The Alexander McQueen catwalker said her beauty inspiration comes from French New Wave cinema as well as her famous mother, nineties supermodel Cindy Crawford, who taught her to never pluck her eyebrows.

'My mom always just said less is more, and I've tried to live by that,' Kaia noted.

'I had my mom too, not only [to] look up to, but go to for [to] advice. I'd sit and watch her do her make-up. She's a lot better at it than I am because she worked during the nineties. Now, no one knows how to do their own make-up. I've definitely learned a lot from watching her.'

'Sold out!' It's unclear if the LA native will be returning home to attend the premiere of The Palisades this Thursday during LA Shorts Fest

'The Palisades had a lot of sea references': Kaia (R) portrays Alex in Carissa Gallo's 13-minute short film, and several members of the cast and crew got matching shell tattoos on their backs

Gerber explained to ELLE UK on Monday: 'But I've definitely slowed down on getting tattoos because it adds so much time at the beginning of a modeling job to cover them all up. Plus, I want to spare my parents the anxiety it gives them! At least I wasn't the first child to get a tattoo, my brother [Presley] got one first so I was like as long as he has more than me I can't be the problem child' (pictured June 28)

Gerber  who boasts 8.3M Instagram/Twitter followers  admitted it's easy to fall into the trap of 'comparison culture' on social media.

'It's definitely important to be aware of how much time you spend on social media and what you're using it for,' the American Horror Story actress advised.

'If it's to compare yourself to other people that can be really tough on your self-esteem. Everyone's just showing their highlight reel which can make you feel really bad. I think you have to learn what your own threshold for it is - mine's quite low!'

Kaia started her modeling career with long brunette locks and she's since been blonde, pink, and short.

'My mom always just said less is more': The Alexander McQueen catwalker said her beauty inspiration comes from French New Wave cinema as well as her famous mother, nineties supermodel Cindy Crawford, who taught her to never pluck her eyebrows (pictured November 19)

Kaia said: 'I'd sit and watch her do her make-up. She's a lot better at it than I am because she worked during the nineties. Now, no one knows how to do their own make-up. I've definitely learned a lot from watching her' (pictured June 2)

'My threshold is quite low!' Gerber - who boasts 8.3M Instagram/Twitter followers - admitted it's easy to fall into the trap of 'comparison culture' on social media (pictured in 2021)

'I always have an itch to do something to my hair. It's like an actual personality trait of mine where every morning I wake up and think, "What if I shaved my head today?"' Gerber teased.

'Most days I tell myself to "Sssh" but some days I don't and that's when I end up cutting my own bangs... It's still growing out. But it's just hair, it grows back.'

The pro-choice supporter will next begin work on her recurring role as a manicurist called Mitzi in Tate Taylor's 10-episode comedy series Mrs. American Pie for Apple TV+.

'Holy moly!' Kaia exclaimed on June 13.

'Humbled to get to work alongside some of my heroes (happy) crying!'

Mrs. American Pie - based on Juliet McDaniel's 2018 novel - also stars Carol Burnett, Laura Dern, Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Allison Janney, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb, and Mindy Cohn.
Pete Davidson proved he was a man of the people on Sunday, when he happily posed for photos with fans during a shopping trip in Sydney.

Despite keeping a low profile in a cap, the 28-year-old comedian was recognised by several locals while shopping.

Pete dressed casually for the outing in a navy Zoo York jumper and Twister themed pants.

Pete Davidson dressed for comfort in a jumper and pants as he took photos with fans during a shopping trip in Sydney

He completed his look with a pair of beige boots and held several shopping bags.

The American actor stopped and smiled when several fans raced towards him asking for a photo.

Pete recently travelled to Australia to film his new movie Wizards! - also starring Naomi Scott, Franz Rogowski and Sean Harris - by Australian writer-director David Michod.

According to Deadline, the film follows 'two hapless pothead beach-bar operators (Davidson and Rogowski) who run into trouble when they stumble across stolen loot that they really should have just left alone'.

Despite keeping a low profile in a cap, the 28-year-old comedian was recognised by several locals while shopping

Pete dressed casually for the outing in a navy Zoo York jumper and Twister themed pants

Earlier this month, Pete's girlfriend Kim Kardashian jetted into Australia to enjoy a getaway with him while he had a break from filming his new movie.

She was staying at the Sheraton Mirage in Port Douglas, located almost an hour away from Cairns, during her recent trip to Queensland to see her boyfriend.

Kim travelled from Port Douglas to Cairns last week, just hours before boarding a private jet bound for the U.S.

Kim has four children with her ex-husband Kanye West, 45, daughters North, nine, Chicago, four, and sons Saint, six, and Psalm, three.

The American actor stopped and smiled when several fans raced towards him asking for a photo

He completed his look with a pair of beige boots and held several shopping bags

She began dating Pete after divorcing Kanye and guest hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live in October 2021.

They shared their first kiss in an SNL sketch parodying Disney's Aladdin.

Since striking up their romance, Pete has gotten 'Jasmine' and 'Aladdin' tattooed over his collarbone, along with an infinity symbol between the names, as a reference to their first kiss on the show.

Pete will also finally be making his debut on her family's new Hulu reality show The Kardashians next season.

Pete travelled to Australia to film his new movie Wizards! - also starring Naomi Scott, Franz Rogowski and Sean Harris - by Australian writer-director David Michod
He recently returned from the Cayman islands, after snaps of him reportedly working as a timeshare salesman hit headlines.

But Armie Hammer appeared in high spirits on Thursday as he was spotted out for dinner with a group of pals in Rome, Italy.

The Italian trip comes after the Call Me By Your Name actor, 35, was reported to be 'totally broke', as sexual assault allegations led to his Hollywood downfall.

Italian getaway? Armie Hammer, 35, enjoyed an al fresco dinner with pals in Rome on Thursday - after leaving his job as a 'broke' Cayman Islands timeshare salesman

Donning a mint and white pinstripe shirt, the star seemed relaxed for the evening as he enjoyed the al fresco meal.

Armie was snapped laughing with pals at their table, before giving a heartfelt hug to a friend in a navy T-shirt near the restaurant.

The meal took place at the Pierluigi restaurant in Rome, which has a drinks menu offering 6.500,00 bottles of champagne.

Beaming: Donning a mint and white pinstripe shirt, the star seemed in high spirits for the evening as he enjoyed the meal

High brow: The meal took place at the Pierluigi restaurant in Rome, which has a drinks menu offering 6.500,00 bottles of champagne

It comes after Armie, who is the great-grandson of oil tycoon Armand Hammer (worth an estimated $800 million at the time of his death), had been 'hiding out' in the Caymans after career-ruining sexual assault allegations were levied against him last year, and ensuing substance abuse issues that landed him in rehab for a number of months.

He was accused of sexually abuse by a number of women, with two saying he told them he wanted to remove their ribs, barbecue them and eat them, and one accused him of slicing the letter 'A' into one her thigh before sucking the blood out of her fresh wound.

After the accusations were made public, the actor was dropped by his agency, WME, and was subsequently let go from various film projects, including Paramount Plus series The Offer, Jennifer Lopez's Shotgun Wedding, as well as the thriller Billion Dollar Spy.

Pals: The shamed actor then gave a heartfelt hug to a friend in a navy T-shirt near the restaurant

New job: It was reported that he was working as a timeshare salesman while in the Caymans to make money again, while this poster of him as a concierge there went viral

Armie has also allegedly been cut off from his wealthy family money following the allegations, with TMZ reporting that he was working as a timeshare salesman while in the Caymans to make money again.

He had chosen the Caymans in order to stay close to estranged wife, Elizabeth Chambers, 39 and their children; Harper, seven, and Ford, five.

But the actor was spotted in Los Angeles last week, where he is reportedly residing in a home owned by star Robert Downey Jr while attending AA meetings.

It is also thought that the Iron Man star has also been funding Armie's recovery - following his 2021 rehab stint for alcohol, drugs and sex.
Chezzi Denyer is celebrating 16 years with her husband, Grant Denyer.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 42-year-old shared a sweet throwback photo from the early days of the couple's relationship.

In the black and white image, Grant, 44, and Chezzi showed off their youthful looks and era-appropriate haircuts.

Chezzi Denyer is celebrating 16 years with her husband, Grant Denyer, 44. In an Instagram post on Sunday, the 42-year-old shared a sweet throwback photo from the early days of the couple's relationship. Both pictured

She also shared a recent photograph, in which the loved-up pair cuddled up close together.

'Sixteen years side by side,' Chezzi wrote in the caption. 'He's just so lucky'.

The podcaster added: 'Swipe for a pic from when it all began. So long ago now it's black and white. Joke'.

She also shared a recent photograph, in which the loved-up pair cuddled up close together. 'Sixteen years side by side,' Chezzi wrote in the caption. 'He's just so lucky'

The pair married in 2010 and also have two older daughters together; Sailor, 10, and Scout, six.

They also welcomed a third child, baby girl Sunday, who is now one, in February last year.

Over the years, Grant and Chezzi have faced many challenges to their marriage.

The pair married in 2010 and have three daughters together; Sailor, 10, and Scout, six, and welcomed baby girl Sunday, who is now one, in February last year. All pictured

The former Family Feud host has battled a highly publicised painkiller addiction in the past, after breaking his back during a freak monster truck accident in 2008.

The crash left Grant with a vertebrae that was shattered in 11 pieces, and doctors feared he might never walk again.

Denyer previously spoke about his painkiller addiction during a discussion with his campmates on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Over the years, Grant and Chezzi have faced many challenges to their marriage

He explained he'd once pelted eggs at his wife Chezzi when he was hungry during his recovery.

'I decided to crash off it which was when I went missing' he told Abbie Chatfield, Alli Simpson and Toni Pearen.

'Mate, I pelted eggs at her [Chezzi] one night. I cracked it for some reason. I was hungry and was in pain and was confused and I just started throwing eggs at her.

The former Family Feud host has battled a highly publicised painkiller addiction in the past, after breaking his back during a freak monster-truck accident in 2008. Pictured in hospital

'She doesn't deserve this, but you just can't stop.'

In 2014, Grant attended a wellness centre in Thailand which specialises in the treatment of PTSD and exhaustion.

The popular presenter made a remarkable recovery, triumphantly returning to TV screens and eventually winning a Gold Logie.
He was spotted enjoying a dinner with a mystery blonde on Friday at Catch Steak.

And Jamie Foxx returned to the Los Angeles hotspot on Saturday night with the same woman, who is rumoured to be the star's current love interest.

The actor, 54, cut a casual figure in a Mohammad Ali slogan hoodie as he enjoyed the date night.

Date night? Jamie Foxx, 54, cut a casual figure in a hoodie and jeans on Saturday as he stepped out again with a mystery blonde at Catch Steak

Pairing the jumper with distressed grey jeans and a pair of Balenciaga Triple S trainers, Jamie shielded his eyes with dark tinted aviator sunglasses.

While his companion donned a pair of leather jogger-style trousers and a cropped long-sleeve top with a centre zip detail.

The blonde added a pair of simple Converse trainers, clutching onto a white Dior handbag.

Casual: The actor's hoodie featured a Mohammad Ali slogan design

Couture: Shielding his eyes with dark tinted aviator sunglasses, Jamie added a pair of Balenciaga Triple S trainers

Appearing fairly natural for the night out, her tresses were pulled back into a loose bun as she added statement silver hoop earrings.

The night before, the pair attended the same restaurant alongside an older couple - who were thought to be the parents of Jamie's mystery lady.

After the dinner, the couple continued the evening clubbing in Koreatown. The star and the mystery woman have been getting close in public, and were recently seen kissing during an outing at Nobu Malibu.

Gorgeous: His blonde companion added a cropped long-sleeve top with a centre zip detail to her look, with her blonde tresses pulled back

And as things could be getting more serious between the two, they were previously spotted together on a yacht in France during the Cannes Film Festival.

The actor has previously been in a string of A-list relationships, including a rumoured six year relationship with Katie Holmes - which the pair kept under-the-radar.

Jamie is also a dad-of-two, as he shares 28-year-old daughter Corinne Foxx with ex-girlfriend Connie Kline and youngest daughter Annalise Bishop, 13, who he shares with his ex Kristin Grannis.
Lupita Nyong'o cut a chic figure on Saturday as she attended the third day of Comic Con International: San Diego at the city's conference centre.

The actress, 39, donned high neck maxi dress with colourful panel detailing and a long sleeved design.

She attended the event to promote upcoming Marvel flick Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - unveiling a teaser trailer on the day.

Bright: Lupita Nyong'o, 39, looked gorgeous in a colourful panelled maxi dress as she took to Comic Con in San Diego on Saturday

Her dress featured a thigh grazing slit, as she paired it with platformed chunky heels with an open toe.

Lupita's tresses were sleekly styled back away from her face, as the beauty added a radiant palette of makeup with a soft pink lip.

She added a pair of pink framed glasses and a selection of silver jewellery whilst making her way to the stage.

Glowing: The beauty added a radiant palette of makeup with a soft pink lip

Stylish: She donned high neck maxi dress with colourful panel detailing and a long sleeved design for the event

Before the cast took to the stage, a group of musicians and dancers playing African drums and singing gave a performance that got the crowd going.

Lupita then headed before the crowd alongside co-stars Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke.

The cast presented fans with a teaser for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - as Lupita's character Nakia kicked things off in the video.

Height elevating: She paired the ensemble with platformed chunky heels

Chic: Lupita's tresses were sleekly styled back away from her face as she added pink framed glasses

The video began with Nakia stepping out onto a majestic beach, before several scenes from the nation of Wakanda are shown, and Letitia Wright's Shuri and Angela Bassett's Ramonda are also seen.

Not only a cultural milestone, the first Black Panther film became the first superhero film nominated for the best picture Oscar

Later at the event, she also posed for a snap with Tenoch Huerta, who will be playing character Namor in the new film.

Cast: Lupita then headed before the crowd alongside Black Panther co-stars Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira, Florence Kasumba and Winston Duke

Smiles: Later at the event, she also posed for a snap with Tenoch Huerta, who will be playing character Namor in the new film
The members of Girls Aloud reunited in Hyde Park on Sunday for the first time in nine years as they paid tribute to the life of their late bandmate Sarah Harding.

Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh took part in the Race for Life for Sarah 5k event in order to raise money for breast cancer, marking their first public appearance together since 2013.

Sarah died aged 39 in September last year after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which then spread to other parts of her body.

An emotional Cheryl, 39, paid tribute to her late bandmate in a speech to the crowds, admitting she never 'anticipated or experienced' the level of grief she would feel since Sarah's passing.

Reunited: The members of Girls Aloud reunited in Hyde Park on Sunday for the first time in nine years as they paid tribute to the life of their late bandmate Sarah Harding

Cheryl, Nadine and Nicola were all in Hyde Park for the event while Kimberley completed the walk remotely.

Kimberley did make an appearance later as she did an Instagram Live with the other girls following the race.

Thousands of fans gathered in the park to take part in the cause, with the band hoping to raise funds for a medical kit to help detect cancer earlier.

Tragedy: Sarah died aged 39 in September last year after being diagnosed with breast cancer, which then spread to other parts of her body

Success: Sarah and the rest of Girls Aloud rose to fame when they were put together on the show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002 (pictured in 2006)

Event: Cheryl, Nadine Coyle, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh took part in the Race for Life for Sarah 5k event in order to raise money for breast cancer, marking their first public appearance together since 2013

Cheryl said: 'To be honest, I've never experienced or anticipated this grief.

'You know, I've lost grandparents when I was younger and I lost a friend when I was younger but nothing like this, the feeling of shock and disbelief and it still lingers now to be honest. I still can't quite believe it's real.'

The event comes soon after Cheryl told MailOnline her feelings of 'helplessness was extremely overwhelming' when Sarah disclosed that her cancer couldn't be cured.

She said: 'I asked her so much to give me something I could do to make her happy or comfortable, anything at all.

Together again: Nicola, Cheryl and Nadine were all in Hyde Park for the event while Kimberley completed the walk remotely

Stage: Thousands of fans gathered in the park to take part in the cause, with the band hoping to raise funds for a medical kit to help detect cancer earlier

Emotional: Cheryl gave a candid speech to the crowd before the race where she admitted she didn't anticipate the level of grief she would feel following Sarah's passing

She said: 'To be honest, I've never experienced or anticipated this grief' (pictured with Michelle Mitchell, the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK)

'Towards the end, she asked me to create a gala in her honour to fund a crucial study that her doctor was working on so I am committed to doing just that.'

Nadine added: 'She talked to us all about this several times. Sarah felt really passionately about wanting to help other people in the same situation as her, or who could be at risk of finding themselves in the same situation she was in.

'She really wanted to do some fundraising herself, but sadly just wasn't well enough, so we promised her we would do it for her.

'She'd have loved the Race For Life  she'd have loved to have been involved. We know for sure she will be there with us in spirit on July 24 in Hyde Park.'

Cheryl added: 'You know, I've lost grandparents when I was younger and I lost a friend when I was younger but nothing like this, the feeling of shock and disbelief and it still lingers now to be honest. I still can't quite believe it's real'

Good cause: Nicola sported a Race For Life T-shirt and black leggings as she took part in the run

Heartbreaking: Cheryl told MailOnline her feelings of 'helplessness was extremely overwhelming' when Sarah disclosed that her cancer couldn't be cured

Live: Cheryl and Nicola greeted fans on Instagram Live following the race

Greeting: Nadine finished the race last and joined Nicola to say hello to Kimberley

Abroad: Kimberley phoned in just after finishing her race remotely

'How it started': Kimberley shared a snap of herself prior to heading off on the run

'Team Sarah': Kimberley was joined by several family members on her run

Kimberley said: 'She talked to us about this when we were all together and individually.

'We all want to be as proactive as possible to help raise as much money in her name as we can. We promised her we would.'

Nicola said the girls would have raised funds for breast cancer even if Sarah hadn't asked them, as it will help their many fans who are 'in the same fight she was in'.

When asked why it was important for The Promise hitmakers to come together for the race, Cheryl said: 'Sarah was such an integral part of us all.

Together: The trio looked in good spirits to be together again as they welcomed their fans to the park

Cheryl said of Sarah: 'I asked her so much to give me something I could do to make her happy or comfortable, anything at all'

She added: 'Towards the end, she asked me to create a gala in her honour to fund a crucial study that her doctor was working on so I am committed to doing just that'

Nadine added: 'She talked to us all about this several times. Sarah felt really passionately about wanting to help other people in the same situation as her, or who could be at risk of finding themselves in the same situation she was in'

Radiant: Cheryl was all smiles as she began the race alongside hundreds of supporters

'It is the most natural thing to do for Sarah and her legacy to come together in support of her and others who may be going through the same devastation we experienced.'

Nadine added: 'When we were asked if we'd like to do this we all said yes straight away. I think it's such a crucial cause and we'd like to do all we can to help.'

Kimberley chimed in: 'When Sarah was sick we all felt so helpless. I think she'd be really happy we're all doing this.'

She continued: 'Sarah wanted us to raise money for the Christie Hospital where she was treated.

Nadine added: 'She really wanted to do some fundraising herself, but sadly just wasn't well enough, so we promised her we would do it for her'

Plans: Girls Aloud are planning other fundraising activities in 2022, culminating in a huge gala dinner in the next few months, with more details coming soon

Cheryl explained: 'We have a gala dinner planned for later this year in Sarah's honour and at her request. We will be collaborating with Cancer Research UK to raise funding and awareness'

'Beyond that we'll always do what we can to help raise money and awareness for cancer and breast cancer awareness.'

Girls Aloud are planning other fundraising activities in 2022, culminating in a huge gala dinner in the next few months, with more details coming soon.

Cheryl explained: 'We have a gala dinner planned for later this year in Sarah's honour and at her request. We will be collaborating with Cancer Research UK to raise funding and awareness.'

Heartbreaking: Sarah's mother Marie confirmed her daughter's passing in an Instagram post, saying she 'slipped away peacefully' and called her a 'bright shining star' (pictured in 2018)

Open book: Sarah documented her cancer battle in memoir, Hear Me Out, and shared this snap when she first revealed her diagnosis publicly in August 2020

Nicola detailed how they've been 'asking big companies to put their hands in their pockets' in order to support the crucial cause.

She said: 'I'm happy with what we have planned and feel we've successfully set out to do what we wanted in making everyone feel included but make a big monetary difference for the charities.'

Sarah and the rest of Girls Aloud rose to fame when they were put together on the show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.

Sarah's mother Marie confirmed her daughter's passing in an Instagram post, saying she 'slipped away peacefully' and called her a 'bright shining star'.

History makers: Girls Aloud at pictured at the Brit Awards in 2009 - where they won the Best British Single gong
Margot Robbie is set to return to her old stomping ground of Neighbours.

The Australian actress will appear in the finale episode, in a cameo filmed over Zoom, news.com.au reported on Sunday.

The 32-year-old, who played Donna Freedman on the soap between 2008 and 2011, was reportedly unable to fly home to shoot the scenes.

Margot Robbie (pictured) is set to return to her old stomping ground of Neighbours. The Australian actress will appear in the finale episode, in a cameo filmed over Zoom, news.com.au reported on Sunday

Instead, she recorded an appearance over video link, and sent pricey Champagne to the cast as thanks.

Neighbours star April Rose Pengilly shared a photo of a glass of bubbly to Instagram Stories, tagging Margot.

The publication reported that former stars Delta Goodrem, Kym Valentine, Carla Bonner and Jesse Spencer are all set to return too.

The 32-year-old, who played Donna Freedman on the soap between 2008 and 2011, was reportedly unable to fly home to shoot the scenes. Pictured on Neighbours

Instead, she recorded an appearance over video link, and sent pricey Champagne to the cast as thanks

It comes after the plot for the finale episode of the cancelled Australian soap opera was leaked.

In the 90 minute special, the cast will gather for the wedding of Toadie Rebecchi, played by Ryan Moloney, and Melanie Pearson, played by Lucinda Cowden.

The event will bring together cast members from the past and present, The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

Neighbours star April Rose Pengilly shared a photo of a glass of bubbly to Instagram Stories, tagging Margot

The plot for the finale episode of cancelled Australian soap opera Neighbours has been leaked. In the 90 minute special, the cast will gather for the wedding of Toadie Rebecchi, played by Ryan Moloney (right), and Melanie Pearson, played by Lucinda Cowden (left)

A major storyline will revolve around returning favourites Guy Pearce and Annie Jones.

Their characters, Mike Young and Jane Harris, are former lovebirds, and old romantic feelings will be stirred at the wedding between the one-time couple.

Elsewhere in the plot, Dr Karl Kennedy, played by Alan Fletcher, will face a drama with his former on-screen lover Izzy Hoyland, played by Natalie Bassingthwaighte.

A major storyline will revolve around returning favourites Guy Pearce (left) and Annie Jones (right)

Their characters, Mike Young and Jane Harris, are former lovebirds. Pictured during their time on Neighbours

Paul Robinson, played by Stefan Dennis, faces selling his hotel to Shane Ramsay, played by Peter O'Brien.

A leaked script earlier revealed the fate of Scott and Charlene Robinson, played by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue.

The couple will return to Erinsborough at the end of the episode and deliver the closing lines, according to Popbitch.

While attending the wedding, old romantic feelings will be stirred between the one-time couple

Elsewhere in the plot, Dr Karl Kennedy, played by Alan Fletcher will face a drama with his former on-screen lover Izzy Hoyland, played by Natalie Bassingthwaighte. Both pictured

The Daily Telegraph reports that Charlene will be seen diving her iconic green Mini into Ramsay Street during the episode.

The couple's televised wedding was watched by 22 million people in Australia and the UK back in 1987.

Kylie and Jason recently snuck into Australia to shoot their final scenes for the soap, sharing some behind the scenes images from the set to Instagram.

A leaked script earlier revealed the fate of Scott and Charlene Robinson, played by Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue. Pictured together in behind the scenes images from the set

Charlene will be seen diving her iconic green Mini into Ramsay Street during the episode. The pair will then deliver the show's closing lines, according to Popbitch

Returning cast members include Melissa Bell, Olympia Valance, Melissa Bell, Ian Smith, Paul Keane, Bonnie Anderson, Daniel MacPherson and Jodi Gordon.

Neighbours was axed after the UK's Channel 5 decided in March not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle to finance and broadcast the series.

The Neighbours finale will go to air on Channel 10 and 10Peach on July 28.
Lance 'Buddy' Franklin's ex-girlfriend Kasia Zachwieja has tied the knot with designer Andy Paltos.

The couple announced their 'shotgun elopement' on Sunday, sharing an image of their big day earlier this month to Instagram.

In the joyous frame staged on the streets of Paris, Kasia is seen tossing her voluminous veil in the breeze as groom Andy stands beside her in a chic black suit.

Buddy Franklin's ex-girlfriend Kasia Z has tied the knot with designer Andy Paltos in Paris. Pictured: Kasia and Andy

The blushing bride wrote beside the image: 'On 11.07.22 I vowed that you would have my (love) forever. You are my dream man & I am the luckiest girl on Earth... I will grow old with you and we will be holding hands forever. I love you Andy Paltos,'

She added: '11:11 Forever Yours  The Miracle of Love.'

Kasia went on to say their 'shotgun elopement' was flooded with love from every angle.

'There are some really important people I want to thank for making this dream come true,' she wrote, before thanking Kyha Studios for making the dress of her dreams.

'The whole process was simply beyond my wildest dreams... I truly felt like a princess and your efforts were next level.'

The couple announced their 'shotgun elopement' on Sunday, sharing an image of their big day earlier this month to Instagram.

Andy was equally jubilant about Kasia on Instagram.

'Married the love of my life. Looking forward to part 2 with our beautiful family back home,' he wrote.

Andy proposed in July 2019 at celebrity hot spot NOBU in Miami, Florida.

Andy proposed in July 2019 at celebrity hot spot NOBU in Miami, Florida

Kasia and Buddy met through mutual friends in 2005.

They split in early 2012, with the Swans forward saying at the time that 'things just fell apart'.

Buddy has also moved on since his breakup with Kasia and is now married to former Miss Universe Australia Jesinta Campbell.
Declan Donnelly has confirmed the birth of his second child, a baby boy, with wife Ali Astall - just two weeks after the sudden death of his older brother.

The TV presenter confirmed the surprise birth in an Instagram post shared with followers on Sunday evening and revealed they had named the child Jack Anthony Alphonsus.

The newborn child's name is in part a tribute to Dec's long-term presenting partner Ant McPartlin and his Northern Irish father, Alphonsus Donnelly, who passed away in 2011 after battling cancer.

News of the birth comes as the TV personality, 46, grieves the loss of his Roman Catholic priest brother Dermott following his unexpected death at the age of 55 on July 8.

Happy news: Declan Donnelly has confirmed the birth of his second child, a baby boy, with wife Ali Astall - just two weeks after the sudden death of his older brother

Taking to his social media platforms, Dec - who also raises three-year old daughter Isla with his wife - wrote: 'Shortly before 10am yesterday, 23.7.2022, Ali and I welcomed the arrival of our son, Jack Anthony Alphonsus, a very welcome ray of light.

'He is wonderful and Isla is beyond excited to be a big sister.'

Dec accompanied the message with a photo of his newborn son's tiny hand clutching onto his finger.

Update: The TV presenter confirmed the surprise birth in an Instagram post shared with followers on Sunday evening (pictured in 2018)

Speculation mounted that Ali was expecting when she missed the Bafta TV Awards in May this year.

Ali's absence was notable as Ant's wife, Anne-Marie Corbett, joined the Geordie duo for the glittering ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall, where they won the Best Entertainment Show prize for Saturday Night Takeaway.

Instead, a casually dressed Ali, 43, spent the weekend doing chores near their home in Chiswick, West London, where she was seen wearing a hoodie, leggings and sliders, with an onlooker telling the Daily Mail's Richard Eden: 'She looked as if she might be pregnant.'

Dec and Ali became first time parents in 2018, welcoming baby daughter Isla Elizabeth Anne into the world in August of that year.

Happy parents: Dec and Ali became first time parents in 2018, welcoming baby daughter Isla Elizabeth Anne into the world in August of that year

Doting dad: Dec was seen carrying daughter Isla in his arms as he walked alongside wife Ali (pictured in 2019)

Happy couples: (L-R) Anne-Marie Corbett, Ant McPartlin, Dec and Ali are seen at the National Television Awards in London last year

Ant and Dec's official Twitter page confirmed the exciting news at the time with a sweet snap of their newborn daughter delicately holding her proud dad's hand.

An accompanying caption read: 'Ali and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of our baby girl, Isla Elizabeth Anne, who was born just after 9 o'clock this morning. Mother and daughter both doing well, Dad is head over heels! D x'

Dec has previously spoken about how fatherhood in 2018 changed his life after he married Ali, his former manager, in 2015.

'Becoming a dad has completely transformed me,' said Dec, 46. 'I felt a love that I didn't realise it was possible to feel. Everything I do, every day, is for my daughter now.'

Dec is set to lay his beloved brother to rest at a funeral next Friday after racing to be by his sibling Father Dermott Donnelly's side after he collapsed earlier this month.

The priest's death was later confirmed by the Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle.

Friends and family of Father Donnelly, who died at the age of 55, will gather in Newcastle next week to bid an emotional farewell and pay their respects.

Sad news: The TV star raced to be by his Father Dermott Donnelly's side after he collapsed earlier this month but the priest later died after a serious illness (Father Dermott pictured in 2015)

In addition to loved ones from Dec's parents' native Ireland, priests and clerics from across the North East region of England, where Dermott served in the Catholic church, will attend, according to the Mirror.

The Donnelly family said in a statement: 'Due to limited space, we would encourage those who wish to participate in the Requiem Mass on Friday 29 July to gather at St Michaels church.

'The Mass will be live-streamed and Holy Communion will be made available. Following the Requiem Mass, Fr Dermotts cortege will pass St Michaels for those who wish to pay their respects.'

Siblings: Declan Donnelly's brother (centre) died aged 55 after being rushed to hospital with a 'mystery illness' (Pictured: Ant and Dec with Dec's brother Dermott)

Heartache: The TV presenter wrote on Twitter: 'I am heartbroken to tell you that my darling brother Fr Dermott, @TweeterPriest, sadly passed away this afternoon'

Father Dermott was taken into hospital after a series illness and his body will be received into St Michaels, Newcastle on Thursday.

In a statement after Dermott's death, the Donnelly family said in a statement: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you of the death of Fr Dermott Donnelly who died peacefully this afternoon in hospital.

'This has come as a great shock to all of us.

'Please pray for the repose of his soul and keep his family, especially his mother, in your prayers at this difficult time.'

An insider had earlier revealed to The Sun how Dec  one half of the presenting duo Ant and Dec  had returned to the north east of England to join his family at Father Dermott's bedside.

They told how the priest's loved ones had been praying that he would 'pull through' after becoming 'extremely unwell' in hospital.

The source said: 'Dec arrived with other family members. There are around 12 of them there at the hospital.'

After Father Dermott's death, a spokesman for the Saturday Night Takeaway host said: 'It is with great sadness that we confirm the death of Fr Dermott Donnelly who died peacefully this afternoon in hospital surrounded by his family and close friends. We ask for the utmost privacy for the Donnelly family at this difficult time.'

Father Peter Kyi Maung, who served with Dermott at St Joseph's Church in Stanley, Co. Durham, said: 'He was hardly breathing in the bed, it was so sad. They think he had bleeding on the brain.

'Declan had come to be with him and their mum was there as well, I saw her at the hospital and it was so hard for her, a mother seeing her dying son. When she hugged me, I knew how much she was suffering.'

Father Dermott conducted Dec's wedding to Ali Astall in 2015 in front of a star-studded guest list, which included the star's TV sidekick Ant McPartlin and presenter Dermot O'Leary.

The parish priest from County Durham was also recently pictured outside 10 Downing Street after being invited by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to join religious leaders to pray for peace in Ukraine.
Laura Whitmore looked incredible on Sunday, as she prepared to host the latest episode of Love Island: Aftersun.

The TV presenter, 37, dazzled in a minidress adorned with purple and blue flowers that shimmered under the lights.

The dress boasted a plunging neckline that showed off her ample cleavage, and voluminous sleeves.

Sensational: Laura Whitmore looked incredible on Sunday, as she prepared to host the latest episode of Love Island: Aftersun

She added height to her frame with a pair of black high heels, which accentuated her long legs.

Her blonde tresses were scraped back in an elegant bun, and she opted for a dramatic smoky eyeshadow look.

It was recently confirmed Laura would not be returning to her Sunday BBC Radio 5 show after the current season of Love Island ends in August.

BBC Radio 5 Live's Twitter account posted that Countryfile star Helen Skelton, 39, would be taking over Laura's slot next month.

Incredible: The TV presenter, 37, dazzled in a minidress adorned with purple and blue flowers that shimmered under the lights

Stylish: The dress boasted a plunging neckline that showed off her ample cleavage, and voluminous sleeves

They wrote: 'Weve got some exciting news... @HelenSkelton will present a new-look Sunday morning programme on BBC Radio 5 Live.

'The new show, from 10am to midday, launches on August 14th. Welcome Helen'.

Laura's self-titled programme has been running for four years and according to The Sun, she is keen to make the most of becoming a household name on TV following the exposure it's given her.

Heidi Dawson, controller of BBC Radio 5 Live, told MailOnline: 'Laura has made the difficult decision to leave after a brilliant four years.

Departure: It was recently confirmed Laura would not be returning to her Sunday BBC Radio 5 show after the current season of Love Island ends in August

Announcement: BBC Radio 5 Live's Twitter account posted that Countryfile star Helen Skelton, 39, would be taking over Laura's slot next month

'We'd like to thank her for the energy, insight and humour she has brought to this programme and look forward to working with her again in the near future.'

A TV insider also told The Sun: 'Love Island has given her huge exposure and a healthy pay packet, and she's now going to exploit that to the max.

'Laura has already hinted she has other projects in the pipeline and she can't find the time to continue with all her roles.

'So something had to go, and it's sad for listeners that this is what's been jettisoned as she moves onwards and upwards.'

The Irish star, who is married to and has a daughter with Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, launched her weekly programme in 2018.

She started fronting the hit dating show in 2020, followed by a contract from Nintendo to feature in one of their ads and a captain role on ITV2's now-cancelled Celebrity Juice.
Home and Away's Dan Ewing has welcomed a daughter with fiancee Kat Risteska.

The soap star, who already has a son named Archie with ex-wife Marni Little, became a father for the second time on Friday, naming his daughter Nevaeh.

Nevaeh, a modern name originating in America, is 'heaven' spelled backwards.

Home and Away star Dan Ewing, 37, has welcomed a daughter with his fiancee Kat Risteska, 27. The couple named their little girl Nevaeh - a modern name that is 'heaven' spelled backwards

Announcing his child's arrival on Sunday night, Dan wrote on Instagram: 'My darling daughter. You were sent here by one very special guardian angel in particular, of that I am certain.'

'Your beautiful mum, big brother Archie and I are so blessed you found your way to us. Welcome to the world, little girl. 22/07/2022. Nevaeh Catherine Ewing.'

Dan, 37, accompanied his post with a photo of little Nevaeh sleeping in her bassinet next to a plaque bearing her name, and a second sign that read 'Hello world!'

He also included pictures of the couple cradling Nevaeh in hospital shortly after she was born.

Announcing his child's arrival on Sunday night, Dan wrote on Instagram: 'My darling daughter. You were sent here by one very special guardian angel in particular of that I am certain'

Kat, 27, also shared the happy news on her own Instagram account, writing: 'I've waited my whole life for this moment.'

'At 11.15am on 22.7.22, our beautiful daughter Nevaeh Catherine Ewing entered this world. Our hearts are so full,' she added.

Dan and Kat announced they were expecting their first child together in March.

Dan accompanied his post with a photo of little Nevaeh sleeping in her bassinet next to a plaque bearing her name, and a second sign that read 'Hello world!'

Posting to Instagram at the time, Dan shared a series of videos and photos of Kat showing off her blossoming bump.

'Miracle number two on the way! @katristeska, big bros Archie and Boston and I can't wait to meet our new little buddy!' the SAS Australia star wrote.

Archie is Dan's eight-year-old son, while Boston is the family's dog.

Dan and Kat announced they were expecting their first child together in March

Dan shares eight-year-old son Archie (pictured) with his ex-wife, comedy writer Marni Little

Kat shared the same video to her Instagram, adding the caption: 'I've waited my whole life for you, Angel.

'[Dan and I] are so excited to be extending our family. Mummy, Daddy and big bros Archie and Boston can't wait to meet you. You are already so loved little one.'

Dan announced his engagement to professional dancer Kat, whom he has been dating since 2016, in December last year.

Dan announced his engagement to professional dancer Kat, whom he has been dating since 2016, in December last year

He shared the news on Instagram on Christmas Day, showing off Kat's stunning ring.

Dan posted a picture of her bling and captioned it: 'All I want for Christmas is...'

The Chasing Comets actor presented Kat with an oval diamond ring with a unique gold band setting.

He shared the news on Instagram on Christmas Day, showing off Kat's stunning diamond ring
students of higher classes are facing problems due to the Telugu medium of education, as even the bilingual textbooks translate concepts from Telugu to English. (Representational Image/DC

Hyderabad: Student enrolment has seen a sharp spike in government schools, with many from Andhra Pradesh and non-Telugu states  wards of migrant labourers who work at construction sites  joining in large numbers.

However, students of higher classes are facing problems due to the Telugu medium of education, as even the bilingual textbooks translate concepts from Telugu to English.

Authorities said that the enrolment of students from other states at schools near industrial clusters is particularly high, with natives of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat outnumbering locals in several instances.

V. Niranjan, a headmaster of a government high school near Shaikpet, said that students could join Hindi-medium schools, but they preferred Telugu medium schools due to proximity, as well as to blend in with the locals.

We do not deny admission to any student. There are many who have joined after Class 7 and 8, but they face difficulties coping with the Telugu language. We teach them the basics and there are bridge courses for Telugu as well. A few teachers try teaching them in English and Hindi, but that is rare, said M. Nayak, the headmaster of a primary government school in Manikonda.

Nayak said that in his school, 40 per cent of the students are from Telangana and 30 per cent from Andhra Pradesh, while the rest are from Bihar, Gujarat and Odisha.

However, teachers said that Hindi speakers who joined their schools from class 1 are now fluent in speaking and reading/writing Telugu.

Spandana Choudhary, the headmaster of a government school in Medak, said that the best performers in her school are students from Bihar and Odisha, who joined from primary classes.

When students walk in from other states, we make sure they submit a proper TC before we enrol them. However, we are letting that go for students up to class 8 as they belong to poor backgrounds. Some of these students really want to blend in and learn the Telugu language, she said.
More than 600 residents living in Silver Springs Apartment at Quthbullapur woke up on Saturday morning to that building being inundated with drain water from an adjourning nala that passes through their boundary wall. (Photo: DC)

HYDERABAD: More than 600 residents living in Silver Springs Apartment at Quthbullapur woke up on Saturday morning to that building being inundated with drain water from an adjourning nala that passes through their boundary wall.

Parked vehicles were submerged in waist-deep water and the residents were not in a position to leave the building. The most affected were the residents of the C-Block. There are a total of 630 flats in the apartment complex spread in nine blocks.

The residents expressed their anguish as municipal authorities, despite constant complaints and several representations, allegedly did not do anything to prevent the nala from flooding. Whenever such incidents took place, the civic officials came with rescue teams, but they were not finding a permanent solution for the problems, they said.

Avula Bhaskar, general secretary of the residents welfare association, said, Whenever there are heavy rains, water flow increases in the nala, and water enters our apartment, flooding the whole area. During the previous monsoon, most of our vehicles were submerged. Even today, many of our vehicles are submerged in the drain waters.

Karnam Bheemsen Rao, a resident, said, We had no electricity. Our electric meter room is submerged in water whenever this place is flooded. This is not the first time such a thing is happening. We have been facing the problem for the past eight to nine years. The nala water enters our apartment premises whenever there is rain.

There are 630 flats in this apartment. This building was constructed by Modi Builders in 2006. Out of the total nine blocks in this apartment, C Block is the most affected as it is close to the nala, he added.
Fourteen agricultural labourers and shepherds stranded in floodwaters of Lingala Ghanpur mandal in Jangaon were rescued on Saturday, as the Chituru Gopu Wagu overflowed due to incessant rainfall. (Photo: Twitter)

Warangal: Fourteen agricultural labourers and shepherds stranded in floodwaters of Lingala Ghanpur mandal in Jangaon were rescued on Saturday, as the Chituru Gopu Wagu overflowed due to incessant rainfall.

Officials said that the 14 persons had gone for work on Friday morning but were struck while returning home in the evening. They took shelter at a burial yard for the night. The police engaged NDRF teams to rescue them.

Incessant rainfall continued to throw life out of gear in Jangaon. Several residential areas, namely Srinagar Colony, Balajinagar and Jyothinagar, were submerged in rainwater.

Traffic movement came to halt as a low-lying bridge between Kantaipalem and Thorrur villages of Palakurthy constituency went underwater.

The premises of the regional transport office (RTO) in the district headquarters were submerged in the rainwater.

Jangaon DCC chief Janga Raghava Reddy took a jibe at the government, claiming that they had opposed the setting up of a new RTO at the site, which housed a lake earlier, but their opposition fell on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, panchayat raj minister E. Dayakar Rao chaired a review meeting at the collectorate on Saturday and directed officials for round-the-clock vigilance to prevent untoward incidents.

Officials were also directed to relocate people from low-lying areas to relief centres and to keep a check on the spread of seasonal diseases.
A health worker works at Monkey pox ward which has been set up at fever hospital as country has recorded first case few days back (Deepak Deshpande/DC)

HYDERABAD: The first suspected case of monkeypox in the state was reported in Kamareddy on Sunday. The patient, who had returned from Kuwait earlier this month, was shifted to the monkeypox isolation ward at the Fever Hospital in Nallakunta and tested on Sunday evening. None of his six contacts showed any symptoms, an official said.

Director of public health (DPH) Dr G. Srinivasa Rao, in a release, stated that the patient, a 40-year-old man from Indiranagar Colony, Kamareddy district, arrived from Kuwait on July 6 and had developed fever on July 20. He developed rashes on July 23 and visited a private hospital in Kamareddy the next morning. The doctor identified symptoms of monkeypox and referred him to the Kamareddy district hospital.

The patient was then sent to Fever Hospital in an ambulance. The DPH said samples collected from the patient would be sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Until then, he would be kept in isolation in the Fever Hospital and provided treatment. Officials identified six people who had direct contact with this person. None of them had any symptoms. However, they have been isolated. The DPH advised people not to worry about monkeypox and it was not a fatal disease.

There are two isolation wards at Fever Hospital  one for males and another for females - with a total of 36 beds.

On Sunday, India's fourth confirmed case of monkeypox was detected in New Delhi. Before this, three cases were confirmed in Kerala. As per directions issued by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, all airports, including the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, set up thermal screening since May 20.
Japans former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose tragic assassination on July 8 was mourned all around the world, has been widely referred to as the island nations most consequential head of government. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had referred to him as a personal friend and not just as a friend of India. Indeed, there are few world leaders who have had a genuinely warm personal relationship with both Mr Modi and Dr Singh, given the very different personality of the two PMs. Therein lies the secret of Abes importance to the new Japan-India relationship.

At the purely government-to-government level, the India-Japan relationship went through its ups and downs over the past 70 years. Interestingly, till Abes first official visit to India in 2007, the most memorable visit of a post-war Japanese PM was that of Abes grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, who came in 1957. Jawaharlal Nehru played host in his inimitable manner and established a firm bond between two newly-established countries that have had long historical associations. Years earlier Nehru had written in his Glimpses of World History how Russias defeat at the hands of Japan in 1905 had inspired Indian freedom fighters because it was the first time in centuries that an Asian nation had worsted a European one.

Nehru would also have been familiar with the enormous praise that Japans modernisation and rapid industrialisation, in the 19th century, had elicited from such great Indian leaders as Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, M. Vishwesvarayya and Jamsetji Tata, after their visits to Japan at the turn of the nineteenth century. Yet, the Cold War kept the two Asian nations apart. After the Cold War ended, Japan was seduced by Chinas rising and expanding home market and industrial opportunity, and so through the 1990s it ignored India, focusing on China.

Indias decision to declare itself a nuclear weapons power in May 1998 made matters worse with Japan imposing sanctions, citing its principled opposition to nuclear weapons. In December 1998 the Atal Behari Vajpayee government sponsored the visit to Japan of a non-official delegation which included strategic affairs guru K. Subrahmanyam, defence analyst Jasjit Singh, former defence secretary N.N. Vohra, retired diplomat Arjun Asrani and this writer. Our task was to convince Japanese think tanks and public opinion of the merits of the Indian case. Abe was one of the few Japanese officials willing to lend an ear at that time to an Indian voice, including that of an Indian diplomat then posted in Tokyo, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, who is now Indias external affairs minister.

In 2000 the first steps were taken when Prime Ministers Vajpayee and Yoshiro Mori signed a joint statement designating each others nations as global partners. In April 2005 Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Junichiro Koizumi defined the bilateral relationship as both global and strategic. This was the turning point. They outlined an eight-fold initiative for enhanced cooperation that included a high-level strategic dialogue; comprehensive economic engagement; cooperation in science and technology and strengthening of people-to-people contacts; and, joining forces in dealing with the challenges and opportunities of what they termed as the new Asian era.

While Mori and Koizumi laid the foundations of the new India-Japan relationship, along with Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, it was Abe who conceived the architecture of the total edifice when he addressed the Indian Parliament in August 2005. The Pacific and the Indian Oceans are now bringing about a dynamic coupling as seas of freedom and of prosperity. A broader Asia that broke away geographical boundaries is now beginning to take on a distinct form. Our two countries have the ability  and the responsibility  to ensure that it broadens yet further and to nurture and enrich these seas to become seas of clearest transparence. This is a speech worth reading even today. (It is available here)

Two statistics worth noting. Till 2006, the curve of inward Japanese investment into India was virtually flat. After 2007 it rose sharply. Till 2005 the total number of annual visits to India of Japanese ministers were in the single digits  in fact no more than four or five. After 2005 there was a sharp increase with as many as 20 to 25 ministers visiting India. Abe was the author of this enhanced official engagement with India. Finally, Abe gave a new direction to Asian security architecture and Indias external security environment by promoting the concept of the Indo-Pacific. His confluence of the two seas speech laid out the framework for what has since been termed the Indo-Pacific and built the basis for the constitution of the Quadrilateral Security Initiative, otherwise known as the Quad.

While India and Japan are the real pillars of the Indo-Pacific region, their bilateral relationship should be defined sui generis rather than in a regional geopolitical context. The geo-economic synergy between Japan, which is a high-tech but an ageing, labour deficient economy, and India, a developing economy in need of technology and saddled with a young labour force, is fairly obvious. Japan needs land, raw materials and labour. India needs technology and investment. Both need each others markets. The synergy is elf-evident.

Moreover, India is one of the few major countries that carries no negative historical baggage with regard to Japan. Both Western nations and many of Japans neighbours like to remind Japan of its imperial and war-time past. They have been critical of Abes policy of reviving Japans military power. India would like to see Japan normalised as an Asian democracy with military capabilities. If the imperialist powers of the West would like all post-colonial developing nations to let bygones be bygones and seek to redefine their relations on the basis of shared democratic values, why cannot Japan expect the same? Every country has a past that it seeks to forget. Reviving Japans military capabilities, and even allowing Japan to become a declared nuclear power, is in the interests of regional stability in Asia. If the world has come to terms with the nuclear status of China, India, Pakistan and North Korea, why not Japan?
A rights group documenting alleged abuses in Sri Lanka has filed a criminal complaint with Singapore's attorney general, seeking the arrest of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his role in the South Asian nation's decades-long civil war.

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) said Rajapaksa committed grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions during the civil war in 2009 when he was country's defence chief, according to a copy of the complaint seen by Reuters.

The South Africa-based ITJP argued that based on universal jurisdiction the alleged abuses were subject to prosecution in Singapore, where he fled after months of unrest over his country's economic crisis.

Also Read | Sri Lanka's Presidential Secretariat set to resume operations

Rajapaksa submitted his resignation in Singapore, a day after fleeing on July 13. Anti-government protesters had stormed the offices and official residences of the president and the prime minister.

The criminal complaint that has been filed is (based on) verifiable information on both the crimes that have been committed, but also on evidence really linking the individual in question, who is now in Singapore, Alexandra Lily Kather, one of the lawyers that drafted the complaint, told Reuters by telephone from Berlin.

Singapore really has a unique opportunity with this complaint, with its own law and with its own policy, to speak truth to power.

Rajapaksa could not be reached for comment through Sri Lanka's High Commission in Singapore. He has previously strenuously denied allegations he was responsible for rights abuses during the war.

Also Read | Human Rights Watch warns Sri Lanka against using force on anti-government protesters

A spokesperson for Singapore's attorney general did not respond to a request for comment. The country's foreign ministry has said Rajapaksa entered the Southeast Asian city-state on a private visit and had not sought or been granted asylum.

Shubhankar Dam, a professor at the University of Portsmouth School of Law in Britain, who has taught in Singapore, said while its courts were able to try alleged war crimes, genocide, and torture, it has repeatedly stated that such jurisdiction should only be invoked as a last resort.

"While neutrality is not officially enshrined in Singapore's foreign policy, it has long cultivated a form of even-handedness," Dam said.

"Any decision to prosecute a former foreign head of state has to be balanced against its foreign policy objectives."

Also Read | Over 1,000 artefacts missing from Lankas Presidential Palace and PM's official residence by protesters: Police

Sri Lanka ended a 25-year civil war between separatist insurgents from the ethnic Tamil minority and government forces in 2009. Rights groups accused both sides of abuses during the war.

The ITJP assisted in two civil lawsuits against Rajapaksa, proceedings for one of which were served in a California parking lot in 2019. Rajapaksa was a US citizen at the time.

Both cases were withdrawn after Rajapaksa was granted diplomatic immunity upon becoming president later that year.
Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe told diplomats this week that non-violent protests against his government will be allowed to continue, including in the commercial capital Colombo, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

In a pre-dawn raid on Friday, hundreds of security personnel dismantled part of an anti-government protest camp outside the presidential secretariat, raising fears of a wider crackdown by Wickremesinghe who was sworn in a day earlier.

"President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly," his office said in a statement, describing a meeting with Colombo-based envoys.

Also Read | International rights group seeking arrest of former Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in Singapore

"The Diplomats were also briefed on the measures being taken to ensure that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives."

Friday's raid drew condemnation from the United Nations and Western envoys who urged the government to exercise restraint, saying the use of force could further destabilise the island nation suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades.

Wickremesinghe took office following victory in a parliamentary vote after his successor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country and resigned after mass protests triggered by his mishandling of the economy.

The country of 22 million people has been suffering persistent shortages of fuel, food and other necessities, having run out of foreign exchange to bring in essential imports.
CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty on Saturday urged Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Vinayak Bandyopadhyay and other eminent personalities to refuse awards from the West Bengal government when victims of the school jobs scam are suffering.

Though the government is yet to come out with a list of the persons to be conferred the states top civilian awards such as 'Banga Bibhusan' and 'Banga Bhusan', media reports have suggested that Bandyopadhyay will be one of the awardees.

"At the onset of the crude financial scam perpetrated by the TMC,  I, a Leftist commoner, would like to appeal to you to refuse the so-called Banga Bhusan and Banga Bibhusan award 2022, scheduled to be hosted on July 25," Chakraborty said.

Thousands of unemployed youths of the state have been victims of the scam, carried out by the ruling dispensation, he alleged.

"They have been toiling for justice over the last few years. I appeal to you to stand in solidarity with these victims, who for all these years have been ardent followers and fans of your creativity. May they get to see their icons stand in solidarity with them, at their hour of struggle," Chakraborty said in his appeal.

The senior CPI(M) leader also asked the eminent personalities whether they need to surrender themselves to "a corrupt and totalitarian government just for some money and a trophy?

Chakrabortys appeal came on a day when senior state minister Partha Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with its investigation into the school jobs scam.

The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

The ED which is tracking the money trail in the scam on Friday carried out simultaneous raids at the houses of around a dozen people, including Chatterjee and another minister.
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday claimed that the Eknath Shinde-led government will soon collapse and Maharashtra will have mid-term elections. Speaking before a gathering of party workers here on the third day of his `Shiv Samvad Yatra', an outreach campaign, he also said the rebel Sena legislators betrayed his father, then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, when he was unwell.

Paithan is the Assembly constituency of Sena MLA and former minister Sandipan Bhumre who has joined the rebel Shiv Sena faction led by chief minister Shinde. "Mark my words.. this government will soon collapse and Maharashtra will have to face mid-term polls," said Aaditya, a former minister himself.

Also Read | Eknath Shinde had adequate security under the MVA regime: Ex-home minister Dilip Walse-Patil

Rubbishing Bhumre's claim that Sena ministers in the previous Sena-NCP-Congress government did not get funds, Aaditya Thackeray said Paithan region got the first scheme under the Marathwada water-grid project. "Bhumre was given Assembly ticket five times. When I thought of everything we have done for these people, tears came to my eyes. But this is not the time to cry, this is the time to fight," he said.

The state faced rain fury in the last fortnight and many lives were lost, but the government is being run by only two people (Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis), the Sena leader said. He called the 40 rebel MLAs as "traitors" who conspired to split the Shiv Sena when his father was unwell and leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Also Read | Shinde faction stakes claim over Shiv Sena's poll symbol

Later in the day, Aaditya also spoke at a rally at Nevasa in Ahmednagar district where he praised Shankarrao Gadakh, a Sena ally and MLA of Krantikari Shetkari Paksh. "If you have friends, they should be like Gadakh. Your own people (on the other hand) betray you and turn traitors," he said, speaking even as it rained heavily. "Gadakh was firm on his decision to stay with Uddhav-ji and kept his commitment even after the government was toppled. While working in the government, Uddhav-ji's only mistake was that he couldn't indulge in politicking. He did not snoop on his MLAs and MPs. We will continue to commit this mistake, because if we can't trust Shiv Sena workers, who do we trust," he said.

Aaditya also said that the rebel Sena MLAs who have been "forced to revolt" were welcome to return to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party if they wished so.
Quoting the 1994 Parliament resolution, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) is a part of Indian territory and will continue to be so.

PoK is currently occupied by Pakistan and not even a single family is left without losses. They contributed a lot to the development of the country, PoK refugees should get full justice. They are looking up to India. We cant forget that Baba Amarnath is here. How can Mata Sharada be there? he questioned.

The Defence Minister was referring to the Sharda Peeth, which has the ruins of a temple to Hindu goddess Saraswati, also known as Sharda and is located in the Neelum valley, around 150 kilometres from Muzaffarabad in PoK. This site holds religious significance for the Kashmiri Pandits who have been demanding a Kartarpur-like corridor to offer prayers to the goddess.

Also read: Hybrid militancy a 'strategic move' by Pakistan: J&K police chief

I pray for wisdom to Pakistan. Our neighbor knows about our might," Singh said at an event after meeting family members of the slain security forces personnel and policemen in Jammu.

The February 1994 Resolution of the Parliament demanded that Pakistan must vacate the areas of Jammu and Kashmir, which they have occupied through aggression; and resolved that all attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of India will be met resolutely.

Terming Article 370 as an artificial legal barrier, Singh asserted that its abrogation brought a new dawn of hope to the dreams and aspirations of the people of J&K, especially the youth.

The decision (abrogation of Article 370) opened new avenues for the welfare of the people and the Union Territory is now progressing at a much faster rate, the Defence Minister said while speaking at the commemoration ceremony of 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' in Jammu.

The Defence Minister said that India wanted friendship with Pakistan but the neighbouring country was behaving differently.

Post-independence, J&K became a war theatre, but due to supreme sacrifices made by soldiers and other security forces, all bids aimed at damaging India's integrity and sovereignty were foiled, he said.

Singh said, After tasting defeats in direct wars of 1965 and 1971, the neighbouring country adopted the path of proxy war. For over two decades, it has tried to bleed India with thousand cuts'.

Singh, who arrived in Jammu on a day-long visit, also spoke about Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, under whose leadership China occupied Indian territory in Ladakh during the 1962 war.

In 1962, China captured our area in Ladakh with Pandit Nehru as our PM. I will not question his intentions. Intentions can be good but the same does not apply to policies. However, today's India is one of the most powerful countries in the world, he asserted.

Singh said due to the recent measures taken by the government, India today finds itself among the top 25 exporters of the world in defence items.

We have set a target to achieve Rs 35,000 crore worth of exports by 2025 and become a top exporter in the times to come. Our aim is to make India a global superpower. This will be a fitting tribute to our fallen heroes who made the supreme sacrifice while dreaming of an India which is strong, prosperous, self-reliant and victorious, he added.
Senior Punjab Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday accused the ruling AAP of ignoring his party's MLAs from Gurdaspur district.

Bajwa was referring to a meeting AAP minister Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal held in Gurdaspur on Saturday to review the development works there.

Bajwa claimed that all five Congress MLAs from the district were not called to the meeting.

Out of seven assembly constituencies in Gurdaspur district, five are represented by the Congress.

Aam Aadmi Party came to power in Punjab with the promise of 'badlav' (change). It showed its true colours when five out of seven MLA's in the Gurdaspur constituency belonging to the Congress Party received no information regarding a meeting convened by Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats to oversee developmental projects in Gurdaspur District, Bajwa said in a statement here.

By ignoring elected representatives and side-lining them, AAP's 'badlav' has ignored the will of the people in Gurdaspur, said Bajwa who is the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly.

This is in complete opposition to the beliefs of Dr B R Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh, whom the AAP professes to follow, he said.

Congress MLAs from Gurdaspur earlier raised the issue of interference by the defeated AAP candidates in the day-to-day working of the administration.

Speaking on the floor of the assembly, Aruna Chaudhary, Congress MLA from Dinanagar, alleged that AAP's Shamsher Singh has been giving directions on development projects in her constituency and has been interfering in the official meetings.

Similarly, Jagroop Singh Sekhwan is doing the same in my constituency, Qadian. People of the Gurdaspur district are being represented by those who lost in the recent Vidhan Sabha elections, Bajwa said.

AAP's Shamsher and Jagroop had lost from Dinanagar and Qadian constituencies in the assembly polls held earlier in the year.
Youth Congress workers on Sunday protested outside a Goa restaurant which the Congress claims is owned by Union minister Smriti Irani's daughter.

The Congress on Saturday demanded Irani's sacking, alleging her daughter was running an illegal bar in Goa, but the minister had claimed the "malicious" charge was made at the Gandhi family's behest due to her vocal stand in the National Herald case and vowed to fight back.

Also Read: My daughter being targeted for my stand on 'loot' by Sonia, Rahul Gandhi: Smriti Irani

On Sunday, Goa Youth Congress president Varad Mardolkar and state unit spokesman Amarnath Panjikar led the protest outside the Sully Souls Goa restaurant in Assagao village and demanded that the establishment be shut down. Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar had alleged that the renewal for the restaurant's bar licence has been applied in the name of a dead person. He had claimed that the Excise Commissioner, responding to a complaint against the fraud, issued a show cause notice to the restaurant returnable on July 29.

The protesters said Irani cannot run away from her responsibility by striking an emotional chord and that she has to respond to the allegation. Panjikar said Irani cannot hide behind the emotional statements and blame others. He alleged that Irani was holding senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi responsible for the illegality done by her own family members.

Panjikar demanded that action be initiated against the restaurant and those involved in the illegality.
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Tributes have been paid to the founder of Wrightbus, Sir William Wright, who has died at the age of 94.

Sir William founded the firm in Co Antrim with his father Robert following the Second World War. He also served as a unionist councillor until 2005.

It was the first company in the UK to produce an electric bus.

Wrightbus built Londons Routemaster double-decker  dubbed the Boris Bus  which was ordered by the Prime Minister when he was mayor and chair of Transport for London, the capitals public transport operator.

However, it fell into financial difficulties in recent years and was bought by English industrialist Jo Bamford in 2019.

Stormont Economy Minister Gordon Lyons expressed his sadness at Sir Williams death.

Sir William was a man of immense standing, not just within Northern Irelands manufacturing sector but also within the local community, he said.

A pioneer and entrepreneur of rare foresight and ability, for which he was deservedly knighted, Sir William took over the family business and moved it into the construction of buses, a process which saw it become the Wright Group, and grow into the success today that is Wrightbus.

.@Economy_NI Minister @gordonlyons1 has paid tribute to Sir William Wright following his death earlier today. pic.twitter.com/i5DnZ8i2z6  Economy NI (@Economy_NI) July 24, 2022

The legacy that he leaves cannot be overstated and I would like to pass on my deepest condolences to Lady Wright and his family at this difficult time.

North Antrim MP Ian Paisley said with the passing of Sir William that Ballymena has lost a giant.

He described him as an entrepreneur without match, adding: We will not see his like again.

In a statement Mr Paisley said: I wish to extend to Lady Wright and to all the family my and my familys and our partys sincerest condolences for their loss.

Sir William was a giant character. He was one of the last true captains of industry and commerce and a man who has left his mark, not just locally but globally.

Sorry to hear news that Sir William Wright has passed away, my thoughts & prayers are with his family at this sad time. I value the times I worked with William, he was a respected member of the Economic Development Committee that I chaired and he gave so much to Northern Ireland  Paul Frew (@paulfrewDUP) July 24, 2022

Everywhere there is engineering or manufacturing or sales of buses his genius will be remembered.

Mr Paisley described Sir William as a political and business leader who cared passionately about the employment and skills training of local people.

He loved Northern Ireland and he was dedicated in everything that he did, he said.

When in his presence you knew you were with someone remarkable. He had that X factor that so few possess. But those who have it make a difference to all around. Northern Ireland was so fortunate to have him as a son.

To his immediate and extended family. They can take courage in his faith, which was strong. His witness purposeful. At their time of great loss, they know many people across the entire country will be praying for them.

Ulster Unionist North Antrim MLA Robin Swann said Sir Williams death is a tremendous loss, not just to his family circle but also to unionism, the business community, the Loyal Orders and the Christian church.

Sir William Wright will rank as one of north Antrims most legendary figures. He built Wrightbus into a global brand and his dedication to unionism was also known throughout the globe, especially in his past role as a Ballymena councillor, he said.

He will always be remembered as a stalwart for Northern Ireland. His very sound political, business and Christian guidance will be very sadly missed by the entire community.

TUV leader Jim Allister described the death of Sir William as a sad and seminal moment for the town and community of Ballymena and district.

A Freeman of the Borough, few have left such an indelible legacy in terms of lasting jobs and contribution to economic, engineering and manufacturing success in the area, he said.

Wrightbus, which he built up so assiduously, remains both a key and large employer in the district and leader in terms of trail-blazing technology, presently evident in the hydrogen and electric bus market.

Much of this success can be traced to the foresight and leadership of Sir William, an entrepreneur of exceptional talent.

I wish to convey to his widow and family sincere Christian sympathy.
Where to Watch / Stream Conscientious Protectors: A Story of Rebellion Against Extinction Online Theatrical release - Not available on any OTT Platform right now.

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Conscientious Protectors: A Story of Rebellion Against Extinction : Release Date, Trailer, Cast & Songs About Conscientious Protectors: A Story of Rebellion Against Extinction Conscientious Protectors: A Story of Rebellion Against Extinction was released on Jul 25, 2022 and was directed by Leigh Bloomfield .This movie is 1 hr 36 min in duration and is available in English language. Roger Hallam, Gail Bradbrook, Clare Farrell, Stuart Basden and Larch Maxey are playing as the star cast in this movie. Conscientious Protectors: A Story of Rebellion Against Extinction is available in Documentary genre.

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Amazon India has announced the Amazon Prime Day 2022 sale in India. The sale brings the best deals on home and kitchen appliances. The eCommerce giant has also tied up with leading banks like ICICI and SBI to get additional savings on electronic gadgets and consumer appliances. Check out the best deals below.

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Twitter has made changes to its upcoming status feature, introducing emojis and new tags to the mix for users to employ and enjoy as they wish.Twitter has been fiddling around with the status feature for quite a while; the feature was initially previewed all the way back in 2018 (which was four years ago, I can almost hear my bones creak with age), and was part of Twitters attempt to connect with new social media audiences. I could see that working, sure; if other social media platforms had already done the idea first, then Twitter jumping onto the all-too late bandwagon is exactly what will save the platform. The social media site is of course in no immediate danger of bankruptcy or any such qualms, but there definitely seems to be a cultural shift occurring. Platforms such as TikTok and the added success of Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have proven that the upcoming generations continue to respond to visual short-form media above all else.Twitters short-form text derived medium is not only not short-form visual media, its not even visual media. While Im not here to make some dense generalization about how the younger generations dont read books like the older ones do, Twitters restrictions to being a word-oriented platform is definitely limiting. Even as the platform continues to expand to other ventures, introducing videos, threaded replies and so forth, it cant hope to emulate the success of other social media platforms that built their entire brand upon such features.At any rate, Twitters still going to march onwards, because copying prior features is much easier than making up new trends of your own. The new status features are something youve already encountered on Facebook: theyre essentially tags that are displayed right above a post, usually next to or just below a users name, and they consist of some fun exclamation with a relevant emoji. Think of the Feeling Excited or Feeling Sad tags that show up on the social network: thats exactly what Twitters trying to aim for. Jane Manchun Wong, social media extraordinaire and serial leaker, took to her reverse engineering tricks and managed to identify many of the upcoming tags These consist of A Thread, accompanied by a spool of thread as an emoji. These are for, well, threads, which are often started with the opening line of a thread in current vernacular. Theres Spoiler Alert with a warning sign, Need Advice with a Magic 8 Ball (which I actually find kind of clever), AMA with a mic, Shower Thoughts with, well, a shower, Hot Take with a red pepper, Vacation Mode with a palm tree, and finally Unpopular Opinion with a mushroom. Im going to leave that last one up to interpretation, see what answers we get in the comment section.Read next: Birdwatch Is Elevating Contributions Provided By Users Whose Notes Are Deemed Helpful By Others
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The annual All Ireland Poc Fada competition takes place on Monday August 1st next on Annaverna in the Cooley Mountains.

This year promises to be even better with the best of the four provinces greatest hurlers and camogie players competing for the title of All Ireland Champion.

Who will follow in the footsteps of Cu Chulainn and poc all before them?

The modern Poc Fada recreates the legendary journey of Cu Chulainn, who as the seven-year-old boy Setanta decided he had waited long enough to become a member of the famous Red Branch Knights of Ulster.

So he set off from his home in Dundalk for the Macra, the Red Branch Knights school in Ard Mhacha (Armagh), some 60km away.

While crossing The Cooley Mountains Setanta hit his sliotar far ahead and ran forward to catch it on his hurley stick before it hit the ground.

While today's competitors cannot fully recreate Setanta's mythical feats, they do compete over the same Cooley mountains as Setanta once passed. The 5 km Senior Hurling and 2.5 km Senior Camogie and Under 16 courses do provide ample opportunity to practice poc's, as on average the Senior Hurling takes 50 pocs to win.

The modern All-Ireland Poc Fada dates back to 1960 when six boys from Dundalk (Mal Begley, Peter Crilly, Sean Mc Aeney, Jerome Mc Donagh, Peter Myles and first ever winner Damien Callan) under the watchful eye of An tAthair Pol Mac Shean, took part in the very first Poc Fada. The first All-Ireland Poc Fada took place the following year in 1961.

First sponsored by Martin Donnelly over 25 years ago the MD Sports myclubshop.ie All-Ireland Poc Fada Finals represent one of the longest-running sponsorships within the GAA and Camogie Association.

Everyone is very welcome to Annaverna on Bank Holiday Monday, so why not make your way to the mountain for 10am and make sure to bring the kids who can meet our hurling heroes.
Japan's nuclear regulator approves releasing radioactive wastewater into ocean despite opposition

Xinhua) 11:02, July 24, 2022

TOKYO, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Japan's nuclear regulator on Friday authorized a controversial plan to discharge radioactive wastewater from a crippled nuclear plant in northeast Japan into the Pacific Ocean, prompting protests from the public.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on Friday held an extraordinary meeting and gave the final approval to the controversial plan submitted by the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO), in line with a government decision.

The government and TEPCO plan to release the radioactive wastewater from the disaster-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant next spring, roughly 1 km off the Pacific coast in Fukushima Prefecture.

Under the plan, wastewater containing radioactive tritium and some other isotopes, generated from water used to cool down melted nuclear fuel at the disaster-stricken plant, will be discharged through an underwater tunnel into the Pacific Ocean after being treated.

The plant had its key cooling functions knocked out following a massive earthquake-triggered tsunami just over a decade ago, which resulted in the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

The wastewater being stored in tanks at the plant is estimated at about 1.2 million tons and the lengthy discharge process is projected to take decades.

According to the agreement TEPCO has signed with the prefecture and the host towns of Okuma and Futaba, the operator must gain their consent before building or adding facilities that could cause their area to be impacted by radioactive materials.

NRA Chair Toyoshi Fuketa said at an agency meeting on Friday that TEPCO should try to reduce the amount of water contaminated with radioactive materials and streamline work toward the discharge because more time is needed to measure the tritium concentration of treated water before it can be released.

After the NRA approved TEPCO's draft plan in May, many Japanese citizens and civic groups as well as some global environmental bodies urged the NRA to give clear explanation about the safety of the discharge plan and consider alternative options such as "making storage tanks bigger and expanding the land space."

The officials discussed the public opinions and concluded that what TEPCO has done so far with the radioactive wastewater and its plan are "reasonable," Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported.

Japan's fisheries, however, have maintained an ardent opposition to the plan, as it will almost certainly cause further damage to the industry's reputation in the region.

In addition, several countries and regions continue to impose restrictions on Japanese agricultural and fishery products due to the initial Fukushima crisis amid continued concerns over the safety of the produce.

Meanwhile, some of Japan's neighbors have voiced their concerns and objections over the discharge.

China expressed its firm opposition to the regulator's move on Friday. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press conference that it is extremely irresponsible for Japan to ignore the concerns and strong opposition from all parties.

"The disposal of nuclear-contaminated water in Fukushima could affect the global marine environment and the public health of Pacific-rim countries. It is by no means a private matter for Japan. The Chinese side once again urges the Japanese side to earnestly fulfill its due international obligations, dispose of the nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, open, transparent and safe manner, and stop pushing through the plan to discharge the water into ocean," he said.

"If Japan insists on putting its own interests above the public interest of the international community and insists on taking the dangerous step, it will surely pay the price for its irresponsible behavior and leave a stain in history," he said.

Responding to the regulator's official approval of the plan, the South Korean government convened a special meeting and stated that it would take "best responsive measures internally and externally" under the principle that people's health and security are of utmost importance.

People in Tokyo took to the streets to protest the approval despite scorching heat. Some protestors used megaphones to express their discontent, while others held banners warning about radioactivity at the plant.

The Fukushima power plant was damaged by the 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami, which caused core meltdowns at multiple nuclear reactors.

Water that has become contaminated after being pumped in to keep the melted fuel cool has been accumulating at the complex, also mixing with rainwater and groundwater at the site.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Lisa Smith had been back in Ireland just a few hours when she was handed a cup of coffee by detectives at Store Street Garda Station. "The coffee is very strong in Syria," she said, "this tastes very watery."

It was a mild element of the culture shock she was experiencing. Over the next four days she would recall how her fear of hell-fire prompted her to go to Syria where she first lived in what she described as a women's prison. She recalled her reluctant marriage and the beatings she received from her husband and the time she saw a dead man hanging from a cross with his eyes gouged out. There were the bombs that started to destroy the Islamic State she had travelled thousands of miles to be part of, forcing her to flee from city to village and town where she would watch as people were gunned down by snipers while she struggled to feed herself and her baby. She would recall saying goodbye to her husband as he returned to fight in a certain-death battle and then there were the long months in a refugee camp where horrific punishments, including burning alive, were inflicted even for minor infractions.

Back in Dublin, she drank her coffee and prepared to face the questions she knew were coming. Why did she go there and what did she do? Did she take part in the fighting, the atrocities, and did she support the ideals of the terrorist organisation that created Islamic State and claimed the God-given right and duty to murder anyone who disagreed with its brutal interpretation of Islam?

Smith would repeat over and over that she believed her religion required her to make 'hijrah' - to travel to live inside the Islamic caliphate announced by terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. She said it was her religious obligation and not any desire to join a terrorist organisation that prompted her to go. Her trial opened on January 24 this year and today the Special Criminal Court revealed its verdict of guilty of membership of Isis. She was acquitted of a second charge of funding terrorism.

This is the evidence that the court heard before making its decision.

A bit violent

The first witness in the trial was Una McCartney, who said she and Smith were friends for about 20 years.

She recalled that Smith's life growing up "wasn't too great". Her dad, Ms McCartney said, was an alcoholic and was "probably a bit violent or whatever". When they entered adulthood Ms McCartney said she and Lisa became "a wee bit wild in the way young people are; drink maybe or an odd bit of hash."

They had a falling out around 2007 and by the time they began speaking again in 2011, Smith had converted to Islam. Ms McCartney, a Catholic, said they discussed religion often but nothing her friend said caused her concern. She knew Smith wanted to live among other Muslims but this didn't alarm her. She said: "I'm Catholic and I like to go to Medjugorje or Lourdes because there are people there of the same faith as me and Lisa wanted to go to a place with Muslims."

Smith was reading a lot about Islam and they discussed what she was learning. She was, Ms McCartney said, the kind of person who would go "hell for leather" at the beginning of any new pursuit but then it would fizzle out. She believed her interest in Islam would fizzle out as well, and added: "My impression was that Lisa needed help or counselling or something but she had burnt bridges with friends and maybe was looking for belonging or comfort. She was vulnerable and isolated."

From her 20 years of friendship, she believed Smith was "very naive and easily taken in", particularly by someone promising her something.

Carol Karimah Duffy is a Dundalk woman who converted to Islam in 2001. She belongs to the Salafi sect, although she said in court she prefers to be referred to as a Sunni. She agreed with Lisa Smith's defence counsel Michael O'Higgins that Salafi Muslims adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam that controls women's movements and freedoms and requires them to wear a hijab that covers the entire body and hair. Dating is not permitted so marriages have to be arranged and any meetings prior to marriage are attended by a chaperone.

Ms Duffy had known the Smith family since childhood and was surprised when one day in 2010 Lisa Smith turned up at the Dundalk mosque saying she wanted to become a Muslim. "She didn't expect me and I didn't expect her," Ms Duffy told the trial. "She said she was interested in becoming a Muslim and had been thinking about it for a while. She had dabbled in other religions and thought this was the one for her." Smith told Ms Duffy that she had tried Buddhism, Hinduism and other spiritual practices including one encompassing a belief in fairies. But when she read the Quran, Smith was immediately hooked. As Smith would tell gardai in 2019, her first reading of the Quran in 2010 made her laugh and cry and she was immediately convinced that what she was reading was the truth.

There were other things going on in Smith's life at that time. Ms Duffy said Lisa had been in a long-term relationship that was coming to an end. She was, Ms Duffy said, vulnerable because she was heartbroken and part of her interest in coming to the religion may have been to get back with the man she loved. Ms Duffy said that when Smith started speaking online to an American Islamic convert and Isis recruiter named John Georgelas, he may have "pulled on her heartstrings a little bit and she went with it. She was vulnerable, her heart was broken and she was very naive."

Michael O'Higgins, representing Smith, would say in his closing speech in the trial that she was at that time heartbroken, depressed, brittle, suicidal and desperate to find meaning in life.

For most new converts, Ms Duffy said, there is a period of learning about the history and practices of Islam but Smith's approach was: "I know that; when can I start wearing the hijab?" Ms Duffy found her eagerness unusual and explained to her the challenges she would face. "The stuff you give up, weddings, christenings, Christmas, birthdays; we don't do that. It's very hard to explain to your family that you don't do this any more."

She told Smith that wearing the hijab attracts attention: "you get awful abuse on the streets." And she explained that it is hard to give up the things you have taken for granted all your life. Smith's reaction, she said, was, "I'll be fine."

Things were moving quickly so Ms Duffy encouraged the convert to attend classes at the mosque to learn about Islam. She didn't come often and when she did "it didn't go very well", Ms Duffy remembered. The other women at the mosque were uncomfortable with the topics Smith raised and some even thought she was a "plant". She focused on the political side of Islam or the "harsh end of Islam" as Ms Duffy put it. At that time Al Qaeda was in the news and Smith wanted to talk about jihad and justifying why suicide bombings were happening. Smith's attitude, as Ms Duffy saw it, was that "we are being attacked so we are attacking back. It was us and them."

When Smith spoke of jihad, it was the "holy war jihad" and Ms Duffy recalled Smith saying that she wanted a husband who would die "shahid" - as a martyr to the religion. According to Ms Duffy, Smith told the other women in the mosque that it was important to push their husbands for shahid. Ms Duffy added: "There are some who believe that if you die shahid it is the most honourable way for a Muslim to die."

Around this time Smith had to move out of her apartment. She didn't believe she could live a Muslim life if she moved back with her parents, so Ms Duffy suggested she move in with her. Ms Duffy recalled that once Smith's relationship finally ended, she was adamant she wanted to marry a Muslim man. Ms Duffy told Lisa's lawyers that she warned her against marriage but "there was no talking to her... It was her way or no way." Her first marriage lasted only months and, Ms Duffy said, was dogged by frequent arguments because Smith didn't think her husband was religious enough. She wanted him to grow a beard, as part of the religion, but he called her a hypocrite for not wearing the hijab while on army duty.

Conspiracy theories

Lisa Smith had a different memory of her time with Ms Duffy. In her garda interviews Smith claimed that Ms Duffy taught her about conspiracy theories and was at least partly responsible for her radicalisation. She said it was at the Dundalk mosque that she learned about the mujahideen in Afghanistan and ideas like American complicity in the 9/11 attacks or that Islam is "spread by the sword". She accused Ms Duffy of having "messed my mind with Islam", telling her that things like music, colourful clothes, talking to men or traveling without a male relative were "haram" - forbidden by Islam. She said she learned that her role in the Irish army was haram; she might be posted to an area where Muslims were fighting and it would be haram for her to participate. She even claimed she was told that paying taxes was forbidden because the money might be used to fund wars against other Muslims.

She was concerned that by not wearing the hijab while on Defence Forces duty she was committing a sin so she asked for special permission to be allowed to don the head and body covering. When her superior officers refused, she decided to leave the army. In her garda interviews she described this decision as a "no-brainer" because although she would lose her army pay and pension, failure to obey god's command would result in an eternity of hell-fire.

She put some of the blame for her decision to quit the army on Ms Duffy who, she said, told her "everything is haram". She had begun, she said, to hate the religion and the strict interpretation that she was learning. Ms Duffy denied telling Smith these things and said that Lisa had her own ideas and may have interpreted things the way she wanted.

Smith would say that when she met John Georgelas online he told her the opposite of what she was learning in Dundalk. Ms Duffy realised that Lisa was talking to Muslims online when the recent convert began challenging Ms Duffy's teachings using arguments she'd learned from Georgelas. She described Lisa as sometimes "offensive" in her arguments while also being naive and simply believing without question what she read on the internet. Ms Duffy said she never saw Smith reading any of the source material to find out the truth for herself.

Among the things that Georgelas told Smith was that it was not haram to speak to men, to wear colourful clothes or listen to music. He was, according to Smith's lawyers, telling her what she wanted to hear, giving her a way to practice the religion without giving up the things she enjoyed.

Abu Hassan

Georgelas was an American convert to Islam who took the name Abu Hussan. He wrote Isis propaganda and according to his former wife Tania Joya, he was respected among Islamic scholars for papers he had written about Islamic teachings and practice. She said that he could speak many languages and spoke Arabic better than many Arabs. He had written poetry in Arabic, Ms Joya said, and was asked by the state of Qatar to translate Islamic laws. Georgelas used a Facebook page called "We Hear We Obey" to promote his teachings and to make contact with Muslims like Lisa Smith who were looking for answers and guidance. Ms Joya described her husband as a charismatic, charming man who could draw people to him and overwhelm them with his intelligence and knowledge of scripture. She also believed he was a misogynist who used the Quran to justify lying to her. She said he had "psychopathic tendencies" and recalled that he thought torturing people would be fun. Ms Joya, who spoke to Smith frequently online and met her in 2013, felt that Lisa was not on Georgelas's intellectual level and had begun to admire him and "look up to him in a very big way".

By 2012 Ms Joya was aware that Georgelas was spending a lot of time talking to Smith online and was suggesting to her that she visit them and when they moved to Istanbul Smith joined them in late August 2013. They stayed for a time in the same hotel but Ms Joya was unhappy that Smith and Georgelas were suggesting they travel to Syria to join one of the militia fighting against the Assad regime. She said Smith felt an obligation to help the rebels because she felt they were being oppressed. Ms Joya told the court that many Muslims are "brainwashed" into thinking that if they die a martyr they go to Paradise and bring all their loved ones with them.

In Turkey they were struggling to find a place to live and one night, having wandered the streets looking for accommodation, they got on a bus - Ms Joya, Georgelas, their children and Smith. Ms Joya said she didn't know where they were going but as the sun came up she realised they had crossed the border into Syria where they joined up with a local militia.

She told the trial: "Lisa was excited. I see her face in my head and there was excitement there... She had made it to where she had always planned to go." She said Smith was "planning to die there and be a martyr. It wasn't unusual. A lot of Muslims were saying that."

In Syria Ms Joya said nobody spoke to her or to Lisa because "we were women and inferior" but a Sheikh who knew Georgelas told the militia to take care of them. They were brought to a villa which had no running water or electricity. The windows were smashed and there were bullet holes in the walls. It was dirty, Ms Joya said, and was used by many people arriving into the country.

There was a curfew and it was hard to get food but the militia brought drinking water and groceries. Ms Joya complained but she said Smith was happy. She added: "Lisa had a good attitude. She was very optimistic whereas I was the exact opposite." Everyone loved Smith, the witness said, in particular because she covered herself in the way considered appropriate for women, something Ms Joya refused to do.

Ms Joya also felt that Smith needed to marry because the "Arab men were drooling over her because of her white skin". But she didn't approve of the husband she chose, a Tunisian member of Al Qaeda. They couldn't talk to one another, she said, and Smith only wanted to marry him because he was "hot", and he was a fighter.

She described him as a good-looking and charming Tunisian with a cute smile. He wanted to marry Smith, the witness said, because she was white.

Smith would tell gardai that during this time she asked the militia fighters what she could do to help but was laughed at and told to get in the kitchen. She said that when she later decided to return to Syria in 2015, following the call by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, she knew from this experience that she would not have any role other than as a housewife.

Indoctrination

Although the expert called by the prosecution, Dr Florence Gaub, would say that religion was not a major factor for people who moved to the Isis caliphate, Smith's defence argued that religion was one of the main motivations for many people and the motivation for Smith. Ms Joya agreed, telling mith's lawyers that when she was younger she firmly believed in hellfire and joined a previous caliphate in 2006 believing that failure to do so would result in eternal damnation. Ms Joya said Smith was indoctrinated and told what to think and was manipulated because she believed in a false god: a god of hate and intolerance.

However, she also contrasted her own indoctrination with Smith's, saying she had never been exposed to criticism of these extreme ideas, having come from a community that told her not to read or listen to anything that contradicted what she was being taught. Georgelas, whom she married at a young age, had also prevented her from learning new ideas.Smith, on the other hand, had all the freedoms she did not and "threw it all away to join a violent, extremist ideology". She said Smith had been rejected by her own people but was embraced by Muslims and that the ideology of Isis was attractive to people who felt hatred.

Hijrah

According to her own account, Lisa Smith stayed for a number of months in Syria with her Tunisian husband before they left for Istanbul. She flew to Ireland and he went back to Tunisia.

Back in Dundalk, Smith continued to speak online with other Muslims including Georgelas and a German convert who took the name Abu Laith. There were others too, including an Australian jihadist named Robert Cerantonio and other Isis sympathizers in Australia and elsewhere. Using messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Telegram and Facebook Messenger they discussed the legitimacy of al-Baghdadi's new caliphate and the extreme violence being used by Isis in Syria.

In early 2015 Georgelas was injured in fighting somewhere in Syria and asked Smith to send him money to help with his rehabilitation. On May 6, 2015 she sent e800 to him using Western Union. Smith would tell gardai that she intended the money only for Georgelas's personal use, to help him to buy a scooter so he could get around while he recovered from his injuries. She insisted the money was not intended to help a terrorist organisation but it was this transfer that triggered the charge against her of financing terrorism. Mr Gillane said Ms Smith intended the money to help Georgelas, an Isis fighter, get back on the battlefield.

The prosecution used Smith's online conversations around this time to suggest that she was aware of what Isis was doing before she decided to travel. Among the videos she watched online and discussed were those showing the burning alive of a Jordanian pilot and the drowning of men in cages. Other caged men were shown being fired at with rockets and Smith also watched as an Isis gunman slaughtered tourists, including an Irish couple, in Tunisia.

There was also a video of Isis fighters driving around in a car in Syria randomly shooting at and murdering whoever crossed their paths.

Rather than outright condemning what she saw, Smith asked whether such atrocities were really permitted in Islam. Georgelas responded by telling her, "we are commanded to strike fear into our enemies". He told her there was nothing wrong with the random killings of Muslims in Syria because "they deserve it, they are Shia." If they got their heads cut off, he said: "That is their due in this life and in the next life they get torment."

Smith's response was: "I get what you are saying." When speaking to gardai she would say that she meant she understood what Georgelas and others involved in the conversation were saying, not that she agreed.

In July 2014 Smith discussed with Georgelas her own husband's reluctance to give "bay'a" - an oath of allegiance or loyalty to al-Baghdadi that takes its origins from the earliest days of the caliphates following the death of Muhammad. She stated that whether al-Baghdadi was good or bad does not matter as he had fulfilled his responsibilities. She spoke of her frustration that her husband, still living in Tunisia, couldn't see what al-Baghdadi was achieving.

On July 9, 2014 Smith posted an article to the group which quoted leading Muslim scholars from across the world who had rejected the Isis caliphate and condemned al-Baghdadi and his methods. Smith's comment was, "what have the scholars ever done for us? At least al-Baghdadi did something." She added: "People love to talk but no-one wants to walk the line."

Prosecution counsel Sean Gillane said her online conversations showed that Smith knew what Isis was doing before she travelled to Isis territory. She also knew al-Baghdadi was an outlier in the worldwide Muslim community, he said.

However, defence expert Professor Hugh Kennedy said there was much debate within the Islamic community about the legitimacy of al-Baghdadi's caliphate. Professor Kennedy is regarded as one of the world's leading experts on the history of caliphates. He said there were respected scholars within the Islamic community who could argue that this caliphate was legitimate and that al-Baghdadi was a legitimate caliph. Al-Baghdadi claimed to be a member of the Quraysh tribe, which was Muhammad's tribe and it was from its members that the earliest caliphs emerged in the seventh century. Professor Kennedy said Isis took certain aspects of the religion's history and exaggerated them to make their point and to justify barbarism. "If you look hard enough you can find a way to justify anything," he said. Looking back on the rule of different caliphs, he said, you can find some that were aggressive and others who were peaceful and open to new ideas. He said Isis propaganda was persuasive, used selective ancient texts and spoke to people who "wanted straightforward answers. It gave certainty which was important for people who wanted simple answers to life's questions."

Smith's lawyers argued that if there was debate among learned Islamic scholars about the legitimacy of al-Baghdadi's caliphate then a recent Muslim convert such as Lisa Smith would have no chance of knowing what was right or wrong, what was legitimate or otherwise.

Moderates and extremists

Smith gave her own account of her thoughts and feelings before travelling to Syria when she was questioned by gardai in 2019. She said that in September 2014 she was preparing to go to Tunisia to be with her husband but when al-Baghdadi announced the caliphate and called on all Muslims to travel to help create a new Islamic State, she wondered if it was legitimate, or whether it was a "good or bad thing". She added: "I needed more information, was it real? Was it something I had to do? Because there is a lot of confusion around Islam, what's right and what's not, moderates and extremism." She said Georgelas and others online told her it was legitimate and "anyone who doesn't give praise is going to be in the hellfire".

She said: "I don't want to go to Syria, what am I supposed to do? Muslims were travelling from all over the world; do I do nothing while Muslims are getting slaughtered by Assad. The Muslims of Syria are calling Muslims from all over the world, so I need to think what is best for my religion. Abu [Georgelas] encouraged me to come. I made my decision... I have to go because I don't want to go to the hellfire."

In another interview she remembered watching her mother light the fire in their Dundalk home and, she said, she would "nearly collapse to the ground; I would be screaming. I had a lot of fear about the hellfire at that time, that scared me so much I said, "I have to go"."

Georgelas told her what she needed to do, so on October 1, 2015 she got on a flight to Istanbul but didn't tell her friends or family that her final destination was Syria.

She spent four days in an Istanbul hotel where her only contact from inside Islamic State was a German Isis fighter who told her to delete everything from her phone and wait for a call. She was driven to the border through a forest area for "miles and miles, driving for ages" until she met was delivered into the hands of a man who would get her across the border. He looked inside Smith's bag and took the e7,000 she had hoped to use if she ever decided she wanted to leave Syria. She had just e450 left. She said: "I was really scared, just oh my god, just standing there at the border. I thought, I won't go but how am I going to get home? Even to get back up the road? So I crossed the way into Syria."

There she was met by men from Islamic State and put into a "madaffa" - a home for unmarried women; single women were not allowed to travel inside the Islamic State. Smith described it as a prison with 50 to 60 women from all over the world in one house. They were not allowed to leave and their phones, laptops and passports were taken from them. Food and water were scarce. She was unable to contact Georgelas and her German contact spoke to her only once, telling her she would be there no longer than a month. But it proved difficult to get her out so it was five months before Georgelas arrived with a piece of paper that allowed her to go and live with his family on the outskirts of Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State. The prosecution's expert witness, Dr Florence Gaub, would tell the trial that this was unusual as Isis did not permit women to be released into the hands of anyone other than a husband or father.

Smith said she had hoped to be Georgelas's student but he didn't speak to her much and lefter her with his Syrian family who Smith said were "not educated, really bad-mannered." After about three months she asked Georgelas to find her a husband. She had already divorced her Tunisian husband while in the madaffa after he refused to come to Syria and offer allegiance to al-Baghdadi. The authorities in Syria permitted the divorce under Islamic law.

Georgelas introduced her to a British/Pakistani man. She said she didn't want to marry him but Georgelas told her there wasn't much choice. He told her that if she married an Arab he might lock her in his house and keep her like a prisoner. She added: "He said I don't trust to marry you to an Arab. They will beat you up, a lot of men treat women badly." Georgelas said the man he had chosen had good manners, spoke English and was not strict. She reluctantly agreed to the marriage.



Her new husband took her to his home in Raqqa but the marriage was not happy. He was a teacher but the authorities closed the school and he was sent for a time to the border. He got a job teaching English to doctors and nurses but was accused of improperly correcting exam papers and was fired. He became stressed, she said, and was often violent. He beat her on six occasions, leaving her badly bruised.

After three months Smith was pregnant but her husband wasn't working. She suggested he do a sniper's course so he would be his own boss. He did the course but, she said, he never actually served as a sniper.

Smith described her time in Raqqa in those early months as relatively peaceful. She said she did not see any of the atrocities carried out by Isis in a square in the centre of the city and although bombs were falling, her home was far enough from the city centre that they didn't trouble her. The crucifixion was the nearest she came to seeing what Isis was doing, she said, despite gardai repeatedly telling her they didn't believe that she could have lived in Raqqa but saw and knew almost nothing of what was happening there. Her husband, she said, protected her from much of what was going on and didn't allow her to read magazines or watch videos showing how the war was going or what was happening elsewhere in Raqqa and throughout Syria.

For those first few months of married life she said she mostly cooked and cleaned at home and studied Arabic. Sometimes she would go to a friend's house to have tea and chocolate or she might go for a walk with her husband or go shopping.

In late 2015 Smith's family made contact with her. Her sister Lorna told her: "All we do is cry worrying about you. Where are you, are you with friends?"

When Lisa revealed that she was in Syria, Lorna said: "You told us Tunisia," and said that their mother would have a breakdown if Lisa did not return home. Smith said she would never be home again and added: "Become Muslim and I will meet you all in heaven. Otherwise, I will definitely not see you again."

She told her sister it was an obligation for Muslims to travel to Syria. She added: "Tell mam and dad I'm sorry for not telling them but I didn't want them to stand in my way. I'm sorry for everything, but I'm fine." When Lorna told her sister that the family misses her, Lisa replied: "Inshallah, Just become Muslims before it's too late."

While these message exchanges were taking place the forces of the Assad regime were making their way towards Raqqa and by February 2016 the bombings became more frequent and the troops started making their move. Smith's husband was not home at the time but when members of the local government began to leave Smith realised she would have to run. Georgelas helped her get to Mayadin where she lived once again with Georgelas and his family. She spent one month with Georgelas before her husband arrived and they found their own apartment above a falafel shop. It was here that their daughter was born in summer 2017.

A short time later, she said, the Syrian forces made their way to Mayadin and she was forced to run again, now with her newborn baby. She went "village by village" as the Syrian forces pushed Isis into retreat. Georgelas was killed in a bombing, possibly a targetted drone strike.

She said: "Everyone was leaving, we were running for the hills trying to escape this. Raqqa was the capital, that was gone. This was the end of the Islamic State basically."

She said she wanted to leave but couldn't. It cost tens of thousands of dollars to get out using human traffickers and she didn't have any money. To try to escape on her own, she said, would be impossible. She said many women were tortured if they were suspected of trying to escape and even if you made it out of Islamic State territory, she dreaded falling into the hands of the army of the Assad regime.

They lived in a school for a couple of months but had to leave when snipers started firing at them. They made their way to Hajin where they spent seven or eight months in a house. It was "stable" there, she said, a place where they could "live a little".

Then one morning there was a knock at the door and they were told the Syrian army was about to attack. Smith's husband put her on a truck telling her: "If you don't want to die, get on that truck." She began to cry as she recalled her husband leaving her to return to the fight. She said: "Sorry, it's a very hard moment. I never thought I wouldn't see him again. I cry every time I tell the story. He gave me a big hug and said he will stay behind and I thought I would see him in two or three days. I had nothing with me, no bags, money or food. I got on the truck and left, my daughter with me."

In the days that followed she heard reports that everyone in Hajin had been killed. She added: "They wanted to stay and defend Hajin. My husband knew he couldn't; he just wanted to die."

Smith told gardai that she had hoped to live in peace inside the Islamic State, in a place without "Islamophobia" where she could raise children as Muslims away from temptation. There would be no alcohol, no prostitution and no homosexuals, she told gardai, and that was what she wanted for her family.

But the reality was very different. She described her experience inside the Islamic State as one of falling into a trap. It was a police state and she could not escape because of the likelihood of falling into the hands of Syrian soldiers who would rape, torture and kill her.

As they fled Hajin, the bombs continued to fall until Smith found herself in Baghuz, which was to be the final Isis stronghold. She stayed for a time in a house that had been damaged by a bomb but was forced to leave and live in a shed with fourteen women and children "all squashed together". She said: "People were coming with horse meat and trying to give people some food and there was no food and everyone was suffering and anyone with food, it was incredibly expensive." After that they lived in a field where they dug a hole and put blankets around it. She said: "I saw people, women, getting shot by snipers, just dropping, nothing you can do, you just go thank god that wasn't me, that wasn't my child. You just care about yourself at that stage. People are going hungry and no-one cares. You're just looking after yourself."

Finally, Smith was taken by the Turkish authorities and was transferred to the Al-Hawl refugee camp in Syria. She described deplorable conditions, a place where people were killed for minor infractions such as possessing a mobile phone by having their tents set on fire while they remained inside. From there she was taken to Ain Issa, where conditions were still awful but slightly better than Al-Hawl.

She occasionally managed to get her hands on a mobile phone and sent messages to her family, who were anxiously awaiting news. She complained of having no money and described the camp as "tough and dangerous". She was hoping she would be deported back to Ireland but was waiting for months and still had no news.

On December 1, 2019 she was finally deported to Ireland and landed at Dublin Airport where she was immediately arrested and detained for questioning for several days before being charged with offences under the Criminal Law (Terrorism Offences) Act for membership of a terrorist organisation and for funding terrorism.

She said she has since learned that it is not obligatory for Muslims to make hijrah and said that if another caliphate were announced she would not travel. She said: "I talked to more people and found out more information. The only thing is that if you don't go, you don't get any protection from the Islamic State or war booty, and that's how Muslims became rich, but it's not obligatory upon you. I didn't know all this before I went. I think the problem was everyone got excited and just ran, didn't wait to see if it would be stable... nobody had a brain or information. It's just done, we made our mistakes, so what can you do?"

FBI

The FBI became interested in Smith when they heard that a former Irish soldier was being held in a refugee camp in Syria. Five agents involved in international counter terrorism were called by the prosecution. Most of what they had to say was ruled inadmissible by the Special Criminal Court but during legal argument one of them said it was "beyond suspicion" that Smith was a member of Isis while in Syria.

Agent M told the trial that the FBI became interested in Smith because they believed she could have been recruited to train members of the Khatibah - an all-female Isis battalion operating in Syria. No evidence was brought forward suggesting that Smith was involved in any fighting or military training and she denied repeatedly to gardai that she ever held a gun or had any military involvement.

Her lawyers likened her role in Syria to that of a housewife on the Falls Road in Belfast during the troubles. If Smith's role was nothing more than to be a dutiful housewife, how, they asked, could she be accused of membership of a terrorist organisation? Would such an approach not criminalise the spouse of every member of the IRA?

The prosecution's case was not that Smith took part in the fighting, but that by responding to al-Baghdadi's call and by making hijrah to the Islamic State, she became a member of the terrorist organisation Isis. They pointed out that she had encouraged her husband to give bay'a, a pledge to the terrorist leader, and said this suggested that she herself had pledged loyalty. Sean Gillane, in his closing speech, told the court that Smith chose to travel to an area controlled by a "demonic" organisation and ruled by al-Baghdadi whose "bigoted interpretation of Islam" had divided the world into two groups; there were those within the Isis fold and those without, against whom violence was justified.

He added: "The prosecution says this was the context and background through which Smith's decision to travel and join the Islamic State is to be assessed." He said Smith was not being prosecuted for believing in Islam or the caliphate but for joining a terrorist group. The self-declared caliphate was not a country or nation state but a proto-state created by an illegal organisation. Mr Gillane added: "The criminal circularity of the declaration and enforcement is obvious: It is that we are Muslims and we declare Baghdadi to be the caliph and if you do not accept that, you are kafir, non-Muslim, apostate and you deserve death. It is no more complicated than that."

There was, counsel said, no good Islamic State that she could have been travelling to in 2015 and this was not an otherwise "lawful and wholesome journey" or "innocent act of travel near a place at an unfortunate point in time". He said that Smith may have felt "buyer's remorse" after the fact but that is not a defence. He added: "Ms Smith specifically addressed, assessed and analyzed and ultimately answered the call to migrate to this place controlled by Isis."

Her hijrah to Syria, counsel said, was the "ultimate act of allegiance". Such acts were vital to the survival of Isis as they were the "life blood of the group". Those making hijrah to Isis territory provided not just fighters but also "sustenance and vitality" to help the group achieve its aims. Dr Gaub, in her evidence, said that making hijrah was an act of membership. She said that those who travelled provided propaganda for the organisation and helped to create and stabilize the state. Even women who worked only as housewives were providing for their husbands and therefore providing assistance to the terrorist organisation in its state-building efforts. In return, foreigners were given preferential treatment by the Islamic State, including better food, better housing and internet access.

Mr Gillane said it "can't be ignored that she travelled thousands of miles to this place at that time and in the light of what she undoubtedly knew about the prevailing circumstances."

Mr Gillane said the text exchanges with her sister show that once in Syria Smith did not want to leave. She sent a message to her sister saying: "We are in war and I won't be back." In a later message she said she was "well looked after" and on Feb 2, 2016 said "heaven doesn't come cheap". Such statements, Mr Gillane said, were "consistent with the philosophy of martyrdom".



Before travelling to Syria, Mr Gillane said Smith had "rationalised and justified" the barbaric acts carried out by Isis and had rejected integration and peace and embraced what is militant and violent.

Responding, Smith's senior counsel Michael O'Higgins said one of his principal objections to the prosecution case is the "endless speculation". He added: "In terms of hard evidence, it's not there but the prosecution doesn't have the good grace to concede that and instead makes grand statements." He said that he was going to focus on the evidence and asked the court to do the same.

He said that at the time Smith converted to Islam she was depressed, suicidal and searching for meaning. She tried Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, fortune tellers and "fairies" and when she found Islam, it "turned her life on its head".

She fell in, counsel said, with a "pure and strict" sect of Islam in a mosque in Dundalk where she was told that "everything is forbidden". She found out that making hijrah to get away from non-believers was a religious obligation for all Muslims and believed she would burn in hell for eternity if she failed to do so. A belief in hell, Mr O'Higgins said, was once a norm for people in Ireland and such a belief would not be surprising to any Irish person aged over 40.

He said that her social media exchanges before she left for Syria showed that she had already accepted that there was to be no fighting role for her. They also showed, he said, that rather than supporting barbarity, she could not understand how people being drowned in cages or fired on by rockets could be justified in Islam. He compared the justification she was presented with to Christians talking about "an eye for an eye" and asked how evangelicals would react if a soldier were captured who had dropped bombs on their community.

Within the Islamic State, Mr O'Higgins said women were of little value other than as homemakers. The only service Smith supplied, counsel said, was to do washing, laundry, cooking and cleaning for her husband. He said the prosecution tried to assert that by maintaining her husband in that way she became a member of Isis or, as Dr Gaub said, that by having children she was providing soldiers for some future battlefield.

He pointed out that she is not accused of supporting or providing assistance but of actual membership because she supported her husband. Mr O'Higgins asked the court to imagine the wife of a member of a criminal gang being charged in Ireland on the grounds that she was "cooking, cleaning and maintaining a good house for her husband".

Mr O'Higgins questioned the expertise of Dr Gaub, who counsel said did not go to Syria during the conflict and never met anyone who was there. She relied entirely on second and third hand information, Mr O'Higgins said, and her claims that westerners were given preferential treatment by Isis were not backed up by the sources she herself had quoted. He questioned her assertion that joining the Islamic State and joining Isis were the same thing by comparing membership of Sinn Fein to membership of the IRA. He also said her expertise could not be trusted given that in one report she did not even mention religion as a motivating factor for people travelling to the Islamic State. In her evidence, Dr Gaub said that religion is a less significant factor than the camaraderie and adventure promised by joining the Islamic State.
There was lots of noise and some parading, but no drum-beating, at Dundalk Stadiums big 12th of July celebration on Tuesday last. Horse racing in the afternoon was followed with greyhounds strutting their stuff later in the evening, and for many, the huge crowd and the excitement it generated was a reminder of olden days.

It was August, 2007 all over again. That was when the track staged its first all-weather race meeting, and, as was the case then, the place was thronged.

For three years prior to that, the newly-opened dog track was the proverbial hive of activity three nights a week. A line of bookies went head-to-head with the most intrepid of punters, and some of the best greyhounds in the country vied for big money in graded and open racing.

That scene may not have been fully replicated the other night  for starters there are just two bookies now operating. But there was another huge crowd, and though the big race, the Dundalk International, had no English runners, the field was reckoned to be the classiest in a quite a while.

The track managements decision to heavily advertise the days activities paid dividends. It was the first time since 2019 that thered been such a gathering, Covid-19 having been a spoilsport for the past two years.

The weather was at its best throughout the afternoon for the seven-race card; and with a hugely attractive prize on offer, ladies were out in all their finery, vying for the title of best-dressed.

Favourite-backers had a good start, getting a return in the first two races. But things went sadly awry after that, especially for those who supported Honey Girl in the fourth.

No better than 5/1 on was available about this lassie, and though in with every chance as they reached the line, Ben Coens mount had to give way to Illuminazione, beaten by the minimum distance.

It was better for the market-leader in the greyhound International. Explosive Boy, named the countrys outstanding runner last year after a succession of competition wins, in addition to reaching the Irish Derby final, was made favourite after the draw had been made, and the Pat Guilfoyle-trained dog came in for further sustained support just before the off.

Backers of the blue-sheeted runner had to wait until late on before they could consider counting their winnings. Singalong Sally made a smart break, helping her build a two-length lead going down the back.

Explosive Boy, however, was always going well in second, and after turning for home, he moved on to the leaders shoulder and then passed her.

Just over a length separated them, with the winners kennelmate, Good Cody taking third place. It was the third success for trainer Guilfoyle in the race, and all going well hell be taking Explosive Boy to Shelbourne to challenge for the Derby.

Local winners are always warmly received, and on this occasion there were four. Mustang Joey, jointly-owned by former senator, Jim DArcy, and trained in Blackrock by Vivian Sands, was a superb winner over the 400, and the probability is hell have an entry in the upcoming Bar One Irish Sprint Cup at the track.

Ocees Bud runs in the name of Quay native, Pascal Sage, and Margaret Kelly from Lurgan, and in recording a win in the IRGT Bitch final, this lassie clocked an excellent 28.55 for the 525.

The Ardee-based David-Gerry- Danny Syndicate took the Gain 525 with Crafty Bonanza, and John Downey, from Tullyallen, saw his Mustang Morocco win the Bar One Racing final in fine fashion.
A 62-year-old man was arrested on Friday and charged with raping and indecently assaulting a young girl  in a case where the earliest charge dates back 50 years.

Detective Garda John Paul Twomey of the Garda Protective Services Unit, arrested the 62-year-old at his home in Cork at 8.15am on Friday.

At 8.50am the detective charged him with carrying out 12 rapes on the one girl, and indecently assaulting her seven times.

The alleged indecent assaults commenced when she was only three years old, and the alleged rapes commenced when she was six. To each charge he replied, I didnt do it, Det Garda Twomey testified at Cork District Court.

Sergeant Pat Lyons said there was no objection to the accused being remanded on bail but that he was required to have no contact, direct or indirect, with the complainant.

Judge Olann Kelleher explained to the defendant that this included social media. It also requires him to have no contact with the complainants sister.

It is understood that there is a family relationship between the parties, and there are reporting restrictions on identification of the parties.

Sgt Lyons said the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the case would proceed at the Central Criminal Court.

The case is to proceed to trial by indictment, or he can sign a plea of guilty at the district court and be sentenced at the Central Criminal Court. Pat Horan, defence solicitor, said a book of evidence would be required.

The 62-year-old defendant is being charged with seven counts of indecent assault between the years of 1972 and 1975, and twelve counts of rape between 1975 and 1981.

None of the allegations were outlined in the course of the hearing at Cork District Court.
Water services workers in Cork City Council and Cork County Council took to the streets of the city centre this afternoon opposing what they say is a premature ending of a service level agreement (SLA) changing the future of water services.

Under the Governments framework for the future of water services, Irish Water is to assume responsibility for all water services.

Between now and 2026, some 3,200 local authority water services staff will be asked to voluntarily transfer to Irish Water as permanent employees.

More than 250 Cork water workers and their supporters marched through the streets of Cork city today in opposition to attempts to transfer them over to Irish Water next January. Any such move would greatly increase the danger of privatisation and water charges by the back door. pic.twitter.com/POTUOiCAV3  Mick Barry TD (@MickBarryTD) July 23, 2022

Those who do not wish to transfer to Irish Water can continue in local authority employment.

However, Irish Water will have responsibility for managing and directing water workers even if they remain in local authority employment.

It is the Governments ambition that local authorities will no longer have staff working in water services beyond the end of 2026.

After this, local authority staff would be redeployed to other areas within local authorities.

At a protest march in Cork city by Cork Water Service Workers to protect their service level agreement were (from left) Finbarr Harrington, Eddie Carroll, Don Carroll and John Mullins, Cork Water Service workers. Picture: Denis Minihane.

By the end of 2026, local authorities will no longer be involved in the public water system and staff would be reassigned to suitable vacancies in other areas of council work.

John Mullins, a water services worker with Cork City Council who helped to organise the protest, said he and his colleagues felt they had no other option but to take to the streets to bring their concerns to public attention.

What this framework effectively means is that all public service water provision will be handed over to Irish Water on January 1, 2023, even though there is a service level agreement in place until 2026, Mr Mullins claimed.

Speaking following the protest, which took place on Grand Parade, he said the event was well supported with hundreds in attendance.

Mr Mullins said while there were a number of strands to the protest, the main one was the premature ending of the service level agreement.

The workers have no say in this.

"Our unions are telling us were not getting a vote on it, he added.

Calls for a referendum

Protestors in attendance were also calling on the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien to commit to a date for a referendum on water ownership.

Donal Leahy (left) and Gerry Kelleher at a protest march in Cork city by Cork Water Service Workers to protect their service level agreement. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Were looking for Minister Darragh OBrien to come out and publicly state when the referendum will be held because what we fear, and its a genuine fear, is that if the service level agreement ends prematurely, the Government then will have no need to bring in a referendum because they will have got what they wanted which is the transfer over to Irish Water and if there is no referendum Irish Water can then be sold off at any time, he said.

Mr Mullins said there is a concern that if Irish Water was sold off this could pave the way for water charges to be brought in.

Speaking ahead of the protest, Socialist Party TD Mick Barry and Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould had asked people to support the march through the streets of Cork city centre.

Both had said a referendum on public ownership of water is needed to protect against any future threat of privatisation.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government said public ownership "remains central to the Governments vision for water services".

"There is no change in policy in relation to public ownership.

"In fact, section 2 of the Water Services Act 2014 prevents a current or future Government from initiating any legislative proposals that would seek to transfer Irish Water from public ownership, unless such proposals are first approved by a majority vote of the Irish people in a national plebiscite.

"The matter of a referendum on water ownership continues to be under active consideration as a broader policy concern relevant to the water sector transformation process in line with the Government Policy Paper," the spokesperson continued.
HIS theory, the man said, was that Ireland was set to become the most popular residential destination in the world. It was all about the climate, stupid.

Hed been talking to a couple of tourists who came to Ireland regularly on holiday. They were from some place out foreign, a place that was so sickeningly hot that people stayed inside as much as possible, and anyone forced to venture outdoors just scurried between air-conditioned buildings.

These people told him that the reason they came to Ireland for their holidays was purely for what most Irish people call the bad weather.

They love our cold, grey days. They love our rain and mist and clouds. They love the way the sun comes out for a quick look and then darts behind big grey clouds again as if it didnt like what it saw.

They cant get over the fact they can actually walk around outside in comfort. Now they were looking for a permanent home here.

Jeepers, we said, and looked up at the television screens showing firefighters across Portugal, Spain, France and Greece and Morocco battling to control the massive blazes raging across God knows how many tens of thousands of acres, as the king of heatwaves ravaged south-western Europe.

We were among the few who had not yet risked getting Covid and sunstroke to pile aboard crammed planes and get out of Ireland for a while - to Portugal blistering under temperatures of 47 degrees Celsius, or Spain and France coming in close behind with extreme heat at 45 and 43 degrees Celsius respectively.

A friend went to Britain where, as the records for highest temperatures ever were shattered, train tracks in London burst into flames.

He described his overwhelming relief at disembarking from the plane on the tarmac at Cork airport and feeling the breeze.

In Portugal, nearly 100,000 acres have been destroyed by wildfires between January and mid-June  more than three times the area over the same period in 2021.

Firefighters in the Gironde region of south-west France struggled for days to control two forest blazes that have destroyed nearly 25,000 acres.

A section of Italys biggest Alpine glacier has given way, killing 11  a disaster that has been officially attributed to climate warming. The countrys legendary river Po, Italys longest waterway, is drying up and dying.

Croatia is only in the mid-thirties, someone said sardonically. But theyve had wildfires too, someone else said. Half the EU is at risk of drought.

Anyway, the man interrupted  and now we were all listening, our smirks fading  given the way things were going, Ireland would always probably be cooler than the parts of the world which are now burning. Which means Ireland is set to become a massive attraction for the one per cent and other very rich people willing to pay top dollar to get away from the heat.

You think property prices are crazy now, he chortled. Give it another generation or two and Irish people wont be living in Ireland any more. All these millionaires and billionaires and zillionaires will be moving here for the cool.

The Irish wont be able to afford to live here because the whole place will be bought up.

Our kids already cant afford to live here, we huffed. Property prices have increased by more than 14% in the last year.

Someone quoted President Higgins; housing in Ireland is no longer a crisis, its a disaster. Someone else recalled how Peter McVerry, a 40-year veteran of homelessness services, has said he has never been more despaired or depressed about the state of Irelands housing.

The cost of living here is outrageous. Youre afraid of getting sick because youll end up sitting on a chair in an emergency ward for 72 hours and catching Covid  if youre lucky.

Someone else had heard a story about the paramedics called to a house where an elderly person had become ill - they told the family that the patient was better off (for that, read safer ) at home than in the Covid-ridden, overcrowded hospital.

What super-rich person in their right mind would want to live here? someone asked bullishly. The countrys a mess.

Wait, the man said. Were on the fringes of another major recession. Blame Putin, blame Brexit, blame climate change, blame the long-term impact of the pandemic, but its coming. Paschal Donohoe has admitted it.

And when it comes, he continued, and the people are once again forced to emigrate to God knows where, the mega-rich property and investment vulture funds will be waiting to cash in on the opportunities every recession affords the wealthy; property, Just like last time.

And the houses will be sold, at sky-high prices, to rich foreigners escaping the heat.

Meanwhile, small private landlords continue to leave the rental market in droves because theyre being taxed out of it by bad government policy, which views the private rental market as a source of taxes, rather than as a crucial part of the solution to the housing crisis.

Its worth wondering, he added, whether all those smart people in suits earning huge money to create policies which are destroying this country - while bringing in droves of vulnerable war-refugees to a State which cant adequately house or look after them because everything is falling apart at the seams - have their eye on nothing more than international optics and big jobs in Europe.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are going down the bloody toilet, and the super-rich are poised to flush the lot of us into the sewers, he concluded triumphantly.

Oh God. Just shoot me now.

Read More Fire service dealing with plastic bins on fire due to unquenched disposable barbecues






COVID-19 has fundamentally changed where we live and work, how we socialize, and what we do to earn a living. The pandemic, like past microbic and economic plagues, set off an exodus of well-heeled professionals out of cities to the suburbs, exo-burbs and beyond. But in an era where working from home has become easier than ever  among the privileged classes, at least  will the easing of COVID restrictions see a boomerang migration back to metro centers? Or, like catered corporate lunches and hugging coworkers, has the office, as both a place of business and a social institution, thankfully been made obsolete?

In his new book, Return of the Artisan, Grant McCracken explores how a post-war America gradually rediscovered its home-spun roots, sprouting amidst the sterile futurism of the 1950s, growing through the 1960s and '70s counterculture revolution, and blooming with the maker movement at the start of the 21st century. In the excerpt below, McCracken discusses the accelerating effect the COVID pandemic has had on America's rejection of "smart city" living and embrace of a more rural, artisanal lifestyle.

Simon & Schuster

Excerpted from Return of the Artisan. Copyright  2022, Grant McCracken. Reproduced by permission of Simon Element, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. All rights reserved.

The arrival of COVID-19 in 2020 transformed the American economy and culture in many ways. It was manifestly bad for hotels, airlines, restaurants, anyone who supplied restaurants, performing arts, live music, gyms, and country fairs. It was (mostly) good for people who were selling online or could seize new opportunities there. (Etsy-based artisans were quick to bring face masks to market; at their height, masks made up a tenth of all Etsy sales.) To say COVID was a mixed blessing would be an understatement.

But in one way COVID was unambiguously good news for the artisanal movement. People began to flee the city for suburbs, exurbs, small towns, and the countryside. By some estimates, three hundred thousand people left New York City, heading to upstate New York and the far end of Long Island. Sometimes this meant merely activating summer homes. Sometimes it meant renting. Sometimes it meant purchase. For all, it meant giving up their treasured city, at least for a while.

Most of these people were not migrants.They had no intention of staying. After all, a real New Yorker scorned the idea of the bridge and tunnel world beyond the city.This was the world God created for suburbanites, breeders, the weak of head and heart, people without real cultural currency, those who choose to wallow in the wasteland of popular culture.

Bridge and tunnel is the world so heartlessly captured by Christopher Guest in Waiting for Guffman. In this mockumentary, Guest gives us a town called Blaine, Missouri, a place where everyone is a clueless hick except for one man, Corky St. Clair. Corky is in fact a total dunce. Corky has failed to make it on Broadway and returned to Blaine to start again. Poor Corky.When he realizes that Blaine too must betray him, he lashes out.

And Ill tell you why I cant put up with you people: because youre bastard people! Thats what you are! Youre just bastard people!

In a culture where expressions of outrage are crafted for us by the best writers in Hollywood, bastard people seems a little ineffectual. This was Guests point exactly. In bridge and tunnel world, people arent really very good at anything. They cant even manage convincing indignation.

The bridge and tunnel stereotype had long kept New Yorkers in place, in check, at home. Things could get very bad in the cityyou could lose your job.You could fail to complete that novel or win that contract. But until you actually left the city, you were still a New Yorker, an insider. You were not yet Corky St. Clair.

The artisanal movement managed to shift this stereotype. It helped us see small towns and the countryside as a virtuous choice, instead of a Corky-scale failure.With the artisanal lens in place, the world outside of New York City became a more attractive place. Human scale, handmade, historical, authentic, kinder, gentler, less competitive. Quite suddenly, bridges and tunnels were less a source of shame than a method of escape.

...

Some people began to hear echoes of the 1970s and early 80s, when the city suffered from so much unemployment and lawlessness that people began to leave, taking their taxes with them and pushing the city into a downward spiral. Fifty years later, New York City appeared poised for yet another fall. Three hundred thousand people left. Fewer people threatened a small tax base, fewer services, and more chaos. This would mean diminished police and fire support.This would mean more crime and chaos. This would mean more flight. A self-renewing cycle had been set in train.

New Yorkers are perpetual motion machines. And now that New York City was pushing (thanks to COVID and crime) and places like upstate New York were pulling (thanks to the artisanal revolution), departure felt like a compelling option.

What a gift for the revolution! Every small town got an infusion of people. In the early part of 2020, Litchfield, Connecticut, got two thousand newcomers in a period that would normally bring them sixty. Most came bearing the big salaries that can be made in a big city. And virtually all these people had been inducted into the artisanal movement while still living in the city, by the diasporic chefs doing Waterss work there. They were newcomers, but not entirely unwitting when it came to local culture.

This is what every social movement dreams of. New recruits who are sophisticated and well-heeled. For people living in a subsistence economy, barely eking out an artisanal existence, this was water in the desert, manna from heaven. Restaurants flourished. CSAs finally passed their break-even point. Farmers markets filled to overflowing. Life was good, or at least better.

But, of course, there is always a tension.The newcomers might grasp the general idea of the artisanal mission, but some of the realities escaped them. They could be rude and clueless. In Winhall, Vermont, the locals were feeling a bit overwhelmed:

The post office ran out of available P.O. boxes in mid-June. Electricians and plumbers are booked until Christmas. Complaints about bears have quadrupled.And as far as the [town] dump is concerned, as [one town resident] put it,the closest word I can tell you is sheer pandemonium.

In the worst cases, the newcomers were driving real estate prices up and old-timers out. The irony was palpable. Writing from the small town of Kingston, New York, Sara B. Franklin warned of the potential loss of people whove kept our community vibrantly diverse, not to mention alive and functioning.

Still. The COVID moment brought together people with taste, money, and commitment with locals who had been making small towns and artisanal economies work for generations. Sometimes it worked; sometimes it didnt. But generally speaking, the artisanal movement was massively augmented.

The key question was whether the newcomers would stay.And this depended on a series of smaller questions.Would they put down roots? Would they take to life outside the big city? Would their employers let them stay, or would they call everyone back to headquarters the moment it was safe to do so.

I did a research project on American families in the COVID era. Mothers were clear on whether they wanted to go back to work outside the home. For most, the answer was a resounding no. These women now had proof that they could work from home. And now that they were working from home, they looked back at the pre-COVID era with a sense of puzzlement.

Why was it,one of them asked me,that we had to spend all that time commuting, all that time on our clothing and hair, all that time in the office with lots of empty engagements and pointless meetings? For what? In the ensuing conversation, some women were prepared to entertain the suspicion that work had been a kind of theater.This had nothing to do with functionality or practicality. My respondents thought something else was going on. One of them said:

I think it must be men. Women can do lots of things at the same time. We can work at home.We can manage a family. Its men who need to have a separate time and place to work.They need a box to work in. Its also a question of ego. Men like to see cars in the parking lots.Why do women go into the office? They do it to satisfy male egos in the C suite.

But it was not just women who took this point of view. The New York Times talked to a guy who gave up his home in LA and bought a place in Vermont. Apparently, Jonny Hawton finds it hard to conceive of returning to his old commuter lifestyle, which allowed him only an hour a day with his 1-year-old daughter.

If someone told me I had to go back to do that tomorrow, I dont know what I would do, he said.Its almost like we were in a trance that everyone went along with. I used to see Millie for an hour a day. This whole crisis has kind of hit the reset button for a lot of people, made them question the things they sacrificed for work.

These folks will want to stay outside the city, and they are prepared to make extraordinary sacrifices to do so. The research told me that these women had used the time saved in the COVID era to change their families, to get to know their kids better, to build new relationships with their daughters, to restructure mealtime, and to give the family new centrality. At one point I thought I was looking at the possibility of the emergence of a more fully, more emphatically matrifocal family.
A wildfire just west of Yosemite National Park spread overnight, quickly turning into one of the largest fires of the year and forcing thousands of residents to be evacuated from their homes, fire officials said.
Canton, MIMia's Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul, by Mia Odeh, won first place in the Firebird Book Award in the Women's Issues category. Written with Mike Ball, Mia Odeh revisits her life story, beginning in Palestine at age sixteen, where she was forced into an arranged marriage. After being brought to the United States, Mia realizes that her marriage is not only unwanted but unsafe as she experiences almost daily sexual and physical assault.

Mia's Odyssey shines an unflinching light on the horrors of domestic abuse and reveals how a survivor with enough determination can find the resources to forge a path to freedom.

Imprisoned in an abusive marriage, how can a woman whose culture emphasizes female submission escape the clutches of her husband? After being forced to depend on this kind of violent and untrustworthy man, can she learn to be independent? In the wake of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, what does it take to recover, heal, and gain stability? How does the love of a mother for her children keep her going in even the darkest moments? Mia Odeh shares her journey to answer these questions in her revealing new memoir, Mia's Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul.

"You know, sometimes you have to get a little distance from something before you can really see it," says Mia. "From the time I was sixteen years my husband surrounded me like a putrid fog, permeating every minute of every day and completely blocking the sun from entering my life. When my husband left us behind in Arizona and moved to Michigan for work I began to see him as he really was, nothing more than a small, evil, isolated creature. I made it my goal to keep my children pure, to keep them from ever becoming like their father."

Watch the book trailer at https://bit.ly/MiasOdysseyBookTrailer





"Mia's Odyssey is a compelling, uplifting book that can be difficult to emotionally digest it is also rewarding because her will to survive is strong, her ability to bend but not break is admirable, her love for the children more powerful than the abuser's muscles." Brad Butler, Author, 5-Stars

"One night, I told my husband that something he had said was unfair. As soon as the words left my mouth I knew I'd made a mistake," recalls Mia. "This made him believe I was becoming independent, like American women, and he made plans to send me and the children back overseas. Suddenly, I knew that I could not take my children back to that place, where all my choices would be gone. All of their choices would be gone. That place where my daughters would grow up to become slaves to their husbands. That place where my boys would be taught to believe that they deserved to have wives who were nothing more than slaves. I knew that, for the first time in my life, I had to fight back."

"Heartbreaking and rich with hope, Mia's Odyssey reveals the resilience of the human spirit in the midst of the darkest situations. This story draws attention to issues of domestic abuse and intimate partner violence, and shows the critical role neighbors, police, and safe houses can play in helping women and children to escape such desperate situations." Jessica Tofino, Educator and Writer, 5-Stars

"It has taken me a long time, a lot of hard work, and help from others to achieve stability for myself and my children. A few years after leaving my husband, a nice family came to our aid, providing a home for us for five years. These wonderful people made us all feel like we had found a family at last," says Mia. "Eventually I found a mentor who took an interest in my future and the future of my family."

"Though not for the faint of heart, Mia's Odyssey is life-affirming and shows the reader that love can conquer even in the worst situations. This book will inspire any woman trapped in seemingly hopeless circumstances, and give hope for an independent life. It will stay with you long after you've finished reading and warm your heart with its promising ending. Highly recommended." John Kelly, Detroit Free Press, 5-Stars

"To this day I still struggle with insecurity, afraid that the life I have now is too good to be true. After thirty years of abuse and uncertainty, I can't help wondering when this bubble will burst," shares Mia. Then I look around me and realize that I really have emerged from that long nightmare to become the woman that God meant me to be. I will always be grateful to the people who stepped up to help me at key times during all those difficult years. I hope that telling my life story in this book can help others in need find the courage to fight back and escape whatever situation they might be in."

Mia's Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul, ISBN: 979-8-9864056-0-5, ASIN: B0B46V571M, $3.99 Kindle, $14.95 paperback, 232 pages, Simon Publishing Ventures, June 2022. Available at the author's website at http://www.MiasOdyssey.com or on Amazon.

About Mia Odeh: Mia Odeh was born in Palestine, became a child bride at age 16, and was brought to Phoenix, Arizona by her husband. She endured years of abuse, bore five children, and was forced to move from Arizona to Qatar, back to Arizona, and eventually to Michigan. Despite the cruelties she suffered, Mia never stopped dreaming of a different life for herself and her children. After fleeing her abusive marriage, with the help of neighbors and police, Mia and her children found a new beginning.

This came with many ups and downs, including a time of being homeless with five kids and pregnant with her sixth. With relentless tenacity, Mia worked hard to gain stability for her family, working low paying jobs and moving frequently. Eventually, with the generosity of a family that gave them a place to live, Mia was able to find some more solid footing. She is now completing a degree in criminal justice, holds a job in senior management, and has purchased her own home. From the depths of abuse, Mia and her children have risen to achieve amazing levels of success.

Media Contact: For a review copy of Mia's Odyssey: Taking Back My Soul or to arrange an interview with Mia Odeh, contact Scott Lorenz of Westwind Communications Book Marketing at

scottlorenz@westwindcos.com or by phone at 734-667-2090. Reach Lorenz on Twitter @abookpublicist
Texas A&M Forest Service

A wildfire spanning 250 acres in Liberty Hill, a city near Leander in Williamson County, is only 10 percent contained as of 7 p.m. Saturday evening, according to the Williamson County Office of Emergency Management.

Officials report 200 homes are being evacuated, with Santa Rita Middle School being used as a shelter for residents being displaced.
A San Antonio man was arrested after allegedly threatening on Instagram last week to attack the San Antonio College campus.

Pablo N. Medellin, 20, allegedly posted photos on the social-media platform of himself with a handgun, assault rifle and shotgun in front of the near-downtown campus on July 21, saying in a caption, Im shooting it up, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.

Authorities arrested Medellin on Friday. He was charged the next day with making terroristic threats.

The post has been removed from Instagram.

The FBI alerted Alamo Colleges District police of the threat on Thursday. Police say the post established that Medellin had access to weapons and the ability to carry out an attack.

On ExpressNews.com: Robb Elementary School principal placed on leave in connection with May 24 mass shooting

He has never been a student at SAC or any other Alamo Colleges campus, the college district said in a statement.

Court records show Medellin posted a $100,000 bond and will be under house arrest, GPS monitoring and a no-firearms order. He must undergo drug and alcohol testing.

A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Sept. 7.

Derek Fuller, chief of public safety at Alamo Colleges District, said online threats against district campuses are rare.

I can only recall this one in my two years as chief of public safety, Fuller said. Swiftly moving to investigate, charge and arrest individuals who post such threats, helps to deter those in the future from doing similar alarming actions which serve to terrorize our community.

Alamo Colleges sent a reminder to students to report online threats. The district plans to increase police patrols.

The Alamo Colleges remain vigilant for any online threats, district officials said in a statement. We take these threats seriously and work with our local, state and federal partners to mitigate any threats and hold those accountable who engage in making them.

Staff writer Elizabeth Zavala contributed to this story.

Taylor.pettaway@express-news.net
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A San Antonio-based criminal defense lawyer who built her more-than-30-year career defending wrongfully convicted people is now taking on the nations health insurance system.

In April, Cynthia Orr lobbied Congress in support of the Lymphedema Treatment Act. The bill is on the U.S. House and Senate floors  labeled House Bill 3630 and Senate Bill 1315  and gaining bipartisan support among lawmakers.

If passed, the legislation would have Medicare pay for compression garments used to prevent and treat lymphedema, a painful condition that affects 1 in 1,000 cancer patients. People with the condition experience severe swelling and can benefit from such treatment.

Orr considers herself a professional problem-solver, and when she learned that cancer survivors were needlessly suffering because they couldnt afford prescribed compression garments, she took up the cause pro bono. She understands what people with lymphedema go through and why they need this treatment because she is one of them.

The high-profile lawyer recently secured backing from the San Antonio Bar Association and says she wont stop until compression treatment is covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Then, she reasons, it would only be a matter of time before private insurance companies approve the doctor-prescribed treatment for their beneficiaries.

On ExpressNews.com: UT Health San Antonio snags $11 million to fight cancer

Lymphedema is caused by a buildup of fluid that occurs when the lymphatic system is faulty or damaged. The condition can result from an injury or from having ones lymph nodes removed as part of certain cancer treatments, which was the case for Orr.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, and despite having to travel regularly to MD Anderson in Houston for treatment, she largely kept her condition secret. She tried and won a federal terrorism case while undergoing chemotherapy.

Orr remembers a nurse explaining that her lifesaving surgery made her more susceptible to developing lymphedema, describing it as a side effect, but over the years, cancer became a distant memory.

That was until November 2020, when Orr nicked her left hand while cutting vegetables for dinner. In less than 24 hours, it swelled to more than twice its normal size. She knew immediately what was happening to her.

They should call it something more serious than a side effect, she said during an interview in her law office on the penthouse floor of the Tower Life building in downtown San Antonio.

Orr is accustomed to fighting for people getting a raw deal from the criminal justice system.

Orr was part of the legal team that argued for the release of Michael Morton, an innocent man who was convicted in 1987 for the murder of his wife in Williamson County.

On ExpressNews.com: Salt poisoning conviction of Corpus Christi mother reversed

She also helped Hannah Overton of Corpus Christi get her conviction overturned and secure her release after spending seven years behind bars. She was accused of the salt poisoning death of her 4-year-old son. A poster for a 2016 documentary based on the case hangs in Orrs office.

Orr recently demonstrated how she wraps up her left arm with custom compression garments several times a day. The treatment is tedious, extending from the bottom of her fingers to her shoulder, but its necessary to minimize the painful swelling and to avoid the risk of a more severe disability.

Dr. Brian Fricke, director of the cancer rehabilitation division at UT Health San Antonios MD Anderson Mays Cancer Center and the only such specialist in South Texas, is treating Orr.

She was at high risk of developing lymphedema as a result of having nearly all the lymph nodes in her armpit removed during her cancer treatment, Fricke said.

Then she had radiation treatment, as well, which further caused scarring and narrowing of the caliber of the lymphatic vessels that remained in her arm, he said. So when she cut her hand, that was sort of like the straw that broke the camels back.

Fricke said that while most people can fend off a minor infection from a cut with Neosporin, in Orrs case it activated her lymphatic system to mount an immune response, which wasnt able to mobilize properly.

The swelling in her left arm has since subsided with intensive decongestive therapy, though not as quickly as she hoped.

She was referred to Dr. Anton Fries, a reconstructive microsurgeon at UT Health San Antonio, who performed a delicate surgery to transplant lymph nodes from Orrs stomach, removed laparoscopically, to her arm.

Orr appreciates that shes fortunate to be able to afford and receive the medical care she needs. Many lymphedema patients go without compression treatment or are forced to ration their wraps, bandages and garments because health insurance companies do not cover them.

And for people with more advanced or more severe lymphedema, particularly those with lower extremity lymphedema, Fricke said, something as simple as like a hangnail or ingrown fingernail or toenail can become serious.

Historically, Fricke said, Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers have considered lymphedema to be a cosmetic problem.

This is so far from the truth, he said.

Yet pneumatic compression pumps, devices that cost Medicare $4,000 to $6,000, are covered. Meanwhile, Medicare pays when lymphedema patients end up in intensive care units or on intravenous antibiotics.

It costs the entire health care system a whole lot of money for saving, you know, relative pennies on compression garments, Fricke said.

laura.garcia@express-news.net
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While celebrating last months U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion, Gov. Greg Abbott pointed to the millions of dollars in spending that state lawmakers approved during the 2021 legislative session to help pregnant women and new mothers.

Among the measures he touted was a law that extended Medicaid health care coverage for pregnant women until six months after they give birth or miscarry, exceeding the federal governments requirement that states provide at least two months of the benefit.

Texas is a pro-life state, and we have taken significant action to protect the sanctity of life, the Republican governor said in a June 24 statement. Texas has also prioritized supporting womens healthcare and expectant mothers in need to give them the necessary resources so that they can choose life for their child.

Abbotts statement neglected to mention that Texas lags behind at least 33 states, including 11 led by Republican governors, as well as the District of Columbia, all of which already have expanded or are working with the federal government to extend postpartum Medicaid benefits for a full year after giving birth. In 2021, the Texas House passed a measure that would have lengthened that coverage to 12 months, but during the waning days of the legislative session one of the senators who co-authored the states restrictive abortion law halved the time period.

On ExpressNews.com: Supreme Courts abortion decision condemned, celebrated in San Antonio

Texas is among a dozen states that also have declined to expand broader Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act to additional people with low incomes, leaving it with some of the strictest eligibility requirements in the country. For example, single parents with one child must earn $196 or less a month to qualify.

It is such hypocrisy, Adrienne Lloyd, a senior health policy associate for the Childrens Defense Fund Texas, said about the contrast between state legislators battle against abortion access and the services they provide to pregnant people. If you really care about that health and safety, then the pregnant person and baby will have so much better outcomes if they're covered long before and after giving birth.

The states Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee recommended extending postpartum Medicaid to one year in a 2020 report that showed cardiovascular and coronary conditions, along with mental disorders, were the leading causes of deaths related to pregnancy. Nearly a third of 54 deaths determined to be directly tied to pregnancy occurred between six weeks and 12 months after birth, the committee found as part of an analysis of 2013 data, the most recent available.

Medicaid is the most comprehensive federal- and state-funded health coverage offered to pregnant people and new parents. The assistance, which is generally available to people with low incomes or with disabilities, has higher income thresholds for those who are pregnant. Medicaid covers hospital visits, specialist care and X-rays that are not provided by other Texas programs.

Extending the eligibility period is critical, said Dr. Carla Ortique, a gynecologist and vice chair of the review committee, because treatments for many of the primary causes of pregnancy-related deaths, such as postpartum depression and cardiomyopathy, take time to work.

It makes a difference in your outcomes and has been shown to make a difference for future pregnancies, Ortique said.

Had the states lawmakers heeded recommendations to extend the eligibility period beyond six months, Texas could have led the nation in expanding postpartum Medicaid for pregnant people instead of trailing behind, said Diana Forester, director of health care policy at Texans Care for Children, an advocacy group.

Why wouldnt we want to manage those chronic conditions for that first year postpartum so that they can focus on getting healthy and getting back to work and ensuring their kid has what they need to succeed? It just seems like a no-brainer, Forester said.

A spokesperson for Abbott did not respond to questions about the Legislatures decision or whether the governor supports the longer coverage period.

As it stands now, people who are eligible for Medicaid during their pregnancies are allowed to stay on the program indefinitely under federal pandemic rules. But that extended coverage could end as soon as this fall if President Joe Bidens administration allows the emergency declaration to lapse, making states Medicaid eligibility decisions critical for new parents in need of health care coverage.

To qualify for pregnancy-related Medicaid, single people having their first child need to make $3,022 or less a month, compared with a $196 monthly income cap otherwise.

Connie Bunch, a single mother from Abilene, understands the consequences of losing health care coverage too soon after giving birth.

Bunch received Medicaid in 2013 while pregnant with her first child at age 28, marking the first time she had health care coverage as an adult. At the time, Texas had not yet passed any legislation that exceeded the federal governments requirement, so she lost the benefits two months after giving birth.

The new mother couldnt manage the cost of private insurance through the Affordable Care Act. And the $600 average monthly income Bunch received from her part-time job, child support and disability assistance for her daughters cerebral palsy kept her from qualifying for Medicaid under Texas income requirements once her postpartum benefits expired.

As a result, Bunch could no longer pay for doctors visits and treatment related to the high blood pressure and gestational diabetes that doctors had diagnosed her with during her pregnancy. Diabetes affects about 1 in 10 pregnant people across the country, and two of the top six causes of maternal mortality in Texas are related to high blood pressure.

Without medication, Bunch said, she suffered debilitating headaches, exhaustion and a loss of appetite.

Once Bunch became pregnant with her second child last year, she again qualified for Medicaid. Her extended coverage has allowed her to once more have access to hypertension and diabetes medications. She said her headaches have disappeared; shes no longer tired all day; and her blood pressure has stabilized.

Now living closer to family in Austin, Bunch said she hasnt been able to work because she cannot afford child care. Her monthly income shrunk to $350 from the child support and disability payments she receives. But it is still too much to qualify for Medicaid coverage, except for that specifically provided to people after they give birth.

This means that as soon as the federal freeze ends, Bunch will lose coverage.

Thats really scary, Bunch said. Thats something that I really worry about.

Philosophical resistance

In April 2021, Toni Rose, a Democratic state representative from Dallas, went before the 150-member Texas House to lay out her bill to expand Medicaid to a full year after pregnancy. Within three minutes, the bill passed the chamber with bipartisan support. Some lawmakers applauded its passage.

The ease with which the measure sailed through the House inspired advocates to hope that the 12 months of coverage stood a chance to become law in Texas. Of the 14 members of the public who testified on the bill during a House committee hearing, not one spoke against the measure. And not a single representative publicly raised concerns about the bill before it eventually passed by a 121-24 vote.

More than a month later, on the same day that Abbott signed into law the Texas Heartbeat Act, which banned most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, the state Senate took a different approach.

During a hearing that month, Lois Kolkhorst, the Senate sponsor for the postpartum Medicaid bill, ticked off a list of states that had applied to the federal government to extend coverage for new parents to 12 months or that were considering passing legislation to do so.

But she said that, at the time, only Illinois had fully enacted such coverage. Missouri, she said, had limited its extensions to substance abuse and mental health services. On the other hand, Georgia had extended full Medicaid benefits but limited them to six months, said the Republican, who represents the small Central Texas city of Brenham and chairs the Senates Health and Human Services Committee.

Certainly, Texas would be on the cutting edge of this if we were to pass this bill in any form, extending past the 60 days, Kolkhorst said.

Although her bill put forward the 12-month extension approved by the House, Kolkhorst did not indicate a preference for the full year of postpartum coverage. Instead she referenced what she characterized as a common criticism of the federal program, saying, I think its a great discussion of what is the right number and some people say, well, once you get pregnant, you stay on Medicaid for forever.

Kolkhorst suggested that Texas was already a leader, pointing to a program that she helped create in 2019 called Healthy Texas Women Plus that offers 12 months of postpartum coverage. The program aims to provide some of the benefits available through Medicaid, primarily those that would help prevent the leading causes of deaths associated with childbirth. Most eligible Texans havent had to use it because they still qualify for Medicaid under the federal pandemic freeze. And Kolkhorst acknowledged that Medicaid was a more comprehensive plan.

Womens health advocates and physicians have criticized the Texas program as what one called a limited package of outpatient services, because it does not include what they said is the full range of necessary care, such as emergency room visits, specialist appointments and hospitalizations. The state initiative also has a far smaller network of providers, which experts said makes it harder to get treatment.

After the May hearing, Kolkhorst accepted an amendment by Sen. Dawn Buckingham, a Republican from Austin and an eye surgeon, that slashed the Houses proposed postpartum coverage in half.

Buckingham never publicly raised concerns about the 12 months of care during committee hearings or before the full Senate. Rose, the representative who authored the measure in the House, said when she raised questions about the cut, Kolkhorst replied that she thought six months was progress.

The Senate passed the amended bill just after 3 a.m. on May 27, four days before the end of the session.

Neither Kolkhorst nor Buckingham, who were among the authors of the states restrictive abortion bill during the same legislative session, responded to requests for comment.

Kel Seliger, a Republican senator from Amarillo who serves on the Health and Human Services Committee, said the aversion to further extending postpartum coverage stems from a fundamental opposition by some Republicans to Medicaid expansion.

There was philosophical resistance, he said. Medicaid is quite removed from Obamacare. Weve been doing Medicaid for a long time. But it got to the point where Medicaid expansion was simply a buzzword for Obamacare.

Seliger said he thought six months of postpartum Medicaid coverage was a sufficient compromise.

I think its practical to increase Medicaid by three times the minimum required by the federal government, he said. And lets see what the effect is. And lets see where the Medicaid population goes and lets see what the cost is.

Texas House researchers estimated in March 2021 that the cost to the state of extending postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full 12 months would be about $84 million over the first two years. The six months of care that was instead approved by the Legislature is projected to cost an average of about $40 million annually during its first four years of implementation.

The federal government pays for nearly 60 percent of overall Medicaid expenses in the state. It does not contribute to Healthy Texas Women Plus, although the state requested federal funding for the program in December. Approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is pending.

Dade Phelan, the Republican Texas House speaker, blamed the Senate in a statement to ProPublica and the Texas Tribune, noting his chamber voted overwhelmingly for the expanded coverage.

The Senate refused that proposed extension for vulnerable mothers who chose life, so ultimately we landed on extending coverage to six months, said Phelan, who is from Beaumont in Southeast Texas. The Texas House has and will continue to make certain that we support Texas women and children.

Extending postpartum Medicaid coverage does not force states to accept the federal governments broader Medicaid expansion.

Nearly three dozen states have opted to lengthen postpartum care to 12 months since April 2021, including seven that, like Texas, did not expand Medicaid more broadly, according to KFF, a national health care nonprofit tracking the proposals. Even Georgia, the state Kolkhorst referenced in her Senate testimony as having extended benefits for only six months, approved a full year of postpartum care in May.

If all states approved that coverage, as many as 720,000 pregnant and postpartum people in all could qualify, according to the federal government.

Many states took advantage of a streamlined process for taking such action under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. States must seek permission from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services if they want to provide health care coverage beyond the 60 days required under the law, but the act made it easier to extend coverage to a full year.

Texas and Wisconsin, the two states so far to request approval for shorter time periods, must still go through a lengthy waiver process. If the Medicaid freeze ends before the federal government approves Texas proposal, people who would have been included in the states six-month postpartum coverage could temporarily lose that care, experts said.

The Biden administration, in a maternal mortality report released last month, called on Congress to require extending postpartum Medicaid to a full year. The report said this could eliminate potentially deadly gaps in health insurance at a critical time for individuals.

People are dying from pregnancy-related causes in the U.S. at a higher rate than in any other developed nation, the report said.

About 700 people die annually in the U.S. because of pregnancy-related complications, about one-third occuring one week to a year after they have given birth, according to the CDC. Texas ranks among the 10 worst states in the country for maternal mortality.

Growing push

Rose said the Supreme Courts elimination of the constitutional right to an abortion is an important test to see if her Republican colleagues in the Senate are willing to provide other basic supports to pregnant people.

She plans to refile the bill to extend Medicaid coverage to a full year on the first day of the upcoming legislative session in January.

If you want women to have babies, then you need to make sure that they have the health care that they need in order to carry those babies and to have the comprehensive health care that they need after delivery, Rose said.

She has support from health care advocates who have been asking for the bill to be reconsidered and from Phelan, the Republican House speaker, who told the news organizations that next session the House will double down on prioritizing maternal health care and other resources for women, children and families in our state.

Phelan specifically cited the one-year postpartum Medicaid extension as a priority.

A spokesperson for Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who sets the legislative agenda for the Senate, did not respond to questions about whether he would support the passage of such a measure. Last May, Patrick told Spectrum News that he supported the bill, but we just needed to make it less than a year.

For Bunch, remaining on Medicaid during the federal governments public health emergency beyond what the Texas Legislature would have allowed has meant that she could treat many of her health conditions.

She will undergo a hysterectomy in August after she said physicians told her that her health conditions mean another baby will kill you. She could not afford a sterilization procedure, which typically would require hospitalization not paid for by Texas programs, without her Medicaid coverage.

Last month, doctors found a small aneurysm on Bunchs brain, which can result from high blood pressure. Bunch said they told her that her family history made treatment particularly important. Doctors said she should also see a cardiologist for abnormalities with her heart rhythm.

Several of the additional services Bunch would need are not covered by the states postpartum pregnancy program, leaving her fretting about how she will manage if she loses Medicaid.

The mother said she does not personally believe in abortion. But she criticized Republican lawmakers for pushing to outlaw the procedure without doing more to care for women like her after they give birth.

On the one hand, they say, No, you need to be a parent, Bunch said. But then its like, We dont care if youre a healthy parent.

She added, It's like, Have that baby, but then we're throwing you to the wolves.

Disclosure: Texans Care for Children has been a financial supporter of the Texas Tribune. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism.

This article is co-published with ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
School shootings are profoundly tragic  scarring not only the families whose children become victims but casting a shadow over the lives, mental health and outcomes of the surviving students. But evidence is also clear that its not only horrific mass shootings that can lead a child to miss school. Any feeling of not being safe can prompt children and teenagers to stay home.

Sadly, students have been telling us this for a long time  that their feelings of safety at school are strongly linked to their attendance. And we also know that pervasive safety concerns are driving disengagement from school and chronic absenteeism. Indeed, weve been asking students for more than a decade about how they view their school environments, and their responses about school safety have been disturbingly consistent.

We at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently conducted a study in collaboration with Jing Liu, an education policy professor with the University of Maryland, to isolate and measure a schools impact on attendance. Analyzing 16 years of California data, he found a schools effect on attendance was positively correlated with students perceptions of its climate, and most powerfully with their belief that schools are safe, adults are trustworthy and behavioral expectations are clear.

These findings contribute to a broader consensus in the literature that perceptions of school climate and absences are linked. For instance, one study that surveyed nearly 600 public high school students in the South showed that 25 percent felt unsafe and nearly 15 percent had avoided school in the last month because of it. Yet the same study found that positive perceptions of the school environment (not only physical safety but also clear rules, a sense of belonging and positive parent-teacher relations) were associated with lower rates of absenteeism. Other research has similarly identified connections between students perceptions of school climate and absence rates.

More specifically, we know that students fears about safety in school often drive chronic absenteeism. In one study, the University of South Floridas Amber Brundage surveyed chronically absent sixth through 12th graders across eight states. When asked why they had missed so much school, students consistently pointed to fears around safety. Another study using data from the National Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that among the 5 percent of students who had avoided school due to safety concerns, their absences were often strongly related to fears of being threatened with a weapon, having ones property damaged or stolen, and being bullied or cyberbullied at school. A third study indicated the link between safety concerns and absence was particularly strong among Black, Hispanic and LGBT students.

Other studies comparing various strategies to combat absenteeism underscore the importance of school safety. For instance, experts who authored a summary of best practices published by EdResearch for Recovery emphasized that a focus on safety and school climate is among the most effective interventions. Additionally, a meta-analysis evaluating multiple evidence-based school attendance strategies found that student behavioral interventions were somewhat more effective. These included a wide array of interventions, ranging from peer and adult mentoring,and case management services to school resource officers and physical security measures.

So, yes, lets have and act on those impassioned conversations about how to end the travesty of mass shootings. But as a new school year begins and we rethink how to better protect our students, lets ensure all schools are places where children feel safe and behavioral expectations are clear.

Amber M. Northern is senior vice president for research and Christian Eggers is a research intern at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Image: ShutterstockLife can be filled with unexpected twists and turns. Sometimes, life can throw you a curveball. But are you ready to brace yourself and deal with whatever life throws at you? These books will help guide you to the right path.Instagram: @timosnotes Tuesdays With Morrie is a memoir by Mitch Albom, recounting his old days with his late professor Morrie Schwartz. Every Tuesday they meet and have conversations about love, marriage, culture, emotions, ageing, forgiveness, etc. Morrie recalls his experiences and what he learned from them. It's a beautiful tale of a student and a teacher. Throughout the book, Morrie shares many valuable lessons.Instagram: @tashus_cafe The Secret by Rhonda Byrne introduces us to the laws of attraction and how our thought lives create the experiences we have in our lives. It also explains that positive thinking can lead a person to a fulfilling and prosperous life, whereas negative thoughts draw one toward hardships and misery.Instagram: @mirchinavneet Alchemist is a novel written by Paulo Coelho. It follows Santiago, a young Andalusian shepherd, on a journey to Egypt in search of a treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets someone, who tells him to follow his dreams. Making this one of the most popular self-help books of all time, the Alchemist will give you a new perspective about life and the choices you make. It is a must-read book for anyone who feels they have lost their way in life, or who once again want to pursue their dreams!Instagram: @millionplanen The perspective of Rich Dad Poor Dad isn't just about making moneyit's an attitude about money that will change your life, whether you are financially secure or not.Instagram: @books_o_pedia With wit and wisdom, Yuval Noah Harari demystifies the past. He explains how human development has been shaped by ingenuity, greed, foolishness, violence, and absurdity - and how it might be influenced by machines. This much-praised history book by Yuval Noah Harari will give you a perspective on life by tackling some of the biggest questions about humanity, asking why we are the way we are.
Bangladesh has succeeded in maintaining good growth in home textiles during the last two years, as it managed to ensure smooth production even during the pandemic and lockdowns, when production was badly disrupted in other countries. As a result, Bangladeshi manufacturers have gained confidence of global buyers, and orders have shifted to this country.

Bangladeshs export earnings from home textiles in FY22 (ending June 30) increased by 43.28 per cent to $1.62 billion from $1.13 billion in FY21, as per the countrys Export Promotion Bureau data. In the financial year 2020-21, home textiles export posted the highest growth of 49.17 per cent, surpassing earnings of $1 billion dollar for the first time.

Bangladeshs home textiles exports to the US  a major importer  increased in 2020 when COVID-19 disrupted the entire world. US import from Bangladesh increased to $240.658 million in 2020 from $205.320 million in 2019. The import further increased to $310.803 million in 2021. The import was $159.572 million in the first five months of this year, according to Fibre2Fashions market insight tool TexPro.

Bangladesh has succeeded in maintaining good growth in home textiles during the last two years, as it managed to ensure smooth production even during the pandemic and lockdowns, when production was badly disrupted in other countries. As a result, Bangladeshi manufacturers have gained confidence of global buyers, and orders have shifted to this country.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Thailand and Cambodia recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bangkok on logistics cooperation. Both sides will work on three areas: logistics policy and legal framework; logistics cost per gross domestic product (GDP) and logistics performance index (LPI); and strengthen institutional and stakeholder capacity in logistics.

The MoU was signed by Koy Sodany, secretary of state for ministry of public works and transport (MPWT) of Cambodia, and Danucha Pichayanan, secretary general of National Economic and Social Development Council of Thailand.

Sodany told the Thai side about the MPWTs attention and efforts to draft a master plan on multipurpose transport connectivity and logistics in Cambodia.

Thailand and Cambodia recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bangkok on logistics cooperation. Both sides will work on three areas: logistics policy and legal framework; logistics cost per gross domestic product (GDP) and logistics performance index (LPI); and strengthen institutional and stakeholder capacity in logistics.#

The master plan includes hard and soft infrastructure development projects like projects of road, railway, expressway, waterway, maritime road, port, airport and logistics infrastructure development, and needs around $50 billion over a ten-year period, according to Cambodian media reports.

Bilateral trade between both sides rose by 22.8 per cent to $2.297 billion in the first half (H1) of this year from a year ago, according to Cambodias general department of customs and excise.

Cambodias exports to Thailand grew by 36.7 per cent year on year to $495.778 million, while imports climbed by 19.5 per cent to $1.801 billion. The countrys trade deficit with Thailand for H1 2022 stood at $1.306 billion, expanding by 14 per cent on a yearly basis.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Orange and MASMOVIL (LORCA JVCO) have signed a binding agreement to combine their businesses in Spain, Orange said in a statement. The combination of the activities of ORANGE Spain and MASMOVIL would take the form of a 50-50 joint venture co-controlled by ORANGE and MASMOVIL (LORCA JVCO), with equal governance rights in the combined entity. The agreement between the companies includes a right to trigger an IPO under certain conditions for both parties after a defined period and, in such a scenario, an option for ORANGE to take control of the combined entity at IPO price. As part of the final deal, ORANGE Spain's enterprise value is set at 7.8 billion euros and MASMOVIL's at 10.9 billion euros. The transaction is expected to close during the second half of 2023 at the latest. 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.
Sunny days during the height of the travel season find visitors combing the cemetery at the top of the hill for any sign of the Shipleys.

Former Philomath mayor Eric Niemann was there Saturday, July 23, pointing out their grave markers with a world-class vocalist, Marilyn Keller of the Portland area.

Both had just come from a dedication downhill, closer to heavily-trafficked Highway 20, where area pioneers Reuben and Mary Jane Shipley are now memorialized on a sign near their homestead that was parceled out to see people who are Black and white buried as equals.

It was a bold move and we should honor that, Niemann said.

The Shipleys' story is at once uplifting  one of volunteers and humanitarians, said activists, advocates and boosters who pushed for the signs installation. But its also tough, one born of a nation founded on slavery and racism and westward expansion.

Jason Dorsette, chapter president of Linn Benton NAACP, told the crowd that the Shipleys should be revered as civil rights leaders and freedom fighters.

For its their stories, and leaders such as the Shipleys whose shoulders I stand on, Dorsette said.

He drew scattered whoops from those gathered around the monument.

And when it came time for Amazing Grace, Kellers powerful rendition brought several in the crowd of about 150 to tears.

Albany Mayor Alex Johnson II's speech drew gasps.

The one-time department and project manager at tech companies said he traveled to 38 nations when he was a U.S. Navy sailor.

Every single country I traveled to, they could say the word n-----. And they know exactly what it means, Johnson said.

Johnson said the second major U.S. export, behind weaponry, is racism.

Whether youre in Fiji, Hong Kong, Australia, that word is there. It was transported there by soldiers, sailors and business folk who traveled, Johnson said.

Johnson said the city he helms is undergoing change, suddenly, painfully that started with protests over the police murder of George Floyd in 2020. He had signs, flags and his car damaged after rallying demonstrators in Albany.

He stressed dialogue as a catalyst  speaking to people who are Black  and getting involved in civic processes like voting and attending local government meetings. Leaders now, like the Shipleys in the 1800s, Johnson said, are planning community improvements for the next generation.

He didnt do that for them, Johnson said. He did that for us.

Those settlers had to make space for their lives, freeing themselves from enslavement and purchasing 101 acres near present-day Philomath. Then they made space for their deaths.

Reuben Shipley ceded two acres to the community of then-Plymouth in 1861 just a month after separatists shelled Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

The community that was growing up around the Shipley homestead named it Mount Union, honoring the solidarity of the U.S. The country had just started a devastating civil war with its pro-slavery southern states.

Bahai Faith of Linn & Benton Counties applied to have the Shipley historical marker installed.

Niemann said boosters were able to galvanize support, drawing 43 donors and more than $4,100, plus grants from Oregon Community Foundation and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians.

The former mayor said the story he takes away from the Shipleys is one of optimism, a turning point in integrating people of the same town and same country.

If we cant live together, at least we can be buried together, Niemann said.
One man received minor injuries but no one was killed after Lebanon firefighters were called to rescue someone from the Santiam River July 23 at a popular swimming hole near Waterloo.

A 49-year-old man reportedly flipped from an inner tube early Saturday afternoon near Bates Bridge where it crosses the South Santiam on McDowell Creek Road, said Lebanon Fire District battalion chief Russell Duerr.

Duerr said the man reportedly was trying to help a family member in distress.

But then he got so tired that he also became distressed, Duerr said.

Lebanon sent 18 personnel to the popular floating spot. Crew from an Oregon Department of Forestry truck used an unmanned aerial vehicle to spot the man on the south bank of the river, about .25 to .5 miles downstream from the bridge.

He was severely fatigued, Duerr said. He couldnt make it up the shore.

The department called off a water rescue boat and dive team, then pulled the man from the shore with ropes and a specialized stretcher in a technical low-angle rescue, Duerr said.

He said Lebanon responders transported the man to Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital with minor injuries. The man was not wearing a life jacket.

They dont realize how strong the undercurrent can be, Duerr said.

Duerr said as the weather warms, more people are at risk of falling in.

Its a popular spot, Duerr said. There were tens of people doing the same thing.

The department offers life jackets for day use in kiosks at area boat launches, Duerr said.
English Norwegian

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 Statkrafts 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 Statkrafts 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 Europes 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


Gurugram, India, July 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

There are 900K+ import/export containers in three ports of Kuwait with 10M+ import/export per ton.

Kuwait's Public Authority for Roads and Transportation (PART) is currently implementing 19 major road projects across the country worth a total of $4.9 Bn.

Digital transformation will be one of the most prominent pillars of the government's work program in order to develop services and simplify procedures, as government agencies aim towards greater automation of their services.

Kuwait Warehousing Market Overview

Infrastructure Development: The Kuwaiti Government has set up an investment plan for expanding and modernizing the airport. It will include building a new passenger terminal, a third runway and expansion and refurbishment of the two existing runways, a second control tower, taxiways, various platforms and a new administrative building for the aeronautical authority, in addition to a program of projects for air navigation and communications facilities.

Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.kenresearch.com/sample-report.php?Frmdetails=NTc0NDQz

Emergence of New Technologies: Advanced sortation systems, Drones, IoT and Automated guided vehicles are some of the emerging technologies in the Kuwait warehousing ecosystem. Advanced analytics, such as predictive analytics, are leveraged to improve forecasting and drive smarter decision-making in the warehouse.

Focus on Last Mile Deliveries: There is a growing need of last-mile deliveries occupying a critical position. eCommerce sales and demand for quick delivery continue to increase every year. Porter Express serves some of the renowned companies in Kuwait and the surrounding region. Porter Express is looking forward to become a dominant last mile and fulfillment provider in Kuwait after becoming a profitable player in 2020.

Shift to Sustainable Warehousing: Kuwait Warehousing Industry is expected to witness a major shift in warehousing management techniques. Companies plan to use energy efficient equipments, reduce the packaging and utilize biodegradable materials. For example, Kuwait-based logistics provider, Agility has spent $18m in green supply chain technologies through its corporate venture arm Agility Ventures. The two companies that have benefitted from this step are Hyliion and TVP Solar.

The report titled  Kuwait Warehousing Market Outlook to 2026F Driven by Rise in Demand for Technologically Advanced Warehouses by Different End Users  provides a comprehensive analysis on the status of the warehousing market in Kuwait. The report covers various aspects including overview of transportation infrastructure, industrial landscape of Kuwait, warehousing market size and segmentations, trends and developments, issues and challenges, regulatory landscape, value chain analysis, competitive scenario and emerging technologies in the industries. The report concludes with market projections for future of the industry including forecasted industry size by revenue and business activity.

Key Segments Covered:-

By Captive and Logistics Companies

Logistics Companies

Captive Companies

By Licensed and Non Licensed Warehouse

Licensed Warehouses

Non-Licensed Warehouses

By Grade

Grade A

Grade B and others

By Commercial Models

Built to Suit Model

Long Term Leasing Model

Rental Models by 3PL

By Warehouse Type

Dry & Ambient

Cold Storage

Open Yards

Agriculture and Other Warehouses

Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.kenresearch.com/sample-report.php?Frmdetails=NTc0NDQz

By End Users

Food & Beverages

Consumer Retail

Healthcare

Automotive and Industrial Equipments

Consumer E-Commerce

Others

By Consumer E-Commerce

E-commerce Delivery Stations

Dark Kitchens/Stores

Others

By Region

Mina Abdullah

Sulaibiya

Shuwaikh

Ardiya

Jahra

Others

Companies Covered:-

Agility Kuwait

KGL Logistics Kuwait

DHL Kuwait

City Group

Aramex

TransCrate Logistics

Key Target Audience:-

International Domestic Freight Forwarders

Warehousing Companies

Logistics Companies

Logistics Consultants

Request for Free Sample Report @ https://www.kenresearch.com/sample-report.php?Frmdetails=NTc0NDQz

Time Period Captured in the Report:-

Historical Period  2 016-2021

016-2021 Forecast Period 2021-2026F

Key Topics Covered in the Report

Executive Summary

Logistics Warehouse Companies in Kuwait

Kuwait Country and Logistics Sector Overview

Snapshot of Industrial Market Landscape in Kuwait

Major Regulations for the Warehousing and Logistics Industry in Kuwait

Emerging Technologies in Kuwait Warehousing Market

Key Trends in Kuwait Warehousing Market

Major Challenges in Kuwait Warehousing Market

Competitive Landscape in Kuwait Warehousing Market

Strengths and Weaknesses of Major Warehousing Players in Kuwait

Detailed Analysis on Kuwait Warehousing Market (Market Size, 2016-2021; Market Segmentation; Market Shares; Competition; Future Market Size, 2026F)

Competitive Landscape in Kuwait Warehousing Market

Analyst Recommendations

Agility Warehouse Space Kuwait

DHL Warehouse Space Kuwait

Transcrate Warehouse Space Kuwait

Aramex Warehouse Space Kuwait

KGL Logistics Kuwait

Sulaibya Warehousing Space

Mina Abdullah Warehousing Space

Shuwaikh Warehousing Space

Licensed Warehouses Kuwait

Non Licensed Warehouses Kuwait

Logistics and Distribution Centers Kuwait

Dry Warehousing Revenue Kuwait

Ambient Warehousing Revenue Kuwait

For more information on the research report, refer to below link:-

Kuwait Warehousing Market

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The industry is home to an extremely strong Freight Forwarding segment, driven by the UAEs position as a key facilitator for global re-exports. Moreover, given its high dependence on Imports for Consumer Products and Technology, the UAE has strong trade relations with far-Eastern countries, European countries and the US. Given its oil-producing capabilities, the country relies heavily on Sea Freight as a mode of cargo transport, with the service being almost a common feature amongst freight forwarding companies in the country. The UAE also has a strong warehousing market segment, driven by players that lease warehousing space for long durations of time. Warehousing operations near to the Jebel Ali Port and Dubai Airport are considered most favourable to reduce the transportation cost from port to mother-hub. The Courier, Express and Parcel market is driven by growth in Last-Mile deliveries and the E-Commerce segment in the country.

Turkey Logistics And Warehousing Market Outlook To 2025  By Domestic And International Freight Forwarding Throughput, Revenue & Flow Corridor (Road Freight And Pipelines, Sea, Air And Rail Freight), By Warehousing (Industrial / Retail, Container Freight / Inland Container Depot & Cold Storage), By 3PL, Courier Express & Parcel, Domestic And Cross Border E-Commerce Logistics

Turkey logistics and warehousing market displayed a consistent growth during the period 2013 to 2018. The growth in the automotive exports coupled with rising e-commerce sector was witnessed to drive the Turkey logistics market. The country also has a robust manufacturing sector that contributes to almost 25% of the countrys GDP and provides the boost to the logistics industry in Turkey. In addition to this, the implementation of Vision 2023 and Logistics Master Plan 2023 by the government also indicates a positive outlook for the industry. The market has increased owing to high domestic consumption and the efforts of government to boost infrastructure. The investments in infrastructure and technology have impacted Turkey logistics market positively.

Qatar Cold Chain Market Outlook To 2026 - Driven By FIFA World Cup 2022s Logistics Demand And Infrastructural Growth Along With A Tailwind Of Technological Development, Qatar Cold Chain Market Experiencing Growth

The cold chain market in Qatar is at the growth stage. It has established its position as an important import hub for the GCC countries (after UAE). Most of the goods are transported to the GCC countries after reaching Qatar. The high dependence of the country on imports to meet its food requirements has decreased over the past years and has necessitated the development of cold chain facilities to store domestically produced perishable products. In the review period 2016-2021P, the Qatar cold chain market has increased at a positive CAGR of 5.8% primarily due to substantial government investments in the freight industry and increase in retail and consumer spending especially in meat and seafood, dairy market, and the growing pharmaceuticals industry.
DENVER, CO, July 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The key to long-term growth in the oil and gas industry is consistently acquiring mineral rights that turn into profitable endeavors. This can prove to be a complex enterprise, as companies never truly know what will come out of a well.

This challenge is one that Phoenix Capital Group has been tackling head-on and is doing with remarkable success.

Thanks to an entire department at the company dedicated to this process -- what the company calls its title factory -- Phoenix Capital Group sets itself apart from the competition. The process allows the company to accurately forecast the output of mineral rights across the country, from the North Dakota border with Canada down to the Texas border with Mexico.

But, more so than accurate forecasting, the company's focus on owning the real asset of the mineral rights allows it not to be a speculative business. It's a primary reason why Phoenix Capital Group has remained profitable even during the COVID-19 pandemic when much of the industry was experiencing significant losses.

"I'm grateful for the team at Phoenix as we put our heads together to weather the storm," said Lindsey Wilson, the chief operating officer and founding member of Phoenix Capital Group. "We were able to navigate this volatility and remain profitable without draconian cuts to our business."

Phoenix Capital Group invests significant time, energy, and resources in verifying mineral rights ownership throughout the country. The company has a team of 50 employees and contractors that do nothing but solve puzzles related to who owns which mineral rights.

Unlike typical property ownership, which can be found with simple property searches, verifying mineral rights ownership may involve scanning and analyzing physical documents from the 1800s at local courthouses. It's a process other companies won't complete or don't have the resources to complete, which puts Phoenix Capital Group in the advantageous position to own assets that produce real value.

As someone with first-hand industry experience, Wilson knows how important the relationship with mineral rights owners is. As she explains:

"The golden rule always applies. For mineral owners and investors alike -- we consider it a partnership. I am also rooted in this industry, with my family owning materials, like most folks we communicate with at Phoenix Capital Group.

"I understand that the minerals have sentimental value to some people, and that process can be very emotional. Having experienced this from a landowner's lens allows me to understand the process outside of a company mindset."

Using that mindset, Phoenix Capital Group continues to expand and purchase property with oil and gas in predictable volumes in the ground, earning its investors substantially above-market yields.

Contact:

Name: Brynn Ferrari

Email: PublicRelations@phxcapitalgroup.com

Organization: Phoenix Capital Group Holdings, LLC

Address: 18575 Jamboree Road, Suite 830, Irvine, CA 92612

Phone: (213) 316-8720

Website: https://www.phxcapitalgroup.com/
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto sounds extremely positive about his team's potential and chances despite a heavy defeat to Red Bull Racing. The Italian takes the positive points from the weekend to next weekend in Hungary.

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Binotto is confident Leclerc will learn from mistake

Leclerc did not finish because of (what appeared to be) a driver error. Over the radio, the Monegasque could be heard complaining about his throttle, but even during the race Leclerc corrected himself in front of the cameras and seemed to admit it was a mistake on his part. Binotto spoke briefly to Viaplay about it: "There is not much to say. It was a genuine mistake. These are things that happen when you are driving to the limit. The most important thing is to learn from it. Im pretty sure Charles will learn. He is a fantastic driver."

Does Ferrari have an advantage?

Despite Leclerc's DNF and Carlos Sainz's disappointing final result, Binotto is particularly excited. Sainz appeared at the start of the weekend in France with a new engine and associated parts, which meant he started the French GP from the back. It was a sensational race for the Spaniard who finished on P5. Binotto especially saw the potential of the Ferrari F1-75.

Binotto: "It is more important to turn the page, to start looking forward to Hungary. We have shown our potential is great. We have fantastic drivers. I think today, over fifteen laps wed got the edge on Red Bull in terms of tyre management and degradation. Everything was going well, it was a fantastic race. We need to stay positive and look forward to the next one in seven days and get the maximum out of it."
Silicons properties as a semiconductor are far from ideal. Athough silicon lets electrons whizz through its structure easily, it is much less accommodating to holeselectrons positively charged counterpartsand harnessing both is important for some kinds of chips. Furthermore, silicon is not very good at conducting heat, which is why overheating issues and expensive cooling systems are common in computers.

Now, a team of researchers at MIT, the University of Houston, and other institutions have shown that cubic boron arsenide overcomes these two limitations of silicon as a semiconductor material. Cubic boron arsenide provides high mobility to both holes as well as electrons, and has excellent thermal conductivity. It is, the researchers say, the best semiconductor material ever found, and perhaps the best possible one.





MIT researchers say cubic boron arsenide is the best semiconductor material ever found, and maybe the best possible one. Credits: Image: Christine Daniloff, MIT

The findings are reported in the journal Science, in a paper by MIT postdoc Jungwoo Shin and MIT professor of mechanical engineering Gang Chen; Zhifeng Ren at the University of Houston; and 14 others at MIT, the University of Houston, the University of Texas at Austin, and Boston College.

So far, cubic boron arsenide has only been made and tested in small, lab-scale batches that are not uniform. The researchers had to use special methods originally developed by former MIT postdoc Bai Song to test small regions within the material.

More work will be needed to determine whether cubic boron arsenide can be made in a practical, economical form, much less replace the ubiquitous silicon. But even in the near future, the material could find some uses where its unique properties would make a significant difference, the researchers say.

Earlier research, including work by David Broido, who is a co-author of the new paper, had theoretically predicted that the material would have high thermal conductivity; subsequent work proved that prediction experimentally. This latest work completes the analysis by confirming experimentally a prediction made by Chens group back in 2018: that cubic boron arsenide would also have very high mobility for both electrons and holes, which makes this material really unique, says Chen.

The earlier experiments showed that the thermal conductivity of cubic boron arsenide is almost 10 times greater than that of siliconvery attractive just for heat dissipation, Chen says. They also showed that the material has a very good bandgap, a property that gives it great potential as a semiconductor material.

The new work shows that, with its high mobility for both electrons and holes, boron arsenide has all the main qualities needed for an ideal semiconductor.

Thats important because of course in semiconductors we have both positive and negative charges equivalently. So, if you build a device, you want to have a material where both electrons and holes travel with less resistance. Gang Chen

Silicon has good electron mobility but poor hole mobility, and other materials such as gallium arsenide, widely used for lasers, similarly have good mobility for electrons but not for holes.

Heat is now a major bottleneck for many electronics. Silicon carbide is replacing silicon for power electronics in major EV industries including Tesla, since it has three times higher thermal conductivity than silicon despite its lower electrical mobilities. Imagine what boron arsenides can achieve, with 10 times higher thermal conductivity and much higher mobility than silicon. It can be a gamechanger. Shin, lead author

Shin said that the critical milestone that makes this discovery possible is advances in ultrafast laser grating systems at MIT, initially developed by Song. Without that technique, Shin says, it would not have been possible to demonstrate the materials high mobility for electrons and holes.

The electronic properties of cubic boron arsenide were initially predicted based on quantum mechanical density function calculations made by Chens group, he says, and those predictions have now been validated through experiments conducted at MIT, using optical detection methods on samples made by Ren and members of the team at the University of Houston.

Not only is the materials thermal conductivity the best of any semiconductor, the researchers say, it has the third-best thermal conductivity of any materialnext to diamond and isotopically enriched cubic boron nitride.

The challenge now, Chen says, is to figure out practical ways of making this material in usable quantities. The current methods of making it produce very nonuniform material, so the team had to find ways to test just small local patches of the material that were uniform enough to provide reliable data. While they have demonstrated the great potential of this material, whether or where its going to actually be used, they do not know.

Although the thermal and electrical properties have been shown to be excellent, there are many other properties of a material that have yet to be tested, such as its long-term stability/

To make devices, there are many other factors that we dont know yet. Gang Chen

The research was supported by the US Office of Naval Research, and used facilities of MITs MRSEC Shared Experimental Facilities, supported by the National Science Foundation.

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When Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous groups on Canadian soil this week, he will make another effort toward healing harms inflicted at church-run residential schools  and add to the Catholic Churchs growing ledger of atonement for past transgressions.

Like the papacy, top Protestant leaders also have gradually issued institutional mea culpas for their churches' historical wrongs. Many of the apologies on behalf of Christian denominations are for grave offenses: genocide, sex abuse, slavery, war and more.

While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.

For 1,900 years, churches didnt apologize for the bad things that they did, Bergen said.

He pinpoints the pivot to significant apologies coming in the aftermath of World War II, especially a declaration by Germany's Protestant churches that they failed to adequately oppose the Nazis. It was among the first in a series of recognitions that Christian institutions themselves committed wrongs, Bergen said. In the 1990s, church apologies increased as more attention was paid to human rights following the Cold War, he said.

The pope flew to Canada on Sunday to apologize for abuses Indigenous people suffered in the country's state-funded residential Christian schools. From the 1800s to the 1970s, Native children were forced to attend the schools where abuse was rampant.

The apology follows a similar one Francis made in April in Rome to members of Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

The setting matters, said Fernie Marty, a member of the Papaschase, a Cree nation in Alberta. The 73-year-old is a survivor of a day school  part of a system that, like residential schools, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.

He appreciated the popes Rome apology, but this is where all the atrocities happened, Marty said. Its more meaningful coming on Canadian soil."

Marty, an elder at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, a Catholic parish in Alberta's capital oriented toward Indigenous people and culture, said the popes visit offers a tremendous opportunity for my own personal healing.

But George Pipestem, 79, a member of the Montana First Nation and a survivor of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, questioned the relevance of a papal apology, just as he questioned apologies by Canadian prime ministers for the governments role in the schools.

He said the abusers should be the ones apologizing: Theyre all gone, though. This apologizing, it doesnt matter to me. Its like nothing. Its only a word."

It is not uncommon for a leader who was neither involved nor alive when a wrong was committed to deliver a church's apology. Some took generations to say sorry.

Graham Dodds, a political science professor at Concordia University in Montreal who researches political apologies, says institutional responsibility can extend beyond the present day or any one person's lifetime.

Its part of being a leader to accept that connection with things past, he said.

St. John Paul II embraced that responsibility and left a legacy of papal apologies. None were more significant than his list of mea culpas issued as the Catholic Church opened its 2000 Jubilee and entered its third millennium.

John Paul apologized for Catholics' sins through the ages, including against women, Jews and other religious minorities. In his most memorable act, he tucked a prayer note into the Western Wall in Jerusalem asking Gods forgiveness for those who "have caused these children of yours to suffer.

He wanted something of a clean slate, Dodds said.

The following year, when John Paul sent his first-ever email, it was an apology for colonial-era abuses of Aboriginal peoples in Australia and the Pacific, as well as for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, also apologized for clerical abuse, most significantly in a 2010 letter to Irish faithful. He said he was truly sorry for the hurt and blamed Irish bishops, though he was silent on Vatican responsibility.

Francis has gone further, first apologizing for his own errors in defending a Chilean bishop who covered up abuse by the countrys most notorious pedophile priest. That 2018 scandal was a turning point in the pope's understanding of abuse, and he continued to apologize for it.

Juan Carlos Cruz, who was abused by that priest, received both a church apology and a personal one from Francis. It felt like finally the church recognized the harm he suffered, and he could start healing, Cruz said. It also motivated Cruz, now a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to continue advocating for survivors.

Pope Francis had a sincerity that it was hard not to believe. And its not because youre sitting in front of a pope. ... It's because of his humility and sincerity, Cruz said. Trust me. Ive received apologies from many people in the church that are as fake as you can imagine.

Francis has also apologized, in 2015 in Bolivia, for wrongs committed by the church against Indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas.

Timing, word choice and contrition are important elements for an apology to be effective, Dodds said. Bad apologies try to justify or explain away wrongs, while good ones admit fault and convey, "It was wrong. ... It wont happen again. Please, forgive me, he said.

What comes next also matters, said the Rev. Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He is a Black minister in the predominately white Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845 in support of slaveholding missionaries.

It took SBC delegates 150 years to repudiate slavery and apologize for racism, in 1995. It was overdue and the right thing to do, McKissic said, but he wanted to see if the SBC would follow up with more leadership diversity.

He recalled visiting convention headquarters in Nashville in 2007 and being told the top African American working in the building was a custodian. When he returned recently, the top post was held by Willie McLaurin, the first Black man to head the SBC's Executive Committee.

That's progress, McKissic said, while cautioning that there is still room for a lot of improvements such as more diversity among leadership and seminary professors.

This year SBC delegates also apologized for harm caused to church sexual abuse survivors.

The United Church of Canada, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, apologized more than 20 years ago for its role in operating 15 residential schools for Indigenous youths.

The Right Rev. Richard Bott, who is now the churchs moderator and top spiritual leader, said the institutional repentance and reparations his predecessor set in motion in 1998 remains a work in progress.

This is not work thats done in a day, Bott said. This is the work of a lifetime of response and an institutional lifetime of response. The only way we will get there is to begin each day in a good way with Indigenous neighbors. So thats really central to our understanding of apology.

When Francis apologized at the Vatican in April to the visiting delegation of Indigenous Canadians, he also listened to their personal stories of residential school abuse.

They spoke truth, Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said, and they told the pope they needed to hear words from you that will heal.

But when the pontiff comes to Canada, Smith said, it's important that he doesn't just read from a carefully vetted script: Everybody wants him to speak from his heart.

Smith said it can't stop there. The Catholic Church in Canada will have to do much more than apologize to heal the wrongs at the schools. This is about one step in a very long journey.

___

Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

___

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.
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Evan Cygler, brand manager at Bugatti Greenwich and director of special projects at Miller Motorcars, was named Best Performing Bugatti Brand Manager at the Bugatti World Partner Meeting in Molsheim, France.

Bugatti Greenwich is the first dealer in North America to receive the prestigious award.

Each year, the Sales Excellence Program recognizes the top three performing brand managers from around the world who not only meet sales targets, but who also showcase what it means to be an official Bugatti representative. In 2021, Cygler exceeded his target by more than double, skyrocketing him to become the No. 1 dealer in the world.

A car company cannot succeed without a strong dealer network, so it is important that we recognize those who go above and beyond, said Cedric Davy, chief operating officer of Bugatti of the Americas. Evans dedication, creative spirit and excitement for the brand is evident to his customers and to us at Bugatti, making him an exceptional partner.

The award was announced April 7.

Winning this award has been a goal of mine since I started working with Bugatti at Miller Motorcars in 2015, said Cygler. The hypercar segment has opened up in the last decade, as other companies have followed in Bugattis footsteps of producing million-dollar vehicles.

As a Bugatti partner, it is my job to not only sell cars, but to create a bespoke and memorable journey for each of our customers, which is what sets the brand apart in a highly competitive segment. Bugatti and its customers are constantly evolving, and so am I. With the support of my incredible colleagues in Greenwich, as well as the team at Bugatti, I am able to provide an unparalleled experience for our clientele.

Bugatti Greenwich serves an active and financially robust market. In his role, the company said, Cygler ensures that each customer receives the time and attention needed to build their dream cars. Also, Cygler keeps the community engaged with events including car rallies and charity car shows.

Bugatti Greenwich is also one of two partners in the U.S. with a Bugatti Service Partner of Excellence accreditation. With each technician specially trained at the Atelier in Molsheim, owners can expect to receive the best service available.

Cummings & Lockwood welcomes 2 principals

Cummings & Lockwood announced that Joanne Butler and Lori E. Romano, two former partners at Shipman & Goodwin, recently joined the firm as principals in the Private Clients Group.

We are very excited to have such seasoned estate planning practitioners join our premier trusts and estates practice, said Heather J. Rhoades, chairman of the Private Clients Group. They will be a valuable addition to our team of highly respected private clients attorneys and fiduciary accountants who serve high net worth individuals, families, family offices and closely held businesses in Connecticut and Florida.

Laura Beck, the firms chairman and managing director, added that Joanne and Lori will bring further bench strength and growth to Cummings & Lockwoods private clients practice, which has been recognized by Chambers High Net Worth Guide as a leading Tier 1 practice in Connecticut.

Based in the Greenwich office, Romano has 30 years of experience practicing in the areas of estate planning and estate and trust administration. She combines her estate planning knowledge and counseling skills to create wills, establish trusts and charitable giving vehicles, and develop wealth planning and succession strategies.

Romano practices before Probate Courts throughout Connecticut, and especially in Fairfield County, as well as prepares and advises those preparing estate and gift tax returns and fiduciary income tax returns.

She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Bridgeport School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Fairfield University. She is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and New York and is a member of the American Bar Association, New York Bar Association, Connecticut Bar Association, Fairfield County Bar Association and the Greenwich Bar Association, where she served as president and on the executive committee. She is also a member of the Estate Planning Council of Lower Fairfield County.

Based in the Stamford office, Butler has 23 years of experience developing estate planning strategies for individuals and families, as well as representing individual and corporate fiduciaries in all aspects of estate and trust administration.

Butler advises clients on the administration of estate and trust assets; the tax implications of complex estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax planning; and with the preparation and filing of estate and gift tax returns, estate accountings and periodic trust accountings.

She has represented individual and corporate fiduciaries before the Internal Revenue Service, the New York County Surrogates Court and in Fairfield County Probate Courts.

Butler received her LL.M. from New York University School of Law, her J.D., magna cum laude, from Brooklyn Law School and her B.S. from Seton Hall University. She is admitted to practice law in Connecticut and New York. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar Association, Greenwich Bar Association, New York State Bar Association and New York City Bar Association.

Founded in 1909, Cummings & Lockwood provides legal counsel to individuals and families, family offices, closely held businesses, other commercial enterprises and private foundations. It has nearly 200 attorneys, fiduciary accountants, paralegals and staff, as well as six offices located in Stamford, Greenwich and West Hartford in Connecticut, and in Naples, Bonita Springs and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla..

Local students earn honors at SNHU

Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, N.H.., congratulates Nery Lopez and Debra Montalto, both of Greenwich, who were both named to the Winter 2022 Presidents List for earning a minimum grade-point average of 3.700 or above.

Also, Alena Garcia and Jessica Reyes, both of Greenwich, were named to the Winter 2022 Deans List for earning a minimum grade-point average of 3.500 to 3.699.

Pomfret School honors local student

Robert Moro of Greenwich, a member of the Class of 2023, was named to the Winter 2021-22 High Honors list at Pomfret School in Pomfret. To achieve this level of distinction, he earned a grade point average of at least 3.670 and received no grade lower than a B+.

Founded in 1894, Pomfret is an independent, coed, college prep, boarding and day school, located on a 500-acre hilltop in northeastern Connecticut.

Celebrating the birth of a baby, an engagement or a wedding; a high school or college graduation; or an honor at work or through volunteering? Send information on celebrations involving Greenwich people or places to gtcitydesk@hearstmediact.com.
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GREENWICH  Charles Bausman enjoyed many advantages growing up in Greenwich.

The son of two accomplished parents who were active in their Greenwich church, Bausman studied at Phillips Exeter Academy, Wesleyan University and Columbia University. His father, John Bausman who died in 2016, was the head of the Moscow bureau of The Associated Press from 1968 to 1972, and Charles Bausman became fluent in the Russian language.

Bausman went to Russia after studying business at Columbia to work in the agribusiness sector. He married a Russian woman and became a regular commentator on RT (formerly Russia Today), the media and news network owned by the Russian government that acquaints international audiences with a Russian viewpoint on major global events, in its description.

Bausman has been a well-known media figure in Russia, and he is now becoming better known in the United States. He is the publisher of an English-language media website that claims the Holocaust is a hoax, excoriates gay people and says Vladimir Putin is the kind of statesman who should set an example to the world.

And this summer, Bausman has been receiving extensive new scrutiny for his role in the shadowy world of pro-Putin media campaigns and radical domestic politics.

He has come under particular attention for his role on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob breached the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to prevent the transfer of presidential authority. No charges have been brought against him, although he is visible in video clips introduced in court cases against others who participated in the Jan. 6 riot, a recent profile on him from The New York Times reported.

In an interview with Russian media, Bausman indicated he was present at the Capitol that day as part of the media. He told a Russian media figure it was a false-flag operation staged by the FBI and agent provocateurs to make Trump look bad, to make his supporters look bad.

The former Greenwich resident was also active in the Stop the Steal movement by followers of former President Donald Trump in claiming, without evidence, that he actually won the 2020 presidential election.

Bausman did not respond to requests for comment.

Bausman has a trail of strange associations with extremist groups, said Zev Shalev, a former CBS News executive producer who has researched and written extensively on Russia, political radicals and domestic politics. Shalev recently wrote a lengthy article examining Bausmans pro-Putin stance and his connections to other white supremacists in the U.S. on his news site, Narativ.

As to Bausmans association with Russian media figures and pro-Putin media, Shalev said, he was part of a larger effort. Theres a whole network. Its a complex operation, intended to incite extremism, he said.

The website Bausman founded in 2014, Russia Insider, has been called part of a network of racist junk news websites, by Hatewatch, a research organization that monitors radicals and extremists in the U.S.

RT dropped the former Greenwich resident after he published anti-Semitic web posts in 2018 in the form of an essay entitled Its Time to Drop the Jew Taboo. His website has featured Holocaust denialism and conspiracy theories about Jewish people on a regular basis.

According to a statement from the press office at RT, sent this week, RT categorically and unequivocally condemns all hate speech and rejects any association to such. Charles Bausmans views were the key reason why he was blacklisted by the network many years ago.

Bausman has played up his upbringing in Greenwich in his publishing operation, as well as his family roots in Pennsylvania, where he now maintains a residence. In his writings on Russia Insider, he says he is a devout Christian and is compelled to air his views  which recycle old anti-Semitic tropes  on culture and media in the U.S.

After he founded Russia Insider in 2014, Bausman came to Greenwich as part of a campaign to promote the media operation. In an interview, he extolled Putin and criticized what he said was an unfair portrayal of the Russia leader. He scoffed at the idea that Putin had ordered the assassination of dissidents and political foes.

Anybody who knows anything about Russia, he said, knows that Putin is the last person to make this happen. He does not want to look like a dictator killing his opponents.

On the visit to his hometown in 2015, Bausman gave a talk at the Greenwich Library on current events in Russia and Ukraine.

Russia Insider now posts essays from a wide assortment of purported scholars and polemicists, with headlines such as Should the US Have Fought in World War II? Absolutely Not! and How Jews Gave America Gay Marriage.

The site has a particular hostility for Winston Churchill, the wartime leader of Great Britain, attacking him as a war criminal in numerous posts with headlines like Lets Be Honest  Stalin Was Less of a Criminal Than Churchill, Truman, and LBJ.

There are numerous posts attacking gay people and the Moral Decay of the West, as one video is labeled, while praising Russias legal and cultural restrictions on the gay community in that country. The site also posts essays denigrating Black people.

Bausman has praised the work of Nick Fuentes, a white supremacist who has joked about the Holocaust and implied the Nazi atrocities in World War II were faked. Russia Insider also denigrates the U.S. and its popular culture, comparing it in negative terms with Russian culture.

Olga Lautman, senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis in Washington, D.C., and an expert on Russian propaganda and disinformation campaigns, said Bausman was a familiar feature in Russian-language media.

Hes been pushing Kremlin talking points for years. And very conspiratorial. He taps into conspiracy theories, and the darker aspects of U.S., the fringe groups, the dangerous ones. And hes one of many, causing division in America, said Lautman, who produces a regular podcast on Russia called Kremlin File. Its poisonous.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
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A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a recent campaign rally told investigators hed been drinking that day and didnt know who the congressman was, authorities said as the man was arrested on a federal assault charge Saturday.

David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal magistrate judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

He was ordered held until a bail hearing in federal court Wednesday. Prosecutors said he should remain detained as a flight risk and is dangerous, according to a court filing. Assistant federal public defender Steven Slawinski, representing Jakubonis, said in an email to The Associated Press that he planned to ask the judge to release Jakubonis from custody.

Jakubonis was arraigned Friday on a separate state charge of attempted assault in the second degree and was released by a local judge. That prompted criticism from Zeldin and other Republicans who held it up as an example of the need to reform New Yorks bail laws, something Zeldin has called on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to toughen.

A 2019 bail reform law in New York eliminated pretrial incarceration for people accused of most nonviolent offenses. The law gives judges the option to set bail in nearly all cases involving violent felonies, but it has exceptions for certain attempted felonies like attempted assault.

The federal criminal complaint filed Saturday alleged Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told investigators he was drinking whiskey on Thursday before he went onstage as Zeldin addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the town of Perinton to ask the speaker if he was disrespecting veterans.

Jakubonis did not know who the speaker was or that the speaker was a political person, according to the complaint. The complaint added that when Jakubonis watched video of Thursday evening's incident he told investigators he must have checked out and that what was depicted in the video was disgusting.

According to video of the attack, Jakubonis raised his arm toward Zeldin as he held a keychain with two sharp points. The congressman from Long Island then grabbed Jakubonis' wrist and the two tussled to the ground as others jumped in to help. Zeldin, who also served in the military, suffered a minor scrape.
The scenery may change, but the sentiment is the same as former Guam residents celebrate the 78th anniversary of Guams liberation around the country this month.

On Oahu, CHamoru music blared from speakers as families lined up at tables to fill their plates with red rice, kelaguen, barbecue ribs, gollai hagun suni, and other fiesta food under canopies set up on Saturday in a commercial district in Kapolei.

More than 350 people showed up for the potluck fiesta organized by the Bulacheros, a softball team composed of former Guam residents. The event took place 1-5 p.m. at a commercial site in Campbell Industrial Park.

Among the attendees was Margaret Wusstig Cruz, a 75-year-old former resident of Yigo, who recalled her parents stories of the war.

My father, Felix Wusstig, he told me he killed a lot of Japanese back then. They had to walk all the way to Manenggon, my mother, she said, referring to the infamous concentration camp in Yona set up by Japanese soldiers.

She came to the event to commemorate the liberation, and to support the softball team, she said.

Other attendees, like Lani Ching, looked forward to enjoying fiesta food she enjoyed growing up with her family in Nimitz Hill.

Its funny how I found out (about it). I go once a month to the Waikele food truck (that sells Guam food), and they go, Lani, do you know about this? You gotta go.

I said, yes! Because Im the one who doesnt know how to cook CHamoru food. ... I dont even know how to make finadenne, she said. All I could bring was drinks, and then donate money, thats about it.

That didnt seem to matter, as the softball team had prepared to buy enough food and drinks for the hundreds they anticipated would come.

Theres gonna be no charge. If no one even donates food, were building the money to buy all the food and drinks to feed everybody, Bulacheros member Francis Garrido had said in an earlier PDN story about Liberation celebrations around the world.

Indeed, by 4 p.m. there was still lots of food on the tables and soda, water, juice, and beer in the coolers. And, following traditional Guam hospitality, guests were invited to balutan as they left.

Fort Drum, New York

On the same day on the East Coast, about 70 people gathered Saturday at the Dimalanta residence at the Fort Drum Army Base. Organized by Ashley Salas, the event was hosted by Christelyn and Oscar Dimalanta

It was a potluck of Chamorro food, Salad said. We also had a mini Liberation decorate-your-wagon competition. The children and families paraded around the neighborhood passing out candy, musubi and rosketti.

This was the first liberation gathering on Fort Drum and we plan on doing it yearly with Guam families who are stationed here in the future, Salas said.
Editors note: The Pacific Daily News is collaborating with the University of Guam Press to support the islands creative minds by showcasing their work in Songsong Stories every month. You can view the collection at songsongstories.medium.com. This months feature is by Shanelle Cabuhat. Cabuhat is an incoming junior at the Academy of Our Lady of Guam who loves reading and web surfing. Cradled by both Filipino and CHamoru cultures, she hopes to immortalize the sublime moments in life through short poems that reflect her sporadic thoughts.

It was yesterday

When my uncle shaved me bald,

Opening my mind to

Seek every seed, every fruit, every branch of a tree and

Suit any trouble, any trial, any tribulation of feat.

As my hair regrows thick so does my skin,

But that doesnt mean I bury within

The experiences from which I known to derive

The good from the bad, the salvation from the sin.

It is today

When my mama points with her lips,

Scowling as if to scrutinize

The marks that stretch my hips,

The volcanic pits that bore my eyes,

The calluses that grace my hands.

But I revel in what she scorns.

In turn I ask,

Am I to be adored or to adorn?

It will be tomorrow

When my Father will sing me to sleep,

Humming the hymn I can no longer fight.

But before I awake to that new life,

He questions

How I loved and where it lied.

I will confess to Him at last!

As immense and dark as the trench

On the slope of my back almost as Atlas.

Then Hell ooh and ahh when I recite

This story of how I excite and entice

As the New Woman in regained paradise.
Russia denies attacks on Ukrainian port after grain deal: Turkish minister

Xinhua) 11:05, July 24, 2022

ANKARA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian officials had told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency.

"The fact that such an incident happened right after the agreement we made yesterday regarding the grain shipment worried us," he said.

Akar said he also had phone conversations with Ukrainian ministers and received information regarding the incident.

The Ukrainian military said that Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Odesa on Saturday. A missile hit one of the silos in Odesa and another fell in an area close to the silo.

The attack had not compromised the port's ability to load cargo and that grain exports could go on, according to Akar.

Turkiye has sent the two countries a message, in which it said it would like to see both sides continue their cooperation "calmly and patiently" under the agreement signed on Friday, the minister said.

Turkiye would continue to fulfil its responsibilities in the agreement, he stressed.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkiye under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website.

A joint coordination center has started operating in accordance with the agreement to monitor implementation, the Turkish minister added.

According to a copy of the agreement released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be extended for another 120 days if neither party terminates it.

Ukraine is among the world's leading grain exporters, supplying more than 45 million tons annually to the global market, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Moussa Faki Mahamat, said here Saturday he was following with "deep concern" the recent developments in Tripoli, calling on the warring parties to silence the weapons by refraining from any form of violence out of respect for the Libyan people's aspirations for peace
The local office of Deloitte & Touche, LLP, one of the premier accounting firms on island, will be closing its doors sometime next year, representatives from the firm confirmed last week.

The Guam firm will wind down its business and exit the Deloitte network in the second half of 2023, the firm said in a statement.

Deloitte Guam falls under the umbrella of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, commonly referred to as Deloitte Global, a network of over 330,000 firms across the globe, considered one of the Big 4 accounting networks.

This decision to exit is part of an ongoing conversation on how the existing practitioners in the Guam firm can better serve the unique needs of clients in Guam and the needs of the local communities. This mutually agreed decision follows serious deliberation among both parties, the firm said in a statement.

A representative from the company on Tuesday clarified that the local firm will be dissolving and discontinuing operations, and that a formal announcement with further details will be provided at a later date. The local firm did not respond as of Friday to a query about whether services provided throughout Micronesia would also cease, and its unclear whether the entity will live on through some form of corporate merger.

Private and public officials who contract with Deloitte Guam for accounting services said they had been given some information about what the fate of the local entity would be as a courtesy, but were hesitant to provide details.

San Nicolas

Del. Michael San Nicolas during his congressional address this month called the firm a bulwark of accounting services on Guam, and said that their exit was a canary in the coal mine for the islands economy.

When a firm like this pulls out, it means that the outlook of the business environment on Guam is not going to get better and likely going to get worse. And it makes better business sense for them to leave, he said.

The delegate is seeking a nomination as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate for election 2022 and is campaigning on what he says is the current administrations failure to help the local economy recover from the pandemic.

Bank Pacific

Bank Pacific President Phil Flores, on the other hand, took a different view about Deloittes exit from the island.

Bank Pacific and several other companies that Flores works with use the firm for their financial audits locally, and for consultation in Palau and Saipan.

Ill put it this way: the Deloitte banners coming down  but the people are not going away, he said.

It doesnt bother me. When everything is made public, people will realize theres nothing to worry about.

In his opinion, accountants werent seeking to leave because of a lack of business on Guam, there will always be more business.

Flores referred to the local dissolution of the firm KPMG Peat Marwick several years ago, the banner was gone, but all the accountants from Marwick folded into Deloitte. So they werent gone.

Consolidation and reorganization were a normal occurrence in the financial services industry, he added.

Flores projected that the local economy would return to its 2019 state in about another year and a half, as the military buildup progresses.

Plus, whats going on up there with (Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz), its more than we thought it would be, lets say two years ago. It continues to expand up there  especially with China being as aggressive as it is right now.

Public sector

Its not certain yet what the departure of Deloitte, whatever it looks like, will mean for the public sector, according to Director of Administration Ed Birn.

Deloitte is contracted out as the independent auditor for the entirety of the government of Guam, and Birn said that while he had been informed about developments at the firm, he wasnt entirely clear about the situation himself.

The contract that we have with them expires this year, so I know the public auditor wanted us to rebid, he said.

The attorney general will have to be consulted, and whether or not any single local firm would be able to take the contract would be revealed in the course of the bidding process, Birn said.

Each one of my equivalents in each of the islands, including some of the freely associated states are wondering whats going to happen.

He said the changeover will pose an operational concern for the administration agency.

Ive seen big audit firms come and go. One of the things that helps during an audit is familiarity. If they or somebody else brings in somebody new, its a learning experience. That takes time  and it may take money, he said.

However, Birn, an accountant himself, wasnt overly worried about the firms departure affecting the availability of financial services locally.

Im sure they have to make a business decision like anybody else, but most of the people that I know at Deloitte live and work here. I dont suppose theyre going to just pick up and move.
The Guam Waterworks Authority, which is involved in a $220 million legal battle over the Northern District Wastewater Treatment Plant, has asked the Superior Court of Guam for permission to raise new arguments about GWAs ownership of the site.

Construction company Core Tech International has argued it now owns the land which has been used to operate the wastewater plant since 1980 and should be paid millions of dollars for the lands use.

If Superior Court Judge Elyze M. Iriarte does not allow GWA to raise new arguments in the 4-year-old case, she is expected to issue a decision by September on whether to dismiss GWAs lawsuit, which seeks to clarify its ownership of the property.

Iriarte in November ruled Core Tech has an ownership interest in the property and can continue to pursue its ownership claim in court.

The Supreme Court of Guam in May rejected GWAs request to intervene in the case, stating it is premature for justices to become involved.

GWAs legal team and the government of Guam will continue to proceed professionally with all legal options available to protect the publics interests, not a private interest, so GWA can continue to provide the community with essential and affordable water and wastewater services, GWA legal counsel Theresa Rojas said in a written statement in June.

Legal battle begins

The legal battle started in December 2018, when the Department of Land Management sued Core Tech, asking the court for permission to cancel and change Core Techs certificates of title for the property. GWA joined the lawsuit as an interested party.

Core Tech countersued in January 2020, claiming GovGuam and GWA illegally condemned its land without paying for it and are encroaching on Core Tech property after tearing down Core Techs fences in order to expand the wastewater facility.

The wastewater site is on ancestral land  part of a former Air Force communications annex that the federal government later declared excess and returned to the government of Guam. The military, when it owned the property, leased it to GovGuam for use as a wastewater plant.

The Guam Ancestral Lands Commission deeded 257 acres of excess federal land to the estate of Jose Martinez Torres, including part of the communications annex.

The Torres estate in September 2007 sold 252 acres of its ancestral land to Kil Yoo Yoon for $21.4 million. Yoon in January 2010 deeded the land to his company, Younex Enterprises Corporation.

Core Tech acquired the property in May 2015, for $178.1 million, after Younex defaulted on its mortgage with Core Tech, documents state.

According to Core Tech, GWA failed to assert interest in the property when it was transferred from the government to private ownership. It sued GWA for inverse condemnation, which is when the government takes private property without paying for it.

Higher water rates

Core Tech wants $130 million in damages; monthly rent and interest, retroactive to 1980; and monthly rent payments until GovGuam vacates the premises.

According to GWA, that could cost a total of $220 million if Core Tech wins its case, and it would spark a large increase in water rates in order to pay Core Tech.

GWA has argued that Core Techs ownership claim is based on flawed certificates of title issued in 2010, and Guam law prohibits the wastewater site from being transferred to private ownership.

New arguments

One of GWAs new arguments, submitted to the court this month, is that the Torres family lost ownership when the property was condemned by the federal government in 1950, for which the family received just compensation.

According to GWA, ownership of the property therefore already has been legally decided, which means the issue cannot be brought back to court.

GWAs other new argument is that the Torres estate, when it reacquired the land through the Guam Ancestral Lands Commission, expressly released all claims against the subject property, including those that Core Tech has brought.

The new legal arguments, have only emerged after GWAs continuing investigation surrounding the factual background of the plant property, the water agencys July 13 motion states.

Upcoming deadline

GWA cites a land document filed in December 2006 which states the Torres estate released any and all claims regarding the property, as a condition of the land being transferred to the estate.

Core Tech has until Aug. 22 to oppose GWAs request to raise new arguments in the case.

GWA asked the court for a hearing to set additional deadlines in the case, but Iriarte stated she first wants GWA to submit a specific written proposal before she will consider setting a hearing.
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Haiti - FLASH : Arrest of the Secretary General of the Federation of Bars of Haiti





The Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ) continues to deepen the investigation into the seizure of the shipment of weapons and 120,000 ammunition at the Port-de-Paix warf on Friday July 1st, 2022. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37058-haiti-flash-seizure-of-tens-of-thousands-of-ammunition-at-the-wharf-of-port-de-paix-video.html



Investigators are interested in the suspicious release of the two alleged arms and ammunition traffickers linked to this case.



Let's recall that the former Government Commissioner at the Court of First Instance of Port-de-Paix Me Michelet Virgile, dismissed by the Ministry of Justice following its decision to release these two alleged traffickers, was arrested and then transferred to the Directorate Central Judicial Police (DCPJ) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37108-haiti-flash-seizure-of-120-000-ammunition-me-michelet-virgile-releases-the-alleged-traffickers.html



Friday, July 22, 2022, the Secretary General of the Federation of Bars of Haiti, Me Robinson Pierre-Louis, former cabinet member of the Ministry of Justice (dismissed the day before for serious breach of duty) was arrested by agents of the Office of Financial and Economic Affairs (BAFE) and submitted to the DCPJ. He is accused of having used his influence as a member of the cabinet of the Minister of Justice, to obtain the release of Fritz Jean Relus and Jonas Georges arrested for arms and ammunition trafficking in Port-de-Paix.



"[...] He is accused of forfeiture, suspicion of corruption, influence peddling and criminal association in the context of the file relating to the illicit trafficking of firearms and ammunition in Port-de-Paix" confirmed the Police National of Haiti (PNH)



Me Robinson Pierre Louis rejects the charges against him. Nevertheless he acknowledges that being the lawyer of Jonas Georges, the owner of the boat "Miss Lily" on board which was found the cargo of arms and ammunition, he introduced a request for a "main levee" in favor of his client explaining that under the law, he had no criminal responsibility in this case and should be released.



Note that wanted notices have been issued against Marie Guirlene Estimable (exporter) and Wilfrid Estimable (importer) both residing in the USA and against Edy Lafrance in Haiti, for illegal storage and distribution of weapons and ammunition.



In addition, an arrest warrant and a ban on leaving the territory were issued against Fritz Aubourg, Deputy Director of Judicial Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, accused of being involved in the release of the two alleged traffickers...



Reaction of the Port-au-Prince Bar Council :

In a note dated July 23, Marie Suzy Legros the Batonniere of the Council of the Bar Association of Port-au-Prince said she was "[...] appalled by the arrest followed by the detention at the Delmas police station 33 of Me Robinson Pierre Louis under the orders of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police, without prior request to the President of the Bar Association of Port-au-Prince as provided by law.



Immediately alerted, a Council delegation led by the Batonniere went to the premises of the Financial and Economic Affairs Brigade (BAFE) to find that Me Robinson Pierre-Louis was indeed being held by agents of the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police (DCPJ) who decided manu militari to keep him in custody.



The Council of the Order is extremely concerned by this situation where the fundamental rights of a lawyer, moreover Secretary of the Council of the Order, are openly violated, thus casting opprobrium on the entire corporation.



[...] Without pronouncing, for the moment, on the grounds for the arrest of Me Robinson Pierre-Louis, the Council of the Order requests that the latter be released without delay and that the prosecution authorities comply with the conventions, laws and regulations guaranteeing the free exercise of the legal profession."



Also read:

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37108-haiti-flash-seizure-of-120-000-ammunition-me-michelet-virgile-releases-the-alleged-traffickers.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37058-haiti-flash-seizure-of-tens-of-thousands-of-ammunition-at-the-wharf-of-port-de-paix-video.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Culture : 5th edition of the feminist Festival Neges Mawon (Programming)





As part of the 5th edition of the Feminist Festival Neges Mawon, organized this year under the theme "My body literally...and disfigured", a set of activities are scheduled in Port-au-Prince.



This edition is a questioning of women's right to life and security, of the impact of social, economic and political realities on their bodies and their lives. On the program : scenography workshop, opening, artist performance, film screening, artistic walk, conferences, etc...



This Sunday, July 24, a screening of the hit film "FREDA", followed by a meeting-chat with the director Gessica Geneus, the actresses Nehemie Bastien, Gaelle Bien-Aime and Fabiola Remy, will be held at the Turgeau cinematheque, Piment Rouge. The feature film "FREDA" has already received numerous awards https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35317-haiti-cinema-the-film-haiti-freda-prize-for-the-best-film-tv5-quebec-canada.html



The organizers of this festival also plan to organize an artistic march in Cap-Haitien this Sunday. The event will be led by CapArt, a collective of local artists.



According to the organizers, the festival remains and remains a pretext "to speak crudely about ignominy and indecency, in beauty and a perspective of hope".



Download the program of activities from July 25 to 29 : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/neges_mawon-2022.pdf



For more information on the Neges Mawon organization : https://www.negesmawon.org



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has expressed "concern" about "harassment, restrictions and continued acts of violence" against lawyers in Libya




Haiti - News : Zapping...





The Lycee Saint-Louis de Gonzague transformed into a camp for displaced persons

315 displaced people, men, women and children who fled clashes between armed gangs in Cite Soleil https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-37194-haiti-flash-cite-soleil-ceasefire-opening-of-a-humanitarian-corridor.html , found refuge at the Lycee Saint-Louis de Gonzague where classes are over. The classrooms have been transformed into dormitories, where teenagers, children and toddlers sleep on mattresses provided by the religious community group Kizito confirmed Francisco Seriphin, General Coordinator of Kizito.



The UN denounces violence against women in Haiti

9 member countries of the United Nations Security Council: Brazil, Ireland, Norway, France, United Kingdom, Mexico, Kenya, Albania and United Arab Emirates in a joint statement, denounced this week the violence against women in Haiti. "There are alarming reports of rape and sexual slavery in the gang-controlled neighborhoods of Port-au-Prince," said Brazilian Vice-President Hamilton Mourao adding "These are crimes against the women and girls of all ages, as well as against men and boys."



1.2 million schoolchildren received a hot meal every day

1.2 million schoolchildren received a hot dish every day during our 2021-2022 academic year, said Djina Guillet Delatour, Director of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS). She informs that arrangements will be made to increase the purchase of local products next year.



The Ministry of Culture, Haiti's largest sponsor

"The Ministry of Culture is the largest sponsor in Haiti, all categories of expression combined," proudly asserts the Minister of Culture Emmelie Prophete-Milce, explaining that her Ministry grants aid for creation, contributes to the financing of shows to support artists, subsidizes publications, supports the creations of individuals and finances the participation of Haitian artists in events abroad.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Council on Aging announces new board members, chair

The Henderson County Council on Aging announced the appointment of two new board members and a new chair.

New board members Brett Husley and Eric Baker have deep experience in communication/publishing and law. Hulsey is president/publisher of Hulsey Media and has more than 20 years of experience in digital and print media. Baker works at McIntyre Law as an attorney in Hendersonville.

We feel incredibly lucky to have added these two members to our Board of Directors, said Past Board Chair Jill Hart. They are a wealth of knowledge that will benefit our community and the Council on Aging. I am looking forward to working with them.

Hulsey Medias publications include Aging Resources of WNC, Hendersonville Magazine, Healthcare Resources, The Real Estate Book of Asheville/Hendersonville & NC Blue Ridge, the WNC Homeowners Resource Guide, and Asheville Apartments. All his publications are freely distributed to consumers and can be found throughout Western North Carolina.

Baker received his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Roanoke College in Salem, VA. He earned his Juris Doctorate and Master of Business Administration degrees from Elon University. Eric enjoys volunteering in the community, kayaking, and hiking in his spare time.



The Council on Aging for Henderson County also welcomed Sally Buchholz, who has served on the board since 2019. as the new board chairperson.

The Board of Directors for the Council on Aging for Henderson County is made up of Buchholz, Vice Chair Karen Preston, Secretary Barbara Kenney, Treasurer Wesley Jones; Jill Hart, Realtor; Laura Crago, Financial Advisor at Edward Jones; Lorin Page, President of Page Legal LLC; Jim Smeaton, President & Director of Client Care; Leslie Winner, Retired Attorney and Executive Director of Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation; Hulsey and Baker.




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
Ignas Brazdeikis, who played for the Magic last season, has signed with Zalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania, according to Eurohoops. He received a one-year contract with an option for a second season, the team stated in an announcement confirming the move.

Brazdeikis was born in Lithuania, but his family moved to Canada while he was young. The 23-year-old small forward regained his Lithuanian citizenship last year and played for the national team in June.

We have been following Ignas for a few years now and wanted to see him in a Zalgiris jersey, said team CEO Paulius Motiejunas. Ignas is from Kaunas, he has regained his Lithuanian citizenship and now we will see him wearing the Zalgiris jersey. Coach (Kazys) Maksvytis has already worked with him, so there are no doubts about his abilities anymore.

Brazdeikis was on a two-way contract with Orlando, playing 42 games and averaging 5.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per night. He began his NBA career with the Knicks, who acquired him in a draft night trade in 2019, and he appeared in one game for the Sixers as well.
Houston Chronicle

A chiropractor from Baltimore has been accused of traveling to Fort Bend County to assault a child he met through an online video game, according to the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.

The office said in a tweet Friday that its deputies arrested Blake Edward Kalkstein, 37, in the 700 block of Dulles in Stafford July 6. It was unclear why the Sheriff's Office waited to announce the arrest.
I was pro-life once. Growing up in coastal Alabama, I had heard my mother tell the story of her abortion publicly with great shame and grief, had seen her on her way to a pro-life rally, had been told that my life was an amends for the pregnancy that had ended prematurely. I had mourned this imagined older sibling and wondered what might have been. I had argued with internet strangers that any woman should be prepared to accept the consequences of her actions, should be prepared to sacrifice herself in grand Christian fashion should there ever be a situation that pits her life against the life of her child.

My pro-life beliefs were not merely internet talk. I lived them as well.

When I got pregnant at age 20, there was no question for me what I would do even before I stepped into a crisis pregnancy center. Of course I would have the baby. Sure, I had no college education and was technically a high school drop-out, but I had gone to private schools for most of my young life, had a new car, owned a nice starter home and a little pizza shop, and the babys father loved me and wanted to be a father, so we got married. Faith, I thought, would be enough to carry us the rest of the way. I was more privileged than many young women in my situation, obviously. I was also naive. By the time our child was 9 months old, his fathers addiction problems were so apparent and so unsafe for our family that I had to get out of our marriage. I would spend the next 20 years learning the hard way what it is to be a single mother in this country, and, even worse, what it is to be one of those women with multiple children from multiple fathers. I would also come to understand that you cannot disentangle the welfare of a parent from the welfare of the child they are raising, particularly not when that parent is going it alone.

How is it possible that someone like me, who was raised to believe in the sanctity of life from conception, could change her mind? Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine the sanctity of life extends far beyond birth.

Guilty by proxy

When I first got married, my husbands addiction wasnt apparent to me, but it quickly became dangerous. An armed drug dealer had shown up on my porch looking for him. My husband told me he had woken up with a pistol to his forehead over some drug deal gone wrong. He later broke into the house to use the phone when I was not home, leaving broken glass and a broken back door. He pillaged the business bank account entirely, leaving nothing, and wrecked the new car twice. I sold the restaurant, the house, the car  all at a loss, barely escaping foreclosure and repossession  moved into a tiny apartment, and went back to school. His family blamed me for his addiction, told me I had not loved and supported him enough, and cut me and our child more or less out of their lives. He would disappear for months at a time, then years. Eventually, he would go to prison for manufacturing methamphetamine.

I would put myself through college and raise our child with no support from him, only intermittent visitations that, I would find out years later, were deeply traumatic for our child, though he remained legally entitled to the visits. I could not afford a major legal battle. The child support would never be paid, and when I finally consulted a lawyer in our childs teenage years, I was told that Alabama would never allow a termination of parental rights.

A few years later, I married again, this time to someone who seemed stable. He was in recovery for addiction, had been sober for years, and had won awards for his work as a fine dining chef. He was good to my child and wanted a family. We moved to Massachusetts, where I had gotten into an elite private college with a phenomenal financial aid package. He continued to grow an impressive portfolio in fine dining, eventually being offered a position as an executive chef in our towns nicest hotel. We had another child. And then he relapsed. Our relationship ended when he threatened me physically, and I went to the police to file a no-abuse order.

When police arrived at our on-campus apartment, they found an illegal firearm and ammunition, plus enough illegal substances to charge him with multiple felonies. Even though I had been seeing an intervention specialist, attended 12-step meetings, and had not participated in any of the illegal activities myself, my schools honor board found me guilty by proxy and ruled that I needed to vacate student housing with only a month and a half left until my graduation. A social worker came to my apartment and checked the childrens bedrooms, the refrigerator and interviewed me to assess whether I was fit to be a parent, given the circumstances. I was lucky to be allowed to graduate at all, but I did  into a deep economic recession that left so many graduates of my generation underemployed, cobbling together multiple low-wage positions. My ex filed for divorce and successfully kept me from leaving the state of Massachusetts for a year. I had a pro-bono attorney paid for by a local domestic violence shelter, and she helped me win the right to return home to Alabama.

In the intervening years, I was so afraid of ever having another child that I went to the health department and had myself sterilized. I worked for a mental health agency, driving disabled clients to doctors visits and grocery stores; I waitressed; I cleaned houses; I got up before dawn to serve biscuits and gravy in a steel mill cafeteria; I managed a barbecue joint and a public outreach library. None of these jobs paid more than $12 an hour, and many of them would not offer more than part-time hours, so I spent every off hour I could muster applying for better jobs, applying for food stamps, trying to get on waitlists for government housing subsidies. At times, we were food insecure, without transportation and homeless.

Taking responsibility

The most dehumanizing moments were during what should have been everyday life, like the grocery store checkout.

One of the grocery store clerks at a store I frequented had a habit of scanning coupons at the register when she saw me coming, which, on the surface, seemed like a nice thing to do. The problem is, when youre paying with food stamps (and she knew I was paying with food stamps), you have to pay the tax on coupons with cash, and I didnt have cash. Repeatedly, this cashier chastised me for not having the few pennies in cash, loudly, while other customers scoffed or raised their eyebrows behind us in line. My two children could only stand there with me, small and confused.

I knew what people were thinking behind those raised eyebrows, because there were plenty of times when people opened their mouths and expressed their judgments out loud.

My customers at the steel mill cafeteria, mostly male engineers and administrators, loved to meander and make small talk on their breaks; often, this meant coming into the room where I stood behind the serving station to wait on them. Wed get into political debates, particularly around things like poverty and social safety nets, and theyd tease me, saying things like, Maybe if you couldnt afford to have kids, you shouldve kept your legs closed, and, Maybe you should learn to take more responsibility for your life.

Funny thing  I was the one who had taken primary responsibility, nearly all responsibility. Throughout my kids lives I have been told, repeatedly, that a fathers willingness to financially support his children is an issue separate from a fathers right to standard visitation. My childrens fathers have remained in child support arrears for the duration of our kids childhoods. My younger childs father is also responsible, legally, for half of our kids medical bills. How this actually plays out: I have to pay the bill out of pocket, then send a request for reimbursement within 30 days. If Im too busy and miss that 30-day window, the other parent doesnt have to worry about it at all. If I make the window and succeed in sending the bill, he still might not actually pay the reimbursement. So if I can afford to pay the bill, I have to decide whether to then pay my lawyer to try to get a judgment from the courts for the reimbursement. If I cant afford the bill, my credit is ruined and his is fine  for bills that should legally be a joint obligation. I have legal judgments against my ex for these arrears, both the child support and the medical support, but I know I will never see that money. Meanwhile what would have happened to me had I opted not to feed and care for my children? Tell me again that Im the irresponsible one.

Unimaginable circumstances

Now, with grown children of my own, the full story of my mothers abortion also rings for me as the story of a woman taking full responsibility for herself and her life. She had been 19 years old when the man she was dating told her, If I find out you were pregnant with my baby, I will find you, and I will kill you. She had already missed a period when he had beaten her for the first time. Then she discovered he had also beaten his former wife. She ended the relationship, and then took a pregnancy test that turned out positive. She had an illegal abortion, $300 paid, in a room with one table and no nurse, and then an emergency trip to the hospital not long afterward; 4 pints of blood lost. The doctor who saw her told her that she might never be able to bring a pregnancy to term after such trauma to her body.

Her voice welled up as she told me, I wanted that baby; I really did. All I ever wanted was to be a wife and mother like my mom. And when I got pregnant with you, I wanted to do everything perfectly. I only ate healthy food, I walked, I was so careful. I prayed and prayed. I would have done anything to have a healthy baby.

I still think there is no work more vital than caretaking and raising the next generation. Yet, the experience of navigating life as a low-income single mother changed how I understand parenthood, sacrifice and choice. My children and I saw firsthand the ways in which our country lacks the social support to accommodate even the children we already have. It is a brutality to think you can legislate your ideals and force them on those whose actual circumstances are unimaginable for you. Only those of us who can give birth should be deciding how and when birth happens. We are, after all, the ones who bear ultimate responsibility for the children born.

Georgia Pearle Foster was born and raised in the Gulf South, received a PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Houston and now lives in a valley in rural Idaho. Her first collection of poems, Refinery, will be published this fall by Foster Literary.
Charles Cahoon to Give Talk on Hoosac Tunnel Aug. 7

STEPHENTOWN, N.Y.  Charles Cahoon will give an illustrated talk on the Hoosac Tunnel, on Sunday, Aug. 7, at 2 p.m. at the Stephentown Heritage Center.

The tunnel, a straight run of 4.75 miles between North Adams and the Massachusetts town of Florida, is the longest active railroad tunnel east of the Rockies. This Stephentown Historical Society program meeting will be held. The program is free and the building is handicapped accessible.

The construction of the Hoosac Tunnel produced a shorter and lower elevation rail route from Boston to Troy, New York. The work took nearly 25 years and cost the lives of 196 workers. Drilling and removal of two million tons of rock required innovative surveying and engineering methods and 21 million dollars. The first train chugged through the tunnel in 1875. Both freight and passenger service used this route. It currently carries eight freight trains a day.



Cahoon is the president of the North Adams Historical Society dba North Adams Museum of History and Science. He has been promoting the history of the tunnel since 1971 when the town of North Adams began preparing the centennial celebration of the tunnels completion.

For more information, go to (518) 733-0010.
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
This is a story about kids, common sense, and neuroscience.

It starts early -- too early -- in cities and towns across America, where kids sometimes get up before dawn in order to attend schools that start their days earlier than necessary.

That's a huge problem, according to the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (APA), and almost every other scientific or research group that has studied the question.

In short, they all advocate that we should start school later in the morning, since kids' still-developing brains simply don't function well that early in the day.

"In those first early morning hours ... children are just essentially half-asleep. They're not absorbing information," Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley, told NPR. "So why are we putting them in the classroom?"

One reason might be because adults run the systems, and so a majority of of schools (and especially those in more rural districts), still start their days much earlier than experts recommend. To put it succinctly:

The APA recommends a start time no earlier than 8:30 a.m. for middle and high schools, as Lisa L. Lewis, author of The Sleep-Deprived Teen wrote recently.

But at least as of a few years ago, about 85 percent of American public high schools and 80 percent of American middle schools started their days earlier than that standard, and roughly one-third of schools started before 8 or even 7:30 a.m.

There may be signs of progress. For example, the reason we're paying so much attention to this right now is that as of July 1, California became the first state in the country to require most public middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m., and most public high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.

New York and New Jersey have similar bills pending in their state legislatures, although the likelihood of passage isn't clear.

I've written a lot about sleep and neuroscience, including perhaps the most fascinating recent research, suggesting what happens when people don't get enough sleep:

First, we lose the subjective ability to judge our lack of sleep;

Second, even when we think we've "caught up on sleep," maybe on the weekend, objective tests show we continue to have "deficits ... in vigilance and episodic memory," that we don't recognize, even if we feel more rested; and

Third, persistent lack of sleep leaves people with "heightened susceptibility to neurodegenerative disorders," including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other things you don't want to get.

Now, combine those adult trends with some of the developmental considerations and effects of lack of sleep on teens (anything less than 8 to 10 hours for teens).

As Lewis, who in addition to writing a book on the subject describes herself as having played a role in "helping get California's landmark legislation on healthy school start times passed," put it:

Teen sleep deprivation affects grades, attendance, and graduation rates. It leads to greater risk of injury for adolescent athletes, and more drowsy-driving crashes. And it worsens mental-health issues--including anxiety and suicidality. That's profoundly unsettling, particularly in light of data released by the CDC in April showing that 44 percent of high schoolers said they'd had "persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness" during the past year, and 20 percent had seriously contemplated suicide.

Actually, let's not let the drowsy driving concern slip by without emphasis: a study in 2014 suggested that later start times could result in "up to a 65 to 70 percent reduction in teen car accidents" (along with higher standardized test scores).

Finally, in districts that have in fact delayed start times, it does appear that students shift a considerable chunk of their newfound time to sleep. It all seems to add up to a pretty common sense approach, even conceding that moving start times might have a whole range of other adult ramifications, including transportation and logistical changes, union contracts, parents' child care needs, etc.

If you've read this far, I suspect you'll agree on their importance. Because frankly, perhaps even 8:30 a.m. is still too early for kids to start school every morning.
A 34-year-old man from the national capital with no history of foreign travel has tested positive for monkeypox virus, official sources said on Sunday.

This is the fourth case of the disease being reported in India.

AFP

The man had attended a stag party recently in Manali in Himachal Pradesh, official sources told PTI.

Man from Delhi without any history of foreign travel tests positive for Monkeypox virus: Official sources  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 24, 2022





A resident of West Delhi, the man was admitted to the Maulana Azad Medical College Hospital here around three days ago after he showed symptoms of monkeypox.

Samples sent to NIV

His samples were sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) Pune on Saturday which came out positive, the sources said.

Contact tracing process has been initiated, the sources said.

Three cases of monkeypox had earlier been reported from Kerala.

Global health emergency

The WHO had on Saturday declared monkeypox as a global public health emergency of international concern.

The rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak represents a global health emergency, the World Health Organizations highest level of alert, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Social Media

Announcing his decision to declare the health emergency during a media briefing in Geneva, Tedros confirmed that the committee had failed to reach a consensus, with nine members against and six in favour of the declaration.

Previously, Tedros has typically endorsed expert committee recommendations, but the sources said he had likely decided to back the highest alert level due to concerns about escalating case rates and a short supply of vaccines and treatments, despite the lack of a majority opinion.

Political bravery

Lawrence Gostin, a professor at Georgetown Law in Washington, D.C who follows the WHO, said he applauded the political bravery of the agency.

It does nothing but burnish the stature of WHO. The right result is clear - not declaring an emergency at this point would be a historic missed opportunity.

istock

So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa.

The viral disease - which spreads via close contact and tends to cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions - has been spreading chiefly in men who have sex with men in the recent outbreak, outside Africa where it is endemic.

Increase since June

Until now, the label had only been applied to the coronavirus pandemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate polio.

The WHO and national governments have been facing intense pressure from scientists and public health experts to take more action on monkeypox.

istock

Cases of the viral disease have ballooned since the committee first met at the end of June, when there were only about 3,000 cases.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world please visit Indiatimes News.






A polar bear sought help from humans after getting a tin can stuck in its mouth and was saved from starving to death by a specialist team.

Residents of Dikson, a settlement in the Arctic, sounded the alarm when the stricken female polar bear was seen wandering up to huts and seemingly begging for relief.

Polar bear rescued after getting can stuck in mouth

A video shows a local trying to help the bear, but the can appears to be lodged too deeply in its mouth to make much of a difference.



Reuters

Eventually, a team from Moscow flew 3,420 kilometres to the outpost and heavily sedated the starving animal before removing the object with a pair of pliers.



A video shows a man trying to help the bear, but the can appears to be lodged too deeply in its mouth to make much of a difference.





"The next important stage is her recovery from the anesthesia. But our specialists will be nearby, watching the process," said Svetlana Akulova, director general of Moscow Zoo, as per Reuters.

"We hope that everything will be fine. We left some fish near the bear because she had been without food and water for quite a long time," she said.



Reuters

A vet from the zoo said that, although the bear seemed emaciated and dehydrated, she should be able to recover from her injuries fully.



She is set to be released back to her habitat after a few days of monitoring.

Animal lover removes tyre from crocodile's neck

A saltwater crocodile in Indonesia had a tyre stuck around its neck for six years, and it was finally freed by an animal lover on the island of Sulawesi. The man is a local resident.



Instagram

People who live in the city of Palu were scared that the tyre might eventually choke the 13.12-foot-long reptile as it grew in size. The croc had been the subject of attempted rescue efforts before.



Crocodile wrangler and National Geographic TV presenter Matt Wright flew to Indonesia in 2020 in a bid to free the animal but was unsuccessful. But a local resident named Tili finally succeeded in the attempt as he removed the tyre from the crocodile's neck.



For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.


Posted by Liam on at 08:21 AM CST



In the original LEGO Star Wars game from 2005, the droids and clones join forces to hunt down Yoda and Chewbacca after Order 66.







In 2020, Disney+ debuted a loose reimagining of the famous holiday television flop from 1978. The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special takes place after The Rise of Skywalker , as Rey, Finn, Poe, and their other friends travel to Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day.







takes place after , as Rey, Finn, Poe, and their other friends travel to Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day. Some cast members believed that The Star Wars Holiday Special could be re-edited as a Special Edition like the original trilogy. Peter Mayhew claimed that he was interested in seeing an official Lucasfilm release.







could be re-edited as a Special Edition like the original trilogy. Peter Mayhew claimed that he was interested in seeing an official Lucasfilm release. However, Harrison Ford is infamously no fan of the special. During an amusing interview with Conan OBrian, Ford lays hands on the television host when he tries to bring it up.







The Star Wars Holiday Special isnt the only festive Star Wars tie-in featuring Wookiees. The 1980 album Christmas in the Stars includes songs like What Do You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb)?







isnt the only festive tie-in featuring Wookiees. The 1980 album includes songs like What Do You Get A Wookiee For Christmas (When He Already Owns A Comb)? Christmas in the Stars was also the soundtrack debut of Jon Bon Jovi. Anthony Daniels recorded original music for the album.







was also the soundtrack debut of Jon Bon Jovi. Anthony Daniels recorded original music for the album. Although Kashyyyk manages to survive the Yuuzhan Vong war unscathed, Jacen Solo/Darth Caedus invades the planet during the Legacy of the Force series.







series. Wookiees have a longstanding rivalry with the Trandoshans, who hunt and enslave them.







The Wookiee-Trandoshan conflict was explored in the Star Wars: The Clone Wars season three finale Padawan Lost and Wookiee Hunt, which featured Chewbacca in a supporting role.







season three finale Padawan Lost and Wookiee Hunt, which featured Chewbacca in a supporting role. Chewies nephew Lobacca becomes a Jedi in the young adult Young Jedi Knights series starring the Solo twins.

Hello,fans! Its time to learn a little bit of Shyriiwook, because this week were taking a trip to the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Chewbaccas home planet has been a part of theuniverse since the much deridedpremiered in 1978. Stay tuned throughout the week for more articles, insights, videos, and information on all the best merchandising content that youll want to add to your collection.Who doesnt love Wookiees? Their homeworld of Kashyyyk first appeared way back in 1978 during, but the planet became a major battleground in. Weve seen many beloved Wookiee characters emerge in the films, animated shows, and Expanded Universe. Check out our Force Facts on Kashyyyk and the Wookiee residents.What do you think,fans? How would you like to see Kashyyyk incorporated within the new canon? What are some of your favorite toys and sets featuring the characters? Let us know in the forums , and as always, may the Force be with you!Check out Rebelscum.com merch!Be sure to follow us on all of our social media platforms:
More than 1,000 artefacts have reportedly gone missing from Sri Lankas Presidential Palace and the official residence of the Prime Minister, both of which were stormed by anti-government protestors earlier this month.

The items that have gone missing from the Presidential Palace and Sri Lankan Prime Minister's residence include items of vintage and antique value.

Reuters

More than 1,000 artefacts missing from Sri Lanka's Presidential Palace, PM House

Sri Lanka has been witnessing anti-government demonstrations for the past several months over the severe economic crisis in the country.



On July 9, however, peaceful protests reached a flashpoint when protestors stormed into the official residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksha as well as former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghes house and set fire to one of the buildings, chanting slogans against them and demanding their resignations.



According to initial investigations, at least 1,000 items of value, including rare artefacts have gone missing from the Presidential Palace as well as the Prime Ministers official residence.

Sri Lanka protestors have stormed the presidential palace.



when are going to the union build? pic.twitter.com/VIbTbchBbp  Chief Erican, MBA (@EricanSA) July 9, 2022

A special investigation team has since been formed to begin an investigation.

What makes matters even worse is the fact that the Sri Lankan Department of Archaeology doesnt have a detailed record of the valuable articles and antique artefacts despite the Presidential Palace officially being a place of archaeological importance, as per a PTI report.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe warns protesters against occupying government buildings

Meanwhile, the newly-elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe said he respects the rights of the protesters but would not allow another government building to be occupied."

AFP

"Don't obstruct the parliamentarians and the parliament from carrying out their duty," he said this week.



According to a recent statement by the Commander-in-Chief, he has authorised the armed forces and law enforcement to take whatever action is necessary to stop people from storming public facilities and obstructing Parliament.



For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.


Firefighters have rescued dozens of people from homes and vehicles in the northwest following flash flooding in Derry, Donegal and Tyrone.

In Northern Ireland, Stormont has been urged to activate an emergency payment scheme in the wake of the floods.

Six people were rescued after areas of Derry and Strabane experienced heavy flooding.

Firefighters tackled almost 50 emergency calls relating to flooding on Saturday.

Properties were damaged by flooding in the Eglinton area following heavy rain on Saturday evening. Picture: Gary Middleton MLA/PA

Northern Ireland's Met Office has issued a fresh yellow weather warning for rain applying across Northern Ireland from noon to 9pm on Sunday.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it received 106 emergency calls related to flooding between 7pm on Saturday to 1.30am on Sunday.

Firefighters responded to 49 incidents.

One person was rescued from a vehicle in water, and five people were helped after becoming trapped within flooded properties.

In Donegal, Donegal County Council reported that heavy rain in East Inishowen has resulted in damage to roads and bridges in the area.

Driving over Foyle Bridge in last nights rain. Made it home after about one hour of this deluge pic.twitter.com/vffaGk1StF  Lynda Hewitt (@fableandfont) July 24, 2022

It warned of significant debris on the main Muff to Moville road, and on Sunday morning asked the public to avoid journeys in the area.

Many people struggled to get sandbags yesterday as flood water entered their homes and they are rightly frustrated at what has happened to them

PSNI also urged motorists to exercise extreme caution on the roads in Derry and Strabane, adding a number of routes are flooded and impassable.

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan said it had been a desperate and difficult night for people fighting flooding to protect their and their neighbours homes and property.

He said he has written to Stormont Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey to request she urgently activates the Emergency Payment Scheme for Flooding to get money to householders.

Latest satellite  and radar :



A weather front has been bringing rain to Wales and N England today



The rain has been showery across Scotland and N Ireland, although some heavy and thundery downpours are possible here later



Meanwhile the SE of the UK is mostly sunny pic.twitter.com/I7gS6mV2Ci  Met Office (@metoffice) July 24, 2022

People from across our districts have shown immense community spirit yesterday and today and I want to thank them for it. From firefighters doing everything they can to rescue people and prevent the destruction of property to people who went out of their way to provide their neighbours with sandbags and support, he said.

We now need to accelerate flood-alleviation schemes and there needs to be a sharp review of flood preparedness.

Many people struggled to get sandbags yesterday as flood water entered their homes and they are rightly frustrated at what has happened to them.

Lessons must be learned quickly but the most important thing remains getting immediate support to those dealing with the aftermath of this.

Each time we come back to the Lisnagelvin Depot, the queue for sandbags is longer. Additional crews have arrived from Fermanagh but clearly there is still not enough people to meet the demand. Chaos. pic.twitter.com/fS4ZN8HeuJ  Gary Middleton MLA (@Gary_Middleton) July 24, 2022

DUP Foyle MLA Gary Middleton said the heavy rain has had a devastating impact on many properties across the area.

He said several businesses have been damaged by flooding in the Eglinton area.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said it received 106 emergency calls related to flooding between 7pm and 1.30am.

On Saturday evening, the Western Health Trust said the Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry had to temporarily close some sections of the emergency department, while events at the Foyle Maritime Festival on Saturday evening were cancelled for the health and safety of visitors and staff.
Russian officials have insisted that an air strike on Odesa  less than a day after Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on resuming grain shipments from the port  had hit only military targets.

Moscow has been widely condemned for the attack, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying it had destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

But Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing on Sunday that the air strike had targeted only Ukrainian military facilities.

In the seaport in the city of Odesa, on the territory of a shipyard, sea-based, high-precision, long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the US to the Kyiv regime, he said.

Firefighters tackle a blaze caused by the Russian missile strike on Odesa (Odesa City Hall Press Office/AP)

The Ukrainian military said Moscow had attacked Odesas port with four cruise missiles on Saturday, two of which had been shot down by air defences.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit in Odesa, but Turkeys defence minister said Ukrainian authorities had told him one missile struck a grain silo and another landed nearby. However, neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

It is not clear how the air strikes will affect the plan to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The deal to allow the resumption of grain shipments was only signed on Friday (Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defence Ministry Press Service/AP)

Ukraine and Russia signed identical deals on Friday with the UN and Turkey in Istanbul backing the plan, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed as a beacon of hope for a world in which food prices are rising rapidly.

The head of Mr Zelenskys office, Andriy Yermak, said on Twitter on Saturday that the Odesa strike, coming so soon after the endorsement of the Black Sea deal, illustrates the Russian diplomatic dichotomy.

Mr Guterress office said the UN chief unequivocally condemns the strikes.

A statement said: All parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets. These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterress condemned the attack on Odesa (Khalil Hamra/AP)

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said: It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesas port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the UN and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement.

In case of non-fulfilment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.

He described the missile strike on the 150th day of Russias war in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putins spit in the face of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach agreement.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and injure civilians in Ukraines south and east.

Ukrainian servicemen stand guard at a checkpoint in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine (Nariman El-Mofty/AP)

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two which make up Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russias offensive, said two civilians had been killed and two more had been injured over the previous 24 hours.

The UKs Ministry of Defence on Sunday morning reported in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making minimal progress in its ongoing Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed in its regular update that Russia is conducting military operations to create conditions for an assault on Bakhmut, while firing on surrounding settlements and battling Ukrainian defenders for control of a nearby thermal plant.

In Ukraines south, regional officials said at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Also, as a result of the scattering of munitions and their fragments, fires occurred in open areas in the city, said Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region.
After a fulfilling Sunday meal at one of our participating #tasteofkeybiscayne restaurants, enjoy some of the best and most creative desserts on the island on this July 24.

Randazzo by Yesenia

Open for Indoor & Outdoor dining, Takeout or delivery. Reservations recommended

Throw your table a Tiramisu Party!!! Fall in love with our homemade Tiramisu dessert, we dare you resists it

Please call (305) 456-0480 to place an order or make a reservation

Open Monday, Wednesday to Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., open until 11 p.m. Friday.

Closed Tuesdays

328 Crandon Blvd Ste 112, Galleria Shopping Center

Delivery service with Postmates or UberEats

Gran Inka

Open for Outdoor Dining, Takeout or Delivery.

El Gran Inka brings to every dish authentic Peruvian gastronomy featuring a unique creation and a touch of gourmet.

Go traditional Peruvian this Sunday After a delicious meal, enjoy the lustful & sweet suspiro limeno

Offering Delivery or Take out directly from El Gran Inka. Order directly from us by calling (305) 365-7883

Open 7-days Noon to 10 p.m.

606 Crandon Blvd. Suite 4 / Key Biscayne (across from Winn Dixie)

UberEats Available

D'Lite Bistro & Bakery

Who says eating healthy means sacrificing taste and flavor? Not at DLite!

Come enjoy our terrazita for a relaxing time this Sunday, you will not regret making your Sunday a bit more special with our famous cappuccinos, golden milk and matcha latte. What a delicious threesome combination!

We are a unique and healthy restaurant that serves salads, wraps, sandwiches, bowls, protein smoothies and cold press juices made fresh every morning  including gluten-free, vegetarian and keto options.

We open at 8 a.m. daily and close at 8 p.m. everyday except Sat and Sun when we close at 6 p.m.

DLite is located in the Arcade Mall, 180 Crandon Blvd. To place an order, call (305) 882-9284 or visit us online by clicking here.

Sake Room

Complete your Sake meal with any of our delicious desserts, we guarantee the plate will be empty!

This Sunday, how about Nutella Sushi? Yes! A Sake exclusive

Free Crunchy Crab Salad with $50 purchase

Special only good for orders called in to (305) 456-0488

We are open for Indoor & Outdoor Dining, Takeout or delivery daily from Noon to 10 p.m.

Call (305) 456-0488 to place a takeout or delivery order directly

Following all CDC safety protocols

328 Crandon Blvd Ste 108, Galleria Shopping Center

Grub hub  UberEats also available. Please if you can call us first

Tacopolis

In the mood for Chocolate? Or try any of our authentic Mexican desserts will complete your delicious Tacopolis meal

Tacopolis, where every day is Taco-Day!! Only eat tacos on days that end in a Y

Tacopolis strives to serve Authentic Mexican food in a casual and relaxed family atmosphere

Open 7-days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Open for Outdoor dining, Takeout or delivery but our own service of find us on UberEats

Located in the Square Shopping Center at 260 Crandon Blvd, Key Biscayne.

To place a phone order, call (786) 703-5523. To order online, click here

Boaters Grill & Lighthouse Cafe / Bill Baggs

The restaurants inside Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park  the popular Boaters Grill, located at No Name Harbor and accessible by boat, and the beachside Lighthouse Cafe.

Safe and friendly. Great service and great food.

Our lemon meringue pie takes a back seat to no one!

Boaters Grill is open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Lighthouse Cafe is open 7-days a week, from 9 a.m. to Sunset

The restaurants are located inside Bill Baggs State Park, at 1200 Crandon Blvd., Key Biscayne.

You can reach them at (305) 361-0080

32 Degrees by MG

You deserve gourmet meal options that are fast and convenient.

Sunday is a great day to plan for the week. Dont forget to add our delicious soups to compliment your meals!

Fresh, fully cooked meals from 32 Degrees are a great mealtime option. We provide frozen, ready-prepared meals that are great for the busiest of lifestyles! We shop, prep, cook, and deliver to your doorstep, so you can experience the benefits of gourmet eating without the fuss or hassle.

Our fully cooked meals are created with passion by our chefs using only the freshest ingredients. We never use additives or preservatives. Our meals are ready to eat in the microwave in 5 minutes.

Place your order today by visiting 32-degrees.com

Use code 32ISLANDER at checkout and receive 15% off* your first order.

*Offer good on orders of $40 or more.

Costa Med Bistro

Enjoy Costa Med this evening either with it or at home this evening..

If our desserts look homemade, is because they are! This Sunday, indulge in something Costa sweet

Order online for take out, click here!

Costa Med, a TripAdvisor Traverlers Choice nominated restaurant, is located in the Square Shopping Center. 260 Crandon Blvd. Reservations suggested. Call (305) 361-7575 to make a reservation

Hours.

Lunch Mon to Sat: Noon a.m. to 4 p.m.

Dinner Mon to Sat: 6 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. / Sun 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Golden Hog

Your local independent grocer can deliver freshly prepared meals or all the groceries you need. Email us your order here.

This weekend, visit our new Poke Bowl Station Weekend Special! Check it out in our juice bar section!

Call (305) 361-1300 for Sunday Chef's Choice special menu.

The Golden-Hog has a complete line of specialty groceries for delivery.

Golden Hog puts safety first, shop with confidence. To place an order online, click here

Brasas KB

This Sunday, share our 100% natural Peruvian Chicken Rotisserie with family and friends

Weekend vibes! Pollo a la brasa con papas fritas, camote frito y salsas de aji caseras

Have you tried our Peruvian Chicken Rotisserie for lunch or dinner that includes 2 sides and sauce of your choice: huancaina, aji amarillo, huacatay and olivas negras peruanas.

We are open for Indoor & Outdoor Dining, Takeout or free delivery.

Call (786) 615-2399 to place a takeout order.

Open Noon to 8 p.m. for Dine-In, Takeout or delivery.

328 Crandon Blvd, Galleria Shopping Center

La Scala

Closed on Sundays

The popular Italian Bistro now offers their delicious meals to enjoy at home and thanks your support during the last year

To place a Monday takeout order call (786) 773-3633 or visit us online by clicking here.

Open 5 to 9 p.m.

180 Crandon Blvd  Arcade Shopping Center.

Kazumi

Closed Sunday.

Our modern Japanese fusion restaurant offers creative treatments & creativity in our dishes

To see our menu, click here Call us tomorrow at (305) 361-2675.

Check back tomorrow for more specials as we add more restaurants to #tasteofkeybiscayne-To-Go

And please remember to order from the restaurant directly before using one of the apps  this way we support the local restaurants by saving them the commission they are charged, which at times is as much as 30%
Hurricanes. Heavy rains. Floods Fraud are among the causes cited for the property insurance crisis in Florida. Now you can add Demotech, the financial rating company.

This past week, Demotech sent letters to 17 insurers in the state that their ratings will be downgraded upon review of the 2022 hurricane season reinsurance packets.

The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) confirmed the letters from Demotech informing the companies that their ratings will be downgraded from A to either S (Substantial) or M (Moderate).

Mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac require homeowners to have a policy with an A-rated company. These homeowners would be forced to find new insurers, potentially at higher costs.

According to a report on the website Reinsurancene.ws the move by Demotech could push the states insurance market into further turmoil, adding that it could become increasingly challenging to survive and place thousands of policyholders at risk of defaulting on their mortgages.

Demotechs decision to downgrade the companies is being challenged by the the OIR, who sent a letter to Demotech requesting the rating agency reconsider the conclusions theyve reached about the viability of the companies.

Islander News is working to find out which companies are having their ratings downgraded.

In the meantime, you can check your present insurance carriers rating from Standard and Poor's Ratings, click here or call 212-438-2400.
GUEST OPINION : Even before the pandemic forced accelerated digital adoption in the Australian education system, technology used by educators and students alike had come leaps and bounds. From interactive smart boards and learning via tablets, to administrative systems and web-based apps, the digital transformation of the education sector fundamentally changed how students learn, and they outcomes they can achieve.

As empowering as this technology can be, its important to assess the risks in order to understand the potential negative consequences and, most importantly, how to mitigate them. Without necessary measures in place to support security across all services and applications, educational institutions will be unable to ensure these evolving digital environments are safe.

It isnt simply an issue of an increase in attacks, but their ever-growing complexity. Good things can be used for nefarious purposes. Encryption, for example, creates control for confidential communications. However, that same technology can be used by attackers to hide malicious activities or, as we now see routinely, to crypto lock victim systems, crippling them and extort ransom demands.

The almost-overnight pivot to online learning was, in many cases, rapid out of necessity, and therefore often without sufficient attention to security concerns. Many institutions simply relied on existing digital infrastructure, and this exposed numerous flaws.

Schools, universities, and TAFEs have been the target of a growing number of attacks.

A breach caused school computer systems across NSW to shut down just days before students were to begin the new term, presenting the NSW Education Department with a difficult set of circumstances to resolve.

This is just one example; in 2020 and 2021 the education sector saw a 75% increase in attacks.

Educational institutions face quite a different threat profile to normal organisations. While most have the majority of adversaries outside the environment, schools and universities tend to have adversaries inside as well. In other words, students arent always innocent.

Identifying the problem

Most state education networks rely on one centralised government entity to provide services and infrastructure. What we see in remote and hybrid learning environments is the entire population of students and teachers using remote networks when working from home, placing strain on remote access infrastructure.

Additionally, with the adoption of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), externalisation of services, and surging demand for high quality and dynamic content, traffic through these centralised gateways is continuing to grow rapidly. Without increased capacity, the systems wont cope, leading to poor user experiences at best, or complete unavailability at worst.

Architectures must be changed to have a more distributed egress; but this can present an enormous challenge as a result of how theyve been built previously. This also presents an operational scale issue; with greater distribution, there are more systems to be managed. Efficiency, consistency, and fleet management via automation are key to scaling.

Another increasingly complex challenge stems from the raft of tools available to, and used by, students to bypass security controls, which is more easily done when egress monitoring is inadequate. Comprehensive filtering and inspection of traffic is needed in order to combat the threat.

Like the multiplying heads of the Hydra, when one cyber security concern is identified and dealt with, another two appear in its place.

Protecting our most valuable assets

As disruptive as the shift to digital and remote learning has been, it has also created an opportunity for the sector to ask: how do we guarantee a system moving forward which meets the significant and increasing demands, but also ensures cyber security and safety?

One answer is to wrap a consistent security layer around all services, protecting apps and APIs across all environments. Adopting a defence in depth approach, focussing on both ingress and egress control, and inspecting all traffic is key.

The 2021 Log4j zero day vulnerability, though not only affecting educational institutions, saw millions of computers hit through software commonly used by students, teachers, and learning institutions. As an example, one of our customers in the education sector was able to provide rapid protection by reducing the window of exposure with Web App Firewall signatures to block Log4j attacks. Then, it turned its attention to preventing malicious payloads from spreading further.

This approach allowed time to undertake the lengthy process of inventorying systems with the log4j vulnerabilities, deploying patches, and waiting for vendors to provide patches for their systems.

Others resorted to the whack-a-mole approach, madly trying to identify and patch everything as rapidly as possible, often unable to determine which systems used the vulnerable component. Or to describe it another way, the difference between a calm and measured response versus many consecutive sleepless, stressful nights with all hands at the pump.

Streamlining application modernisation and reducing complexity by supporting rapid innovation, integrated security, and accelerated app deployment will help improve IT agility, efficiency, and effectiveness, while meeting growing demands for better digital experiences.

Australias education sector will continue to face increasing security challenges as it adapts to a world of permanent hybrid learning. The road ahead will not be easily travelled so long as cybersecurity standards are not applied consistently across all environments  traditional and modern.
Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 84F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 107F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
World Youth Development Forum highlights youth power in green development

Xinhua) 11:11, July 24, 2022

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Youth Development Forum had discussions about the power of the youth in achieving green development Friday, with hundreds of experts and youth representatives from China and abroad attending the event.

The youth should be guided to form a sense of contributing to the building of a community of the Chinese nation, a community with a shared future for humanity, and a community of life for humans and nature, said Wang Xiqin, president of Tsinghua University.

The forum was held online and offline from July 21 to 23, with nearly 2,000 youth representatives from over 100 countries attending the conference, according to the event organizer.

Initiated by the All-China Youth Federation, the forum has seen attendees discussing topics such as employment and entrepreneurship, climate change and green development, the digital economy, and high-quality education.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Pope Francis left Rome on Sunday for Canada for a chance to personally apologise to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over a span of decades at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics will be met at Edmonton's international airport by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Pope's plane took off from Rome shortly after 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT).

The 10-hour flight constitutes the longest since 2019 for the 85-year-old pope, who has been suffering from knee pain that has forced him to use a cane or wheelchair in recent outings.

The pope was in a wheelchair on Sunday and used a lifting platform to board the plane, an AFP correspondent accompanying him said.

Francis' Canada visit is primarily to apologise to survivors for the Church's role in the scandal that a national truth and reconciliation commission has called "cultural genocide".

Before he left, the pope said on Twitter he was making a "penitential pilgrimage" that "might contribute to the journey of reconciliation already undertaken".

He will be joined on the visit by his diplomacy chief, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's second most senior official.

From the late 1800s to the 1990s, Canada's government sent about 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children into 139 residential schools run by the Church, where they were cut off from their families, language and culture.

Many were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers.

Thousands of children are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect.

Since May 2021, more than 1,300 unmarked graves have been discovered at the sites of the former schools.

A delegation of Indigenous peoples travelled to the Vatican in April and met the pope -- a precursor to Francis' six-day trip -- after which he formally apologised.

- 'Too late' -

In the community of Maskwacis, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Edmonton, the pope will address an estimated crowd of 15,000 expected to include former students from across the country.

"I would like a lot of people to come," said Charlotte Roan, 44, interviewed by AFP in June. The member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation said she wanted people to come "to hear that it wasn't made up".

Others see the pope's visit as too little too late, including Linda McGilvery with the Saddle Lake Cree Nation near Saint Paul, about 200 kilometres east of Edmonton.

"I wouldn't go out of my way to see him," said the 68-year-old.

"For me it's kind of too late, because a lot of the people suffered, and the priests and the nuns have now passed on."

McGilvery spent eight years of her childhood in one of the schools, from age six to 13.

"Being in the residential school I lost a lot of my culture, my ancestry. That's many years of loss," she told AFP.

After a mass before tens of thousands of faithful in Edmonton on Tuesday, Francis will head northwest to an important pilgrimage site, the Lac Sainte Anne.

Following a visit to Quebec City from July 27-29, he will end his trip in Iqaluit, home to the largest Inuit population in Canada, where he will meet with former residential school students, before returning to Italy.

Francis is the second pope to visit Canada, after John Paul II, who visited three times (1984, 1987 and 2002).

Some 44 percent of Canada's population is Catholic.
Pope Francis was headed to Canada Sunday for a chance to personally apologise to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over a span of decades at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics will be met at Edmonton's international airport by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at 11:20 am (1720 GMT).

Francis' Canada visit is primarily to apologize to survivors for the Church's role in the scandal that a national truth and reconciliation commission has called "cultural genocide".

Before he left Rome earlier Sunday, the pope said on Twitter he was making a "penitential pilgrimage" that "might contribute to the journey of reconciliation already undertaken".

He will be joined on the visit by his diplomacy chief, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's second most senior official.

From the late 1800s to the 1990s, Canada's government sent about 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children into 139 residential schools run by the Church, where they were cut off from their families, language and culture.

Many were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers.

Thousands of children are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect.

Since May 2021, more than 1,300 unmarked graves have been discovered at the sites of the former schools.

A delegation of Indigenous peoples travelled to the Vatican in April and met the pope -- a precursor to Francis' six-day trip -- after which he formally apologized.

But doing so again on Canadian soil will be of huge significance for survivors and their families, for whom the land of their ancestors is of particular importance.

The 10-hour flight constitutes the longest since 2019 for the 85-year-old pope, who has been suffering from knee pain that has forced him to use a cane or wheelchair in recent outings.

The pope was in a wheelchair Sunday and used a lifting platform to board the plane, an AFP correspondent accompanying him said.

- 'Too late' -

After resting Sunday, the pope will travel Monday to the community of Maskwacis, some 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Edmonton, and address an estimated crowd of 15,000 expected to include former students from across the country.

"I would like a lot of people to come," said Charlotte Roan, 44, interviewed by AFP in June. The member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation said she wanted people to come "to hear that it wasn't made up".

Others see the pope's visit as too little too late, including Linda McGilvery with the Saddle Lake Cree Nation near Saint Paul, about 200 kilometres east of Edmonton.

"I wouldn't go out of my way to see him," said the 68-year-old.

"For me it's kind of too late, because a lot of the people suffered, and the priests and the nuns have now passed on."

McGilvery spent eight years of her childhood in one of the schools, from age six to 13.

"Being in the residential school I lost a lot of my culture, my ancestry. That's many years of loss," she told AFP.

After a mass before tens of thousands of faithful in Edmonton on Tuesday, Francis will head northwest to an important pilgrimage site, the Lac Sainte Anne.

Following a July 27-29 visit to Quebec City, he will end his trip in Iqaluit, capital of the northern territory of Nunavut and home to the largest Inuit population in Canada.

There he will meet with former residential school students, before returning to Italy.

In total, Francis is expected to deliver four speeches and four homilies, all in Spanish.

Francis is the second pope to visit Canada, after John Paul II, who visited three times (1984, 1987 and 2002).
Brian Maci, from New York, receives a monkeypox vaccine at an outdoor walk-in clinic in Montreal, Saturday, July 23, 2022. Tourists are among those lining up to get monkeypox vaccines in Montreal, as the World Health Organization declares the virus a global health emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
WGTD (91.1 FM) is owned and operated as a public service of Gateway Technical College and is an affiliate of Wisconsin Public Radio. For an updated schedule, go online to wgtd.org. WGTD 91.1-FMs Morning Show airs 8:10 to 9 a.m. weekdays.

Guests this week include:

Monday: Peggy James, Dean of the School of Professional Studies, and Edward Schmitt, Associate Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, will talk about their summer Alternative Historical Narrative program.

Tuesday: John Moyles of J&R Aquatic Animal Rescue. Well talk about the work he does as well as the Exotic Pet Surrender Event coming up in August in which people are given the opportunity to safely surrender their exotic pets, no questions asked.

Wednesday: A preview of the Kenosha Opera Festivals performances of Rossinis The Barber of Seville. Performances are the next two weekends.

Thursday: We will talk about AmeriCorps with Miriam Zouhri and several of her team members about their work as AmeriCorps volunteers.

Friday: Bellen Woodard, the young author of the childrens book More than Peach.
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Medical training has historically been known for its intensity, during which work-life balance is traded in for intensive study sessions and early morning rounds. In recent years, medical schools have become increasingly interested in programs to improve student wellbeing. Many of these programs teach students the importance of wellness, touting the value of exercise, hobbies, and spending time with friends and family without providing the time needed to participate in those activities. Schools and national organizations provide webinars, subscriptions to meditation services, and discounts on fitness platforms, but these programs are insufficient for improving student wellbeing.

Wellness programs particularly fail to meet the needs of clinical students, who cannot carve out time in their day for a family dinner, much less a required wellness lecture. To train well-rounded and compassionate physicians and fight burnout, medical schools have a responsibility to support the needs and challenges their students face. Taking into account the life stressors and quick transitions expected of clinical medical students is an excellent place to build a more supportive medical school environment. Here are six strategies medical schools can employ to impact student wellbeing during the clinical years.

1. Consider life transitions when building academic schedules. Building a more accommodating schedule is one step that medical schools can take to reduce burnout. Studying for NBME exams is undoubtedly stressful, and it often causes life responsibilities to fall to the wayside. Breaks between exam dates and the start of new academic years should consider that students need time to move, acquire cars, purchase professional clothing, and much-needed rest and relaxation.

2. Provide scheduled discretionary time. Accommodating students needs for medical appointments and the like, that may occur during the workday, is also crucial to fighting burnout. While many schools state that students will not be penalized for attending a medical appointment, most of these policies require advanced notice and approval from deans. There is little recourse if a student is ultimately penalized in their evaluations. These policies are not designed for students with medical issues that require frequent monitoring, as well as the many students who participate in psychotherapy. Many of the students I spoke with reported stopping therapy during the third year because it could not fit in their schedule, and they did not feel comfortable disclosing the need to attend a weekly appointment to their superiors. With 1 in 4 medical students reporting being depressed, these policies must go beyond accommodation and become standard practice. A standard practice could involve providing all students with half a day off per week, during which they can schedule therapy or other personal matters at their discretion.

3. Provide students with information about the typical clinical schedule for each rotation well in advance.

4. Consider a templated FAQ for each rotation. Sending out schedules further in advance can also positively impact student wellbeing. Many clinical schedules are set months in advance, but students rarely have access until weeks or even days before the start of their rotations. This precludes scheduling appointments, planning time with family, and having a sense of security and preparedness for what is to come. The clinical years are unique because rotations are short and have extremely varied schedules. MS3 Sydney points out that having more uniformity in clinical schedules could reduce stress. When uniformity is not possible, as specialties differ greatly, they suggest providing students with information about the typical clinical schedule and guidelines for rotations at the start of the year rather than just before the start of a rotation. Many students worry about not only start and end times but when students will be able to eat, if they are expected to bring or buy lunch, and whether they will have downtime or be standing for most of the day. This information is particularly important for students with disabilities but can benefit all students.

5. Reduce weekend and call responsibilities. Third-year medical students are in the unique and challenging position of being asked to work the hours of a full-time job while also being full-time students. During my medicine rotation, I averaged 55 hours per week, reaching over 70 hours on my surgery rotation. While it is important for students to get a sense of life as a resident and attending, the expectation that students work a full schedule while also studying for Shelf exams is unnecessary. In particular, working weekends and taking calls puts a huge burden on students and does not add much to learning. MS4 Sabina reports that her surgery clerkship switched to no longer requiring students to work weekends halfway through, and it was life-changing.

6. Re-consider holiday policies. In addition to many schools requiring students to work on weekends, many medical schools require students to work a significant number of holidays. Some argue that students need to prepare for residency when they will be working most days of the year. Because of the residency schedule, however, medical school may be one of the last times in many years that students have the opportunity to participate in family holidays and long weekend gatherings and attend weddings, graduations, and other family events. With work-life balance in mind, medical schools should support students ability to engage with their personal lives outside of medicine by excusing students from clinical duties on major and minor holidays, such as Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Medical school is an undoubtedly challenging time, during which soon-to-be doctors are tasked with the responsibilities that will train them to be excellent physicians. Historically, disregarding medical students personal needs was seen as necessary to prepare them for the intense time commitment of a career in medicine. Increasingly, however, medical schools are re-emphasizing wellbeing and work-life balance. While some so-called wellness initiatives make little impact, concrete policy changes that increase flexibility for medical students and provide them with the information needed to plan their lives can significantly improve the wellbeing of medical students across the country.

Natalie LaBossier is a medical student.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
ARRL recognises radio amateur

ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio has recognized Dr. Ulrich L. Rohde, N1UL, as the 2022 recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the IEEE, Photonics Society Engineering Achievement Award.

The award is for outstanding engineering achievement in the field of optoelectronic signal generation and optical measurement equipment for next-generation intelligent optical networks. Dr. Rohde is an ARRL Maxim Society and Life Member.

Dr. Rohde is currently a partner of Rohde & Schwarz, in Munich, Germany, and Chairman of Synergy Microwave Corporation in New Jersey. He is also President of the Communications Consulting Corporation, serving as an honorary member of the Senate of the University of the Armed Forces in Munich, honorary member of the Senate of the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg, and past member of the Board of Directors of Ansoft Corporation in Pennsylvania.

A high achiever indeed

Throughout his career he has been active in microwave technology and in 2017 was honoured for his work developing software-defined radio

Dr. Rohde has been an avid amateur radio operator holding several licenses in the United States and Germany. He has been licensed since 1956s.

He also operates N1UL/MM on his yacht, the Dragonfly, and is Trustee of the Marco Island Radio Club, K5MI.

WIA
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By Bonnie Kristian



U.S. President Joe Biden took a defensive tone in the run-up to his visit to Saudi Arabia on July 15. "I have never been quiet about talking about human rights," he said at a news conference in Israel on July 14. But his reason for going to Saudi Arabia, he said, was much broader: to promote U.S. interests and reassert our influence in the Middle East. And anyway, Biden added, he was "going to be meeting with nine other heads of state. It's not just  it happens to be in Saudi Arabia."



That's a shorter version of the argument the president has made for weeks since his first official Middle East visit was announced with a tour stop in Riyadh. As a 2020 candidate, Biden pledged to make Saudi Arabia a "pariah" state for the regime's murder of U.S. journalist Jamal Khashoggi.



And in a recent Washington Post op-ed, Biden touted his administration's reversal of "the blank-check policy (toward Saudi Arabia) we inherited" from the Trump administration. But the bulk of his op-ed played defense, pushing back on widespread criticism that cast this trip as a betrayal of Biden's promises and ideals motivated by a desperation for oil.



There's merit to that charge. The Saudi state's human rights record is gruesome, and the visit is unquestionably a reversal for Biden. But most criticism of the trip is wrongly aimed: Diplomacy is not what's wrong in Washington's handling of Riyadh; it's the long-term U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia and ongoing U.S. support for the Saudi military, including its brutality in Yemen.



Confusion around the purpose of diplomacy is a regular and unfortunate feature of American foreign policy debates. Diplomacy is not just for friendly countries. Yes, sometimes our diplomatic conversation partners are friendly countries with ideals and styles of government similar to our own. But diplomacy also includes far more difficult discussions with far less savory states. Indeed, those more complicated situations are where it's needed most: to address conflicts of interest without resorting to sanctions or war.



It may be possible for some small and distant states to avoid diplomacy with a reprehensible but strategically important and resource-rich regime like that of Saudi Arabia. It is not possible for a global superpower to do the same. Biden's "pariah" promise was an understandable impulse, born of justified outrage, but Washington refusing to speak with Riyadh was never a true option. The only question was whether diplomacy would happen at lower levels, through layers of bureaucracy, or whether Biden would speak with his Saudi counterpart himself. His decision to visit in person is reasonable.



The objectionable thing here, then, is not Biden's choice to personally pursue diplomacy. The diplomacy is both inevitable and good. The same cannot be said of other aspects of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, particularly the stationing of nearly 3,000 U.S. troops on Saudi soil, where they operate "in coordination with the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," per an administration report to Congress last month, and "provide air and missile defense capabilities," though the U.S. and Saudi Arabia are not, and never have been, treaty allies.



Riyadh has no obligation of mutual defense toward us, and keeping U.S. troops in Saudi territory exposes us to risk of unwanted conflict  especially with Saudi Arabia's regional rival, Iran  and has been used as a recruiting tool for terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida in the run-up to the 9/11 attacks.



The Biden administration partially reversed its predecessors' expansion of the U.S. military footprint in Saudi Arabia, and ending U.S. support for the Saudi coalition's "offensive operations" in the Yemeni civil war was Biden's first major foreign policy move in 2021. But U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia continue on the scale of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth annually, and Washington has also facilitated other sales of U.S.-made weapons from third parties to Riyadh. Meanwhile, though Yemen's months-long truce continues to hold, raising hopes for a durable peace, recent reporting has revealed U.S. extrication was much less complete than Biden implied.



In his op-ed in the Post, Biden wrote of his commitment to furthering diplomacy, advancing U.S. interests and keeping the U.S. out of combat missions in the Middle East. Those are all strong reasons for him to visit Saudi Arabia.



But they're also strong reasons to rethink U.S.-Saudi relations, draw down U.S. military support for Riyadh and bring U.S. forces home from Saudi lands.





Bonnie Kristian is a fellow at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank. This article was published in the Chicago Tribune and distributed by Tribune Content Agency.








Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Corp. recorded robust on-year sales growth in Vietnam and Indonesia in the first half of 2022, delivering strong performances in the markets traditionally dominated by Japanese automakers, local industry associations' data showed Sunday.







The combined sales of Hyundai Thanh Cong Manufacturing Vietnam and THACO Kia  the South Korean automakers' joint ventures in Vietnam  reached 71,882 in the January-June period, up 29.3 percent from a year ago, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association.







The combined sales figures were 1.7 times bigger compared with the 43,085 tally of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. in Vietnam.







Hyundai and Kia's combined market share in the growing Vietnamese market was recorded at 38.3 percent, outpacing Toyota with 23.2 percent.







The combined sales of the South Korean automakers in Indonesia, where more than 90 percent of automobiles sold are of Japanese brands, also soared to 12,013, posting a near four-fold growth compared with a year ago, according to the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries.







Hyundai and Kia's market share in Indonesia also climbed to 2.6 percent, up 1.8 percentage points from a year ago.







Hyundai completed the construction of its 150,000 unit-a-year plant in the Deltamas industrial complex near Cikarang, 40 kilometers east of Jakarta, in December. The Indonesian plant is already producing the compact Creta SUV, a strategic model for the region, and the all-electric IONIQ 5 model. (Yonhap)


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Central Coast Amateur Radio Club News

The club rooms at Kariong are open every Saturday. Members are reminded that Annual Membership is now due.

The next General Meeting will be held at 1pm on Saturday, August 6; while the Annual General Meeting will be held at 1pm on Saturday, August 13. Details will be emailed to members.

The winner of the clubs second of three quick-fire raffles was D. McGinty. Congratulations!

At the VK2RAG Somersby repeater site, the D-Star, Rad-Net DMR and 2m Echolink services are fully functional. Brand Meister DMR and 70cm Echolink and IRLP are still on the sick list.

The club has a Web SDR at Somersby. Websdr.ccarc.org.au is configured to listen on 6 metres, 2 metres, 70 centimetres and 23 centimetres.

The daily Morning Tea Net is held at 10:00am each morning and after the broadcast on Sunday mornings.

The Thursday evening net is held at 8:00pm on the same repeater and echolink conferences.

The Morning Tea and Thursday night nets are held on the VK2RAG repeater  146.725 MHz with 91.5Hz tone, and on echolink through the HAM and CCARCNSW echolink conferences.

Adrian VK2ABS, hosts fortnightly SSTV net on the Clubs 2 Meter WICEN repeater; 147.125 MHz with 91.5 Hz tone, consisting of 2-3 rounds. Adrian has had a large amount of support from other members and would love to see you drop in.

The next net is scheduled for Friday the 5th of August at 7:30 PM.

The Thursday night and SSTV nets are also video streamed live to the clubs Facebook page and recordings can be found in the Videos section.

You can find out more about the CCARC and our upcoming social events on the web at ccarc.org.au, by phone on 02 4340 2500, or on social media by searching for Central Coast Amateur Radio Club. Remember to give the club a like to follow for any updates.

73, Alan VK2MG

Publicity Officer,

Central Coast Amateur Radio Club.
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ASTRO member and actor Cha Eun Woo shot the fans' hearts with his warm visuals in his new SNS photos, posted on July 22.

READ ALSO: Most Popular Boy Group Members July 2022: BTS Jimin, Kang Daniel, More!
New Direct-to-Full Exam feedback Comments on the Essex Ham Direct-to-Full Exam page suggest the new exam starting in January 2023 is welcomed by many



Essex Ham say the Direct-To-Full is the biggest shakeup to UK amateur radio licensing in 20 years, the RSGB has unveiled details of Direct to Full, a new way to get a UK Full amateur radio licence. On this page, we give you the basics of how this will work. Wed love your comments at the end of the article, see

https://www.essexham.co.uk/rsgb-launches-direct-to-full.html
Payment of a bill related to what has become a controversial trail extension project has been approved despite a request to halt payment.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Councils Finance, Licensing & Regulation Committee approved to pay city bills totaling about $177,021, July 5, by a 4-1 vote with Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier voting no.

Fesenmaier requested that a $3,200 payment to Strand Associates, Inc., engineers for the proposed South Street trail extension project, be removed until city officials address residents concerns related to the project.

City officials plan to extend the South Street bicycle trail, which runs near Badger High School and Lake Geneva Middle School, by about 1.5 miles.

The trail is set to lead to the future site of a new Geneva Lakes Family YMCA campus, located near the intersection of Highway H and Highway 120. The trail also is set to extend west along South Street and end at Lake Shore Drive, leading to Big Foot Beach State Park.

The City of Lake Geneva received an $835,316 transportation alternatives program grant from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to help fund the project.

Several residents who live along South Street have expressed concerns related to the project including trees being removed, potential water runoff, possible traffic concerns and the width of the trail, which is set to be 10 feet.

City officials have said that the grant requires the trail to be 10-feet wide. However, the trail could be reduced to eight feet for short distances.

Fesenmaier requested that the payment to Strand Associates be withdrawn from the bills and that the city pauses the project until the residents concerns are addressed.

I would like to pull it out because we have a public that continues to email us with concerns about this project, Fesenmaier said. I think we need to assure them we are taking a pause to listen to their concerns and figure out what to do with those concerns and how we are going to proceed.

City Administrator Dave Nord said the bill to Strand Associates has been submitted, and the project cannot be paused because the city council has not approved to do so.

Nord said representatives form Vandewalle & Associates, the citys planning firm, have been trying to contact the state to determine what the ramifications would be for pausing the project.

Strand is out there doing a multitude of things other than just worrying about sidewalk widths and things of that sort, Nord said. They have other things they are contract-bound to do, and thats what theyre doing. The council, no committee, nobody has made a motion to stop the project.

Fesenmaier said the project was scheduled to be discussed during the June 27 public works committee meeting but it was not placed on the agenda, and a special meeting was supposed to be held to give residents an opportunity to express their concerns about the project, but the meeting was never scheduled.

Those things havent happened, so these bills need to stop until we are all on the same page, Fesenmaier said. I dont think the project should go forward until we know what we are proceeding with.

Alderman John Halverson said the issue was not discussed during the public works committee meeting, because there was no updated information regarding the project.

It was nothing nefarious, Halverson said.

Alderman Richard Hedlund said he would like to discuss the project further with the department of transportation, but the city still needs to pay its bill to Strand Associates.

I agree we need to have someone from the state here, but that has nothing to do with paying for services rendered to the city when we havent told them to stop, Hedlund said. I like your discussion, but I dont think we cannot, not pay them.

After some discussion, Fesenmaiers motion to withdraw the payment to Strand Associates from the city bills failed by a 2-3 vote, with her and Halverson voting yes.

Nord said the city could conduct a meeting regarding the South Street trail extension project in August.
Srinagar, Jul 24 (PTI) Four people died and as many were injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Sunday when the vehicle they were travelling in skidded off a road and rolled down a gorge, officials said. The accident took place on a link road in the Higni-Badarkoot belt, they said, adding that the injured have been hospitalised.

The dead were identified as Haza Begum and Abdul Rasheed, residents of Shagan Ramsoo, Zahida Begum and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Also Read | Maharashtra Road Accident: Two Dead, Two Injured As Car Hits Tree in Virar.

Two of the injured, Shahnaza Begum and Mushtaq Ahmed of Shagan Ramsoo, were shifted to the government medical college in Anantnag, they said.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed anguish over the loss of lives in a twitter post that read, "Deeply anguished by the unfortunate road accident in Ramban. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, prayers for speedy recovery of the injured. Directed district administration to provide immediate assistance to the affected families."

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Meets CMs of BJP-Ruled States, Emphasizes Better Implementation of Key Schemes.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and the party's vice president Omar Abdullah also expressed deepest sympathies with the bereaved families with the former saying that the unfortunate incident has pained him.

"I pray for peace to the departed souls of those, who have lost their precious lives in the accident. I pray for speedy recovery to the injured and impress upon the divisional administration to reach out to the injured with the best of medical treatment," said Farooq Abdullah.

Omar said the Jammu-Srinagar national highway continues to be a death trap for commuters.

"Over the years, thousands of people who were travelling on this road lost their lives. The Government of J-K as well as the National Highways Authority of India has so far failed to redress this concern with urgency.

"I hope the concerned agencies work out some extraordinary measures to put thaw on the recurrence of these accidents," he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Chennai, Jul 24 (PTI) The Centre should facilitate continuation of studies either in domestic or foreign colleges for medical students who had to return home from Ukraine, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

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Acknowledging the immediate steps taken by the Centre to evacuate students from Ukraine in coordination with States, Stalin, in a letter to Modi said that there is a 'sense of disappointment' among students that similar concrete steps have not been taken by the Union government as regards continuance of their studies.

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"I would therefore request you to direct the NMC (National Medical Commission) and the Union Ministries concerned to initiate steps to bring in necessary amendments in the relevant Central Acts, to enable these students to continue their studies in medical colleges in India."

If this is difficult, necessary steps need to be immediately taken to provide students with an alternative option to continue their studies in foreign universities, Stalin said.

"Considering the delay which has already happened, I request your urgent intervention in this regard. I assure you that the Tamil Nadu government will offer its full cooperation to all the efforts taken by you on this issue."

Since the beginning of the conflict, around 2,000 medical students from Ukraine have returned to Tamil Nadu, one of the largest number among all the states in the country, the Chief Minister underlined. Given the current situation in Ukraine, it may not be practically possible for these medical students to immediately return to their colleges and the uncertainty is likely to prevail even after the cessation of hostilities, he said.

"Considering this, our State has been repeatedly urging you to take necessary steps to accommodate these students in India or in suitable universities abroad."

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata, Jul 24 (PTI) A city court on Sunday remanded Arpita Mukherjee, an alleged close associate of arrested West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, to one-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody.

Mukherjee was arrested by the ED on Saturday after grilling her for several hours at her residence in a posh apartment block in south Kolkata, where crores of rupees in cash and other valuables were allegedly recovered by sleuths of the central agency.

Also Read | Punjab: Man Booked After 22-Year-Old Colleague Accuses Him of Rape in Ludhiana.

Metropolitan Magistrate Namrata Singh, in charge of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court, directed that Mukherjee be produced before the designated ED court on Monday.

ED counsels, including Abhijit Bhadra, had prayed for 14 days' custody of Mukherjee.

Also Read | Heavy Rainfall Likely To Batter Gujarat, Rajasthan, Parts of Madhya Pradesh During Next Two Days: IMD.

Chatterjee, the West Bengal Industry and Commerce Minister, was arrested by the ED on Saturday in connection with its investigation into an alleged school jobs scam.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhopal, July 24: An eight-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped inside the toilet of a government school in the Khoefiza area of Bhopal by husband of a sweeper employed there, said police on Saturday. The police arrested the accused after the child gave a description of what he looked like and he has been identified as Lakshminarayan Dhanak.

"An incident of rape of a girl was reported. It happened near the premises of a school. The accused works as a watchman in that school. He has been identified and arrested by the police. Further probe underway," said Sachin Atulkar, Additional CP, Bhopal.

According to police, the victim is a student of Class 4 and she took admission in the school six days ago. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at 1.30 pm. Bhopal Shocker: 12-Year-Old Girl Abducted For Human Trafficking, Tortured With Electric Shocks; 2 Arrested.

"The victim went to the bathroom during lunchtime and in the meantime, the accused closed her eyes with her hand, then picked her up and took her inside the bathroom. He raped the victim and then fled from the spot," said Police. When the other students saw the girl crying they informed the teacher.

"The minor told the teacher that an uncle wearing a yellow shirt took her to the bathroom," Police added. Following this school staff informed the police about the incident. The police rushed to the spot and questioned the school staff, after which the police came to know that Lakshminarayan was the only one wearing a yellow shirt. Delhi Shocker: 30-Year-Old Woman Gang-Raped By Railway Employees at Electrical Maintenance Staff Hut, 4 Arrested.

During questioning, the police came to know about the accused and later arrested him. The accused confessed his crime.

Further investigation is underway.

(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, Jul 24 (PTI) A 20-year-old man died while six members of his family were rescued as a three-storey building collapsed in northeast Delhi's Mustafabad area on Sunday, police said.

The incident was reported at around 5 am and three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, said Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Service.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Class 10 Sultanpur Boy Quits Life After Failing Board Exams.

Police pulled out Suleman (45), his wife Shabnam (40), daughters Shabnur (22) and Labiya (20) and his sons Sufhiyan (20), Faizan (17) and Arshiyal (15) from the debris.

Sufhiyan was pulled out with great difficulty and rushed to a hospital where he was declared as brought dead, a senior police officer said.

Also Read | Madhya Pradesh Shocker: 8-Year-Old Bhopal Girl Raped in Government School Toilet by Husband of Sweeper Employee, Arrested.

"The family was living in the now collapsed portion of the building as tenants for the last four years," he said.

The building was constructed about 17-18 years back and is owned by one Shamim Ahmad, police said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
In days gone by we had a Civil Service which had qualified individuals who knew what was expected from them and they were allowed to do their work without political interference.

by Franklyn Amerasinghe

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is gone. He has left the country in shambles. Unfortunately, the sycophants and those who were under obligation to follow the law of the jungle are still around.

There is a total breakdown in adherence to laws, rules and regulations thanks to Ministers asserting their power to hire and fire. The Ministers do not respect the need for public servants to adhere to their rules and regulations. I think the most important change that has to be introduced, is to ensure that the Public Service and the Judiciary are made sacrosanct and allowed to operate without any political interference.

In days gone by we had a Civil Service which had qualified individuals who knew what was expected from them and they were allowed to do their work without political interference. The observance of closed services where expertise was required guaranteed promotional prospects to those who were in those departments and also encouraged them to learn what was required of them, the need to adhere to Financial and Administrative rules and perform their duties with a sense of pride.

Ministers who began to issue orders to public officials to deviate from the rules are to blame more than their stooges whom they appointed to various posts in the Public Service. This must end as a matter of urgency. All the political appointees to key positions in Ministries should be replaced by employees who have been in those departments and know the operating procedures.

If the quality of the people in the service is deficient then retraining of people who are in the service should be undertaken, or bright young graduates recruited for training. Some of the departments which are crucial to an efficient public service being restored, are the Police, Department of Inland Revenue, Customs, Labour, Civil Aviation, Agriculture and Environment. Recruitment to the Administrative Service and promotions from within should follow clear rules which are adhered to and only the Public Service Commission should have authority to look into any complaints. The Commissions need to revitalized.

Another issue to be addressed is the demands for salary revisions made by ad hoc groups. The Salaries and Cadre Commission should have broad-based expertise to evaluate the demands of Unions. One key to having equal treatment would be to first set up a commission to grade all jobs in the public service according to the value they bring to the community.

Till the 1960s salaries were graded by the government and any demand for an increase should be heard only by the Salaries and Cadres Commission. Rewards for efficiency should be part of the rewards structure in the public sector. A connected problem regarding salary demands is the existence of a Union regime which is fragmented, and especially in the Public Service, serving divergent political interests. The need for Joint Unions structures at Departmental level would help to make those at different levels of a department refrain from maintaining selfish interests in the matter of revisions.

In his plan for economic reforms called Regaining Sri Lanka in 2002 Ranil Wickremesinghe, I think mentioned a figure around 650,000 as the norm for the public service. We now have more than double that number and a standing army which is disproportionate to the size and population of our country. To reduce numbers is not easy and I think the strategy followed by the US after the Vietnam war should be food for thought.

The US government encouraged and supported soldiers to return to education and training which resulted in many of them starting new careers very successfully. The government has to seriously consider retraining programmes for all displaced employees. Studies should be initiated with preliminary discussions with public servants who would be interested in retraining to ascertain their interests and how they could be met with a win-win result for the economy and the employees.

The Skills Development Fund could be utilized to train displaced employees with the help of the private sector and the Chambers could help with ideas of placement whether locally or overseas. Restructuring is painful but will be a necessary consequence of putting right our economy and politicians must look beyond winning elections and keeping voters complacent about their future prospects.

In some developed countries where the Unions are efficient and vibrant, retraining of employees is part of their mandate. We need to seek their co-operation in the process of restructuring. We should not follow the easy path of providing displaced workers with compensation and the challenge should be to either teach them relevant skills or convert them into entrepreneurs. The manner in which the message of change is communicated has to be handled skilfully and perhaps the ILO could help to train Public Officials who would be in the forefront of selling the change.

(The writer is a former Secretary General of the Employers Federation of Ceylon from 1990-2000 and served the ILO as Senior Employers Specialist for East Asia post-retirement)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): The Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will hold a meeting with senior party leaders today at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi to present their report on the development and welfare schemes as the party gears up for the upcoming assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to attend this meeting, as per sources.

Also Read | Union Education Minister Dpradhanbjp Felicitated @cbseindia29 Class X State Toppers   Latest Tweet by Prasar Bharati News Services.

Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will put forth their governance report in front of the Central leadership during the meeting.

'Har Ghar Tiranga' is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture to mark celebrations for India's 75th year of Independence. As part of the campaign, citizens will be encouraged to hoist the tricolour at their homes during August 13-15.

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To strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga Movement, PM Modi has urged people to hoist or display the tricolour at homes between August 13 and 15 stating that this movement will deepen our connection with the national flag.

In view of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the leaders will also discuss ways to aware the people regarding the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign.

Besides this, they will discuss the public welfare schemes of the government and plans to incorporate them into the poor and backward classes.

The Prime Minister will give his views on developmental works to the Chief Ministers.

In the last meeting, he had asserted that the development of youth and women empowerment are the area of priority of the government and said that there is a need to strengthen the nutrition campaign and tackle malnutrition.

The last developmental meeting was held in Varanasi last year. The Prime Minister participated in a conclave of Chief Ministers of BJP- ruled states. The conclave provided an opportunity to share governance-related best practices and is in line with the Prime Minister's vision of furthering team India's spirit. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Delhi Police on Sunday said that the prostitution racket which was busted in the Malviya Nagar area, was also involved in human trafficking by bringing the girls illegally from Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries on bikes via the Nepal-India border on the pretext of getting jobs in Delhi and compel them to work as sex workers till they get a job.

According to the police, these girls have not been made accused in the case of prostitution racket while they are accused of entering India without documents.

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The Police said that an FIR has been registered against ten girls under the Foreigner Act, who have been presented in court and sent to Tihar jail.

"No document has been received from them yet and only on the basis of her statement it is believed that they are from Uzbekistan. However, there are no other documents yet and once their documents are ready, they will be blacklisted and reported," said the police.

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"Most of the girls from Uzbekistan or neighbouring countries were first brought to Nepal by flight and then their visa on arrival was obtained there. Then they used to cross the border wearing a burqa," it added.

The police suspect that some local boys from Nepal are also involved in this gang because those girls were not made to cross the main border of India-Nepal, but they used to come to India from Nepal wearing a burqa through unpaved roads.

As soon as they come to India, their passport and other documents were deposited with Ali Sher Tilladaev (the leader of this gang), who was arrested by the police on Saturday.

As long as the girls kept giving their share of their earnings, they were in Ali Sher's gang and if they refuse to give their share, they were expelled from the gang. However, he never used to return their documents. They used to be transported back to Nepal without any documents and the police is investigating further about what happened to them after reaching Nepal. The police have not got much information about it.

Around 18 travel documents have been recovered from the gang so far which confirms that not only 10 girls work as sex workers for this gang but others are also involved.

Police officials said that people from all the countries including Nigerians and Uzbekistan want to live in India and in the last one and a half years, the deportation process of more than 800 people was started of which most of them are Nigerians. These figures include people from Nigeria and surrounding countries. Of the 800 who have been deported, more than 500 are from Nigerians and Uzbekistan alone.

According to the police, usually, these people do illegal work, because according to the law, if a foreign person who used to live in India without documents, then he will be deported. But if he has committed any crime in India, then he will have to face the punishment of that crime. They get a lot of time in this whole process.

The police officer said that there is a difference in the culture from where those people come, and this gang was taking advantage of that.

"Various levels of verification were done before getting them a customer. First, a reference was taken from the customer and then it was verified by the reference. No one could reach the girls without their identity," said police.

Police said that five people have been arrested, who used to run this gang. There are two agents living in Sonia Vihar, a gang leader and a husband and wife, who are Turkmenistan nationals.

They are claiming to be husband and wife, while the police is still verifying this.

The police suspect that the husband and wife used to run this gang by taking girls from the gang leader.

Apart from this husband and wife, the police is apprehensive that more handlers are with the gang Ali Sher, after which the police is talking about the arrest of more people in this case.

A team of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted a gang of human traffickers in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar area, who used to lure foreign women to work as sex workers and brought them from various regions of Uzbekistan to India and got them involved in prostitution, officials said on Saturday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vichitra Veer said that five people have been arrested so far in the matter including foreign nationals. Those identified were identified as Mohammad Arup (34), Chande Sahini (30), Ali Sher Tilladaev (48), Jumayeva Aziza (37) and Meredob Ahmed (48).

Aziza and Ahmed are Turkmenistan nationals. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): A city court on Saturday denied interim bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a case related to an alleged conspiracy behind the 2020 North-East Delhi riots.

Additional sessions judge Amitabh Rawat rejected the bail plea nothing there was not sufficient ground to grant the relief. During the hearing, Imam's counsel Ahmad Ibrahim told the court that the accused met the conditions for bail and he was not a flight risk, nor at the risk of influencing witnesses or tampering with the evidence.

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The apex court had said that all pending trials, appeals and proceedings with respect to the charge framed under Section 124A of IPC be kept at abeyance. Adjudication with respect to other sections, if any, could proceed if the Court are of the opinion that no prejudice would be caused to the accused.

Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh Rawat of Karkardooma Court on Saturday, while dismissing the oral plea for a stay in the case referred to the order passed by the Supreme Court. He said, "Thus, there is no total embargo on the continuance of trial in a case involving various offences, including Section 124A (Sedition) Indian Penal Code (IPC)."

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The Court said, "In the present case, the trial is continuing against accused Sharjeel Imam not only in respect of the offence under Section 124A IPC, but also for the offence under Section 153A, 153B, 505 of IPC and 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention (UAPA).

"It is correct that some of the witnesses like the complainant or the witness who has to prove sanction in respect of Section 124A IPC or the Investigation Officers cannot be examined in view of the order of the Supreme Court of India as their examination could cause prejudice to the accused," the Court said.

It is also said, " However, witnesses like Dharmender Kumar, who has to prove sanction order in respect of Section 13 UAPA, or forensic experts or other experts who have to prove their reports can still be examined without causing any prejudice to the accused."

Now, the court has listed the matter for prosecution evidence in respect of UAPA on August 22, 2022.

Advocate Talib Mustafa and Ahmad Ibrahim, counsels for the accused, had submitted that in view of the direction passed by the Supreme Court on May 11, 2022, in the case of SG Vombatkere Vs. Union of India, all pending trials with respect to charge framed under Section 124A IPC have been kept in abeyance.

The counsels strongly argued that in another case titled State Vs. Anal Hussain, in an FIR registered at the police station New Friends Colony, the prosecution had taken a stand that the prosecution of accused Sharjeel Imam for an offence under Section 124A IPC is to be kept in abeyance for the alleged speech and since Section 153A IPC have invoked on the basis of the said speech, therefore, the prosecution under the said section also cannot proceed with. Hence, the trial in the present matter should also be stayed.

On the other hand, the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Amit Prasad had submitted that in the case titled State vs Anal Hussain, the requisite sanction regarding the offence under Section 124A and 153A of IPC have not been received and thus, that case cannot be compared with the present matter where not only the requisite sanction had already been accorded but also even charges have been framed and a lot of prosecution witnesses have been examined.

It was also submitted by the SPP that in the present case, apart from section 124A IPC, other provisions of law, are also invoked including Section 13 of UAPA and the trial can proceed without causing prejudice to the accused by examination of many witnesses.

Delhi Police had registered a case against JNU's former student Sharjeel Imam for the alleged seditious speeches during the anti CAA-NRC protest. Delhi Police Crime Branch has filed chargesheet and charges have been framed under section 124A IPC along with 13 of UAPA. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Raipur, Jul 24 (PTI) Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday said that during his visit to Delhi, he did not meet the Congress high command, but held talks with party leaders from Himachal Pradesh to devise a strategy for the upcoming assembly polls in their state.

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Baghel, who has been appointed as senior observer by the party for Himachal Pardesh assembly polls, was talking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport here after returning from Delhi this evening.

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"A meeting was held with the party leaders from Himachal Pradesh, including state Congress chief and Congress legislature party (CLP) leader and those who have been assigned responsibilities (for polls). In view of the upcoming polls (in Himachal), serious discussion was held on how the organisation would go among voters and with which issues," Baghel said when asked about his tour to Delhi.

Baghel's Delhi visit came at a time when he is locked in a power tussle with his cabinet colleague T S Singh Deo. The latter had recently quit one of the ministries he held.

Baghel had left for Delhi on Saturday evening, while Singh Deo, who was in Bhopal, had also gone to the national capital the same evening. Sources had said that both the leaders were likely meet the Congress high command there.

When asked about health minister Singh Deo's presence in Delhi and whether any discussion was held with the party high command, Baghel said there was no meeting with top brass of the party and he had gone there for talk to the party leaders from Himachal Pradesh.

According to party sources here, Baghel was expected to meet senior party leaders as the rift in the ruling Congress deepens after Singh Deo's resignation from the ministry of panchayat and rural development recently.

Sources close to Singh Deo had said that he had left for Delhi from Bhopal on Saturday evening seeking a meeting with the top Congress leaders. However, whether he met the party high command or not could not be known so far.

Singh Deo had resigned as the minister of panchayat and rural development on July 16, although he retained his other portfolios.

In his four-page resignation letter to the chief minister, Singh Deo had claimed that he was unable to fulfil the targets set for the rural development department as per the Jan Ghoshna Patra (poll manifesto), given the "current scenario".

In June 2021, the rivalry between Baghel and Singh Deo had come to the fore for a brief period after Baghel completed two-and-a-half years as chife minister.

Singh Deo's supporters claimed that as per an understanding reached in 2018, he was supposed to take over after Baghel completed half the term.

While Singh Deo later backed down after both the leaders met the party high command in Delhi, he recently voiced opposition to coal mine projects in the Hasdeo Arand forest area of Surguja district, and hinted the truce was over.

Baghel on Thursday handed over the Panchayat and Rural Development portfolio to senior minister Ravindra Choubey.

Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh are more than a year away.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Raipur, Jul 24 (PTI) Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh on Sunday said he has tested positive for COVID-19.

Also Read | National Herald Case: Delhi Police Hired 100 Photographers To Capture Congress Moves During Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi's ED Questioning.

Also Read | Maharashtra Shocker: Sex Racket Busted By Thane Police, Three Women Rescued.

This is the second time Singh has contracted the coronavirus infection after he tested positive in September 2020.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader tweeted that he got himself tested after exhibiting symptoms and will comply with the home isolation protocols.

Singh appealed to those who came in contact with him over the past few days to check if they too were infected.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday wished a speedy recovery to Singh.

A day earlier, Chhattisgarh had reported 511 coronavirus cases and one fatality.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ahmedabad, Jul 24: A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his 21-year-old drug addict son, chopping his body parts and disposing them off at two places in Gujarat's Ahmedabad city, police said on Sunday.

The accused, Nilesh Joshi, who was apprehended while fleeing to Nepal, was handed over to the crime branch on Saturday night, an official said.Man Booked After 22-Year-Old Colleague Accuses Him of Rape in Ludhiana.

A severed head, hands and legs were recovered from two places in the city on July 20 and 21, and it was found that they belonged to the same person, he said.

Based on technical and human intelligence, the crime branch officials zeroed in on Joshi as a suspect in the case, the official said.

Joshi had left Ahmedabad for Surat on a bus on July 22, and later boarded a train for Gorakhpur in his bid to escape to Nepal, he said.

The accused was detained by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Ganganagar railway station in Rajasthan on the basis of information shared by the crime branch, the official said.

During interrogation, Joshi revealed that he had killed his son Swayam who was addicted to drugs and alcohol, as he would get aggressive and quarrel with him all the time.

"On the morning of July 18, Swayam was high on drugs and was hurling abuses at his father for not giving him money.

The victim also attacked his father with the wooden handle of a shovel. In the process, the accused kicked his son and hit his head with a stone six to seven times, killing him on the spot," the official said.

The accused then bought an electric grinder and large plastic bags to dispose off the body. He chopped off the head, legs and hands, dividing them into six parts and then placed them in plastic bags, he said.

Joshi then carried the bags on a two-wheeler and threw them at two different places in the city, the official said.

The police are in the process of lodging an FIR under section 302 (murder) of the IPC against the accused, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Ahmedabad, Jul 24 (PTI) Gujarat on Sunday reported 842 fresh COVID-19 cases, including 250 in Ahmedabad district, taking the overall tally of infections to 12,48,487, the state health department said.

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A total of 598 patients were discharged in the last 24 hours, which raised the number of recoveries in Gujarat to 12,31,813 so far, leaving the state with 5,714 active cases.

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With no new COVID-19 fatality, the death toll in the state remained unchanged at 10,960, a health department release said.

Ahmedabad district reported the highest number of 250 COVID-19 cases in Gujarat on Sunday, followed by Mehsana (106), Surat (80) among other districts.

The count of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered so far in Gujarat went up to 11.37 crore with 72,128 more people getting jabbed, the release said.

Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu is left with eight active cases, officials said.

Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 12,48,487, new cases 842, death toll 10,960, discharged 12,31,813, active cases 5,714, people tested so far - figures not released.

(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], July 24 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with some social workers on Sunday held demonstrations in the Aarey area of Mumbai on Sunday against Eknath Shinde government's decision to resume the construction of the metro car shed at the green belt in suburban Goregaon.

AAP warned the government against the project.

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According to the present Maharashtra government, the project was being developed at the expense of the forest area.

The Aarey forest is a 1,800-acre area which is often termed the city's "green lung".

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Soon after Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister, the state government directed the Advocate General that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's Aarey colony itself.

Last Sunday, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thakeray participated in a protest against the construction of the metro car sheds in the Aarey colony forest saying that this is a fight for Mumbai and its forest life.

"Under our government, we had declared 808 acres of land as forests. We fought for forests to protect our tribals. When we were here, no trees were uprooted," he said.

Claiming that metro cars go for maintenance every three-four months and not every night, the government can afford to build sheds in Kanjurmarg.

"If sheds are built in Kanjurmarg, forest life will be preserved, along with tribal life and money," he said.

Earlier on July 3, Aaditya Thackeray had urged the newly inducted Eknath Shinde government to scrap the re-proposed Aarey metro project, which has been a fraught issue in the city for several years.

In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important".

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species.

The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the MMRCL and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed.

Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a metro car shed.

However, the Maharashtra government stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city.

In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg.

The new Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra has proposed to move back the metro car shed project to Mumbai's Aarey forest. (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, Jul 24 (PTI) A labourer died after falling from the 10th floor of an under-construction building in Malad East in Mumbai, a police official said on Sunday.

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The incident took place on Friday and the deceased was identified as Manish Bhaliya (46), the Kurar police station official said.

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"This is an under-construction 24-storey tower. Bhaliya fell from the 10th floor due to the floor being slippery. He fell from an open window next to the lift. He was declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital," he said.

Contractor Bharat Chotaliya and the developer have been booked for allegedly failing to provide adequate work safety measures at the site, he added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Union Minister of AYUSH and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) Ghaziabad will help in mainstreaming and integration of AYUSH healthcare services with modern medicines.

The Union minister on Sunday inspected the newly constructed campus of NIUM in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.

Also Read | Maharashtra Police Register Case After Hoarding Congratulating President-Elect Draupadi Murmu Found Torn in Vasai.

NIUM, Ghaziabad is a satellite institute of the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bengaluru and will be the first of its kind to be established in the northern region of India, the AYUSH ministry said.

Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that national policy on health envisages inter alia mainstreaming of AYUSH in healthcare and also to integrate these systems in areas of education, and research in all tiers of healthcare delivery.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Muslim Brothers Arrested by UP Police for Vandalising Mazaar in Bijnor.

He said that the Ministry of AYUSH has undertaken various steps to encourage R&D and innovation, and develop apex Institutes for education, and research in Unani Medicine.

"I am confident this Unani institute will popularize the AYUSH system and cater to the needs of northern region of the country," he further added.

The foundation stone for NIUM was laid on March 1, 2019.

The ministry said that this institute will produce high-quality professionals in various streams of Unani medicine. The institute will have 14 departments and will provide PG and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Unani medicine.

The Institute will also focus on fundamental aspects, drug development, quality control, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Unani medicine and practices, the release stated.

The Institute will establish Bench Mark standards in Education, Health Care and Research.

National Institute of Unani Medicine, Ghaziabad has been constructed at a cost of Rs 381 crore and shall also function as an international collaboration centre for global promotion and research in Unani medicine.

The Institute will have a pivotal role in making bilateral and multilateral collaborations with universities/research organizations of international repute. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Political processes operate through the mechanism of party organisations, but the parties must rise above a partisan approach and consider what is good, what is essential for the common man and woman, with the spirit of 'nation first ', President Ram Nath Kovind said on Saturday.

President Kovind, who attended a farewell function in the Central Hall of Parliament today, said he remains eternally grateful to the people of India for giving him an opportunity to serve the country as President.

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What the Almighty had wanted him to accomplish could not have been accomplished without the support from all the elected representatives, he said.

President Kovind said that during his term which will end on Sunday, he had frequently interacted with people on various platforms and he had also met numerous delegations of parliamentarians and of people from other domains.

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During this period, he also got the opportunity of working with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his Council of Ministers. He thanked all of them for the special regard they have given him.

He also thanked Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Speaker Lok Sabha Om Birla for the way they have conducted proceedings of Parliament and continued its great traditions.

The President said that Article 79 of our Constitution provides for a Parliament consisting of the President and the two houses.

In keeping with this constitutional provision and adding his sentiment to it, he looks at the President as an integral part of the Parliamentary family.

"As with any family, there are bound to be differences within this Parliamentary family too; there would be diverging views about how to proceed further. But we remain a family, and the interest of the nation remains our top priority. Political processes operate through the mechanism of party organisations, but the parties must rise above a partisan approach and consider what is good, what is essential for the common man and woman, with the spirit of 'nation first'," he said.

"When we consider the whole nation as a family, we also understand that differences are bound to crop up once in a while. Such differences can be resolved peacefully and harmoniously through dialogue. Citizens and political parties have many constitutional avenues open to them, including protests. After all, the Father of our Nation employed the weapon of Satyagraha for that purpose. But he was equally concerned about the other side. Citizens have a right to protest to press for their demands, but it should always be in the peaceful Gandhian mould," he added.

The President said that looking back on his career in public service, and the efforts of the governments, much has been achieved yet so much more remains to be done to raise the living standards of the marginalised.

The country has been, slowly but surely, realising the dreams of Dr Ambedkar. The President said that he grew up in a mud house, but far fewer children have to live in thatched houses with leaking roofs now.

More and more of the poor people have been shifting to pucca houses, partly with direct support from the government.

"Our sisters and daughters walking miles to fetch drinking water is becoming a thing of the past, because it is our endeavour that every house gets water from the tap. We have also installed toilets in every house, which are laying the foundation for building a clean and healthy India. Memories of lighting up lanterns and diyas after sunset are also fading as almost all villages have finally been provided electricity connections," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were among those present on the occasion.

The President said that as the basic necessities are taken care of, aspirations are changing too.

The dreams of average Indians have got wings now. This has been made possible by good governance, which by definition is without any kind of discrimination. This all-around progress is in tune with what Babasaheb Ambedkar had visualised, he said.

The President also talked of India's fight against COVID-19.

"The world is struggling because of the COVID pandemic. I hope we learn lessons from the pandemic, we forgot that we are all part of nature. In difficult times, India's efforts were praised all across the world," the President said.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu hosted President Kovind over lunch at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas in New Delhi for the outgoing President.

"The President had greatly enhanced the stature of the institution through his broad vision and endearing simplicity," the Vice President said.

Recalling many pleasant memories of the past five years, the Vice President said that it has been a wonderful experience for him to work along with President Kovind for the development of the nation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a farewell dinner for outgoing President Kovind in the national capital on Friday.

Several Padma awardees and many tribal leaders were present on the occasion.

President-elect Droupadi Murmu will be sworn in as India's 15th President on July 25 in the Central Hall of Parliament. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Jaipur, Jul 24 (PTI) Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia on Sunday started a 41-km walk in tribal-dominated Vagad region of the state, days after Droupadi Murmu was elected President of the country.

Murmu is the the first tribal woman who has been elected the President of India.

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Poonia started the 'Vagad tribal gaurav yatra', along with the people of tribal society from Tripura, from Sundari temple to Beneshwar Dham, which will conclude on Monday, a party statement said.

On Sunday, Poonia walked 25 km and he will complete remaining 16 km on Monday, the statement said.

Also Read | Maharashtra Police Register Case After Hoarding Congratulating President-Elect Draupadi Murmu Found Torn in Vasai.

During the walk, Poonia had breakfast at the homes of tribal families in the villages, and discussed local issues with them.

He also talked to girls studying in schools and colleges in several villages, including Talwara, about their views on Murmu being elected as President of the country.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lucknow, Jul 24 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has said on an average, more than 1.5 lakh patients visit the government hospitals in the state every day and their records are prepared.

Pathak, who is in charge of the Department of Medical Education, Medical and Health and Family Welfare, also said he inquires about the well-being of 20 patients on a daily basis.

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In an interview to PTI, he said, "Till now, no record of the patients coming to hospitals was kept in Uttar Pradesh. But now, arrangements have been made so that the details of every patient -- their names, phone numbers, whether they got proper treatment -- are recorded.

"On an average, more than 1.5 lakh patients visit the government hospitals in the state every day and I cannot talk to everyone of them. I talk to 20 patients of any 10 districts every day and inquire about their well-being."

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He asks the patients about the medicines they get from the hospitals and the behaviour of the doctors, the minister said, adding, "I am happy that almost all the patients are satisfied."

Pathak has been visiting government hospitals since he took charge of the health department.

He was seen standing in a queue as a patient at a hospital, while at another hospital, the minister was seen sitting on the ground and talking to patients.

Pathak said earlier, patients used to come to Lucknow for dialysis because there was no such facility in every district but now, dialysis units have been installed in 63 districts and soon, all the 75 districts of the state will have those.

"All 75 districts will have medical colleges. Currently, there are 14 districts that do not have medical colleges. We are going to sign an MoU for building medical colleges in these districts on the PPP (public-private partnership) mode. A tender has also been floated for this," he said.

Taking a jibe at the previous governments in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said there were only 13 medical colleges in the state in 2017 and the health system was in complete disarray, but now, work is being done on a daily basis to improve the scenario.

According to departmental sources, there are 3,650 primary health centres, 945 community health centres and 167 district hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.

Asked about his departmental achievements in the first 100 days of the Yogi Adityanath government's second term, Pathak said, "My voice has reached the people. I have personally inspected many hospitals, listened to the poor and I believe that no patient will leave the hospital premises unhappy. We will treat them as god, give them free treatment and make better arrangements for the family members who come to the hospitals with the patients."

On being reminded about a letter written by him to his additional chief secretary (ACS) recently on the non-compliance of the transfer policy in the transfers of the current session, he said "violations of law will not be allowed". The minister clarified that "it was not a letter, but our official noting".

Pathak had written the letter to the ACS, Medical and Health on July 4, questioning the transfers in the health department and saying "the transfer policy has not been fully implemented in the postings in the current session". The letter, in which the minister had asked the ACS to provide complete details explaining the reason for the lapse, had gone viral on social media.

Subsequently, Chief Minister Adityanath formed a committee led by the chief secretary to probe the transfers in the health department.

Pathak said if there is any disturbance in any of the departments, it will be fixed. "The administration may make errors and it is our responsibility to rectify those," he added.

Representatives from an association of government doctors had met Pathak, alleging that two doctors who had died were also transferred by the department.

Asked about it, the minister said all the irregularities are being rectified. "Irregularities and arbitrariness in the health department are not new," he said.

As the law minister in the previous term of the BJP-led government, Pathak wrote a letter to the chief minister in April 2021, referring to the irregularities prevailing in the health department and the arbitrariness of officials during the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter had gone viral on social media.

In the second term of the Adityanath government, Pathak was promoted as the deputy chief minister and given the charge of the health department.

Talking about future plans, the minister said the basic structure of medical services will be strengthened and efforts will also be made in the area of preventive medicines.

He urged people to wake up early, practise yoga, exercise and lead a controlled life.

"If anyone falls ill, we are committed to providing him the best treatment," the minister said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, Jul 24 (PTI) Three police personnel were killed and four injured in a road accident near Chittoor in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Sunday, Karnataka Home Minister Araga Jnanendra said.

The police personnel were posted at the Shivajinagar Police Station in Bengaluru, he added.

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According to sources close to the minister, the police personnel were on their way to nab a drug peddler in Chittoor when their car rammed into a road divider.

A police team from Karnataka has rushed to the scene of the accident, they said.

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Arrangements have been made to bring the bodies and injured to Bengaluru, they said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) RSS-affiliated National Democratic Teachers' Front (NDTF) has urged the Ministry of Education to intervene and stop what it termed "misgovernance" in Delhi University colleges maintained by the Delhi government and some private trusts.

In a note submitted to two BJP MPs, the NDTF also suggested that Delhi University take over the 12 colleges largely funded by the Delhi government if it failed to release full funds to these colleges.

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An NDTF delegation led by its president A K Bhagi held a meeting with MPs Pravesh Verma and Manoj Tiwari. Bhagi is also the president of the Delhi University Teachers Association.

"We have submitted a note to two Delhi MPs Pravesh Verma and Manoj Tiwari. NDTF is trying to convince all seven Delhi MPs about the crisis in the coming days and pressing for the taking over of these colleges by DU and funding by UGC (University Grant Commission)," he said.

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In the note, the NDTF said the funds of 12 Delhi government-funded colleges are unduly cut and delayed by the Delhi government, which has resulted in an "inordinate delay in the dispersal of salaries to the staff in last four years on most occasions".

It alleged that the Delhi government had been using different excuses at different times, "starting from GB nomination to graft charges and now linking student fund fees with the salaries of staff", for not releasing full funds.

"Most colleges are now being subject to harassment through a special audit by a private agency," it added.

The NDTF claimed that the track record of Delhi University-maintained colleges has always been better in comparison to the other three categories of colleges maintained by the Delhi government, trust-funded and Delhi government funded until recently, which it claimed can be set right if the ministry sends necessary directions to the vice chancellor to follow university rules.

"Therefore, it is requested that MoE (education ministry) of GoI intervenes to save the academic atmosphere of these colleges," it said.

"UGC and the University of Delhi be directed to take necessary steps to stop misgovernance and recover the actual share of 5 per cent from the constituent colleges of the University of Delhi, maintained by different private trusts and the Delhi government, for the past several years," it added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhubaneswar, July 24: President-elect Droupadi Murmu may wear a traditional Santali saree when she takes the oath of office in Delhi on Monday.

Her sister-in-law Sukri Tudu is travelling to Delhi with a special saree used by Santal women in Eastern India. Sukri along with her husband Tarinisen Tudu on Saturday left for the national capital to witness the oath taking ceremony to be held at the Parliament's central hall. Draupadi Murmu Elected As President of India; Here is Everything You Need to Know About First Tribal Woman President of The Country.

I am carrying a Santali traditional saree for `Didi' (elder sister) and pray she will wear it during the oath taking. I am not sure what she will actually wear on the occasion. The Rashtrapati Bhawan will decide the dress of the new president, Sukri said.

The Santali sarees have some stripe work on one end and is worn by the Santal women on special occasions. The saree is vertically symmetric and has both the ends designed with the same motifs. Banarasi Saree To Have QR Code Woven In, IT-BHU Develops New Technique to Identity Genuineness of the Handloom Products.

Sukri, who along with her husband and family members, live in Uparbeda village near Rairangpur in Mayurbhanj district, said she is also carrying traditional sweet pancakes, also called Arisa Pitha' for Murmu.

Meanwhile, Murmu's daughter Itishree, a bank officer and her husband Ganesh Hembram, have reached New Delhi and are staying with the President elect.

Only four members of the President-elect's family - brother, sister-in-law, daughter and son-in-law - will attend the oath taking ceremony, said a senior BJP leader adding that essence of adivasi' culture and tradition could be reflected in the swearing in of the country's 15th President .

BJD president and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday left on a four day tour to the national capital during which he is scheduled to attend Murmu's swearing in ceremony.

Apart from six BJP MLAs from Mayurbhanj district, three members of the Ishwariya Prajapati Brahmakumari's Rairangpur branch- Brahma Kumari Supriya, Brahma Kumari Basanti and Brahma Kumar Govind, have also reached New Delhi and met Murmu during the day, sources said.

Meanwhile, Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan and Bisweswar Tudu, party MPs Suresh Pujari, Basant Panda,Sangeeta kumara Singhdeo and her husband KV Singhdeo, met Murmu in New Delhi. They are expected to be present at the ceremony.

Coming from a humble tribal family of Uparbeda village near Rairangpur, 64-year-old Murmu has come a long way from a councilor to an MLA, a minister and Jharkhand Governor to being elected President of India. Mumbai Police's Dancing Cop Amol Kamble Dubs Pushpa's 'Jhukega Nahi' Dialogue, Watch Viral Video of Social Media Star.

There were celebrations everywhere in the state as `ladoos' (sweetmeats) were distributed even on Saturday at the Bhubaneswar railway station.

(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, Jul 24 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA has started a 2-month-long special audit of airlines after its spot checks earlier this month found that insufficient and unqualified engineering personnel are certifying carriers' planes before their departure, officials said.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted the spot checks as there have been many technical malfunction incidents in Indian carriers' planes during the last 45 days.

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The focus of the aforementioned special audit will be facilities like hangars and stores, equipment being used by airline personnel, airlines' quality assurance system, aircraft grounded due to lack of spare parts and airlines' maintenance control centre, a DGCA order dated July 18 stated.

The special audit will also focus on availability of "sufficient, suitably qualified and experienced" manpower, duty time limitations, availability of current maintenance data for all types of aircraft, adequacy of aircraft turn-around time during transit and "multiple MEL releases", as per the order, which has been accessed by PTI.

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"MEL (minimum equipment list) releases" means an aircraft is allowed to fly with certain inoperative equipment or instruments for a specific period of time, until the repairs are done.

There have been reports of increased engineering related occurrences in scheduled airlines in recent times," the order mentioned.

The order said the special audit of all scheduled airlines is starting from July 19 in order to ensure that they are adhering to the "laid down standards".

The DGCA officials said the special audit will be completed within the next two months.

After conducting spot checks, the regulator had last week revealed its findings. The spot checks found that insufficient and unqualified engineering personnel are certifying planes of various carriers before their departure.

Before each departure, an aircraft is checked and certified by an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME).

The spot checks found that the AME teams of airlines are improperly identifying the "cause of a reported defect", the DGCA said.

They also found that there has been an "increasing trend of MEL (minimum equipment list) releases" of aircraft, it noted.

"It is also seen that airlines are resorting to frequent one-off authorisation to Category A certifying staff at transit stations which is not in line with existing regulatory provisions," it mentioned.

The engineering head of one of the Indian airlines explained that a Category A engineer is called a 'limited scope engineer', and he or she is allowed to certify and release planes for departures only when the aircraft does not have any complex defect.

Therefore, the DGCA had last week issued guidelines for airlines, asking them to deploy sufficient and qualified AME personnel, and directing them to comply by July 28.

There have been many technical malfunction incidents in Indian carriers' planes during the last 45 days.

Air India's Dubai-Kochi flight was diverted to Mumbai on July 21 after the pilot-in-command reported a loss in cabin pressure.

On July 21, Go First's Mumbai-Leh and Srinagar-Delhi flights faced engine snags.

A Go First flight heading from Delhi to Guwahati on July 20 was diverted to Jaipur after the A320neo aircraft's windshield cracked mid-air.

On July 17, IndiGo's Sharjah-Hyderabad flight was diverted to Karachi as a precautionary measure after pilots observed a defect in one engine.

On the night of July 16, the Calicut-Dubai flight of the Air India Express was diverted to Muscat after a burning smell was observed in the cabin mid-air.

A live bird was found in the cockpit of the Air India Express Bahrain-Kochi flight on July 15.

SpiceJet is also under the scanner. On July 6, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to SpiceJet following at least eight incidents of technical malfunction in its aircraft since June 19.

(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, July 24 (PTI) Regional Director of WHO's South-East Asia Region on Sunday called on member countries to strengthen surveillance and public health measures for monkeypox, with the disease being declared a public health emergency of international concern by the global health body.

Monkeypox has been spreading rapidly and to many countries that have not seen it before, which is a matter of great concern, said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.

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"However, with cases concentrated among men who have sex with men, it is possible to curtail further spread of the disease with focused efforts among at-risk population, she said.

Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, four cases of monkeypox have been reported, three from India and one from Thailand. The cases in India are among nationals who returned home from the Middle East, while in Thailand a Nigerian living in the country has been confirmed positive for monkeypox.

Also Read | Uttar Pradesh: Class 10 Sultanpur Boy Quits Life After Failing Board Exams.

Importantly, our focused efforts and measures should be sensitive, devoid of stigma or discrimination," the regional director said.

The decision to term monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) was announced by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General WHO on Saturday, a day after he convened yet another meeting of the International Health Regulations (IHR) emergency committee to review the multi-country outbreak.

Though the risk of monkeypox globally and in the Region is moderate, the potential of its further international spread is real. Also, there are still many unknowns about the virus. We need to stay alert and prepared to roll out intense response to curtail further spread of monkeypox, Dr Khetrapal Singh said.

Since the start of the outbreak, WHO has been supporting countries assess risk, and initiate public health measures, while also building and facilitating testing capacities in the Region.

Engaging and protecting the affected communities; intensifying surveillance and public health measures; strengthening clinical management and infection prevention and control in hospitals and clinics; and accelerating research into the use of vaccines, therapeutics and other tools, are among the key measures that need to be scaled-up, the Regional Director said.

Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets.

In the current outbreak in countries and amongst the reported monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact. Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics, clothing, that have infectious skin particles.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Jul 24 (PTI) Rebel Shiv Sena MLA Gulabrao Patil on Sunday said party president Uddhav Thackeray did not give enough time to the party legislators during his tenure as Maharashtra chief minister.

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The former minister also said that Thackeray should get rid of the coterie of party leaders around him.

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"A 'sarpanch' (elected village head) ought to give audience to every elected representative of the local governing body. When Thackeray was just the party head, we could raise our complaints against a minister if he or she did not cooperate," Patil told a regional new channel.

"But after he became the chief minister, there was no one whom we could turn to for taking up our complaints of works not getting done. He should have given enough audience to the legislators," he said.

Several rebel Sena leaders have earlier blamed party's chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut for the strain in ties between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sena.

But without taking anyone's name, Patil said, "There are some leaders surrounding Thackeray, who are damaging Shiv Sena further. Because of these leaders, people like us suffer...We were made to wait for hours. We are elected representatives who have won elections with the support of nearly three lakh voters, and still we get such disrespectful treatment."

"Many people who are in the inner circle of Thackeray, have never won an election. But they never treated us with respect," he said.

Patil is among the 40 Sena MLAs who rebelled against the party leadership. Due to the rebellion led by Eknath Shinde, the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government collapsed on June 29. The next day, Shinde took oath as the chief minister, while BJP's Devendra Fadnavis became his deputy.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], July 24 (ANI): Opposition Vice Presidential candidate Margaret Alva on Sunday said that she will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Jagat Prakash Nadda to vote for her.

"I have started talking to the Chief Ministers of all the states who are supporting me but I will also talk to the chief minister who is not in my support. For example, I will talk to Karnataka CM, Assam CM and even UP Chief Minister Yogi," Alva told ANI.

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"Adityanath because we have an old relationship with him when he was MP and Adityanath is my good friend," he added.

She further stated that she will also talk to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

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"The basis for seeking votes from everyone is that I am a woman and for the first time in front of the country, there is a woman Vice Presidential candidate, so everyone should support me," she added.

On being asked whether she will write a letter to the Prime Minister and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda for votes? she said, "why not? the Prime Minister is also an MP."

Alva, while referring to her contribution to the political and social field, said that she has done a lot of work and is quite popular among people.

"Today I inaugurated the Campaign Office and I have started communicating with everyone," she stated.

NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar will face Opposition candidate and veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Margaret Alva in the August 6 Vice Presidential election.

Alva the Opposition candidate for the Vice-Presidential poll, filed her nomination for the Vice Presidential election on Tuesday.

Opposition parties on July 17 decided to field former Rajasthan Governor and former Union minister Alva as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election.

The decision to field Alva was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders of 17 parties at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

The NDA has fielded West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar as its joint candidate for the post of Vice President. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shenzhen [China], July 24 (ANI): Honor recently introduced the Honor X8 5G smartphone, which is supposed to be the 5G version of the already released Honor X8 from March this year. However, there's more to it than just added support for 5G connectivity.

According to GSM Arena, for starters, the new X8 5G has a smaller 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with 720 x 1600px resolution.

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The Snapdragon 680 SoC has been swapped out for a Snapdragon 480+, which strangely is a more powerful alternative, despite its older manufacturing process and lower clock speeds. Memory options are limited to just one - 6GB/128GB.

Honor had to cut some corners to retain the price, though, so the main 64MP camera has been replaced with a 48MP f/1.8 and gone is the 5MP ultrawide shooter. Now the X8 5G has just a 2MP macro shooter and a 2MP depth sensor. The selfie has also been downgraded to 8MP f/2.0.

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As per GSM Arena, the smarphone's 5,000 mAh battery keeps the lights on, supporting up to 22.5W fast charging, while available colors are Ocean Blue and Midnight Black. Sadly, there's no info on pricing and availability at the moment. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shenzhen [China], July 23 (ANI): Days before the OnePlus 10T is announced on August 1, OnePlus will release the CE version of the Nord Buds TWS earbuds, which were first introduced by the company in April.

According to GSM Arena, the Nord Buds CE's specifications haven't been released by OnePlus yet.

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The Nord Buds CE won't have the silicone tips that came with the original Nord Buds, according to photographs posted by the firm on its official Indian website.

The Nord Buds CE is expected to cost cheaper than the regular Nord Buds, which are presently available in India for Rs 2,599 (USD 33/Euro 32).

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However, OnePlus has teased that the Nord Buds CE will cost Rs 2x99 in India. (ANI)

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Putnam (US), Jul 24 (AP) Even as numerous Republican-governed states push for sweeping bans on abortion, there is a coinciding surge of concern in some Democratic-led states that options for reproductive health care are dwindling due to expansion of Catholic hospital networks.

These are states such as Oregon, Washington, California and Connecticut, where abortion will remain legal despite the US Supreme Court's recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.

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Concerns in these blue states pertain to such services as contraception, sterilization and certain procedures for handling pregnancy emergencies. These services are widely available at secular hospitals but generally forbidden, along with abortion, at Catholic facilities under directives set by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The differing perspectives on these services can clash when a Catholic hospital system seeks to acquire or merge with a non-sectarian hospital, as is happening now in Connecticut. State officials are assessing a bid by Catholic-run Covenant Health to merge with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system based in the town of Putnam.

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We need to ensure that any new ownership can provide a full range of care  including reproductive health care, family planning, gender-affirming care and end-of-life care, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat.

Lois Utley, a specialist in tracking hospital mergers, said her organization, Community Catalyst, has identified more than 20 municipalities in blue or purple states where the only acute care hospitals are Catholic.

We are definitely sliding backwards in terms of comprehensive reproductive health, Utley said. Catholic systems are taking over many physician practices, urgent care centers, ambulatory care centers, and patients seeking contraception won't be able to get it if their physician is now part of that system.

According to the Catholic Health Association, there are 654 Catholic hospitals in the U.S., including 299 with obstetric services. The CHA says more than one in seven U.S. hospital patients are cared for in a Catholic facility.

The CHA's president, Sister Mary Haddad, said the hospitals provide a wide range of prenatal, obstetric and postnatal services while assisting in about 500,000 births annually.

This commitment is rooted in our reverence for life, from conception to natural death, Haddad said via email. As a result, Catholic hospitals do not offer elective abortions.

Protocols are different for dire emergencies when the mother suffers from an urgent, life-threatening condition during pregnancy, Haddad said. Catholic health clinicians provide all medically indicated treatment even if it poses a threat to the unborn.

This approach is now being mirrored in several states imposing bans that allow abortions only to save a mother's life. There is concern that doctors governed by such bans  whether a state law or a Catholic directive  may endanger a pregnant woman's health by withholding treatment as she begins to show ill effects from a pregnancy-related problem.

In California, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener is among those warily monitoring the proliferation of Catholic health care providers, who operate 52 hospitals in his state.

The hospitals provide superb care to a lot of people, including low-income communities, Wiener said. But they absolutely deny people access to reproductive health care."

It's the bishop, not professional standards, that are dictating who can receive what health care, Wiener said. That is scary.

Charles Camosy, professor of medical humanities at the Creighton University School of Medicine, says critics of the mergers fail to acknowledge a major benefit of Catholic health care expansion.

These mergers take place because Catholic institutions are willing to take on the really hard places where others have failed to make money, he said. We should focus on what these institutions are doing in a positive way  stepping into the breach where virtually no one else wants to go, especially in rural areas.

That argument has resonance in mostly rural northeast Connecticut, where Day Kimball serves a population of about 125,000.

Kyle Kramer, Day Kimball's CEO, said the 104-bed hospital has sought a financial partner for more than seven years and would soon face very serious issues if forced to continue alone.

Regarding the proposed merger, he said, Change is always difficult.

However, he said Day Kimball would remain committed to comprehensive care if the merger proceeds, seeking to inform patients of all options in such matters as contraception, miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.

As for abortions, Kramer said Day Kimball had never performed them for the sole purpose of ending a pregnancy and would continue that policy if partnering with Covenant.

Despite such assurances, some residents are concerned that the region's only hospital would become Catholic-owned. Some merger opponents protested outside the hospital last Monday.

Sue Grant Nash, a retired Day Kimball hospice social worker, described herself as religious but said people's values should not be imposed on others.

Very important articles of faith that Catholics may have, and I respect completely, shouldn't impact the quality of health care that is available to the public, she said.

There have been related developments in other states.

In Washington, Democratic state Sen. Emily Randall plans to re-introduce a bill that would empower the attorney general to block hospital mergers and acquisitions if they jeopardize the continued existence of accessible, affordable health care, including reproductive health care. Gov. Jay Inslee says he is in support of such a measure.

The state has already passed a bill that bars the state's religious hospitals from prohibiting health care providers from providing medically necessary care to hasten miscarriages or end nonviable pregnancies, like ectopic pregnancies. Under the new law, patients can sue a hospital if they are denied such care, and providers can also sue if they're disciplined for providing such care.

In Oregon, the state has new authority to bar religious hospitals from acquiring or merging with another health care entity if that means access to abortion and other reproductive services would be reduced. A law that took effect March 1 requires state approval for mergers and acquisitions of sizable health care entities.

The law also allows the state to consider end-of-life options allowed by hospitals seeking to establish a footprint or expand in Oregon, which in 1994 became the first state to legalize medical aid in dying. (AP)

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Istanbul [Turkey], July 24 (ANI): The grain exports via the Black Sea will begin in the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

"With the beginning of maritime grain transportation in the coming days we will make an important contribution to upcoming global food crisis," TASS news agency quoting Erdogan reported.

Also Read | Monkeypox Outbreak: White House Calls for Coordinated International Response to Combat MPV Spread.

Erdogan also said that Turkey would continue its efforts to solve the Ukrainian crisis diplomatically.

"We are resolved to continue diplomatic efforts until peace between Russia and Ukraine is ensured. In the near future, we hope to receive encouraging news at talks and with contacts at all levels, including leaders," the Turkish President said further.

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Meanwhile, a high-level UN trade official has said the world body will continue to stay engaged with partners in the European Union, the United States and Russia to understand any obstacles to grain exports in the wake of the deal with Ukraine.

This statement comes as the defence ministers of Russia and Turkey and the infrastructure minister of Ukraine met in Istanbul to ink an UN-brokered deal on grain exports that would allow Russia to export its grain and fertilizers, Washington Post reported.

The agreement has ended a wartime standoff that had threatened food security in several countries and cleared the way for exporting tons of Ukrainian grains.

The deal will enable Ukraine to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports due to the war.

Notably, the deal will create provisions for the safe passage of ships. Moreover, a control centre will be established in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to run and coordinate the process and the ships would undergo inspections to ensure they are not carrying weapons.

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.

The West accused 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.

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. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London, Jul 24 (AP) Truck drivers and travellers seeking to cross from the UK into France faced major disruptions and long waiting times for a third day Sunday on the weekend that kicks off the summer holidays for many British families.

Huge lines have formed since Friday at both the Port of Dover for those taking car ferries across the English Channel and in nearby Folkestone on roads leading to the Eurotunnel that goes under the Channel to France.

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Eurotunnel said drivers were still facing a wait of at least 90 minutes to check-in for the railway shuttle on Sunday.

Still, congestion at the port had eased somewhat compared to the last two days, when it took several hours to clear a miles-long backlog of traffic as tens of thousands of people went on vacation along with a large amount of cargo trucks.

Also Read | Monkeypox Outbreak: White House Calls for Coordinated International Response to Combat MPV Spread.

Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, UK travellers face stricter border checks when travelling to the continent. At Dover they are performed on the English side of the channel by French staff.

British officials and politicians have blamed the chaos on staffing shortages at border posts, an accusation denied by the French.

The Port of Dover said the checkpoints were fully manned on Sunday. Port authorities said as of Sunday morning, 72,000 passengers had been processed over the long weekend.

The port's chief executive Doug Bannister said it had been an incredibly challenging few days and thanked both passengers and the local community for their patience.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss had said she had a good talk on the travel backlog with her French counterpart Catherine Colonna on Saturday. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Karachi [Pakistan], July 24 (ANI): Amid the heavy downpour, the government of Sindh has declared Monday as a public holiday in Karachi and Hyderabad division, with more downpours expected over the next 48 hours.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced it after a man was killed in Karachi due to a rain-related incident on Sunday, the Dawn reported.

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The Minister said the decision was taken as it had been raining since 5 in the morning. He also requested the private sector to close its offices.

Taking to Twitter, Sindh government spokesperson Murtaza Wahab wrote that aside from Karachi, there will be a public holiday in Hyderabad too because of the rains.

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"Due to heavy rainfall which is expected to continue even tomorrow, Sindh Government has decided to declare Monday, the 25th of July as a public holiday in Karachi and Hyderabad Divisions," tweeted Wahab.

Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) chief meteorologist Sarfaraz said that the intensity of the rain is expected to increase in the evening. He maintained that most parts of the port city are likely to receive heavy rainfall in the evening/night.

"The intermittent showers are expected to continue till 12 pm tomorrow," forecast Sarfaraz, adding that the current spell of monsoon rain is likely to continue for the next three days.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Sunday released rainfall data of Karachi, according to which the heaviest rainfall, measuring 86.5 mm, was recorded in Quaidabad.

Following Quaidabad, Saddar and Gulshan-e-Hadeed areas of the port city recorded 62mm of rain, respectively.

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Masroor and Keamari recorded 54mm of rainfall, while Orangi Town recorded 49.5mm.

According to the Met Office, the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) recorded 44.3mm, North Karachi 39mm, Korangi 36.4mm, Nazimabad 36mm, PAF Faisal Base 35.5mm, and Saadi Town 33.7mm of rain.

Gadap recorded 29.2mm, Gulshan Mimar 28.4mm, Old Airport 27mm, and Jinnah Terminal 26.4mm of rain.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said that the body of a 40-year-old man was brought from Karachi's Lea Market near Memon Masjid to Civil Hospital Karachi. The cause of death was electrocution, she added. The Pakistan Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said that at least one person died and two were injured due to heavy rains in Peshawar in the last 24 hours.

Flash floods triggered by heavy rains caused massive destruction in the Kandia tehsil of Upper Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday as at least 50 houses and mini-power stations were washed away, Tehsildar (Revenue Officer) Muhammad Riaz said.

While, local activists and residents estimated that around 100 houses were washed away, rendering scores of people homeless, the Dawn reported.

A large number of cattle were also killed while water supply systems in four villages -- Dansh, Berti, Jashoi and Dangoi -- were damaged, though fortunately, families managed to evacuate before the floods reached the villages.

The suspension of electricity and water supply has "put the entire area in trouble".

KP's Dassu headquarters Assistant Commissioner Hafiz Waqar Ahmad said that some heavy machines of the Dassu hydropower project also came under rubble dislodged by flooding at Uchar Nala, however, the losses were not significant.

The PDMA said 23 houses were partially damaged while 14 houses were completely damaged in Karachi.

Similarly, several houses were swept away in the Upper Chitral's Boni area due to flash floods caused by heavy rainfall. The PDMA said areas of Lower Chitral were also affected by the rains.

Tehsil Chairman Chitral Shehzada Aman said that the Garam Chashma Road was closed for traffic due to landslides, adding that the floodwater also damaged houses in Gobor and Daneed villages.

Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab said it had been "raining constantly" in Karachi since early morning.

The K-Electric (KE) spokesperson said that the power utility had received reports of rainfall in different parts of the city and urged citizens to be careful while using electrical appliances and to maintain a safe distance from billboards, electricity poles and under-construction buildings in case of strong wind, the Dawn reported.

He warned that the power supply in low-lying areas may be interrupted due to the accumulation of rainwater.

In the latest weather advisory issued on Sunday, the PMD said strong monsoon currents "continually penetrate in Sindh since last night" and would prevail till July 26-27.

"Under the influence of this weather system, widespread rain-wind/thunderstorms with scattered heavy/very heavy falls (extremely heavy at times) are likely in Tharparker, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Tando M Khan, Tando Allayar, Hyderabad, Matiari, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Shikarpur, Qambar Shahdadkot, Ghotki and Kashmore districts and Karachi division from today to July 26-27," the PMD said.

The department warned that heavy rainfall could result in urban flooding/waterlogging in low-lying areas of Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Umerkot, Tharparker, Tando M Khan, Tando Allayar, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Dadu, Jamshoro, Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana and Sukkur during the forecast period, the Dawn reported.

"Strong winds may damage vulnerable and loose structures. The persistent heavy spell over Khuzdar, Lasbela, Hub and along Kirthar Range may create pressure on Hub Dam and flash Flooding in Dadu and Jamshoro districts," it added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Istanbul [Turkey], July 24 (ANI): Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusai Akar said that the Russian officials have told them that they have nothing to do with the strike on the Ukrainian Odesa port.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," the Turkish Defence Minister said in a statement.

Also Read | Monkeypox Outbreak: WHO Declares MPV a Global Public Health Emergency as Number of Infections Reaches 16000 Globally.

"The fact that such an incident took place right after the agreement we made yesterday really worried us," he said as quoted by Al Jazeera.

Earlier, Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration said that two missiles hit the infrastructure of the port and two were shot down by Ukraine's air defence.

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As many as six explosions were heard in Odesa, according to CNN citing Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko.

This attack came one day after Ukraine and Russian ministers signed an agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul, to allow grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports aimed at easing the global food crisis sparked by the war.

"That's all you need to know about deals with Russia," Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas added on Twitter.

Meanwhile, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that the bloc "strongly condemns" the attack.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," Borrell said in a tweet.

"Russia agreed to some deal on grain export, but immediately after this attacked it -- showing they want to continue to threaten the world's food security," Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko told CNN.

"There will be new campaigns where [Putin] will definitely attack Odesa and the only answer of the world for this is to give weaponry to Ukraine - finally to give Ukraine long-range missiles, fighters. And that is the only answer for this aggression from Putin and to restore international order," he added.

Earlier, on Friday, a deal was reached between Ukraine and Russia where Russia promised to unblock ports on the Black Sea to allow the safe passage of grain and oilseeds, some of Ukraine's most important exports.

Russia has so far been blocking maritime access to those ports, meaning that millions of tons of Ukrainian grain have not been exported to the many countries that rely on it, according to CNN.

"Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea. A beacon of hope -- a beacon of possibility -- a beacon of relief -- in a world that needs it more than ever," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday at the signing ceremony, which was attended by Ukrainian and Russian ministers.

After the deal was sealed, the UN Secretary-General said, "The agreement signed today by Ukraine, the Russian Federation & Turkiye under UN auspices opens a path for commercial food exports from Ukraine in the Black Sea. It will help avoid a food shortage catastrophe for millions worldwide. It is a beacon of hope, possibility and relief." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], July 24 (ANI): A Ukrainian official on Sunday said that the country's southern region of Kherson, which was captured by Russian troops during their early military operation in February, would be taken back by Kyiv's forces by September.

"We can say that the Kherson region will definitely be liberated by September, and all the occupiers' plans will fail," Serhiy Khlan, an aide to the head of the Kherson region, said in an interview with Ukrainian television.

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The Ukrainian army, emboldened by deliveries of Western-supplied long-range artillery has been clawing back territory in the southern Kherson region in recent weeks, Al Jazeera reported.

"We can say that a turning point has occurred on the battlefield. We see that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are prevailing in their most recent military operations," Khlan added.

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Meanwhile, over the Odesa attack, the Russian defence ministry said that it had attacked US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a military boat in Ukraine. Ironically, earlier Russia denied attacks on the Ukrainian port.

"A docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with US-supplied Harpoon anti-ship missiles were destroyed by long-range precision-guided naval missiles in Odesa seaport on the territory of a ship repair plant," Russian news agencies reported quoting the defence ministry.

The attack on the southern port took place on Saturday, a day after a deal was signed to unblock grain exports from Black Sea ports and ease global food shortages caused by the war, according to Al Jazeera.

Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, said two missiles hit the infrastructure of the port and two were shot down by Ukraine's air defence.

At least six explosions were heard in Odesa, according to Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenksyy accused Russia of routinely violating agreements after the Odesa attack.

"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," Zelenskyy said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.

The UN and EU also condemned the strike on Odessa, reported France24.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the attack."The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says in a statement.

"Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey are imperative," Haq adds.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell slams what he called Russia's "reprehensible" missile attack.

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], July 24 (ANI): Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Saturday accused Russia of routinely violating agreements after the Odesa attack.

"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," Zelenskyy said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.

Also Read | Monkeypox Outbreak: WHO Declares MPV a Global Public Health Emergency as Number of Infections Reaches 16000 Globally.

The accusations come after Russian missile strikes hit the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa, just one day after Ukraine and Russia agreed on a deal that would allow the resumption of vital grain exports from the region.

Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, said two missiles hit the infrastructure of the port and two were shot down by Ukraine's air defence.

Also Read | Sri Lanka Crisis: Over 1,000 Artefacts Missing From Presidential Palace and PMs Official Residence Taken Over by Protesters, Says Lankan Police.

At least six explosions were heard in Odesa, according to Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Meanwhile, the UN and EU condemned the strike on Odessa, reported France24.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the attack.

"The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says in a statement.

"Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey are imperative," Haq adds.

The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell slams what he called Russia's "reprehensible" missile attack.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of (the) Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Russia denied attacks on the Ukrainian port after the grain deal, reported Xinhua.

Russian officials told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency.

"The fact that such an incident happened right after the agreement we made yesterday regarding the grain shipment worried us," he said.

Akar said he also had phone conversations with Ukrainian ministers and received information regarding the incident.

Turkey sent the two countries a message, in which it said it would like to see both sides continue their cooperation "calmly and patiently" under the agreement signed on Friday, the minister said.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkey under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website.

A joint coordination center has started operating in accordance with the agreement to monitor implementation, the Turkish minister added.

According to a copy of the agreement released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be extended for another 120 days if neither party terminates it, reported Xinhua.

Ukraine is among the world's leading grain exporters, supplying more than 45 million tons annually to the global market, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington, July 24: After the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared the MonkeyPox virus a public health emergency of international concern, the White House said that a coordinated international response is the need of the hour to end monkeypox spread and protect communities.

Raj Panjabi, Director of White House Pandemic Preparedness Office, while commenting on WHO declaration said, "A coordinated, international response is essential to stop the spread of monkeypox, protect communities at greatest risk of contracting the disease, and combat the current outbreak."

"Today's decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the current monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is a call to action for the world community to stop the spread of this virus," a White House statement read quoting Panjabi. Monkeypox Outbreak: WHO Declares MPV a Global Public Health Emergency as Number of Infections Reaches 16000 Globally.

Speaking on the reponse of the Biden administration in regards to the outbreak, the official said, "Since the earliest days of the outbreak, the Biden Administration has deployed a robust and comprehensive strategy to combat monkeypox here in the US, including dramatically scaling the procurement, distribution, and production of vaccines, expanding access to testing and treatments, and communicating with communities most at risk of contracting the virus."

However, in view of the emerging situation, he noted, "But that is not enough. As the Department of Health and Human Services has said, we must step up our work to aggressively combat this virus and protect communities in the United States that have been affected by monkeypox."

Meanwhile, the United States may see more cases of monkeypox before the numbers go down, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky said on Friday.

"With the scale-up of testing, with the scale-up of information, we anticipate that there will be more cases before there are less," Walensky told The Washington Post. The CDC currently does not have specific projections on how serious the situation may be, Walensky added. "I do not think that we have a stable estimate now," the director said.

But the director did note that the United States on Friday detected two monkeypox cases in children for the first time. The two cases are unrelated and are likely the result of household transmission, the CDC said in a statement.

The agency said the children are in good health and are being treated. Both of them are doing well, but they had contact with other people, and the CDC is following up on that, Walensky added. Monkeypox Outbreak: WHO Declares MPV a Global Public Health Emergency as Number of Infections Reaches 16000 Globally.

As of July 22, the United States has altogether over 2,800 confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases, according to CDC data. Dr Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said the government has delivered 300,000 doses of a monkeypox vaccine and is working to expedite the shipment from Denmark of 7,86,000 more doses.

He said there is already enough vaccine on hand to provide a first vaccine dose to more than half of the eligible population in New York City and over 70 per cent of the eligible population in Washington DC. Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Srinagar, Jul 24: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday accused the Jammu and Kashmir administration of forcing people to buy the national flag for the Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign while asserting that patriotism comes naturally and cannot be imposed.

The campaign has been launched to encourage the citizens to hoist the national flag in their homes from August 13 to 15 as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. Jammu and Kashmir: Former CM Mehbooba Mufti Placed Under House Arrest in Srinagar City Preventing Her From Going To Anantnag

In a purported video shared by Mufti on Twitter, a public announcement is being made from a loudspeaker fixed atop a vehicle of the Bijbehara municipality in south Kashmir's Anantnag district asking shopkeepers in the area to deposit Rs 20 each for buying a tricolour for the campaign.

"The manner in which J&K admin is forcing students, shopkeepers & employees to pay for national flag to hoist it is as if Kashmir is an enemy territory that needs to be captured. Patriotism comes naturally and cannot be imposed, Mufti said.

In the announcement in Kashmiri, the locals were told that "action can be taken against them" if they refuse to join the campaign.
At least three people, including a former Philippine town mayor, were killed and another was wounded in a brazen attack Sunday by a gunman in a university campus. Via @AP https://t.co/lxZQeclyQ8 Bloomberg (@business) July 24, 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.)
She is there when he wakes up, telling him she loves him and helping him coax their son, Ashton, to finish his Honey Nut Cheerios before the school bus whisks him to kindergarten.

She is there when he is at work delivering UPS packages, and shes there to greet their 6-year-old when he gets home from school, bounces up and down the stairs, and pulls the arms and legs of his Stretch Force Fireman.

Yet Jason Rochesters wife, Cecilia, is not really there.

Her dark-brown eyes gaze out of a slick iPad screen and her voice floats through a tiny hole in the side of the machine.

I cant sleep. I keep waking up every hour.

What are you wearing today, Ashton? Shorts or pants?

Papi, I want to see you. Can you stay in front of the camera?... Come on.

Forced apart by President Trumps stringent immigration policies, Jason Rochester and Cecilia Gonzalez have spent the last 16 months raising their 6-year-old son from opposite sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Like so many separated families, the couple have experienced the years of Trumps presidency as a grim journey of restless nights and tearful goodbyes. But unlike many in their predicament, Jason voted for Trump.

He knew Trump planned to get tough on immigration  building a wall and deporting drug dealers, rapists and killers. He never imagined anyone would consider his sweet stay-at-home wife a bad hombre.

Jason Rochester walks his son, Ashton, 6, to the school bus stop in Roswell, Ga. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

A white delivery driver born and raised in the tiny Alabama town of Smiths Station, Jason, 43, is a laid-back evangelical Christian, and the kind of man who takes the time to ask a customer how her baby carriage turned out and coo over its color.

About 15 years ago, a few years after he moved to the northern suburbs of Atlanta, he met Cecilia at work as he began a shift unloading packages.

She was petite  at 5-foot-4, just an inch shorter than him, with big brown eyes. He was instantly smitten.

Los Angeles Times

Whenever he spotted her tugging at a heavy box, he would haul the package off the semitrailer.

Day after day, they sat together on their 15-minute breaks, sharing pizza and chicken wings. Sometimes he would bring her dandelions from the side of the road. Occasionally she let him rub her shoulders.

But she didnt offer much about her background  all he knew was she was from somewhere near Guadalajara, Mexico  and after two years he had failed to persuade her out on a date.

Eventually, a Mexican co-worker told him: Shes illegal.

He didnt care.

When they eventually started dating, Cecilia told him that she had crossed the border into California several times in her early 20s. Immigration officials had caught her twice, first after crossing in Calexico and then in San Ysidro.

Why would you want to be with me, knowing Im like that? she asked.

I love you for who you are, he told her.

After a year of dating, Jason proposed. They got married in his uncles backyard. Then came Ashton. Cecilia gave up her job cleaning hotels and settled into life as a stay-at-home mom in this affluent Atlanta suburb, making Ashton pancakes and grits for breakfast and taking him for strolls to the local park.

Youre not a criminal, Jason tried to reassure her. You dont have to worry about it.

Jason had faith that the Trump administration would distinguish between good and bad immigrants. Cecilia had never even gotten a traffic ticket.

In my mind, bad hombres were people who did bad things, he said. We figured that he was going to get rid of the people we didnt want.

So he voted for Trump, assuring himself and his wife that the ultimate decision was in Gods hands.

A few days after taking office, Trump signed an executive order that expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcements focus to most of the 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally, regardless of whether they had a criminal record.

From the beginning, Cecilia eyed Donald Trump warily.

It was clear he never had anything good to say about immigrants, at least not anyone from her country.

When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best, Trump said in 2015 when he announced his presidential bid. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

Jason didnt like much of what Trump said on immigration either.

An independent voter who leans conservative, he voted for Barack Obama in 2008, hoping he would fix the immigration system and make it easier for Cecilia to pursue citizenship.

But this time, immigration was not his main concern.

Jason listened to conservative Christian radio, and his favorite talking heads, like James Dobson, the evangelical psychologist who founded Focus on the Family, convinced him that electing Trump would lead to a Supreme Court that would overturn Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision legalizing abortion.

Cecilia urged him to pay attention to Trumps vows to build a wall along the southern border and amass a huge deportation force.

Jason and Ashton Rochester pray over their breakfast as they FaceTime with Cecilia in Mexico. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

Ashton gets ready for school. Pictures of his mother hang in the hallway. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

Jason told Cecilia not to worry, that the government wasnt interested in her.

But she became increasingly fearful, scanning Univision broadcasts and local Facebook pages and showing him stories of people picked up by la migra when they were leaving for work or walking their kids to the school bus.

As immigration arrests surged, Cecilia became afraid to take Ashton to the park. She stopped driving. Her hair fell out in thick clumps.

What would happen if they came for her? Cecilia wondered. If they asked for her papers?

For the last few years, the couple had met with ICE once a year to renew Cecilias work permit. Under the Obama administration, ICE granted renewable work permits to many law-abiding immigrants who had been in the country at least five years.

But with their next appointment in November 2017, Jason and Cecilia had to decide: Should she go and risk being deported? Or should they skip the meeting, risking the possibility that ICE agents might knock on their door?

Ashton was 4. More than anything, Cecilia wanted to spare him the trauma of watching her be hauled away.

They decided to go to the ICE appointment with a plane ticket and a plan. If you allow us to spend Christmas and New Years together, they told the immigration agent, Cecilia would self-deport in January.

They were not sure it would work. As they waited at a cubicle, a woman sobbed as she was given a few moments to say goodbye to her young children. But the ICE agent agreed.

So they roasted a beef tenderloin over Thanksgiving and piled presents under the tree at Christmas. After New Years, Jason and Ashton flew with Cecilia to Guadalajara and took an Uber to her familys home in the rural town of Juanacatlan.

It was Jasons first time in Mexico and he was shocked by the poverty of her hometown. Stray dogs roamed the dirt roads, and mosquitoes buzzed inside homes with no air conditioning or drinkable tap water. Locals ran tiendas inside their rundown homes.

Unbelievable to him, there was no McDonalds or Walmart.

Until then, Jason had not really grasped why his wife took the risk of crossing the border for a better life.

But God wanted his family to be together, he felt sure. Eventually, immigration officials would consider that Cecilia was married to an American citizen and had a child in the U.S.

Mommy will be home soon, he promised Ashton.

Not long after Jason got back to the U.S., their attorney told him Cecilia was permanently barred from returning.

It should not have been a surprise  Cecilia had lived in the U.S. for nearly two decades after being caught twice illegally crossing the border  but Jason was crushed when the lawyer said there was nothing more she could do. They would have to wait 10 years before they could ask for permission to reapply to enter the country.

Jason could not imagine Cecilia living in Juanacatlan, so they decided she should move to Merida, the capital of Yucatan state and known as one of Mexicos safest major cities. Jasons mother moved from Alabama to Georgia to help care for Ashton.

Cecilia's crucifix and some of her clothes remain in the bedroom of her home in Roswell, Ga. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

The family together in Mexico for Thanksgiving last year. Rochester family

In the summer, Ashton would visit Cecilia while Jason tried to figure out how to bring her back.

But there was a setback in July, not long after Ashton arrived in Merida.

Cecilia was rubbing lotion on Ashton when she noticed a protrusion under his rib cage. After snapping a picture and texting it to Jason, she took Ashton to a hospital.

Ashton had a Wilms tumor, a cancerous mass in his left kidney the size of a cantaloupe. Jason flew to Mexico and rushed Ashton back to the U.S. for treatment.

After surgery to remove Ashtons kidney, there was radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Ashton screamed every time he had blood taken.

Why isnt mommy here? he asked.

The government doesnt want her here, Jason tried to explain. Mommy messed up years ago and were trying to get her back.

Frantic, Cecilia considered trying to cross the border again. But Jason urged her to follow the law. God will reward us, he said.

They applied for humanitarian parole, assuming everything would be resolved in a few days. Even the most hard-hearted immigration official, they figured, would make an exception for a 5-year-old with cancer.

Nearly two months passed before they got word: Parole was denied.

As a white Trump voter, Jason makes an unlikely immigration activist.

He refers to immigrants as illegals, a term many advocates consider dehumanizing. He is indifferent about Trumps big, beautiful wall. He suggests immigrants who have lived in the country without authorization should pay $10,000 fines.

But watching Cecilia miss walking Ashton to his first day of kindergarten or dressing him up as Sonic the Hedgehog for Halloween has pushed him to try to persuade Congress to overhaul immigration laws.

Without a law change, he said, shes not going to come back.

Ashton's kindergarten class made this booklet and sent it to the White House in hopes of helping his mother. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

Jason remains hopeful that Cecilia will return. More than 16 months after she left, her blouses, jeans and hoodies still hang in the bedroom closet.

Her Calvin Klein Contradiction perfume sits on the bathroom vanity. Her wooden crucifix hangs on the bedroom wall.

Now that Ashton is in the clear after months of chemotherapy and radiation, Jason is focused on changing the law so that, as he put it in an online fundraiser, good people like my wife can return to the U.S. to be with their American citizen family.

Immigrants who have a clear criminal record, he believes, should be ranked in order of priority.

At the top of the list would be immigrants with an American spouse and American children, he said. And then go down to maybe an immigrant with an American spouse but no children and then just the children who are illegal.

Yes, he conceded, such a system would cost money, but that could be offset by requiring immigrants to pay a fine.

Isnt it worth it to be humane? he said. To not just separate families?

Sometimes Jason feels like an outlier in the nations polarized immigration debate. After 16 months apart from Cecilia, he has yet to meet another U.S. citizen who is married to an immigrant in the country illegally.

Were a very small demographic, he said. Usually, illegals are married to illegals.

But Jasons story is not uncommon. About 1.2 million immigrants who lack legal status  more than 1 in 10  are married to a U.S. citizen, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Nearly a third have a child under 18 who is a U.S. citizen.

Still, Jason has struggled to win sympathy across the echo chambers of social media.

When Ashton was going through chemotherapy in October, Jason posted pictures on Twitter of his son in a hospital bed, tagging Trump. Please read this and help my family! he wrote. I voted for you because I believed you would be fare to illegals and now my family is suffering!

Trump did not respond, but others did, dubbing Jason a hamburger brain and a sociopathic monster.

Trump doesnt believe good illegals exist, one commenter wrote. I feel bad for your boy. I have zero sympathy for you.

Why do Republicans lack all compassion until something happens to them directly?

Jason Rochester gives Ashton a kiss as they wait for the school bus. Chris Aluka Berry / For The Times

Jason tries not to let the partisan digs get him down, preferring to believe that people just dont understand.

He probably wouldnt vote for Trump again, he said. Still, he isnt really sure that he made a mistake.

Sometimes he feels stupid or duped or betrayed. But then he thinks back to how he didnt vote for himself personally but for the greater good  for what he sees as the noble cause of outlawing abortion.
Public money is being requested to fix the final deteriorated stretch of the former N7 Limerick Dublin road through Laois.

The road was downgraded when the M7 opened in 2010 but it became busy again as traffic diverted to avoid paying motorway toll charges.

It is near the Pike of Rushall and Borris-in-Ossory in south Laois.

Laois County Council got 680,000 at the start of 2022 to do work on other sections of the road, and they are now applying for more money to do the final section in 2023.

Cllr Conor Bergin says the stretch of road is "probably one of the worst left" to be done.

He tabled a motion to the Borris-in-Ossory Mountmellick July meeting, to ask the council to apply for funding to resurface the R445, formerly N7 road at Ballytarsna, Pike of Rushall, under the Former National Roads category of the 2023 Regional & Local Roads funding.

"This road is in a special category, it was the main Dublin Limerick road for many years. Traffic has increased again lately. This section is probably one of the worst left. I drive it every day. I hope we get this funding. We were fortunate last year to get nearly 700k which took out three of the worst stretches," Cllr Bergin said.

Cllr James Kelly supported his motion.

"This is really needed, it has really deteriorated. A lot of heavy goods vehicles are coming off the M7 through Borris-in-Ossory and Mountrath.

He praised recent roadworks in the area.

"I commend Laois County Council, their contractors did the main street in Mountrath and had it done a day early. Traffic managment went very well too. A lights system has gone in at Derrincross. I hope this road goes in the 2023 programme but we need the full support of the council on this," he said.

In reply, roads engineer Adrian Barrett stated that the section will indeed form part of their application for Former National Roads funding in 2023.

The successful projects will not be announced until early 2023.
A man who threatened to cut the heads off gardai has been jailed for two months at Portlaoise District Court.

Jordan Buckley, 28, with an address at Oakleaf, Knockmay, Portlaoise came to the attention of Gardai when he smashed the window of a nail bar on Main Street in Portlaoise on March 14 last.

Sgt Michael Tarpey said the defendant was being treated in an ambulance when without warning he jumped out and kicked the ambulance. Garda found him in an intoxicated state and he became very aggressive. Telling them to f**k off, that he would cut the heads off them, said Sgt Tarpey. He said the defendant has 53 previous convictions.

Solicitor Josephine Fitzpatrick said the defendant was originally from Offaly. His father passed away when he was 13 and he later began abusing alcohol and drugs. She said he is now clean.

On the date of the offence, Ms Fitzpatrick said the man had been discharged from the psychiatric ward in Portlaoise and began drinking and while on medication. She said he has had struggles with alcohol and drugs and has an unfortunate background.

Judge Andrew Cody sentenced the man to two months in prison on the criminal damage charge, one month concurrent for threatening and abusive behaviour and he took a charge of public intoxication into account.
This time of the year is known to newspaper editors as the silly season when  given the disappearance of the courts and the councils on summer vacation  even the most trivial matter becomes elevated to the headline material.

However, there was nothing silly about a rumour that buzzed around Naas 100 years ago that a military plane had crash-landed into a field near Naas Hospital with two crew on board.

Not alone was the incident itself extraordinary for Naas on that eventful July day, but it also reflected a bigger story  that of the opening weeks of the Civil War with anti-treaty gunmen escaping from Dublin city after their siege in the Four Courts had been broken by their former comrades in the pro-treaty National Army.

The anti-treatyites navigated their way out of the metropolis and moved furtively across north Kildare in mid-July in an attempt to regroup and fight a rear-guard action among the west Wicklow hills  Ballymore Eustace, Blessington and Baltinglass, becoming flashpoints as they were pursued across the county boundary.

The embryonic National Army, under the leadership of General Michael Collins, dispatched units in pursuit including aircraft from a fleet of just three which bore Irish colours at Baldonnel aerodrome beside the Naas -Dublin Road opposite Rathcoole.

It was the first flight of such a combat patrol mounted by the fledgling National Army Air Service (soon to be renamed the Irish Air Corps) and it was to come to grief in a field at Ballycane immediately to the east of Naas.

The pilot was Major-General William McSweeney who, just the previous November, had been involved in an audacious plan to rescue Michael Collins and the Irish delegation from central London in December 1921 if the Treaty negotiations had collapsed acrimoniously.

McSweeney was among an elite band of Irish volunteers with piloting experience who had surreptitiously purchased an airplane at a London airfield and held it in reserve to fly the key Irish delegates out of the city if the British had attempted to detain the Irish representatives.

Major-General William McSweeney

By the spring of 1922, he was was tasked by Collins with setting up a new Irish air force with a handful of planes acquired from the departing British. Such was the paucity of qualified pilots in the new unit that, even though McSweeney was the officer commanding in Baldonnel, he still had to take controls for the inaugural combat patrol.

Flying a Bristol fighter, a single-engined biplane, McSweeney and his observer, Lieut Nolan, lifted off from the grass airfield at Baldonnel on the afternoon of July 16, 1922, to carry out the first combat patrol of the Civil War.

The plane was spotted over Naas by a vigilant Kildare Observer correspondent whose reporting carries a flavour of the novelty of not alone seeing a plane but of seeing a plane in Irish colours:

On Sunday afternoon about 4.30 a Bristol biplane, with the tricolour painted on both sides, passed over Naas in the direction of the south.

That was only the start of the drama because soon the plane was seen again: A short time later it appeared to be returning, and then was seen to descend in the vicinity of Naas hospital.

The report related that the stricken aircraft landed in a field the property of Mr. Stephen J Brown at Ballycane (to the east of Naas).

The landing, however, was not smooth: the planes undercarriage hit a rut and the machine turned turtle, coming to rest upside down with its wheels in the air.

Of the two-man crew, McSweeney escaped unscathed but his observer Nolan was knocked unconscious. It appears that the plane had run out of fuel forcing McSweeney to put it down for an emergency landing.

Locals, astonished by this apparition from the skies, rushed to the upturned plane to render assistance. Later, an armed guard from Naas military barracks secured the stricken craft. Townspeople must have watched in wonder as the following day the plane was towed through the streets behind a Crossley truck back to Baldonnel.

While County Kildare residents would not have been strangers to airplanes given that the British had flight school on the Curragh since 1914, it was nevertheless a novelty to be up close to an aircraft and an even greater novelty to find a plane marked in the colours of the new Irish Free State.

The last word might be left to the Kildare Observer correspondent whose report on the local reaction to the incident conveyed the excitement of aviation in the summer months of July 1922: On Sunday, and prior to its removal on Monday, hundreds of people from the town visited the scene of the crash, this being the first occasion on which any of them had come in such close contact with the Irish Air Force.

A hundred years later the Irish Air Corps (as it was later named) is rarely out of the skies of east Kildare with aircraft of all shapes practicing their formations and manoeuvres among the Lilywhite clouds ensuring that aviation in Irish colours is no longer the wonder that it was to our forebears of a century ago.
Madam,

Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits Mathew 17:16-17.



The cat is out of the bag. Not all pastors get their powers from God, but many get fame and wealth from dark forces. The Times of Eswatini recently reported that two renowned South African tinyanga are in the country to, among other things, assist prominent pastors revive their powers. The duo made braven declarations that they came all the way from Jozini, Kamhlabuyalingana, eButhonga, ezweni labathakathi to attend to their clients in Eswatini, a majority of whom are pastors who lead prominent churches. They said they came at the insistence of pastors ukuzobaphakamisa namabandla abo. According to your publication the duo even brandished pictures of some of the pastors, which are believed to have been taken at their headquarters at ezweni labathakathi. One of the pictures according to the publication shows a client of the duo carrying a snake.

Some of these false prophets show great signs and wonders, so much that they deceive staunch christians, including high profile figures in this country. They transform themselves into the apostles of Christ while they serve their own bellies and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. A Ghanaian pastor once claimed he has performed more miracles than Jesus, while some Zimbabwean pastors made headlines for blessing condoms, talking to God on cellphones, and even for selling tickets to Heaven.Some churches even sell various good luck or faith products that have been prayed over and blessed by the pastor, such as holy water, oil or vaseline. In some instances, prayers and blessings are sold, with people being asked to pay large amounts of money before a prayer or blessing is said over them. At E5 000 a ticket, women who would like to get married are encouraged to attend a conference where the pastor would anoint their ring finger and Mr Right will appear in just three months!

Jesus must be coming back soon. As the Holy book says in 1 John 4:1-6: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world. I therefore urge emaSwati to be aware of false prophets, who come in sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.



But take heart my beloved brothers and sisters, for judgment awaits these false prophets who are misleading the nation and the devil that deceived them will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace. Meanwhile, I urge government to come up with consumer protection laws to protect Emaswati from these false prophets because pastors are not above the law. We are all equal before the law. Everyone lives under the rule of law and the law applies equally to all. Some of these fake pastors are even brazen enough to use church offerings to advertise miracle services. The regulatory body responsible for regulating advertising should make sure that all advertising is legal, honest, decent and truthful, with a sense of responsibility towards the people exposed thereto, so that no advertisement may abuse the trust, gullibility, lack of knowledge and/or experience people exposed to it.
Ukrainian people fleeing the Russian invasion of their home country have now been over four months in the Kildare town area  but anxiously wait for the day they can return home.

A weekly coffee morning is held in the Parish Centre every Wednesday which is co-ordinated by South African native Michelle Nicol.

Michelle told the Leader that the weekly coffee morning helps the Ukrainians to stay in contact with each other and allows the local community to reach out and offer help. Members of the community have also organised fundraising cake sales as well as other initiatives to welcome the arrivals. Preparations are currently underway to organise a picnic on the Hill of Howth in coming weeks.

Nadiia Sobova arrived in Kildare town on March 5, less than two weeks after the war began in her native country.

She is staying with a host family in Kildangan and her daughter Anna, aged 11, is enrolled in a local primary school. She said: My husband is still working in Kyiv as a driver.

Nadiia has a connection with Kildare because her husbands sister has been living in the area for the past 20 years.

Nataliia Kukharchuk is from the Vinnytsya region on the border between Ukraine and Moldova.

Nataliias godson and goddaughter were both enrolled in Kildare Town Community School when she arrived.

Nataliia recently managed to visit her home town but said she couldnt sleep on one night because of sirens going off. Her elderly parents are still living in the area.

She said: The Kildare area feels very safe and the people are so friendly. But we wait for the day when we can return home. Every day I cry because I want to go home. I check the news every day to see if there is any change.

I have relatives in Moscow and they dont think there is any problem in Ukraine because they are listening to Russian propaganda about the war.

Maryna Ishchenko had family links to Kildare town as her sister came to work as a jockey in the late 1990s.

Marynas son Nazar, aged nine, is with her while her husband stayed behind to work in Ukraine.

Also at the coffee morning, and hoping to return home some day soon, was Viktoria Volovodenko, who was with her 13-month-old grand-daughter Alexandra. She is living with her daughter Anna in Kildare town.
Atlantic Technological University is calling on private home-owners and landlords to consider renting rooms and houses to students as number of applicants rise for second year.

In April, Sligo became a university town for the first time when IT Sligo became Atlantic Technological University and has seen an immediate impact with a significant number of additional students expected to start in September.

The campus has been fully in-person for the past year and the demand for student accommodation in Sligo has never been greater as number of students in the town surpasses 5,000 when St Angelas College is taken into account.

Students Union President of ATU Sligo, Daire Martin is calling on private landlords and homeowners to consider renting houses and rooms to students;

We are already seeing a critical need for student accommodation in Sligo with some students looking at surrounding villages outside the town for a place to stay. In our first year as a university town we need the people of Sligo to rally behind us and offer suitable accommodation to our students. We are looking for houses, apartments and rooms in family homes and would ask anyone with vacant premises to consider renting to students.

The financial benefits to those looking to rent out a spare room is very attractive. According to a recent daft.ie report in 2021, on average a room will earn between 310 and 356 per month in Connaught. There is also an annual exemption limit for Rent-a-Room Relief. This limit applies to the gross amount of income received for the room or rooms in your home. Since 2017, the annual exemption limit is 14,000.

The new university status is set to have a positive impact on the local economy with expected increase in Foreign Direct Investment. It is estimated every 1 spent by ATU is worth an extra 4 to the Irish economy.

President of ATU Sligo Students Union added Our students are an important part of the local and regional economy and it is therefore essential the need of accommodation grows with the demand for places in ATU Sligo increases. Renting a room to a student is an opportunity to increase your income and to meet some very interesting people along the way.

If you would like to offer accommodation to students please register free of charge on ATU Sligo Students Union website at www.atussu.ie.
A young Ukrainian woman has been rescued from the Russian invasion by an Irish church she volunteered with three years ago.

Oleksandra Hromova, 23, and her mother Yuliia, 45, from Dnipro, are now living in Dublin thanks to two Salvation Army officers.

The former management and economics student first came to Ireland in 2019 during a gap year to volunteer with the church and charity  one of the largest providers of homelessness services in the capital.

Ms Hromova is again volunteering with the charity, as well as working as a barista at its Hub Cafe on Kings Inns Street.

I couldnt cope staying in Ukraine, said Oleksandra, who has been living in The Salvation Army accommodation in Dublin with her mother since March.

They endured a 30-hour train and bus trek towards the Polish border.

The airport (in Dnipro) was destroyed, we were living not far from there; thats what made me move. The airport was bombed a second time during the rescue effort, she said.

On the very first day of the war, I woke up to explosions, there were four really strong ones and our windows were shaking.

I was so scared. I was just sitting in the corridor of my apartment, the sirens were going off and I decided I needed to leave.

Captains Tim and Charlotte Lennox described their concern for Ms Hromova, and a second student Alisa, 22, who also worked in the churchs family hubs  but remained in Ukraine.

We kept in touch the whole time, he said.

The first thing we did was to phone them both to find out what was going on. We said quite early on, if you need to get out, just know there is a place for you to come to.

They are like our family and I couldnt get it out of my mind for days, I was worried sick.

It took them 36 hours to get into Poland so we just went ahead and booked a flight for them. We managed to get it all sorted in a 72-hour period.

Bringing Oleksandra here was not part of our homeless accommodation or refugee projects, it was simply about helping out a fellow church member at the most difficult point in her life.

Oleksandra said without their help, she and her mother could not have left Ukraine, but she looks forward to the day she can return.

I love Dublin but I dont want to stay here for 10 years. I really want to go home before the new year, but now, Im not sure. Im still afraid that when I go back, I will not feel like Im in a safe place, she said.
Migrants being rescued off the coast of Lampedusa on Tuesday Jan. 25, 2022. PAU DE LA CALLE / AP

More than a thousand migrants arrived in Italy within a few hours while hundreds of others, rescued by humanitarian vessels, were waiting for a port to receive them, NGOs and authorities said Sunday, July 24.

More than 600 people attempting to cross the Mediterranean on board a drifting fishing vessel were rescued on Saturday by a merchant vessel and coastguards off Calabria, at the southern tip of Italy. They were landed in several ports in Sicily.

The authorities also recovered five bodies of migrants who had died in so far undetermined circumstances.

On the island of Lampedusa, some 522 people from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, among others, arrived from the late hours of Saturday in 15 different boats from Tunisia and Libya. According to the Italian media, the island's reception centre has been overwhelmed. With a capacity of 250-300 people, it currently hosts 1,200, according to the Ansa news agency.

Offshore NGOs continued to recover hundreds of migrants in distress in the Mediterranean. SeaWatch reported that it had carried out four rescue operations on Saturday. "On board SeaWatch3, we have 428 people, including women and children, a woman nine months pregnant and a patient with severe burns," it said on its Twitter account.

OceanViking, operated by non-governmental organisation SOS Mediterranean, reported that it had recovered 87 people, including 57 unaccompanied minors, who were crammed onto "an overcrowded inflatable boat in distress in international waters off Libya".

Between January 1 and July 22, 34,000 people arrived in Italy by sea compared with 25,500 during the same period in 2021 and 10,900 in 2020, Italy's interior ministry said.

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The International Organization for Migration estimates that 990 people have died and disappeared since the beginning of the year.

Le Monde with AFP
A COUNCIL staff member confused the village of Feohanagh, with the village of Feenagh seven kilometres away, on a visit to address a housing issue.

Thats according to Independent councillor Jerome Scanlan, who said this is a prime example of why the responsibility for the work around council-owned property should all happen in the local district.

At this months meeting, members of the Newcastle West municipal district saw a motion passed urging the return of work to the county town, as opposed to centrally, where the allocation of homes county-wide is managed.

Somebody came out to visit Feenagh. They ended up in Feohanagh because they didnt know the difference between the two, Cllr Scanlan claimed, Its time we got real here.

Fine Gael councillor Liam Galvin said the current system is just not fit for purpose.

I was going to say the wheels have come off the bandwagon, but by God, the spare wheels have come off the bandwagon here, the Abbeyfeale councillor said.

Prior to the 2014 council merger, housing was managed out of Newcastle West, and Cllr Scanlan said then: We had a splendid service  A1, Rolls Royce stuff. That is not the case not.

He highlighted how many homes hit by dereliction in communities are not being brought back to standard, saying some are worse than an embarrassment.

In a written reply to the motion, district director Caroline Curley stated there is a housing maintenance team in the district.

The staffing and resource availability is adequate to the level of demand being experienced in the district, she said.

"The maintenance of council housing is carried out on a district basis, while the allocation of houses is carried out on a centralised basis. It is not recommended to change this method, she added.
A PLANNING enforcement notice was issued by Limerick City and County Council after it received reports of an encampment on the Greenway in West Limerick.

Two caravans and two vehicles pulled into the Ardagh Station House site. It had lain derelict for years prior to the council purchasing it, completing extensive restoration works on the historic building, clearing, landscaping and providing a new car park for Greenway users.

Minister for State for the OPW Patrick ODonovan said he received numerous text messages, WhatsApps, phone calls, videos and photographs from the people of surrounding areas after the caravans turned up.

They wanted it dealt with it. It is designed that people can come and go as they please around the clock. There are people out there at 4 or 5 in the morning running before they go to work.

"

It is an amenity that has to be accessible to people in an unimpeded away. It is not an area for an encampment, said Mr ODonovan, who contacted senior council staff that weekend.

They all told me they were committed to dealing with it, he said.

The minister for state said this was a project that was designed to enhance the tourism offering and the amenity value of rural County Limerick.

Encampments should not be tolerated on amenities or publicly owned Greenways like this. There are other places for people to be facilitated for that. The people of County Limerick dont want this sort of thing in their area and they expect the council to deal with it and I am glad the council have dealt with it, said Mr ODonovan.

A council spokesperson confirmed two caravans and two vehicles arrived at Ardagh Station House on Thursday, June 23.

Following investigations by planning enforcement a notice was served on the occupants, said the spokesperson.

The owners of the caravans left on the following Wednesday, June 29

The council is satisfied that the matter was resolved without undue delay, said the spokesperson.

Will remedial action like barriers be required at the site to prevent something like this happening again?

The council is continuously reviewing the management and operation of facilities including car parks on the Limerick Greenway, said the spokesperson.

The Fine Gael minister-of-state praised the councils swift response.

We have put millions into that for the people of the county and to promote tourism and a healthy lifestyle. It not for anybody to come on and move into regardless of where they are from. Whether they were Irish, European, North American, wherever  the law is the law," he said.

It is not a housing estate. It is not a temporary dwelling accommodation. It is an amenity for the people of the county and the people who visit the county. The people of surrounding areas wanted it dealt with and the council responded, added Mr ODonovan.
THERE was an almost hour-long debate at this months council meeting  on whether members should meet even more often.

Members in the Adare/Rathkeale district spoke on a notice of motion which called for the council meetings, which take place every other month, to be held once every four weeks instead.

But the motion failed to secure support from outside the district, and instead a workshop will be held to discuss the Adare/Rathkeale members issues.

In a fractious debate, there was even a blue-on-blue exchange, with Castleconnell councillor Michael Murphy saying the motion doesnt address the problems in the district

I think by debating this we are making a bigger mess for ourselves. We don't need monthly meetings. Adare/Rathkeale seem to constantly have problems.

His Fine Gael colleague Stephen Keary, who is the Adare districts leader retorted: That is totally disrespectful and Id ask Cllr Murphy to withdraw his sentiments. We are well able to do our business in Adare/Rathkeale, we are doing it properly and with due diligence.

Councillor Adam Teskey said: In the district, we are prevented from sending representations to national government directly from the district. It appears from our party meetings today that other areas are able to do this. We feel its our duty as public representatives to hold the executive to account.

The matter will be discussed at a workshop to take place at a later date, and council chief executive Dr Pat Daly, while opposed to the idea of monthly meetings of the 40-member local authority, will act on whatever comes from these.
Former RTE news reporter Charlie Bird has thanked all those who supported and helped him through "a dark period of his life" as he confirmed his charity team will be giving over 1.5 million each to two charities.

Through his 'Climb with Charlie' fundraising efforts, a staggering 3 million has been raised and is now due to be presented to the Irish Motor Nuerone Disease Association and Pieta House.

On his his website Charlie says: My motor neurone disease diagnosis was devastating but I have been overwhelmed by the support I have received from the general public, its been a huge source of strength for me and my family. I want to use the outpouring of support to help other people suffering with a terminal illness, and those suffering from thoughts of suicide and self-harm".

Through is climb of Croagh Patrick on April 2 and various other efforts including the publication of a book, he has now reached the amazing total of 3 million for his two chosen charities.

In addition to the climb of Croagh Patrick, other climbs took place on hills and mountains at 241 locations in Ireland and beyond.

Good news this is a big week for everyone who supported climbwithcharlie. We will be handing over two cheques for well over ONE AND A HALF MILLION Euros EACH to the two charities. I wish I could hug everyone of you. You have all helped me so much in this dark period of my life.  Charlie Bird (@charliebird49) July 24, 2022

The total raised to date now stands at 3,264,332.32 as money continues to pour in, as a show of support for one of RTE's most high profile retired journalists.
BENGALURU , INFOSYS FY23 GUIDANCE : Infosys Ltd, Indias second-largest software exporter, raised its full-year revenue growth forecast amid a robust deal pipeline even as its quarterly earnings missed analysts estimates as wage costs soared.

The Bengaluru-based company said it expects revenue to grow 14-16% in constant currency this fiscal, faster than the 13-15% pace it predicted about three months ago. Infosys, however, retained its operating margin forecast at 21-23% for the year to 31 March, though the management expects it to be at the lower end of the range.

View Full Image Byte force

The companys net profit rose 3.2% to 5,360 crore for the quarter ended June from 5,195 crore in the year-ago period, missing the consensus Bloomberg estimate of 5,645 crore.

June quarter revenue rose 23.6% from a year ago to 34,470 crore on broad-based growth across business segments, service lines, and markets. Analysts expected Infosys to report 33,933 crore in revenue.

Infosyss quarterly performance and sales forecasts indicate that demand for IT services remains robust even as software services companies grapple with a talent crunch forcing them to raise salaries at a record pace, crimping margins. However, some analysts say that software services demand may soften if the US and Europe tip into a recession.

The companys dollar revenue grew 21.4% annually and 5.5% sequentially in constant currency to $4.4 billion, amid large deal wins worth a total contract value of $1.7 billion.

We continue to gain market share and see a significant pipeline driven by our Cobalt cloud capabilities, and differentiated digital value propositionour pipeline for large deals is larger than what it was in the last 3-6 months," said Salil Parekh, chief executive officer and managing director, Infosys.

Operating margin for the June quarter narrowed to 20% from 23.7% a year ago and 21.5% in the preceding three months, mainly due to wage hikes and high subcontracting costs.

We are fuelling the strong growth momentum with strategic investments in talent through hiring and competitive compensation revisions. While this will impact margins in the immediate term, it is expected to reduce attrition levels and position us well for future growth. We continue to optimize various cost levers to drive efficiency in operations," said Nilanjan Roy, chief financial officer of Infosys.

The companys digital revenue grew 37.5% in constant currency to $2.7 billion and contributed 61% to the total revenues in the quarter ended June.

Financial services and retail are the largest verticals for Infosys, accounting for close to half of its revenues. Revenue from financial services grew 12.1% annually in constant currency and contributed 30.6% to the total revenue for the June quarter. Revenue from retail grew 17.8% in constant currency, contributing 14.5% to the total revenue.

The attrition rate quickened to 28.4% from 13.9% in the year-ago period and 27.7% in the preceding three months, indicating continued supply-side pressures to meet the high demand for talent.

The industry has been battling high attrition rates as demand for talent continues to outpace supply.

The company added 21,171 employees in the June quarter, taking the total headcount to 335,186 as of 30 June.

Considering the industry-leading double-digit revenue growth, a rising share of digital business (61% of revenue), likely improvement in Ebit (earning before inteerst and taxes) margin levels from current levels and valuation comfort post stock price correction, we have a buy recommendation at present," said Mitul Shah, head of research at Reliance Securities.

On Friday, shares of Infosys fell 1.73% to 1,506.30 on BSE.
As national capital Delhi reported the fourth Monkeypox case in India, a day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the viral disease as an global public health emergency- the highest alarm the UN health agency can sound, the director of LNJP Hospital in Delhi has said t news agency ANI that the 31 year old man had been admitted two days ago with fever and rash.

Suresh Kumar, the director of the Lok Nayak Hospital in Delhi, further stated that the man had been kept under observation and later his samples had been sent to National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, for further investigation, the results of which came in on Sunday and he was found positive for Monkeypox.

The Delhi administration had designated the LNJP Hospital as the centre to treat Monkeypox cases, after WHO categorised the viral disease as a pandemic. The viral disease expert who had also handled Coronavirus cases said that people should exercise caution and wear face mask, maintain social distancing to prevent the transmission of the virus.

The person was admitted 2 days ago. He had fever & skin rash. We kept him under observation. Later his samples were sent to Pune & today we received the report in which he was found positive for Monkeypox. He's being treated as per SoP," Suresh Kumar, Director, LNJP Hospital said to ANI.

Delhi | The person was admitted 2 days ago. He had fever & skin rash.We kept him under observation. Later his samples were sent to Pune & today we received the report in which he was found positive for Monkeypox. He's being treated as per SoP: Suresh Kumar,Director, LNJP Hospital pic.twitter.com/uc4PM2TNzc  ANI (@ANI) July 24, 2022

Kumar further stated, The patient has been isolated and is stable right now & is recovering well. It's a DNA virus and is similar to chickenpox. We've to wear a face mask, maintain social distancing to prevent the transmission"

The 31 year old man from West Delhi has no history of travel. Previously, three cases of monkeypox have been reported in Kerala and all three patients are under observation of doctors.

The WHO on Saturday issued directives to combat the spread of the virus, wherein they have stated that countries be divided into four categories and depending on reports of Monkeypox cases steps should be taken.

Globally, more than 16,000 monkeypox cases have been detected prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the Monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease with symptoms similar to smallpox, although with less clinical severity. Human-to-human transmission is known to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets generally requiring prolonged close contact. It can also be transmitted through direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens of an infected person.

The Union health ministry advised all states/UTs to ensure strict health screening of all arriving international travellers which can minimize the risk of importation of monkeypox cases into the country.
China-built roads are reducing travel times in Afghanistan

Xinhua) 13:20, July 24, 2022

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Samihullah drives an old minivan from a remote village in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province to buy daily necessities in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. The trip is short, but that wasn't always the case. A China-built road has changed all that.

"In the past, it took one hour and a half to travel from Jalalabad to my county Hisarak district, but since the building of the road, it takes only 15 minutes," Samihullah told Xinhua.

Reconstructing and asphalting the road have also enabled villagers along the route to visit hospitals more quickly, he said, recalling that some patients had succumbed to their illness in the past before reaching health centers due to the poor conditions of the roads.

Over four decades of war and civil strife have destroyed most of Afghanistan's infrastructure, including roads and highways. It previously took seven to eight hours to drive from Jalalabad to the national capital Kabul. A few years ago, China helped rebuild the road linking the two cities; today's drive has been cut to two and a half hours.

Neighboring China has immensely contributed to rebuilding Afghanistan, having reconstructed water canals, hospitals and the Jalalabad-Kabul road that links eastern Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar and Laghman provinces to Kabul.

"Up to 6,000 cars and vehicles pass the Jalalabad-Kabul road on average every day. Ordinary people, government employees and students use the road to reach their destination," Fazal Rabi Wailzai, the deputy director of Nangarhar's public work directorate, told Xinhua.

The road also serves as a transit route that links Afghanistan to Pakistan, boosting trade and exchanges between the neighboring countries.

China also worked on a road in central Bamyan Province. The road built by the Chinese construction firm China Road and Bridge Corporation passes through more than 20 villages.

"In the past, we didn't have a road, and it took more than one hour to take our farm products to market," said Mohammad Hadi, a resident of Yakawlang district. "But since the building of the road, it takes only 10 minutes to reach the market and sell our products and return home on the same day."

Villagers in Bamyan said winter traveling was particularly difficult, given the poor conditions of the roads.

Thanking China for contributing to the rebuilding process of war-torn Afghanistan, Bamyan's provincial governor Abdullah Sarhadi said that 80 km of the Chinese-built roads in the province have been completed.

"Its positive impact is tangible," Sarhadi said, "as the families can easily take their patients to hospital in the provincial capital and their products to market."

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
MBABANE  For seven years now, the countrys intelligence has failed to deal decisively with an individual living in Eswatini who is suspected to be financing terrorist group ISIS.

This unnamed individual is originally from the Middle East but carries an Eswatini National Identity Card and a passport, both of which were issued to him fraudulently. The suspect is said to have tried to transfer an amount of E25 000 from his South African bank account to his nephew who was fighting alongside ISIS. As explained by the Wilson Centre, the Islamic State  also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh  emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), a local offshoot of al Qaeda founded by Abu Musab al Zarqawi in 2004.



It faded into obscurity for several years after the surge of U.S. troops to Iraq in 2007, but began to reemerge in 2011. Over the next few years, it took advantage of growing instability in Iraq and Syria to carry out attacks and bolster its ranks. The group changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2013. In 2015, the Intelligence Unit under the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) is said to have an information request from one of their cooperating partners on this individual who was in possession of an Eswatini National ID. This information is contained in a 205-page June 2022 Mutual Evaluation Report (MER) on Eswatini, which has been published by the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG).

The report focuses on Eswatinis anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing measures. ESAAMLGs members and observers are committed to the effective implementation and enforcement of internationally accepted standards against money laundering and the financing of terrorism and proliferation, in particular the FATF Recommendations. The assessment on Eswatini was conducted under the responsibility of the ESAAMLG and adopted by the Council of Ministers in June 2022. With regard to the suspected ISIS financier, the report states: The said subject had earlier on been denied entry into one of the Middle East countries from his home country which was also in the Middle East and the reasons for the refusal had not been disclosed. Also, worth noting was that the subject had also sent money amounting to Twenty-Five Thousand Rands (R25 000.00 or USD 1,700) from his South African Bank Account to his nephew who was fighting alongside ISIS in the Middle East country to which the subject had previously been denied entry. Preliminary information gathering done by the requesting State on the subject had established that the target had moved to Eswatini where he was using his original name but now in possession of a Swazi National Identity Card and a passport.

Investigations by the Intelligence Unit reportedly later revealed that the ID and passport were illegally obtained suggesting that there was collusion of some sort with the Immigration officials, who had issued him the ID card. No further investigations had been conducted on the case from 2015 to the time of the onsite and the subject was still in Eswatini and still using the illegal documents, further states the report. The onsite visit was on May 24 to June 4, 2021. The report reiterates that the REPS were requested by their cooperating partner to establish whether the subject was in Eswatini at the time of investigations, and they succeeded to establish that with the assistance of other local authorities and they shared the information with the cooperating partners who had requested information on him. The REPS is mandated to prevent and detect all crimes and enforce all laws in Eswatini and has several Units that investigate money laundering (ML) and its associated predicate offences.These include: the Narcotic Drugs Unit; Intelligence Unit; Counter Terrorism Organised Crime Unit; and the Financial and Economic Crimes Unit (FECU).

Besides the suspect from the Middle East, the FECU is reported to have indicated that during the time of the onsite visit the Unit had identified and investigated 10 suspected terrorism financing (TF) cases from reports disseminated by the Eswatini Financial Intelligence Unit (EFIU).

Further clarification with the Authorities, though, is said to have revealed that these 10 cases bordered on externalisation of funds by some Asian nationals who were running supermarkets in Eswatini. Investigations in the said matter have since stalled as requests for information from foreign jurisdictions was not availed. Taking into account that the TF risks were not fully understood, it was difficult for the assessment team to make a determination if indeed these were TF cases with the little information provided on the said cases. It was further noted that the Authorities had not prioritised TF identification and investigations, reads the report.

On June 3, 2022, the Times SUNDAY reported that a Cabinet minister had received a tip-off that a certain former politician mobilised Asians to unleash terror by destroying government properties through arson and petrol bombs. The Asians, who are businessmen involved in the selling of imported second hand vehicles (grey cars) in the country, were targeted by the ex-politician because they had their businesses closed for defaulting on tax obligations. Two of the Asians reportedly gave in to the plot and went to one of their countrymen whom they thought would offer strong support in terms of financial resources and technical know-how but he rejected the idea and advised them to drop the plan, which they did. Eswatini, as per the ESAAMLG report, faces the risk of terrorism financing, although this is said to be generally considered low by the authorities. However, ESAAMLG assessors are reportedly of the view that the risk of terrorism financing can be higher as threats and vulnerabilities were not adequately assessed in Eswatini.

The country faces TF threats arising from neighbouring countries where there are active terrorist groups, cross border activities, influx of foreign nationals from high-risk countries and the vulnerabilities in the NPO (Non-Profit Organisations) sector, hawala operators, high usage of cash, porous borders and cash withdrawals abroad using credit cards with unknown intended purpose, the report says. The authorities understanding of overall terrorism financing risk was reportedly limited in view of the inadequate analysis done during the National Risk Assessment (NRA) exercise.

It was noted by the assessors that Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), supervisors and the private sector had little to no understanding of terrorism financing risks.

The assessors are of the view that there are relatively inadequate measures in place to be able to identify and consequently understand the TF risk. The LEAs responsible for investigating terrorism and terrorism financing do not really understand the risk of TF in the country, states the report.

Assessors are said to have noted that terrorism financing in Eswatini was often confused with the offence of terrorism, which generally led to a narrow view that since there had been no terrorism case in the country, it automatically translated to there being no terrorism financing. The kingdoms authorities, in this regard, reportedly consider terrorism financing in Eswatini to be generally low. The authorities believe that the suspected terror attacks that happened in South Africa in 2018 in South Africa and Al-Shabaab attacks in Mozambique have no effect in the country, says he report. However, financial institutions, especially banks, are said to have expressed awareness of terrorism developments in Mozambique such as ISIL attacks in Cabo del Gado, potential funds layering through credit cards transactions mostly in Asia with unknown intended purpose, huge inflow of funds for some charitable organisations, and existence of porous borders for the country.



But the financial institutions reportedly could not demonstrate to what extent these factors could be used in determining the level of terrorism financing risks on the country. It is the view of the assessors that these factors, in addition to high cash usage and the growing number of foreigners (some of which are from high-risk jurisdictions and believed to be thriving mostly on the hawala system) may potentially increase TF risk in the country, continues the report. ESAAMLG has decried the fact that while Eswatini shares its borders with South Africa and Mozambique, both of which are countries with a significant terrorism financing risk, the authorities had not taken sufficient steps to understand the risk profile of their own country, let alone prosecuting and having offenders convicted consistent with the countrys risk profile. The overall conclusion drawn by ESAAMLG, therefore, is this: Eswatini failed to demonstrate that it had assessed and understood the countrys TF risks. Further, the authorities could not demonstrate that they effectively identified, and investigated terrorist financiers or addressed TF through other alternative measures. The observation has been that fundamental improvements were needed to address the identified deficiencies.



When returning from the African Union Summit that was held in Equatorial Guinea from May 27 to 28, 2022, Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini said Eswatini had joined other countries in the continent to cut sources and channels used to finance terrorism in Africa. He said some of the factors which exacerbated terrorism in the continent included external funding and the misuse of social media platforms to promote acts of terrorism. Therefore, he said the Summit adopted the Declaration on Terrorism and Unconstitutional Governments in Africa which places a responsibility on all African States to act collectively in countering terrorism and unconstitutional change of government. The premier said they would also look into organisations which collected money under the pretext that they wanted to assist people who were affected during, for instance, disasters, unrests or pandemic, but at the end, used it to fund terrorism acts.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, in its first quarter performance report for the 2022/2023 financial year, which has been tabled in Parliament about a fortnight ago, said the Directorate of Public Prosecutions had not received any new cases related to terrorism, acketeering and those affecting State security. These offences fall under Anti-Money Laundering, Transnational and Organised Crimes Unit that is housed in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with some social workers held demonstrations in the Aarey colony of Mumbai on 24 July protesting against the newly appointed Maharashtra government's decision to resume the construction of the metro car shed at the green belt in suburban Goregaon.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders, activists as well as environmentalists from Mumbai also participated in large numbers.

AAP warned the government against the project.

According to the present Maharashtra government, the project was being developed at the expense of the forest area. The Aarey forest is a 1,800-acre area which is often termed the city's "green lung".

On 21 July, the Maharashtra government announced the lifting of the stay order on the construction of Mumbai Metro-3 car shed at the controversial site in the Aarey Colony.

The move came a day after Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, at a meeting with Consul General of Japan in Mumbai Fukahori Yasukata, assured him of fast-tracking Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded projects, which include the Mumbai Metro's Line 3.

Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis announced lifting of the stay on the construction of Metro-3 car shed in the Aarey Colony in suburban Goregaon, reversing a decision taken by the previous Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government and one which will surely invite criticism from environmental groups and some political parties

Soon after Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister, the state government directed the Advocate General that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's Aarey colony itself.

Last Sunday, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thakeray participated in a protest against the construction of the metro car sheds in the Aarey colony forest saying that this is a fight for Mumbai and its forest life.

"Under our government, we had declared 808 acres of land as forests. We fought for forests to protect our tribals. When we were here, no trees were uprooted," he said.

Claiming that metro cars go for maintenance every three-four months and not every night, the government can afford to build sheds in Kanjurmarg.

"If sheds are built in Kanjurmarg, forest life will be preserved, along with tribal life and money," he said.

Earlier on July 3, Aaditya Thackeray had urged the newly inducted Eknath Shinde government to scrap the re-proposed Aarey metro project, which has been a fraught issue in the city for several years.

In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important".

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species.

The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the MMRCL and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed.

Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a metro car shed.

However, the Maharashtra government stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city.

In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg.

The new Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra has proposed to move back the metro car shed project to Mumbai's Aarey forest.

(With inputs from ANI)
Sania Khan, a 29-year-old woman of Pakistani descent, was murdered by her husband in Chicago after she had shared details about her divorce and path to healing on social media - according to media accounts.

The Pakistani-American, who had recently relocated to Chicago, was reportedly shot by her ex-husband, 36-year-old Raheel Ahmed, who had come from his house in Alpharetta, according to the police report.

Also Read: Law enforcement agencies probing alleged killing under PUBG addiction: MoS

According to her own posts on TikTok, Khan's marriage lasted less than a year before she filed for divorce.

"Going through a divorce as a South Asian Woman feels like you failed at life sometimes," she wrote in a video posted on social media.

"The way the community labels you, the lack of emotional support you receive, and the pressure to stay with someone because 'what will people say' is isolating. It makes it harder for women to leave marriages that they shouldn't have been in to begin with," she further said.

Also Read: 5 Kanwariyas killed after being mowed down by truck in UP

According to the Pakistani newspaper Dawn, Haider Farooq Khan, Sania's father, on Thursday, made a brief announcement on her Facebook page.

"My oldest daughter Sania Khan passed away. Her funeral will be on Thursday after Asr prayer, at Chattanooga Islamic center. Please keep us in your duaa," the post read.

Also Read: Man acquitted in 1985 Air India bombings case, shot dead in Canada

According to ABC News, Chicago police reported that when officers arrived last Monday in the 200 block of E. Ohio street, they discovered a man and a woman inside a home with gunshot wounds to the heads. The male had been taken to Northwestern Hospital where he died from his injuries, and a weapon was found at the site, according to the police report. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Also Read: 13 killed as MSRTC bus falls into Narmada river in MP's Dhar district

In its Annual World Report 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) detailed claims of widespread rights violations against women and children in Pakistan, which is ranked 167th out of 170 nations in Georgetown University's Global Women, Peace and Security index.

Data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey for 201718 show that 28% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 had ever been the victim of intimate relationship abuse.

(With ANI inputs)
KYIV (UKRAINE) : Any cease-fire that allows Russia to keep Ukrainian territories seized since the invasion in February would only encourage an even wider conflict, giving Moscow a badly-needed opportunity to replenish and rearm for the next round, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned.
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Sam Wilson is officially coming back as Captain America in a fourth installment, titled Captain America: New World Order, coming on May 3, 2024.

Anthony Mackies return as Sam Wilson (aka the Falcon) was announced back in August, followed by recent news that Julius Onah (The Cloverfield Paradox, Luce) is set to direct the MCU feature. Mackie made his debut as Sam in 2014s Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and later appeared in subsequent MCU films such as Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Mackie then starred alongside Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes, aka the Winter Soldier) in the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

In The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, the Disney+ series focuses on Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes following the events that unfolded in Avengers: Endgame, including Captain America (Chris Evans) passing his shield  and legacy  down to Sam.

Back in April, Variety reported that The Falcon and the Winter Soldier head writer Malcolm Spellman will write the screenplay for the fourth Captain America film, along with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier staff writer Dalan Musson.

This year, Marvel has Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premiering Nov. 11 in theaters, along with the series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law streaming on Aug. 17 on Disney Plus. Additionally, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels will be released in theaters in 2023.

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This week, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon was found guilty of contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena from the Jan. 6 committee. And on Sunday, Rep. Adam Kinzinger  one of two Republicans on the panel  issued a warning to future witnesses subpoenaed by Congress: comply or you will suffer Bannons fate.

Appearing on ABCs This Week, Kinzinger reacted to Bannons conviction, saying, Its good, and referring to it as justice.

Come in, he added in a message to Bannon and others called to testify. You can plead the Fifth if you want in front of our committee, but you cant ignore a congressional subpoena, or youll pay the price. Thats to any future witnesses, too.

You can plead the Fifth if you want in front of our committee, but you can't ignore a congressional subpoena or you'll pay the price, Jan. 6 Committee member Rep. Kinzinger tells @jonkarl after Steve Bannon is found guilty of contempt of Congress. https://t.co/PRdVPEBgAs pic.twitter.com/oRBa5oA1CD  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 24, 2022

Bannons conviction on two counts of contempt of Congress came Friday, making him the first high-ranking Trump ally to face potential jail time for refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 inquiry. Each charge comes with possible incarceration ranging from 30 days to a year. Bannon will be sentenced on Oct. 21, pending appeal. Former Trump White House advisor Peter Navarro has also been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress for his refusal to testify or provide documents to the House Jan. 6 committee.

The congressman also applauded Jan. 6 witness Cassidy Hutchinson, an assistant to former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows who gave compelling testimony earlier this month that shone a light on Trumps actions that day. Cassidy Hutchinson will go down in history as a hero, and she never sought to. Shes just a young woman telling the truth with more courage than the vast majority of men in politics today, he said.

Cassidy Hutchinson will go down in history as a hero and she never sought to. She's just a young woman telling the truth with more courage than the vast majority of men in politics today, Rep. Adam Kinzinger tells @jonkarl of Jan. 6 Committee witness. https://t.co/LkLH5hA31J pic.twitter.com/BheE6cEIGQ  This Week (@ThisWeekABC) July 24, 2022

He also had a strong message for Republican voters: You are being abused.

Your leaders, by and large, have been lying to you, Kinzinger said, adding, They know the election wasnt stolen, but theyre going to send out fundraising requests, theyre gonna take your money  and theyre going to use you to stay in power.

Theyre the liars, he said of GOP members pushing the lie that the election was stolen. And Kevin McCarthy is among them.
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On July 25, Laura Linney is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Its exactly the kind of high-profile status symbol Wendy Byrde might finagle to burnish her place among Tinseltowns most successful and respected, except that the actor earned the honor precisely for playing the master manipulator on Ozark (and dozens of other unforgettable roles) so convincingly. Recognition coincides with the end of the acclaimed Netflix series, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and three Emmys for the final season. After decades of showing the strength of tender characters and the tenderness of strong ones, earning a star immortalizes Linneys complexity, versatility and febrile intelligence.

Even as far back as Ivan Reitmans Dave, in which she played the small but pivotal role of a government aide whose liaison with the president catalyzes the need for the title character to temporarily replace him, she injects the character with a desperate, sympathetic sincerity thats palpable in just a few brief minutes of screen time. Bigger parts came quickly, as a quick-thinking former CIA operative in Congo and a ruthless prosecutor who unwittingly plays into the hands of Edward Nortons sociopathic murderer in Primal Fear.

But the ones that best utilized Linneys extensive skill set  and began to define her identity on screen  were those in which her characters grasp on normalcy was either a little too loose, or way too tight. Playing Hannah Gill, the actor pretending to love Jim Carreys Truman Burbank in The Truman Show, her disdain, even exasperation at this responsibility only accelerates his suspicions that the world around him is meticulously scripted, especially when she delivers advertising boilerplate more convincingly than words of comfort.

Working through her own characters lack of control in You Can Count on Me two years later, Linney scored her first Academy Award nomination, transforming the minutiae of a single moms messy life into a mesmerizing study of the ripples, big and small, that reverberate from childhood traumas. As an ensemble player, she expanded her repertoire and brought remarkable dimension, alternately heartbreaking and maddening, to characters such as the lovestruck Sarah in Love Actually; a grieving mother supporting her husband, Lady Macbeth-style, in Mystic River; and an American researcher demystifying sexual taboos in Kinsey. At that same time, it felt doubly appropriate that she would serve as Frasier Cranes final love interest on the sitcom Frasier, both for possessing the same kind of merciless erudition that Cranes former lover Lilith Sternin had  as well as sharing in common with Bebe Neuwirth, the actor who played Lilith, a well-established pedigree of stage work.

To that end, parallel with her film and television credits, Linney appeared on Broadway in Hedda Gabler, along with The Crucible and Time Stands Still, both of the latter of which earned her lead actress Tony nominations. She seemed to bring the lived-in longevity of those roles, the preparation and repetition, to longer stints on TV around that time as well, which may explain why she earned Emmys for both HBOs historical miniseries John Adams and the Showtime series The Big C, which she executive produced and starred in. I love trying to figure out how to use the theater or film or television, Linney told Variety in 2020. Because they are slightly different, all of them. How do you adjust the flame of your performance? In virtually any medium, that flame did not lose its intensity  an aptitude recognized by her peers with three Oscar nominations to date (in addition to You Can Count on Me, Kinsey and The Savages), two Golden Globes (and five other nominations), and four Emmy wins and four more nominations. That includes three for Ozark, a show that was seemingly tailor-made for her.

Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams series about an unhappily married couple who moves their family to central Missouri for a money-laundering operation built her characters arc like a head of poisonous steam. Initially viewed by audiences from the same reductive point of view that Marty (Jason Bateman) perceives his restless, philandering wife, Wendy becomes a mastermind even more calculating than her husband  first to path of success within an organization whose line of succession spirals out in concentric circles of dead bodies, then to self-deceiving ambitions of legitimacy.

Even in a career as accomplished as hers, Wendy Byrde feels like the apotheosis of the kind of character work shes done in roles big and small. Theres an astonishing growth that the character makes by the end of the series, overshadowing Batemans constant renegotiations as Marty, both for the good and ill of the Byrdes plight. What he views as an act of survival, she sees their brinksmanship as self-actualization, a showcase of the skills Wendy was born to use, even when they come at the expense of her husbands best efforts, her childrens trust, and even her brothers life. Her performance is so ferocious and convincing, whether she is manipulating a local politician, outmaneuvering a ruthless drug lord, or championing the drug treatment facility she claims holds the key to the Byrdes going straight, that you wonder if Wendy is even capable any longer of being sincere. Its a character of multiple layers, and even multiple performances, and Linney disappears so fully into Wendy that if she told you that the sun was shining, youd still request a nearby window for verification.

Linney also stepped behind the camera and directed an episode of the final season of Ozark, an ambition she admitted just two years earlier was not something she considered herself ready to do. But its clear that her flame not only is in no danger of running out of fuel, but will continue burning through one challenge after another. My dad, who was a playwright, always used to say to me, The talent is in the choices, Linney said in 2020. And I think theres something really true to that: It is about taking the time to really thoroughly think through something, and making really specific decisions.
Its Marvels world, and the rest of Comic-Con is just living in it.

As to be expected from the single most anticipated event at Comic-Con, Marvel threw the kitchen sink at thousands of attendees during its loaded Saturday evening panel, revealing more on the future of the MCU with a plan for the ending of Phase 4, the start for Phase 5  and even teasing Phase 6. Three years after wowing the Comic-Con crowd about the MCUs fate after Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studios delivered again, revealing new trailers and details for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3. The new Ant Man will kick off Phase 5 and will introduce who is presumably the franchises next big bad of the Multiverse Saga, Kang the Conqueror.

Like in 2019, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige revealed a timeline showing the entirety of the MCUs future movie and TV lineups: After Black Panther ends Phase 4, Phase 5 starts with Quantumania and will continue with a wide slate of movies and Disney+ shows including Secret Invasion, Loki season 2, and the previously announced Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali across 2023, as well as a new Captain America film in 2024.

Phase 6 will start with a reboot of the Fantastic 4 in November 2024 and will conclude with two new Avengers films: The Kang Dynasty and Secret War in May and November 2025, respectively.

But lets fast-forward to where the panel ended: Black Panther. As Marvel President Kevin Feige said at the start of the presentation, were already nearing the end of Phase 4, and Wakanda Forever will officially conclude the phase when its released this November. Following a dazzling African drum and dance display from over a dozen performers, Ryan Coogler took the stage to introduce his cast and prep the crowd for the next film.

Five years ago, I sat about right there and we premiered the first footage from Black Panther. Sitting next to me to my left was our Tchalla, the late great Chadwick Boseman, he said, as fans cheered and applauded in respect. The cast  including Chad  hadnt seen [the footage] yet. He grabbed my handhe had these enormous hands. As the clip went on, he was squeezing my shoulder. By the time I was done I couldnt lift my arm. I felt his hand on me for hours. Listening to those artists playing, I promise I feel his hand on me now.

Those returning to the sequel include Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyongo Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, and Florence Kasumba. Among the newcomers are Tenoch Huerta, who will play Namor, and Dominique Thorn, playing Riri Williams/Ironheart.

As Wright says about making the new film: Its a blessing, weve all grown so much as a family with our characters, were so honored to bring this movie to you guys and honor big bro at the same time.

Huerta, who also gave his thanks in Spanish, emphasized the importance valuing inclusion had in bringing him into the film. I want to say something about inclusion, Huerta said of his new role. I come from the hood. I wouldnt be here without inclusion. A lot of kids are looking from their hood, looking at us, dreaming to be here.

Before revealing the Black Panther sequel, James Gunn took the stage to tease Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, which he called the end of the story. I fell in love with these characters, they arent really superheroes, theyre sort of outer space adventurers, Gunn said. Theyve saved the universe a couple times  but really what they do is save each other. 

A new trailer for that film, which is slated for a May 2023 release, suggests a search for the origins of Bradley Coopers raccoon character Rocket, and pulls back on the tragic relationship between Zoe Saldanas Gamora and Pratts Starlord.

How is he real, where does he come from? Gunn says of Rocket. I realized its the saddest story in the universe  and thats what this story is about, to a great extent.

Pratt  who took the stage alongside several cast members including Pom Klementieff Di and Karen Gillan  weighed in on what Starlord has been going through since the events of Endgame. Its safe to say it opens up a vulnerability to the Guardians of the Galaxy to danger, Pratt says. He spends the movie trying to make up for being checked out.

Before the Guardians cast left the stage, a character called the High Evolutionary came out of the audience in full costume, reveling in the opportunity to dissect and upgrade low-life scum such as yourself and enhance you to make something less reprehensible. (We can assume hes one of the main villains in the upcoming movie.)



And the first film of phase 5, Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, also got a trailer reveal. In this sneak peek, Paul Rudds Scott Lang explores the quantum realm with Hope Van Dyne and his daughter Cassie, after a period of relative leisure following Lanes part in saving the universe. As revealed in the trailer, when Scott isnt busy promoting his book about saving the world, hell meet Kang the Conqueror (played by Lovecraft Countrys Jonathan Majors), a variant of one of the characters introduced in Loki.

Outside of the films, Marvel highlighted two of its most quickly upcoming shows, She-Hulk, Attorney at Law and Secret Invasion. The former showed a fun, fourth wall-breaking trailer in which Mark Ruffalos Hulk tries mentoring Tatianas Mislanys still-adjusting She-Hulk. Mislanys character will also serve as an attorney on cases concerning superhumans.

Secret Invasion will focus on former S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Maria Hill and Nick Fury, and their fight against the shape-shifting Skrulls.

This is a darker show, Cobie Smulders, who plays Hill, said in the panel. Were going to get deeper into the characters. Its going to be an exciting thriller. Are they a Skrull, are they a human? Its going to be a bit of a guessing game.
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Rev up those engines, bikers. FX has renewed its drama series Mayans M.C. for a fifth season. The announcement comes a little over one month after the program aired its Season 4 finale.

The network shared the news Sunday at San Diego Comic-Con with a statement by series co-creator and executive producer Elgin James. The fifth season of Mayans M.C. will premiere in 2023.

In addition to the renewal, Karey Burke, president of 20th Television, a division of Disney Television Studios, also shared that James had reached a new multiyear deal with the company.

Elgin is a visionary leader who has managed the nearly impossible task of being in multiple places at one time as director, showrunner and writer on his brilliant Mayans M.C., Burke said in a statement. Hes also a passionate champion of emerging voices and young storytellers both in front and behind the camera, which is another reason we love being in business with him. Theres virtually nothing he cant do and were grateful to have him at 20th.

20th is my home, James said in a statement. I cant wait to see what were able to create together moving forward. And every single member of the Mayans family, from our top of the call sheet to our set PAs and every single person in between have put their blood and sweat into making Mayans something special on the set and on the screen.

Mayans M.C. first premiered in September 2018. The series comes from 20th Television and FX Productions, with Kurt Sutter and James serving as co-creators and co-executive producers.

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Over the span of six hours split between Tuesday and Wednesday, further details regarding the city manager search were discussed by the city management team, the mayor, city councilmembers and members of the public during a workshop at the Laredo Public Works department.

Friday was Interim City Manager Samuel Keith Selmans final day after he announced his resignation. It followed with a 30-day period of continuing his work as the city manager, but he indicated his departure was due to personal reasons.

Leading the workshop was Doug Thomas, Executive Vice President of Strategic Government Resources for a local government executive search firm. He said they were asked to talk to the elected officials about drivers affecting the quality of candidates throughout the city manager search over the two days.

Your candidates will be looking at you, looking at your meetings and doing your evaluation, and how you operate as a body, both publicly and privately, will have a direct bearing on the quality of candidates that will apply to you, Thomas said, highlighting that this will be a critical factor during the search.

Thomas indicated recognizing a culture within city government and how the organization deals with conflicts and differences of opinions do matter for the council and how the city manager runs the city.

That type of issue is not a healthy government organization at the council level and is certainly not healthy at the administration, he said, asking the council if this type of behavior was tolerated, accepted or encouraged, or if it was denied.

The city manager search was initiated Monday during the city council meeting, despite some aversion to choosing the next person for the role ahead of a new council and mayor taking over after this November election.

Thomas revealed that he attended the meeting in secret and highlighted the item of a potential solid waste rate hike. As the rate hike would affect different sectors of the city -- including the downtown areas need for a different waste pickup, akin to his time as city manager in a Florida city -- he emphasized that a conversation is necessary between councilmembers and the city manager to find an amicable solution.

Ultimately, he said as a city manager, a solution and options can be presented but conversation between councilmembers as a whole may impact one certain district, but the council cannot shut itself off from differing opinions or options.

During the presentation, Thomas presented the question of whether the council works well as a governing body. He indicated he received input from five individuals. The answers touched on several points across the city. They were:

We have definitely improved over time but still have work to be done.

We need to stop micromanaging the city manager, interfering with staff operations and seeding mistrust among employees.

Unfortunately, there is still a lack of trust and fractured relationships on council that needs to be resolved so that we can be more collaborative as a group.

We need to be less territorial/district-centric and more city-wide focused.

We set goals and desired outcomes, but dont set expectations for accountability in tracking and/or accomplishing them.

We pivot too much from our goals and constantly change direction and priorities through resolutions.

Councilmember Ruben Gutierrez responded to public remarks during the workshop by saying there was nothing wrong with starting the search early, as the search process may take a year or a year and a half. However, he added they are looking to hire the right person for the position.

We all want whats best for the city, every single one of us (does). Thats why we ran, he said.

Following Gutierrez, councilmember Alberto Torres clarified his position on a topic discussed during the Monday meeting.

He said during the meeting, the topic of a new city manager coming in and removing the current management team should not be expected nor suggested. He indicated there is a chance the new city manager may need the current management team in interim to get a foothold in the city before appointing their own team.

Overall, this council needs to refrain from making any comments like that that are going to already start putting that seed into whoever is applying, I already have to go in there and clean house in the management team, if not I am not going to have a certain amount of councilmembers and or the mayor happy,' Torres said.

Saenz countered that believing a new city manager cannot work without the current team or adjust to the current projects with a completely new hand-selected team implies they do not have the capacity to evaluate the circumstances of the city.

Between the two ideas, the goal is to let the newest city manager lead the city without the need to keep or completely remove the current city management team.

Let the city manager manage, Saenz said.

Furthermore, as invited by Saenz during the July 18 city council meeting, residents and candidates for elected positions were invited to attend and provide feedback regarding the city manager search. Jackie Ramos, Laredo College board member, said they were in a similar situation during their search for a president and added they used an executive search firm.

She added there are pros and cons to choosing a city manager immediately, but a city manager is a leader as the council needs guidance. She said a councilmember establishes the legacy they plan to leave behind, and that is helped by choosing the right city manager to provide support.
Laredoans may soon get the chance to enjoy one of their most beloved toy stores from the past once again as Toys R Us has announced a new partnership that will put a location in every Macys in the country.

The announcement comes as Macys announced the expansion of its partnership with WHP Global to bring the Toys R Us brand to every one of its stores in America this holiday season. Beginning late July and rolling out through Oct. 15, the in-store shops will range from 1,000-10,000 square feet for larger flagship locations like in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. Laredo is expected to get the 1,000 square foot location.

The footprint of stores may flex up to an additional 500-3,000 square feet during the holiday season to offer an even wider assortment of products, according to Macys press release.

Macys cannot wait to bring the Toys R Us experience to life in our stores, said Nata Dvir, Macys chief merchandising officer. "We hope Toys R Us kids of all ages discover the joy of exploration and play within our shops, and families create special memories together. The customer response to our partnership with Toys R Us has been incredible, and our toy business has seen tremendous growth.

Cesar R. Briseno Jr., the senior general manager at Mall del Norte, stated that further comment and clarification was pending from Macys as to whether the Laredo location will have a Toys R Us pop-up, as he only received the news Macys sent out to the media. But the fact the store announced the openings will be everywhere in the country has locals excited.

Several have voiced positive reactions about the development of their favorite toy store returning.

We needed it, local Sergio Gomez said. We have Walmart, Target and other small stores with toys, but nothing compares to Toys R Us. And although it is not the same thing, at least it is something that we can surely go with our kids and have fun looking at all the awesome toys they have. It is something I am really excited for, and I am 30.

Valeria Mora said she likes the idea, as it just goes to show how the economy is coming back after the pandemic has calmed down in terms of cases and lockdowns pretty much have become non-existent.

The pandemic was a terrible time economically for everybody, however, it has allowed for this revival of not just new stores and brands but of old brands that once we thought had died away, she said. Having these stores in the mall will not just bring back the nostalgia of these stores but also bring more economic opportunity to these stores, and also by bringing even more traffic to the mall.

Mora said she has seen more people shopping at the mall recently with new businesses opening up, and having this type of store within a business will only help the mall increase its sales.

This is something good for all, and for the children wanting Christmas gifts as well, she said. Also, the fact that now the store will just be across the highway from where it was shows a full circle for a store that everybody mourned before it closed.

According to Macys, these Toys R Us locations will feature playful colored fixtures as well as hands-on demonstration tables for customers to interact with various toy assortments like the brand used to have before closing in 2018. The Toys R Us shops will also feature a life-size Geoffrey on a Bench photo opportunity for families.

To celebrate the openings, all Macys stores will host nine days of in-store events, beginning Oct. 15 and running through Oct. 23, which will include family friendly activities and daily giveaways from brands like Barbie, LEGO and more.

The establishing of the stores inside Macys is not a major surprise considering the store was already selling Toys R Us products on its website.

The store stated that since last August, Macys customers have shopped the expansive assortment of Toys R Us products online exclusively at macys.com/toysrus and ToysRUs.com, powered by Macys digital and fulfillment ecosystem. In Macys' reported earnings for the first quarter of 2022, toy sales were 15 times higher than the comparable period prior to the Toys R Us partnership.
MBABANE  A huge number of aspiring police and correctional services officers turned up for interviews yesterday in different centres in the countrys four regions.

A combined estimate of 10 000 aspiring officers endured long queues as they awaited their chance to be interviewed. Lines began as early as 6am in some regions and lasted for the better part of the day. Almost 3 000 attended interviews in Mbabane. A line tailing from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Mbabane Police Station where the recruits were first checked for compliance before being transferred to the interview centre.

Surprisingly high

Similar numbers were observed in the three other regions. Hhohho Regional Commander Simangele Motsa confirmed that the numbers were high. Interviewed at the Mbabane Police Station at about 8am, Motsa said the numbers were surprisingly high considering the notification time. The numbers are indeed increasing and we are doing our best to be on top of the situation as we do not want any public disturbance. We have set aside two centres here in Mbabane for the interview session and here we only check the candidates accreditation number which was given to them prior. The people who came here are only those who applied and today we are not accepting new ones, she said.

Warned

Motsa warned the aspiring officers not to attempt cheating in the process. She said the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) had set a very strong assessment process which was aimed at tightening the screws. We are aware that some will come and try to cheat their way through, but the process is very tight and no one can cheat through, she added. Interviewed randomly, some of the aspirant police officers found in Mbabane said they were excited at the opportunity to be considered for service in the country. Mandla Zwane said though the lines were long, he was willing to wait the whole day to get a shot at being a police officer. The recruitment exercise is an opportunity for us to put bread on the table for our families and we are definitely excited to be considered.

The fact that I was given a chance to take the aptitude test means a lot to me and has revived my hope for a better life, he said.

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that a huge number of aspiring officers turned up for the interviews. She was, however, reluctant to give an exact figure of those who attended.
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NABLUS, West Bank (AP)  Israeli troops and special forces on an arrest mission exchanged fire with Palestinians barricaded in a house in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israeli police said. The local rescue service said two Palestinians were killed.

Israeli police said a number of armed Palestinians were killed during the hours-long battle deep inside the city of Nablus, without specifying. Police said no Israeli forces were wounded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the two men were killed in clashes with the military in Nablus and identified them as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22. The rescue service said 19 Palestinians were wounded, including two critically.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the suspects had been wanted for a series of shootings.

We won't sit and wait for Israeli citizens to be harmed," he told a meeting of his Cabinet. "We will go out and harm the terrorists in their homes.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the violence, saying it was a result of Israel's occupation of lands Palestinians seek for an independent state.

The region will remain in a cycle of violence until the occupation is ended and a just peace achieved, he said.

The military said a violent protest broke out as troops were operating in Nablus, with protesters hurling explosive devices at soldiers and opening fire at them. The soldiers fired back, the military said.

The military said it also operated in a separate area of the West Bank, where another brief exchange of fire took place.

Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily raids in the West Bank for months, in a bid to quell a spate of attacks by Palestinians on Israelis that has since subsided.

The military has faced resistance during some of those raids, which in several instances have turned deadly.

The Palestinian attacks on Israelis earlier this year killed 19 people. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year, according to an official Palestinian tally.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, for their hoped-for state.
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MBABANE  A trip to the United States of America (USA) by a nine-member delegation from Eswatini for a political dialogue-oriented programme has been thrown into disarray at the eleventh hour.

This after Parliament stepped in to stop two legislators, a member of the royal family and a member of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) from being part of this trip. Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo, Senator Mkhululi Dlamini, Hhohho Regional Administrator Princess Tsandzile and EBC Lungile Magagula were all informed yesterday  the day of departure  that they were not permitted to travel. The communication was made by Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba. There are conflicting reasons given for stopping the four from proceeding with the trip; while Xaba told the Times SUNDAY that it was because procedure was not followed when the invite was made, MP Khumalo said he was told that there was a royal command against them taking part in the journey.

A document seen by this publication details that the trip was part of the US Governments International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) and was designed specifically to support a productive and positive national dialogue. The country is awaiting a national dialogue process that is expected to address the current political crisis. The withdrawal of the quartet left the other five to continue with the trip as they flew out of South Africa on Friday night, with their flight having been scheduled for 8pm. The five who travelled to the USA are political activist Barnes Dlamini from the Institute for Democracy and Leadership (IDEAL); Reverend Zwanini Shabalala from the Council of Swaziland Churches; Human Rights Lawyer Mary Pais Da Silva; Times SUNDAY Senior Journalist Mfanukhona Nkambule and former Eswatini Observer journalist Zwelethu Dlamini who is also attached to the Swaziland Media Workers Union.

Delegation

It is understood that the schedule is such that the delegation will first spend time in Washington DC and then go to Seattle. MP Khumalo, who is the longest serving House of Assembly member as he will mark 25 consecutive years as a legislator when the term of office of the current 11th Parliament ends in 2023, had to turn back at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was ready to connect to the United States of America. Senator Dlamini, meanwhile, is said to have turned back at the King Mswati III International Airport after receiving calls not to proceed with the trip. Khumalo was supposed to represent the House of Assembly; Dlamini (Mkhululi) was to represent Senate; Princess Tsandzile was to represent the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Regional Development, given his position as Hhohho Regional Administrator and Magagula was to represent government as EBC Legal Advisor and Technical Head of the National Dialogue Preparation Committee.

Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba yesterday confirmed that the quartet was stopped from being part of the trip because of administrative issues.

He said procedure was not followed in many aspects of arranging for the trip to happen, mainly because Parliament was not informed timeously about it. There is procedure when legislators have to embark on external travel. Those responsible have to follow protocol when inviting them. But in this case, it was administration gone wrong, he said. But MP Khumalo said had he been told that the problem had to do with procedure, he would have continued with the trip, but he abandoned it out of respect for authority.

There was no procedure that was flouted here. The Clerk told me about a royal command. I asked him as to who told him about the command; whether he had been told directly by the person responsible for commands and he cited someone close to the King whom I cant name. As a person who was brought up properly, I still have that modicum of respect for authority. Otherwise, I would have proceeded on the trip but I respected the fact that there was a royal command, Khumalo said.

Abandon trip

He related that he had initially told the Clerk that he expected that it would be the House Of Assembly Speaker, Petros Mavimbela, who would tell him to abandon the trip, hence he boarded the flight from KMIII International Airport to Johannesburg. When I got to O.R Tambo International Airport, the calls and messages from the Speaker intensified and I was told of the royal command, which I then respected, continued the MP.

The Clerk, though, said he did not tell Khumalo about any royal command but spoke to him and the others only about procedure. Xaba said procedurally, he, as Parliament Controlling Officer, had to be informed about any invite that is extended to members of Parliament and this notice has to be communicated with his office at least 21 days before the date of travel happens.

With this trip, the invitation came at short notice, which was a week before the trip. It was brought to me by the legislators and I told them that I would not recognise it because it was not meant for me but was addressed to them. I also told the legislators that there was no diplomatic note from Foreign Affairs informing me about the trip, the Clerk to Parliament said. However, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer Stephanie Sandoval said they had sent a diplomatic note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation explaining about the IVLP. This publication managed to see the diplomatic note which is dated May 9, 2022, which provides details about the trip and the proposed participants.

In support of our joint efforts to encourage a productive and positive national dialogue, the U.S. Embassy would like to invite a select group of government decision-makers, civil society actors, and media influencers to meet experts and leaders in the U.S. who have experience carrying out dialogues, creating policy compromise, and communicating them in balanced, informed ways. The programme is intended to be in-person, so these individuals spend time together, work together and learn from each other, reads the diplomatic note. It further reads: The programme will allow attendees to meet counterparts in organisations like the UN, US Institute of Peace, think tanks, peace/conflict management researchers, local governments who have dealt with mediation/arbitration issues, messaging experts (particularly crisis messaging), electoral systems experts, and more. Sandoval, outside of the diplomatic note, said the delegations programme included, but not limited to meeting the following: Akram Elias (federalism briefing); the Bipartisan Policy Centre; Patricia Maulden at George Mason; the Montgomery County Community Faith Advisors; the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the International Republican Institute.

Not aware

Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Newman Ntshangase said he was not aware of the diplomatic note because he had not assumed his position when it was sent. I did not even find the issue on the table when I came into office, he said. Efforts to get hold of Minister Thuli Dladla were not successful. Meanwhile, the Clerk to Parliament said after having informed MP Khumalo and Senator Dlamini that there was no communication addressed to him, the two legislators then returned with letters that were addressed to the House of Assembly speaker and Senate president respectively. Even then, the letters were not intended for me. The speaker and Senate president had to communicate with me as controlling officer, which was when we looked at the letters and considered a number of issues, including how the two had been chosen, Xaba said.

He said they took into great consideration the fact that the American embassy did not write to Parliament and also engage them in deciding on those who should go to represent Parliament. The selection and procedure just did not go well. The invitation did not go through the proper channels. Who selected the people to form part of the trip and why them? he said. According to Xaba, the process was short-circuited and had risks.Parliament deals with procedures and this would have set a bad precedence and render Parliament ungovernable, he stated.He said when another country or government invites a sitting legislator; they have to do so through Parliament instead of writing directly to the politician.When asked about another controversial trip to Mainland China that was undertaken by some legislators without seeking Parliaments permission, Xaba said even though he was not yet the controlling officer then, but that trip was unlawful and was not supposed to happen.

In May 2019, five legislators drew controversy when they visited Mainland China without governments knowledge and without seeking Parliaments permission.Those who formed part of the trip were Prince Thumbumuzi, Senator Prince Magudvulela, Senator Sylvia Mthethwa, Lobamba MP Marwick Khumalo and Mhlume MP Victor Malambe. Prince Thumbumuzi, the son of King Sobhuza II and brother to His Majesty King Mswati III, is the one who ensured that the legislators travelled to the world superpower even though the Kingdom of Eswatini does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Asian country. Instead, Eswatini has diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, also known as Taiwan, which is regarded by Mainland China to be a renegade province. Citing this trip, MP Khumalo said he understood then governments concern that they went to a country that did not have diplomatic relations with Eswatini. But I dont understand the fuss about the trip to the United States because this is a country that I believe we enjoy very good diplomatic relations with. Whats the fear about this trip? What could the Americans do to us, he said. He said if Parliament did not get a diplomatic note on the trip, then it should not blame the US Embassy but governments own inefficiency because the Americans did follow procedure of notifying the Foreign Affairs Ministry about the intended travel.

Respect invitation

Xaba, on the other hand, said there was a circular from the Secretary to Cabinet that was currently in force, which states clearly what should happen with respect to an invitation for an external trip. The circular demands the 21 days notice before the trip and for me as controlling officer to then inform the prime minister; all these did not happen, he said. The clerk said if a legislator is going to represent the House or Parliament, there has to be a discussion prior to that trip taking place and that politician should get a mandate and agenda from colleagues. The position and agenda of the country was not given to these legislators; so how were they going to represent Parliament? he wondered.

He explained that had he received the invitation on time, he would have then brought the matter to the Parliament Executive Committee (EXCO), which comprises the speaker, president, deputy speaker, deputy president, clerk to Parliament and the Parliament legal advisor. He said the EXCO, after its deliberations, would then take the issue to the House Committee for further consideration and it is there where the criteria and calibre of candidates to undertake the trip would be determined. If we had allowed the legislators to go on the trip without having followed these processes, then we would have encountered problems in future. An MP could have moved a motion that questioned Parliament on the criteria that was used in selecting those who travelled to the USA and we would have had no answers, Xaba said.

He said stopping the quartet from travelling to the USA was nothing personal and there was no malice intended but was purely issues of procedure.

We interrogated the matter internally and then informed them of the implications. We are thankful to them for having listened to us even though this happened on the last day. As Parliament, we had to account, he said. Xaba said the positions of all four were linked to Parliament operations, which is why it was him who stopped their participation in the US trip. He said the other five were independent and had no link to Parliament, hence they were free to proceed with the journey. The clerk said they would communicate with the US Embassy and seek a meeting with them to clarify their position.

We apologise to the United States for what has happened but we had to follow procedure. We will clarify officially to the ambassador in a meeting we hope to have with her and Foreign Affairs minister, Xaba stated. Attempts were made to get comment from Princess Tsandzile and Senator Dlamini, but their mobile phones rang unanswered. Mavimbela, the speaker, said he did not have anything to say about the trip and referred any enquiries to Xaba. It is understood that by last night, high-level talks were taking place with the intention of having the quartet finally travel to the US to join the other group.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an extraordinary situation that now qualifies as a global emergency.

The UN health agencys declaration could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease  and also worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

Declaring a global emergency means the monkeypox outbreak is an extraordinary event that could spill over into more countries and requires a coordinated global response.

The WHO previously declared emergencies for public health crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2014 West African Ebola outbreak, the Zika virus in Latin America in 2016 and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio.

The emergency declaration mostly serves as a plea to draw more global resources and attention to an outbreak.

Past announcements have had a mixed impact, given that the UN health agency is largely powerless in getting countries to act.



An electron microscope image shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak

Last month, the WHOs expert committee said the worldwide monkeypox outbreak did not yet amount to an international emergency, but the panel convened this week to re-evaluate the situation.

According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May.

To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.

In Africa, monkeypox mainly spreads to people from infected wild animals like rodents, in limited outbreaks that typically have not crossed borders.

In Europe, North America and elsewhere, however, monkeypox is spreading among people with no links to animals or recent travel to Africa.

"Stigma and discrimination can be as dangerous as any virus."-@DrTedros #monkeypox pic.twitter.com/NUkuM03Kg2  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 23, 2022

WHOs top monkeypox expert, Dr Rosamund Lewis, said this week that 99% of all the monkeypox cases beyond Africa were in men and that of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men.

Experts suspect the monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America were spread via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Southampton University, said it was surprising the WHO had not already declared monkeypox a global emergency, with the conditions arguably having been met weeks ago.

Some experts have questioned whether such a declaration would help, arguing the disease is not severe enough to warrant the attention and that rich countries battling monkeypox already have the funds to do so. Most people recover without needing medical attention, although the lesions may be painful.

Mr Head said: I think it would be better to be proactive and over-react to the problem instead of waiting to react when its too late.

He added that the WHOs emergency declaration could help donors like the World Bank make funds available to stop the outbreaks both in the West and in Africa, where animals are the likely natural reservoir of monkeypox.



The stages of Monkeypox

In the US, some experts have speculated whether monkeypox might be on the verge of becoming an entrenched sexually transmitted disease in the country, like gonorrhoea, herpes and HIV.

Dr Albert Ko, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Yale University, said: The bottom line is weve seen a shift in the epidemiology of monkeypox where theres now widespread, unexpected transmission.

There are some genetic mutations in the virus that suggest why that may be happening, but we do need a globally-coordinated response to get it under control.

Dr Ko called for testing to be scaled up rapidly, saying that, similar to the early days of Covid-19, there were significant gaps in surveillance.

The cases we are seeing are just the tip of the iceberg, he said.

"Accordingly, I have made a set of recommendations for four groups of countries:First, those that have not yet reported a case of #monkeypox, or have not reported a case for more than 21 days."-@DrTedros  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 23, 2022

The window has probably closed for us to quickly stop the outbreaks in Europe and the US, but its not too late to stop monkeypox from causing huge damage to poorer countries without the resources to handle it.

In the US, officials estimate that 1.5 million men are at high risk of being infected.

Dr Placide Mbala, a virologist who directs the global health department at Congos Institute of National Biomedical Research, said he hoped any global efforts to stop monkeypox would be equitable.

Although countries including Britain, Canada, Germany and the US have ordered millions of vaccine doses, none have gone to Africa.

The solution needs to be global, Dr Mbala said, adding that any vaccines sent to Africa would be used to target those at highest risk, like hunters in rural areas.

Vaccination in the West might help stop the outbreak there, but there will still be cases in Africa, he said.

Unless the problem is solved here, the risk to the rest of the world will remain.
Pets & Animal, Local News, Crime

By Long Island Published: July 23 2022

After an investigation, detectives from the Suffolk County SPCA have charged a West Babylon man with a violation of the Suffolk County Code for restraining a dog outdoors during a severe heat advisory.

After an investigation, detectives from the Suffolk County SPCA have charged a West Babylon man with a violation of the Suffolk County Code for restraining a dog outdoors during a severe heat advisory.

Roy Gross, Chief of the Suffolk SPCA said that its detectives charged Ismaylin Batista, 25, of 636 Peconic Avenue, West Babylon, with violating the Suffolk County Code for restraining Blue, his pit bull dog outdoors in his yard while he was not home, with a leash approximately 2-3 feet in length, during a severe heat advisory, an unclassified misdemeanor.

Batista surrendered to SPCA detectives on July 22, 2022 and is scheduled to appear in First District Court, Central Islip, on August 11, 2022.

The Suffolk County SPCA is warning all pet owners to take proper precautions to protect your innocent animals. The extreme heat can be hazardous to your pets and can cause severe health issues or tragic results.
CLI will then acquire 80 per cent of EPSA, the largest bulk sugar and grain terminal in Brazil. Combined entities will form the largest independent agriculture port terminals operator in Brazil.

Macquarie Infrastructure Partners V (MIP V), an Americas-focused unlisted infrastructure fund managed by Macquarie Asset Management, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to invest in Corredor Logistica e Infraestrutura S.A. (CLI), a Brazilian port terminal operator. MIP Vs investment in CLI will be via a primary issuance and after closing, MIP V will hold a 50 per cent co-control stake alongside CLIs current owner, funds managed by private equity manager IG4 Capital. In addition to its 50 per cent voting stake, MIP V will also subscribe for new preferred shares issued by CLI.

CLI is one of four companies operating the Maranhao Grain Terminal (TEGRAM), located in the Port of Itaqui, one of the largest grain terminals in Brazil. The company brings its expertise as an independent operator, focusing on infrastructure and port logistics in the agribusiness sector, with a client-driven approach delivering excellent grain export shipping services.

MIP Vs investment will support CLI in its acquisition of an 80 per cent control stake in Elevacoes Portuarias S.A. (EPSA) from Rumo S.A. (Rumo). EPSA, located in Santos, Brazil, is the largest bulk sugar and grain terminal in Brazil. Rumo, the largest railroad operator in Brazil, will remain as a 20 per cent shareholder alongside CLI in EPSA. Upon completion of the transaction, the combined CLI and EPSA entities will support the key grain and sugar production regions in Brazil, forming a geographically diversified platform which will be the largest independent agriculture port terminals operator in Brazil.

The partnership with IG4 and Rumo, via this investment in CLI, demonstrates our confidence in Brazils potential to maintain its leadership role in the export of agricultural commodities." said Fernando Lohmann, Managing Director at Macquarie and Head of Macquarie Asset Management in Brazil. Macquarie Asset Management has significant experience with the global ports sector and the agricultural sector in Brazil. This opportunity represents a natural step in bringing those experiences together and working alongside capable partners to support CLIs expanding role in one of Brazils most critical sectors.

I'm very proud to announce this new phase for CLI, which will grow from its current 4 million tons of export shipping capacity to more than 20 million tons, said Helcio Tokeshi, CEO of CLI. We are a fully independent terminal operator, providing high quality services to our customers in Itaqui, a standard which we will work to replicate in the newly acquired terminals in Santos.
The Repco Supercars Championship is BACK in NZ!

With Kiwi stars Shane van Gisbergen and Andre Heimgartner returning to represent New Zealand on home soil, this round of the Repco Supercars Championship is not to be missed!
The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) and global payments and technology company Mastercard have teamed up to elevate their existing offerings and provide NBBs customers a differentiated, digital-first experience with value-added benefits. The seven-year partnership signing took place during Mastercards Mena Executive Councils inaugural event that was held in Paris, France.

The collaboration and consultancy will result in the addition of a full suite of new premium products, with a focus on digital-first issuance to help NBB deliver a digitally native experience to their customers.

Through this partnership, NBB will enhance its extensive and diverse portfolio with the launch of credit, debit, and prepaid cards, including the integration of Mastercards digital solutions into NBBs state-of-the-art loyalty platform, Points, in addition to other digital solutions by both parties.

Credit offering

Furthermore, the partnership includes a credit offering and the launch of the banks highest tier of cards, targeted at ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWI), offering priceless lifestyle and travel benefits and experiences. It will be the first issuance in the market for Mastercards World Elite Exclusive portfolio.

Subah Al Zayani, Chief Executive, Retail Banking, NBB, said: The partnership will offer our customers a unique digital experience with an array of benefits at their disposal. NBB continues to elevate its offerings while maintaining a digital-first mindset, positioning NBB alongside Mastercard as industry leaders in line with our commitment to ongoing digital transformation. We are committed to further diversifying our digital offerings by optimising our business and partnering with renowned institutions in the field.

New heights

Khalid Elgibali, Division President  Middle East and North Africa, Mastercard, said: Our latest collaboration takes our relationship to new heights and cements our position as the partner of choice for major financial institutions, who can leverage our innovative digital payments technology to drive differentiation, diversification and, ultimately, growth.

As the demand for emerging payments and choice continues, it requires a wider range of payment solutions, insights, and products to meet the accelerating enthusiasm for the future state of pay. At Mastercard we are continuously rising to the challenge as part of our goal to build a more inclusive and sustainable digital economy.-- TradeArabia News Service
Boursa Kuwait has been awarded the title of Most Sustainable Company in the Financial Services Industry by World Finance magazine for its enduring commitment to promote corporate sustainability within the Kuwaiti capital market.

The award recognised the national stock exchange operators efforts to raise awareness and foster the adoption of sustainable business practices, internally and throughout the wider capital market, a release said.

The magazines Sustainability Awards programme celebrates companies across the globe that place green values at the heart of their business operations. This years selected winners are those who have shown true commitment to cutting emissions across their companys entire value chain.

Among the companies recognised along with Boursa Kuwait were Saudi Aramco, Volkswagen Group, Turkish Airlines and Swisscom.

Progressive financial services company

Since its inception, Boursa Kuwait has prided itself on being a progressive financial services company that strives to develop and enhance Kuwaits capital market apparatus and its participants, whether through introducing internationally recognised products and services, developing an improved market infrastructure, or ensuring that business operations are sustainable over the short, medium, and long-term.

The companys Corporate Sustainability (CS) strategy is a fundamental component of its overarching strategy, and it recognises that sustainable operations and practices are becoming increasingly vital to both investors and issuers.

Since 2017, when it joined the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchange (SSE) initiative, the company has made a formal commitment to drive corporate sustainability in financial markets.

Three pillars

Through contributions to the three pillars of Education, Community and the Environment, Boursa Kuwait aims to be responsible and committed to its sustainable development as well as the community in which it operates and promote the adoption of socially impactful and accountable practices in the surrounding communities.

In 2021, the company continued to partner and collaborate with local and international organisations on initiatives that correspond to each pillar. In the Community pillar, Boursa Kuwait continued to give back to the community in which it operates, partnering with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, and the Kuwait Association for the Care of Children in Hospital to support each organisations various initiatives in the areas of education and refugee protection and safety.

As part of the Education pillar, which aims to nurture a new generation of well-informed and competent retail investors and securities professionals, the company collaborated with the CFA Society and Kuwait University to enhance Boursa Academy Online and launch new, engaging and educational content, in an effort to increase awareness and engagement with the investor community.

Green initiatives

As part of its Environment pillar, the company launched a variety of green initiatives. In association with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia, the Environmental Voluntary Foundation (EVF), and the Kuwait Dive Team, Boursa Kuwait sponsored the 2021 National Campaign to Remove Hazardous Waste from the Kuwait Bay.

Boursa Kuwaits Corporate Sustainability strategy stipulates ensuring initiatives apply and fall in line with the companys corporate social responsibility (CSR), industry best practice standards and investor expectations, creating strong and sustainable partnerships that ultimately achieve success and allow Boursa Kuwait to leverage the capabilities and strengths of other companies or organisations that have experience in different fields, and integrating sustainability efforts with the company culture, in order to achieve longevity and an ongoing impact that is carried on and instilled in the day-to-day operations of the stock exchange.

As part of the strategy, Boursa Kuwait has launched many initiatives in partnership with local and international organisations, focusing on support for nongovernmental organisations and charity programmes, financial literacy and capital market awareness, the empowerment of women, as well as environmental protection.-- TradeArabia News Service
EFG Hermes, a leading investment bank franchise in Frontier Emerging Markets (FEM), said it had acted as the sole financial advisor, lead manager and sole bookrunner for Orascom for Real Estate (ORE) to secure key funding for its flagship project 'O West' in Cairo, Egypt.

A major subsidiary of top integrated towns developer Orascom Development Egypt, ORE signed the E1.5 billion ($79 million) facility agreement with Commercial International Bank (CIB) to partially finance the development and help accelerate the construction of the launched phases at its flagship development O West - namely Whyte, Tulwa, Club Residences, Hillside and the O-Business District, said the statement from EFG Hermes.

While EFG Hermes successfully completed advisory on the key finance deal, MHR & Partners in association with White & Case were the legal counsel for ORE.

The success of this facility agreement marks an important milestone in the development cycle of the project and stands testament to the credibility and the strong financial profile of O West as well as a reflection of the confidence in OREs ability to deliver on its financial commitments, it stated.

Ashraf Nessim, Orascom Developments Group CFO said: "We are extremely pleased about the successful financing of our subsidiary OREs flagship O West project. The financing was executed independently from ODE and will give O West an independent capital structure and allow it to accelerate the commencement of unit deliveries in Q1 2023, ahead of our promise to our customers."

This financing is testament to the confidence banking institutions have towards the strong sales and financial performance of the project since launch to date, he noted.

"On this front, O West has successfully managed to establish itself as a unique and popular destination in the West Cairo area, generating one of the highest sales performances over the last three years when compared to other similar projects," he added.

CEO of O West Tarek Kamel said: "It gives us great pleasure to have raised this financing, as it reflects our commitment to our customers in delivering our units according to the set schedules and even ahead of promised delivery dates. This agreement contributes to accelerating the pace of construction and achieving more customer satisfaction, which is one of our main objectives at O West."

Kamel said O West had achieved unprecedented sales during the first half amounting to E2.4 billion, up 73.6% over last year's E1.4 billion.

On the transaction, Maged El Ayouti, Managing Director and Deputy Head of Investment Banking at EFG Hermes, said: "We are honored to be the financial advisor of choice on O Wests debut independent capital raising transaction, OREs primary homes flagship project. O West has already generated substantial interest and this successful facility agreement will help accelerate the delivery of initial phases ahead of schedule."
Bahrain Real Estate Investment (Edamah) is inviting bids to develop a 20,717-sq-m plot at Hidd within Muharraq Governorate of the kingdom for a mixed-use investment project.

The land is strategically located near new waterfront developments such as Diyar Al Muharraq and Dilmunia, and overlooks Arad Highway opposite Bahrain International Airport.

Edamah is the real-estate arm of the sovereign wealth fund of Bahrain. Incorporated in 2006 to manage and expand an assorted portfolio of real estate in Bahrain, Edamah has established itself as one of the kingdoms leading property developers.

Meanwhile, Edamah said it was also seeking bids for the development of six more plots with a total area of 5,618 sq m at Askar within Southern Governorate for a mixed-use investment project.

It is strategically located near Khalifa Town housing project and offers a clear view of King Hamad Highway.-TradeArabia News Service
Cancer survivor Kara Stark, who works at Central Park Elementary School, was diagnosed with the disease as a high school freshman.

The diagnosis was rare, less than 1% of people have been impacted by the type of brain cancer she has survived. She shared her story to empower a community of survivors and caregivers, organized on Saturday for a 24-hour fundraiser held by Relay for Life of Midland County at the Fairgrounds.

Alanna Hunt/for the Daily News

Her mother and caregiver, Kay Wagner said the Midland area is unique to have accessible cancer services and support, based on the communitys population size. Stark and her family cherish 20 years of survivorship.

What I truly do believe is that someday Relay for Life becomes the celebration of stories and survivorship alone, Wagner said. Then, cancer will be a thing of the past for our generations to come. It will become a reality.

Relay for Life of Midland County is a supportive community for those who may feel alone. In terms of local medical and care support, participants and volunteers gave nods to Cancer Services of Midland, which aims to provide personal and compassionate support to patients and caregivers, and MyMichigan Health System, which has a footprint across the state from Sault Ste. Marie to Alma.

I felt calm, and a feeling of ease the night before surgery, Stark said, recalling her removal surgery. I had things to still accomplish, a family to return to and a story to share.

Many family members often take on titles as caregivers for a loved one facing cancer.

In this case, a sister assumed the title of donor.

Alanna Hunt/for the Daily News

Former Saginaw resident, Mike Garabelli was 35-year-old when he matched with his 26-year-old sister, Lisa Garabelli-Smith, for a kidney transplant. They turned out to be the second 100% match in Michigan.

I didnt have to ask (her), he said.

He was born with one kidney on the left side. It wasnt functioning properly. For most of his medical services, Garabelli has had to travel to Ann Arbor and Detroit. He has access to disaysis in Saginaw.

Later, his sister was diagnosed with HPV that turned cancerous. Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, has links to cervical cancer and many types of other cancer, according to the Cancer Society.

In terms of challenges with access to cancer-related programs, Garabelli-Smith said she hopes to see improvement in awareness and education.

It was too early and too unknown, she said. It came back and said you have HPV, whats that? In the early 90s, it was determined it could (cause cancer) but they didn't know enough about it.

She had to have a hysterectomy procedure and accessed medical care in the Saginaw area.

Jennifer Barnes was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She too, later, got a hysterectomy procedure. Today, she celebrates 31 years as a survivor.

Its really maintaining and staying up on the screenings, Barnes said. With the money that we raise here, we get to help support that.

Barnes has been honored as the Voice of Hope for Michigan by the American Cancer Society. She participates in Relay for Life to spread hope, celebrate and honor survivors and caregivers.

Its a huge family reunion, Barnes said.

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Relay for Life of Midland County participants hope, one day, the annual fundraising event to support costs-associated with the disease will turn into the celebration of a world without cancer. For now, the group of people impacted by cancer spread hope.

More information One of the Team Leaders Jessica Acton said efforts have been challenging over the last two years, but face-to-face connections leading up to the event have inspired success. In terms of which cancer impacts local residents, the American Cancer Society is observing an increase in Melanoma Skin Cancer cases. In Midland County, breast cancer, leukemia and pancreatic cancers are "stable, but somewhat high" in the area. "Cancer affects everybody," Acton said, adding comments of local residents sharing the local impact at a Relay for Life event on July 16. "It's a prevalent disease that I feel we can find a cure for. We just need more funding, it is hard to have all the things we need when we don't have the funds for it." See More Collapse

Annual Relay for Life fundraising opportunity returns in-person

As of Saturday evening, the Relay event had 152 registered participants. Volunteer Jen Dockum said several hundred people attended the 28th annual event.

The community organized event returned in-person after a hybrid format last year.

We work very hard. Wed like to see a bigger crowd, but there has been consistent (participation) throughout, said Dockum on Saturday. Its very healing for the survivors.

The fundraiser supports survivors and caretakers of those impacted by cancer, in addition to cancer research. For example, fundraising directly supports access to health screenings through providing transportation and 24/7 support for cancer patients via by phone or online.

About $74,000 has been raised, as of Saturday.

Volunteer Jen Dockum said a goal of $100,000 was set by the Leadership Team. In comparison to previous years, the largest goal was set in 2013 when the American Cancer Society was focusing on prevention tests and screenings, hoping to raise about $300,000.

The fundraising goals reach across four main areas of impact, including education and advocacy. The Relay for Life will accept donations through the "Bark for Life" event, which takes place in September.

The money fills the gaps of care. For example, the American Cancer Society has a program titled Road to Recovery, which links survivors in treatment to transportation drivers. In Midland County, residents have access to Cancer Services transportation service.

Dockum explained that the Society advocates for increased access to care, but the legislative activism is done through the American Cancer Action Network. It is a grassroots, volunteer effort to lobby for cancer support from lawmakers.

One of the initiatives of the network is working to increase the access to oral chemotherapy covered by insurance. Traditional chemotherapy is an injection with several side effects. She said the pill reduces the potential side effects by directly targeting the disease.

We are in our 16th year of fighting it, were one of seven states that doesnt cover it, Dockum said.

Despite approaching two decades of advocating for basic healthcare of those impacted by cancer, she said the community remains hopeful.

We are hopeful that well find a cure for cancer and get oral chemotherapy done in the meantime, Dockum said.

The MyMichigan Health Board of Directors last year approved a $61.5 million construction project to build a Comprehensive Cancer Center on the Midland campus.

For more information on the programs at Cancer Services of Midland, visit their website at cancerservicesmidland.org.

Related content

SEEN: Survivors, caregivers walk for hope at Relay for Life event on Saturday
DETROIT  The Michigan Supreme Court signaled Friday that there will be no summer decision in a high-stakes dispute over whether people convicted of crimes can be ordered to pay to keep the lights on and cover other operating costs in local courts.

The court heard arguments in April and subsequently asked the parties to file more briefs addressing certain issues.

The law, which raises millions of dollars each year, expires Oct. 1, though theres a bill in the Legislature to extend it until fall 2025.

In its latest order, the Supreme Court said it will hear more arguments on three points in the months ahead, including whether judges assessing costs creates a potential for bias.

Critics argue that its unconstitutional for a judge to oversee a criminal case and also have power to order someone to pay a share of keeping the building clean and office supplies stocked.

The simple fact is that courts are not a private enterprise. Criminal defendants are not a special class of citizens upon whom the expenses of state government should be levied, said the Detroit Justice Center, which represents low-income Detroit residents.

The money goes to a courts local government, but only people convicted of crimes must pay, not others who use the courts. Nothing is deducted from the budget of prosecutors who lose cases.

From 2018 through 2020, courts collected $108 million statewide, 75% of it in District Courts, which handle traffic tickets, drunken driving cases and other misdemeanors mostly committed by people who can least afford to pay.

Costs can vary by community. Some judges dont order them.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Diana Kennedy, a tart-tongued British food writer devoted to Mexican cuisine, died Sunday. She was 99.

Kennedy spent much of her life learning and preserving the traditional cooking and ingredients of her adopted home, a mission that even in her 80s had her driving hundreds of miles across her adopted country in a rattling truck as she searched remote villages for elusive recipes.

Her nearly dozen cookbooks, including Oaxaca al Gusto, which won the 2011 James Beard Award for cookbook of the year, reflect a lifetime of groundbreaking culinary contributions and her effort to collect vanishing culinary traditions, a mission that began long before the rest of the culinary world was giving Mexican cooking the respect she felt it was due.

Her long-time friend Concepcion Guadalupe Garza Rodriguez said that Kennedy died peacefully shortly before dawn Sunday at her home in Zitacuaro, about 100 miles west of Mexico City.

Mexico is very grateful for her, Garza Rodriguez said. Kennedy had had lunch at a local hotel on March 3 for her birthday, but during the past five weeks had mostly stayed in her room. Garza Rodriguez visited Kennedy last week and said she cried when they parted.

Mexico's Culture Ministry said via Twitter Sunday that Kennedy's life was dedicated to discovering, compiling and preserving the richness of Mexican cuisine.

Diana understood as few do, that the conservation of nature is key to continue obtaining the ingredients that make it possible to keep creating the delicious dishes that characterize our cuisine, the ministry said.

Her first cookbook, The Cuisines of Mexico, was written during long hours with home cooks across Mexico. It established Kennedy as the foremost authority on traditional Mexican cooking and remains the seminal work on the subject even four decades later. She described it as a gastronomy that humbled her and she credited those -- usually women -- who shared their recipes with her.

Cooking teaches you that youre not always in control, she had said. Cooking is lifes biggest comeuppance. Ingredients can fool you.

She received the equivalent of knighthood in Mexico with the Congressional Order of the Aztec Eagle award for documenting and preserving regional Mexican cuisines. The United Kingdom also has honored her, awarding her a Member of the British Empire award for furthering cultural relations with Mexico.

Kennedy was born with an instinctive curiosity and love of food. She grew up in the United Kingdom eating what she called good food, whole food, if not a lot of food. During World War II, she was assigned to the Women Timber Corps, where food was simple and sometimes sparse  homemade bread, fresh cream, scones and berries on good days, nettle soup or buttered green beans when rations were lean.

Millions across Western Europe shared this simple sustenance, but for Kennedy these meals awakened an appreciation of flavor and texture that would last a lifetime.

She talked about her first mango  I ate it in Jamaicas Kingston harbor, standing in clear, blue warm sea, all that sweet, sweet juice  the way some talk about their first crush.

Indeed, that first mango and her husband, Paul Kennedy, a New York Times correspondent, arrived in her life around the same time. He was on assignment in Haiti, she was traveling there. They fell in love and in 1957 she joined him in Mexico, where he was assigned.

Here a series of Mexican maids, as well as aunts, mothers and grandmothers of her new friends, gave Diana Kennedy her first Mexican cooking lessons  grinding corn for tamales, cooking rabbit in adobo. It was another culinary awakening. While her husband wrote about insurrections and revolutions, Kennedy traipsed a land that was, for her, new, exciting and exotic, sampling unique fruits, vegetables and herbs of various regions.

The couple moved to New York in 1966 when Paul Kennedy was dying of cancer.

Two years later, at the urging of New York Times food editor Craig Claiborne, she taught her first Mexican cooking class, hunting out ingredients in the Northeast to reproduce the bursting flavors of Mexico. Soon she was spending more of her time back in Mexico, establishing a retreat there that still serves as her home in the country.

In classes, cookbooks and lectures, her fundamental principal is simple: There is never, ever, any excuse for bad food.

She was known for her sharp-tongue commentary, even as her pioneering work helped turn Mexico into a culinary mecca for foodies and the worlds top chefs, and transformed a cuisine long dismissed as tortillas suffocated in heavy sauces, cheeses and sour cream.

She once told Jose Andres, James Beard Award winning chef and proprietor of an acclaimed Mexican restaurant, that his tamales were bloody awful.

She worried that famous chefs, who flocked to Mexico in recent years to study and experiment with the purity of the flora, fauna and flavors, were mixing the wrong ingredients.

Many of them are using it as a novelty and do not know the things that go together, she said. If you are going to play around with ingredients, exotic ingredients, youve got to know how to treat them.

Kennedy was fiercely private and guarded about who she let into her sustainable Mexican retreat near the city of Zitacuaro in the conflicted western state of Michoacan. No one was welcome unannounced. Cell phones were turned off and computers were kept in a writing studio. Her companions were her paid help, a staff who treated her like a dear friend, and several beloved  if somewhat fierce  dogs.

Growing in Kennedys vast and enchanting garden, remnants  and resurrections  of ancient culture climbed the stone walls. She worked hard to prevent the loss of local ingredients, creating a rolling farm of indigenous herbs and other produce. The growing continued in a vine-filled atrium in the center of her home, a steamy culinary paradise of vanilla, oregano, mint, bananas, and countless local herbs.

Rebellious activist, an absolute defender of the environment, Diana Kennedy was and continues to be the best example of care for the environment and its biodiversity, her editor Ana Luisa Anza wrote in a remembrance Sunday. She wrote that years ago Kennedy had set reaching the age of 100 as a goal to conclude her lifes work.

In 2019, the documentary Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy, showed a still feisty Kennedy relishing in the production of her garden and driving the bumpy roads of Zitacuaro.

In her later years, Kennedy had said she wanted to slow down, but couldnt.

There are so many more recipes out there, handed down mother to daughter that are going to be lost. There are seeds and herbs and roots that could disappear. There is absolutely so much more that needs to be done! she said.

___

AP journalist Martha Mendoza contributed.
NEWTOWN  Alex Jones favorite Texas lawyer will be allowed to sit at his defense table during the Sandy Hook defamation awards trial in Connecticut in September, as long as the out-of-state attorney doesnt actively try the case.

The reason: the same attorney, Andino Reynal of Houston, will be busy defending Jones in separate Sandy Hook defamation lawsuits next week and again in September in Texas  a fact that state Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis does not like much.

Attorney Reynal is not required to attend jury selection or trial on a daily basis (in Connecticut), Bellis ruled this week. While Attorney Reynal may sit at counsel table on the days he is attending jury selection or trial, he may not present evidence, examine witnesses, or argue matters to the court.

Instead, the judge ruled, Jones case in Connecticut will be managed and presented by New Haven attorney Norm Pattis.

If it sounds unusual to admit an out-of-state attorney who cannot devote himself full time to the case in question on the condition that he not take too active a part in the defense, it is.

Bellis at a pretrial conference earlier this month said she had never permitted such a thing but would keep an open mind on the strength of Pattis argument that he needed Reynal to present Jones best defense.

Pattis explained to the judge that Jones had lost trust in him and as a result, Pattis needed the access to Jones that Reynal enjoys.

There has been some turbulence in my relationship with (Jones) and there has been a rearrangement of counsel where  Reynal is playing the role that I hitherto played, Pattis told Bellis in mid-July. Given the intricacies of this case, we need (Reynal).

Bellis ruling to admit Reynal came with a further condition: The unavailability of attorney Reynal shall not be used as a basis for a motion for continuance.

Translation: Pattis agrees not to argue that because Reynal wont be available for the entire Connecticut case, its grounds to ask for postponement since Jones is being deprived of his counsel of choice.

Pattis decision comes as the parents of a boy slain in the Sandy Hook massacre prepare for a jury trial on Tuesday in Texas to determine how much Jones will pay them in compensatory and punitive damages for defaming them last year.

Jones called the 2012 massacre of 26 first-graders and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
EFG Hermes has announced the successful close of an EGP425 million ($22.4 million) securitized bond issuance for real estate powerhouse Pioneers Properties for Urban Development and its affiliates  the second in an EGP3 billion program.



The bond is backed by a receivables portfolio of some EGP613.5 million, assigned to EFG Hermes Holdings Financial Group for Securitization as the issuances Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).



The bond is comprised of four tranches, with the first and second tranches divided into fixed instalments, and the third and fourth subsequently disbursed contingent on the proceeds of the portfolio.



 Tranche A  valued at EGP57.4 million, with a tenor of 13 months, and a credit rating of AA+ from Middle East Ratings and Investor Services (MERIS)

 Tranche B  valued at EGP42.5 million, with a tenor of 13 months, and a credit rating of AA+ from MERIS

 Tranche C  valued at EGP144.5 million, with a tenor of 36 months, and a credit rating of AA from MERIS

 Tranche D  valued at EGP180.6 million, with a 72-month tenor, and a credit rating of A from MERIS



Maie Hamdy, MD, Debt Capital Markets (DCM) at EFG Hermes investment banking division, said: We could not be prouder of the remarkable headway we are making in the DCM space as we continue to bring to market lucrative investment prospects that serve the needs of our clients and create value for our partners. The second issuance of Pioneers Properties for Urban Development, which comes as part of the EGP3 billion program, has garnered significant traction from investors.



This issuance comes on the heels of the first bond issuance worth EGP651.2 million for Bedaya Mortgage Finance, Egypts leading provider of online mortgage financing solutions, and a key pillar of our Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) platform. At EFG Hermes, we are dedicated to leading on the most innovative and nascent products that are not only tailored to the markets needs, but also unlock the strongest growth prospects for the Firm.



Waleed Zaki, Chairman and CEO of Pioneers Properties for Urban Development, said: After a very successful first issuance, we are pleased to be partnering with EFG Hermes Holding once again. The second issuance for Pioneers Properties for Urban Developments affiliates comes as an integral step in our strategy to continue expanding our operational footprint and client base, as we look for diversified funding solutions that bolster our capacities and enable us to capture a larger share of the rising demand in the Egyptian real estate landscape.



EFG Hermes acted as the sole financial advisor, sole transaction manager and book-runner, underwriter, and arranger on the issuance. National Bank of Egypt (NBE), alongside Banque du Caire (BDC) and Commercial International Bank (CIB), acted as underwriters, with CIB also acting as the custodian bank. The legal advisor for the issuance was Baker & McKenzie and the auditor was KPMG.



This issuance comes on the heels of the Firms successful conclusion of the bond issuance for EFG Hermes Corp-Solutions, valued at EGP500 million, and Bedaya Mortgage Finances first securitization issuance worth EGP651.2 million, in June 2022. The transaction also follows the Firms successful advisory on Premium International for Credit Services sixth issuance, valued at EGP170 million, in addition to the first issuance of EGP300 million in Madinet Nasr Housing and Developments (MNHD)s securitization program, in January 2022.  TradeArabia News Service
Ukraine claims that Russian drones used to kill its soldiers are full of parts from its Western allies.

A Ukrainian technical intel officer showed CNN's Nic Robertson inside a captured Russian Orlan-10 surveillance drone, revealing components from around the world.

The officer claimed that the drone's cell phone tracker was US-made. He said that the engine was manufactured in Japan, and the thermal imaging module on the camera was produced in France after Russia had already invaded.

Other Russian drone parts come from countries including Austria, Germany, Taiwan and the Netherlands, the officer claimed.

This is in spite of a spate of global sanctions aimed at crippling Russia's war machine.

The officer said his job is to follow every serial number to work out who made the part and alert allies to stop Russia's drone techs from getting their hands on it.

Robertson noted that stopping the supply of these often commercial components won't be easy, as Russia might have stockpiled parts and has a long history of evading sanctions.

The issue of Western parts in Russian drones is not a new problem. As early as 2017, researchers found Western-manufactured components in a Russian drone being flown over eastern Ukraine, The Washington Post reported.

Some of the components identified from that drone traveled to Russia through obscure middlemen and small trading companies, the paper said, whose businesses could be tough to track.

"The FBI has been tracking down Russian supply networks since 2014 and trying to close them down. So if they can, they will continue trying to side-step it. And it is a real problem because often these components are bought by legitimate companies," Samuel Cranny-Evans, RUSI research analyst, told CNN.

Russia has turned the tables in the drone war

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, drones have played a crucial role in the war.

While initially, Ukraine was able to use drones to eviscerate Russian tanks and armor, Russia's improved air defenses have turned the tide in drone warfare, shooting down and jamming many of Ukraine's drones.

Now, Russia is successfully using drones to identify and attack Ukrainian targets, drone warfare experts told Insider.

While Ukraine's drones are becoming less effective in this new phase of the war, Russia is flying just as many if not more of their drones, especially for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions, said Samuel Bendett, an analyst and expert in unmanned and robotic military systems, at the Center for Naval Analyses.

Ukraine's military said that Russian drones' thermal and infrared imaging and cell-phone tracking  many of the parts for which come from the West  are helping Russia locate and kill Ukrainian soldiers, per the CNN report.

Earlier this month, The White House said Iran was poised to export Russia hundreds of drones to help in its Ukraine invasion.

The package included "weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline," national security advisor Jake Sullivan said.
3:56PM: Matz has a torn MCL in his left knee, MLB.coms John Denton reports (via Twitter). Based similar injuries to other players, this will likely mean at least a 4-6 week absence for Matz, though it isnt yet known if hell require surgery.

3:38PM: The Cardinals announced some roster moves today, one in regards to todays game and three others in advance of their upcoming two-game series in Toronto. Most immediately, left-hander Steven Matz was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a left knee sprain, and righty James Naile was called up from Triple-A Memphis.

Before Tuesdays game against the Blue Jays, the Cards will place Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Austin Romine on the restricted list. The trio arent vaccinated, and thus become the latest players ineligible to cross the border due to Canadian federal vaccine mandates. Goldschmidt, Arenado, and Romine will forfeit two games worth of salary for the missed time. Catcher Ivan Herrera, utilityman Cory Spangenberg, and outfielder Conner Capel are expected to be added to the roster as replacements.

Most teams traveling to Toronto this season have had to work around at least a couple of vaccine-related absences, with the Royals (who had 10 players on their restricted list) representing the extreme end of the scale. While St. Louis is missing only three players, however, losing superstars like Goldschmidt and Arenado for even two games certainly isnt an ideal situation. Losing Romine also thins out a catching depth chart that is still missing the injured Yadier Molina.

Johan Oviedos status for the Blue Jays series is also in question, as the Cards reliever and Cuba native has an expired passport. Manager Oliver Marmol told reporters (including MLB.coms John Denton) that Oviedo might still be able to make it if he is able to obtain a special temporary waiver from the Canadian consulate in Miami.

While Matz wouldnt have pitched in the series since he just started yesterday, hell also miss a chance to return to Toronto after pitching for the Jays in 2021. Matz was only activated from the 15-day IL earlier this week, after missing two months due to a shoulder impingement. Unfortunately, the southpaw then hurt his knee in his very first start back, as Matz took an awkward step while trying to field a grounder in the sixth inning of Saturdays 6-3 victory over the Reds. Matz still earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk in his 5 1/3 innings of work while striking out seven.

It was a solid outing in what has been an otherwise tough season for Matz, between his earlier injury and his inconsistent work over his first nine outings. Even with Saturdays game factored in, Matz still has a 5.70 ERA over 42 2/3 innings in his first season in a Cardinals uniform. However, a 3.13 SIERA and strong strikeout and walk rates indicate that Matz has also been pretty unlucky, as he isnt getting much good fortune on the BABIP (.336) and strand rate (66.2%) fronts.

Saturdays start was a step in the right direction, and yet it will now be some time before Matz can follow up on that performance. The lefty will undergo more tests and imaging, and a clearer timeline could soon be known about when Matz might be able to get back on a mound.

The Cardinals were already rumored to be looking into rotation help at the deadline, so Matzs IL status will likely only deepen the teams needs. In the short term, however, St. Louis only has five games over the next eight days, so all of these off-days can allow the Cards to get by with less than five starters. Dakota Hudson is tentatively slated to be activated from his own 15-day IL stint next weekend, after hitting the IL on July 15 due to a neck strain.
Michael Collins Ajereh, popularly known in showbiz as Don Jazzy, a famous Nigerian beatmaker and musician, has expressed shock after losing his mother to the cold hand of death.

He described his situation at that moment as more than devastated" after learning that his mother passed on.

Don Jazzy shared the heartbreaking news on his Instagram account cited by Modernghana News.

He said his mother was everything to him.

I lost my sweet mother this morning. The matriarch of our family. My supporter and backbone @indianpicolo.

I am beyond devastated. I have never felt pain like this in my life but I am consoled by the good life she lived. She was loved by everyone that ever met her. She was so strong till the last minute for us even while she battled cancer, he wrote.

The Marvin record label CEO continues I have never typed a more difficult caption in my life. Please pray for our Mums soul to Rest In Peace and for strength for my dad, my siblings, her grandchildren and our entire family to bear this loss.

Mrs. Ajereh, Jazzy's mother, who is also the mother of another popular Nigerian Afropop musician, Charles Enebeli, better known as D'Prince, died after a battle with cancer, according to reports gathered by this portal.

As a Princess, she descended from the royal family of the Nigerian Igbo community known as Abia State.

His post has also attracted many consolations from fans on Social media.

Check it below;
One of the most profound development-oriented proverbs in Akan is the saying that; the one who climbs a good tree deserves a push.

In other words, a person embarking on any useful endeavour, whose outcome will benefit all, deserves to be encouraged and supported.

This thought-provoking adage, has been part of the daily Ghanaian lexicon, bequeathed to us by our forefathers, to inspire and encourage good deeds and profitable ventures in our societies.

However, on the national scale, the opposite has now become the case. Instead of supporting and pushing people who climb good trees, our society now, rather cuts down the tree to see the fall of both the tree and the climber.

The above scenario is the case in the commitment of the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, to champion a digitized Ghana, using the Ghanacard launch pad.

Rather than providing a joint, patriotic effort to support the fruitful effort of Dr. Bawumia, some Ghanaians have become the proverbial crab that won't allow any other crab to climb up the basin. Others are even cutting down the good tree Bawumia is climbing so that both the tree and the Vice President will fall.

For the umpteenth time in recent times, certain elements, within the media and political front, this week, launched a sustained campaign to vilify Dr. Bawumia - all because he enumerated the immense benefits of the Ghanacard, at the launch of the ePharmacy platform on Monday.

Among the benefits of the Ghanacard Dr. Bawumia mentioned, was its recognition by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), as a travel document, thus making it possible for Ghanaians, especially dual citizen Ghanaians with foreign passports, to be able to use the card to board flights to Ghana without requiring a visa, as was the case.

This unique and remarkable function of the Ghanacard is public knowledge, following public ceremonies in Canada by ICAO earlier this year, and public directives by state institutions such as Ghana Immigration, Ghana Airports Company and Ghana Civil Aviation, among others, that the Ghanacard has become a travel document.

In fact, Ghana Immigration recently held an event at the Kotoka International Aiport to officially announce the setting up of special booths to process Ghanaians arriving in Ghana with the Ghanacard.

Despite all these facts, and the reality that Ghanaians based home and in the diaspora, continue to return home using the Ghanacard, some people who ought to know better, including parliamentarians, launched scathing attacks on the Vice President and called him names, just for stating the true benefits and uses of the Ghanacard.

People are so eager and desperate to run down Dr. Bawumia and the Ghanacard that, they even went to the extent of deliberately misinterpreting the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, to create state that she had contradicted the Vice President on the Ghanacard being a travel document for Ghanaians to travel back home.

Rightly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement to set the records straight and also to confirm that the Ghanacard, indeed, can be used by Ghanaians as a travel document to travel to Ghana from any airport in the world.

Following the Foreign Ministry's press release and Ghana Immigration releasing data on the number of arrivals with Ghanacard at the airport, will those who insulted Dr. Bawumia and called him a liar apologise to him?

If nobody will apologise to the Vice President, at least Hon. Sam George, who has earned the title of Hon. by being the representative of the good people of Ningo Prampram, must do what is expected of men with honour and apologise to Dr. Bawumia for insulting him on his Facebook page on issues he Sam George was clearly wrong and has been exposed.

The Vice President has never stated anywhere that the Ghanacard can be used for travels to other countries. He has always maintained that following its recognition by ICAO, Ghanaians, especially dual citizen Ghanaians with foreign passports, can use it to board flights back to Ghana without needing a visa.

It was therefore disingenuous and mischievous for a whole honourable member of parliament to launch public attacks on the Vice President and call him names for something he has not said.

Indeed if we were in a decent political environment, Sam George in particular, and all those who joined him to insult Dr. Bawumia and bastardise the Ghanacard as a travel document, would have apologised, the moment the Foreign Ministry issued a statement to expose them.

How people take delight to bastardise the ongoing digital transformation in the country is amazing! But one has to understand the political critics. It is Bawumia leading it so since he will be credited for it, let us vilify him and also condemn the innovation, even if its benefits to the country and the people are immense.

That is what is happening! Attack Bawumia, vilify him and attack the innovation. It is the reason every digital innovation he has led; Ghanacard, zipline drones, universal QR Code, mobile money interoperability, ePharmacy and digitization of government services, among others, has been doubted and criticised.

In Dr. Bawumia's own words, people with impossible mindsets have always doubted and frustrated every digital innovation he has announced.

I think the Vice President has been very charitable in labeling them people with impossible mindsets. These are people with unpatriotic and destructive mindsets.

They don't want to see anything good for the nation and the people, once it is not coming from them. No matter how beneficial every project, intervention or innovation is, they will always attack and bastardise it.

I cannot understand how any progressive minded person will attack Dr. Bawumia for being a champion of digitization, a new global phenomenon every serious country is pursuing.

As a country, we should be proud we have a passionate, committed and smart leader in our Vice President making our country great in an area many African country's are way behind.

The full benefits of digitization won't be realised now, but the glimpses we have seen, such as making things easy, boosting revenue and helping in the fight against corruption, should encourage us to fully support him, regardless of political affiliation.

He is doing it for the country and generations to come, not for himself.

Despite all the vilifications, I am happy the Vice President has remained resilient and unfazed.

Continue to prove the naysayers wrong, Mr. Vice President. Progressive-minded citizens appreciate what you're doing.

Remain focused and do it for God and country.
As part of its Corporate Social Responsibilities, Charles Wiseley Academy at Oyoko in addition to introducing Zoomkids to inculcate good sanitation practices, has again organised free health screening for the residents in the New Juaben North municipality.

In an interview granted with the media, the head of the medical team Dr. Fremponmaa Tenghabo, Medical Director Erama Medical Center (Sakomono Accra) advised Ghanaians living in small communities to adhere to regular medical checkups to get early cure and avoid diseases which may become chronic.

She said many times those living in local communities keep their illness to themselves till dying moment before they are rushed to the hospital, a situation that has killed many people.

The medical expert however urged Ghanaians to seek early medical attention in order to save their own lives.

At the end of the health screening, Dr Frempomaa revealed that hypertension and waist pains were the most common illness identified by the medical team.

Management of the school indicated their continuous commitment to quality health care and good personal hygiene to create a sound mind for academic work.
The Account Manager of Ghana Cocoa Board, Mr Alexander Asante is admonishing the youth and Christians in general to remain focused and steadfast in all endeavours.

Mr Asante who was speaking on the theme "Making a difference as a true Disciple of Jesus" as part of 2022 Youth Month Celebration at Church of Christ, Dzorwulu pointed out that, to make a difference, one has to remain resolute and focused in order to attain greater heights.

According to the Account Manager of Ghana Cocoa Board, God always sets an open door before every human but to benefit fully from this open door, it will depend on our readiness and relationship with Him.

In this regard, he entreated the youth to always make themselves available and be ready to make a difference in all aspects of social lifestyles for others to emulate.

He appealed to the youth to always let their conscience be their guide in doing the right thing at all times.

Mr Asante stated that, making a difference can be a positive or negative way hence there is the need for everyone to adopt the positive one whilst waiting patiently on the Lord knowing that everything good thing takes time to come to fruition.

He tasked Christians to continue having faith and trust in the Lord and not sit in their comfort zones but go beyond it.

He called for the need to tell others what God has done for them and not always dwell on the negativity of life for others to be encouraged.

According to Mr Asante, he observed that most times, when people are blessed or prospered beyond measure, they ended up increasing their standards of living whilst ignoring increasing their standards of giving. To him, this is a very bad attitude which must be checked and stopped.

He advised the youth to practice Biblical economics which has to do with giving more to receive more.

He urged leaders or Christians to appreciate their followers since that will motivate them to excel and perform better.

He added that there is the need to regularly conduct an assessment to know and address the needs of members.

In his closing remarks, Mr stated that people must learn to develop and nurture some 4Qs applicable to all life issues.

The first Q is the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) which refers to a person's reasoning ability at any point in time and this helps to accommodate everyone and remain resolute in challenges.

The next Q he said, is Emotional Intelligence (otherwise known as Emotional Quotient or EQ) which is the ability to understand, use, and manage one's own emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflict.

Social Quotient which is the third Q allows an individual to form friendships and alliances. It assists a person against being taken advantage of.

The fourth Q which is the adversity quotient is a person's ability to face situations, problems, and obstacles in life.

Experts say a person with an adversity quotient will be able to effectively face obstacles and take advantage of opportunities.

According to him, putting these 4Qs together will help build the capacity of the christian youth for greater exploits.
24.07.2022 LISTEN

The Accra-based Joy News channel has incurred the wrath of the Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for publishing Martin Kpebu's Akufo-Addo is part of a criminal syndicate" comment on its social media pages.

He stated that a channel of its calibre should not be entertaining such comments on its platforms.

Martin Kpebu, a legal practitioner has accused President Akufo-Addo of being part of a "criminal syndicate" at the Jubilee House.

Mr Kpebu said on Accra-based JoyNews' News File program on Saturday, July 23 that some alleged signature forgery in a 10 million case at the Northern Development Authority (NDA) has not been investigated.

Speaking on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's recent survey on corruption, he indicated that the posture of the President in fighting corruption shows he condones corruption.

The station shared excerpt of the video on its various platforms in which the lawyer made the claim.

This prompted the Minister to express his displeasure in a tweet Modernghana News cited on Saturday, July 24.

Even more worrying is the fact that a media house which is to be respected airs such content and happily reproduces it on websites and social media in a bid to achieve clicks and revenues on the backdrop of unfounded insults at its national leaders, he wrote.

The Minister added, We all uphold freedoms of speech and association but let's be responsible in how we do this.

The Ofoase Ayirebi legislator rubbished the lawyer's statement asserting that It is shameful and totally unprofessional to hear lawyer Kpebu without any factual basis, accuse the President of the Republic of being a member of a criminal syndicate.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said one disappointing, if not scandalous development, that is likely to make our justice system the butt of jokes among other democracies in Africa and the world at large is the phenomenon of court judgments without reasons.

The biggest opposition said at a press on Friday, 22 July 2022: In recent times, our Supreme Court has handed down some judgments and rulings that do not make any legal or factual sense because the court failed to assign any reasons for these judgments. Two examples will suffice.

The partys General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia pointed out: It is instructive to note that in the recent case of Abdul Malik Kweku Baako vs Attorney General, (Suit No. J1/225/2018), which had raised certain important constitutional questions about the impeachment proceedings of Mrs Charlotte Osei the then Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, the apex court simply declared that: After listening to counsel in the matter on the question whether the instant action is a proper invocation of our original jurisdiction and also having regard to the processes filed in this matter, we are of the view that the action does not raise any issue of interpretation or enforcement. Accordingly, we strike out the action which in our view is unmeritorious.

In the partys view, This cryptic judgment fails in many respects to meet the basic standards of a reasoned judgment. It is devoid of an analysis of the facts of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case. As to be expected, this judgment cannot form the basis of any legal precedent, suggesting that it was a judgment of convenience fashioned out solely to deny justice to Mrs Charlotte Osei, and once its immediate intended purpose has been achieved the judgment ceases to have any legal relevance in subsequent cases.

It observed: True to form, the apex court again applied this scandalous technique in the case of the Republic vs High Court, (Criminal Division) Accra; Ex parte: Stephen Kwabena Opuni & Anor (Civil Motion J5/15/22). The justice hearing the criminal case involving Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Mr. Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, had in a recent ruling on an application to recuse himself on ground of real likelihood of bias accused Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni of hallucinating, malicious lies, engineered to court public support.

In its ruling on this matter, the apex court stated that: It is our considered opinion that the record does not reflect a personal interest by the trial judge in the matters in issue and the making of discriminatory orders to warrant the grant of an order of certiorari to quash the proceedings and orders of the trial court dated 16th December 2021. Regarding the application for prohibition we have thoroughly examined the processes filed by the parties and do not find the existence of a real likelihood of bias on the part of the trial judge such as would prevent the conduct of a fair trial by the judge. Accordingly, we dismiss the application in its entirety].

This ruling, the NDC noted, is also devoid of the factual matrix of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case.

The NDC notes that the phenomenon of unreasoned court judgments has become so commonplace especially in cases with high political stakes. The NDC wonders how the apex court could engender public confidence in the administration of justice and remain accountable to the people when it assumes a calculated posture of rendering unreasoned judgments. The NDC believes that unreasoned judgments violate fundamental principles of justice and fair trial, and we wonder whether this phenomenon of unreasoned judgments is a clear manifestation of dereliction of judicial duties, Mr Nketia added.

Read the full statement below:

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS ON CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN GHANA'S JUDICIARY

A. INTRODUCTION

1. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has carefully considered certain recent developments within Ghana's judiciary and is gravely concerned that if immediate steps are not taken to nib these negative developments in the bud they will fester with serious harmful effects on our democracy and the public's confidence in the judiciary.

2. Our decision to publicly address these concerns has not been taken lightly. We are aware of the auspicious role our judiciary plays in our democracy, the sometimes lonely and solitary lives of our judges, their traditional reserve and no comment policy on certain matters of national importance. These attributes of our judges require that we exercise great restraint in our public comments on the judiciary. We are however convinced that constructive criticisms of our judiciary, particularly the apex court, is a national duty, and as the largest opposition party in Ghana, we will be remiss in our duties to the nation and the people of Ghana if we remain silent about these developments. Accordingly, our duty to our national constitution and obedience to our national motto of "Freedom and Justice" compel us to speak. 3. The NDC observes that our democracy cannot operate efficiently and deliver the values of freedom, justice, development and equality of opportunity for all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, if our judiciary, particularly, elements within the Supreme Court, become or are perceived to be the rented agents or the political wing of a political party. In recent times, certain happenings at the apex court, in particular, have dampened our faith in the court and it was this loss of faith that had provoked our petition to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations regarding various acts of human rights violations, criminal persecutions and harassment of the members and supporters the NDC by the Government of Ghana headed by His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo.

4. The NDC wishes to outline and share with the good people of Ghana some of the negative developments within our judiciary, particularly, the Supreme Court with the view to seeking remedial action promptly and effectively.

B. NO REASONS ASSIGNED FOR JUDGMENTS AND RULINGS

5. One disappointing, if not scandalous development, that is likely to make our justice system the butt of jokes among other democracies in Africa and the world at large is the phenomenon of court judgments without reasons. In recent times, our Supreme Court has handed down some judgments and rulings that do not make any legal or factual sense because the court failed to assign any reasons for these judgments. Two examples will suffice. It is instructive to note that in the recent case of Abdul Malik Kweku Baako vrs Attorney General, *(Suit No. J1/225/2018), which had raised certain important constitutional questions about the impeachment proceedings of Mrs Charlotte Osei the then Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, the apex court simply declared that: "After listening to counsel in the matter on the question whether the instant action is a proper invocation of our original jurisdiction and also having regard to the processes filed in this matter, we are of the view that the action does not raise any issue of interpretation or enforcement. Accordingly, we strike out the action which in our view is unmeritorious".

6. This cryptic judgment fails in many respects to meet the basic standards of a reasoned judgment. It is devoid of an analysis of the facts of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case. As to be expected, this judgment cannot form the basis of any legal precedent, suggesting that it was a judgment of convenience fashioned out solely to deny justice to Mrs Charlotte Osei, and once its immediate intended purpose has been achieved the judgment ceases to have any legal relevance in subsequent cases. 7. True to form, the apex court again applied this scandalous technique in the case of the Republic vs High Court, (Criminal Division) Accra; Ex parte: Stephen Kwabena Opuni & Anor (Civil Motion J5/15/22). The justice hearing the criminal case involving Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Mr. Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, had in a recent ruling on an application to recuse himself on ground of real likelihood of bias accused Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni of "hallucinating", "malicious lies", "engineered to court public support". In its ruling on this matter, the apex court stated that: "It is our considered opinion that the record does not reflect a personal interest by the trial judge in the matters in issue and the making of discriminatory orders to warrant the grant of an order of certiorari to quash the proceedings and orders of the trial court dated 16th December 2021. Regarding the application for prohibition we have thoroughly examined the processes filed by the parties and do not find the existence of a real likelihood of bias on the part of the trial judge such as would prevent the conduct of a fair trial by the judge. Accordingly, we dismiss the application in its entirety."

8. This ruling is also devoid of the factual matrix of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case.

9. The NDC notes that the phenomenon of unreasoned court judgments has become so commonplace especially in cases with high political stakes. The NDC wonders how the apex court could engender public confidence in the administration of justice and remain accountable to the people when it assumes a calculated posture of rendering unreasoned judgments. The NDC believes that unreasoned judgments violate fundamental principles of justice and fair trial, and we wonder whether this phenomenon of unreasoned judgments is a clear manifestation of dereliction of judicial duties.

C. TRESPASSING INTO DOMAINS RESERVED FOR THE LEGISLATURE

10. The NDC is also greatly concerned by the unholy haste of the apex court in trespassing into domains reserved for the legislature by the 1992 Constitution. We note that one entrenched principle of our legal governance since 1993 has been the recognition by our courts that it is not their business to get into certain matters that by law have been assigned to other branches of government. Contrary to this principle, we have observed a creeping tendency of the apex court to trespass into domains reserved for parliament. In the process, the court has demonstrated legal or institutional hubris and thrown overboard the restraints the court has exercised in the past over matters that fall within the domain of Parliament.

E. ADMINISTRATIVE ABUSES BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE

11. Quite apart from the above, the Honourable Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah, is likely to go down in history as the worst Chief Justice of Ghana since the Inception of the 4th Republic. His reign as Chief Justice has been characterised by unimaginable administrative abuses. These abuses are thrown into sharp relief when the conduct of the current Chief Justice is measured against the professionalism and conduct of former Chief Justices. We recall, in particular, the words of Chief Justice Kwasi Apaloo at his send-off ceremony that: "The one great quality I would wish to see in my colleagues is courage that is to say they should be in a position to defend to the death positions they believe to be right...I charge you to keep or help keep the flag of the judiciary flying and may the profession as a whole provide leadership and best counsel on these professional matters which we have all held in trust for the benefit of generations yet unborn".

12. It would appear that this wise counsel of Chief Justice Apaloo has no resonance with our current Chief Justice, who has failed to show leadership and to "keep the flag of the judiciary flying" by abusing his power to empanel the courts. It has been our understanding that the setting up of divisions of the High Court in Accra such as the Criminal Division, Land Division, the Human Rights Division, and the Commercial Division were all meant to ensure that these specialised courts deal with matters that directly fall within their competence and jurisdictions. In fact, these courts started very beautifully and many were those who hailed the establishment of the court. Incidentally, in recent times, these beautiful arrangements appear to have been thrown into a state of utter confusion where we could now witness even land cases being sent to commercial courts, clear-cut commercial court cases being sent to the human rights court and criminal cases sent to the judges at the Land Division.

Sometimes, the assignment of cases to particular judges is done in a manner that makes one wonder what is the motivation for the case assignment. Recently, the case involving Dr Cassiel Ato Forson was originally assigned to Justice Solomon Oppong Twumasi only for the judge to announce in open court that the Chief Justice had reassigned the case to another judge in another division of the High Court. This development is quite mind-boggling and we wonder why, for us in Ghana, we start everything with so much aplomb and funfair only for us to ruin it along the way.

13. Another worrying phenomenon is the appointment of Court of Appeal Judges to preside over High Court Cases, for us these appointments are a damper and go a long way to demotivate our judges at the High Courts. By these appointments, is the Chief Justice saying that the said cases could not have any competent Justice of the High Court as currently constituted to deal with them or it is more the case that the Chief Justice has a cadet of justices who are specially deployed to do the bidding of his political masters? Without mincing words, we state that we see the appointments of Court of Appeal justices to preside over these cases as worrying.

D. CONCLUSION

14. The NDC is saddened by and gravely concerned about the phenomenon of unreasoned judgments, lack of fidelity to the record of cases, unpardonable factual errors that have become commonplace in judgments of the apex court as well as glaring administrative abuses by the Chief Justice. We were particularly shocked by the palpable blunders committed by the apex court in the election petition judgment. In a case of such magnitude, we expected excellence, professionalism, attention-to-detail and meticulousness from our Supreme Court. Instead, what the people of Ghana obtained from the court were these unpardonable blunders, which have the potential to affect people's confidence in the administration of justice.

15. We, therefore, call on the Judicial Council to institute an internal inquiry to ascertain the reasons for these blunders and appropriate recommendations made to the Chief Justice to forestall their recurrence until appropriate legislation, such as a Judicial Proceedings Bill, is passed by Parliament to regulate the writing of judgments by our courts. The NDC will also petition Parliament for the Judiciary Committee of the House to conduct a public inquiry into the reasons for the blunders committed by the Supreme Court in the 2020 Presidential Election Petition and other cases with the view to proposing appropriate remedial legislation.

16. The NDC remains committed to Ghana's democracy and the promotion of the Rule of Law. Accordingly, we shall endeavour at all times, in line with our social democratic ethos, to ensure that the justice system performs the role assigned to it by the 1992 Constitution by serving the interest of all Ghanaians devoid of any political or partisan considerations.

Source: Classfmonline.com
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as a worrying phenomenon, the appointment of Court of Appeal Judges to preside over High Court cases, since, for us these appointments are a damper and go a long way to demotivate our judges at the High Courts.

By these appointments, is the Chief Justice saying that the said cases could not have any competent Justice of the High Court, as currently constituted to deal with them or it is more the case that the Chief Justice has a cadet of justices who are specially deployed to do the bidding of his political masters? the biggest opposition party wondered when it addressed journalists on Friday, 22 July 2022.

The partys General Secretary said: Without mincing words, we state that we see the appointments of Court of Appeal justices to preside over these cases as worrying.

Also, the party said it is saddened by, and gravely concerned about the phenomenon of unreasoned judgments, lack of fidelity to the record of cases, unpardonable factual errors that have become commonplace in judgments of the apex court, as well as glaring administrative abuses by the Chief Justice.

We were particularly shocked by the palpable blunders committed by the apex court in the election petition judgment. In a case of such magnitude, we expected excellence, professionalism, attention-to-detail and meticulousness from our Supreme Court. Instead, what the people of Ghana obtained from the court were these unpardonable blunders, which have the potential to affect people's confidence in the administration of justice, the NDC complained.

We, therefore, call on the Judicial Council to institute an internal inquiry to ascertain the reasons for these blunders and appropriate recommendations made to the Chief Justice to forestall their recurrence until appropriate legislation, such as a Judicial Proceedings Bill, is passed by Parliament to regulate the writing of judgments by our courts. The NDC will also petition Parliament for the Judiciary Committee of the House to conduct a public inquiry into the reasons for the blunders committed by the Supreme Court in the 2020 Presidential Election Petition and other cases with the view to proposing appropriate remedial legislation, he noted.

Read the full statement below:

PRESS STATEMENT BY THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS ON CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN GHANA'S JUDICIARY

A. INTRODUCTION

1. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has carefully considered certain recent developments within Ghana's judiciary and is gravely concerned that if immediate steps are not taken to nib these negative developments in the bud they will fester with serious harmful effects on our democracy and the public's confidence in the judiciary.

2. Our decision to publicly address these concerns has not been taken lightly. We are aware of the auspicious role our judiciary plays in our democracy, the sometimes lonely and solitary lives of our judges, their traditional reserve and no comment policy on certain matters of national importance. These attributes of our judges require that we exercise great restraint in our public comments on the judiciary. We are however convinced that constructive criticisms of our judiciary, particularly the apex court, is a national duty, and as the largest opposition party in Ghana, we will be remiss in our duties to the nation and the people of Ghana if we remain silent about these developments. Accordingly, our duty to our national constitution and obedience to our national motto of "Freedom and Justice" compel us to speak.

3. The NDC observes that our democracy cannot operate efficiently and deliver the values of freedom, justice, development and equality of opportunity for all citizens, regardless of political affiliation, if our judiciary, particularly, elements within the Supreme Court, become or are perceived to be the rented agents or the political wing of a political party. In recent times, certain happenings at the apex court, in particular, have dampened our faith in the court and it was this loss of faith that had provoked our petition to the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations regarding various acts of human rights violations, criminal persecutions and harassment of the members and supporters the NDC by the Government of Ghana headed by His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo.

4. The NDC wishes to outline and share with the good people of Ghana some of the negative developments within our judiciary, particularly, the Supreme Court with the view to seeking remedial action promptly and effectively.

B. NO REASONS ASSIGNED FOR JUDGMENTS AND RULINGS

5. One disappointing, if not scandalous development, that is likely to make our justice system the butt of jokes among other democracies in Africa and the world at large is the phenomenon of court judgments without reasons. In recent times, our Supreme Court has handed down some judgments and rulings that do not make any legal or factual sense because the court failed to assign any reasons for these judgments. Two examples will suffice. It is instructive to note that in the recent case of Abdul Malik Kweku Baako vrs Attorney General, *(Suit No. J1/225/2018), which had raised certain important constitutional questions about the impeachment proceedings of Mrs Charlotte Osei the then Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, the apex court simply declared that: "After listening to counsel in the matter on the question whether the instant action is a proper invocation of our original jurisdiction and also having regard to the processes filed in this matter, we are of the view that the action does not raise any issue of interpretation or enforcement. Accordingly, we strike out the action which in our view is unmeritorious".

6. This cryptic judgment fails in many respects to meet the basic standards of a reasoned judgment. It is devoid of an analysis of the facts of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case. As to be expected, this judgment cannot form the basis of any legal precedent, suggesting that it was a judgment of convenience fashioned out solely to deny justice to Mrs Charlotte Osei, and once its immediate intended purpose has been achieved the judgment ceases to have any legal relevance in subsequent cases.

7. True to form, the apex court again applied this scandalous technique in the case of the Republic vs High Court, (Criminal Division) Accra; Ex parte: Stephen Kwabena Opuni & Anor (Civil Motion J5/15/22). The justice hearing the criminal case involving Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, Mr. Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, had in a recent ruling on an application to recuse himself on ground of real likelihood of bias accused Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni of "hallucinating", "malicious lies", "engineered to court public support". In its ruling on this matter, the apex court stated that: "It is our considered opinion that the record does not reflect a personal interest by the trial judge in the matters in issue and the making of discriminatory orders to warrant the grant of an order of certiorari to quash the proceedings and orders of the trial court dated 16th December 2021. Regarding the application for prohibition we have thoroughly examined the processes filed by the parties and do not find the existence of a real likelihood of bias on the part of the trial judge such as would prevent the conduct of a fair trial by the judge. Accordingly, we dismiss the application in its entirety."

8. This ruling is also devoid of the factual matrix of the case, the case and arguments presented by the parties, the legal principles upon which the judgment is based, and how those legal principles apply or do not apply to the facts of the case.

9. The NDC notes that the phenomenon of unreasoned court judgments has become so commonplace especially in cases with high political stakes. The NDC wonders how the apex court could engender public confidence in the administration of justice and remain accountable to the people when it assumes a calculated posture of rendering unreasoned judgments. The NDC believes that unreasoned judgments violate fundamental principles of justice and fair trial, and we wonder whether this phenomenon of unreasoned judgments is a clear manifestation of dereliction of judicial duties.

C. TRESPASSING INTO DOMAINS RESERVED FOR THE LEGISLATURE

10. The NDC is also greatly concerned by the unholy haste of the apex court in trespassing into domains reserved for the legislature by the 1992 Constitution. We note that one entrenched principle of our legal governance since 1993 has been the recognition by our courts that it is not their business to get into certain matters that by law have been assigned to other branches of government. Contrary to this principle, we have observed a creeping tendency of the apex court to trespass into domains reserved for parliament. In the process, the court has demonstrated legal or institutional hubris and thrown overboard the restraints the court has exercised in the past over matters that fall within the domain of Parliament.

E. ADMINISTRATIVE ABUSES BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE

11. Quite apart from the above, the Honourable Chief Justice, Justice Kwasi Anim Yeboah, is likely to go down in history as the worst Chief Justice of Ghana since the Inception of the 4th Republic. His reign as Chief Justice has been characterised by unimaginable administrative abuses. These abuses are thrown into sharp relief when the conduct of the current Chief Justice is measured against the professionalism and conduct of former Chief Justices. We recall, in particular, the words of Chief Justice Kwasi Apaloo at his send-off ceremony that: "The one great quality I would wish to see in my colleagues is courage that is to say they should be in a position to defend to the death positions they believe to be right...I charge you to keep or help keep the flag of the judiciary flying and may the profession as a whole provide leadership and best counsel on these professional matters which we have all held in trust for the benefit of generations yet unborn".

12. It would appear that this wise counsel of Chief Justice Apaloo has no resonance with our current Chief Justice, who has failed to show leadership and to "keep the flag of the judiciary flying" by abusing his power to empanel the courts. It has been our understanding that the setting up of divisions of the High Court in Accra such as the Criminal Division, Land Division, the Human Rights Division, and the Commercial Division were all meant to ensure that these specialised courts deal with matters that directly fall within their competence and jurisdictions. In fact, these courts started very beautifully and many were those who hailed the establishment of the court. Incidentally, in recent times, these beautiful arrangements appear to have been thrown into a state of utter confusion where we could now witness even land cases being sent to commercial courts, clear-cut commercial court cases being sent to the human rights court and criminal cases sent to the judges at the Land Division.

Sometimes, the assignment of cases to particular judges is done in a manner that makes one wonder what is the motivation for the case assignment. Recently, the case involving Dr Cassiel Ato Forson was originally assigned to Justice Solomon Oppong Twumasi only for the judge to announce in open court that the Chief Justice had reassigned the case to another judge in another division of the High Court. This development is quite mind-boggling and we wonder why, for us in Ghana, we start everything with so much aplomb and funfair only for us to ruin it along the way.

13. Another worrying phenomenon is the appointment of Court of Appeal Judges to preside over High Court Cases, for us these appointments are a damper and go a long way to demotivate our judges at the High Courts. By these appointments, is the Chief Justice saying that the said cases could not have any competent Justice of the High Court as currently constituted to deal with them or it is more the case that the Chief Justice has a cadet of justices who are specially deployed to do the bidding of his political masters? Without mincing words, we state that we see the appointments of Court of Appeal justices to preside over these cases as worrying.

D. CONCLUSION

14. The NDC is saddened by and gravely concerned about the phenomenon of unreasoned judgments, lack of fidelity to the record of cases, unpardonable factual errors that have become commonplace in judgments of the apex court as well as glaring administrative abuses by the Chief Justice. We were particularly shocked by the palpable blunders committed by the apex court in the election petition judgment. In a case of such magnitude, we expected excellence, professionalism, attention-to-detail and meticulousness from our Supreme Court. Instead, what the people of Ghana obtained from the court were these unpardonable blunders, which have the potential to affect people's confidence in the administration of justice.

15. We, therefore, call on the Judicial Council to institute an internal inquiry to ascertain the reasons for these blunders and appropriate recommendations made to the Chief Justice to forestall their recurrence until appropriate legislation, such as a Judicial Proceedings Bill, is passed by Parliament to regulate the writing of judgments by our courts. The NDC will also petition Parliament for the Judiciary Committee of the House to conduct a public inquiry into the reasons for the blunders committed by the Supreme Court in the 2020 Presidential Election Petition and other cases with the view to proposing appropriate remedial legislation.

16. The NDC remains committed to Ghana's democracy and the promotion of the Rule of Law. Accordingly, we shall endeavour at all times, in line with our social democratic ethos, to ensure that the justice system performs the role assigned to it by the 1992 Constitution by serving the interest of all Ghanaians devoid of any political or partisan considerations.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Although government has come out on countless times to deny reports of a possible review of the free Senior High School (SHS) policy, the Child Rights International (CRI) has said any future plans to review it to allocate cost to parents will defeat the universality of the policy.

Once cost is assigned to the policy, CRI said, it will become a failed policy.

This is because the Free SHS policy is not a pro-poor policy but general policy that benefits both the underprivileged and privileged children. The universality of the policy was advanced on the basis that the poor and the rich pay tax and therefore social policies must benefit them all, the organization said in a statement.

ALIGNING-ANY-COST-OF-FREE-SHS-WILL-MAKE-IT-A-FAILED-POLICY_CRI Download

Already there are policies that are meant mainly for the poor as 80% of them strictly target the underprivileged. Programmes such as The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), School feeding programme at the primary level, free uniform, free shoes, capitation grants, etc.

The only policy that is universal in nature is the Free SHS. Even though the policy design does not take cost from parents, an average parent is likely to spend 600 to 1200 in preparation towards enrolling his/her child to school. Further allocation will burden parental preparedness towards their wards in accessing free education in Ghana, a statement issued by CRI on Saturday July 23 said.

Regrading whether or not the policy is being reviewed, the Ministry of Education has denied reports that its undergoing changes.

Earlier reports in a section of the media indicated that the government was reviewing the programme.

But a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry, Kwasi Kwarteng on Friday July 22 said The Ministry's attention has been drawn to some publications making the rounds which suggest an ongoing review of the Free SHS policy by the GES.

According to the story, the said review is to determine how much parents can pay so far as the policy is concerned.

For purposes of clarity, the Free SHS policy is not under the purported review.

3news.com
Japans Yokogawa Electric Corporation has developed an explosion-proof version of the TDLS8200 probe type tunable diode laser spectrometer and will release it for sale on July 25 as part of its OpreX Analyzer family.



The TDLS8200 features low installation cost, high measurement stability, and high reliability, and is able to simultaneously and directly measure concentrations of two gas types (oxygen plus either carbon monoxide or methane) at high speed. Currently on offer are types that are capable of measuring temperatures up to 600C and 850C, and the addition of an explosion-proof version makes it possible to facilitate efficient combustion control and safe operation across a broader range of applications.



TDLS8200 probe type tunable diode laser spectrometer



Development Background

Any excess air that is supplied when controlling combustion in a heating furnace will absorb heat inside the furnace before exiting via the stack. In addition to resulting in heat loss, this can generate large volumes of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, a source of air pollution. On the other hand, if insufficient air is supplied, complete combustion will not occur, resulting in energy loss, the emission of carbon monoxide and black smoke, and residual methane. Carbon monoxide and methane are flammable gases that can readily form an explosive mixture with air if allowed to accumulate inside a furnace.



As such, oil & gas, petrochemical, electric power, iron and steel, and ceramics plants need to monitor the concentrations of oxygen and carbon monoxide or methane inside furnaces in order to control and thereby ensure an efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe combustion process. However, the use of digital devices in zones where combustible gases reach concentrations that result in the risk of an explosion is limited by regional laws and regulations as they have the potential to ignite such gases. To address this need, Yokogawa has developed this latest version of the TDLS8200 probe type tunable diode laser spectrometer.



Features

The most significant feature of the TDLS8200 is its dual laser light sources and optics, which give it the ability to simultaneously measure oxygen plus either carbon monoxide or methane concentrations for combustion control. Its direct measurement system relies on the use of lasers, which are easier to maintain than conventional sampling systems and are more robust than catalyst-based sensors. This ensures stable, simultaneous, and lossless measurement. Also, by adopting a probe design with no sampling device, it is easy to install and replace.



The explosion-proof TDLS8200 that is being released for sale conforms to the IECEx explosion-proof standard of the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the FM explosion-proof standards of the United States and Canada, and the EUs ATEX explosion-proof directives. Compliance with these regulations enables the device to be used in zones where combustible gases reach concentrations that result in the risk of an explosion. Going forward, Yokogawa will work toward acquiring certification for the explosion-proof standards of other regions and countries too.



Major Target Markets

Oil & gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, electric power, iron and steel, and ceramics



Applications

Heating furnace and boiler combustion control and safety monitoring



Yokogawa's Laser Gas Analysers

Yokogawa's laser gas analysers use a method called tunable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) to detect gas concentrations. They offer superior real-time performance because they are installed on ducts and do not require a sampling system, so they can measure concentrations directly and at high speed. They use a spectrum area method that calculates the gas concentration from the area in a light absorption distribution chart, which enables stable concentration measurement even in an environment where the temperature and pressure fluctuates or where other types of gas or large amounts of dust are present.



Since their release in 2008, Yokogawa's laser gas analysers have entered wide use around the world thanks to their high reliability and superior performance in challenging environments.



To date, Yokogawa has offered the TDLS8000, which comes with a separate light launcher and detector and is suitable for measuring the concentration of high-temperature and high-pressure gases even in the presence of large amounts of dust, the TDLS8100, which is capable of measuring the concentration of gases where the flow rate falls within the range of 1 to 30 meters per second, and the TDLS8200, which enables the simultaneous measurement of two gas types, and for which the explosion-proof version is being added this time.  TradeArabia News Service
Russia said Sunday that its missile barrage on a Ukrainian port key to a freshly-inked grain export deal had targeted military infrastructure at the facility, after the attack sparked an outcry from Ukraine and its allies.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Saturday's strike on the Odessa port -- that came just one day after the warring sides struck a deal to resume exports blocked by the conflict -- as "Russian barbarism".

Turkey helped broker the accord and said after the double cruise missile attacks that it had received assurances from Moscow that Russian forces were not responsible.

But Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman appeared to roll back on that denial Sunday, saying the strikes had destroyed a Ukrainian warship.

"Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odessa, with a high-precision strike," Maria Zakharova said in a statement on social media, claiming a "patrol boat" had been sunk.

The port attack has thrown into doubt the milestone agreement aimed at relieving a global food crisis that was hammered out over months of negotiations and signed in Istanbul.

Russia also pursued an artillery campaign over Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv. By SERGEY BOBOK (AFP)

Zelensky said the strikes on Odessa showed Moscow could not be trusted to keep its promises and that dialogue with Moscow was becoming increasingly untenable.

"This apparent Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining the very weapons we need for our victory," Zelensky said in a late-night address to the nation.

Under the deal brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres, Odessa is one of three designated export hubs.

Mykolaiv attacks

Ukrainian officials said grain was being stored in the port at the time of the strike, although the food stocks did not appear to have been hit.

Guterres -- who presided over the signing ceremony Friday -- "unequivocally" condemned the attack. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the "reprehensible" strikes showed Russia's disregard for its commitments.

The United States "strongly condemned" the attack, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it "casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russia's commitment to yesterday's deal".

Until Zakharova's claims Sunday, there was no response from Moscow, but Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Russia had denied carrying out the attack.

"The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack" he told state news agency Anadolu.

The Odessa region's governor, Maksym Marchenko, said the strikes left people wounded and damaged port infrastructure in Odessa, without specifying the number or severity of the injuries.

The first major accord between the countries since Russia's February invasion of Ukraine aims to ease the "acute hunger" the UN says an additional 47 million people are facing because of the war.

Main ports in Ukraine's Black Sea region. By (AFP)

Ukraine at the signing warned it would conduct "an immediate military response" should Russia violate the accord and attack its ships or stage an incursion around its ports.

Zelensky said responsibility for enforcing the deal fell to the UN, which along with Turkey is a co-guarantor of the agreement. Turkey said it was committed to the accord after the attack.

The deal includes points on running Ukrainian grain ships along safe corridors that avoid known mines in the Black Sea.

Huge quantities of wheat and other grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports by Russian warships and the mines Kyiv laid to avert a feared amphibious assault.

Zelensky has said around 20 million tonnes of produce from last year's harvest and the current crop would be exported under the agreement, estimating the value of Ukraine's grain stocks at around $10 billion.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said he expected the deal to start "in the next few days" although diplomats expect grain to only start fully flowing by mid-August.

The agreement in Istanbul has brought little reprieve on the battlefield where Russian forces were carrying out bombardments across the sprawling front line over the weekend, Ukraine's presidency said Sunday.

It said among attacks in the industrial east and south, four Russian cruise missiles Saturday had hit residential areas in the southern city of Mykolaiv, injuring five people, including a teenager.

burs-jbr/raz
Liberia has allowed dual citizenship, reversing a longtime ban viewed by some as hypocritical as many elites secretly held US citizenship.

The bill, signed into law by President George Weah Friday and confirmed Sunday by AFP, had passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate Tuesday.

It amends the West African state's nationality law, allowing Liberians to remain citizens after acquiring a second nationality.

Liberia -- a country founded by Americans -- has a significant diaspora living in the United States. An estimated 100,000 people born in Liberia lived in America between 2008 and 2012, according to US census data.

Dual citizens will, however, be barred from serving as Liberian president, finance minister or central bank governor and from holding high-level positions in national security or law enforcement.

"If such a person desires to contest (elections), the person must renounce the citizenship of the other country at least one year before applying to the National Elections Commission," the bill reads.

Last year, a Supreme Court decision relaxed the country's tough ban on dual citizenship, which dated back to 1973. The ban had previousy automatically stripped citizenship from holders of other passports.

The court decision did not overturn the dual citizenship ban but rather meant that a court must decide whether or not someone can be stripped of Liberian nationality.

The ban -- which blocked Liberians who had naturalised in the US or Europe from holding a Liberian passport -- had long been viewed as hypocritical in some quarters, as elite Liberians secretly held American citizenship, and have been accused of transferring money abroad.

Hundreds of thousands of other Liberians are also thought to reside overseas, having fled war and poverty.

Weah previously asked Liberians to lift the ban in a referendum in December 2020, arguing that nationality restrictions -- which include a ban on foreign property ownership -- were unfair.

Some hoped the move would propel investments in the poor nation of 4.8 million people.

Yet the proposed change failed. A majority of 51.5 percent of voters were in favour of lifting the ban, but a two-thirds majority was required.

Liberia was founded by ex-slaves from the US. It declared independence in 1847, which the US formally recognised in 1862.

According to naturalisation law, only Black people can be Liberian citizens.

Under the new legislation, any Black person can now acquire Liberian citizenship through marriage, adoption or if they were born in the country or to Liberian parents.
Board of Governors in the various educational institutions have been urged to make positive impact in their jurisdiction to complement government's effort of creating a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning.

The Gomoa Central District Chief Executive, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo who made the call assured that Government would continue to ensure quality education by providing the needed infrastructure and logistics in every educational institution.

The DCE said this at the inauguration of the Board of Governors of the Ogyedom Senior High Technical School located at Gomoa Afransi in the Central Region last Thursday.

He disclosed that the Gomoa Central District Assembly in collaboration with the Member of Parliament, Hon. Naana Eyiah would do everything within their power to ensure the success of the school.

Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo therefore called for all hands on deck to enable the school produce quality human resources needed for national development.

"Let me use the opportunity to caution Board Members against any antagonistic act against the school administration, but rather assist to sustain the credibility of the school.

"Let all be part of the history we are making today and cherish it that for the first time, Ogyedom Senior High Technical School has gotten a governing body to support its growth and development.

"I congratulate members of the Board for qualifying for this enviable positions. I know you will bring your experience to bear in the school.

"Free SHS has come to stay and we all ought to commit ourselves towards its sustainability and the policy governing it. In spite of the global economic crisis, let us rally behind the government in our small way to ensure economic growth and development of the country thereby reducing poverty-related hardships," he stated.

The Central Regional Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mrs. Martha Owusu Agyeman tasked the Board of Governors to play their roles in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their positions and work effectively with the school authorities to instill moral discipline.

"As a Regional Director of Education, am to ensure establishment of a Board of Governors for educational institutions in the region. Am therefore excited to see the inauguration of this Board to facilitate smooth running of Ogyedom Senior High Technical School being a public institution.

"Under section 37 of the Pre-tertiary Education Act 1049, 2020, public higher institutions shall be controlled by Board of Governors. It is therefore expected that there shall be Board of Governors for every educational institution.

"Board of Governors represent community participation in the day-to-day running of the school by contributing their quota towards an effective management system.

"The activities of the school cannot be done without the interest of the community. There should be foster relationship between the school and the community. This is where the relevance of the Board is needed.

"Members forming the Board of Governors were carefully chosen on merit. We have a representative of the Director General of the Ghana Education Service, the Regional Director of Education, the District Director of Education, the Headmistress of the school.

"The rest are, two people representing traditional and historical interest, a representative of the Parent's Association, two representative of the Old Students Association, representatives from Teaching and Non Teaching staff, two representative of the District Assembly and the Secretary to the Board.

"They represent the interest of the various groups in the community and I believe that they will assist school authorities to discharge their duty but not to lord over the administration, especially the headmistress," he stated.

Mrs. Martha Owusu Agyeman urged the Board to ensure sanity in the school.

The Headmistress of the Ogyedom Senior High Technical School, Dr. Gladys Abena Amuaful later in an interview with Newsmen said the school was established in 2009 by the Chief of Gomoa Afransi, Ogyedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI to offer pre-tertiary education to BECE graduates in Gomoa Afransi and its surrounding communities and even beyond.

"Since the adoption of the school into public education system in 2019, we have performed creditable with better results on yearly basis. The current population of Ogyedom Senior High Technical School stands at 238, we are hopeful it will increase steadily.

"Our major problem is dormitory facilitated, since it is a Day school, most parents found it extremely hard to pay for accommodation for their wards because of the Free SHS policy. It is our prayer that Government through its infrastructure development would come to our aid to enable us accommodate more students," Dr. Gladys Amuaful noted.
The Developing Acute Care and Emergency Referral Systems (ACERS) project, a USAID-funded initiative of the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to improve maternal health, has enhanced health care delivery services in communities.

The three-year project has improved health delivery in diverse aspects in areas including the Gushegu Municipality in the Northern Region and Nkwanta South in the Oti Region.

Mr Stephen Dadia, Gushegu Municipal Director of Health said the CRS' partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) through its projects had positively affected the health outcomes of pregnant women and children in the area.

He said it had contributed to reducing institutional mortality and neonatal deaths in the municipality from 112 to 22 per 100, 000 and 9.4 to 4.5 per cent, per 1000 live births respectively.

He said this when briefing the Global President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CRS, Mr Sean Callahan, during his visit to Gushegu to tour the project intervention areas of the organisation.

The ACERS project saw the establishment of an Emergency Dispatch Center (EDC) for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in the Gushegu Municipality and the pregnancy school sessions to increase health literacy among pregnant women.

The EDC has been equipped with logistics including rural ambulances referred to as Modified Motorking Ambulances to coordinate referral activities at the pre-hospital level.

Mr Dadia said the rural ambulances harmonised referral activities of the NAS and the GHS, while the pregnancy school concept had improved the institutionalised system approach to community demand generation in more than 400 communities in the municipality.

He said the initiatives under the ACERS project had benefited health institutions as well as different categories of individuals in communities within the municipality.

Miss Rubama Kassim, a Midwife at the Gushegu Municipal Hospital, said the EDC communicated directly to the hospital prior to patients' referrals, which made them ready to receive and attend to them promptly.

She said the EDC and rural ambulance systems had reduced tension on health caregivers at the hospital since referrals were done earlier than it used to be adding that the hospital received more referrals and referred less because most cases were taken care of at the municipal level due to preparedness.

Akua Lajegil, a beneficiary of the ACERS project, said she delivered one of her triplets at home impromptu, which left her life and that of the other two in danger but using the rural ambulance helped to save their lives as it swiftly conveyed her to the hospital for attention.

Dr Mohammed Ali, Chief of Party of the ACERS project said womens knowledge on danger signs during pregnancy had increased from 25% to 82% in four years.

He said the Projects overall objective of reducing maternal mortality was achieved as institutional mortality rate of 112 had reduced to 22 per 100, 000 live births in the Gushegu Municipality between the span of 2018 to 2022."

Mr Callahan, speaking to beneficiaries of the ACERS project, said the project was an investment into the health and protection of women and children.

He encouraged beneficiaries of the pregnancy school to use the opportunity to learn more and educate others to ease maternal health stresses among them.

Mr Daniel Mumuni, Country Representative of CRS urged stakeholders of the project to consistently communicate among themselves to keep its impacts running.

He said CRS was committed to supporting health care delivery in the country encouraging workers to coordinate, and work together to extend enhanced health care delivery across the country.

The NAS workers at the EDC, as part of efforts to increase proactive service delivery and sustain activities under the project, had a digitised system, which tracked services and stored data.

The data base recorded a reduction in maternal mortality in the Nkwanta South, from 13% in 2019 to 6.2% in 2021.

The EDC data indicated that the average response time for health facilities with rural ambulances was less compared to communities without rural ambulances.
A suspected thief has been stoned to death in front of the Ashtown Methodist Church in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti

The unidentified man believed to be in his mid-thirties was allegedly lynched for attempting to steal in the area in the wee hours of Sunday, July 24, 2022

The lifeless body of the deceased who is a well-built man was left at the back of the church building by unknown assailants.

An eyewitness who spoke to this reporter disclosed that she heard the noise of people shouting and chasing the suspected thief around the area but was afraid to go near the scene.

"Yes, I heard the noise of some people beating the alleged thief but couldn't go forward because I was afraid.

"I dont know what he attempted to steal here but I woke up in the morning only to discover the body of the deceased at the back of the church building," she stated.

Some residents in the area expressed worry over the rampant robbery attacks in the area and called on security in the metropolis to take necessary actions to curb the menace.

This particular incident, they noted was the tenth time a suspected thief was lynched to death in the area in the last four years.

While the residents were concerned about the serial killing of suspected robbers in the area, they were equally worried about how some thieves have been terrorizing residents in the area.

The body of the deceased was still left in a bush at the back of the church building as of the time of filing this report.
24.07.2022 LISTEN

According to the article published in The Lancet last year, transgender-specific data could benefit efforts in Asia to identify gaps in HIV response for transgender people. Despite alarming evidence of high HIV incidence among key affected populations, such as transgender people, transgender-specific data related to HIV care cascade are scarce (and often merged with data for gay and other men who have sex with men). Countries like Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia, that have used integrated biological and behavioural surveillance, show an increase in HIV prevalence among transgender people.

While countries improve data on full range of HIV care cascade for key populations, people themselves are rising up to improve responses from the grounds-up. Transgender people in Thailand have led by example in demonstrating leadership in setting up gender-affirming healthcare services for their communities  the first of its kind in the entire Asia Pacific region.

Ahead of the 24th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022), CNS (Citizen News Service) spoke to one of the featured plenary speakers of the conference, Rena Janamnuaysook, who is one of the co-founders of Thai Transgender Alliance, the first transgender-owned human rights organisation in Thailand. Rena is also credited to have established the Tangerine Community Health Clinic, the first transgender-led health clinic in the Asia Pacific region.

Currently, in Thailand, like in many other Asian countries, gender-affirming care for transgender populations has not yet been supported or subsidised under universal health coverage. But since the past five years we have been actively working closely with the Thai Ministry of Public Health and the National Health Security Office to include gender-affirming care for transgender populations in the universal health coverage, said Rena, who also serves as Programme Manager for Transgender Health at the Institute of HIV Research and Innovation (IHRI) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Rena and other people from transgender communities had organized a community consultation twelve years ago where consensus emerged to set up the first-ever human rights organization for the transgender people. That is how Thai Transgender Alliance came into being. At that time we were not visible as a community-based organization, so we established this Alliance because human rights are for all individuals, regardless of their gender, race, religion, ethnicity or age. Human rights should be integrated well into our lives as a human being and as a citizen of Thailand, I think that everyone should respect transgender populations. Right to healthcare services is one of the human rights, said Rena.

Tangerine Community Health Clinic

Till seven years ago, not enough transgender people were opting for HIV testing. It could have been because of stigma and discrimination within healthcare settings, or because no transgender specific services were available, or because the healthcare providers were not gender-sensitive enough towards transgender population. For us at IHRI, this was an alarming situation that we needed to address. So, in 2015 we organized a national transgender community consultation and invited transgender representatives from across the country, from diverse backgrounds of transgender populations, to take part in it. They included young transgender people, transgender sex workers, transgender men and transgender women, transgender celebrities as well as transgenders living with HIV. Based on that national dialogue we agreed for the establishment of transgender specific healthcare clinics in Thailand, shared Rena.

This clinic was named Tangerine Community Health Clinic. The name Tangerine was chosen as it is neither too feminine nor too masculine, and it represents a fruit that is healthy and has an attractive colour. One of the main strengths of this clinic is that it is led by a team of trained transgender staff. We have transgender counsellors, transgender clinic supervisors and they are working along well with other gender-sensitive healthcare practitioners, including physicians and nurses, added Rena.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Looking back over the past seven years, Rena shared that the journey has been not without challenges. One of the HIV prevention options is Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) which got US FDA approval in July 2012. Low uptake of PrEP among transgender people, especially transgender women, was one of the challenges. HIV-related stigma, risky behaviour, multiple sexual partners, and stigma related to HIV prevention strategies in Thailand were some of the reasons why PrEP uptake remained low, back then.

Many transgender people perceive that if they are using PrEP, they will be stigmatized by their society, family members and partners or even healthcare providers. To address these challenges we launched the first transgender-specific PrEP campaign in Bangkok to increase the visibility of the transgender women in public healthcare system. The messages that we used around PrEP were very positive. We did not use any stigmatising messages. Instead we used empowering messages for transgender people to consider whether or not PrEP is right for them. After the launch of this campaign in the city we have seen an improvement in PrEP uptake among transgenders, shared Rena.

The Tangerine Community Health Clinic has emerged as a model for other countries. We are providing technical assistance to many organisations to establish similar transgender-focussed or transgender-specific clinics in many countries including Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, confirmed Rena.

When transgender people seek gender-affirming HIV care services managed by transgender people along with gender-sensitive staff, the uptake is much better. From HIV testing to linking to antiretroviral therapy, results speak volumes of this approach. This is leading to viral load suppression,she added.

More service providers from key populations must be trained to be able to provide HIV services for their own communities by task-sharing and/or working together with the professional healthcare service providers. I think one of the strengths of the key populations is that they understand the community better due to their own lived experiences. They know how to access or reach out to the community members and how best to communicate with them. So we need more community-led responses for HIV care and control, rightly said Rena.

Rena is among the featured plenary speakers of AIDS 2022. Reflecting on the theme of the conference, Re-engage and follow the science, she said, Undoubtedly we need to fully re-engage with the communities of key populations because in the past 2-3 years during the pandemic, these were the people who were mostly left behind in the HIV response. All innovative approaches and methods, including those of service provision, must be evidence based and evidence informed in order to push for policy and advocacy in their respective countries. Working actively with the communities promotes their meaningful engagement with key populations, which is key to the HIV care and control response.

Shobha Shukla  CNS (Citizen News Service)

(Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here www.bit.ly/ShobhaShukla)
The message here from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is for Nigeria to end its arbitrary arrest, punitive detention, and illegal trial of Kanu, which could lead to the Nigerian government being held accountable by reporting Nigeria to the Human Rights Council.

President Muhammadu Buhari do not be carried away or influenced by the usual editorial twisting by some Nigerian newspapers that a particular piece of information did not come directly from this or that, and for your information, the UN's former Commission on Human Rights established the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with Resolution 1991/42. The Working Groups mandate was most recently extended by Human Rights Council resolution 42/22 of September 26, 2019, for another three-year period.

The United Nations Human Rights Councils Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate individual cases of arbitrary detention, and situations where country conditions have prompted more widespread occurrences of arbitrary detention, such as Nigeria.

I still remember in 2020, the overall head of the UN under which the UNHRC comes under, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres continues to call on nations to act on human rights.

I still remember how in 2018, when President Trump removed America from the U.N. Human Rights Council, a man known for his weak likeness for human rights, but President Biden and his administration have since rejoined the Human Rights Council.

Nigeria is a Member State of the United Nations (UN) and has human rights obligations at both the regional and universal levels.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is being tried on charges of treason by the Federal Government of Nigeria in a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

President Buhari should know that the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Kanu, is now a matter of interest in United Nations circles.

President Buhari, the United Nations Human Rights Councils Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, has called on the Nigerian government to, "immediately release Kanu unconditionally" and reimburse him with adequate compensation for the arbitrary violation of his fundamental human rights.

President Buhari, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, has indicted both the Nigerian and Kenyan governments for the illegitimate apprehension, detention, extraordinary rendition, torture, and continued detention of Kanu without due process.

Professor Mike Ozekhome, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kanu's lead counsel, has repeatedly urged you, as President of Nigeria, to consider a political solution to the Nigeria stated treasonable felony case against Kanu. This plea is especially valid as you have psychologically and ethically stained this court case when, in an interview with Channels Television early this year, you stated that "If there is one institution I wouldnt like to interfere with, it is the judiciary. Only in the same interview did you say, "But what I wonder is that when Kanu was in Europe abusing this administration and mentioning too many things, I never thought he really wanted to voluntarily come to defend himself." "So, we are allowing him to defend himself in our system, not to abuse us from Europe as if he was not a Nigerian." For those who are saying we should release him, no, we cannot release him. " "But if you go to a foreign country and keep on sending incorrect economic and security problems against your country, thinking that you never have to account for what you have been doing, let him account for what he has been doing."

Also in the interview, you said, "There is a possibility of a political solution." If he behaves himself... "

In June 2021, in a briefing by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, he said the fugitive Nnamdi Kanu was back in Nigeria to face trial but did not state how he was secured to Nigeria legally. Malami did not give details of where Kanu was arrested or the diplomatic alliance that may have been involved in the operation. But Ozekhome said Kanu's abduction and rendition to Nigeria without extradition proceedings or hearing in Kenya is a clear violation of Article 12(4) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

President Buhari Kanu was taken in via secrecy. His Nigerian and American lawyers were not officially informed of his illegal abduction from Kenya.

Regarding Kanu, a British-Nigerian citizen, the United Kingdom media said, "The abduction of a person from a foreign country with the aim of rendition to justice is illegal under international law."

Kanu later told his lawyers that was tortured, maltreated, and mercilessly beaten, after spending eight or so days in illegal custody in Nigeria before Nigerians held about his forced return to Nigeria.

Bruce Fein, the American counsel for Kanu, has filed a petition against Nigerias government to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mr. President, you are being accused of targeting Kanu as an Ibo man in the light of Feins report that this was part of "a widespread and systematic attack by the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria, against the Biafran civilian population in the southeast."

Justice Binta Nyako the presiding judge once stated that the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), where Kanu is detained, is not a five-star hotel where Kanu can enjoy all the amenities he desires, and she however, advised the SSS to treat Kanu as a human being with rights.

In fact, Kanu should not be under the State Security Services (SSS) custody but in a correctional center as a pre-trial detainee where the Nelson Mandela Rules in regard to protecting the rights of persons in detention and prohibiting indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement apply.

Kanu was allegedly abused in the Department of State Services detention, according to his lawyers, by not being allowed to practice his faith, take a bath, change his clothes, or eat properly. He was even denied access to his reading glasses, which the court ordered released to him.

Just last month, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expressed discontent with the refusal of the presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja division, Justice Nyako, to grant bail to Kanu.

The President recently said while attending a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that he Kanu should "justify all the uncomplimentary things said against Nigeria while he was in Britain."

Buhari continues to interfere in a legal case like Kanu's. The judge, Justice Nyako, according to normal democratic principles, should have informed the government and Buhari in particular, that interfering in a criminal prosecution in court before the public is a further abuse of Kanus right to a fair and uncontaminated trial, and should have protected his right to a fair trial.

As a result of the politicization of human rights and the dehumanization of Kanus legal rights, the case now has disastrous effects on the judiciary. As such, the entire case should be dismissed with prejudice by the judge, which means the case is settled and cannot be reopened in the future.

The Buhari administration must learn to be accountable to legal and ethical standards, and the Nigerian judicial system must learn to protect all citizens' human rights.

As soon as possible, President Buhari and his administration need to comply with the UN Human Rights Council working group assertions regarding Kanus right to life and liberty, and freedom from torture, and to do otherwise could result in charges of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian rights.

President Buhari, on a moral note, remember that human rights abuses, including political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, as well as prejudice, might be common in a military regime, but in the current Nigeria, which is generally a democracy, human rights and democratic governance are critical components, and that is what the UN Human Rights working group on the issue of human rights is demanding of Nigeria about Kanu.

President Buhari, even if the views of the Working Group are not direct views of the United Nations, and may not be legally binding on Nigeria, just do the right thing as their concerns will result in appropriately operating Nigerias criminal justice system.

President Buhari, as a man who wishes to return to cattle farming in the coming months, do not allow yourself to be caught in an international criminal court regarding Kanus torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the likes of head of SSS Yusuf Bichi, AGF Malami, and Justice Nyako might equally be affected. Sir, the demand is to "immediately release" Kanu, "unconditionally" and pay him acceptable compensation for the arbitrary violation of his fundamental human rights. Just do it So Kanu can return to his adopted home in the United Kingdom. You have nothing to lose. Allah bless you.

John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria to a father who served in the Nigeria police for 37 years, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult and child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional, and Career Development. He is a former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings In 2011, he introduced State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. He is currently a Virtual Behavioral Leadership Professor at ISCOM University, Republic of Benin. Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, and Openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 200 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.

Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
The socio-economic conflict between various African countries is a problem causing instability and a lack of significant development within the continent. Poverty, arbitrary borders, corruption and inept leadership are major contributors to conflicts.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to ensure stability by providing solutions to the causes of these conflicts. Not only will the interests of every country be met, but the AfCFTA will also directly affect individuals within all member regions by creating more employment opportunities in the industry and manufacturing sectors.

Socio-economic conflict in Africa can be prevented by consolidating the (AfCFTA) within the African Union. The Sand War, the Anglophone Crisis, and the EritreanEthiopian War are examples of conflicts in Africa that broke out due to economic and political conflicts of interests between countries. The (AfCFTA) is a strategic plan that aims to facilitate trade in Africa. It stands to also assist governments in resolving issues as soon as they emerge to avoid significant conflicts. For example, Article 20 of the AfCFTA, is focused on conflict settlement. With reduced disputes and stronger bonds between countries, states will be more inclined to reduce inter-trade tariffs, reducing costs and fostering unity.

Conflicts can arise from philosophical differences in leadership. AfCFTA agrees on roles and differences between member countries, therefore, having great harmony for a common goal.

AfCFTA has only the interest of member states at heart for one Africa. Religion has a long history of fueling conflict, but it is not always because of differences in belief. The same phenomenon explains why some people enjoy the volatile mixture of faith and politics. Geopolitics is often the underlying cause for religious warfare, with those who fight for their religious ideals often carrying a desire to "spread religion." It is then worthy of note that the AfCFTA is religiously neutral and has no bias towards any faith or religious ideology..

Countries whose governments carefully implement AfCFTA would see their borders well exploited for trade, immediately diminishing insecurities caused by porous borders. Governments tend to hold dear their source of income. Therefore, businesses within boundaries generate more income, and there will be more revenue to tighten border security using the latest technologies.

Although AfCFTA will bring enormous developments in Africa, conflicts can also arise from a lack of transparency. At this moment, AfCFTA needs to ensure that it addresses concerns about corruption in detail to improve accountability amongst countries and prevent conflicts. AfCFTA needs to measure the use of innovative technologies to capture, analyze, and share data to prevent, detect, and deter corrupt behaviour. Also, AfCFTA must be open in all its processes with professional accountability.

AfCFTA will see the rise and success of a regional pact designed to facilitate trade, investment, and economic integration among countries in Africa. AfCFTA's successful implementation will not only unite African countries of different socioeconomic types but can also prevent significant conflict or war crises on the continent.

Adetola Babalola is an author of Poetry Collection, Words From Hell and writing fellow at the African Liberty
24.07.2022 LISTEN

As part of the continental activities to commemorate the 2022 Africas Womens Day, Miss Mavis Adams Lariba, 2022 Miss Tourism contestant has applauded the contribution of foremothers of Africa for the critical role in the emancipation struggles.

Miss Lariba noted that Africas Foremothers joined their male colleagues in the freedom fight through the political, social, economic, traditional, and religious fields sometimes without recognition, our foremothers also fought gallantly for the liberation and development of Africa.

The 2022 Miss Tourism Contestant Miss Lariba in interaction with the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema at the weekend also commended the African Union and the Pan-African Womens Organisation (PAWO) for acknowledging the Foremothers of Africa.

The African Union and PAWO have rolled out a month-long 2022 Africas Womens Day, activities, which would be climaxed on July 31st.

Miss Lariba explained that Africas Womens Day must not also forget the roles of our foremothers in the hinterland played and continue to play for the development of the African Continent.

She called on African Governments to also celebrate foremothers in the tourism sector, stressing that women hold the key to the development of the tourism sector and must therefore be given the needed support, which would generally attract tourists to a given destination.

Miss Lariba also called on the public to vote for her through the short Code: *447*124#13 to enable her to continue to champion the tourism sector as its Ambassador.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Delphine Brew-Hammond, Director of the Miss Tourism Ghana organization has described the pageant as an opportunity for young women to know more about their culture and heritage.

She said Miss Tourism Ghana 2022 was launched to continue the tradition of promoting the rich cultural heritage and tourist destinations across the country.

Miss Tourism Ghana is one of the most influential beauty pageants in Ghana, solely dedicated to projecting the tourism sector. Over the years it created the avenue for selling destination Ghana locally and internationally, she said.

This years pageant will take place on September 2 at the National Theatre in Accra.

The 2022 Africas Womens Day celebration is on the theme; Towards the African Womens Decade: Realizing Womens Human Capital through accelerated social and economic development, addressing the scourge of violence, food insecurity, and good nutrition on the African continent.

The activities include validation and launch of the Programme of Work of the African Union Gender Champion, Ghanas President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Launch of the Roadmap of the Second African Womens Decade on Financial and Economic Inclusion for African Women and its flagship programme; the Women and Youth Financial and Economic Inclusion (WYFEI-2030) initiative that is led by the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr. Monique Nsanzabagwana.

Others were the launch of the End of Term Review Report of the 1st African Womens Decade (AWD) on Grassroots Approach to Gender Equality, and Womens Empowerment on July 7th, 2022.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of PAWO which is Africas first collective womens organization, which has contributed to the struggle for the continents liberation from colonialism, the elimination of apartheid, and the eradication of gender inequalities, discrimination, and injustices against women.

PAWO, a Specialised Agency of the African Union, has played an important

role in mobilizing African women on the continent and the Diaspora to rally around collective struggles for a free and prosperous Africa.

Source: CDA Consult
The Fanteakwa South District Assembly in the Eastern region has, in partnership with Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA), a non-profit making organisation, organised a Town Hall Meeting at Osino, the district capital, as part of measures to keep residents abreast of governments policies and programmes.

It was also to solicit feedback from the people in relation to the impact of various interventions by both the district assembly and the central government as well as engage the populace on the assemblys medium term development plan for 2022  2025.

Addressing the town hall meeting, the Fanteakwa South DCE, Ernest Ofosu, said it was his vision to render selfless leadership that empowers every person or group of persons to create local opportunity, growth and impact on every community for the development of the district.

He used the occasion to update the citizenry about some completed and ongoing infrastructural projects, which are all geared toward the socio-economic advancement of the district.

Completed projects

The DCE mentioned some of the completed infrastructural projects, which are ready for commissioning such as a 2-storey District Assembly office block, a District Magistrate Court building and a four-bedroom bungalow for the presiding judge who will be posted to the court as well as a 4-unit semi-detached self-contain for staff of the Ghana Health Service, all located at Osino.

He added that the Assembly, through the Department of Feeder Roads, has completed the reshaping of some 20 kilometres of feeder roads across the district as well as completed work on the conversion of a classroom block into a CHPS Compound and nurses quarters at Bepoase.

According to him, a number of storm bridges have also been constructed in parts of the district to facilitate the transportation of goods and services and also boost socio-economic activities.

Up-coming projects

Mr. Ernest Ofosu also enumerated a number of projects which are to be awarded on contract in less than a month within the Fanteakwa South District.

They include the face-lifting of the Osino lorry park, the construction of a 3-unit classroom block with ancillary facilities each at Nsutam SDA JHS and Heman SDA JHS and the construction of mechanised boreholes at Juaso, Abompe and Bepoase.

The DCE also paid glowing tribute to Advocates for Community Alternatives (ACA) for their immeasurable support to the district assembly and for partnering some communities in the area, which have been adversely affected by mining activities, to undertake income-generating activities to enhance their living standards.

He pledged the support of the assembly towards the operations of ACA in making positive impacts on the lives of the people.

The DCE announced plans to convert some reclaimed mining lands into rubber plantations while interested youth who were once into illegal mining activities are to also be assisted to venture into poultry farming and other businesses.

Open forum

When the floor was opened for the people to put across their concerns where the residents called for more attention to the road networks in the area and the need to construct teachers quarters at Juaso as most teachers live in nearby towns, thereby affecting teaching and learning.

They further expressed worry about the current state of the borehole at Juaso as it gets extremely dirty whenever it rains and asked the assembly to do something about the situation.

The DCE, together with his Planning Officer, Mary Kanlisi; the District Engineer, Mr. Foster Adu and other officials took turns to respond to the concerns raised.
Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), the largest aluminium smelter in the world ex-China, said its newest casting facility, Casthouse 4 (CH4), is a key component of the Line 6 expansion project that will help expand its portfolio of value-added products (VAP).

Commissioned in December 2018, Casthouse 4 has a built-in annual capacity of 530,000 mtpa for VAP.

"We built Casthouse 4, our newest casting facility with state-of-the-art operations, to expand our VAP portfolio. We aim to close 2022 with at least 72% VAP sales; thus exceeding our last year's sales of 63%," said Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Daij Al Khalifa, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alba, after his field visit to Casthouse 4 today (July 24).

He was accompanied by Albas CEO Ali Al Baqali, Casthouse Director A. Rasool Ahmed A. Rasool as well as senior officials during the tour to CH4 facility.

He then met shop-floor employees and commended them for setting a new benchmark in the companys safety performance and recording more than 28 million safe working hours without LTI.

"I also thank our employees and contractors personnel in CH4 for staying committed to meeting our production targets while operating by the principle of Safety First, Safety Always," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
President Nana Akufo-Addo says the tomb of former President John Evans Atta Mills has not been tampered with.

This comes after the family alleged that the government has allowed the Atta Mills Institute to tamper with the grave of the former President by informing them.

Speaking during the commissioning of the Rehabilitated Asomdwee Park and the 10th Anniversary of the death of President Atta Mills, President Akufo-Addo said the public should reject such claims.

He stressed that the legacy of the former president will not be forgotten.

There have been unfortunate accusations levelled by some persons against Government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the Park.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and it is good to note that these false, malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority, through the agency of its CEO, Mr. Jerry Ahmed Schaib, in a public statement under his hand, he added.

Applauding the president for his contribution to building the Asomdwe Park, the Chief Executive of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho, said he will ensure the regular maintenance of the park.

Professor John Evans Atta Mills previously served as Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry Rawlings, and he stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He is the first sitting Ghanaian head of state to die in office and was subsequently laid to rest at the Asomdwee Park.

John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was a Ghanaian politician and legal scholar who served as President of Ghana from January 2009 to July 24, 2012.

---citinewsroom
24.07.2022 LISTEN

The Attorney General (AG) has been given one month to speed up processes for a 50-year-old pastor of the12 Apostles Church to stand trial over the death of a four-year-old girl, he allegedly defiled at Asuokor in the Eastern Region.

Isaac Bowe Gyasi is said to have defiled the victim in a bathroom near his church.

Residents nabbed him in the act on November 28, 2019 and handed him over to the Police.

The state held that the victim died as a result of the defilement while on admission.

Accused since 2019, has been on remand and is facing a charge of murder.

His counsel, Mr David Owusu Tachie informed the virtual court that he was under the influence of alcohol when he allegedly committed the act.

Mr. Tachie therefore prayed for bail for the accused, a father of one adding that accused should be charged with manslaughter and not murder.

The Justice for All Programme Virtual Court held at Nsawam Medium Security Prison and presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga, turned down the bail application put in by the accused.

Justice Honnyenuga considering the nature and facts of the case refused bail and gave the Attorney General one month to commit the accused person to stand trial at the High Court.

The state led by Yvoone Y. Dacosta, Assistant State Attorney and Vivian Osei Tutu opposed to bail saying the Bill of Indictment had been dispatched by the Attorney General and to prosecute the matter.

During the virtual edition of the Justice for All Programme (JFA) at Nsaeam, the two courts heard 60 cases.

At the end of the sittings of the two courts (clothed with High Court Jurisdiction), discharged three persons unconditionally, 27 persons were granted bail with 23 others refused bail.

Six persons had their cases struck out and one person referred for Psychiatric examination.

The courts were presided over by Justice Angelina Mensah Homiah, a Court of Appeal judge and Justice Clemence Honyenuga, Justice of the Supreme Court and Chairman of the Justice For All Programme.

Murder cases took centre stage of the sittings with rape, narcotic offences, and defrauding by false pretences preceding.

Justice Honyenuga said the virtual Justice For All Programme train will move to the Volta Region which is Ho Prisons.

The Justice For All Programme (JFA) seeks to provide opportunities for accused persons who have been on remand for long years without trial.

The JFA is held in collaboration with POS Foundation, a human rights non governmental organisation.

GNA
24.07.2022 LISTEN

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Sunday commissioned the refurbished Asomdweo Park, the resting place of late President John Evans Atta Mills in Osu, Accra.

President Akufo-Addo also unveiled a bust of the late former President, who ruled Ghana from January 7, 2009 to July 24, 2014.

There was a memorial service at the park conducted by the Most Reverend Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo said the Asomdwoe Park which had been in state of disrepair for some time was renovated under his instruction following a request made by Mr Koku Anyidoho, a communications director of the late President for assistance to rehabilitate the place.

I agreed, and, subsequently, I instructed the Coastal Development Authority to undertake a thorough rehabilitation of the Park, with the close co-operation of the Atta Mills Institute.

The President said it was not right that the Park had been allowed to deteriorate considerably since the burial of Prof. Mills in 2012 and I am happy that it was unde the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, allegedly his fiercest critic that Asomdwoe Park has been elevated to a status befitting the final resting place of a President of the Republic of Ghana.

He indicated the rehabilitation of the Park was not for political gain and that he was not responsible for any divisions in the NDC as a result of the rehabilitation of the Park.

Those alleged divisions are not my making, and do not, in any way, inure to my benefit, he stated, adding that the accusations levelled against the Government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the park were malicious.

President Akufo-Addo expressed condolences to Ernestina Naadu Mills, former first lady, to the Mills family, the NDC and the nation on the loss, saying, the man from Ekumfi Otuam will not be forgotten.

Wreaths were laid in memory of the late President Mills. President Akufo-Addo laid one on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana.

The occasion was attended by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, Service Chiefs, senior government officials, ministers of state, Members of Parliament, the diplomatic community, and traditional rulers among others.

GNA
In Gonja parlance, we say that when a fool carries a corpse, you would but suspect that hes the killer. It is now becoming evident that Koku Anyidoho knows something about the death of Prof Mills which the late Profs family are not privy to. Isnt it curious that Koku seem to always suggest that President Mills didnt die his natural death, and that someone might have strangled him to death? May the gentle soul of Prof Evans Attah Mills rest in eternal peace.

Today, 24th July, 2022 marks the 10 Anniversary of the passing of the most peaceful and ever selfless President Ghana has ever had at least for this 4th Republic. Three and half years in office, but he still remains in our hearts as one of the best President Ghana had.

If there was a President who was mocked and cursed in the 4th Republic by his political opponents, Prof Mills will surely come second to President John Mahama. Even with his peaceful persona, his political opponents still found reason to malign, attack, lied and even wish him dead at a point. Today, hes gone to his maker and his political opponents, the NPP and their Judas, Mr Koku Anyidoho, have decided to cash in on his death.

Indeed, the coming of H.E John Dramani Mahama to partner the late Prof Mills in 2008 was the biggest thing that happened to the NDC in 2008. In fact, Prof Mills during his time as President never hid his admiration for President Mahama. He has on a number of occasions addressed H.E John Mahama as his Vice in whom he was pleased. The two were actually admired not only because their pair was lovely one but a pair that gave Ghana huge infrastructure development that the 4th Republic has experience.

During his days as President, Prof Mills never made a comment or assume a posture that suggested that he had an issue with John Mahama. The respect that a subordinate is supposed to accord the superior with was always seen in John Mahamas work. God in his wisdom decided to call Prof Mills earlier than we all could imagine, and all of a sudden, the harmless John Mahama ia tagged as one that hated Mills and one who would have wished him dead. Isnt this disposition surprising?

Today, the NPP under the leadership of Nana Addo wants to create an impression that they love the late Prof more than John Mahama, the NDC and even Profs family. Once there is a political cow to milk, they are running on themselves trying to paint John Mahama and the NDC as some sort of haters of Prof Mills. Meanwhile in opposition, Nana Addo and his NPP made fun of the illness of the humble Prof to the extent they declared and wished him dead anytime the old Prof went to seek medical attention.

Prof Mills at a point had to publicly admit he was sick of sinus infection. This was public information. When his illness deteriorated, it wasnt hidden. And even his family had, on a number of occasions admitted that he died out of that sickness.

Unfortunately, the heartless and insensitive NPP people including Nana Addo, since 2012 have been trying to hoist the death of Mills on President Mahama. In the run up to the 2012 elections, they started that agenda with their rented press, especially their Twi stations, who always gave targeted commentary to suggest that Prof Mills was killed by somebody. In fact, I remember I listened to one Twi station in Kumasi in 2012 where the host insinuated that President Mahama might have killed Prof Mills so that he can take over as President. This has been the handiwork of the NPP and their surrogates within. Ten years on and the NPP are still running around with such posturing and subtly pushing the narrative of Mills death to imply he was murdered.

Ironically, we have just discovered that it was Koku Anyidoho all these while who has being partnering the NPP to create such unfortunate narratives just to tarnish the image of President Mahama. Koku Anyidoho became jealous of some of the young people President Mahama appointed to aide him at rhe Presidency including Stan Dogbe. His jealousy actually graduated into this unexplained hatred for John Mahama to the extent that Koku has sacrificed basic principles of life to pull John Mahama down with the least opportunity.

Koku Anyidoho as the Communication Director for Prof Mills was noted for his arrogance and abuse of power even within his colleagues at the Presidency at the time. Koku could announce the dismissal of the ECG boss in the Ashanti Region even without a formal letter and knowledge of President Mills. Koku fought Hon Mahama Ayariga to a point he latter was relieved of his post as the Spokesperson for Prof Mills.

I said this and will say it againif indeed Prof Mills didnt die his natural death and that he was actually killed by someone closer then, the prime suspect should be Koku Anyidoho. On that 24th July, 2012, according to available information which President Mahama himself had alluded to, indicated that he, President Mahama was on assignment out of the Osu Castle. This implies that President Mahama wasnt at the castle at the time President Mills passed. The late Prof immediate family were around and in fact, Koku was around. So, if there is anybody to suspect for the murder of Prof Mills, if that is what Koku and his NPP cannibals want us to believe then, all fingers should be pointing at Koku, because he was right there when President Mills passed.

Yes, John Mahama is a pure Gonja. A royal partly and a warrior partly. If there is anything President Mahama can do, it is not to think evil how much more executing one. Looking at the faces and attitudes of President Mahama and Koku Anyidoho, who looks like a vampire, a monster and a potential killer? Koku is left without shame and conscience once his food is served. He eats and smokes small and the next thing is to get data to spew thrash on President.

Some of us have decided not to give Koku any audience in the past but because his madness has become a convenient political tool for the NPP and President Nana Addo to exploit then, its about time we told Koku that he has a hand in Mills death, if indeed he was killed as purported.

We all know that Hon Nii Lante, Hon Mahama Ayariga, comrade Ludwig, Dr Tony Aidoo and others, equally worked closely with Prof Mills. Although the names mentioned above are by far respected individuals as compared to Koku, but one would have thought that at least, one of them would for once agree with Kokus witchcraft, but all of them seem not to know and agree with Kokus escapades.

Sadly, because the NPP government dont care about nothing once their political interest is served, theyve decided to even leave out the family of the late Prof Mills and to give Koku all the attention and money he needs to keep attacking John Mahama by using Mills name. A government that has run Ghanas economy down should be thinking of how to fix it and not to use the death of President Mills to exploit the unsuspecting Ghanaians.

When his 8-year old daughter, Sitsofe, died in a car accident, Mr Koku didnt honor her with any seriousness. I am even told he has left the wife traumatized after the death of her daughter. That is a person who wants the world to believe that he genuinely loves the late Prof Mills more than his family.

I shudder to think that Koku is probably being haunted by the ghost of Prof Mills which is why he can even go to the extent of fighting Profs biological brother and the entire family. By the time we open our eyes, I can predict that Koku will run naked before he dies. Today, Koku wants us to applaud President Nana Addo for renovating the Asomdwe park and ignore all his derogatory comments including wishing the Prof dead. Today, celebrating the dead is worth more than respecting the old Prof when he was alive. Who named President Mills Proffessor do little?

You are asking for the autopsy report of Prof Mills while running away from conducting same on your daughter. Can we also call for autopsy to be done on the late wife of Nana Addo? Can we also conduct autopsy on the late Kobina Boadu, the former aide to Dr Bawumia? What about the late Baah Wiredu? What about President Rawlings? I even heard Koku was as usual around President Rawlings at the time of his passing.

I am not God, but I can tell a ripe corn by its look. Mr Koku Anyidoho if given the next 50 years with all the opportunities in this world, he can never achieve a half of what President John Mahama has achieved. Insha Allah! Insha Allah! Insha Allah! JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA WILL BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF GHANA come 2025, even if Koku should exhume the body of Prof Mills and bury it again.

Hate cant win. Smoking first thing in the morning and last thing in the night isnt good at all.

Finally, let the notice be served on Koku Anyidoho that henceforth, I will follow him to any gutter he goes with the name John Mahama. We wont sit down for such an aimless character to tarnish the image of John Mahama and get away with it. Let the late Prof rest in his grave for once. Maybe weed smoking should be legalized in Ghana.

Shalom.

By Issifu Seidu Kudus Gbeadese

(Youth Imam from Laribanga)

0244198031[email protected]
After a year of introducing smallholder farmers to the Forest Watcher Mobile App, the Rainforest Alliance counts their achievement of growing and monitoring over 9,000 trees in the Sui River landscape.

Selected smallholder farmers and some community members located in the Western North region of Ghana were trained on how to use the mobile application to plant and owe more trees in a bid to check deforestation.

At the closeout ceremony, the Alliance handed over the mandate to farmers and the community to ensure continuity of conserving biodiversity, building climate resilience, and reducing emissions from land-use changes in the Sui Landscape.

Ghanas forest cover keeps depleting over time with the country recording a sixty percent reduction in its primary forest in 2018 alone, mainly stemming from illegal mining and hunting operations.

To check the growing menace, the Rainforest Alliance introduced a data monitoring technique to over hundred farmers within the Sefwi Wiawso district.

The Forest Watcher Mobile App employs an online monitoring system and alert systems of the Global Forest Watch (GFW) to view areas of interest in the field.

Senior Associate of the monitoring and evaluation unit of Rainforest Alliance, Alvin Adu Asare, says the mobile app replaces the outmoded paper-based data collection system.

Within the landscape, they were doing a lot of things through registration. It was imperative that the processes they were using were also streamlined. They were using a lot of paper-based techniques, which wasnt really helping. It was introducing a lot of errors in the data collection processes. So we thought to ourselves to develop a technology that would help the farmers collect the data themselves, he said.

Under the hybrid community-based monitoring system, data on reforestation was collected by the Landscape Management Boards in the selected communities over a 6-month period.

The piloted project expected to be escalated to other forest regions across the country would help address the devastating impact of climate change.

In case of climate change, once you plant the tree and the tree grows that when you realise the potential of that tree. If you plant and the tree dies in one or two years, they it is a problem. So you have to make sure the tree you plant actually survives. That is why we developed this app to monitor the growth of the trees, Alvin Adu Asare added.

The Tech4Communities: Hybrid Community-based Monitoring System (HCMS) is funded by Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) through ISEAL Innovation Fund.

A participating cocoa farmer at the training in the Sefwi Wiawso Landscape, Sampson Tawiah expressed gratitude to Rainforest Alliance for equipping them with knowledge on how to utilize Global Forest Watch tools to monitor their designated landscapes against deforestation and wildfires.

Formally, we were not planting trees in our farms. Whenever there was drought, the sunlight used to hit directly on our cocoa farms. But this project has taught us to plant more trees in our farms to serve as canopy to the cocoa farm. They have also assured us that the trees planted will be registered in our name. That will provide us with more profits, he said.

About HCMS

The scope of the Hybrid Community-based Monitoring System (HCMS) is limited to the Sui River cocoa-forest landscape / Sui River Forest Reserve. It covers an area of 333.9 km, consisting of a long narrow band that follows the Bia-Tano watershed, south of Buaku, in the Western North Region of Ghana. The system is hinged on a landscape participatory approach which is necessary to secure the future of forests and significantly improve livelihood opportunities for farmers and forest users. This system is designed to leverage information and communications technology and empower communities to own the monitoring process, while reducing human error to the barest minimum.

Story by Nana Yaw Reuben
Preface

Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH), in its research on governance, takes a critical look at leadership in Africa. Generally leaders are expected to exhibit fundamental qualities of Integrity, probity, accountability, humility, vision, empathy, communication skills, influence and positivity. Unfortunately many self centered, corrupt leaders do not have these traits ; instead they exhibit divers negative attributes, such as lies, multiple promises, inordinate ambition to leadership and disregard for people and country. This often leads to monumental failure, projected by economic, social and material deprivation ; an epitome of bad governance.

Colonial Heritage

Our self centered corrupt leaders trained in Yale, Oxford and Harvard, with colonial mentality, have always believed without questions every proposal and decisions put forward by their International masters, much to our disadvantage. They sit at table to drink tea, and request potatoes and French cheese for lunch, instead of plantain and fufu. This summarizes the tragedy and failure of African leadership which keeps us plagiarizing, copying very quickly and rapidly, even from wrong sources and from wrong contents. Beside we believe too quickly without considering all reasonable options and dimensions. We have therefore got to be extra careful about those we choose as our leaders.

Nana Addo in Retrospect

A few years after his election into office in 2017, it was clear Nana Addo has nothing new to offer. His priorities were to cripple, destroy, destabilize and corrupt the country ; oblivious of the sentiments of those who voted him into office. As if that was not enough, he compromised the Judiciary, Police, military and other public institutions-putting square pegs in round holes- to complete the full cycle of State Capture. Frequent police killings, kidnappings, murder and intimidations, made it clear he had come to steal, instill fear, kill and destroy the basic structures of our economy, our country and our democracy. Nana Addo`s poor leadership was characterized by heavy borrowing, and depleted International Reserves. He lacks fiscal prudence and management, often spending more than the country earns on consumption instead of productivity. Common sense for him, is not common and hence the massive economic mess.

President Kagame

Rwandan President, Paul Kagame says, and I quote : it is a worst form of criminality, for any leader in Africa to give tax concessions to mining companies who mine without paying necessary taxes. Kagame who is a Pan-Africanist, criticized presidents in Africa who think the African continent`s solutions are a monopoly of Westerners.

Speaking to Parliamentarians in Congo Brazzaville he said he knows quite a number of African leaders who have gone with bowls begging for financial help from Western countries, when back at home they have given tax concessions to mining companies. There ought to be a paradigm shift in thinking by African leaders to realize that the problem they are facing individually as a country and collectively as a continent can only be solved by ourselves.

Indeed African leaders need to stop depending on the West to be free from oil hikes and their chains. When we stop depending on them, we will be able to make independent choices and decisions. On the other hand, if we continue to be puppets, we will not be able to think based on what we see; they will always pull the strings and command you to dance to the tune.

IMF

To depend on IMF to give you solutions is equally deadly. They can`t allow you to make policies to cushion the people, because those who run these Western institutions are the same ones who mine our minerals and own the companies that sell oil on International markets.

Mahama the Nation Builder

Former President John Mahama is a nation builder. These are leaders, who seek the interest of the nation and its people, developing the county with all available resources. They provide social amenities and bring satisfaction to the people. Nation builders are leaders who do not seek their personal interest but that of the nation. Former President Mahama, affectionately known as JM in four years carried out about four hundred projects across the length and breath of Ghana. Hospitals, nursing training colleges, Universities, teacher training colleges. factories, roads, central markets, water projects to towns and villages, distribution of electricity to towns and villages and many others. All ten Regions had their share. Ashanti Region alone had over forty projects. His accolade :  JM the nation builder, made him a man of choice. His Basic Education Program provided equitable access to good quality and child friendly universal basic education for all. This was achieved through significant improvement in infrastructure, provision of teaching and learning materials, enhancement of quality teaching, management and supervision of schools, as well as delivery of social intervention programs.

Late Makofoli of Tanzania

The late President John Makofoli of Tanzania was an African fire-brand who only knew Africa and nowhere else. He sought solutions for problems from Tanzania and from Africa. He refused a 10 million dollar loan from China because he saw no reason for going to borrow when his country can demand a justified amount of mineral resources to manage his economy. With local funds, he bought 6 planes for Tanzanian Airlines. He built a standard gauge Railway lines; built a Gold Refinery for Tanzania and established fee free education. He himself never travelled outside Africa, and banned his Ministers from foreign trips outside Africa. He reduced the number of Ministers from 30 to 19; reduced the salaries of Government officials and abolished their tax exemptions. He was courageous enough to investigate and criticize the UK- Gold Company of illegal mining and for devaluing his country`s gold export. 250 of the company`s containers were seized, and the Company was asked to pay $195 billion. After some negotiations, the Company agreed to pay $300 million, and 16% share of the Company was given to Tanzania.

Courageous Nation Builders

A few of such courageous nation builders have been listed below.

They are:

Former President John Mahama of Ghana President Paul Kagami of Rwanda The late President John Makofoli of Tanzania The late President Dr Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Thinking Outside the Box.

British and US have capitalist type of Democracy. Russia has Socialist type of Democracy. The Chinese have Socialist type of Democracy with Trade Liberalization. I guess it is time for Africa to develop her own political system. Democratic Socialist system with business components.

Dr E. K. Hayford

Executive Director

Caucus for Democratic Governance

CDG-GH

0277606338
The move by the information minister, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, to create a culture of silence in this country should not be accorded with kidsgloves by the good and well-meaning citizens of this country. The information minister's outburst at Martin Kpebu's comments is not only a reflection of a frustrated government with a broken national economy in its hands that is seeking IMF bailout in futility but also a depiction of an autocratic government that is focused on creating and maintaining a culture of silence where critics of the regime can be silenced and made to submit to its wishes and caprices in order to perpetuate the stay of regime in power.

Hon. Kojo Oponka, once upon a time, was a good journalist when he was with Joynews team. He knows very well how Joynews is highly patronised because of the calibre of personalities who are invited to discuss and debate weekly news items that are of national dimensions. Ever since leaving Joynews, he has lost his hard-earned reputation upon assumption of office as minister of the NPP administration where he has been indoctrinated into the weird values and norms of the NPP which has no correlation to the benefit of the larger population of Ghanaians. Hence! his inability to act in the interest of the good people of Ghana, but rather choose to pursue the wishes, caprices and aspirations of his appointing authority.

Need I state very instructively that the respected legal luminary, Martin Kpebu, is no doubt, one of the finest personalities of the legal profession our nation can boast of, and some one who understands the practical application of

0lqthe law, and indeed, his freedoms as a citizen of this country. Like any other citizen, Kpebu has a constitutionally guaranteed rights which include the right to freely express his opinionated views on matters of national interest, and indeed, with regards to the conduct of those who dissipate the public purse. So if, in his honest and candid opinion, he is convinced beyond any aorta of doubt, that indeed, President Nana Akufo-Addo or any other public officer has engaged in any form of criminality, what's bars him from raising it on a public platform like he did? At best, what the President, Nana Akufo Addo, can do, legally, is to resort to the justice system, as it is done in advanced jurisdictions, the matter to be independently investigated, but not go wild in condemning a seemingly needless offence.

President Akufo Addo like any other citizen of this country is not above the laws of Ghana. His actions and inactions are subject to public scrutiny, and where any citizen deem fit to criticise him should be seen to be an exercise of his or her constitutionally guaranteed duties and should not be lambasted or condemned as did by the information minister, Hon. Kojo Opong Nkrumah. Ghana is not a monarchy nor an Arabian autocracy, and reactions like that of Hon. Minister should rather be condemned in no uncertain terms.

In conclusion, I wish to call on the president and his appointees, to be prepared for more criticisms as far as corruption and mismanagement remain the characteristic features of the regime.

AriseGhana, and let's restore the economy!

AriseGhama, and let's weed out corruption!

AriseGhana, and let's say no to family and friends administration!

AriseGhana, and let's say no to incompetence!

AriseGhana, and let's say no to intimidation and favouritism!

God bless our homeland Ghana !

From a cottage boy!

Yentik Gariba

Nalerigu

(aka Northeast Vibrator)
The Parties will not undertake any attacks against merchant vessels and other civilian vessels and port facilities engaged in this initiative.

Even the ever lying New York Times had to grudgingly concede that:

Russia may not have technically violated the deal, since it did not pledge to avoid attacking the parts of the Ukrainian ports that are not directly used for the grain exports, according to a senior U.N. official. If there were military targets nearby, Russia may have been trying to exploit a loophole.
World's largest floating book "sanctuary" spreads knowledge, hope

Xinhua) 13:57, July 24, 2022

Aerial photo taken on July 12, 2022 shows Logos Hope docked at the Valletta harbor in Valletta, Malta. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

VALLETTA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.

This is the mission of Logos Hope, a 132-meter-long ship that was placed into service in February 2009. It entered the Valletta harbor in Malta on July 12, where it is docked until the end of the month for bookworms of different ages to enjoy a world of books.

The crew members, from captains and chefs to those responsible for stacking the thousands of books on board, are all volunteers.

On offer are more than 5,000 titles of books, mostly in English, that cover a wide range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, languages and religion. College coursebooks on languages, mathematics, geography and history can also be found on board.

Although officially registered in Valletta, the vessel spends little time there, moving instead from port to port, so that the crew can share knowledge and help local communities, media relations officer Sebastian Moncayo told Xinhua during a tour of the vessel.

Having been a Logos Hope regular since 2019, with a short break to visit his family in his home country Ecuador, 34-year-old Moncayo loves his life on board, meeting people from other countries and cultures.

He recounted how the boat spent the last three months in Las Palmas in Spain where it was first open to the public and then moved to a dock in another part of Spain for its annual maintenance. Before that, the boat was in west Africa, docking in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia.

After Malta, the boat will sail to Albania and Montenegro in the fall, then may continue its tour further on to Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan in the winter.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, the crew was not allowed to disembark for 122 days, Moncayo said. The pandemic also slashed the boat's income, mostly derived from selling books they buy for a fraction of the market price from donors. An entrance fee of 1 euro (1.02 U.S. dollars) is applicable for visitors aged between 13 and 64.

While in their port of call, the crew usually disembarks to help the local communities through projects with NGOs. "We want to spread the message of how well different communities can live together," said Moncayo.

"It is the love of books and our fascination for meeting people from different cultures that bring us together. (Our) mission is to spread knowledge and hope, and to help (people), and this is what binds us together," he said.

The ship is operated as part of a non-profit organization, GBA Ships, based in Germany.

Avid reader Christine Ellul, 42, would not miss the opportunity to visit the book fair, and has been there twice so far.

"I went twice, once alone (to have) some peace and quiet and another time with my children," she told Xinhua. "I read at least one book every week and my children love reading, too."

She said the idea of the largest floating book fair was also enticing. "The kids enjoyed their time on the boat, speaking to the crew and playing games with them. We got off the boat with three bags of books," she added.

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.(Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.(Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed a UN-backed deal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.

The agreement, which will be implemented in the next few weeks, was signed in the Turkish city of Istanbul and was brokered by the government in Ankara, reported CNBC.

Millions of tonnes of wheat have been stuck in the war-torn nation. Grain exporters in Ukrainian port cities like Odesa have been unable to ship their goods due to the conflict, fueling a global shortage of the commodity and pushing up food prices. Ukraine is one of the worlds biggest wheat exporters, and Russian forces have been blocking the Black Sea, where the grain silos at key Ukrainian ports are located. The Bosporus and Dardanelles are the only water routes in or out of the Black Sea. That gives Turkey influence over how Russias navy can move.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu was in attendance along with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Russian and Ukrainian officials sat at separate tables to sign the documents.
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MANILA, Philippines (AP)  A gunman opened fire on university campus in the Philippine capital region on Sunday, killing a former town mayor and two others in a brazen attack ahead of a graduation ceremony, police said.

The suspect was armed with two pistols and a silencer and was captured in a car he commandeered trying to escape the Ateneo de Manila University in suburban Quezon City, police said. He was blocked by witnesses and authorities outside the university gates.

The sprawling university was put under lockdown and the graduation rite at the law school on campus was canceled, police said.

Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack, but Quezon City police chief Brig. Gen. Remus Medina said the suspect, apparently a medical doctor, had a long-running feud with Rosita Furigay, a former mayor of Lamitan town in southern Basilan province.

She died in the attack together with her aide and a university guard. Furigays daughter, who was supposed to attend the graduation, was wounded and taken to a hospital, a police report said.

Video of the aftermath of the shooting showed students and officials in graduation gowns screaming and running away in panic in the lobby of the school building while others tended to the victims who were sprawled on the ground in the driveway.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who was supposed to be a speaker at the ceremony, was advised to turn back en route to the event, officials said.

Newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to have the attack swiftly investigated and those behind the killings brought to justice. He is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at the House of Representatives on Monday also in Quezon city, where police and other law enforcers had imposed a gun ban and heightened security before the shooting.

We are shocked and saddened by the events at the Ateneo graduation today, Marcos Jr. said. We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded and those whose scars from this experience will run deep."
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Texas simultaneously ranks as one of the best states for business and one of the worst places to live in the U.S., according to a ranking from CNBC. The Lone Star State is the fifth best place for business in the country, but it is the second worst place to live in, the ranking shows.

CNBC ranked each state on 88 different metrics across 10 categories with each category carrying a different weight in the ranking. The workforce category, which includes the concentration of STEM workers, workers with college degrees, employees with associates degrees and people with industry-recognized certificates, carried the most weight, representing 16% of the total score. The workforce metric was Texas best performing category with the state ranking second nationwide.
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time in the last seven months, his campaign said Sunday.

Patrick, 72, tested positive on Saturday and was experiencing mild symptoms, according to a campaign statement.
Qatar Airways has finalised an order for 25 Boeing 737 MAX airplanes, providing the flag carrier's short- and medium-haul fleet with improved economics, fuel efficiency and sustainable operations.



Company leaders announced the order for the 737-10, Boeing's largest and most efficient single-aisle jet, in a signing ceremony at the Farnborough International Airshow.



"We are honoured that Qatar Airways has decided to add Boeing's single-aisle family to its fleet, deepening our relationship with this world-class airline," said Stan Deal, Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO. "The 737-10 is ideally suited for Qatar Airways' regional network and will provide the carrier with the most capable, most fuel-efficient airplane in its class."



Seating up to 230 passengers with a range of 3,300 nautical miles, the 737-10 is the largest airplane in the 737 MAX family, offering greater fuel efficiency and the best per-seat economics of any single-aisle airplane in the industry. The jet can cover 99% of the world's single-aisle routes.



In January, Boeing and Qatar Airways announced a Memorandum of Understanding for 737 MAX airplanes at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. In addition, the airline became the global launch customer for the new 777-8 Freighter, with an order for up to 50 freighters.



Qatar Airways operates more than 120 Boeing airplanes including 777 and 787 passenger jets along with 747 and 777 freighters.  TradeArabia News Service






The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaks during a media conference at an EU Africa summit in Brussels on Feb. 18, 2022.
President Joe Biden, who has Covid-19, appears on a screen during a virtual meeting with his economic team at the White House in Washington, D.C., July 22, 2022.
Savvy consumers consider price, performance and reliability when making a major purchase, such as a car or home appliance. The greatest of these is reliability  particularly lately.

Supply chain disruptions can mean long waits for parts or replacements if something breaks. Getting a new refrigerator, dishwasher or other major appliance now often takes weeks or even months, says Paul Hope, home and appliances writer for Consumer Reports. Plus, the microchip shortage means many manufacturers prioritize making their most expensive models, which are typically the most profitable, Hope says.

Its getting increasingly difficult to get some of the inexpensive models of any given product, Hope says.

Even in normal times, of course, you dont want to waste money on unreliable products. Plus, buying stuff thats built to last can help save money and create less waste.

Its a huge expense to have to replace products prematurely. Its also extremely detrimental to the environment, Hope says.

Finding truly reliable and durable products isnt always easy, however. You might assume that more expensive products will last longer, but that isnt necessarily the case. For example, you can spend $5,000 or more on a premium range that breaks down frequently or $850 on one that provides years of trouble-free use.

We actually find that many of the pro-style range brands are some of the least reliable products that we test, Hope says. On the contrary, we often find very good performance out of very inexpensive brands.

Consumer-generated reviews, like those on Amazon, may alert you to products that break quickly or dont perform as expected. But such reviews can be skewed by a grumpy few who had bad experiences or a torrent of fake reviews designed to boost a products star rating.

To create reliability ratings that are actually, well, reliable, you need large sets of data. Consumer Reports surveys tens of thousands of people each year about their experiences with various products. Similarly, J.D. Power, which rates cars, bases its dependability ratings on reports from more than 80,000 owners of three-year-old vehicles, who detail the type and number of problems theyve encountered in the previous 12 months.

Even then, reliability ratings are predictions, not guarantees. You might luck out and have a great experience with a product thats usually flawed or get the rare lemon in a product line thats generally solid.

So its also important to check out a products warranty. A long warranty can signal a companys confidence in its products reliability. (You can typically add a year to a manufacturers warranty, by the way, if you purchase the item with a credit card that offers such extended protection as a benefit.)

A one- or two-year warranty is standard for major appliances, but some brands offer longer guarantees on certain parts, Hope says. An LG refrigerator typically has a one-year general warranty for parts and labor, for example, but compressors, which circulate the refrigerant, may be under warranty for five or even 10 years.

Lifetime warranties are obviously the gold standard, although companies differ considerably in their definition of lifetime. With Craftsman hand tools, for instance, lifetime essentially means indefinitely. According to the companys site, if a Craftsman wrench, screwdriver, hammer or other hand tool fails to perform for any reason, the company will replace it, with or without a receipt.

Meanwhile, Manduka, a manufacturer of yoga supplies, offers a lifetime warranty for many of its mats  but its for the expected 10-year lifetime of the mat, not your lifetime. Some lifetime guarantees are limited to defects in materials and manufacture, not normal wear and tear.

Some products are better built than ever before. Cars used to be ready for the junkyard at around 100,000 miles, but you can expect a typical new car to last over 200,000 miles, or roughly 15 years of average driving, without major problems if its well-maintained, according to J.D. Power. The average price Americans paid for new cars exceeded $47,000 last year, according to Kelley Blue Book, so hanging onto your cars longer can be a smart financial decision.

Other products may not last as long as their predecessors, which means we have to budget for more frequent replacements. Your grandmas clothes washer or refrigerator may have chugged along for 30 or 40 years, but most major appliances these days have an expected life span of around 10 years, according to Consumer Reports.

That said, todays products may offer energy savings, convenience and technology the older versions lacked. A new refrigerator is typically twice as large as the workhorses from the 1970s and runs on a fraction of the electricity, Hope says. Many have ice and water dispensers. Some have smartphone apps, interior cameras and internet connectivity so you can check the contents of your fridge while youre standing in the supermarket.

Yes, things have become a little bit more disposable, but they actually have become far better in a lot of ways, Hope says.
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JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP)  A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control through tinder-dry forest on Sunday and had grown into one of California's biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities.

Some 2,000 firefighters battled the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that includes steep terrain, sweltering temperatures and low humidity, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

It's hot out there again today," Cal Fire spokesperson Natasha Fouts said Sunday. And the fuel moisture levels are critically low.

Crews on the ground protected homes as air tankers dropped retardant on 50-foot (15-meter) flames racing along ridgetops east of the tiny community of Jerseydale.

Light winds blew embers ahead into tree branches and because it's so dry, it's easy for the spot fires to get established and that's what fuels the growth, Fouts said.

The fire erupted Friday southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County. Officials described explosive fire behavior on Saturday as flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades.

By Sunday the blaze had consumed more than 22 square miles (56 square km) of forest land, with no containment, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Evacuations were in place for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills, though a handful of residents defied the orders and stayed behind, said Adrienne Freeman with the U.S. Forest Service.

We urge people to evacuate when told, she said. This fire is moving very fast.

Lynda Reynolds-Brown and her husband Aubrey awaited news about the fate of their home from an evacuation center at an elementary school. They fled as ash rained down and the fire descended a hill towards their property.

"It just seemed like it was above our house and coming our way really quickly, Reynolds-Brown told KCRA-TV.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fire's effects.

Flames destroyed at least 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five others, Cal Fire said. Assessment teams were moving through mountain towns to check for additional damage, Fouts said.

Numerous roads were closed, including a stretch of State Route 140 that's one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored. PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment, the utility said as flames roared Friday.

The Oak Fire was sparked as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. The 7.5-square-mile (19-square-km) fire was nearly 80% contained after burning for two weeks and moving into the the Sierra National Forest.

___

Weber contributed from Los Angeles.
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LONDON (AP)  Truck drivers and travelers seeking to cross from the U.K. into France faced major disruptions and long waiting times for a third day Sunday on the weekend that kicks off the summer holidays for many British families.

Huge lines have formed since Friday at both the Port of Dover for those taking car ferries across the English Channel and in nearby Folkestone on roads leading to the Eurotunnel that goes under the Channel to France.

Eurotunnel said drivers were still facing a wait of at least 90 minutes to check-in for the railway shuttle on Sunday.

Still, congestion at the port had eased somewhat compared to the last two days, when it took several hours to clear a miles-long backlog of traffic as tens of thousands of people went on vacation along with a large amount of cargo trucks.

Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, U.K. travelers face stricter border checks when traveling to the continent. At Dover they are performed on the English side of the channel by French staff.

British officials and politicians have blamed the chaos on staffing shortages at French border posts, an accusation denied by the French.

The Port of Dover said the checkpoints were fully manned on Sunday and as of Sunday morning, 72,000 passengers had been processed over the long weekend.

The ports chief executive Doug Bannister said he was grateful to everyone who has turned this situation around, including both French and British authorities. He added it had been an incredibly challenging few days and thanked both passengers and the local community for their patience.

Angie Emrys-Jones said she and her family spent 11 hours Saturday in the queue for the Eurotunnel, joining the line at 5:30 a.m. and boarding at 4:15 p.m. She said there were rows and rows of standstill traffic as far as we could see."

Natalie Chapman of the trade group Logistics UK said some truck drivers had endured waits in excess of 18 hours on Saturday.

You used to, prior to Brexit, just wave your passport and they may or may not be looked at. But now everyone is checked and stamped, Chapman said.

U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had a good talk on the travel backlog with her counterpart Catherine Colonna on Saturday. Colonna said there was a need to improve the border facilities at Dover.
Saudi Arabias best and brightest future hospitality workers have arrived at les Roches Global Hospitality Education on its campus in Marbella, Spain to complete the first day of training at top at global tourism school.



The cohort is part of a new program announced by Saudi Arabias Ministry of Tourism to equip 100,000 young Saudis with the key hospitality skills needed to pursue careers in the Kingdoms flourishing tourism industry.



Launched by Ahmed Al Khateeb, Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia at the 116th session of the World Tourism Organizations Executive Council in Jeddah last month, Tourism Trailblazers will provide in-depth global experience to the tourism industrys future leaders.



Al Khateeb said: The program demonstrates our commitment to empowering young people by providing them with right skills, support and opportunities to shape the future of the tourism industry.



It is vital that we invest in our youth now. Creating a skilled workforce with the talent and ambition to support and drive the tourism sector regionally and globally is key to realising the Saudi Vision 2030, a unique and transformative economic and social reform blueprint that is opening Saudi Arabia up to the world.



The program has three main objectives that aim to nurture, develop and support talent in the industry. It seeks to spread a culture of professionalism, help nascent professionals gain the knowledge and qualifications needed to break into the industry, and support their success through refinement of their skills. The program will help trainees to secure jobs within the sector, including seasonal, part-time, or full-time opportunities across the Kingdom.



The first cohort of students at les Roches Global Hospitality Education on its campus in Marbella will be equipped with the fundamentals of Tourism Business and Operations, from understanding housekeeping Operations to Customer Experience or Sales and negotiation skills. Les Roches Global Hospitality Education is part of Sommet Education, a leading worldwide network of first-class higher education hospitality and culinary art schools.



Benoit-Etienne Domenget, CEO of Sommet Education said: We are honoured to contribute to the rise of Saudi talents, fully engaged in providing them with the practical and academic skills they will need to embrace a career in such a wide industry at a time where opportunities of growth and development are at their highest for all.



Participants in the wider program are set to benefit from training scholarships at leading global institutions in France, Spain, Switzerland, UK, Australia, and Italy. Applications are being accepted not only from fresh graduates, but also from Saudis who already work within the industry and those who aspire to start a career in the tourism, hospitality, culinary, service, and sales fields.  TradeArabia News Service
What's new at Jacksonville Public Library:

"Relative Justice" by Robert Whitlow: For many years, Zeke Caldwell has been concocting home remedies made from natural ingredients found in the costal marshes near Wilmington, North Carolina. One of his remedies proved so effective that he patented it. He now suspects a big drug company has stolen his formula, and the attorneys at Cobb and Cobb take on the case that requires all involved to unite for justice.

Adult Non-Fiction

"Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art Historys Masterpieces" by Ruth Millington: We instantly recognize many of their faces from the worlds most iconic artworks  but just who were they? This is not only the fascinating true stories of 30 incredible muses, but also a re-examination of the word in a narrative that takes ownership and demonstrates how outdated the common perception of muse is.

DVD

"House of Gucci": This movie is inspired by the shocking true story of the family behind the Italian fashion empire. When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel a family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge and, ultimately, murder.

Juvenile Fiction

"Loujain Dreams of Sunflowers" by Lina AlHathloul and Uma Mishra-Newbery: This inspiring picture book encourages readers to follow their dreams and fight for the opportunities they deserve, even when they seem impossible. A small girl called Loujain dreams of flying one day, just as her father does. But everyone knows girls cant fly, and Loujain worries this will always be so. This story was inspired by one of the leaders of the Saudi Womens Rights movement, who at the time this was written was in prison for speaking out against the laws in Saudi Arabia that made it illegal for women to drive cars.

Did you know?

Local author Reg Ankrom will be at the library at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss the legacy of Stephen A. Douglas. The program will be in the library meeting room.
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WAWONA, Calif. (AP)  A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said.

Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters, Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday that described the Oak Fire's activity as extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching.

By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road  blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday, Patterson said. These are exceptional fire conditions." The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the utility said.

A shoeless older man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.

The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at 9 square miles (23 square kilometers)

The fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the world's largest trees by volume.

Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according to the park website.

___

Gecker contributed from San Francisco.
Milley: China more aggressive, dangerous to US, allies View Photo

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its pacing threat and Americas primary long-term security challenge.

Milleys trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be Chinas escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwans chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of grave concern, but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

Chinas joint chiefs of staff chairman, Gen. Li Zuocheng, told Milley in a call earlier this month that Beijing had no room for compromise on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons, Milley told reporters traveling with him. Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region.

Milleys visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in Chinas backyard and counter Chinas growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an alarming increase in the number of unsafe intercepts by Peoples Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Also, U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a statistically significant increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an equal proportion.

Milley, who met on Sunday with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively, Milley said, in order to ensure they can meet whatever challenge that China poses.

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Milley, who spent the afternoon at Andikas military headquarters, was greeted with a massive billboard bearing his photo and name, a military parade and a large television screen that showed a video of his career.

At the end of the visit, Andika told reporters that Indonesia has found China to be more assertive and a little bit aggressive with naval vessels in connection with terrirotiral disputes with his country.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an Asian NATO. During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs, he said.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

Associated Press
Group seeks ex-Sri Lankan presidents arrest in Singapore View Photo

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  A human rights group said Sunday it had filed a criminal complaint with Singapores attorney general to seek the arrest of Sri Lankas former president for alleged war crimes during his countrys civil war.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted from office over his countrys economic collapse and fled to Singapore earlier this month. He was defense secretary during Sri Lankas civil war, which ended in 2009.

The International Truth and Justice Project  an evidence-gathering organization administered by a South Africa-based nonprofit foundation said its lawyers filed the complaint requesting Rajapaksas immediate arrest. The complaint alleges Rajapaksa committed grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions during the civil war and that these are crimes subject to domestic prosecution in Singapore under universal jurisdiction.

Sri Lankas economic crisis has left the nations 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials, including medicine, fuel and food. Months of protests have focused on the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled the country for most of the past two decades.

The economic meltdown has seen the government collapse, but the crisis in Sri Lanka is really linked to structural impunity for serious international crimes going back three decades or more, said the ITJPs executive director, Yasmin Sooka.

This complaint recognizes that its not just about corruption and economic mismanagement but also accountability for mass atrocity crimes, she added.

Sri Lankas civil war killed 100,000 people, according to conservative United Nations estimates. The actual number is believed to be much higher. A report from a U.N. panel of experts said at least 40,000 ethnic minority Tamil civilians were killed in the final months of the fighting alone.

Tamil Tiger rebels fought to create an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils. The countrys ethnic Sinhala majority credited Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa with the war victory, cementing the familys political dominance, though accounts of atrocities, autocratic governance and nepotism persisted.

Efforts to investigate allegations of war crimes were largely suppressed under Rajapaksa leaders.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country earlier this month, lawmakers elected Ranil Wickremesinghe to serve the remainder of his presidential term. He declared a state of emergency with broad powers to act to ensure law and order, and a day after he was sworn in, hundreds of armed troops raided a protest camp outside the presidents office, attacking demonstrators with batons.

Rights groups have urged the president to immediately order troops and police to cease use of force and said Fridays display seemed to follow a pattern of Sri Lankan authorities forcefully responding to dissent.

The political turmoil has threatened Sri Lankas potential for economic recovery. Wickremesinghe recently said bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund were nearing a conclusion.

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI

Associated Press
Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) welcomed 3.24 million passengers (PAX) during the first half (H1) of 2022 - 21.7% lower than the same period in 2019, according to statistics from Airport International Group.



QAIA also registered 31,547 aircraft movements (ACM) and 29,148 tons of cargo - representing 17.0% and 40.5% declines, respectively, compared with H1 2019. Meanwhile, during the month of June, QAIA handled 711,983 PAX, 6,211 ACM and 5,673 tons of cargo - marking decreases of 14.9%, 17.1% and 30.1%, respectively, as opposed to June 2019.



Overall traffic growth during the first six months of 2022 was driven by the resumption and introduction of airlines and routes to QAIA's global networks.



These included the launch of regular flights from Amman to Washington DC via United Airlines, to Jeddah and Riyadh via flyadeal, to Alexandria via Alexandria Airlines and to Abu Dhabi via Wizz Air Abu Dhabi - in addition to the recommencement of routes to Antalya, Copenhagen, Berlin, Zurich, Geneva, Rome, Montreal and Najaf via Royal Jordanian, as well as the opening of new routes to Toronto via Royal Jordanian and to Rome, Milan and Vienna via Wizz Air Hungary. Moreover, top destinations that contributed positively to recorded traffic figures included Istanbul, Jeddah, Kuwait, Dubai and Cairo.



The promising results noted during the first half of the year have been a step forward for QAIA following the coronavirus crisis, with passenger numbers showing steady progress over recent months, commented Airport International Group CEO, Nicolas Claude.



Though we have not yet fully recovered, we look forward to witnessing what the remaining six months of 2022 will bring, as we stay committed to delivering a welcoming and memorable travel experience at Jordan's prime gateway to the world.



Airport International Group is a Jordanian company comprising local and international investors with proven experience in airport rehabilitation, enhancement, operation and management.  TradeArabia News Service
Church apologies: Top leaders say sorry for historical sins View Photo

When Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous groups on Canadian soil this week, he will make another effort toward healing harms inflicted at church-run residential schools  and add to the Catholic Churchs growing ledger of atonement for past transgressions.

Like the papacy, top Protestant leaders also have gradually issued institutional mea culpas for their churches historical wrongs. Many of the apologies on behalf of Christian denominations are for grave offenses: genocide, sex abuse, slavery, war and more.

While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.

For 1,900 years, churches didnt apologize for the bad things that they did, Bergen said.

He pinpoints the pivot to significant apologies coming in the aftermath of World War II, especially a declaration by Germanys Protestant churches that they failed to adequately oppose the Nazis. It was among the first in a series of recognitions that Christian institutions themselves committed wrongs, Bergen said. In the 1990s, church apologies increased as more attention was paid to human rights following the Cold War, he said.

The pope flew to Canada on Sunday to apologize for abuses Indigenous people suffered in the countrys state-funded residential Christian schools. From the 1800s to the 1970s, Native children were forced to attend the schools where abuse was rampant.

The apology follows a similar one Francis made in April in Rome to members of Canadas First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

The setting matters, said Fernie Marty, a member of the Papaschase, a Cree nation in Alberta. The 73-year-old is a survivor of a day school  part of a system that, like residential schools, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.

He appreciated the popes Rome apology, but this is where all the atrocities happened, Marty said. Its more meaningful coming on Canadian soil.

Marty, an elder at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, a Catholic parish in Albertas capital oriented toward Indigenous people and culture, said the popes visit offers a tremendous opportunity for my own personal healing.

But George Pipestem, 79, a member of the Montana First Nation and a survivor of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, questioned the relevance of a papal apology, just as he questioned apologies by Canadian prime ministers for the governments role in the schools.

He said the abusers should be the ones apologizing: Theyre all gone, though. This apologizing, it doesnt matter to me. Its like nothing. Its only a word.

It is not uncommon for a leader who was neither involved nor alive when a wrong was committed to deliver a churchs apology. Some took generations to say sorry.

Graham Dodds, a political science professor at Concordia University in Montreal who researches political apologies, says institutional responsibility can extend beyond the present day or any one persons lifetime.

Its part of being a leader to accept that connection with things past, he said.

St. John Paul II embraced that responsibility and left a legacy of papal apologies. None were more significant than his list of mea culpas issued as the Catholic Church opened its 2000 Jubilee and entered its third millennium.

John Paul apologized for Catholics sins through the ages, including against women, Jews and other religious minorities. In his most memorable act, he tucked a prayer note into the Western Wall in Jerusalem asking Gods forgiveness for those who have caused these children of yours to suffer.

He wanted something of a clean slate, Dodds said.

The following year, when John Paul sent his first-ever email, it was an apology for colonial-era abuses of Aboriginal peoples in Australia and the Pacific, as well as for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, also apologized for clerical abuse, most significantly in a 2010 letter to Irish faithful. He said he was truly sorry for the hurt and blamed Irish bishops, though he was silent on Vatican responsibility.

Francis has gone further, first apologizing for his own errors in defending a Chilean bishop who covered up abuse by the countrys most notorious pedophile priest. That 2018 scandal was a turning point in the popes understanding of abuse, and he continued to apologize for it.

Juan Carlos Cruz, who was abused by that priest, received both a church apology and a personal one from Francis. It felt like finally the church recognized the harm he suffered, and he could start healing, Cruz said. It also motivated Cruz, now a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to continue advocating for survivors.

Pope Francis had a sincerity that it was hard not to believe. And its not because youre sitting in front of a pope.  Its because of his humility and sincerity, Cruz said. Trust me. Ive received apologies from many people in the church that are as fake as you can imagine.

Francis has also apologized, in 2015 in Bolivia, for wrongs committed by the church against Indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas.

Timing, word choice and contrition are important elements for an apology to be effective, Dodds said. Bad apologies try to justify or explain away wrongs, while good ones admit fault and convey, It was wrong.  It wont happen again. Please, forgive me, he said.

What comes next also matters, said the Rev. Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He is a Black minister in the predominately white Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845 in support of slaveholding missionaries.

It took SBC delegates 150 years to repudiate slavery and apologize for racism, in 1995. It was overdue and the right thing to do, McKissic said, but he wanted to see if the SBC would follow up with more leadership diversity.

He recalled visiting convention headquarters in Nashville in 2007 and being told the top African American working in the building was a custodian. When he returned recently, the top post was held by Willie McLaurin, the first Black man to head the SBCs Executive Committee.

Thats progress, McKissic said, while cautioning that there is still room for a lot of improvements such as more diversity among leadership and seminary professors.

This year SBC delegates also apologized for harm caused to church sexual abuse survivors.

The United Church of Canada, the nations largest Protestant denomination, apologized more than 20 years ago for its role in operating 15 residential schools for Indigenous youths.

The Right Rev. Richard Bott, who is now the churchs moderator and top spiritual leader, said the institutional repentance and reparations his predecessor set in motion in 1998 remains a work in progress.

This is not work thats done in a day, Bott said. This is the work of a lifetime of response and an institutional lifetime of response. The only way we will get there is to begin each day in a good way with Indigenous neighbors. So thats really central to our understanding of apology.

When Francis apologized at the Vatican in April to the visiting delegation of Indigenous Canadians, he also listened to their personal stories of residential school abuse.

They spoke truth, Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said, and they told the pope they needed to hear words from you that will heal.

But when the pontiff comes to Canada, Smith said, its important that he doesnt just read from a carefully vetted script: Everybody wants him to speak from his heart.

Smith said it cant stop there. The Catholic Church in Canada will have to do much more than apologize to heal the wrongs at the schools. This is about one step in a very long journey.

___

Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

___

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.

By HOLLY MEYER and PETER SMITH

Associated Press
Albanias newly sworn-in president urges political unity View Photo

TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albanias new president was sworn in on Sunday and urged the nations political parties to cooperate on the countrys future and consolidate the rule of law.

President Bajram Begaj, 55, who won after getting 78 votes in the 140-seat Parliament, formally took office at a ceremony in parliament.

I wont stand neutral to anyone putting personal interests above those of our nation, said Begaj, a former army chief-of-staff general.

At a later ceremony at the presidential office the Constitutional Court head handed over the countrys Constitution to Begaj.

Begaj was nominated by the governing left-wing Socialist Party after no compromise candidate was reached with the opposition. Most opposition lawmakers boycotted the voting and some avoided the swearing in ceremony too.

Begaj is post-communist Albanias eighth president and the third from the military ranks. The five-year presidency has a largely ceremonial role and the president is expected to stand above partisan divisions. The president is the armys commander general, also holding some authority over the judiciary and the armed forces.

Begaj started his speech at parliament talking about Albanias irreversible European path.

Earlier this month Albania, a NATO member since 2009, launched accession talks with the European Union.

European Albania, today a promise and tomorrow a reality, is the crown of the most beautiful historical dream of the Albanian people, he said.

The EU, the United States and other Western countries welcomed Begaj in his new post.

European Council President Charles Michel congratulated Begaj in a tweet Sunday, adding that With the opening of accession talks, we are at an exciting time in EU-Albania relations.

___

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini

By LLAZAR SEMINI

Associated Press
Nevada court fights raise caution flags on green energy push View Photo

RENO, Nev. (AP)  Opposition from friends, not foes, is creating potential roadblocks to President Joe Bidens green energy agenda on federal lands in the blue-leaning, Western swing state of Nevada.

Two lithium mines and a geothermal power plant in the works in the biggest U.S. gold-mining state are under attack from conservationists, tribes and others who otherwise generally support Bidens efforts to expedite the transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

The conflicts put a spotlight on an emerging reality as the Biden administration tries to meet its goal of having the U.S. power grid run on clean energy by 2035.

Renewable or not, the actual mining of the resources faces many of the same regulatory and environmental hurdles the government has encountered for decades when digging for coal or drilling for oil.

Whether its tapping hot underground water to generate electricity with steam-powered turbines or extracting lithium to make electric car batteries, the operations still must comply with laws designed to protect wildlife habitat, cultural and historical values, and guard against pollution or other degradation of federal lands.

During a recent failed attempt to overturn a Nevada water permit for a mine near the Oregon line above the biggest known lithium deposit in the nation, opponents raised some of the same concerns leveled four decades ago about some of the largest gold mines in the world.

Specifically, the Great Basin Resource Watch and others say the lithium mine will produce toxic waste. More generally, they still accuse regulators of rubber-stamping industry plans without a thorough review of the potential harms.

Everything seems to be in the hands of the mining company, Sarah Wochele, a mining justice organizer for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said at last months appeal hearing. And we just ignorantly praise new technology, new technology.

Ramped up domestic production of lithium is key to Bidens blueprint for a greener future, a critical element for electric vehicle batteries. Worldwide demand for the lightest metal on Earth is projected to increase six-fold by 2030 compared to 2020.

The big deposit bordering Oregon where Lithium Nevada plans to begin construction in December is vital to our national security and nations need for lithium to support green energy development and achieve climate change objectives, the company said in recent court filings.

But in addition to concerns about toxic waste, the mine sits on federal land local tribes say is a sacred site where dozens of their ancestors were massacred by the U.S. Cavalry in 1865.

Another big lithium mine still on the drawing board, halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, is home to a rare desert wildflower the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Meanwhile, the geothermal power plant faces both cultural and environmental challenges in a case pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The San Francisco-based appellate court could rule any day on a lawsuit seeking to halt the development in a high-desert oasis 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Reno where a rare toad currently protected under the Endangered Species Act lives in the same hot springs where Native Americans have worshipped for thousands of years.

The Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management approved Ormat Nevadas geothermal project last November over the objections of another Interior agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since then, USFWS has taken the rare step of declaring the Dixie Valley toad endangered on a temporary emergency basis  something its done only one other time in 20 years.

This month, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe amended their lawsuit against the Reno-based Ormat and the Bureau of Land Management in U.S. District Court in Reno to include the April listing.

The updated version alleges both are in violation of the Endangered Species Act because theyve failed to halt construction despite USFWSs unambiguous finding that the project poses an imminent and existential risk to the Dixie Valley toad.

The government hasnt responded yet, but the case continues in district court on a parallel track with the appellate court. And the ongoing legal battles underscore the difficulty of turning Bidens vision of a cleaner energy future into reality.

Administration officials insist theyve known all along that implementing their plans to slow the warming of the Earth wouldnt be easy.

Catalyzing the clean energy economy and seeing renewable energy projects through to completion is no small task, said Tyler Cherry, press secretary for Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Indeed, these are complex, large-scale projects that require a robust public process, he wrote in an email July 12 to the AP in response to a request for comment.

The three-judge panel at the 9th Circuit that heard oral arguments on the geothermal case in June said they couldnt consider the April listing of the toad because it came after the appeal was filed in January.

But the judges acknowledged USFWS had raised similar objections in earlier opinions, warning about the likelihood the geothermal plants operations could push the toad to the brink of extinction.

The Justice Department lawyer representing the bureau, Michelle Melton, said federal law required the bureau to consider USFWSs criticisms but it wasnt bound by them.

The emergency listing of the toad doesnt change the bureaus position that the project will have no significant impact on the tribe or the toad, she said.

Fish and Wildlife has a different opinion, Melton said. It was not a surprise to BLM that Fish and Wildlife felt that way.

Ormat Vice President Paul Thomsen said the emergency listing overstates the potential impact of the project on the toad partly because it makes false assumptions about underground faults in the geothermal reservoir it intends to tap.

There are sufficient safeguards in place to avoid endangering the toad, he wrote June 6 in comments to USFWS.

The 9th Circuit judges appeared sympathetic last month to some of the opponents arguments. But they noted that the lower court judge had weighed the pros and cons and determined the public was best served by allowing the temporary injunction blocking construction to expire 90 days after it was issued in February.

They pointed to Judge Robert C. Jones conclusion that the electricity produced at the geothermal plant would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to other energy production facilities and that depriving the public of a source of carbon-free electricity is not in the publics best interest.

Scott Lake, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the benefits of renewable energy resources are something the tribe and the center actually agree with.

But nothing in the record establishes a public interest in, or a compelling need, for this particular project  on a tribal sacred site and in such a way that threatens the entire existence of the Dixie Valley toad, he said.

By SCOTT SONNER

Associated Press
Jan. 6 panel deepens probe to Trump Cabinet, awaits Thomas View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee said Sunday it will interview more former Cabinet secretaries and is prepared to subpoena conservative activist Virginia Ginni Thomas, whos married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as part of its investigation of the Capitol riot and Donald Trumps role.

Lawmakers said they are deepening their inquiry after a series of eight hearings in June and July culminating in a prime-time session Thursday, with plans to interview additional witnesses and reconvene in September to resume laying out their findings to the public.

We anticipate talking to additional members of the presidents Cabinet, said Rep. Liz Cheney, the committees vice chair. We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, were very focused as well on the Secret Service.

Cheney, R-Wyo., did not identify the Trump administration officials who might come forward, but the committee has previously made clear its interest in speaking with those believed to have considered invoking a constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when hundreds of Trumps supporters violently stormed the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Joe Bidens election.

The committee has aired testimony from former Attorney General William Barr, who said he told Trump that widespread voter fraud claims were bull and had zero basis. In last weeks hearing, the committee played testimony from then-Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, who said he urged Trump to call a Cabinet meeting to discuss an orderly transition of power.

Other Cabinet members have indicated they may have important details to share.

Betsy DeVos, the education secretary at the time, previously told USA Today that she raised with Vice President Mike Pence the question of whether the Cabinet should consider invoking the 25th Amendment, which would have required the vice president and the majority of the Cabinet to agree that the president could no longer fulfill his duties.

DeVos, in her resignation letter on Jan. 7, 2021, blamed Trump for inciting the mob. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me, she wrote.

On the same day, Elaine Chao quit as transportation secretary. Chao, who is married to Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said the attack had deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state at the time who is considering a 2024 presidential run, and Steven Mnuchin, Trumps treasury secretary, also were reported to have discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, according to Jonathan Karl of ABC News in his book Betrayal.

The floodgates have opened, said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., regarding the next phase of its investigation.

Committee members also hope to learn more about Ginni Thomas own effort to keep Trump in office and the potential conflicts of interest for Clarence Thomas as a result on Jan. 6 cases that have come before the Supreme Court. The committee sent a letter to Ginni Thomas last month seeking an interview and hopes she will comply, Cheney said.

Thomas communicated with people in Trumps orbit ahead of the 2021 attack and also on the day of the insurrection.

We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, Cheney said. But the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.

Cheney also said that while the committee hasnt decided whether to make a criminal referral regarding Trump to the Justice Department, thats absolutely something were looking at.

Added Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.: I certainly think theres evidence of crimes and I think it goes all the way up to Donald Trump.

While a possible Trump prosecution is a matter for the Justice Department, the committee has used its hearings to try to make a case about his political viability as he mulls running in 2024. Some of the most damning testimony aired by the committee has come from Trumps own top Republican advisers, military leaders and confidants, who admitted to a loss of confidence in his judgment and dedication to the rule of law in the days leading up to and after the Jan. 6 attack.

The committee also wants to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, that could have shed further light on Trumps actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol.

Lawmakers also are interested in hearing from Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who was found guilty last week on criminal contempt of Congress charges for refusing to comply with the House committees subpoena.

Cheney spoke on CNNs State of the Union and Fox News Sunday, Kinzinger appeared on ABCs This Week, and Luria was on NBCs Meet the Press.

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.

By HOPE YEN

Associated Press
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP)  Some came in wool fisherman's sweaters, and other contestants had sportsmen's attire. But it was the cream-colored sweater of attorney Jon Auvil that caught the eye of judges who awarded him the title for most resembling author and former Key West resident Ernest Hemingway.

Auvil triumphed Saturday night over 124 other contestants for the title in the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joes Bar, the Key West establishment where the author was a regular patron during his decade-long residence on the island in the 1930s.
Miss Teen Texas has been arrested on suspicion of public intoxication after a 911 caller said she appeared to be about to drive away from a gathering while intoxicated.

Julia Anderson, 17, of Fort Worth was leaving a party at an Arlington apartment complex late Saturday night, police spokeswoman Christy Gilfour said. Three officers responding to the 911 call found Anderson with an 18-year-old man in the apartment parking lot, Gilfour said.

Both were arrested and charged with public intoxication.

Anderson, who was crowned Miss Teen Texas on July 2 in Fort Worth, could not be reached to comment Wednesday. Fort Worth-Dallas television station KXAS-TV reported that she told a pageant official she is innocent of the charges.

"No action will be taken by the executive board of directors of the Miss Teen Texas Pageant until we have had ample time to investigate all of the facts," said Kenneth Prachar, the local pageant's executive director.

An officer reported that Anderson smelled of alcohol, Gilfour said. When she was asked if she had been drinking, she said yes, Gilfour said.

Officers said they were unable to locate family members who could pick up either of the pair. For safety reasons, the two were held for a few hours until they were sober, Gilfour said.

The Class C misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $500.
NABLUS, West Bank (AP)  Israeli troops and special forces on an arrest mission exchanged fire with Palestinians barricaded in a house in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israeli police said. The local rescue service said two Palestinians were killed.

Israeli police said a number of armed Palestinians were killed during the hours-long battle deep inside the city of Nablus, without specifying. Police said no Israeli forces were wounded.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the two men were killed in clashes with the military in Nablus and identified them as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22. The rescue service said 19 Palestinians were wounded, including two critically.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the suspects had been wanted for a series of shootings.

We won't sit and wait for Israeli citizens to be harmed," he told a meeting of his Cabinet. "We will go out and harm the terrorists in their homes.

Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the violence, saying it was a result of Israel's occupation of lands Palestinians seek for an independent state.

The region will remain in a cycle of violence until the occupation is ended and a just peace achieved, he said.

The military said a violent protest broke out as troops were operating in Nablus, with protesters hurling explosive devices at soldiers and opening fire at them. The soldiers fired back, the military said.

The military said it also operated in a separate area of the West Bank, where another brief exchange of fire took place.

Israeli forces have been carrying out near-daily raids in the West Bank for months, in a bid to quell a spate of attacks by Palestinians on Israelis that has since subsided.

The military has faced resistance during some of those raids, which in several instances have turned deadly.

The Palestinian attacks on Israelis earlier this year killed 19 people. More than 60 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the start of the year, according to an official Palestinian tally.

The Palestinians want the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war, for their hoped-for state.
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STAMFORD  The parent company of Patriot Bank announced this week that it had terminated its agreement to merge with another firm, a deal that had been intended to create the largest digital bank in the U.S.

Stamford-based Patriot National Bancorp announced plans last November to acquire, through a reverse subsidiary merger, American Challenger Development Corp., which was formed in January 2020 to establish a new digital national bank headquartered in Stamford. The transaction had been advancing through the regulatory process, with Patriot announcing on July 6 conditional approval from the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The parties have mutually determined that not all closing conditions of the merger agreement can be satisfied under the current structure and agreement, Patriot said in a news release. Although the parties remain in active discussions regarding a modified transaction, it is uncertain whether a new agreement can be reached.

Termination of the merger agreement was mutually agreed by the companies and unanimously approved by their boards of directors, according to the release.

Pursuant to the parties mutual termination and release agreement, the parties have agreed to release each other from any claims relating to or arising out of the merger agreement or the transactions contemplated thereby, the release added.

In its own news release, American Challenger said it was exploring a sale of the company and that it had hired Citi as its strategic adviser in the process.

Following the announcement, Patriot shares closed Thursday at about $11.37, sliding nearly 9 percent from Wednesday. They have hit a 52-week high of $18 and a 52-week low of $8.52.

In the past year and a half, Patriot comprised one of several Connecticut banks to announce plans for a merger or acquisition. In April, M&T Bank completed its acquisition of Bridgeport-based Peoples United Bank, while Stamford-based Webster Bank finalized in February its combination with Sterling National Bank.

There are Patriot branches in Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Milford, Norwalk, Orange, Stamford, Westport, as well as Scarsdale, N.Y. The bank also operates express banking locations at Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport, in downtown New Haven and at Westfield Trumbull mall.

For the first quarter of 2022, Patriot finished with total assets of about $975 million, net loans of about $764 million and total deposits of around $780 million.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
john finney photography/Getty Images

A viral TikTok from a Texan showed how quickly the weather can change in the Lone Star State. Last month on June 26, TikTok user @2minty4jas filmed herself getting rained on at a park after it was 103 degrees an hour before she got there (now, we are all calling on that rain again).

"I just wanted to come to the park bro," @2minty4jas said while filming a storm around her. "I just wanted to come eat my chips. Oh My God! It's a tornado!"
DALLAS (AP)  A suspected drunken driver has been shot and killed by a suburban police officer in Dallas after the driver refused to stop, fired repeatedly at the officer and shot a bystander early Saturday, police said.

The man refused to stop for the officer in the west Dallas suburb of Bedford before 2 a.m., then led the officer on a pursuit into Dallas while shooting at the officer, Bedford police said on Twitter.
Howie Marbach was known throughout the Converse area for his storytelling, love of family, recall of historic facts, and dedication to his church.

The lifelong Converse resident, who spent most of his life serving his hometown as a historian and community leader, died July 3. He was 89.

Born to Howard and Nelda (Kneupper) Marbach on Aug. 3, 1932 in Converse, Howie, as he was known to all, attended school in Converse until high school when he moved on to Central Catholic High School. He continued his education at St. Marys University. Marbach married Elaine Brehm on Sept. 13, 1952, a union that produced seven children. They were married for almost 68 years before she preceded him in death in June 2020.

My dad loved to talk, said daughter Veronica Stavinoha. He loved to talk about Converse, the history of Converse. He never knew a stranger.

His love for his family and friends was known to many.

When his mother was in a nursing home he went there every day for a year and a half until she passed, she said. That spoke volumes to me. He still had a lot going on. He was still working every day, but he made time to do that, every day. That was a big thing in my life.

Stavinoha retired in January 2020 after 11 years in administration at Kitty Hawk Middle School and 12 years previously at the Judson ISD district office.

When she was young and got her first job, she did not have her drivers license so Howie would drop her off and then pick her up.

He told me it was on his way to work at Southwest Research Institute, she recalled. I was young and didnt know San Antonio all that well.

I worked there for four years and it was several years that I came to realize, OK, that was not anywhere near my dads work. That was NOT on his way to work. Not even close, she said. But that was just another of the sacrifices that he made for one of his family.

Howie had a great passion for service to his country, church, and numerous organizations. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserves and was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. In addition to his 45 years at SRI, he had his own Amway business that he continued until about a year ago.

Howie was a member of St. Monicas Catholic Church for 50 years, dating back to the original church opening. He taught religious education classes there for 40 years, was a lector and a Eucharistic minister.

Jan Van Slambrouck recently retired as director of religious education at St. Monicas Catholic Church. Marbach was instrumental in the early formation of the church, she said, and remained dedicated to the church his entire life.

I knew him all my life personally. The biggest art of knowing him when he was a volunteer in our religious education program, Van Slambrouck said. He really knew how to get through to the kids, he really did. Howie just had a wonderful way of getting to them. He loved the Bible so much.

She said Marbach was one of the forefathers of St. Monicas in Converse, on FM 78 and South Seguin Road. The church, she said, is a mission church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Selma.

A good portion of those people who lived in Converse had to drive (to church) in Selma, she said. So when they made a mission, they all started that church. They had to start from the roots up. He was an intricate part of the pastoral council, the finance council, and all of that.

Howie was a 45-year member of the Converse Lions Club. Robert Kneupper, a Converse native and longtime resident, has been a member of the Lions Club for the past 47 years and said a fellow Lion introduced Howie to the Converse organization 45 years ago.

Howie held every Lions Club office locally and then worked his way up the ranks in the District level, being a past Governor of the District 282 Lions.

He was also instrumental in getting the Converse library opened. He did all the paperwork for that, to get the grant going to create a library, Kneupper said.

Howie was dedicated to his health. Hed walk his three miles every afternoon, rain or shine, he added.

He was just the kindest person Id ever met. And if he said he was going to do something for you, hed do it, Kneupper added. It got done.

Howie is survived by his seven children: three sons, Ricky, Jeffrey, Vance Marbach, and four daughters, Pamela Riedel, Veronica Stavinoha, Christie Loosier, and Kira Mooney; his sister, Mary Dunivan; sister-in-laws Nita Marbach and Jacquie Marbach; 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services for Marbach were held July 15.

jflinn@express-news.net
Texas often seems too hot to let people flourish, let alone grapes. But its the fifth most prolific wine-producing state in the U.S., with many of those bottles coming from the Texas Hill Country. This massive territory, the countrys southernmost wine region, comprises more than nine million acres, making it the second largest AVA (American Viticultural Area) in the nation.

The Hill Country is dotted with dozens of gorgeous estates, tiny tasting rooms and operations that fall somewhere in the middle. And while the area was originally settled by German immigrants who planted its first vines, most of the regions grape varietals today hail from France, Italy and Spain, with popular wines including Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Mourvedre and Viognier.

The abundance of wines and places to drink them means you have plenty to do when making a trip to the Texas Hill Country. To give your ship a rudder, here are four newly opened wineries and tasting rooms worth checking out.

Fredericksburg

Slate Theory is not like most wineries youll find in the state. They use 100% Texas-grown fruit that comes either from their estate or local growers, and they experiment in small batches to produce unique wines embracing themes of art and psychology. The 2018 Insomniac is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Malbec and Souzao, while the 2017 Manic combines Cab Sav and Sangiovese. Both bottles feature skulls on the label, while others showcase Rorschach patterns, and the winerys name refers to English philosopher John Lockes tabula rasa  or blank slate  theory that everyone is born with an open, receptive mind.

The tasting room is open seven days per week, so you can drop in to sample the goods and buy bottles. If youd like a closer look at the operation, make a reservation, which includes a 45-minute tour of the facility and a visit to the spacious underground wine cellar.

A variety of Summer Revival Flat Brim wines. Summer Revival

Dripping Springs

Husband-and-wife duo Ian and Becky Atkins have bounced between El Paso and Portland, Oregon, over the years, operating restaurants in both cities and starting an urban winery in Portland called Flat Brim Wines. In May, they opened the doors to a Texas Hill Country tasting room in Dripping Springs that serves a rotating menu of wines made with minimal intervention techniques. That includes the local Summer Revival label, which features wines produced in Fredericksburg with 100% Texas grapes, like the Pinot Grigio Ramato, plus a selection of Flat Brim Wines made with 100% Oregon and Washington grapes. Swing by for a visit, and you can taste your way through the lineup, while also snacking on sandwiches, salads, cheese, cured meats and tinned fish. If you like what you taste, go home with a few bottles or sign up for the wine club to get cases shipped to your house.

Fredericksburg

Kalasi Cellars comes from husband-and-wife duo Greg and Nikhila Narra Davis. Every wine is made with 100% estate-grown grapes, either sourced from the owners High Plains-located Narra Vineyards, which covers 160 acres, or Kalasis 16-acre plot of land in Fredericksburg.

The tasting room is open daily, and inside youll find a wraparound bar perfect for enjoying a glass or a flight, plus a vaulted ceiling and windows for days. Wines are grouped into two collections: Heritage and Reincarnation. The former includes Malbec, Merlot and Sangiovese, while the latter is composed of less common varietals and blends, like Sagrantino and Teroldego.

Kalasi has one of the better food menus in town, with a sampling of Indian snacks, tikka masala flatbreads and samosas with mint chutney. If the weathers nice, take a plate and a glass outside to the covered patio, or claim a shaded Adirondack chair situated under an old pecan tree. When youre out there, keep your eyes open for the handful of sheep and the resident llama named Dalai.

Texas AVA winemakers Randy Hester and Rae Wilson. Texas AVA

Austin

We like a good collaboration story, and Texas AVA is the rare tasting room shared by two wineries: C.L. Butaud and Wine For The People. Located on the western edge of Austin, the tasting room is run by Randy Hester of the former winery, who makes small lots of wines designated primarily for members and area restaurants, and Rae Wilson of the latter, who makes two labels: Dandy Rose and La Valentia. The shared space is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and features flights from each producer, as well as mixed flights highlighting pours from both.

This article was featured in the InsideHook Texas newsletter. Sign up now for more from the Lone Star State.

The post Texas Hill Country Is the Second-Largest U.S. Wine Region, So Drink Up appeared first on InsideHook.
Jonah here. This is part II of a two part series on working-time reduction. Part I was published last Friday and looked at recent experiments with a 4-day workweek. It also discussed the effects of Frances 35-hour workweek, established in the late 1990s by the Plural Left government of Lionel Jospin. In this post, I take a closer look at the implementation and subsequent rollback of the 35-hours law (known as the Aubry Law, after Martine Aubry, Jospins Minister of Labor) since its introduction.

The proposal for a 35-hour legal workweek was first announced by the Jospin government in the fall of 1997. That proposal reflected a long-standing demand for a shorter workweek pushed by sections of the labor movement, particularly the CFDT union confederation (French Democratic Confederation of Labor) and elements of the Socialist Party (PS). But more immediately, it represented an emergency attempt to counter high levels of unemployment, at a time when the jobless rate had reached double-digits. By requiring companies to lower full-time work hours and offering tax subsidies for those that made up the lost time through new hiring, the government hoped to kickstart job growth. The idea, as one slogan put it, was to work less so more can work. As described in the first part of this series, that effort was largely successful.

The Plural Left was hardly an alliance of wild-eyed radicals. Jospin was a long-time Socialist Party functionary, whose political approach was moderate and technocratic. His finance minister, Dominique Straus-Kahn, was a neoliberal economist, and future IMF chief. Even Martine Aubry, Minister of Labor and namesake of the 35-hours legislation, had until recently opposed mandating a reduction in weekly work-hours. Once in office the new government pursued a series of controversial privatizations. It later experienced deep internal divisions before suffering a crushing electoral defeat in 2002.

Yet, this moderate administration passed a working-time reform that far outstripped any similar measure by other European governments.

In France, struggles over the duration of the workweek were a consistent theme of twentieth-century labor politics. Yet such demands repeatedly ran up against the opposition of big business. In 1936, the Popular Front government introduced legislation establishing the 40-hour workweek, but the governments plan soon stalled in the face of stiff employer resistance. The demand for a 35-hour week was again adopted by Socialist leader Francois Mitterrand in the run-up to his historic victory in the 1981 presidential election. In office, Mitterrand, who campaigned on the promise of 39 [hours pay] for 35 [hours of work], backed up his pledge to shorten the legal workweek to 39 hours during his first year in office. But with his governments austerity turn in 1983, plans for a 35-hour week were set aside. In subsequent years, several French governments tried to sponsor voluntary agreements on working-time, offering employers tax incentives if they negotiated deals on lower work-hours with unions. However, this achieved only marginal success, until the election of Jospins Plural Left in 1997.

The reforms to lower the legal workweek to 35 hours involved two pieces of legislation. The first Aubry Law, introduced in fall 1997, established 35 hours as the legal norm for a full-time workweek, and set deadlines by which private enterprises had to implement this norm (by 2000, for firms with over 20 employees, and by 2002 for smaller firms). The law offered tax credits to businesses that reached deals on work-time reduction and agreed to hire additional personnel to make up the lost hours. It laid out procedures for the new measure via a combination of traditional sectoral bargaining and company agreements. It established new rules covering both employee compensation (supposed to remain the same during the transition), and how the reform was to be implemented.

The transition to the 35-hour workweek in each workplace relied on hundreds of sectoral agreements and tens of thousands of company accords. Already, by the start of 1999, a government study found that 40 industry-wide agreements covering approximately five million workers had been signed, in sectors ranging from textiles to banking to metalworking (where the employers federation took a hard line with unions representing the industrys 1.8 million workers). The Aubry legislation allowed the new statutory norm to be implemented in various ways. In very few industries was the actual duration of work set at 35 hours a week. Instead, the law encouraged flexible arrangements that compensated employees for time worked beyond the 35-hour threshold through additional vacation time, scheduled early release days, and other methods. To permit this, the law let companies calculate working-time as an annual total, so an employee who worked overtime one week could be compensated with extra days off later. The absolute maximum was set at 44 hours in any given week (or an average of 42 in any 12-week period), while annual overtime was capped at 130 hours.

Many observers have since argued that the 35-hours legislation was not as favorable to workers as its proponents believed. After all, by letting employers calculate working-time on an annual basis, the laws created space to adjust weekly schedules and reorganize the work process. Moreover, because it allowed agreements on working-time to be signed by non-union company delegates, the law also helped further the decentralization of collective bargaining. And it contributed to wage restraint among workers, with productivity growth outstripping pay increases in the years that followed. And for workers in some industries, where the reduction in working hours was not matched by new hiring, the law meant that employees had to squeeze the same tasks into fewer hours.

Nevertheless, most French workers looked favorably on the reform. The bulk of employees affected by the Aubry Law reported that it had strengthened their work-life balance, and improved working conditions. Meanwhile, the macroeconomic impact of the measure benefited the unemployed and low-wage workers. Thus, in early 2000, when the law came into effect, polls showed a large majority of the public, including two-thirds of workers and low-level managers, supported the move. A survey that May found that 83% of people thought the law had done more good than harm.

Business Opposition

The flip-side of this was the furious opposition the 35-hours law received from business and the Right. Since its passing, public support for this norm has made it hard for opponents to openly call for its repeal. Instead, their strategy has been to gradually chip away at the 35-hour legal standard, by turning it into little more than a threshold for calculating overtime.

When the Aubry legislation was first announced, it provoked an immediate backlash from business leaders. Learning of the proposal at a government conference on unemployment, Jean Gandois, head of Frances business federation  then known as the CNPF  stormed out of the meeting and gave his own press conference where he angrily denounced Jospin as an authoritarian who had tried to fool him. By the end of the year, Gandois resigned, claiming he was more of a negotiator than a killer and couldnt lead the guerilla warfare needed to stop the 35-hours law. Soon afterward, the CNPF  the main representative of big business in France since 1945  disbanded, and was subsequently reorganized under a new name (MEDEF) and a new hardline leadership

At the local level, the Aubry legislation precipitated a spike in workplace conflicts. While small businesses struggled to implement the new rules, larger enterprises attempted to use negotiations on working-time to win gains on work-rules and wages, and boost productivity. However, whatever the outcome of these local struggles, employer hostility to the new law was unabated. Big business above all wanted the right to recast the parameters of employment relations, through social dialogue with workers inside each company. From their perspective, the Aubry Laws exemplified Frances rigid and cumbersome labor-market regulations.

The campaign to roll back the 35-hour workweek began to achieve important successes with the second Aubry Law. Introduced by the Jospin administration in 1999, Aubry II was intended to fill gaps in the first law. But in its final form, it also included important changes that weakened key provisions in the original legislation. As one labor ministry official noted, the weaknesses of this second law were a concession to business pressure. The government watered down the laws requirements to help ease tensions with hostile elements in the business community. After the Right returned to power in 2002, conservative governments introduced multiple bills to erode the statutes on working-time. The cumulative effect of these measures was such that by 2008, an official in president Nicolas Sarkozys administration could announce the final dismantling of the 35-hour week.

Since 2008, additional reforms have further flexibilized working-time rules, allowing firms to adjust work-hours without new industry-wide agreements, relaxing restrictions on the maximum duration of work, lowering the requirements for business to negotiate concessionary agreements with employee representatives, and giving management the right to ignore work norms in periods of economic distress. Current President Emmanuel Macrons administration has continued with this strategy.

The governments approach was captured by Macrons right-wing Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin. In an interview, Darmanin argued that instead of one national standard, We can work less in some companies when there are fewer orders, or when there is more added value, and we can work more in some companies that have enough orders. Darmanin insisted that the government is not going to decide working-time as Mrs. Aubry did in the past. Instead, the boss must decide with his employees. We wont say from Paris what the work hours in a particular factory have to be.

Today, trade unions and left parties in many countries are again raising the idea of reducing working-time to combat unemployment. In France, that proposal has the backing of several important voices, notably CGT union leader Philippe Martinez, president of the left-wing CGT union federation. Martinez has called for a move to a 32-hour workweek, along with measures to protect employment standards and require employers to make up for the loss of work-hours through new hiring. That would open up new opportunities to hire and make the working conditions of present employees. more acceptable, he says. As the experience of the Aubry Laws and the 35-hour workweek show, however, turning this vision into reality requires confronting the power of business. That is no easy task.
Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war  both real fog and stage fog  in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.

And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.

Yves

P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:

Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.

* * *

Rocky Mountain Massacre: Was Yellowstones Deadliest Wolf Hunt in 100 Years an Inside Job? The Intercept

Why Rain Smells So Good But Tastes Really Bad Laughing Squid (reSilc)

Elon Musks Neuralink Brain Computer Startup is Beat Again Fortune (furzy)

A Classic American Concession was First Fried in Oregon: The Corn Dog OPB (David L)

The Investment Drought of the Past Two Decades is Catching Up with Us Financial Times

The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility NBER

Myanmar: Fighting a Brutal Regime With the Help of a Video Game New York Times

In Delhi: Sheltered but Homeless Pari Education

Latin Americas Resurgent Left with Rene Rojas Jacobin AV

#COVID-19

Monkeypox

Climate/Environment

Italy

China?

China Won Over Southeast Asia During the Pandemic The Diplomat

Brexit

Britons Say Theyll NEVER Travel Through Dover Again and Abandon All Hope of Making it to France After Sitting in Traffic All Day Daily Mail (reSilc)

New Cold War

Sinking Germany New Left Review  Sidecar

Imperial Collapse Watch

Empire Burlesque Harpers

Biden

1/6

Zionism

Syraqistan

Sri Lanka

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

DHS Broke its Own Rules to Buy Huge Trove of Warrantless Phone Data: ACLU Ars Technica

Guillotine Watch

Elon Musks Inner Circle Rocked by Fight Over His $230 Billion Fortune Wall Street Journal

Class Warfare

Can Laws Spur Labor Militancy? Eric Blanc Substack

Antidote du Jour (Tracie H):

I followed this little bird around for a good 20 minutes trying to get a picture where he was reasonably sharp and unhidden by foliage. He didnt seem to care that after a while ones arms and eyes get exhausted holding a camera up and squinting through its eyepiece.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
(Natural News) A federal judge has ordered the Biden regime to comply with discovery requests pertaining to a new lawsuit against White House chief medical adviser Tony Fauci, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, and others who are accused of conspiring with Big Tech to trample peoples First Amendment rights online.

The legal filing says government officials worked quietly with employees at Twitter and other major social media companies (i.e., Facebook) to silence truthful information about a variety of topics, most notably the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19).

Fauci, who has headed the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), is said to have held a secret meeting with scientists who not long after worked overtime to try to discredit the idea that the Fauci Flu may have originated in a Chinese laboratory.

At the very same time, Fauci was also conversing with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about ways to silence the free speech rights of the companys users.

In the judges request, Fauci is being ordered to identify all of his co-conspirators who were or are communicating with Big Tech companies concerning censorship strategies. The judge wants all such communications about content moderation and misinformation, as well as all meetings, to be fully disclosed.

All communications with Zuckerberg pertaining to the Great Barrington Declaration (GBD) starting on Jan. 1, 2020, also need to be presented. (Related: Check out our earlier coverage about the more than 30,000 health experts who signed the Great Barrington Declaration.)

The Great Barrington Declaration, which condemns the plandemic tyranny, was authored by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Martin Kulldorff and Dr. Sunetra Gupta. Both Fauci and former National Institutes of Health (NIH) head Francis Collins criticized the Declaration publicly and in private, we now know.

Will the Biden regime actually be held criminally liable for its crimes against humanity?

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre also received discovery requests from the judge, as did former Disinformation Governance Board chief Nina Jankowicz; Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency; and agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The suit is led by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who reportedly also served subpoenas to Meta, Facebooks parent company; YouTube, which is owned by Google; Twitter; Instagram; and LinkedIn.

The subpoenas require all recipients to provide the requested documents before August 17.

Those documents reference how Jen Psaki, Jean-Pierres predecessor, admitted publicly back in July 2021 that officials from the regime were in regular touch with these social media platforms and that were flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread disinformation.

In a statement, Schmitt said that he and Landry are committed to fighting to get to the bottom of this alleged collusion and expose the suppression of freedom of speech by social media giants at the behest of top-ranking government officials.

Not only the government needs to be held accountable but also the medical and pharmaceutical establishments, which also colluded with the regime and Big Tech to push deadly interventions like masks and vaccines.

I am very sad for those who drank the Kool-Aid and followed the advice of people like Fauci and his corrupt organizations, wrote a commenter at The Epoch Times.

These people need to be held accountable for their abuse of power during the scamdemic, wrote another.

This is a start, piped in someone else. Their cumulative actions have nearly destroyed this country. Millions have died and will still die in the future as a result of their greed and bloodlust.

The latest plandemic-related news can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) When it first arrived, the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) was already more infectious than flu, according to former Trump adviser Deborah Birx.

A friend of Tony Fauci, Birx says COVID could only be one of two things: an abnormal thing of nature or an engineered disease that was cooked up in a lab while researchers were simultaneously working on coronavirus vaccines and accidentally became infected.

Birx claims that communist China is responsible for initially covering up how infectious covid really was  she still apparently believes that the only way to know who really has covid, since it is not always obvious, is to test people for it using fraudulent PCR testing schemes.

China was implying that they were containing it, but asymptomatic spread cannot be contained without testing, Birx contends.

According to Birx, covid came out of the box ready to infect when it first appeared in the Chinese city of Wuhan back in December 2020. Normally it would take years for a disease like to become infectious, she insists, but this one was immediately ready to go.

It happens, Birx says. Labs arent perfect, people arent perfect, we make mistakes and there can be contamination.

In other words, it was all just an accident, according to Birx  nothing was intentional. And the plandemic tyranny that resulted was all just a normal response that was not planned in advance at globalist gatherings such as Event 201.

Birx is trying to cover for herself, Fauci, and other plandemic co-conspirators

Keep in mind that Birx and her kind initially denied the idea that covid could have come from a lab, insisting that it magically appeared in bat soup at a wet market in Wuhan.

After that narrative failed, these same folks suddenly agreed that covid could be lab-made, but that it was all just a big accident, which is the narrative that Birx is now running with.

Someone working in the lab with one of the strains couldve caught it and not known they had it, Birx claims.

In laboratories you grow the virus in human cells, allowing it to adapt more. Each time it passes through human cells, it becomes more adapted.

Nothing that she, Fauci, or anyone else in the United States did in the aftermath of covids appearance was in any way wrong, Birx further contends. In her mind, China is totally to blame because they should have been testing for COVID from the beginning.

I think the world lost several months of preparation because we were thinking there wasnt that level of human-to-human spread when there clearly was, Birx alleges.

China has repeatedly denied that covid leaked from a lab, calling the idea a conspiracy theory. And, of course, the communist regime denies any wrongdoing in how it handled the outbreak.

Early on, then-President Donald Trump suggested that covid was probably manufactured in a lab. He was mocked for saying this by the likes of Birx and others.

Since that time, Trumps ideas have become more and more accepted, especially as it becomes increasingly clear that the entire plandemic was planned by globalists both in the U.S. and elsewhere  and Birx is one such globalist.

It turns out that Birxs sudden appearance on the world stage is all about grifting her new memoir, which very few people will ever read. She is clearly trying to profit even more from the authoritarian monstrosity that she helped foist on the public in the name of public health  but will it work?

The latest plandemic-related news, including more exposes on Birx and her fellow plandemic co-conspirators, can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) It is true that Anthony Fraudulent Fauci is at the epicenter of the SARS-Coronavirus scamdemic that has cost millions of lives around the globe while padding the pockets of Big Pharma gurus around the planet, including himself. Fauci was instrumental in funding the research for gain of function, that enabled a strictly animal virus to spread to humans.

Yet, that was just the fulcrum of the real pandemic that would follow  that of mass vaccination, where injecting or creating (mRNA) billions of spike protein prions leads to vascular damage for the gene-therapy-treated humans who bought into the COVID-19 scamdemic, that was based and propagated on fear-mongering that spread like wildfire. This pandemic is just like every other infectious disease scare weve encountered over the past three centuries. Anthony Fraudulent Fauci is just the most recent huckster and con artist to reach the front of the line in a long line of charlatans and pharma shills.

The primary purpose of commercially-funded clinical research is to maximize financial return on investment, not health

The richest and most powerful people on Planet Earth function mainly in one or more of three industries: oil, tech/media, and pharma. This is no secret, but the way they get rich in the pharma realm is covered up, because what the majority of Americans believe are medicine and vaccines are in reality WEAPONIZED treatments that make you sick, sicker and/or dead. Patients who follow the general advice of medical doctors (including pediatricians), oncologists and surgeons often find themselves in deep water, with no life raft in sight. Their health deteriorates quickly while the doctors point at incurable, genetic issues, only treating the compounding, horrifying symptoms of the very medicine thats been prescribed, including all vaccinations.

The primary purpose of commercially-funded clinical research is to maximize financial return on investment, not health. That quote comes from the foreword of an amazing, whistle-blowing book titled, Virus Mania: How Big Pharma, Media Invent Epidemics. This corrupt model of Western medicine is an epidemic based on fear, not viruses or bacteria.

Back in the 1800s, when germ theory was first propagandized to scare the masses, fear campaigns began to take root in America, and they were already enough to propel chemical medicine to the forefront  weaponizing an insidious cash cow this country had never experienced before. This is how epidemics and pandemics are invented.

Measles fear-mongering began in the 1700s and continues today

Back in the 1600s, measles first appeared and was documented in Boston. By the 1700s, scientists who were able to reveal the infectious nature of measles also instigated the propaganda machine that would turn a minor amount of measles deaths into a bloated, inflated statistic to scare the world to death (pun intended). Government health officials would later claim that for every 1000 kids who got the measles, one or two would die. That was a lie. The CDC and mainstream media still push this fabricated falsity today.

The truth is that the odds of dying from measles are equivalent to drowning in a swimming pool, or tripping down a flight of stairs. The mortality rate of measles plummeted long before the measles vaccine was supposedly discovered in 1962 by Maurice Hilleman, a Merck pharma shill.

The measles vaccine, in other words, is the pandemic that causes detrimental, chronic health problems that drive mass profits for the pharma machine. The vaccine is what to worry about, much more so than the measles virus itself. Far from ever being safe and effective, the measles live virus vaccine, made by Merck, is given to 1-year-olds and 4-year-olds as a two-part series to make sure those children stay infected and sick throughout their childhood, developmental years. How?

Those injections contain gelatin, sorbitol, bovine cow serum and human albumin (infected blood cells from human abortions). Gelatin is derived from the collagen inside animal skin and bones, and when injected poses risk of infection from synthetic growth hormones and BSE infectivity (mad cow disease). Sorbitol is a synthetic smoothing agent that metabolizes very slowly, aggravating the digestive tract and causing acute gastrointestinal issues. Doctors make a fortune treating children because of this alone.

Bovine cow serum is extracted from cow skin, and, when injected, causes connective tissue disorders, lupus, arthritis, shortness of breath (recognize that one?), low blood pressure, chest pain and other serious skin reactions. Can you say pharma cash cow?

Human albumin is also purposely concocted in the measles jabs. This is the protein portion of blood from pooled human venous plasma, and when injected causes fever, chills, rash, hives, severe headaches, nausea, breathing difficulty and rapid heart rate. Injected human albumin into humans can also result in a loss of body cell mass and lead to immunodeficiency virus infection. That human albumin might also contain SV40, AIDS, cancer and/or Hepatitis B from drug addicts.

Maurice Hilleman did NOT discover a vaccine for measles, but rather a weaponized jab for infecting children, teens and adults en masse

Maurice Hilleman did NOT discover a vaccine for measles, but rather openly admitted on tape that these vaccines given to Americans are contaminated with leukemia and cancer viruses. He was literally caught laughing about it. He said because they first tested this dangerous jab in Russia, that the Russian athletes competing in the Olympics would easily lose because they would all be loaded down with tumors.

The measles vaccine actually spreads an attenuated version of the measles in order to effectively spread the pandemic propaganda. Thats how these pharma hucksters all function, through the spread of fear using rather harmless versions of viruses. Then the vaccines inflict the chronic damage (think MMR here) that rakes in the profits for the pharma industrial complex, also known in the USA as chronic sick care. This is why epidemics and pandemics are invented.

Thats why Fauci is just the newest huckster in the long line of pharma shills and charlatans that push toxic vaccines as the medicine for the very fear-based pandemics they create, manipulate, push so heavily using the mass media complex and the CDC for the scripted narrative. Check out the book Virus Mania for an in-depth look at the propaganda machine behind every epidemic and pandemic weve ever known.

Bookmark Censored.news to your favorite websites for truth news thats being censored from the rest of media as you read this.

Sources for this article include:

Powells.com

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

Truthwiki.org

ChildrensHealthDefense.org
(Natural News) There has never been a more primed example of virus mania in the world than what is going on right now with COVID-19. Just recently, the CDC and corporate media have pushed out the latest, most dangerous propaganda about the Ninja variant of COVID-19, also known as BA. 5, in order to push more bioweapon vaccines that actually cause the mass hospitalizations of the immune-deficient masses. More than two-thirds of Americans have been shot up with gene therapy jabs as part of the ongoing virus mania in this indefinite state of emergency thats being perpetuated by Anthony Fauci and the Chinese Communist Party.

From measles to polio, and HPV to Fauci Flu, the scare of it all has always been much more powerful than the infections themselves, leading the majority of the populace down a dark rabbit hole of pharmaceutical medications and perpetual vaccinations that cripple the immune system, causing disease and disorder, while the mass media (using the CDC script) assures all the zombies the herd is protected and the toxic injections are safe and effective.

Fear of germs sells vaccines, but its the germs that keep you healthy

Germ theory dates way back, about 300 years. Doctors and scientists figured out how to kill germs with heat and sterilization techniques, and then they went wild and the whole theory got overblown. Germ theory and fearmongering became the catapult for the entire platform of chemical medicine (chronic sick care) and routine toxic vaccinations (population reduction schemes).

Now the majority of Americans are scared to death of all germs, so much so that they lather their bodies with germ-killing sanitizers and get spike protein injections that send their immune systems into an endless downward spiral.

The FEAR is whats killing the masses. The fear of germs, of viruses, of bacteria, of everything natural that our immune systems need to experience in order to build strong, long-lasting immunity.

The people wearing masks, social distancing, taking prescription drugs, and getting vaccinated for everything COVID are the same people who are filling up the hospitals, with not only severe cases of infection, but suffering from blood clots, myocarditis, and central nervous system disorders they did not even experience before the fear-and-jabbing campaign (propaganda and vaccination) kicked in. The more doses of spike protein that clog the vascular system, the sicker the injected zombies become, and much more likely to die sooner rather than later.

Its called virus mania, and theres an in-depth book that explains in great detail exactly how this all began, and how it has all been perpetuated into one of the biggest population reduction schemes and massive cash cows the world has ever known.

Faulty positive test results for COVID guarantee the highest fear factor possible for the relentless pursuit of population reduction via mass vaccination

The authors of the whistle-blowing book Virus Mania reveal how alleged contagious viruses are really just particles produced by cells as a RESULT of stress, drugs, and vaccines. Then, its THOSE particles that are identified by PCR tests and antibody tests as epidemic-causing viruses. Think long and hard about that for a minute. That means the deadly microbes all the allopathic brainwashed zombies fear so much are literally being produced by their own body because they took the advice of their doctors, the FDA, and the CDC, and took the medications and injections they were prescribed and recommended.

The masses are inoculated with fear by the medical industrial complex, and its been that way ever since germ theory was blown all out of proportion as part of the master plan. In other words, viral particles are the RESULT of dying cells, not the cause of dying cells. The viral particles are coming from a dying body, a host, that has been infected with spike proteins, heavy metal toxins (think mercury in flu shots), human albumin, and genetically modified bacteria.

The primary purpose of commercially-funded clinical research is to maximize financial return on investment, not health. That quote comes directly from the prolific, whistle-blowing book titled, Virus Mania: How Big Pharma, Media Invent Epidemics. This corrupt model of Western medicine is an epidemic based on GERM FEAR, not viruses or bacteria.

PCR and antibody tests are designed to scare the masses into getting perpetual booster shots that result in new false-positive tests, as the vicious cycle spins

If you listen to Anthony Fraudulent Fauci talk, you will hear the vaccine propaganda word booster a dozen times in just a few sentences. This is key to perpetuating the mass vaccination campaign thats being waged as biological warfare under the guise of medicine. Yes, vaccines are considered medicine in America, and the germ fear factor must be ramped up with heavy propaganda to sell and administer billions of dollars worth of boosters of toxic spike protein injections annually.

The COVID-19 masks are also tools of the fear-and-jabbing campaign, as they brew and breed bacteria in the mouth, throat, windpipe, and lungs, that result in false positives on COVID tests, further perpetuating a pandemic that barely exists right now, if it ever did. So whether you are afraid of a head cold, influenza, AIDS, measles, chicken pox, or the Fauci Flu, your fear itself may be what does you in. Dont put your immune system in a perpetual state of emergency for the rest of your life, because it wont last long if you do.

Look for organic foods, amazing indigenous cures, natural remedies, and immune-boosting supplements to prevent and beat infections and germs, and dont cripple your body with billions of spike proteins and prescription drugs made from the venom of deadly animals.

Bookmark Censored.news to your favorite websites for truth news thats been censored from the rest of the media as you read this.

Sources include:

Powells.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

Truthwiki.org

ChildrensHealthDefense.org

NaturalNews.com

VenomTech.co.uk
(Natural News) The Chinese government has deployed tanks on the streets to quell angry citizens wanting to withdraw their savings. In a scene resembling the infamous Tiananmen Square protests and subsequent massacre in 1989, Beijing sent tanks from the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) to patrol the streets of Henan province as protesters clashed with law enforcement.

Depositors, who had been barred from withdrawing money since April, were demanding the release of their frozen funds. Footage circulating in Chinese social media showed armored PLA tanks purportedly deployed to protect the banks and prevent locals from reaching them.

Meanwhile, local media reports confirmed large-scale protests by affected depositors across Henan province. A July 10 protest saw more than 1,000 demonstrators gathering outside the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) office in the provincial capital of Zhengzhou. The PBOC serves as the communist countrys central bank.

White-clothed men, allegedly from the Peoples Armed Police Force, were sent to suppress the angry bank depositors. Demonstrators were beaten and shoved into buses, based on eyewitness accounts and footage captured at the scene. (Related: Angry Chinese storm Bank of China branch over frozen deposits.)

The scenario at Henan mirrored the June 1989 pro-democracy Tiananmen Square protests in the Chinese capital. Student protesters gathered at the space to demand democracy and greater freedoms at the time. However, the central government responded with repression  deploying tanks and heavily armed troops to clear the square.

Hundreds, if not thousands, were killed during the subsequent massacre. The Tiananmen incident and issues related to Taiwan and Tibet  the so-called three Ts  are highly censored in China.

The bloody protests gave birth to the iconic Tank Man photograph featuring one man standing in front of a PLA tank column. The unidentified mans courage was commemorated on the 33rd anniversary of the protests.

PBOC promises repayment to affected depositors

The protests in Henan province, including the one on July 10, broke out following an announcement that the savings of depositors in four rural banks are investment products and cannot be withdrawn.

But following the civil unrest, Chinas central bank said it will start repaying depositors whose funds were frozen. According to the Henan Provincial Financial Supervision Bureau, those with deposits of less than 50,000 yuan ($7,405) would receive their money back starting July 15  the first day of the payouts.

However, only a handful of depositors received their payments on July 15. Other eligible depositors did not get their money back, as the designated mobile app for the purpose was rife with bugs that prevented them from registering.

Those with more than 50,000 yuan ($7,405) in deposits still dont know when they can get their money.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the funds used to repay affected depositors came from some of the seized assets of Henan New Fortune Group (HNFG). Following an initial three-month probe, law enforcement accused the company of using the four Henan rural banks and another one in nearby Anhui province as tools for illicit activity.

HNFG manipulated five village banks in Henan and Anhui to illegally absorb and occupy public funds, said an unnamed official at the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

According to analysts, the HNFG banking scandal has dealt an unprecedented blow to Chinas financial system. They added that the illegal operation involving the company and the five rural banks had been running for more than a decade.

Visit CommunistChina.news for more stories about Beijings draconian crackdown on civil unrest.

Watch entrepreneur Miles Guo talking about the collapse of rural banks in China below.

This video is from the Chinese taking down EVIL CCP channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Is Chinas banking system headed for a debt collapse?

China using bogus covid tests as excuse to freeze billions in deposits, lock residents out of bank accounts.

China bank collapse under way; Saudi Arabia distances from the petro dollar to join BRICS monetary order.

Sources include:

FirstPost.com

HongKongFP.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York announced that three people have been charged in the first cryptocurrency insider trading tipping case in the nation.

A former product manager at cryptocurrency exchange platform Coinbase, Ishan Wahi, along with his brother, Nikhil Wahi and friend Sameer Ramani have been charged with wire fraud in connection with a scheme to commit insider trading in cryptocurrency assets and wire fraud conspiracy. The parties allegedly planned to use confidential information from Coinbase about the cryptocurrency assets that were set to be listed on the platforms exchanges.

According to prosecutors, 32-year-old Ishan Wahi used his role with Coinbase to obtain confidential information about upcoming announcements of new crypto assets that would be added to Coinbases exchange. He passed this information to Nikhil Wahi and Ramani, who then acquired the assets with Ethereum blockchain wallets. They traded on no fewer than 14 occasions ahead of announcements by Coinbase in the time period from June 2021 to April, amassing more than $1.5 million in illicit gains as the digital assets prices rose.

The U.S. Attorney in Manhattan, Damian Williams, said in a statement that these charges should remind everyone that Web 3 is not a law-free zone.

He added: Our message with these charges is clear: fraud is fraud is fraud, whether it occurs on the blockchain or on Wall Street. And the Southern District of New York will continue to be relentless in bringing fraudsters to justice, wherever we may find them.

Ishan Wahi allegedly purchased a one-way plane ticket to India after being summoned by a security director at Coinbase for a meeting, but law enforcement stopped him from boarding the plane. Ishan and Nikhil Wahi were arrested yesterday morning in Seattle; their lawyers did not respond to requests for comment. Ramani is currently at large.

Coinbase Chief Security Officer Philip Martin noted the company shared the findings of an internal investigation into the mens trading with prosecutors.

He tweeted: We are committed to doing our part to ensure that all market participants have access to the same information.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted that the company started an internal probe in April after finding out about potential insider trading and terminated the employee. Coinbase was not implicated in any wrongdoing by federal prosecutors, and Williams thanked the firm for their cooperation in his statement.

Tensions rising between Coinbase and SEC

Nevertheless, the case is causing tensions to rise between Coinbase and the Securities and Exchange Commission, which contends that many of the digital tokens listed on crypto exchanges like Coinbase do meet the legal definition of securities and that these companies need to register with the SEC so they can be monitored for fraud and abuse. Coinbase maintains that the assets on its platform do not qualify as securities.

The SEC announced on Thursday that it will be suing the three men for violations of securities law on the grounds that at least nine of the more than two dozen digital assets they purchased and sold in their scheme were securities.

In a statement, SEC enforcement chief Gurbir Grewal said the economic realities of an offering carry more weight than its labels. In this case, those realities affirm that a number of the crypto assets at issue were securities, and, as alleged, the defendants engaged in typical insider trading ahead of their listing on Coinbase.

In its complaint, the SEC named 9 tokens and provided a 38-page analysis of how they meet the definitions of securities under federal law.

Sources include:

CNBC.com

Edition.CNN.com
(Natural News) The Department of Justice blocked the release of hundreds of pages of Russiagate documents that were declassified by then-president Donald Trump, who wanted to expose FBI abuses against he and his inner circle surrounding the 2016 US election and beyond.

(Article by Tyler Durden republished from ZeroHedge.com)

After the agency refused, citing last minute privacy concerns, they defied a subsequent order to release the materials after redactions were made, according to Just the News, which has obtained a memo from the National Archives written by former White House Chief-of-Staff, Mark Meadows, hours before Trump left office on January 20, 2021.

Meadows memo confirmed prior reporting by Just the News that Trump on Jan. 19, 2021 declassified a binder of hundreds of pages of sensitive FBI documents that show how the bureau used informants and FISA warrants to spy on the Trump campaign and misled both a federal court and Congress about flaws in the evidence they offered to get approval for the investigation. The declassified documents included transcripts of intercepts made by the FBI of Trump aides, a declassified copy of the final FISA warrant approved by an intelligence court, and the tasking orders and debriefings of the two main confidential human sources, Christopher Steele and Stefan Halper, the bureau used to investigate whether Trump had colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. -Just the News

Investigations into Trump and his campaign, as we know, found that there was no collusion with the Kremlin. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton authorized the dissemination of a fabricated claim that the Trump team was communicating with a Russian bank.

The declassified documents have never seen the light of day  as the DOJ disobeyed a direct order from the sitting US president, through Meadows, to declassify and expeditiously release them after private information was redacted.

I am returning the bulk of the binder of declassified documents to the Department of Justice (including all that appear to have a potential to raise privacy concerns) with the instruction that the Department must expeditiously conduct a Privacy Act review under the standards that the Department of Justice would normally apply, redact material appropriately, and release the remaining material with redactions applied, wrote Meadows  who told JTN that he was dismayed at the DOJs refusal to follow lawful instructions from the president.

Well, you know, the swamp is pretty deep, he said. But when we look at this, this particular president was all about draining the swamp, you know, and when he was running, that was more of a campaign slogan. When he got there, he realized that not only was the swamp very deep, but they they would fight back. And oftentimes he said, You know, I want to do this and get this out to the American people, not just the classification in terms of issues that affected him or his campaign personally, but issues that affect the American people.

What would happen is he would have a directive, and then we would see, as people were leaving the Oval Office, you know, they were nodding compliance in the Oval Office, and the minute they go out, they said, Well, were not going to do that or Were going to find all the reasons not to do it. So I found that very often while I served as chief of staff, but also found that as a member of Congress, that many times we would go in and the president was all in on a transparency issue, only to find that many, whether they be at a particular agency or the Pentagon, they started pushing back.

According to Meadows, if the documents are ever released theyll show that congressional Democrats and FBI leadership knew they were lying.

We found that not only were some of the allegations made by some of the Democrats false, but they were kind of guilty of what they were accusing Donald Trump of, he said.

Read more here and see Meadows memo below.

Read more at: ZeroHedge.com
(Natural News) Remember folksyour tax dollars pay for this.

(Article by Jim Patrick republished from LawEnforcementToday.com)

This is National Public Radio, or NPR, part of the Public Broadcasting Service which is funded in part by donations from people like you in addition towell, people like you, otherwise known as American taxpayers.

According to a piece in National Review last January, PBS has requested about half a billion dollars from Congress from 2021 to 2023. For that, you get stories such as the following.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson reported this week on an amazing story out of National Public Radio whereby a program on the platform was making the assertion that dinosaurs are basically the property of the trans community, according to the Post Millennial. We kid you not.

In his segment this week, Carlson played segments from a program about the whole community of gender queer dinosaur enthusiast(s) featuring a paleontologist, Riley Black, who identifies as transgender and who claims that dinosaurs are ours.

Many people who are queer, whether they are trans or some other form of genderqueer [is there a queer dictionary where you can look this stuff up?], or whatever it is, we love dinosaurs, Riley said. gender queer fans of dinos everywhere felt under attack as TERFs kept dropping the emoji into their feeds.

Now the first thing you might be asking is, What the hell is a TERF? We had the same question, so we looked it up. According to Wikipedia, TERF is an acronym for transgender exclusionary radical feminist. Its actually pretty amusing to see liberals eat their own, yet here we are.

The term TERF is considered a slur towards women who acknowledge biological realitysuch controversial topics as there are two gendersyou know, boys have a penis, girls have a vagina, and only women can have babies.

The host of the program, Amory Siverston appeared to defend Rileys assertion that dinosaurs are somehow the property of the trans community.

No matter who you are, if you see something beloved, taken over by someone else, that can be hard.

And he seemed to make that assertion with a straight face.

NPR: dont you dare use the ? emoji pic.twitter.com/9U9gANP7Ql  Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) July 16, 2022

In a hilarious case of timing, the segment came on the same week when NPR announced Friday they were creating a so-called Disinformation Reporting Team, this from the outlet that refused to report on the Hunter Biden laptop, writing that we dont want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, while referring to the laptop story as a distraction. That didnt age well.

As soon as NPR contributor Casey Morell breathlessly tweeted about the new disinformation division, a number of Twitter users responded and identified the numerous times NPR itself was guilty of spreading misinformation and disinformation.

Does your managing editor still think the hunter Biden laptop is not a real story ? pic.twitter.com/4f6BdtMAWC  Gregg Re (@gregg_re) July 16, 2022

Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway slammed NPR, noting it has been little other than a disinformation team for many years.

Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of The Federalist said NPRs entire organization is a disinformation team.

Colorado Republican House Member Lauren Boebert also clobbered NPR, advising them their first target needs to be itself while pointing to their ignoring the Hunter Biden laptop story.

NPR also bit hard on the Jussie Smollett hoax, referring to it as a Whitewash of Judgment in a 2019 post, while also tweeting out a nearly verbatim post of support that closely mirrored Smoletts lawyer:

He [Jussie Smollett] was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgment.

He [Jussie Smollett] was a victim who was vilified and made to appear as a perpetrator as a result of false and inappropriate remarks made to the public causing an inappropriate rush to judgement, his attorneys said. All charges were dropped today. https://t.co/d1yKXutdig  NPR (@NPR) March 26, 2019

You may recall that Smollett was found guilty last year of fabricating the entire story. Nicely done, NPR.

In 2020, in the midst of violent protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin after the shooting of Jacob Blake, NPR referred to them as peaceful, despite millions of dollars in property damage being perpetrated by the peaceful protesters.

Oh, but it got much worse. NPR tried to paint two men shot in self-defense by Kyle Rittenhouse as mere gentle activists who had appeared as daily fixtures at the protests against police shootings and racial inequality. In fact, both were career criminals which video evidence showed intended to kill Rittenhouse.

So, on the same day the disinformation team was announced, Carlson eviscerated NPR on his nightly Fox program Tucker Carlson Tonight. It was delicious to watch.

USA- Yes America, our tax dollars pay for this. By this, were talking about National Public Radio (NPR), which is better described as Democratic Party State Radio. On Independence Day, NPR scrapped its long tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence in favor of a discussion about what equality means, Fox News reports.

The tradition, which has been an annual ritual for 33 years on NPRs Morning Edition has involved NPR staff reading the Declaration, one of our founding documents in celebration of Americas birthday.

Instead, co-host Leila Fadel announced on Twitter that NPR was skipping the tradition, instead focusing on their interpretation of what Thomas Jefferson, the documents author, meant by all men are created equal.

In an 11-minute discussion between host Steve Inskeep and two historians, they engaged in a discussion on steps taken by Americans in the fight for equal rights for all men and women in the United States.

Of course, as a good liberal outlet, NPR attempted to tie the fight for equality into the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v Wade.

And many of our debates on this July 4th turn on what equality means. What voting rules really give equal access to the ballot. Do abortion laws give a woman equal control of her body. At what point is a fetus entitled to equal rights, Inskeep asked.

The co-host then engaged in classic Democrat Party talking points, making the unsubstantiated claim that Republicans seek unequal voting power, while tying that theory into the global move toward authoritarian rule. Think the Great Reset, which by the way is an idea promoted not by Republicans but by leftists, including Democrats.

For some people equality is out of style. Some political progressives prefer the term equity. Some Republicans in Texas and Colorado have called for unequal voting power, giving more weight to conservative voters. The global move toward authoritarian rule opposes equality, asserting that some people are more equal than others, Inskeep said.

Well, that certainly sounds like critical race theory to us, which advocates equity (equality of outcomes) versus equality (equality of opportunity).

Toward the end of the broadcast, however, historian Annette Gordon-Reed argued that far more people in the country have embraced the principle that all men are indeed created equal.

NPR, however, couldnt help itself, once again taking the leftist (read Democrat) position that equal rights are under attack in the United States.

NPR last year considered scrapping the reading of the Declaration, however caved and finally held the annual event, however said the document held flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies.

Further, NPR suggested that the violent 2020 riots that took place in the aftermath of George Floyds overdose death somehow should taint how Americans view the Declaration of Independence.

But after last summers protests and our national reckoning on race, the words in the document land differently. It famously declares that all men are created equal even though women, enslaved people and indigenous Americans were not held as equal at the time, read an article which accompanied last years Independence Day Morning Edition broadcast.

The NPR broadcast last year and this year, as well as last years article however failed to mention the grave sacrifices made on Civil War battlefields in order to free blacks.

Between 1861 and 1865, over 364,511 Union soldiers lost their lives on the battlefield, with another 281,881 wounded. In other words, over 29% of Union soldiers who fought on behalf of slaves were either killed or injured.

Never before in world history has a nation sacrificed so much to gain the freedom of enslaved citizens. Yet all of this is conveniently ignored by the left, including Democrat Party state radio NPR.

Just more evidence the left hates America.

WASHINGTON, DC- The abject stupidity of the triggered left knows no bounds.

According to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), the National Archives in Washington, DC has added a disclaimer to their website saying that some of our historical documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution may contain harmful content.

Boebert tweeted:

The National Archives have now put a disclaimer on their website that our historical documents may include Harmful Content. They even slapped this warning on the Constitution. We tried to tell you the Left wanted to get rid of it!

The National Archives have now put a disclaimer on their website that our historical documents may include Harmful Content. They even slapped this warning on the Constitution. We tried to tell you the Left wanted to get rid of it! pic.twitter.com/UeJtqgudMm  Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) September 7, 2021

Lest you think we are making this up, the following is taken directly from the web page, in part:

The Catalog and web pages contain some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. NARAs records span the history of the United States, and it is our charge to preserve and make available these historical records. As a result, some of the materials presented here may reflect outdated, biased, offensive and possibly violent views and opinions. In addition, some of the materials may relate to violent or graphic events and are preserved for their historical significance. The National Archives is committed to working with staff, communities, and peer institutions to assess and update descriptions that are harmful to establish standards and policies to prevent future harmful language in staff-generated descriptions. [emphasis added]

Under the FAQ section on the page, it warns the following may be found:

Some items may:

reflect racist, sexist, ableist, misogynistic/misogynoir, and xenophobic opinions and attitudes; be discriminatory towards or exclude diverse views on sexuality, gender, religion and more; include graphic content of historical events such as violent death, medical procedures, crime, wars/terrorist acts, natural disasters and more; demonstrate bias and exclusion in institutional collecting and digitization policies.



The web page continues to describe all manner of explanations for the inclusion of certain terms and says that language used in some of the archived documents may reflect biases and prejudices. It continues that some subject headings may use terms that are outdated, offensive, or insensitive.

One might think that normal people, those who arent offended by everything such as the use of improper pronouns might have a clear understanding that the items in the National Archives are being presented in historical context. However that is apparently way too much to ask.

Former Trump Department of Homeland Security secretary Ken Cuccinelli asked in a tweet, Are you kidding me? in response to the information.

What are we becoming? Now the National Archives posts a Harmful Language Alert on its website when you pull up the U.S. Constitution?! Are you kidding me?#Constitutionpic.twitter.com/GOLukUBUts  Ken Cuccinelli (@KenCuccinelli) September 6, 2021

In June, Fox News reported that a task force on racism made the suggestion to place trigger warnings around the National Archives Rotunda building, where our founding documents are stored, and also made the absurd statement that the historical portrayal of the founding fathers has been too positive.

The group also proclaimed the building as an example of structural racism. In short, our country is fd with numb nuts such as these running the show.

According to this group of malcontents, they claim the building credits wealthy White men in the nations founding (correct) and that certain documents on display contain legacy descriptions that use racial slurs and harmful language to describe BIPOC communities, as well as other offensive terms including elderly, handicapped, and illegal alien.

The whiners continued they wanted to add new descriptions to exhibits to contextualize the records and also wants notes placed to forewarn audiences of content that may cause intense physiological and psychological symptoms.

God forbid snowflakes might see something to get triggered over.

They are also suggesting (believe it or not) the creation of safe spaces, designed so anyone so triggered by the exhibits can go to and compose themselves, clearly to avoid being committed to an institution where they clearly belong.

Furthermore, the report also suggests the creation of events such as dance or performance art in the space that invites dialogue about the ways that the United States has mythologized the founding era. This is not from The Onion or The Babylon Bee. This is a legitimate number of suggestions.

Not happy with merely targeting the founding documents, the task force also is targeting the founding fathers, in particular Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence. They are having none of the historical description of Jefferson as a visionary who took vigorous action to strengthen the will of the nation to expand westward.

Oh absolutely not, they are having none of that.

The plan does not mention that his policy of westward expansion forced Native Americans off their ancestral land, encouraged ongoing colonial violence, and laid the groundwork for further atrocities like the Trail of Tears.

When the report was published, critics eviscerated the far-left nuts who comprised the task force, noting it was the radical Lefts latest attempt to sow division and rewrite our history.

Cassie Smedile of America Rising, a conservative group said of the development:

With Democrats controlling every level of our government, these efforts have only become more flagrant and pervasive.

No institution, agency, or classroom is off limits, she continued, adding The American people deserve to be made fully aware of the radical Lefts schemes, and well continue to expose them.

This is just another development in the radical lefts attempts to rewrite American history and push their neo-Marxist critical race theory, hell bent on destroying our country and abolishing our true history.

Read more at: LawEnforcementToday.com
(Natural News) The latest data from San Francisco Public Schools (SFPS) shows that the performance of students throughout the district is dismal, to say the least.

The vast majority of black elementary students, 85 percent, are completely unprepared for high school, the data shows. Latino students are only slightly better off at a 76.3 percent failure rate.

Asian students are performing the best in San Francisco at only a 29 percent failure rate while white students are in the middle with a 52.6 percent failure rate. Overall, less than half of all public school elementary students in San Francisco are ready to graduate to high school.

By far, black elementary students are the least likely to show up to class. More than 63 percent of them are chronically absent, the data shows, while only 8.4 percent of Asian students fall into that category.

Less than one percent of Asian and white elementary students have been suspended compared to 4.5 percent of black students and one percent of Latino students.

Even at the preschool level, less than half of black toddlers, 43.8 percent, are ready for kindergarten  this compared to 38.5 percent of Latino preschoolers, who are even worse off than their black classmates.

At higher grade levels, less than one in four black high school students is ready for college or a career  this compared to 80.3 percent of Asian high school students. White students clock in at being 65.7 percent ready for college and Latinos at 32 percent.

As a reminder, our elected officials spent most of the pandemic debating school names and whether or not to cover a mural while kids sat at home without proper laptops or wifi, tweeted someone familiar with the situation who is outraged that SFPS is being run in such a manner.

They then lobbied a campaign to get rid of merit-based admissions at our top academic magnet school  Three of them were recalled successfully.

Former tutor says San Franciscos far-left leaders are failing the citys students

Another area of focus for the corrupt SFPS school board has been to get rid of advanced math in 8th grade because math is racist, according to some board members.

This is the failure of government, the tweeter added. Our teachers union has protected itself at the expense of these childrens education.

A former tutor of San Francisco public middle school students, the tweeter further explained that many teachers throughout the district were often inept, despite the city being one of the wealthiest and most innovative anywhere in the world.

We cannot blame Republicans for this failure, she says. There are none in elected local office.

If San Francisco wants to be a progressive / liberal beacon of hope we must account for what is happening in the schools  Better yet, we must fix it.

Democrats claim they care about education, but the situation in San Francisco is worse than what exists in some ravaged third-world country. Students there are not being prepared to make a life in this increasingly corrupt world, and corrupt school board members are to blame.

To all the San Francisco voters who sit at dinner parties and bemoan how broken the system is  This is the system, the tweeted adds. It needs to be fixed. Its in our backyard. And we are all turning our heads.

It is clear to me that career politicians and bureaucrats are using the San Francisco school system as a launching pad for their ascendency into higher office. This is shameful  truly shameful.

You can read the full Twitter thread on this is at TheReaderApp.com.

You can also find more related news coverage on Americas public schools at EducationSystem.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheReaderApp.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A Los Angeles Starbucks employee revealed that baristas are frequently harrassed and have been attacked by homeless vagrants at their stores, according to Daily Mail.

(Article by Katie Daviscourt republished from ThePostMillennial.com)

The comments come after Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz annouced that 16 stores will be shuttering as a result of spiking crime in lawless Democrat-run cities. Six of those stores are in Los Angeles.

A Starbucks barista, who works at one of the LA locations that will be closing, told Daily Mail that she is thrilled with the CEOs decision, and claimed that she and her coworkers are regularly attacked by vagrants who frequent the coffee shop.

The barista told the outlet that a homeless vagrant has hurled heavy metal chairs at her while she was working, an incident that escalated into calling the police.

We got attacked, the barista said, who works at a Starbucks located in the citys Santa Monica pier. She told the outlet that criminal activity has vastly increased at the store in recent months.

The attacker allegedly tossed the heavy metal patio seats over the stores counter in a fit of rage, just nearly missing her and other employees, according to the outlet.

They got metal seats and threw them at everything over here, she told the reporter, gesturing behind the counter.

I called the police while it was going on and they took over 20 minutes to get here, the barista explained of the incident.

Thats too long, she exclaimed. He could have had a gun or a knife.

Adding, Even if hed have had a gun we dont have a back door we wouldnt be here right now if hed had a gun.

The barista, who wished to remain anonymous, described that staffers are regularly attacked by the homeless people whom try to fight us or try to hurt us.

After learning that Howard Schultz would be shuttering a number of stores, the barista said that she was happy the company was looking out for them.

Last week, Starbucks announced that it would be closing sixteen stores across the US by July 31, citing safety concerns amid rising levels of crime.

Footage from an internal meeting obtained by The Post Millennial, shows CEO Howard Schultz explaining in detail why so many locations have had to shut their doors.

EXCLUSIVE: Today at an internal meeting CEO Howard Schultz said: Starbucks is a window into America we are facing things in which the stores were not built for were listening to our people and closing stores, & this is just the beginning. There are gonna be many more. ? pic.twitter.com/E9ayQqSmB8  Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) July 13, 2022

The stores that are set to be closed include five in Seattle, one in Everett, six in the Los Angeles area, and two in Portland, Oregon, along with locations in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Starbucks employees have previously told The Post Millennial that they have to deal with customers doing drugs in bathrooms and regularly have to clean up drug paraphernalia and needle debris. Additionally, they have seen homeless people wander in off the streets and harass employees and customers.

In addition, Starbucks will also be closing their bathrooms to non-paying customers as a result of the spiking crime, the company announced earlier this month.

Read more at: ThePostMillennial.com
(Natural News) The far Lefts efforts to literally destroy our culture has now moved into a new realm: rewriting the history of our Founding Fathers.

James Madison, often referred to as the Father of the Constitution, has been relegated to little more than a slaveholding racist in his own home, the New York Post reported.

According to the report, the same globalist billionaire who funded a woke remaking of the home of another founder, Thomas Jefferson, has financed the same treatment for Madison.

No American flags fly at Montpelier, Madisons plantation home in rural Virginia, and not a single display focuses on the life and accomplishments of Americas foremost political philosopher, who created our three-branch federal system of government, wrote the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers, and served two terms as president. Instead, blindsided tourists are hammered by high-tech exhibits about Madisons slaves and current racial conflicts, thanks to a $10 million grant from Left-leaning philanthropist David M. Rubenstein, the report stated.

Visitors are treated to heaping doses of slavery and todays alleged racial injustices.

I was kind of thinking wed be hearing more about the Constitution, one baffled dad said when the Post visited the presidents recently. But everything here is really about slavery.

Its been inspirational  I guess, John from Wisconsin shrugged after taking the $35 guided tour.

Reviewers who took to social media to vent have been harsher.

They really miss the mark, Greg Hancock of Mesa, Arizona posted last week. We left disappointed not having learned more about  the creation of the Constitution.

The worst part were the gross historical inaccuracies and constant bias exhibited by the tour guide, said AlexZ, who visited the site earlier this month.

Visitors to Montpelier only get to see three rooms in the sprawling mansion, the Post noted.

The guide said the estate made Madison the philosopher, farmer, statesman and enslaver that he was, as the Posts group entered the home  a line she repeated at the end of her presentation as well.

Outdoors and in the houses huge basement, dozens of interactive stations seek to draw a direct line between slavery, the Constitution, and the problems of African Americans today.

A one-hour Critical Race Theory experience disguised as a tour, complained Mike Lapolla of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

According to a 10-minute multi-screen video, Hurricane Katrina flooding, the Ferguson riots, incarceration and more are all traced back to slavery.

The Post added: Another exhibit damns every one of the nations first 18 presidents  even those, like John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, who never owned slaves  for having benefited from slavery in some way.

Add founding father Thomas Jefferson and his famous Virginia mansion home of Monticello to the growing list of American history under assault by the Left, according to critics.

Instead of celebrating Jeffersons legacy as a founder, on-site employees have focused primarily on portraying him in a negative light, as evidenced by recent reviews posted to Google by visitors and tourists, reports said on Saturday, July 16.

I expected more about the life of Jefferson (hence my rating of only 3 stars) and his accomplishments, but it was highly focused on all the aspects of slavery. I loved the grounds and the site itself but expected more about Thomas Jefferson[s] overall accomplishments and his entire life not just his business exploits on the plantation, said one review, as reported by BizPac Review.

If you are a fan of woke revisionist history and racist CRT, this is the place for you. If you are a fair-minded person with an appreciation for the great contributions of Jefferson as a founding father of our great nation, Monticello will disappoint and infuriate. The leadership and staff of this national treasure should be ashamed, another review added.

Whats more, it isnt just a few random reviewers who have made these claims; so, too, has Jeffrey Tucker, the founder of the Brownstone Institute.

In an interview with the Post, Tucker described what a woke joke the Monticello tour has been turned into.

Someone asked if Jefferson had built a machine in the house, and the guide said, Nah, he never built anything, he was just a tinkerer,' Tucker recalled.

It was ridiculous. He was the architect of this house and of the University of Virginia  what are you talking about? he added in exasperation.

Sources include:

BizPacReview.com

NYPost.com
This photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows a panda enjoying a cake made with ice during its birthday at a zoo in Nanning, in China's southern Guangxi region. - China OUT (Photo : Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

A very sad event has caught the attention of many citizens in Hong Kong, as An An, the world 's oldest male gigantic panda, was euthanized at the age of 35 by the Hong Kong amusement complex where he resided, sources confirmed on Thursday.

World's Oldest Male Giant Panda





As formerly known, An An resided in the Ocean Park, a maritime and wildlife institution, for the approximate of 105 years of human life prior his condition began to deteriorate, The Independent reported.

According to Ocean Park personnel, the panda's condition has been steadily deteriorating over the last three weeks. An An's food consumption had decreased to the extent where he had quit consuming.

While New York Post cover, the initial comment from the management of the attraction complex stating that the Ocean Park is very grieved in informing An An's passing to the public.

Ocean Gate announced An An's passing on a Facebook post and invited the world to give sympathies. Thousands of people also left comments and images.

An An's engagement rates have dropped throughout age, and his rest times were growing more prolonged, as per his caregivers. Thus, authorities from the mangement finally agreed to euthanize An An to ease the senior panda's agony, as they claimed, as per The Guardian.

An An, who was originally brought to world in Sichuan, China, has been a resident at the popular amusement attraction throughout 1999 to present.

An An was one of two pandas given to Hong Kong by the Chinese administration. The duo featured Jia Jia, the world's oldest female giant panda, whom perished in the year of 2016 at the age of 38, The Washington Post recently posted.

The tourist attraction confirmed An An's death, saying: "Ocean Park is very grieved to inform An An's death."

Also read: Biomarkers Tells Us More of the Metabolic and Nutritional Properties on Methane Emissions in Japanese Black Cattle

Hong Kong's Ocean Park

The park's management stated that they were grateful for the chance to attend for Jia Jia as well as to An An since it enabled Ocean Park establish an essential basis for panda conservation.

In official message issued by the management they stated that An An is an integral part of the family who has developed with the Park and formed solid friendships with both residents and guests.

Ocean Park is also host to orcas, penguins, as well as dolphins, along with two gigantic pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le. The Beijing authorities likewise gave Hong Kong these two pandas, female Ying Ying and male Le Le, in the year 2007.

In a disappointment, the couple has not produced children, that could have helped Hong Kong grow its panda colony, as wildlife authorities had planned.

China frequently participates in panda diplomacy, in which the creatures located only within China are transferred to certain neighboring nations as a gesture of kindness. Pandas are an emblem of unity, friendliness, and tranquillity in China. Ever since 1950s, they have been employed as element of Beijing's foreign negotiations beyond the China.

Researchers have been concerned for several decades that the species was on the edge of annihilation. The year before, Chinese authorities declared that enormous pandas were no more threatened in the environment, although they remained fragile with a census of 1,800 beyond the confinement, as per ABC News.

Related article: UK Zoos Give Icy Treats to Keep Animals Cool Amidst Rising Temperatures




One of the most well-known examples of a common infection with acute or lingering cognitive symptoms is COVID fog.

The ability of animals, such as birds and bees, to adjust to urban development or climate change can be impacted by infection-associated declines in learning, memory, or decision-making, according to a recent review article by cognitive and disease ecologists.

Animal Cognitive Impairment

According to the authors, professors Dana Hawley, Kendra Sewall, and Anne Leonard of Virginia Tech, and the University of Nevada, cognitive impairment may be a factor in population declines, especially for species that depend heavily on learning and memory for foraging or other critical tasks, as per ScienceDaily.

The capacity of some animals to manipulate urban areas and other rapidly changing habitats, where problem-solving may be especially relevant, may be compromised by impaired cognitive performance.

Based on the animal's survival strategy as well as how the microorganism or parasite manifests in the body, the effects of disease on cognitive capacity can differ greatly from one animal to another.

For instance, social animals like ants and people might miss out on educational opportunities because they avoid dangerous places or people-a behavior known as the landscape of disgust.

Animals may be more vulnerable to infections if they are exposed to them early. For instance, young animals who contract Plasmodium while learning songs may have a smaller song repertoire and a simpler song repertoire than adults. Indirect impairment may also result from the animal's immune reaction or malnutrition.

The absence of comparable data across taxa, according to the authors, is a problem in all research on cognitive ecology.

Understanding how infection affects particular cognitive functions will necessitate research on a wider range of hosts and pathogens, focusing on analogous cognitive functions (such as spatial learning, problem-solving, and general versus specialized cognitive functions), and standardizing experimental paradigms to the greatest extent possible.

Read More: Dogs are More Than Just Pets - Here's the Proof

Animal's risk of spreading SARS-CoV

The possibility of humans contracting COVID-19 from animals is thought to be low. There is no proof that the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, is primarily spread among humans by animals, as per CDC.

There have been a few findings of infected mammalian animals in close contact with humans passing the virus, but this is unusual.

These instances involve domestic cats in Thailand, white-tailed deer in Canada, pet hamsters in Hong Kong, and mink raised on farms in Europe and the US. In the majority of these instances, it was known that a person with COVID-19 had initially infected the animals.

Keep in mind that humans are more likely to contract COVID-19 from other humans than from animals. Animals' infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 do not need to be put to death or injured in any other way.

There is a chance that the virus will infect animals, mutate, and then re-infect humans and spread among humans. Tracking variants and mutations and comprehending how SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread between humans and animals both require additional research and surveillance.

To determine whether and how COVID-19 might affect various animals, more research and surveillance are required.

To find out how this virus could indeed affect various animals, including whether they are prone to infection and whether they can transmit the infection to other animals, numerous studies have been conducted. Studies on animals have not demonstrated that they can infect humans.

These studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 is not contagious in invertebrates, birds, reptiles, or amphibians.

Related Article: Canines Can Detect COVID-19 Through Sniffing?
During the last week, regions of Western Europe saw record-breaking heat, with temperatures in the United Kingdom topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time since records started.

On Tuesday, numerous weather stations in London, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire exceeded the 40-degree mark, with Coningsby, Lincolnshire, reaching 40.3 degrees.

A total of 39 stations in central and southern England also beat the previous high-temperature record of 38.7 degrees Celsius, which was established in July 2019

Heatwaves in the UK tumbled

The central England temperature (CET), a daily temperature record dataset dating back to 1772, reported the highest ever day average temperature of 28.1 degrees Celsius, an amazing 2.8 degrees Celsius higher than the previous record, as per The Guardian.

Temperature records fell in several other European nations, with 64 different regions in France setting new highs and temperatures in Portugal hitting 47 degrees Celsius on Thursday, a July record.

The dangerously high temperatures have had far-reaching implications, with Portugal reporting over 1,000 heat-related deaths since last week.

Since Monday, at least 13 individuals have died in open water-related events in the United Kingdom.

For the first time, temperatures in the UK exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Germany saw the warmest day of the year so far, while Portugal increased its death toll following days of extreme heat.

The continent has been ravaged by deadly wildfires. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) of the United Nations warned that worse was on the way.

Because of human-caused climate change, heatwaves have grown more common, more severe, and stay longer.

Read more: Heatwave to Hit the UK in April and Climate Change is to Blame: Met Office Forecast

A possibility of wildfires across Europe

Wildfires have raged throughout sections of Europe and Northern Africa, evacuating 37,000 people in France as a result of the worst wildfire in 30 years, as per BBC.

In the Gironde area alone, more than 20,000 hectares (49,500 acres) of land were destroyed. Wildfires in northern Morocco have been aggravated by strong winds, and firemen are still battling the flames.

Several fires have broken out across England and Wales, with the London Fire Brigade declaring a major emergency.

The number of calls to the service quadrupled early this week, with Tuesday being the busiest day in the city since World War II.

A massive fire engulfed properties in Wennington, east London. Residents who had to be evacuated told the BBC that the fire had burned eight homes and maybe a nearby church, while a firefighter on the site described it as "total carnage."

On Monday, 64 separate places in France set new records for high temperatures.

Although the all-time high for mainland France has not been surpassed, the country's southwest has seen its worst flames in more than 30 years.

Fires have consumed more than 20,300 hectares (49,400 acres) of the wine-growing Gironde region since July 12.

A fire broke out in the dunes of the Belgian resort of De Haan, igniting many automobiles. However, following the intense heat, the country is now bracing itself for thunderstorms, which might result in 20-30mm of rain in certain areas, according to Le Soir newspaper.

Weather warnings remain in effect in Germany as the heatwave moves north and east.

The nation had its warmest day of 2022 on Tuesday. In the western city of Duisburg, the national meteorological service registered 39.5 degrees Celsius. Forecasters predicted that the Netherlands will reach the same high of 39.5 degrees Celsius in Maastricht.

Temperatures in Portugal have dropped dramatically. However, over 1,000 heat-related fatalities have been reported in the last week.

Related article: Heatwave 2022: Scorching Temperatures Recorded in India and Pakistan for April
A woman's body was recovered from the stomach of a 19-foot crocodile in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, according to local authorities.

The retrieval of her remains occurred shortly after the massive reptilian swallowed her whole, in another case of an unprovoked crocodile attacks in the Southeast Asian country and other parts of the world.

The 45-year-old victim, whose name is only known as Fatimah, was reportedly fishing in a river in the said Indonesian province when her friends heard her screaming and saw the colossal crocodilian dragging her back into the inland body of water.

It will take a short time before the local police hunt down the wild animal, which led to the recovery of what is left of Fatimah's body.

Other parts of her body, including a severed head, were found in nearby areas from the attack site.

Local sources indicated that they were discarded by the crocodile, leading to a new angle that the person was eaten when she was already dead.

Crocodile Eats Woman's Body

The Tarakan National SAR Agency stated the police shot the crocodile dead before its body was cut wide open where pieces of the Fatimah's body was found, according to a news article of the Mirror UK as reported on Saturday, July 23.

The gruesome details of the said crocodile attack, which occurred back in June 2020, went viral on social media this weekend as it was found that the recovery was also captured in a video previous report by The Sun.

Information from eyewitnesses said Fatimah was placing food into the waters of Tibi Island in Bulugan Regency during evening hours.

Also Read: Robert Irwin, Son of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin Nearly Attacked by 12-Foot-Long Crocodile

Search and Recovery Operation

Following the attack, law enforcement and residents in the area started a so-called "search and recovery operation" where they found the victim's head and other body parts a few hours later.

The graphic footage reportedly showed angry villagers opening the croc's stomach, although it has been known that Kalimantan had a notorious reputation of fatal crocodile attacks.

Kalimantan Crocodile Attacks

In recent years, multiple crocodile attacks have occurred across Kalimantan with the following details below:

In February 2022, a 51-year-old man named, Luther, was killed while his friends watched helplessly to save his life during the attack of a 13-foot crocodile in North Kalimantan, according to Naija News. Luther was having a bath along Bebatu River when the animal pounced on him.

In January 2021, an elderly woman lost her arm in a crocodile attack in Central Kalimantan. The incident occurred in a creek in Sampit, Kotawaringin Timur District.

In June 2020, the body of a 37-year-old man named Kamaruddin, resurfaced from the Lop River in North Penajam Paser Regency, East Kalimantan, following a crocodile attack. The man was killed after a large crocodile dragged him underwater, according to the UK's Metro newspaper

While experts claimed that fatal crocodile attacks are rare, related incident can still occur, especially near lakes, ponds, and rivers where an increased human presence into wildlife territory endangers both species.

Related Article: Osama the Crocodile Feasts on 80 Villagers in Uganda: New Reports Emerge
Geomagnetic storms are expected to directly hit Earth in the coming days, according to space weather authorities.

The incoming space weather event occurs as a solar storm dust cloud is reportedly bombarding the Blue Planet as of the latest reports in the past 24 hours.

Some of these reports include not only the arrival of geomagnetic storms but also solar radiation storms and radio blackouts, with a number of living organisms at risk, as well as radio frequencies, power grid system, and satellites at risk.

The occurrence of these space storms has increased in previous months.

Still, space authorities such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) emphasized that this could further increase as the Sun's solar cycle becomes more active by end of the year.

Massive blackouts in Southeast Asia and Australia were reported in months, affecting electrical infrastructure.

Despite the frequency, there has been no related solar storm events of severe or critical magnitude this year, as compared to the massive solar storm called the "Carrington Event," which is said to be the most intense magnetic storm in recorded history.

The massive solar flare in 1959 was never experienced again, at least at this time, despite causing large-scale power grid failures, disruption of migratory birds, and the occurrence of the Northerns or Aurora Borealis, situated in the Northern Hemisphere.

Solar Storm Cloud

A series solar storms of significant magnitude is expected to continue hitting Earth in the coming days, according to space.com, particularly throughout the remainder of the weekend.

The looming solar threat transpired following a powerful solar outburst in the form of a coronal mass ejection (CME) occurred on Thursday, July 21, this week from our solar system's only star.

The geomagnetic storm or so-called solar storm cloud were likely to have peaked on Friday and Saturday, July 22 and July 23.

However, there are still no significant reports of significant solar storm-related events in various continents of the world, wherein North America and Europe have been vulnerable from the events before.

While the CME took place on Thursday, the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) said geomagnetic activity will still continue from Sunday to Tuesday, July 24 to July 24.

During this period, the space weather hazards like geomagnetic storms, solar radiation storms, and radio blackouts are possible.

Also Read: Solar Storm Alert: Geomagnetic Storm, Solar Radiation, and Radio Blackout Expected to Hit Earth by April 27

Coronal Mass Ejection

Being the culprit behind the latest looming threat, CMEs are some of the types of solar storms along with solar flares that release high-energy particles, resulting in emission of the said hazards.

NASA stated that a massive CME contain billion tons of matter that can accelerate for up to severe million of miles per hour.

While they are often associated with solar flares, both can occur independent from each other.

In the coming months, succeeding solar storms are possible to continue, since the Sun is approaching its solar activity peak in 2025.

This projection has been laid out by experts back in 2019 during a press conference initiated by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Related Article: Solar Storm Alert: Fresh Geomagnetic Storm Warning Issued, Earth Expected to be Hit on Thursday
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 58F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Rich Warren, who lives in the Champaign area, is a longtime reviewer of consumer electronics. Email him at hifiguy@volo.net.
(Newser)  Where college grads head to after they've thrown their caps in the air can make or break a city's smarts cachet. WalletHub wanted to see which US cities can claim that "most educated" prestige, so it looked at 150 of the most populated metropolitan areas around the nation across nearly a dozen metrics in two key categories: educational attainment, which involves the share of adults 25 and older who have various levels of education, from high school up through graduate school; and quality of education and attainment gap, which includes quality of local schools and universities, racial and gender gaps, and the number of summer learning opportunities. Michigan's Ann Arbor tops the listit also comes in first in both main categorieswhile Visalia, Calif., pulls up the rear. Read on to see what other cities made the top and bottom 10:



Most Educated Cities

Ann Arbor, Mich. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va. Madison, Wis. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, Calif. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-NH Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Raleigh-Cary, NC Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, Texas

Corpus Christi, Texas Ocala, Fla. Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas Stockton, Calif. Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Modesto, Calif. Bakersfield, Calif. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas Brownsville-Harlingen, Texas Visalia, Calif.

To see where other cities fell on WalletHub's list, check here . ( This is where young people want to move after college.)
(Newser)  As legal fights over access to abortion unfold in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ProPublica highlights an unusual lawsuit out of Arizona that it sees as a potential new front in the debate. A man in 2020 filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Phoenix clinic and its doctors over the abortion his then-wife had two years prior. So far, a judge has allowed Mario Villegas to establish an estate on behalf of the embryo, which his wife aborted using pills at 7 weeks. There's precedent for lawsuits filed on behalf of embryos lost to, say, car accidents, "but a court action claiming the wrongful death of an aborted embryo or fetus is a more novel strategy," writes Nicole Santa Cruz.

"It's a lawsuit that appears to be a trial balloon to see how far the attorney and the plaintiff can push the limits of the law, the limits of reason, the limits of science and medicine," says Civia Tamarkin, president of the National Council of Jewish Women Arizona. ProPublica notes that the prominent anti-abortion group National Right to Life Committee is pushing civil suits such as this one as a way to discourage abortions and strengthen bans across the country. "The civil remedies follow what the criminal law makes unlawful," leader James Bopp Jr. tells the outlet. "And thats what were doing." Critics, though, say civil suits of this nature are being used to intimidate abortion providers and harass women who get abortions.

In the Arizona case, ex-husband Villegas accompanied his then-wife (who is not identified) to the clinic for a consultation, the abortion itself, and a follow-up. At the clinic, his wife checked a box saying, I am comfortable with my decision to terminate this pregnancy. She also filled out forms saying she did not feel ready to be a parent and that their marriage was unstable. Villegas accuses the clinic of not providing adequate "informed consent" to his wife prior to the abortion. "He has no desire to harass" his former wife, his attorney tells ProPublica. "All he wants to do is make sure it doesnt happen to another father." An attorney for the clinic owner calls the suit "ridiculous"; in a court deposition, Villegas' ex said she "felt completely informed." (Read the full story.)
(Newser)  A hiker on a trip to celebrate his college graduation died after running out of water and collapsing on an unmarked trail in Badlands National Park. Sheriff's officials said Maxwell Right, 22, of St. Louis died Wednesday of "suspected dehydration and exposure," People reports. A 21-year-old Missouri man who was with him survived and was airlifted for treatment. They were hiking on an unmarked trail that was part of a challenge on social media, though the release didn't say the men were participants in it.

Right's sister, Lucille, said they were just following a trail on a hiking app, not taking part in a social media challenge. The stop in South Dakota at Badlands National Park was part of a vacation celebrating her brother's graduation from Missouri S&T, she said. They intended to go to Mt. Rushmore on Wednesday evening, per the AP. Maxwell Right became lost on his way back to his car, she said. Officials did not identify the other hiker. An investigation has begun, they said.

Pennington County sheriff's officials emphasized that hikers should stay on marked trails and bring sufficient supplies. Temperatures were around 100 degrees in the park last week. "We've said many times, you have to have enough water, water, water," said sheriff's spokeswoman Helene Duhamel, per KSDK. "But I dont think people understand, and they underestimate the heat, especially in the Badlands." (Read more hiker death stories.)
(Newser)  Is Rupert Murdoch parting ways with Donald Trump? The conservative editorial pages of two of his US newspapers have published blistering editorials against the former president in the wake of the most recent Jan. 6 hearing, notes CNN.

Wall Street Journal: In an editorial headlined, "The President Who Stood Still on Jan. 6," the Journal declared that "no matter your views of the Jan. 6 special committee, the facts it is laying out in hearings are sobering." As the riot unfolded, Trump "sat watching TV, posting inflammatory tweets and refusing to send help," the editors write. "Character is revealed in a crisis, and (Vice President Mike) Pence passed his Jan. 6 trial," the piece concludes. "Mr. Trump utterly failed his."

New York Post: The editorial at the Post is even more withering. Its up to the Justice Department to decide if this is a crime, the editors write. But as a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this countrys chief executive again.

The editorial at the Post is even more withering. Its up to the Justice Department to decide if this is a crime, the editors write. But as a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this countrys chief executive again. Now what? Trump has not yet publicly responded to the editorials, and he still has plenty of support among big-name anchors on Murdoch-owned Fox News. But a post at the liberal Daily Kos wonders, "If Trump has lost the New York Post, can Fox News be far behind?"

Trump has not yet publicly responded to the editorials, and he still has plenty of support among big-name anchors on Murdoch-owned Fox News. But a post at the liberal Daily Kos wonders, "If Trump has lost the New York Post, can Fox News be far behind?" Prediction: At the conservative Hot Air site, Allahpundit is skeptical these editorials were ordered by Murdoch. It's more likely the editorial boards exercised their own judgment to conclude the GOP is better off with a candidate like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. However, if "Trump vanquishes Ron DeSantis in the 2024 primary, which is more likely than not, both the Journal and the Post will decide that he has enough character to warrant supporting over his Democratic opponent."

(Read more Donald Trump stories.)
(Newser)  A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin at a campaign rally told investigators hed been drinking that day and didnt know who the congressman was, per the AP. David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. He was ordered held until a bail hearing in federal court Wednesday. Prosecutors said he should remain detained as a flight risk and is dangerous, according to a court filing. Jakubonis was arraigned Friday on a separate state charge of attempted assault and was released by a local judge.

That prompted criticism from Zeldin and other Republicans who held it up as an example of the need to reform New Yorks bail laws, something Zeldin has called on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to toughen. A 2019 bail reform law in New York eliminated pretrial incarceration for people accused of most nonviolent offenses. The law gives judges the option to set bail in nearly all cases involving violent felonies, but it has exceptions for certain attempted felonies like attempted assault. The federal criminal complaint filed Saturday alleged Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told investigators he was drinking whiskey on Thursday before he went onstage as Zeldin addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the town of Perinton to ask the speaker if he was disrespecting veterans.

Jakubonis did not know who the speaker was or that the speaker was a political person, according to the complaint. The complaint added that when Jakubonis watched video of Thursday evening's incident he told investigators he must have checked out and that what was depicted in the video was disgusting. According to video of the attack, Jakubonis raised his arm toward Zeldin as he held a keychain with two sharp points. The congressman from Long Island then grabbed Jakubonis' wrist and the two tussled to the ground as others jumped in to help. Zeldin, who also served in the military, suffered a minor scrape.

(Read more Lee Zeldin stories.)
(Newser)  Appearing before a Florida convention of young people, Rep. Matt Gaetz said Saturday that women demonstrating for access to legal abortions are too unattractive to become pregnant. "Why is it that the women with the least likelihood of getting pregnant are the ones most worried about having abortions?" Gaetz told the group. "Nobody wants to impregnate you if you look like a thumb." The Republican lawmaker was speaking to about 5,000 young people at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, USA Today reports.

"Calling women unattractive is kind of Gaetz's go-to schtick," Laura Bassett writes for Jezebel. He made a complementary point in a tweet when the US Supreme Court threw out Roe v. Wade, posting, "How many of the women rallying against overturning Roe are over-educated, under-loved millennials who sadly return from protests to a lonely microwave dinner with their cats, and no bumble matches?" Bassett calls Saturday's remarks by Gaetz, who is under federal investigation on suspicion of sex trafficking, "cartoonishly misogynist."

The crowd did not boo the comments, which Gaetz included in his Twitter feed. Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey called Gaetz's speech "brain-dead misogyny" in a tweet, warning that after the midterm elections this fall, the next Congress will include more lawmakers who think that way. Former President Donald Trump also addressed the student audience and referred to Gaetz. "What a wonderful guy," Trump said. (Read more Matt Gaetz stories.)
(Newser)  Russian defense ministry officials on Sunday insisted that an airstrike on the port of Odesaless than a day after Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement on resuming grain shipments from therehad hit only military targets, per the AP. Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse with Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the US to the Kyiv regime, said ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly televised address Saturday that the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

It was not immediately clear how the airstrike would affect plans to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny. The Ukrainian military said Moscow had attacked Odesas sea port with four cruise missiles, two of which had been shot down by Ukrainian air defense. Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said that no grain storage facilities were hit. Turkeys defense minister, however, said he had had reports from Ukrainian authorities that one missile struck a grain silo while another landed nearby, although neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed identical agreements with the UN and Turkey in Istanbul aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. Senior UN officials voiced hopes that the deal would end a months-long standoff brought about by the war in Ukraine that threatened food security around the globe. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  The Chinese military has become more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top US military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with US and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, the AP reports, and that the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions. "The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region," said Milley.

Milley recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the US and others in the region. The US is redoubling efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its "pacing threat" and America's primary long-term security challenge. Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this week in Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, Milley said, and has long been a key U.S. partner. He met on Sunday with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, and said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the US military involved and engaged in the region. Milley spent the afternoon at Andika's military headquarters. At the end of the visit, Andika told reporters that Indonesia has found China to be more assertive and a little bit aggressive with naval vessels in connection with territorial disputes with his country. China has condemned US efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an "Asian NATO."

(Read more Chinese military stories.)
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The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Every year some 2.3 million men and women worldwide succumb to work-related accidents or diseases, estimates the International Labour Organisation, which corresponds to over 6,000 deaths a day. ILO report also says that around 340 million occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work-related illnesses occur annually.

These estimates, ILO says, indicate an increase in accidents and ill health among workers. The figures are indeed worrying and point fingers at poor working conditions.

The question, however, is how could we change that? The answer is clear.

Changes will come only through exercising stringent regulations and government-level intervention, which most people around the globe say are difficult to come by. The latest statistics, however, say things are different in Bahrain, where the regulations are stringent and focused.

The latest Government data supports this and shows that recordable injuries and illness in the private sector continued their drop in Bahrain in 2022.

Citing the report released yesterday, Jameel Humaidan, the Minister of Labour and Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Council, said labour accidents in Bahrain edged down to 121 cases in the first half of this year from 123 in the same period a year ago.

Releasing the stats, the minister affirmed that the efforts of Bahrain to enhance the protection of workers are eliciting positive results. It has contributed to improving the safety measures in various works sites in the private sector, leading to a significant decrease in serious occupational injuries, compared to the past three years.

The ministry, he said, has been performing a periodic review to assess the risks related to occupational safety and health to ensure that establishments are complying with the safety standards and conditions set by the authorities. The semi-annual report on occupational safety and health states that the ministry officials conducted 395 visits to worksites until June this year, an increase from 332 visits held last year. Minister said this increase in inspection visits reflects the ministrys interest in enhancing the work environment.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Two men, both of whom are engineers, are in the dock for allegedly forging their bachelor's degree certificates after officials spotted a mismatch on their certificates filed for upgrading their engineering licences.

The men, a 36-year-old Bahraini and a 46-year-old Asian national are on trial before the High Criminal Court. The Bahraini man secured his engineering licence in 2007 and the Asian man in 2014 by allegedly submitting a certificate from a university in Pakistan.

However, the Council for Regulating the Practice of Engineering Professions grew suspicious of the Bahraini man's certificate upon spotting a mismatch between the graduation year in his curriculum vitae and his graduation certificate, while reviewing an application to upgrade his licence. Officials then recommended a detailed enquiry and approached the university for clarifications.

The university, in its reply, confirmed to authorities that the pair's names are not on its students' lists. An enquiry through the Bahraini embassy in Pakistan also confirmed the certificates as fake. Meanwhile, the Bahraini customs department found that the Bahraini man hadn't travelled to Pakistan at the time of obtaining the degree.

The Council then decided to conduct a forensic examination of the certificates, only to detect the signatures on the certificates were that of the Bahraini man himself. However, when questioned, the first suspect denied any wrongdoing and claimed to have joined the university in 1996. "Pursuantly, I underwent training in the engineering office from 2002 to 2005," he told investigators.

The man also said he is authorised to practice the profession, citing the licence received in 2007. The Public Prosecution charged them with forging official documents and cheating a public employee who helped them in good faith. The prosecution also charged them with forging documents to practice a profession without necessary qualifications.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

A woman who secured a divorce from her husband but continued to live in her ex-husband's house will have to vacate it now as per a court order.

A Bahraini court has ordered her to hand it over to its rightful owner in a petition filed by her ex-husband. The High Civil Court ruled that the woman forsook her legal right to stay in the house when she secured the divorce.

The court, however, allowed the woman to keep two cars the husband sought to return, citing that the husband had waived his rights on the cars by registering them in her name.

The court also allowed the woman to keep the furniture in the house for herself. The orders came in a case filed by the woman's ex-husband, seeking to return the house and two cars he gave after the woman secured a divorce from him.

The ex-husband also told the court that he was paying the EMIs on the cars registered in his ex-wife's name. "She demanded a divorce and received it, but is still staying in our house and also took two cars which I had to register in her name in special circumstances," the man told the judges at the High Civil Court.

The court ruled that the woman should move out of the house "since it is she who moved the court seeking a divorce from her husband." "Now, the marriage is no longer valid." "The High Shariat Court didn't see any reason for the woman continuing to stay in the house, and therefore the High Civil Court rules in favour of the plaintiff and orders her to leave the house," the High Civil Court said in its ruling.

As for the two cars, the court said the two waiver declarations signed by the plaintiff void his rights to claim the vehicles. The registration documents in the woman's names strongly prove that the man voluntarily handed over the cars to her.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has joined the United Nations Global Compact initiative, the worlds largest corporate sustainability initiative. The Bank aims to showcase its commitment towards conducting business practices rooted in universal principles that contribute to a more inclusive global market and help build prosperous and thriving societies.

The UN Global Compact initiative calls for companies to align their strategies and operations with their Ten Principles regarding human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption, as well as taking action to advance societal goals. More than 14,000 companies and 4,000 non-business participants across the globe have already embraced the initiatives commitments. As part of its promise to advance its global sustainability impact through this initiative, NBB aims to assess, define, implement, measure and communicate its current sustainability strategy with a focus on considering all of its stakeholders.

The bank will focus on actualising long-term business success matters for its employees, its communities, and the planet. Commenting on the occasion, Jean-Christophe Durand, CEO of NBB, said: By partaking in the initiative, the bank is closer to achieving long-term success for our various stakeholders.

We are committed to showcasing our values as a responsible bank by further establishing a culture of integrity through the necessary policies and strategies with a goal to become a more sustainable and responsible organisation on a global scale.

Dana Buheji, Group Chief Human Resources and Sustainability Officer at NBB, added: Integrating the UN Global Impact and its Ten Principles into our core business operations is another milestone that will accelerate NBBs contribution to the UNSDG. Our commitment to ESG considerations is motivated by our promise to implement sustainability practices in everything we do.

We are committed towards contributing to the Kingdoms Economic Vision 2030 and a future net-zero economy by 2060. NBB said it has made significant progress on these fronts, ranking first in the Arab Worlds Banking Sector as per Refinitiv ESG Scores, first in the Banking Sector in Bahrain for ESG ratings list by ESG Invest as well as being awarded by Euromoney Middle East Awards for Excellence 2022 as Best.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Al Salam Bank was recently awarded as Bahrains Best Bank for Corporate Banking by Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2022. The award is one of the financial sectors most esteemed accolades regionally and internationally, recognizing the Banks excellence in providing for integrated banking services.

The award comes as a result of the Banks progress in its ongoing digital transformation, particularly within its Corporate Banking division, further cementing its leading position in the Kingdoms and broader Islamic banking sector.

Commenting on the award, Rafik Nayed, Group Chief Executive Officer of Al Salam Bank, said: We are incredibly proud to be named a national winner at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2022, which recognizes Al Salam Banks robust financial results, unparalleled personalized financial advisory services, and advanced solutions for corporate clients.

In line with our expansion strategy, we have achieved impressive growth and resilience across all divisions, further cementing our position at the forefront of the Kingdoms banking and finance industry.

Ahmed Murad, Head of Corporate Banking at Al Salam Bank, added: This prestigious award was earned as a result of several milestones we have achieved this past year, which reflect our proven model for integrated banking and success in accelerating the rollout of digital initiatives to accommodate our clients needs.

Amidst the global pandemic, our corporate banking division offered strategic advisory services, helping clients bolster liquidity and pivot their strategies in response to the market uncertainty. Last year, Al Salam Bank was named the Best Domestic Bank in Bahrain  2021 at the Asiamoney Middle East Awards in the Best Bank category.

The award was given in light of the Banks solid financial performance and unwavering commitment to building a diversified portfolio of banking products and services. The Asiamoney Awards, part of Euromoney Global Ltd., aim to highlight regional pioneers of the banking industry and celebrate their success and accomplishments.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Batelco has launched a one-of-a-kind raffle campaign, giving Home Broadband customers the chance to win a luxury new home in Diyar Al Muharraq. Starting from today (July 24), any new Batelco Home Broadband customer, or existing customers that renew or upgrade their Fiber or Mobile Broadband packages will be eligible to enter the raffle. The launch was announcement exclusively for local media and took place in the house that will become home for the lucky prizewinner.

Batelco Home Broadband packages come in a range of options that are designed to meet the needs of various lifestyles. Whether you are constantly scrolling social media, playing with your friends online, working remotely, or never want to miss a movie, Batelco has got you covered. The inclusive monthly package rates for Mobile Broadband start from BD11 for 800GB, while the rates for Fiber Broadband start from BD17.600 for 50Mbps with unlimited usage.

The villa is located in Diyar Al Muharraq which is one of Bahrains prestigious new residential locations surrounded by pristine coastlines, offering residents a luxurious lifestyle. The modern 4-bedroom villa has been designed for families who can become part of a growing community and avail of a wonderful range of facilities. The house is minutes away from schools, shopping malls, and a wide range of dining and leisure facilities, with easy access to the beach and an array of green open spaces.

Batelco GM Consumer Maitham Abdulla said, We wanted to do something amazing this year, something that would stand out from all other campaigns, and what better way to do that than by thinking big and offering a luxury house as the prize. A win like this is a dream come true for a family and it will stay with them for life, thats why the campaign slogan is Win your forever home. We selected Muharraq as the location as it links the culture and heritage of Bahrain with a truly modern and sophisticated lifestyle, the best of all worlds.

The opportunity is open to all our current Home Broadband customers who just need to renew or upgrade their current package to participate, and new customers are welcome to sign up too. The range of packages has been developed to cater to todays lifestyle with affordable prices, so we are confident we have something to suit everyone, he added.

Starting from today until January 19, 2023, customers who renew or upgrade their Home Broadband packages as well as all new customers will enter the raffle automatically. All the details can be found on Batelco.com and the Batelco App.
By Captain Mahmood Al Mahmood

It has been a good week for Bahrain as the US Department of State confirmed that the Kingdom retained its Tier 1 Status in Trafficking in Persons in the US Department of State report. In another development that signalled Bahrains efforts to make human rights and freedom the key to rehabilitation, the countrys Open Prisons Programme was also launched this month.

Under this programme, eligible inmates will be able to progress from life behind bars in a new step-by-step approach to freedom located in a new facility close to the kingdoms main prison facility in Jaw.

Observers believe that these measures are an important step in the context of developing the legislative system, in line with international legislation that respects human rights.

Indeed human rights is a matter which the government of Bahrain takes very seriously and the Kingdom has shown that it will walk the talk by meticulously putting into practice recommendations made for improving human rights endorsement  Bahrain is among the few countries to have a designated Ombuds - man body to review any complaints about the police and security; we have an Expatriates Protection Centre for expat victims of abuse; we have a strong Migrant Workers Protection Society to raise its voice for all workers  especially domestic and blue-collar workers.

Bahrain is also one of the very few countries to impose a summertime work ban during the hottest hours of the day.

If we examine the changes in working conditions over the past 15 years, we see plenty of positive changes: the country eliminated the practice of transporting labourers in open trucks to the work sites, Bahrain instituted the flexi-visa permit through which many workers got unheard-of freedom to work and earn their living with dignity.

Of course, there are still weak spots to tackle and one of them is the poor condition of many unregistered labour camps where workers live in unhygienic and ramshackle conditions.

I believe that the Ministry of Labour must take the help of the Municipality of the different governorates for this and enlist the councilmen of that area also so that unscrupulous landlords will not get away. For now, let us savour the pride of our achievements!
Japan-based Regional Fish Institute is now selling gene-edited pufferfish to the public  one of the first times a gene-edited seafood product was offered over-the-counter to Japanese consumers.

The companys online store has been offering the product since it gained government approval in 2021. The sale of gene-edited fish is part of a wider trend in Japan toward the new technology.

Japan is not just allowing gene-editing, it is also funding it. In a 27 June press release, Regional Fish Institute announced that it had  along with Kyoto University and Tokyo Marine University  been awarded a government subsidy of JPY 97.5 million (USD 705,000, EUR 690,000) for research as a year-2022 growth-type small and medium enterprise R&D support project. The company will use the money to develop gene-edited tilapia and vannamei shrimp.

Japan has followed the lead of the U.S.A. and Canada in approving the sale of gene-edited foods with limited safety review, in contrast to the procedure for transgenic foods. In the former, an existing gene is deleted, or its effect reduced, while in the latter, new genetic material is introduced from another species. Transgenic foods pose a risk of introducing allergens into food products, while gene-edited foods contain no new genes, but rather deletion or the targeted mutation of a gene. It is also considered that changes of this scale sometimes occur randomly within the range of typical natural mutations.

In 2019, an advisory panel to Japans Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare recommended allowing gene-edited foodstuffs to be sold to consumers without safety evaluations, opening up new opportunities for such developments.
The Japan Meteorological Agency says a volcanic eruption occurred on Sakurajima in southwestern Japan's Kagoshima Prefecture on Sunday evening.

The agency estimates that imminent massive eruptions from the volcano are unlikely.

Still, the agency has raised its alert level to the highest level of 5. It was applied at Sakurajima for the first time since the system was introduced in 2007.

Officials confirmed an eruption, just after 8 p.m. on Sunday evening, which expelled large volcanic rocks around a distance of 2.5 kilometers.

Kagoshima City officials issued an evacuation order to residents in the towns of Arimura and Furusato, with a population of 51 people in 33 households.

Meteorological Agency officials say more large volcanic rocks could fall in parts of Kagoshima City within 3 kilometers of two craters.

They also say people should be on the alert for pyroclastic flows within a radius of about 2 kilometers.

One agency official said at a press conference that "Volcanic activities of Sakurajima are becoming intense. People in residential areas should be on the highest alert for large volcanic rocks falling nearby." ...continue reading
A monthslong shortage of imported U.S. french fries has driven Japanese restaurants to turn to China or even drop the item from their menus, in a case of supply chain risk taking a bite out of a consumer favorite.

Skylark Holdings, whose chains include Gusto, has gone from importing no french fries from China to sourcing 20%-30% of its supply from there at times.

Nationwide, french fry imports from China have surged since November. Japan imported 1,300 tons in April, 27 times the volume from a year earlier.

Chinese sources still represent only about 3% of all imported frozen french fries, but the shift shows how Japan's restaurant industry is searching for substitutes.

Some eateries have limited sales of french fries or stopped serving them altogether.

Family restaurant chain Royal Host replaced french fries on its side-order menu with penne au gratin this month, after a decision in February to stop serving fries as standalone orders. In May, KFC suspended sales of french fries at about 230 locations in Japan.

Japan's potato shortage entered the public eye in December when consumers complained on social media about McDonald's limiting sales of french fries to small sizes. McDonald's Japan went as far as to order an emergency airlift of frozen fries. ...continue reading
The Unification Church's links to Japanese lawmakers has emerged as a major political issue ahead of an extraordinary parliamentary session in the fall, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with opposition parties moving to probe such ties including within their own ranks.

Abe's assailant has said he held a grudge against the religious group because large donations his mother had made to it ruined his family, and he thought Abe was linked to the group, according to investigative sources.

The veteran lawmaker had sent a video message to a related group's gathering held in September, and the suspect said he watched it on the internet, the sources said.

The assassination of Japan's longest-serving prime minister has shed a fresh light on the church's involvement in politics, decades after the group founded by a staunch anti-communist, widely known for its mass weddings, drew scrutiny over its so-called spiritual sales, in which people were talked into buying jars and other items for exorbitant prices.

Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, also founded the International Federation for Victory over Communism, a political group, in Japan in 1968.

Many Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are said to have connections with the church. It remains to be seen, however, what, if anything, the ruling party intends to do about the matter. ...continue reading
A trial to determine how much Alex Jones will pay in defamation damages to the parents of a slain Sandy Hook boy will begin in Texas with jury selection on July 25 and opening statements the following day. This is the first of three such trials for Sandy Hook families who won defamation lawsuits against Jones in 2021 after he called the massacre of 26 first graders and educators at Sandy Hook Elementary school staged, synthetic, manufactured, a giant hoax, and completely fake with actors. Here is what to expect.

1. Damages evidence

There will be no arguing of the case against Jones that was closed last year when a Texas judge defaulted Jones for abusing the pretrial process of evidence exchange known as discovery and found Jones liable for damages. The only evidence the jury will hear is the extent of emotional distress suffered by Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, and how much Jones should pay in compensatory damages and punitive damages. The jury will additionally decide how much money to award Neil Heslin for damage to reputation and mental anguish.

2. Jones testimony

Youll have to tune in to the trial to find out if Jones will take the witness stand. The parents attorneys are not saying whether they will ask him to testify in person or show the jury excerpts from Jones deposition. If the past is any indication, Jones may provide his own commentary about the trial on his Infowars platform. On Thursday, for example, Jones posted a rebuttal about limits being placed on evidence at the jury trial, calling it, an unprecedented assault on due process and the rule of law.

3. Neil Heslins testimony

Heslin is the father of Jesse Lewis, one of the first graders slain in the Sandy Hook massacre. Heslin went on national television with newswoman Megyn Kelly in 2018 to explain how Jones had claimed on his Infowars program that Heslin was lying about the circumstances of his sons tragic death for a nefarious and criminal purpose. Heslin told Kelly, To say that Sandy Hook was a hoax and it never happened is an outright lie - its a total disrespect to myself, my son, and the individuals who lost their lives that day.

4. Scarlett Lewis testimony

Lewis is the mother of Jesse Lewis. She founded the nonprofit Jesse Lewis Choose Love Movement to offer free social and emotional learning programs to schools. Jones claims that the massacre never happened not only harmed her efforts to advance the nonprofits goal but burdened her surviving son with more trauma, she said.

5. Jones finances

Expect to hear more about the state of Alex Jones finances and that of his parent company, Free Speech Systems. Some of Jones finances were revealed when he sought federal bankruptcy protection for three shell companies, but did not file for bankruptcy protection for himself or for Free Speech systems. His representatives revealed that the three shell companies  which included the merchandizing and conspiracy platform Infowars  had a combined monthly income of $38,000. In contrast, Jones himself made at least $76 million in 2019, his representative said. Jones has also spent at least $10 million on legal fees and has lost $20 million as a result of the Sandy Hook defamation cases, his representatives said.

rryser@newstimes.com 203-731-3342
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SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  South Korea plans to lift its decadeslong ban on public access to North Korean television, newspapers and other publications as part of its efforts to promote mutual understanding between the rivals, officials said Friday, despite animosities over the North's recent missile tests.

Divided along the worlds most heavily fortified border since 1948, the two Koreas prohibit their citizens from visiting each others territory and exchanging phone calls, emails and letters, and they block access to each others websites and TV stations.

In a policy report to new President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday, South Koreas Unification Ministry said it will gradually open the door for North Korean broadcasts, media and publications to try to boost mutual understanding, restore the Korean national identity and prepare for a future unification.

Ministry officials said South Korea will start by allowing access to North Korean broadcasts to try to encourage North Korea to take similar steps. The ministry refused to provide further details, saying the plans are still being discussed with relevant authorities in South Korea.

Jeon Young-sun, a research professor at Seouls Konkuk University, said North Korea is unlikely to reciprocate because the flow of South Korean cultural and media content would pose a really huge threat to its authoritarian leadership.

Ruled by three generations of the Kim family since its 1948 foundation, North Korea strictly restricts its citizens access to outside information, though many defectors have said they watched smuggled South Korean TV programs while living in the North. In 2014, North Korean troops opened fire when South Korean activists launched balloons carrying USB sticks containing information about the outside world and leaflets critical of the Kim family toward North Korean territory.

Relations between the two Koreas remain strained over North Koreas torrid run of missile tests this year. Yoon, a conservative, has said he would take a tougher stance on North Korean provocations, though he said he has an audacious plan to improve the North's economy if it abandons its nuclear weapons.

Despite the Norths likely reluctance to reciprocate, Jeon said South Korea needs to ease its ban on North Korean media because the restrictions have led to dependence on foreigners and other governments to gather North Korea-related information. Jeon said that has increased the danger of acquiring distorted information on North Korea.

It wasnt clear how anti-North Korea activists in the South would react to the government's move. Jeon said there was little chance the move would promote pro-North Korean sentiments.

South Korea, the worlds 10th-largest economy, is a global cultural powerhouse. Its nominal gross domestic product in 2019 was 54 times bigger than that of North Korea, according to South Korean estimates.

Some observers say the ban must be lifted in a step-by-step process with discussions on what North Korean contents would be allowed first and how the access should be given to the South Korean public.

While South Korean authorities block access to North Korean government websites and other media, they rarely crack down on experts, journalists and others using virtual private networks or proxy servers to access them. A large number of North Korean movies, songs and other contents are also available on YouTube, which is accessible in South Korea.
Ill-informed and agenda-driven kangaroo courts on television discussions and social media on problems concerning justice delivery are proving harmful to democracys health, warned Chief Justice of India NV Ramana on Saturday.

Recently, we have seen the media operating kangaroo courts, at times on subjects that even experienced judges find difficult to resolve. Ill-informed and agenda-driven arguments on problems surrounding justice delivery are proving harmful to democracys health, stated the CJI during the Justice SB Sinha Memorial Inaugural Lecture in Ranchi.

Regarding the increasing number of media trials, CJI Ramana stated, It cannot be a guiding element in choosing cases.

New media technologies have immense magnifying power, but they are incapable of discerning between the right and the wrong, the good and the terrible, and the genuine and the phoney, he added.

Chief Justice Ramana further stressed that the justices failure to respond swiftly should not be misinterpreted as weakness or inability.

CJI continued that Biased opinions disseminated by the media impact individuals, erode democracy, and harm the system. Justice delivery suffers as a result of this approach.

You are going two steps backward for our democracy by overstepping and breaking your responsibilities. Print media is still held to some degree of accountability. Electronic media, on the other hand, has no responsibility since what it presents evaporates into thin air. Even terrible is social media he said.

CJI also stated that there is an increase in physical attacks on judges these days.

CJI emphasized, Can you image a judge who has served on the court for decades, putting serious offenders behind bars, losing all the security that comes with tenure when he retires? Judges must live in the same society as those they have sentenced, with no security or promise of safety.

CJI also addressed the long-standing issue of judicial review of legislative and executive activities.

He stated It is commonly stated that judges should not serve in legislative or executive capacities since they are unelected. However, this overlooks the judiciarys constitutionally mandated tasks. The Constitution provides for judicial scrutiny of legislative and executive activities. I would even say that it is the heart and spirit of the Indian Constitution. Peoples trust in our Constitution, in my honest opinion, would have dwindled in the absence of judicial scrutiny.

Only a thriving and dynamic democracy can guide our country toward peace, progress, and global leadership. A robust judiciary, on the other hand, is the ultimate safeguard of the rule of law and democracy said CJI Ramana.

Chief Justice further emphasized that accepting the misleading narrative around the ostensibly simple life of a judge becomes difficult.

Justice Ramana went on to say, People have the idea that judges live in the lap of luxury, work only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and enjoy their vacations. Such a story is false. It is tough to stomach when misleading narratives about Judges alleged easy lives are developed.

Justice NV Ramana also complimented Jharkhand judiciary on the golden jubilee of the establishment of the Circuit Bench of Patna and expressed his best wishes to the youngsters who earned scholarships under Project Shishu.
Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind paid tribute to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on Sunday at Rajghat before stepping down as Indias President on July 25.

In a tweet, Rashtrapati Bhavan stated, President Ram Nath Kovind paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat before stepping down as Indias President on July 25. Throughout his presidency, the President has urged Indians to embrace Mahatma Gandhis teachings and goals and to be inspired by his life.

Kovind will address the country on the eve of his departure later in the day, according to Presidents Secretariat.

From 19:00 hours, the address will be carried on the whole national network of All India Radio (AIR) and televised on all Doordarshan stations.

President Kovind, who attended a goodbye celebration in Parliaments Central Hall on Saturday, said he will be eternally thankful to the people of India for providing him the chance to serve as President.

He further stated that during his tenure, which ends on Sunday, he constantly connected with people on many forums and met with countless delegations of lawmakers and other stakeholders.

During this time, he was also able to work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his Council of Ministers. He praised them all for their exceptional treatment of him.

He also praised Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Speaker Lok Sabha Om Birla for the manner in which they had handled Parliamentary proceedings and upheld its rich traditions.

According to the President, Article 79 of our Constitution establishes a Parliament comprised of the President and two chambers.

In accordance with this constitutional provision and in accordance with his sentiment, he regards the President as an integral member of the Parliamentary family.

Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. Droupadi Murmu was voted as Indias next President on Friday, defeating the oppositions presidential nominee, Yashwant Sinha.
Union Minister Smriti Irani blasted at Congress on Saturday, saying the claim that her daughter runs an illegal bar is malicious, with the purpose not just to murder her reputation but also to politically tarnish me.

In a news conference, she stated that the claims were made under the instruction of the Congress leadership, specifically the Gandhi family.

Because I had the courage to call a news conference and challenge Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi about the Rs 5,000 crore treasury scam, she explained.

With its claims, minister accused Congress of publicly mutilating her daughters reputation.

She further added saying  Congress party publicly maimed her reputation, claiming that the mutilation was the result of a show-cause notice. Id want to ask the Congressman where my daughters name is on the documents he flashed?

Her character, an 18-year-old college student, was slain by Congressmen at the party headquarters. Her mother ran in Lok Sabha elections against Rahul Gandhi from Amethi in 2014 and 2019  she continued.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani has challenged Rahul Gandhi to run against her in Amethi again in 2024, saying he will lose.

Congress had convened a news conference earlier in the day, alleging that her daughter was running a illegal bar in a restaurant in Goa. The ministers removal from the unity government was sought by the party.
Taliban declared on Saturday that the closure of girls schools above the sixth grade was temporary, and that it was not a permanent prohibition.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi stated, this suspension is a temporary suspension, it is not a permanent ban, and it has never been termed a ban.

In defending Taliban, he stated that the Talibans stringent views on education and women prompted the girls schools to remain closed, according to Tolo News.

There is a large percentage of society that has very strict ideas about what women can and cannot do, and as a result, the government is trying to take a gradual approach, taking those people who do not understand some of the basic Islamic rights of Afghan citizens or any human being, and the human rights, to try to convince them. It is due to a lack of understanding in that segment of society He stated.

Balkhi stated that they are working to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, females who have been barred from attending school for more than eleven months have petitioned the Taliban to reopen schools for them, according to Tolo News.

Over 300 days have passed since girls schools were closed, and Kabul officials have stated that it is dependent on the Taliban leaders command.

The Taliban leadership in Afghanistan has faced widespread condemnation for issuing an edict prohibiting girls from attending education beyond the sixth grade.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that womens rights in Afghanistan had deteriorated since the Talibans takeover.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its pacing threat" and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwans chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of grave concern, but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

Chinas joint chiefs of staff chairman, Gen. Li Zuocheng, told Milley in a call earlier this month that Beijing had no room for compromise on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons, Milley told reporters traveling with him. Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region."

Milley's visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in Chinas backyard and counter China's growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an alarming increase" in the number of unsafe intercepts by People's Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Also, U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a statistically significant increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an equal proportion.

Milley, who met on Sunday with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively," Milley said, in order to ensure they can "meet whatever challenge that China poses.

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Milley, who spent the afternoon at Andika's military headquarters, was greeted with a massive billboard bearing his photo and name, a military parade and a large television screen that showed a video of his career.

At the end of the visit, Andika told reporters that Indonesia has found China to be more assertive and a little bit aggressive with naval vessels in connection with terrirotiral disputes with his country.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an Asian NATO. During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. "We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs, he said.
NEW HAVEN  Police are investigating two Saturday night shooting incidents that injured three people.

The first happened shortly before 10 p.m. on Goffe Street, police said. Officers responding to a ShotSpotter report found a 49-year-old New Haven man and a 30-year-old North Haven woman who had been wounded by gunfire.

Both victims were taken to Yale New Haven Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The second incident happened around 11:20 p.m., police said. Police received a report of a person shot on Greenwood Street, between Legion and Sylvan avenues.

When police arrived, they found a 21-year-old New Haven man who had been struck by gunfire. He was taken to Yale New Haven Hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Detectives from the Major Crimes Unit are leading both investigations. Police are asking any witnesses to contact the New Haven Police Department Investigative Services Division at 203-946-6304.
Most of Connecticuts colleges and universities rank below average in how well they serve low-income students, according to a new report from policy research group Third Way.

In a state that touts the quality of its educational institutions, the report shows return on investment in education for many students is falling short.

The Washington, D.C.-based think tank created its economic mobility index to rank the nations bachelors degree-granting institutions, taking into consideration factors like the percentage of low-income students the institution serves, the average salaries of those graduates and how long it takes them to pay off the cost of a degree.

Unlike traditional college rankings, which prioritize a schools selectivity, prestige and financial resources, this new rating system emphasizes whether or not students are being left off better than the previous generation and able to earn a decent living, pay down their educational costs, and have a financially secure future, said Michael Itzkowitz, senior fellow at Third Way and author of the report.

In Connecticut, where several schools rank highly on U.S. News & World Reports annual list, Third Ways economic mobility index offers a distinct picture. Eleven of the states 19 institutions  the majority  ranked in the bottom 40% of all schools nationwide.

Yale University and Wesleyan University, among the nations top private colleges, fell into Third Ways second-highest tier. Itzkowitz said thats because the economic mobility index prioritizes access. So while Yale and Wesleyan provide strong financial support to low-income students, and alumni earn far more than the average high school graduate, less than 20% of their respective student bodies come from low-income families.

Being more accessible to the general public is looked at as a positive rather than a negative in Third Ways rankings, Itzkowitz said.

Connecticuts top-tier schools for economic mobility were Post University in Waterbury, with 70% low-income students; Central Connecticut State University in New Britain with 38%; and the University of Connecticut in Storrs with 27%. (Low-income encompassed students eligible for federal Pell grants.)

Third Ways rankings also included a metric dubbed the price-to-earnings premium, which weighs graduates average earnings 10 years out of school against the cost of a degree.

Nathan Fuerst, vice president for enrollment planning and management at UConn, didnt seem surprised by the findings.

UConn is consistently recognized as a best value for a college education. The reasons are evident, he said in an emailed statement. Fuerst also noted that many UConn students graduate on time, which keeps down costs and indebtedness.

Leigh Appleby, a spokesman for Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, which include four schools that ranked in the top three tiers in the study, said, It should not come as a surprise that our universities score well when it comes to economic mobility, but it is a reminder of the importance of investing in public higher education.

Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, the University of New Haven, and Mitchell College in New London were ranked in the fifth tier, the bottom 20%, of the 1,320 schools in the data set.

Jennifer Widness, president of the Connecticut Conference of Independent Colleges, said she believes the Third Way report omitted an important metric: completion rates. A number of the institutions that it ranks highly have well-below-average graduation rates. Therefore they are attracting students  many of whom are low-income  who are not completing at a very high percentage, she wrote in an email.

Connecticuts independent colleges, which include Sacred Heart, New Haven University and Mitchell, have above-average graduation rates for Pell-eligible students, she said. Widness added that CCIC schools collectively doubled their financial aid between 2010 and 2020, awarding $1.24 billion in 2020.

Private non-profit colleges in Connecticut are investing as much as they can to make college affordable, she said.

Itzkowitz said the purpose of the new ranking system is to call attention to colleges and universities that have been delivering for a diverse group of students for years and doing it really well.

He also said he hopes it might inform public and private spending. Theres opportunity there to rethink how we allocate money to institutions of higher education, he said.

Mark Dunn, a spokesman for Yales undergraduate admissions department, said his office welcomes alternatives to the traditional ratings. I think policymakers, researchers, higher education leaders, and the general public benefit from seeing alternative methods for comparing schools  like these new rankings from Third Way.
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WEST HAVEN  Between drivers, pedestrians and bus riders, Campbell Avenue is one of the busiest corridors in the city for businesses. But some longtime business owners in the city say theres another two-way street thats vastly underutilized: communication.

Some said they do not feel there is any business community to speak of in West Haven, concerned that theres no active associations for business owners to share information, ideas and resources with one another. Some also believe the city lacks a clearly-articulated vision for economic development.

I think business owners are out of the loop, said Gene Sullivan, owner of Leslies Jewelers on Campbell Avenue.

Sullivan said the late Tony Inzero, former owner of Flower Affair, was instrumental in keeping the West Haven Business Association operational as its president for years before his death.

We dont have the membership anymore. If you want to try to rally these troops, you wouldnt get that many to rally with you, he said.

Carolyn Sires, owner of Physicians Physical Therapy, also on Campbell Avenue, said there was a spirit of accountability and mutual assistance when that association was active.

If you have a business you cant have flashing strobe lights because its distracting to drivers. You cant have more than 50 percent of your windows covered so police can look in if theres a problem. There are supposed to be no sandwich board signs unless theyre uniform, she said. Sires said issues such as those no longer are enforced, leaving an economic corridor that is discordant and business owners who are not on the same page.

Sullivan said the West Haven Business Association would help its community as much as it would help itself  such as handing out hot chocolate downtown around Christmas. He said something Inzero understood as president of a downtown business association was that advancing the city plays a significant role in promoting its businesses.

Sires said she believes the area has fallen apart in recent years, with less-effective street sweeping and beautification efforts and businesses that dont work cooperatively as they had in the past.

Wed help each other. Wed give business to each other. Right now I dont know who is in this town and who needs help. Its never been like this. Its the smallest, saddest downtown community, she said.

Sires said she believes much of it is due to a lack of communication from the city. The city does not have a commissioner of economic development and she said efforts to engage business owners and inform them of what is happening in the city are non-existent.

You need somebody at the top. There has to be a rudder, she said.

The desire to be connected to a citywide business community is not exclusive to those on Campbell Avenue. Andy Weinstein, owner of Star Tires Plus Wheels on Boston Post Road, said he has a desire to partake in promotions with other businesses.

Im willing and able to do a lot, he said.

Weinstein said any relationship between businesses in the city would be an improvement because the efforts currently are at ground zero.

Both Sullivan and Sires said they learned about the citys decision to reduce the public hours of a downtown parking lot that borders the rear of one block of Campbell Avenue businesses after the closure had been implemented. Sullivan, a city planning and zoning commissioner, said he generally is aware of city business because of his role in city government, but others in the area may not be.

City officials cited late-night fighting and other quality-of-life concerns as the reason for closing the parking lot after business hours. Sires said that if there was an uptick in criminal activity, nearby business owners should have received statistics or information from the city or the Police Department  which they did not.

You dont want to read about whats happening in your town through the newspaper, Sires said. I hate looking ignorant when my clients ask me questions about the city.

Mayor Nancy Rossi said business owners were well aware of reported problems with the lot before the city made the decision to close it at certain times.

I dont see any problem with the way that was treated. No one called me, no one called my office. If theres a problem in this city, the first office they usually call is mine. Usually the business owners contact us directly, she said.

The city has received criticism from developers, business owners and elected officials for not having a commissioner of economic development. The city has a director of planning and zoning, which Rossi said is an either/or proposition in the citys charter. The charter states a director of planning and zoning shall exist in the absence of the Commissioners position.

In its latest budget, the City Council approved $100,000 for an economic development consultant. Rossi said the city intends to seek a consultant soon that will not just to maintain what we have, but to bring new business in.

State Rep. Dorinda Borer, D-West Haven, who was among those advocating for an economic development commissioner, said there is a lot of state funding in the queue that is held up by the city not having clear economic planning. She said there is a need in the city to have someone in a role that will facilitate responses between multiple agencies and to be a point of contact on economic issues.

Right now its a challenge to go department-to-department to understand the strategies and next steps, she said.

But Michael Moses, president of the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce, believes good things could be on the horizon for West Haven businesses. Several months ago, West Havens chamber came under the umbrella of Milfords chamber.

One of the significant benefits we offer to the Milford region, and have been offering, is various networking groups, he said. Those are dynamic opportunities for business owners to meet other business owners and get a real positive energy going about how to make things better. Its very much a rising tide type of methodology.

Moses said the Milford chamber has begun forming connections with stakeholders such as local city government and the local arts community, and he expects the chambers outreach to gain momentum in the fall.

You have to build the foundation: build the relationships and the connections, he said.

Rossi said she believes the merger of the chambers is great for the city.

We look forward to cutting many ribbons together, she said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
Former minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the video of terrorist group, ISAWP assaulting the remaining passengers abducted from the K...





Former minister, Femi Fani-Kayode has reacted to the video of terrorist group, ISAWP assaulting the remaining passengers abducted from the Kaduna-Abuja train.





On March 28, some terrorists kidnapped over 60 passengers from the Abuja-Kaduna bound train.





Since the abduction, some of those abducted have been released, while others are still being held captive.





However, in the viral video, the terrorists were seen flogging the remaining captives.





Sharing a video of the terrorists on his Twitter handle, the former Aviation Minister, Fani-Kayode wrote: The remaining Abuja-Kaduna passengers being beaten by ISWAP terrorists and kidnappers.
Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has warned that Nigeria might cease to exist in the next two years going by the plethora...





Iba Gani Adams, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, has warned that Nigeria might cease to exist in the next two years going by the plethora of crisis in the country.





He maintained that governments urgent implementation of true federalism was the only way to save the nation from going off the rails.





The countrys governance has exhibited a lack of coordination, according to the Generalissimo of the Yoruba race, despite the insecurity situation, the economic downturn, and deteriorated institutions, among other things.





The Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, leader Adams said this at this years Okota celebration in his hometown of Arigidi-Akoko, in Ondo States Akoko North-West Local Government Area.





He emphasized that the countrys ongoing problems would only get worse as a result of the drive to adapt Nigeria to a unitary system of government.





With the insecurity issues in Nigeria, there is nothing that can be done if we do not have federalism. If we do not allow federalism on the basis of regionalism, Im afraid within two years, this country will break.





You can see how the wave is coming. Not only wave of insecurity, even the economy, depreciating of institution, lack of coercion in governance. Definitely, there is danger ahead if the Nigerian government did not act fast to restructure Nigeria to regionalism.
The Ebelu of Esure in Ijebu-Imusin, Ijebu-East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Abdulsamad Kasali has cried out over the level of er...





The Ebelu of Esure in Ijebu-Imusin, Ijebu-East Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Abdulsamad Kasali has cried out over the level of erosion devastating his community.





The traditional ruler lamented that flooding is threatening houses and farms, calling on the government to come to their rescue.





According to him, Esure community has a sloppy ground, making it very prone to erosion.





He said the erosion problem was compounded because the rain water coming from Imushin, Odunopa and its environ had been channelled towards Esure town.





Speaking at his one year coronation anniversary, Oba Kasali worried that their property and farm produce might be further swept away by erosion if government fails to rescue them.





The monarch, who lauded the Governor Dapo Abiodun government for the provision of road network, however, warned that the roads might be eroded if no urgent action was taken.





While expressing displeasure over the loss of property to incessant flooding, Oba Ebelu pleaded that drainages be constructed to collect water from the five neighbouring communities in the area.





He regretted that despite the efforts of the State government to provide roads and healthcare, the town is seriously facing the problem of erosion due to the water coming from the five neighbouring communities.





He said, Esure is facing the challenges of erosion because it is having a sloppy ground, and majorly, all the water coming from Imushin, Odunopa and its environ was channelled towards Esure town. We want government to come to our rescue.





In his one year on the throne, Oba Kasali revealed that he had been able to build a new market in Ita Esure, provide solar power in the town, provide walkie-talkie and security materials to vigilantes, construct drainage channel at Olode street for flow of water, among other self executed projects.





Stating that the community had no security or health issues, he emphasised that government intervention was needed to stop errosion.





The event was attended by former Ogun Deputy Governor, Yetunde Onanuga and her husband, Chief Abiodun Onanuga, who is the Chairman of the occasion.
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Lil Wayne never would have made it had it not been for big Robert Hoobler.
During a volcanic eruption, lava reaches temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Even as the surface of the newly formed black rock takes shape, its far from cool. Thats captured in Fire of Love as volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft explore eruptions. For the cameras, Katia walks on the rock and flames flare as the soles of her shoes make contact. Eggs sizzle in a skillet when Maurice places it on a rippled stretch of black rock.

Volcanology isnt the biggest field of geology, but in that small pool, the two French scientists found each other. They forged a partnership between her expertise in geochemistry and his background in geology. For decades, they rushed to volcanic eruptions around the globe, from the Democratic Republic of the Congos Mount Nyiragongo to Indonesias Krakatoa and Mount St. Helens in Washington. Films and books full of their photos of volcanic eruptions helped fund their work and left ample documentation of their bond as well.

Director Sara Dosas documentary Fire of Love is a portrait of the Kraffts work and relationship. Given the ample footage of spewing magma, rushing lava and towering plumes of volcanic ash, its full of mesmerizing footage and may be as close to a summer thriller as National Geographic films get. Its also a story of moths drawn to the flame.

The Kraffts were both from Alsace and grew up under the bleak shadow of the destruction of World War II. They were drawn into the field of volcanology and had a similar desire to climb to volcanos edges and peer into molten fury.

The film shows the Kraffts donning spacesuit-like heat-resistant silver gear and helmets and walking on otherworldly terrains of black rock and ash, sometimes set against rivers of lava or bubbling and bursting sprays of it from craters. Both were aware of the professions hazards, and Maurice glibly describes a dream of building a heat-resistant canoe to ride a lava flow down a mountain.

The film has a globe-trotting appeal as the Kraffts travel to Italy, Iceland, Hawaii and Japan. The narration is often poetic, as it romanticizes the Kraffts partnership and the novelty of their work. But ultimately it strains the comparison of two peoples relationship and relatively short time on Earth vis-a-vis the geological time of shifting tectonic plates and eruptions that have no intent or consciousness.

There are hazards in many areas of scientific endeavor, but the Kraffts niche in geology has one obvious danger. Everyone knows Mount Vesuvius destroyed the city of Pompeii, and this type of destruction is still a threat. Fires, mudslides and floods left 57 people dead, including a volcanologist, when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980. In Colombia, the eruption of Mount Ruiz resulted in more than 23,000 deaths in 1985.

In the early 1980s, the Kraffts switched their study from red volcanoes to the more dangerous gray ones. The red ones generally are driven by tectonic plates pulling apart. Gray ones, marked by spewing of ash, are caused by plates colliding. The buildup of pressure leads to powerful explosions, as at Mount St. Helens. The Kraffts thought it was necessary to study the more dangerous type.

Maurice says that the simple and safest choice is not to go near an active volcano. But the allure of their story and the film is about their decision to follow their bliss, regardless of how close to the edge it took them.

Fire of Love opens Friday, July 29, at AMC Elmwood Palace 20, The Broad Theater and the Prytania Theatres at Canal Place.
This week marks the 20th anniversary of Tales of the Cocktail, the annual conference and festival that brings representatives of the cocktail, liquor and hospitality industries to New Orleans for a spirited celebration in the city some call the birthplace of the cocktail.

The Sazerac is one of our most famous cocktails, created and popularized in New Orleans nearly 175 years ago. Do you remember in 2008 when the Louisiana Legislature debated whether to make it the states official cocktail? Then-state Sen. Edwin Murray, D-New Orleans, ran into unexpected opposition from conservatives when he introduced a bill to honor the Sazerac as the states official drink.

Some state senators balked at the idea, saying the idea did not send the right message to the nation. "This should not be one of the things we hold up as a poster for our state," said Sen. John Smith, D-Leesville, according to The Times-Picayune. "This is a bill that affects our image," added Sen. Gerald Long, D-Winnfield, who also opposed the bill.

Murray tried to revive the bill later but met with the same results. He then introduced a bill naming the Sazerac the official cocktail of the city of New Orleans. That bill passed overwhelmingly  but Gov. Bobby Jindal refused to sign it. Instead, he allowed the Sazerac bill and about 150 others to become law without his signature.
Hey Blake,

I enjoyed your column about the early history of Jefferson Parish. Whats the history of the Jefferson Memorial on the West Bank near Gretna City Hall?

Dear reader,

The Jefferson Memorial Arch in Gretna was dedicated in 1923. The red brick arch with white trim is located on the neutral ground on Huey P. Long Avenue between the Mississippi River and Gretna City Hall, in what is now the Gretna Historic District.

Gretna engineer Jacob Huber, then-commander of the local American Legion post, formed a group in 1918 to raise money to build the memorial to local military heroes.

It was designed to honor those who had died in all wars and military conflicts since 1812. The names of 100 Jefferson Parish residents killed in the Civil War, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War and World War I are inscribed on the monument. Brass letters embedded in the concrete below spell out the words "Erected by the People of Jefferson."

The arch was dedicated on Nov. 11, 1923, Armistice Day, which is the precursor to Veterans Day. It commemorated the armistice signed in 1918 to end fighting between the Allied Forces and Germany during World War I.

Gov. John Parker and Gretna Mayor Henry P. Viering spoke at the dedication ceremony, which was attended by some 2,000 people, including elected officials, American Legion members, military groups and Boy Scouts.

In the decades since, Memorial Day, Veterans Day and other military ceremonies and events have had the arch as a backdrop.

Some readers may remember that in 1960, an F-86 Sabre fighter jet from the Korean War was added to the site. It was relocated in 1979.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused damage to the arch, which was later repaired with FEMA funds.
New general counsel at LAMMICO, personnel moves at MDRG, new vice president at Dardis Couvillon & Associates
A man was shot in the French Quarter early Sunday, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

Police received a report at 7:20 a.m. that a man had been shot in 700 block of Iberville Street (map), which is between Bourbon and Royal streets. He was taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle.

Update: 6 shootings reported in 24 hours in New Orleans

No other details were immediately available.

The shooting was one of several violent crimes to take place in New Orleans since Saturday morning. Here's what else we know via preliminary information from the NOPD:

Men robbed near 7th Ward

Three men were robbed in the 1900 block of Treasure Street (map) at about noon Saturday.

The men were outside when a man wearing construction gear went up to them with a gun. He made them get on the ground and took two phones and a wallet with cash from them before running away.

Man, woman robbed near Fillmore

A man and woman were robbed in their home by an armed man wearing a yellow safety vest near Fillmore Saturday at 1:24 p.m. Saturday.

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The subject went into their house in the 4300 block of Randolph Avenue (map) and demanded their money and phones. The man surrendered his wallet, and the woman gave up her cell phone. The man ran away with the victims' things.

Convenience store robbed near Hollygrove

A gas station convenience store was robbed in the 9200 block of Airline Highway (map) at 2:51 a.m. Sunday.

A man went into the store, pulled out a gun and demanded money from the register. The store employee complied, and the man ran away.

No other details were immediately available.

Anyone with information regarding these crimes is asked to call Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111. Tipsters may be eligible for a cash reward.

Editor's note: Police initially said the French Quarter shooting was on Bourbon Street. However, they changed the address, based on the investigation, to Iberville Street. The story has been updated to reflect the new address.
Robert Hoobler "took care of the public just as much as he took care of the cops," a colleague said.
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.
An image of Cassidy Hutchinson, former aide to Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and House Minority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., is displayed as Hutchinson 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. (Anna Moneymaker/Pool via AP) ORG XMIT: WX512
While fending off six robbers, a passenger on a Chicago Transit Authority train was stabbed and suffered critical injuries early July 22, police Supt. David Brown said.

Six robbery suspects pursued a 42-year-old man into a Red Line train at the North/Clybourn station at around 2 a.m., demanded his things, and attacked him with a knife and a shattered glass bottle.

Three individuals approached him and attempted to steal his smartphone before attacking him. The victim, who drew his own knife and retaliated, was stabbed multiple times and was taken to the hospital in critical condition, according to authorities.

According to Brown, the three thieves exited the train as a fourth person entered and started hitting the victim when the train stopped at North/Clybourn. Then, the victim stabbed the suspect in the neck. The man claimed that the suspect then stabbed him in the collarbone.

The six suspects then started pursuing the man around the railway platform and train cars. He claimed that two of the suspects struck him in the head with a glass bottle as well as other objects.

Three of the six suspects had hospital stays as well. According to the police, a 24-year-old man was stabilized after sustaining a stab wound to the back, while a 52-year-old man was in serious condition with a stab wound to the neck. A 36-year-old man was in fair condition with wounds to his arm.

Police reported that the three other attackers were detained.

A CTA employee who was experiencing stress was also sent to a hospital, according to Chicago fire officials.

In order to help the Chicago Police Department with its investigation, CTA shared security camera footage.

The CTA issued a statement, saying, This kind of behavior is completely reprehensible, and we commend the Chicago Police Department for its prompt actions to apprehend the culprits.
A man in Gastonia, North Carolina, suspected of child-kidnapping was fatally shot after running over an officer with his car on Wednesday.

Video camera footage from a neighbors doorbell camera captured the scene of the police shooting. The suspect has been identified by the Gastonia Police Department as 21-year-old Jason Lipscomb. In the video, the suspect is seen getting into a silver four-door car while being chased by officers.

Police shouted, Stop the car! Get out of the car! while they approached the vehicle. Lipscomb proceeded to back up the car and accelerate the engine, running an officer over. Lipscomb attempted to flee before being killed by a barrage of gunfire by the police.

Gastonia Police Division has confirmed the officer was struck by the suspects vehicle. The police officer sustained serious injuries after being quickly transported to a local hospital.

In a press conference, Gastonia Police public information officer Rick Goodale said that just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, police officers received a 911 call alerting them about a child kidnapping concerning two children.

According to Goodale, police arrived at North Edgemont Avenue off Freeway 71 and located the two children inside a residence, uninjured and secure. Police found Lipscomb near the house, where some kind of encounter ensued before the shooting began. Investigators have not yet confirmed whether Lipscomb was armed.

Following standard protocols regarding officer-related shootings, the investigation will be taken over by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Officers involved in the shooting are placed on administrative leave.

The investigation is still currently ongoing.
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Ford is charging up its battery capacity as a result of strong demand for its new electric vehicles.

The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker, which runs the Chicago Assembly Plant on the far South Side and the Chicago Stamping Plant in Chicago Heights, said it was taking steps to secure more EV batteries to reach its goal of making 600,000 electric vehicles a year by 2023 and more than 6 million a year by the end of 2026.

The company expects its electric vehicle business will grow by 90% through 2026 or more than double the forecasted growth for the automotive industry as a whole. Ford is looking to invest more than $50 billion in ramping up its electric vehicle production during that period.

Fords new electric vehicle lineup has generated huge enthusiasm and demand, and now we are putting the industrial system in place to scale quickly, said Jim Farley, Fords president and CEO and president of Ford Model e. Our Model e team has moved with speed, focus and creativity to secure the battery capacity and raw materials we need to deliver breakthrough EVs for millions of customers.

Ford is rolling out more electric Mustang Mach-Es, F-150 Lightnings and Transit EVs in the coming years as the automotive industry looks to transition away from fossil fuels.

The company secured contracts and added battery chemistries to deliver 60 gigawatt hours of annual capacity in support of its 2023 EV production goal. It's working on lithium iron phosphate battery packs for Mustang Mach-Es and F-150 Lightnings by early 2024.

Ford said it has already sourced 70% of the battery capacity needed to support the targeted production of 2 million electric vehicles by 2026. It's also directly sourcing the raw materials for batteries, inking contracts with mining companies after the auto industry was roiled by widespread global supply chain disruptions during the pandemic.

Our team has been actively engaged with partners in the United States and around the world, said Lisa Drake, Ford Model e vice president, EV Industrialization. We will move fast in the key markets and regions where critical supplies are available, meeting with government officials, mining companies and processors and signing MOUs and agreements that reflect Fords ESG expectations and underpin Fords plan to bring EVs to millions.

Ford said demand for electric vehicles is strong and getting stronger. The majority of consumers who plan to buy a car in the next two years said for the first time in a survey that they plan to buy an electric or hybrid vehicle. That's up 11% as compared to last year and 22% as compared to 2020.

This is our opportunity to win a whole new group of customers, building their loyalty and advocacy as we grow our market share," said Marin Gjaja, Ford Model e chief customer officer. "We're developing the digital and physical services and experiences those new customers expect when they purchase a product that to them is a new technology purchase. Our aim is to combine the convenience of digital shopping with Fords expertise, scale and the physical presence of our dealers to create the best possible experience for tomorrows EV owners.
The Cole family spent the week with their visiting Illinois relatives, busying themselves with back-to-school shopping and enjoying the last drops of summer.

Eric Cole stocked up for his second year of preschool; two pairs of orange shoes, an orange backpack and an orange and gray waterproof watch  an essential tool for the many underwater breath-holding contests he and his sister, Patience, had.

"Orange was his absolute favorite color," His mother, Kandice Cole, recalled, her eyes misting with tears. "We have some great pictures from that week. ... I guess, possibly one day I'll be able to look at those pictures from that get-together and smile, but right now I still get sad when I look at them. I just look at us and I think, 'You had no idea that life was going to change so fast.'"

On August 5, 2017, Eric found a loaded gun and shot himself in the head. He died just 15 days before his fifth birthday.

In Northwest Indiana, tragic accidents like the one that killed Eric are all too familiar. Firearm-related incidents killed 225 youth, ages 18 and under, from 1999 to 2020 in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. Thats a rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people. The national rate was 1.9 and the rate for Indiana as a whole was 2.1. In Lake County, the rate is even higher, at 7.1 per 100,000 people.

Just last Sunday 2-year-old Wyatt Luczak, of Kouts, was rushed to a Chicago hospital after reportedly shooting himself. By 6:15 p.m. Sunday, Luczak was pronounced dead.

Gun deaths among Region youth have been climbing in recent years. They dropped to less than 10 per year for 2014-18. However, in 2019 they rose to 16, and in 2020 there were 11. Nationally, the gun death rate among youth increased by 30% between 2019 and 2020, According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Johns Hopkins' research also shows states with high gun death rates tend to be ones with weaker gun laws. The five states with the highest gun death rates  Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming, Missouri and Alabama  have stand your ground legislation, and all but Louisiana have permitless carry laws.

Indiana has a stand your ground law, and as of July 1, permitless carry is legal in the Hoosier state.

"I was raised in a house that had guns, and we were always taught gun safety. I always felt like I was a middle-of-the-road, common sense person," Cole said. "After everything that has happened with our family, I pay attention to guns more. ... I personally am not a fan of Indiana and their constitutional carry. I think background checks are a good thing; I think handgun permits are a good thing."

'A preventable tragedy'

If you listen to Kandices story, there is no way that you could argue with a safe storage law, said Jennifer Haan, of the nonprofit Moms Demand Action Indiana.

Around 7 a.m. Saturday, August 5, 2017, Cole dropped Eric and Patience off at her supervisor's Winfield home, backpacks loaded with coloring books and toys. Coworkers at the Crown Point McDonald's, Cole had known Brett Beatty for over five years. Beatty even attended her wedding.

"My family would usually babysit while me and my husband worked on the weekends, but they were out of town. So my supervisor offered to babysit the kids, and I said 'yes.'... It never crossed my mind to ask, 'Hey do you have guns?' or 'How do you store them?' It never came across my mind to ask, and that is something that I blame myself for every day," Cole said.

Shortly before 11 a.m. Cole received a call that changed her life forever: "My supervisor said, 'Eric found my gun and shot himself.'"

"Where did he shoot himself? Let it be in the hand or the foot," Cole prayed as she rushed to Beatty's house. "I even asked my supervisor, I said, 'What kind of gun? Is it a BB gun?' and he said, 'No.'"

Eric had found Beatty's loaded .40-caliber handgun in a case underneath a bed.

"I woke up and I had two healthy kids, and within four hours of me dropping them off, I had one who passed away," Cole said.

She has made it her mission to get more parents to ask about guns.

"I want to not only make parents think twice about how they're storing their own (firearms) but to normalize asking the question, 'Hey do you guys have guns in here? And if you do, are they locked up?'" Cole said. "We ask about food allergies and we ask about pet allergies, but I don't feel like it's common enough for us to ask about gun storage."

Eric's death was a "preventable tragedy," she said.

In Northwest Indiana 17 youth ages 18 and under were killed after a gun was accidentally discharged between 1999 and 2020.

According to Everytown, unintentional shootings by children increased in the U.S. at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In March and April 2020, at least 21 gun deaths were the result of a gun accidentally being discharged by someone 18 or younger, up 43% from the same two months over the three previous years.

About 70% of unintentional firearm deaths by children occur in the home, Everytown data shows.

If they can find the Christmas presents, then they can find the firearm, Haan said.

Young people of all ages

Cole's daughter, Patience, was just 8 years old when Eric died. The siblings were "the best of friends, connected at the hip all the time," she said.

Now 12, Patience has thrown herself into her love of softball.

"Softball became her happy place," Cole said. "She'll look for cardinals when we're driving to a tournament, she'll look for butterflies and dragonflies while she's out in the field playing, ... and I think that's her little way of saying 'I know Eric's watching me play ball.'"

Though her daughter is older now, Cole still asks friends' families about their gun ownership.

"Now I look at more of the big picture when it comes to firearms, not just accidental deaths, but the whole mental health part of it," Kandice said. "Things seem so big when you are in middle school or high school, so making sure that something is secure could save them from possibly attempting suicide or other things that are happening with kids that have access to firearms."

Of the 225 youth that died due to firearm-related incidents between 1999 and 2020 in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties, 195 victims were over 14. Everytown data also shows that nationally, 18- to 20-year-olds commit gun homicides at triple the rate of people 21 years old and over.

According to John Hopkins, firearms were the leading cause of death for American youth ages 19 and under in 2020. Homicides accounted for 64% of the deaths, and 30% were suicides.

As children age, gun storage methods must adapt, Haan said. Responsible gun storage means securing firearms in safes, separate from ammunition and keeping them locked and unloaded.

As the Cole family prepares to mark five years since Eric's death, Cole said his loss has not gotten any easier.

Back-to-school season is still a "melancholy time" for the family, and a flower bed filled with orange tulips, lilies and marigolds grows outside their Wheatfield home in Eric's memory.

Speaking at Moms Demand Action events, bonding with other families touched by gun violence and talking with parents and gun owners about the importance of safe storage has helped Cole cope with some of the pain.

"I just think that a root cause is safe storage. How many crises could have been averted if the adults who own the firearms locked them up?"
The Indiana Court of Appeals has declined to reduce the prison term issued in January to a Hammond man who shot a family friend in the legs nine times.

Jesse Leon, 25, pleaded guilty last year to aggravated battery, a level 3 felony, and was sentenced by Lake Superior Judge Gina Jones to 10 years in prison, with six years behind bars and four years suspended to probation, according to court records.

Records show Leon argued with another man Aug. 22, 2020, while they sat in a car parked in the 4200 block of Henry Avenue.

Leon then got out of the vehicle, entered his home, retrieved a firearm and shot the man four times in each leg and once in his toe, according to court records.

In his appeal, Leon argued his 10-year sentence was inappropriate given the nature of the offense and his character.

The three-judge appeals court unanimously disagreed.

As to the nature of the offense, Appeals Judge Patricia Riley, a Rensselaer native, described it as a "seemingly senseless violent crime that left (the victim) scarred for life."

She observed that Leon's 10-year sentence is one year more than the nine-year advisory sentence for a level 3 felony, which can range from three to 16 years in prison. But she said Leon's time behind bars is three years less than the advisory sentence for his crime.

Concerning Leon's character, she noted he's used marijuana since he was 16 years old and alcohol since 18.

He admitted to being under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and Xanax on the day of the offense, to the point where he was "blacked out on drugs," she said.

"Alcohol and drug use in tandem with access to a gun proved to be an almost deadly combination," Riley said.

Riley also declined to reduce Leon's prison term based on his guilty plea that led prosecutors to dismiss several more serious charges.

She said, "It was clear his decision to plead guilty was a mere pragmatic one when faced with an attempted murder charge and an apparently non-existing defense."

Leon still can ask the Indiana Supreme Court to consider reviewing his case and reducing his sentence.

Otherwise, his earliest possible release date from prison, assuming good behavior, is July 20, 2026, according to the Indiana Department of Correction.
Edward A. Feiner, who as the chief architect of the U.S. government revolutionized the public image of countless federal agencies by hiring renowned architects to design hundreds of courthouses, government laboratories, border stations and office buildings, died on July 1 in Falls Church, Va. He was 75.

His wife, Frances Feiner, said the cause of death, at a nursing facility, was brain cancer.

Though Mr. Feiner was trained as an architect, he did not do much actual design work during his nearly 35-year public career. He spent most of that time at the General Services Administration, essentially the federal governments landlord.

It was Mr. Feiners task to oversee the construction of new buildings and the renovation of old ones, starting with the search for an architecture firm. He organized outside panels to sort through proposals to produce a shortlist, then personally chose the winners.
Russia seeks support in Africa

Russias top diplomat, Sergey Lavrov, set off on a tour of four African countries  Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of Congo  seeking to place blame on the West for war-related grain shortages that have sparked fears of famine.

He is likely to find a receptive audience in a region that has sought to maintain access to Russian exports despite pressure from the West. Seeing no gain in alienating either side, several African countries have tried to simply stay out of the conflict.

The global grain shortage caused by the war appeared likely to ease on Friday when Russia agreed to a deal brokered by the U.N. and Turkey allowing Ukraine to export its grain. The next morning, however, Russian missiles hit Ukraines port of Odesa, raising questions about Moscows intention to stick to the agreement.
The dissonance can be perplexing. The same Fox News hosts who were imploring the presidents chief of staff to intercede with the president or risk destroying his legacy, as Laura Ingraham put it in a text to Mark Meadows on Jan. 6, now accuse the mainstream media of exaggerating the events at the Capitol.

The narrative often relies on kernels of truth about incomplete or inconsistent statements from law enforcement and witnesses  a typical occurrence in any investigation so sprawling  that Mr. Trumps allies in the media then magnify.

One of the most influential journalists on the right who has backed Mr. Trump after Jan. 6 is Julie Kelly, a writer for the website American Greatness, whose articles have informed the coverage in larger conservative media outlets like Fox News. For more than a year, Ms. Kelly has raised doubts about the severity of the attack and played down the deaths of the police officers on the scene that day.

An early report from the Capitol Police on Jan. 6 stated that Brian Sicknick, an officer, died after collapsing from injuries sustained while physically engaging with pro-Trump rioters. An autopsy later revealed that he had died of natural causes after suffering multiple strokes hours after the attack.

How Times reporters cover politics. We rely on our journalists to be independent observers. So while Times staff members may vote, they are not allowed to endorse or campaign for candidates or political causes. This includes participating in marches or rallies in support of a movement or giving money to, or raising money for, any political candidate or election cause. Learn more about our process.

Ms. Kelly and others seized on the findings, often without acknowledging that the officer had been assaulted and sprayed with an unknown chemical irritant by rioters, or allowing for the possibility that the trauma he experienced played a role in his condition, which the medical examiner noted. Sicknick didnt die as a result of anything that took place on January 6, she declared in April in a piece that ran under the headline Defund the Capitol Police. But that is not stopping Capitol Police from continuing to peddle the lie that Trump supporters are responsible for his death, Ms. Kelly added.

In an email, Ms. Kelly defended her article, saying, As I continue to report, there is no medical evidence tying the events of January 6 to Officer Sicknicks stroke.
Scorching temperatures swept the Northeast on Sunday in the regions first prolonged heat wave of the summer, with a record-breaking five straight days of triple-digit temperatures in Newark and blistering heat in Boston; Providence, R.I.; and Manchester, N.H.

Other parts of the country also sweltered, with Oklahoma enduring temperatures that have topped 100 degrees in nine of the past 11 days.

The baking heat underscored the sobering reality that such dangerous temperatures are becoming a summertime norm for the United States and elsewhere, with heat waves, wildfires and droughts disrupting day-to-day life across the globe.
Pet stores have fiercely pushed back against the legislation, arguing that the bill would put them out of business, lead to the unemployment of hundreds of workers, make it harder for people to obtain a pet in the state and potentially lead to an underground market of pet sales  arguments that supporters of the bill have dismissed as overblown.

One of the industrys largest grievances is its contention that animal activists have demonized most of the breeding industry as abusive. It argues that the unsanitary puppy mills that have been the target of damning investigations are not representative of the entire industry.

Lets not pretend that there arent people out there who are doing this the wrong way, but they are few and far between, said Mike Bober, the president and chief executive of the Pet Advocacy Network, a national pet trade association. Were deeply offended and frustrated by the fact that people willingly and intentionally misrepresent the state of breeding in the country.

Ms. Hochul, a Democrat running for a full term in November, has not publicly shared her thoughts on the bill and her office said it was still reviewing the legislation.

The more than 2,000 dog breeders in the country are largely regulated and licensed by the federal government, but animal rights supporters argue that the minimum standards of care theyre supposed to provide are antiquated, insufficient and rarely enforced.

In New York, the state attorney generals office has filed lawsuits in recent years against a handful of pet stores, including those in Albany and New York City, accusing them of misleading consumers and selling puppies that were ill or abused and came from unauthorized breeders.
They married in Mexico City, Mr. Kennedys base of operations, and Ms. Kennedy, fascinated by the new dishes she was encountering, began exploring the citys markets, which, she told Saveur in 2012, really blew my mind.

She added: It was just the color of everything, and the smells, and all the wild things that I hadnt seen. I simply had to go home and cook them.

Ms. Kennedy pressed friends for recipes, with limited success. Theyd laugh and send me to talk to their maids, she told The Guardian in 2003. The maids would say, You have to visit my village, and thats how I started driving all over the country tracking down recipes.

She was aided by the cookbooks of Josefina Velazquez de Leon, one of the first Mexican writers to head into the countryside to collect local recipes from church groups.

Ms. Kennedy moved to Manhattan in 1965 after her husband fell ill with cancer. He died in 1967 at 62.

With the encouragement of Craig Claiborne, The Timess restaurant critic, who had dined with the Kennedys in Mexico City, she began offering cooking classes on Sunday afternoons in her apartment on the Upper West Side. One of her students, Fran McCullough, persuaded her to develop a cookbook for Harper & Row, where Ms. McCullough was the poetry editor. The two worked together on Ms. Kennedys first five books.
Because many viewers enter the conversation about abortion with so little baseline knowledge, these discrepancies fill in the gaps with misleading fictions. And taken together, inaccurate depictions of abortion may lead audiences to believe that we need to regulate it more, not less.

It is also true that the past several years of onscreen abortion stories have come closer to representing the reality of abortion in the U.S. Films like Unpregnant and Never Rarely Sometimes Always built narratives around navigating barriers to abortion  showing that abortion storytelling can be both truer to life and entertaining. Recent television dramas like A Million Little Things and Station 19 have shown how to support a loved one through a medication abortion. And in recent years weve seen more characters of color have or disclose past abortions, including Olivia Pope on Scandal and Mia on Love Life.

Our study of a 2019 Greys Anatomy abortion plotline found that viewers had an increased knowledge of abortion pills after viewing the episode, showing that television depictions of abortion can make a meaningful difference, with a degree of intention on the part of creators.

There are many reasons we dont see more  and more accurate  depictions of abortion onscreen. In interviews with over 40 television content creators, my colleague and I heard over and over again about barriers to getting abortion plotlines from the page to the screen, such as reticent showrunners and networks afraid of blowback from advertisers and audiences. Some showrunners and writers have talked publicly about this. Shonda Rhimes told HuffPost of Olivia Popes abortion on Scandal, I have never fought so hard for a Scandal episode. And Eleanor Bergstein, the screenwriter behind Dirty Dancing, said in a 2017 interview: The studio came to me and said, OK, Eleanor, well pay for you to go back into the editing room and take the abortion out. And I had always known this day would come.

Regardless of the legal status of abortion, screenwriters have found ways to tell abortion stories. Todays content creators must meet this critical moment with creativity, incisiveness, collaboration and determination. It is time for Hollywood to embrace telling bigger, bolder stories about abortion.
A recent overview in Publishers Weekly about the state of free expression in the industry noted, Many longtime book people have said what makes the present unprecedented is a new impetus to censor  and self-censor  coming from the left. When the reporter asked a half dozen influential figures at the largest publishing houses to comment, only one would talk  and only on condition of anonymity. This is the censorship that, as the phrase goes, dare not speak its name, the reporter wrote.

The caution is born of recent experience. No publisher wants another American Dirt imbroglio, in which a highly anticipated novel was accused of capitalizing on the migrant experience, no matter how well the book sells. No publisher wants the kind of staff walkout that took place in 2020 at Hachette Book Group when the journalist Ronan Farrow protested its plan to publish a memoir by his father, Woody Allen.

It is certainly true that not every book deserves to be published. But those decisions should be based on the quality of a book as judged by editors and publishers, not in response to a threatened, perceived or real political litmus test. The heart of publishing lies in taking risks, not avoiding them.

You can understand why the publishing world gets nervous. Consider what has happened to books that have gotten on the wrong side of illiberal scolds. On Goodreads, for example, vicious campaigns have circulated against authors for inadvertent offenses in novels that havent even been published yet. Sometimes the outcry doesnt take place until after a book is in stores. Last year, a bunny in a childrens picture book got soot on his face by sticking his head into an oven to clean it  and the book was deemed racially insensitive by a single blogger. It was reprinted with the illustration redrawn. All this after the book received rave reviews and a New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Childrens Book Award.

In another instance, a white academic was denounced for cultural appropriation because trap feminism, the subject of her book Bad and Boujee, lay outside her own racial experience. The publisher subsequently withdrew the book. PEN America rightfully denounced the publishers decision, noting that it detracts from public discourse and feeds into a climate where authors, editors and publishers are disincentivized to take risks.

Books have always contained delicate and challenging material that rubs up against some readers sensitivities or deeply held beliefs. But which material upsets which people changes over time; many stories about interracial cooperation that were once hailed for their progressive values (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Help) are now criticized as white savior narratives. Yet these books can still be read, appreciated and debated  not only despite but also because of the offending material. Even if only to better understand where we started and how far weve come.
To the Editor:

Re American Moms Need a Break, by Jessica Grose (Opinion, July 10):

Ms. Grose contends that the American Academy of Pediatrics updated policy statement on breastfeeding was poorly timed. We disagree. At this critical time when pregnant peoples autonomy is threatened and parents scramble to find formula, this guidance, based on decades of evidence and best practices, exposes critical policy issues that our government has failed to address.

Ms. Grose argues that support for breastfeeding is disturbingly out of reach for most American women. We couldnt agree more. We trust parents to make feeding choices that work for their families, while recognizing that its critical to advocate for resources so those goals are within reach.

The A.A.P.s recommendations now echo the consensus of experts, including the World Health Organization and American Academy of Family Physicians, on the benefits of breastfeeding beyond one year. Its time for the government and health care systems to fulfill their obligation to support the human rights of lactating families.
How do you teach your child about sex? Its a perennial question that has spawned hundreds of illustrated books meant to demystify sexual intercourse.

But for the Canadian author Cory Silverberg, there was something lacking. Silverberg, who uses they/them pronouns, felt that books on sex aimed at children often omitted mention of intimacy in the context of disability or gender nonconformity. And so they set about making a book of their own.

They wanted to tell a story of how babies are made that would apply to all kinds of children, whether they were conceived the traditional way or through reproductive technologies, whether they live with adoptive or biological parents, and no matter their family configuration.
China is not and has not done anything the U.S. has not already done in space, said Joan Johnson-Freese, professor at the U.S. Naval War College and former chair of the National Security Affairs department. But it is reaching technical parity, which is of great concern to the U.S.

She likened the Chinese space program as a tortoise compared to the American hare, though the tortoise has sped up considerably in recent years.

As of this April, China had completed a total of six missions for the construction of the space station. Three crews of astronauts have lived aboard the station, including the trio that will receive the Wentian module this week.

About 15 minutes after the launch, the rocket booster successfully placed the Wentian spacecraft on its intended orbital path. It rendezvoused with the Tianhe space station module about 13 hours after liftoff. The Chinese space agency has not given any indication that it has made any changes to the booster.

Its going to be the same story, said Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., who tracks the comings and goings of objects in space. Its possible that the rocket designers could have made some minor change to the rocket that would let them then propulsively deorbit the stage. But I dont expect so.

If the rocket design has not changed, no thrusters will be guiding its descent, and the boosters engines cannot be restarted. The final rain of debris, with a few tons of metal expected to survive all the way to the surface, could occur anywhere along the boosters path, which travels as far north as 41.5 degrees north latitude and as far south as 41.5 degrees south latitude.
Sound is used throughout the animal kingdom to convey emotion and signal information, including incoming danger and sexual attraction. Such sounds display similarities between species: A human listener can distinguish between happy and sad noises made by animals, from chickadees and alligators to pigs and pandas. So it might not be surprising that human noises also carry a commonly recognizable emotional valence.

Scientists have long argued that the sounds humans make with their babies serve a number of important developmental and evolutionary functions. As Samuel Mehr, a psychologist and director of The Music Lab at Haskins Laboratories who conceived the new study, noted, solitary human babies are really bad at their job of staying alive. The strange things we do with our voices when staring at a newborn not only help us survive but teach language and communication.

For instance, parentese can help some infants remember words better, and it allows them to piece together sounds with mouth shapes, which gives sense to the chaos around them. Also, lullabies can soothe a crying infant, and a higher pitched voice can hold their attention better. You can push air through your vocal tract, create these tones and rhythms, and its like giving the baby an analgesic, Dr. Mehr said.

But in making these arguments, scientists, mostly in Western, developed countries, have largely assumed that parents across cultures modify their voices to talk to infants. That was a risky assumption, said Casey Lew-Williams, a psychologist and director of the Baby Lab at Princeton University who did not contribute to the new study. Dr. Lew-Williams noted that baby talk and song seems to provide an on-ramp for language learning but that there are some cultures where adults dont talk as often to kids  and where they talk a lot to them. Theoretical consistency, while nice, he said, runs the risk of washing over the richness and texture of cultures.

An increasingly popular joke among academics holds that the study of psychology is actually the study of American college undergraduates. Because white, urban-residing researchers are overrepresented in psychology, the questions they ask and the people they include in their studies are often shaped by their culture.
As the Wakandans strive to embrace their next chapter, the heroes must band together with the help of War Dog Nakia (Lupita Nyongo) and Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) and forge a new path for the kingdom of Wakanda, the studio added.

The trailer  a visually dazzling glimpse of the future world of Wakanda  is set to a cover of the Bob Marley song No Woman, No Cry. Ludwig Goransson, the films composer, described it as an aural first glimpse of Wakanda Forever.

The sound world for the film, he said in the statement, was created during trips to Mexico and Nigeria, where he and others worked with traditional musicians to learn about the cultural, social and historical contexts of their music.

Then, they built a catalog of instrumental and vocal recordings together with those artists, and began to build a musical vocabulary for the characters, story lines and cultures of Talocan and Wakanda, Goransson said, adding that the idea was to create an immersive and enveloping sound world for the film.
Over the past dozen years, Sanford Solny has built a New York real estate empire, snatching up small residential buildings across the city that churn out hundreds of thousands of dollars in rent.

His portfolio would be enviable but for one thing  much of it, prosecutors and homeowners contend, was stolen. In criminal charges and lawsuits, they have accused him of fraud: offering to help homeowners facing foreclosure by arranging to pay off their mortgages, while actually tricking them into signing over their buildings at bargain-basement prices. In nearly every case, the mortgage was never paid, leaving the homeowner with no property but a pile of debt.

The practice is known as deed theft, and as city and state officials promised to crack down on it, they homed in on Mr. Solny. The Brooklyn district attorney, whose office has charged him with taking the homes of seven families, called his behavior despicable. In Queens, prosecutors accused Mr. Solny and his associates of cheating 10 people out of their properties. The court appointed a monitor to scrutinize his transactions.
A number of other organizations on each side of the issue have separately campaigned and raised money on the amendment.

After the Supreme Court decision, a lot more people suddenly became aware of the amendment, said Melinda Lavon, a midwife who has been helping organize a vote-no campaign, including text-messaging blitzes and events in rural areas. People had a lot of emotions about it, and they put it to good use.

John Markert, who supports the amendment, said that he was pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling but was not sure it would help his side in the vote. Along the route where he bicycles several times a week in Lenexa, another Kansas City suburb, more yard signs have been popping up on each side of the issue.

It threw everything to the forefront, said Mr. Markert, who was retired from the mortgage business and who said his opposition to abortion in almost all cases was informed by his Christian faith. If Roe versus Wade would not have been overturned, I think the Vote Yes would have been more likely to prevail. He added: I dont know if it is now.

As Election Day approaches, rhetoric has grown heated. Campaign signs on both sides have been stolen or destroyed, police and organizers say. In the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, vandals targeted a Catholic church this month, splattering buildings and a statue of Mary with red paint, an episode the police linked to the abortion debate.

Twice in recent weeks, someone tore down signs supporting the amendment at Faith Baptist Church in Salina, Kan., said a pastor, Jesse Rowland. A third sign has been placed in the churchyard.

Its kind of more trench warfare  everybody is dug in on one side or the other, Mr. Rowland said. Nobodys talking, really, from what Ive observed.
Dr. Jha also told ABCs This Week that as of late Saturday, none of the 17 people deemed to be close contacts of Mr. Biden had tested positive for the virus.

After announcing last week that the president had contracted the virus, officials said he would isolate in the White House for at least five days as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the days since, officials have repeatedly described Mr. Bidens symptoms as mild and stressed that he has been able to continue working, in no small part because of his having received all recommended vaccine doses.

I suspect this is going to be a course of Covid that weve seen in many Americans who have been fully vaccinated, double boosted, getting treated with those tools in hand, Dr. Jha said. You know, the president has been doing well, and were going to expect that hes going to continue to do so.
But others argue that outside circumstances  including the behavior of foreign governments, the sentiments of American voters and the influence of corporations  leave U.S. leaders with a narrow band of choices.

Theres a lot of gravitational pull that brings the policies to the same place, Mr. Biegun said. Its still the same issues. Its still the same world. We still have largely the same tools with which to influence others to get to the same outcomes, and its still the same America.

In committing to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump were responding to the will of most Americans, who had grown weary of two decades of war. For Mr. Biden, the move was also a chance to address unfinished business. As vice president, he had advocated bringing troops home, in line with Mr. Obamas desire to wind down the forever wars, but he was opposed by U.S. generals insisting on a presence in Afghanistan.

Despite the chaotic withdrawal last August as the Taliban took over the country, polls have shown most Americans supported ending U.S. military involvement there.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden have advocated a smaller U.S. military presence in conflict regions. But both hit limits to that thinking. Mr. Biden has sent more American troops to Europe since Russias invasion of Ukraine and to Somalia, reversing a Trump-era withdrawal. U.S. troops remain in Iraq and Syria.
Maybe its time we get a level playing field and be compensated, Mr. Mpanu said.

Many Congolese officials believe that after decades of colonialism and political mismanagement, their countrys needs should be prioritized against those of the world.

For President Tshisekedi, casting his nation as a bulwark against global warming has met with political realities. The countrys next presidential election is 18 months away, but the jostling has already begun with Mr. Tshisekedi running for another term. In 2018, he was declared the winner in a highly contested election. He cut a deal with his predecessor, the unpopular but still powerful Joseph Kabila, whom western officials have labeled corrupt. The pairs arrangement fell apart in 2020, but some analysts caution that Mr. Kabila or his cronies could wind up on the ballot at a time when foreign investment is pouring into the country.

Just how much compensation is at stake for Congo is something that will not be known until seismic surveys are carried out  by itself a very destructive process, according to scientists.

In May, Didier Budimbu, Congos minister of hydrocarbons, said the country, which currently produces about 25,000 barrels of oil a day, had the potential to produce up to 1 million barrels. At current prices thats the equivalent of $32 billion a year, more than half of Congos GDP.
NASSAU, the Bahamas  At least 17 Haitians, including a child, died Sunday after their boat capsized off the Bahamas on its way to Florida, the latest tragedy amid a spike in the number of migrants trying to reach the United States by sea.

The local authorities said they had rescued 25 passengers from the 30-foot speedboat, which overturned in rough seas about seven miles from the Bahamas most populated island, New Providence, shortly after midnight on Sunday. They said that up to 60 people had been in the boat and that the Bahamian and American coast guards were searching for those missing.

It was the worst loss of life in Bahamian waters since at least 2019, when 27 Haitian migrants died when their boat capsized en route to the United States.
OTTAWA  Pope Francis is traveling to Canada this week to apologize to Indigenous communities for the Roman Catholic Churchs role in the countrys notorious residential school system, where thousands of Indigenous children died, and countless others were sexually and physically abused.

The visit comes after years of pleas from Indigenous leaders and leading politicians for a Vatican apology about the schools, which were designed to erase Indigenous culture and language by forcibly separating children from their families to assimilate them into Western ways.

And some Indigenous leaders say it will fill in one of the biggest remaining pieces in Canadas efforts at reconciliation over a brutal education system that a national commission declared to be a form of cultural genocide.
Dr. Hildebrandt, who has worked extensively on anatomy in the Third Reich, said that was especially true when doctors operate in political systems that allow ethical transgressions, or support or even reward ethical transgressions.

Thats why we need to look at that history again and again, she added.

A single brass plaque affixed near an unused entrance to the anatomy building is all that currently commemorates the 86 Jews killed at Hirts behest in 1943. The plaque features the names of officials who unveiled it in 2005 but not those of the victims.

The commission recommended that the school create public places of commemoration of the crimes and clearly identify their victims, display and explain human remains still in its collections, ensure students are made aware of that period, and sponsor archival and historical research into it. The university agrees.
KYIV, Ukraine  Russian and Ukrainian forces both launched strikes with long-range weapons in the south of Ukraine overnight into Saturday, apparently aiming for supply lines and antiaircraft weapons behind the front lines on both sides as the center of gravity in the fighting has shifted in recent days from the countrys east to the south.

In the central Ukrainian region of Kirovohrad, which is along Ukraines supply routes for the fighting in the south, Russia fired 13 missiles at a military airfield and a railroad facility, causing an unspecified number of deaths, according to a post on the Telegram social media app from Andriy Raikovych, the regional military administrator.

The strikes, fired from Russian ships in the Black Sea and from Russian airplanes, killed two security guards at an electrical substation and one soldier. Nine other soldiers were wounded, he said. The attack knocked out electrical power locally.
Russian forces have tortured and beaten civilians in the areas of southern Ukraine that they control, part of a series of abuses that may amount to war crimes, Human Rights Watch said this weekend in a report that further undermined the public case repeatedly made by President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia for the invasion.

Atrocities committed by Russian forces north of Ukraines capital, Kyiv, have already drawn global outrage and have been the subject of war crimes trials by Ukrainian prosecutors, but the report by Human Rights Watch, a New York-based nonprofit, casts a spotlight on the south of the country, where the Russian occupation forces tightly control access and information.

Starting in February, Russian forces pushed north from Crimea, a region of Ukraine that Moscow seized in 2014, and took control of territory along the Black Sea and Sea of Azov coasts including in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia Provinces.
Two Americans recently died in Ukraines eastern Donbas region, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

It was not known whether they had been fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in the region, which has been the focus of intense Russian assault and continuing Ukrainian resistance in recent weeks. The State Department provided no further information about their identities or the circumstances of their deaths, citing respect for their families.

American officials are in touch with the families and are providing consular assistance, according to a State Department spokesperson.
SALTIVKA, Ukraine  On a recent Saturday morning, Yevhenia Botiyeva weeded the flower bed outside her apartment building, a routine she has taken on since she returned home in late spring.

She worked methodically, seemingly unbothered by the apocalyptic landscape of burned buildings, shattered windows and the occasional thud of artillery that surrounded her.

Her husband, Nikolai Kucher, who had survived Covid-19 and a heart attack and now had cancer, would emerge soon from their first-floor apartment to build a wood fire to heat water in a blackened kettle for coffee. But for now it was just Ms. Botiyeva, 82, tending to the overgrown lilies.
We locked eyes, he said. There was unbelievable happiness.

Along with the other women in her unit, Ms. Polyakova had been told to stand down on the third day of the war, as the shelling in Mariupol intensified. She hid in the basement of the couples apartment building until it was hit by a shell and burned to the ground.

Then she had fled the city on foot.

She made it as far as the outskirts when she was arrested at a checkpoint manned by Russian forces. They had searched her phone, discovered that she was the wife of an Azov soldier and taken her into custody. They called her a fascist and made her sing the Russian national anthem. They told her that her husband was most likely dead.

Azov fighters are not taken prisoner, she said they told her. They are shot on sight.

She alone from her prison camp was selected as part of the same trade that freed her husband. Ukrainian officials had pressed for their release for the sake of their children, who had been left in the care of an ailing grandmother.

When I saw him, I simply  Im even crying now, she said.

Today, the other surviving soldiers from Azovstal are being held at a prison camp in a Russia-controlled part of eastern Ukraine. The commanders, including Captain Palamar, were transferred to Russia and are being held in Moscows Lefortovo Prison, a place of torture during Stalins purges.

Ukraines leaders have vowed to bring them back alive, but Russian officials are threatening to charge some of them with war crimes. Of the dead, so far the bodies of more than 400 soldiers have been returned to Ukrainian-held territory for burial.

An unknown number remain entombed in the ruins of Azovstal.
The Irish Coast Guard and RNLI have been tasked to 1,100 incidents so far this year.

The Coast Guard co-ordinated the response to 1,500 incidents including inland, coastal and offshore, with volunteer units attending more than 1,100 incidents.

One was the rescue of a lone yachtsman from an overturned boat yacht 70 miles off the south-west coast.

Minister for Transport Hildegarde Naughton thanked all the search and rescue services, particularly volunteers, and also urged the public to be aware of the importance of water safety.

She was speaking on World Drowning Prevention Day, and said too many people have suffered from the tragedy of lives lost to drowning.

We all have a role to play, be it on the water or on the coast, in practising some basic safety measures, she said.

Ms Naughton joined the Irish Coast Guard in appealing to the public to follow water safety advice, and above all else to be attentive to their own personal safety.

The Irish Coast Guard is supporting this years campaign by Irish Water Safety which asks the public to Do One Thing, such as: learn one water safety skill; share one piece of water safety advice; change one mind around water safety; or be the one who takes responsibility for water safety.

Yesterday evening a casualty was recovered from his upturned catamaran by Baltimore RNLI and then airlifted by the Waterford helicopter. R117 transferred the sailor to CUH. The skipper is understood to be in good spirits after his ordeal. #IRCGhttps://t.co/jDxxUCkJ8C  Irish Coast Guard (@IrishCoastGuard) July 20, 2022

Ms Naughton said 40% of the population live within five kilometres of the coast but the majority of drownings happen inland.

Drownings often happen quickly and silently with 80% of drownings occurring within the home county of the victim, she said.

We are asking the public today to be aware of the importance of water safety, to educate themselves and their families and to Do One Thing, whether thats learning a new water safety skill or sharing your knowledge with someone else. We can all play a role in highlighting drowning prevention.

I want to thank all of our search and rescue services and in particular our volunteer members, including Irish Coast Guard volunteers, RNLI and community inshore rescue boats.

So far this year, the Coast Guard has co-ordinated the response to 1,500 incidents including inland, coastal and offshore.

As an example of this work, in a mission involving Coast Guard helicopters and an RNLI lifeboat, a lone yachtsman was recovered from an overturned yacht some 70 miles off the coast.

Coast Guard and RNLI personnel have responded to several incidents involving people becoming isolated on coastal areas with which they were not familiar.

Volunteer Coast Guard and RNLI units have been tasked to over 1,100 incidents so far this year. Remember all of these services, including our Coast Guard helicopter service, are on duty round the clock.
France's President Emmanuel Macron has "expressed his disappointment" at the lack of progress after the suspension of talks between Iran and world powers in Vienna.
The volcano is located on the southern island of Kyushu, with nearby residents urged to evacuate. The volcano is one of the most active in Japan.
PUTNAM, Conn. (AP)  Even as numerous Republican-governed states push for sweeping bans on abortion, there is a coinciding surge of concern in some Democratic-led states that options for reproductive health care are dwindling due to expansion of Catholic hospital networks.



These are states such as Oregon, Washington, California and Connecticut, where abortion will remain legal despite the U.S. Supreme Courts recent ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.



Concerns in these blue states pertain to such services as contraception, sterilization and certain procedures for handling pregnancy emergencies. These services are widely available at secular hospitals but generally forbidden, along with abortion, at Catholic facilities under directives set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.



The differing perspectives on these services can clash when a Catholic hospital system seeks to acquire or merge with a non-sectarian hospital, as is happening now in Connecticut. State officials are assessing a bid by Catholic-run Covenant Health to merge with Day Kimball Healthcare, an independent, financially struggling hospital and health care system based in the town of Putnam.



We need to ensure that any new ownership can provide a full range of care  including reproductive health care, family planning, gender-affirming care and end-of-life care, said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat.



Lois Utley, a specialist in tracking hospital mergers, said her organization, Community Catalyst, has identified more than 20 municipalities in blue or purple states where the only acute care hospitals are Catholic.



We are definitely sliding backwards in terms of comprehensive reproductive health, Utley said. Catholic systems are taking over many physician practices, urgent care...
Government officials warned Priti Patel not to go ahead with a plan to send refugees to Rwanda, new court documents have revealed.
Rumble 16 Aug 2022

Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any..
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ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP)  Roughly 2,500 Boeing workers are expected to go on strike next month at three plants in the St. Louis area after they voted Sunday to reject a contract offer from the plane maker.

The strike is planned to begin Aug. 1 at Boeing manufacturing facilities in St. Charles County, St. Louis County and Mascoutah, Illinois, after the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers District 837 union voted down the contract, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
GREENWOOD, S.C. (AP)  Chris Thomas adjusted a stack of magazines on a table in front of the museum. Loy Sartin wiped down and dusted oil lamps in the cabin. It was a big day for the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Preservation Site.

Less than an hour later, a bus filled with relatives and descendants of the legendary and influential civil rights theorist, moral philosopher and former Morehouse College president pulled into the parking lot  the Mays family was coming to tour the site.

This is the first time theyve actually come for a tour, Thomas said. Theyve been here probably for every major event weve ever had at this site. Weve had really, really good family participation.

Mays, born in Greenwood Countys Epworth community in 1894, was born to Louvenia and Hezekiah Mays after they were freed from slavery. Mays would go on to challenge ideas of white supremacy and African American inferiority, pursuing higher education and earning a doctorate and becoming the sixth president of historically Black Morehouse College, as well as the first dean of the school of religion at Howard University.

Beyond his personal accomplishments, Mays work and ethic inspired Civil Rights leaders, and he was a personal mentor to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Mays traveled to India during the Civil Rights movement and brought back with him the principles of nonviolent civil resistance, which he passed on to his disciples. Mays famously eulogized King after his assassination.

Much of that legacy is enshrined at the Benjamin E. Mays Historic Preservation Site at 229 N. Hospital St., where members of his family gathered from throughout the country to connect with their roots. Dozens of them, donning matching reunion T-shirts of purple and gold, poured off their tour bus to learn about their familial history.

He was a moral influencer. In everything he did, he expressed to people a sense of morality, and for him of course it was Christian morals, Thomas said. Im honored to do this. I think that Mays was certainly one of our great Americans.

Benjamin Mays Blocker was the first to arrive. A great-nephew of Mays, he said he would spend summers visiting Uncle Benny at Morehouse, where Mays encouraged Blocker to pursue higher education. Blocker went on to attend Ohio State, then S.C. State before being drafted by the New Orleans Saints and going on to minister at multiple churches.

Now 76, Blocker was ecstatic to have the chance to see his uncles legacy firsthand.

Its an opportunity to see my roots, for one thing, to reconnect, he said. I believe in history, because when I look at what Dr. Mays stood for, what my family stood for and how weve managed to come this far with doctors and lawyers, its good to come together and celebrate that.

He stood for education, he stood for social justice and we represent that. Thats the legacy that he left: His family. We are that legacy.

Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp is descended from Mama Susie  Mays oldest sibling.

She actually taught Uncle Benny to read, so he has stated that Susie was the smartest person that he knew, Yeargin-Allsopp said. Women in those days, of course, were not prioritized as far as education.

When Mays started the first grade in a one-room schoolhouse, he could already read and write, putting him well ahead of his classmates. Although he would fight familial and social challenges to pursue higher education, Mays made it his lifes mission to encourage others to educate themselves.

He wanted everyone in the family to be as educated as possible, and he facilitated that, Yeargin-Allsopp said. He helped people get into college and advised them.

Even as a girl, she remembered going to pick up Mays at the train station when he visited South Carolina. After brief words with her mother, hed ask the children how their grades were  Bs were unacceptable. Hed ask what they had been reading, and had no interest in the comic books they might have read, but wanted them reading Time magazine, or the newspaper.

When Mays traveled to Nigeria to obtain an honorary degree from a former Morehouse student who went on to lead a university there, he invited Yeargin-Allsopp along. It was the first time she ever rode a train, and the first time she tasted honeydew melon. She said the experience of traveling abroad with him helped shape who she became.

In 1964, she was looking to transfer to a more challenging college in pursuit of medical school. Mays suggested Sweet Briar College, though it wasnt clear if they were accepting Black students.

She was told it was too late to be accepted, that admissions were closed, but Mays encouraged her to share his name with the staff. It turned out the college was looking for a student to help make the legal case for desegregation of the school; local governments were holding the school to its original charter, barring Black students from admission.

She ended up admitted, with a full scholarship, as the first African American student  and eventual graduate  at Sweet Briar. She went on to make another first as Emory medical schools first Black woman to graduate. She now works for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the field of developmental disabilities.

When Gina Hall-Boyd walked into the museum at the Mays site, she gasped. She looked around the room in a daze; Walls plastered floor-to-ceiling with her great-great uncles life story. Nearby was the cabin Mays was raised in; where his father often tried to convince him to return and tend the soil instead of pursuing further education.

I had no idea, first of all, that they had kept such a historical record of all this, she said. Not to be cliche, but this was truly an immense honor. Its so important that we continue to do this and pass this to our children. When you walk into that house and you see the struggle ... it shows the hope, and continues to show progress.

Her mother, Beatrice Hall, is 88 years old. She had the chance to meet Mays when she was very young, visiting an aunts house. Shes from Pittsburgh, and while the broad strokes of Mays life were common knowledge to many in the family, the scope of his accomplishments were not. She knew little about Mays meeting with Gandhi, but hearing Thomas talk about his life, Hall was stunned.

When its in your family, you just dont think of the greatness of all the things that theyve done, she said. I guess because he was a member of our family, we just took it for granted. He was a brilliant man, he was doing such wonderful work with Dr. King and all the other civil rights leaders.

You think, how could one man do so much in one lifetime? Youd think he wouldnt have a free moment to do anything else. When did the man ever rest?
Northwood University celebrated 19 women from Rwanda and Afghanistan as part of a partnership to empower female entrepreneurs from those two countries.

These women are facing incredible challenges, as Rwanda continues its recovery from COVID and Afghanistan is experiencing oppressed womens rights and unstable government.

The group came to Northwood as part of a long-time partnership with the Institute of Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW).

Each year, about 30 women from each country go through an in-country training program focused on entrepreneurship. The top students from each class are invited to travel to the U.S. over the summer to participate in a leadership development program.

In the last 16 years, the IEEW and Northwood University have educated over 1,000 female entrepreneurs, who have in turn created jobs for over 16,000 men and women in their respective businesses.

This year, Northwood University hosted 17 Rwandan women and two Afghan women from July 17-24 on Northwoods main campus.

The leadership development program consisted of morning lectures by Northwood professors and other business professionals. The group visited local businesses in the Great Lakes Bay Region in the afternoon to learn about their operations. Additionally, there was time for participants to engage in a business pitch competition; listen to a panel discussion; and meet community leaders over lunches and dinners.

During a graduation ceremony Friday, IEEW Founder Dr. Terry Neese thanked Northwood for its 16-year partnership with IEEWs Peace Through Business program.

No other program has continually educated women in both these countries for as long as Peace Through Business, noted Manizha Wafeq, Afghanistans in-country facilitator for IEEW.

During his keynote address at a graduation ceremony held Friday morning, President Kent MacDonald told the group Northwood is committed to developing female entrepreneurs.

Northwood remains open to you and these incredible women, he noted.

To date, 873 business owners have graduated from Peace Through Business, including 469 in Afghanistan and 404 in Rwanda.

President MacDonald shared a message of hope with this newest class of graduates.

Theres hope," he said. "And now there are people like you to go back to your communities and make a difference."
.

TO THE EDITOR:

This is to support Annette Glenn for State Senate. Representative Glenn has demonstrated success throughout her adult life. Glenn has been married to the same man for thirty-nine years. They have five grown children, four of whom are Eagle Scouts, and nine grandchildren.

Annette Glenn has been a tireless worker as the current State Representative for Midland and Bay counties. Securing $250 million in funding in Midland and Gladwin counties for dam repairs and recovery. Glenn, Chairman of the Military, Veterans and State Police Appropriations Sub-Committee assisted veterans with passage of HB 4122 amending the County Veteran Service Fund. Glenn, also, Vice Chairman of the Education Appropriations Sub-committee passed record K-12 school funding and Glenn continues to advocate for child literacy. Glenn worked to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Glenns office has assisted with over eight hundred unemployment claims since 2020. Glenn helped secure additional road funding for Bay County.
Photo: (Photo : Michal Jarmoluk)

The Police Department has released a body cam footage of an incident where a little boy fired a gun at officers outside a Mcdonald's Drive Thru.

Officers of the Unified Police Department were responding to some reports that a male suspect was allegedly brandishing a firearm at McDonald's employees after an incorrect order around 1:30 p.m.

When officers arrived, they detained Sadaat Johnson, 27, but a child in the backseat of his vehicle fired a gun at the officers.

According to the police department press release, they arrested Johnson after he did not cooperate when they asked him to step out of his vehicle.

The video showed officers forcibly ousting the suspect from the driver's seat and handcuffing him on the ground, per Fox News.

An incident of child abuse

The 27-year-old man had two children in the car at that time, a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old.

As officers were attempting to take Johnson into custody, an officer who turned around noticed a gun pointing out of the back window and screamed gun to alert other officers before a shot rings out.

The officer used his hand to brush the gun away as the gun went off, hitting the upper part of the McDonald's building. Police then screamed at the person inside of the car to drop the gun and realized it was a small child after looking inside the car.

The young kids can be heard crying following the incident as officers ushered them out of the car and away from the scene.

The little boy told the police that he picked up the gun because he wanted his daddy back and that his father told him that the police officer cannot open the door during the altercation.

After the man was arrested, he told the police that he blacked out for 30 seconds after an argument with the McDonald's employee. He denied brandishing the gun in front of the worker despite surveillance video showing him doing so, according to the court records.

He also revealed that it wasn't the first time his 4-year-old child had gotten his hands on a gun, per The Hill.

Read Also: Experts Offer Parents Advice on How to Talk to Kids About the Texas School Shooting

Encouraged his child handling a gun

Sheriff Rosie Rivera stated after the incident that having an adult encouraging a little kid to pull a firearm and shoot at police only illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten, thus, such needs to stop and people need to come together as a community to seek solutions to the challenges they face in the neighborhood. Citizens need to bear in mind that officers are here to protect and serve and police are beyond belief that something such could happen.

Johnson was later charged with child abuse, aggravated assault, and interference with an arresting officer.

According to Healthy Children, roughly a third of U.S. homes with children possessed guns. An estimated 4.6 million kids live with unlocked and loaded guns. A terrifying statistic fact is toddlers are already capable of finding unlocked guns in the home and are strong enough to pull the trigger.

There are at least 2,070 unintentional shootings by children between 2015 and 2020 which resulted in 765 deaths and 1,366 nonfatal gun injuries.

In 2020, approximately around 125 toddlers and children aged 5 and undershot themselves or someone else. The unintended shooting deaths by children went up more than 30% compared to the same period in 2019, from March to December 2020.

Related Article: Florida Mom Arrested After Two-year-old Son Shoots and Kills His Dad
Photo: (Photo : Public Domain Pictures)

Newborns are vulnerable to illnesses as they do not have a fully developed immune system. A gentle kiss on a newborn can prove harmful as they are not yet vaccinated, and bacteria and germs from a person's body and clothes can be passed onto the newborn.

Once the germs have been passed onto the babies, the newborn's immune system will find it hard to fight, thus, they must be protected at all times by their parents.

Dr. Jean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California Davis Children's Hospital, told Healthline that parents need to be specifically vigilant when their babies are only a few months old.

Infants are particularly vulnerable to severe infections in the first month of life and can catch serious infections in the first three months of life with few symptoms excluding fever as the immune system becomes stronger and matures with age.

Securing the infants' safety

A person who displays any signs of illness such as cough, runny nose, sore throat, or rash should not come into close contact with a newborn.

The newborn period is not the moment of establishing immunity as it is the time to protect newborns from others who are sick. A time to stimulate the bond between the infant and parents and also a time of significant adaptation at the same time.

Such time must be a serene time with few visitors and a time for parents to spend time at home with their newborns as they develop routines and schedules.

Dr. Karin Nielsen, clinical professor of pediatrics in the division of infectious diseases at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), stated that babies are especially vulnerable to HSV-1 which can cause cold sores.

Nielsen said that in the specific situation of herpes simplex virus or HSV, few may have cold sores around lips or just began manifesting them and kissing can transmit such virus to others, particularly to newborns, who are more susceptible as they have no prior immunity.

If someone kisses a baby who has an active HSV infection, there is a significant risk, especially during the newborn period.

According to Pediatrics East, one of the most severe risks that come from kissing babies is the transmission of fever blisters or also known as cold sores. HSV-1 causes fever blisters to form around the baby's mouth and can spread to other parts of the body.

Read Also: 3 Effective Ways to Protect Your Baby From Neonatal Herpes

Kissing babies can be deadly

Before holding a baby, always wash your hands as the baby's gut bacteria is still developing.

Parents on the other hand must educate others considering that when individuals are aware of the risks and dangers of kissing babies, it would be a lot easier to protect their child.

Educating others is a great way to help them become more informed and aware of the risks and dangers of showing affection to babies.

Inform visitors about the safety precautions set for the baby.

Maintain personal and oral hygiene of the baby and always keep the infant fresh, use wipes as and when required, per Hopscotch.

Related Article: Dentist Mom Explains Why She Doesn't Kiss Her Baby on the Lips
Photo: (Photo : Larry W. Smith/Getty Images)

A triple stabbing incident in Florida has left a community utterly devastated after a wounded 12-year-old girl walked a mile from their house to get help for her 3-year-old sister. Both were attacked with a knife by their father early Thursday morning, July 21.

The police commended the 12-year-old for her bravery and determination but her baby sister did not survive the stabbing wounds, according to the Daily Beast. The older girl and her father, Juan Bravo-Torres, 39, who stabbed himself after attacking his daughters, have been taken to a hospital due to their critical wounds. The mother was not at home during the attack.

According to reports, the father stabbed the toddler to death and then woke up his 12-year-old. He then slit her throat as she tried to fight him off. Later, the girl pretended to be dead, hoping her father would stop the attack.

The father then started stabbing himself and ended up unconscious. Seeing her father down, the girl got out of the house and walked to a McDonald's where her mother worked.

The police were then called to the fast-food restaurant to find the bleeding child. Longwood police Sgt. Derek Chenoweth said the the12-year-old's courageous effort blew him away.

"It speaks volumes about her courage and what it took to get away from danger and find help as quickly as she did."

Read Also: Thousands Raised for Indiana Man Who Saved 5 Kids from a Burning House Before Firefighters Arrived

Police still investigating the triple stabbing motive

It's still unclear what pushed Bravo-Torres to harm and kill his kids. According to Law & Crime, he had a prior arrest in 2011 for domestic battery. However, the father avoided jail time and joined a diversion program.

While still in the hospital and recovering from his wounds, Bravo-Torres has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. He is still in critical condition but is otherwise stable.

The police said they will take the father to the John E. Polk Correctional Facility when he is discharged from the hospital. They have not stated if they have spoken to the mother. The couple has an older son who was out of state when the stabbing happened.

Speak up, if they know of a domestic situation

Neighbors were assured this was an isolated incident and was not a threat to the community. However, they are still devastated by what happened and said that they have not known the family to have any domestic issues. They were a quiet family.

Tamika Washington, a neighbor, said she cannot believe the tragedy. She usually sees the girls walk to the Sunday church with their mother.

"I don't know what led to this," Washington said. "Maybe [the father] could have avoided this and called for help instead of doing it to these babies."

Meanwhile, Chenoweth said via WESH that people must speak up if they know of someone in a domestic situation so that the issue does not "escalate into a critical incident" like this triple stabbing. Several domestic violence victims are unable to get help because they don't talk about their situation.

Chenoweth's colleagues have taken it upon themselves to place flowers and balloons at the front lawn of the 12-year-old girl's house so she will see the support of the community once she comes home from the hospital.

Related Article: Police Finally Arrest Fugitive Parents Who Fled House Fire Where Daughter Died
Photo: (Photo : Erika Wittlieb from Pixabay )

A man charged last week with brutally beating his sister, who woke up from a two-year coma and named him as her assailant, has died, according to West Virginia officials.

Daniel Palmer was booked into South Central Regional Jail in Charleston on July 15, with the 55-year-old charged with attempted murder and malicious wounding for the June 2020 attack on his sister Wanda Palmer.

The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security told NBC News in a statement that he was uncooperative while in custody and during booking procedures at the jail. According to officials, he was transported to Charleston Area Medical Center General Hospital on Wednesday, July 20, after an evaluation by jail medical staff.

Daniel Palmer dies days after being arrested for beating of sister

The statement said that Palmer was pronounced dead on Thursday, July 21. The West Virginia Department of Homeland Security ruled out suicide as a cause of death but no further details regarding his death were given.

Wanda was severely beaten on June 10, 2020, in her trailer in Cottageville, West Virginia. According to a complaint, she was discovered by lawn care workers at her home along Flatwoods Road so badly bludgeoned and covered in blood that responding police officers assumed she was mortally injured.

That was indeed the case for the next two years as she was in a comatose state, according to Law and Crime. Miraculously, Wanda started to regain some consciousness last month. The Jackson County Sheriff's Office reported that Wanda had awoken from a two-year coma on July 15, 2022. She pointed to her brother as the one who assaulted her. When asked why her brother assaulted her, Wanda stated that Daniel was mean, according to a complaint in the case.

Read Also: Toys"R"Us to Make Grand Comeback Amid Surge in the U.S. Toy Sales During COVID Pandemic

Suspect died from multiple health issues

Daniel became combative during an initial court appearance last Friday and deputies had to drag him out of the courthouse. He had long denied any involvement in his sister's beating. According to investigators, he had always been a person of interest in the case. A witness also stated that he saw Daniel Palmer in the front doorway at Wanda's trailer at midnight on the night that she was assaulted. according to the complaint.

Jackson County Sheriff Ross Mellinger told WSAZ that Daniel's death comes as a surprise. He said that when they arrested him, he was not sick and did not sustain any injuries. Mellinger added that he was obviously medically cleared for incarceration at South Central Regional Jail. As to the County Sheriff's understanding, his health took a rapid decline while he was incarcerated.

Mellinger said that Palmer was at the jail for five days before being taken to Charleston Area Medical Center. He said the suspect died at the hospital Thursday night from multiple health issues. He is unsure if there will be an autopsy conducted on the suspect.

Related Article: Pregnant Woman Says Unborn Baby Should Count as Car Passenger After Receiving HOV Ticket in Texas
Photo: (Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The baby formula shortage in the United States that federal leaders once said would be fixed within weeks has now dragged on for months, despite tons of formula imports and key steps forward in terms of domestic production.

Formula stock rates have been dropping since the end of February, when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shut down a major formula plant in Michigan and issued a recall of products manufactured there after an inspection found dangerous bacteria in several areas of the facility.

The closure worsened shortages caused by supply chain disruptions, leaving American families struggling to find formula for their infants and people with specific nutrition needs, according to CNN.

Formula stock rates still low despite imports

More than 20 percent of formula products (powder, liquid, and ready-to-drink) have been out of stock for the past six weeks, according to data released by market research firm Information Resources Inc. (IRI) on Wednesday, July 20. About 10 percent of infant formula products were typically out of stock before the recall.

Formula stock hit a low late last month as 22.4 percent of products were out of stock during the week ending June 26. Since then, the Abbott plant in Sturgis that was at the heart of the recall has resumed formula production. Flooding from severe storms in the area halted production for most of June, but it has been back up and running for about three weeks now, according to NPR.

That being said, the nationwide shortage still persists as stock rates have only improved by less than 1 percentage point in that time. Last week, 21.9 percent of formula products were out of stock in the United States.

FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday, July 20, that there is a robust pipeline of formula coming into the United States. He added that production is finally outpacing purchasing as families have eased up on stockpiling too.

Federal leaders have been reluctant throughout the shortage to share a timeline for when things might get back to normal. Califf's comments were more tempered this week than they have been.

Read Also: Let There Be Mom Helps Sick Parents Preserve Vital Memories for Their Kids

Biden's Operation Fly Formula still ongoing

He said back in May that supply should be back to normal within a matter of weeks. The Biden administration has announced more than a dozen missions over the past two months to bring formula into the United States through Operation Fly Formula.

The announcements total more than 4 million pounds of formula so far. The latest mission will carry formula that is enough to make about 61 million 8-ounce bottle equivalents.

But according to IRI, an average of about 561,000 pounds of dry powder formula was sold each day in 2021, or about 17 million pounds each month. That means the Operation Fly Formula missions that have been announced to date account for just about a week of typical powder formula sales in the United States.

Related Article: Family of 4 Misses Much-Anticipated Disney Cruise After Air Canada Cancels Their Flight
Photo: (Photo : SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images)

Military veterans living in Florida will be allowed to teach students in schools despite their lack of a teaching degree. The Florida Department of Education announced the implementation of this initiative in answer to the ongoing teacher shortage in the U.S.

On June 9, 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed six bills in support of military families. One of these bills is approval for former and present military members, as well as their spouses, to teach students.

Per the Florida Department of Education, SB 896 will extend access to military personnel to secure jobs in education by completing a 5-year educator certificate through the mentorship of a certified teacher.

Candidates for teachers are required to have a minimum of 60 college credits, a 2.5 GPA, and a passing score in the Education Department's subject area examination for bachelor's level subjects. The veterans must also have a completed minimum of 48 months of service in the military, with a medical or honorable discharge. If a school hires veterans, they will need to retain a teaching mentor.

The teaching opportunity has been in place for some years now but changes in the requirements were made in recent months due to the pressing need for teachers. The policy has also officially taken effect into law as of July 1.

Read Also: Back-to-School Shopping to Average $661 Per Child for Fall 2022

Filling the teacher shortage

At least three Northwest Florida school districts need more than 150 school teachers for the upcoming school year, which opens in the middle of August. They are expecting military veterans and their spouses to step up and fill the teacher shortage.

Shenna Payne, the deputy superintendent of the Escambia County Schools, told ABC 3 WEAR-TV that they have had inquiries from interested veterans and have informed these potential teachers to get their credentials in order. Dr. Lee Hale, the assistant superintendent in Okaloosa County said that they welcome the veterans as well because they are "very well equipped."

Manny Diaz, Florida's Commissioner of Education, said that veterans turned teachers can provide structure, teach committment and follow through, or exemplify the value of being on schedule. He believes that these are very strong lessons to impart to young students.

The Alachua County school district is still waiting for veterans to apply as teachers. They have at least 60 vacancies with no takers, as of press time. To encourage applicants, the district spokesperson Jackie Johnson said that they are willing to assist veterans in earning their state certifications.

Teachers unions oppose the initiative

While SB 896 provides jobs for military veterans and their spouses, members of Florida's teachers' unions are against the initiative. Anna Fusco of the Broward Teachers Union and Karla Hernandez-Mats of the United Teachers of Dade believe that there are detrimental consequences to this program.

"When you have unqualified people educating children, the repercussions of that miseducation are actually going to be much greater," Hernandez-Mats said, per Local 10.

Fusco said that the requirements for military veterans to become teachers devalue the actual educators who have put a lot of time into earning their four-year teaching degrees. Hernandez-Mats said that their disagreement with this initiative has "nothing to do with what a military person with military experience" but it is about the disrespect for those in the teaching profession.

High school educator Jim Gard said that the reactions from the teacher shouldn't be surprising because they spent $80,000 to $100,000 on their teaching degrees. He reasoned that although the veterans have gone to school, that does not make them teachers.

"I have ridden a pony, I am not going to go into the Kentucky Derby," Gard said.

Related Article: Father Sparks Positivity by Holding a Sign Outside Daughter's School to Urge Kindness
Photo: (Photo : RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

There have been a noticeable increase in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) cases in the summertime, prompting pediatricians to warn parents to be aware and ensure their young ones are protected.

Dr. Anita Henderson, a pediatrician and an officer of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), surmises that the uptick of RSV cases this summer may be due to the lack of masking or social distancing enforcements compared to the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most at risk for contracting this virus are infants, children below two years old, and aging people above 65 years old because their infection may quickly turn to pneumonia or bronchiolitis.

Speaking with WJTV, the doctor advised parents not to bring their newborn babies outside or in large crowds. As with the COVID-19 spread, staying at home would be one of the best safety protocols for preventing infection.

The pediatrician also said kissing the baby at the moment should be avoided when there's a pressing risk in the air. The doctor also suggested keeping the baby away from people with colds, coughs, and runny noses.

Read Also: Cough in Kids: Experts Working on New Technology to Correctly Identify Children's Respiratory Issues

How to know if the baby has RSV?

RSV is an airborne virus that shows symptoms within two to eight days of the infection. Most children and adults may experience coughing and congestion, sneezing and running nose, and fever for at least a week.

But for younger children, the symptoms may appear in phases. It will start with fussiness or irritability, a decrease in appetite, and a decrease in activity due to unusual tiredness.

In serious cases, babies with RSV may show short, shallow, and rapid breathing, according to Cleveland Clinic. Their belly may also appear like it's caving in, and their nostrils may be flaring with every breath. Some babies may develop bluish lips or fingernails because they are not getting enough oxygen.

Pediatrician Dr. Sara Goza said that babies who are wheezing need to be admitted to the hospital for proper monitoring as they are in respiratory distress. The children must have access to medical care as they might need to be in the intensive care unit.

Goza reminded parents to be observant and vigilant, especially if their infant or younger children have not been exposed to other kids in this pandemic. They are likely at higher risk of contracting the viruses that are coming out.

RSV vaccine is still in research and development

There is no vaccine for RSV, but therapeutics like palivizumab are prescribed for serious cases. After creating a vaccine for COVID-19, Moderna has fast-tracked its study on an RSV vaccine for children and older adults.

The biotech firm is in Phase 1 of its clinical studies for Synagis, the commercial name for their RSV vaccine. So far, only one RSV shot is needed in the trial.

GSK and other pharmaceutical companies are also conducting studies, but most have not focused on children as volunteer subjects because of the potential risks. Instead, the trials zero in on pregnant mothers who may likely pass on the antibodies during and from birth, per Fierce Biotech.

Related Article: Flurona: How Serious Is a Flu With Coronavirus?
Eureka! a Greek word meaning I have found it! an exclamation that accompanies a discovery captured the state of the Ghanaian medical practitioner, Dr Dennis Dwomoh of Daprof Herbal Care after receiving news of his treated cancer patient from Holland.



He busted into excitement after hearing and reading the MRI scan of the patient, De Heer KH Agyei at his Nima, Accra office on Friday.



Indeed, he goes into the annals of medical practices as the first ever practitioner to cure a cancer patient with his FDA approved prepared herbal medicine, having plagued millions of patients and sent countless to their graves.



To the orthodox turned herbal medical practitioner, who specializes in Kidney diseases, the good but rare news completes his joy of ensuring total health delivery to his numerous clients.



The former 37 Military Hospital medical officer said in an interview that the good news came as a surprise not only to himself but to a medical practitioners WhatsApp group he belongs to.



He said he was waiting for the final test from the medical facility in Holland that confirmed the healing of the patient for a final confirmation.



It all started when the patient, domiciled in Holland contacted him (Daprof) on phone and later sent him drugs he prepared using herbs and other properties.



Elated Dr Dwomoh said I am so excited, I must admit my joy is complete, it has always been my dream to see patients recover from their ailments, I have empirical evidence to back his healing, our chats on whatsapp, monetary transactions are there to show. He added I want to express profuse thanks to God, my hardworking staff and my patient who believed in the efficacy of the medicine and took it as prescribed.



I have evidence of many healed kidney patients after using the medical concoction (Daprof). I want to use this opportunity to appeal to government to rally support for herbal medicine, it is as good as the orthodox ones.



The products are not registered for Cancer and kidney failures, but they are registered for various health problems by FDA. I have 22 herbal medicines and 15 are FDA approved with others pending. You can get more evidence of cured kidney, liver and other complicated ailments on."http://www.daprofherbal.com."



The multiple award winning Daprof Herbal Care, based in Nima, Accra has been in existence since 2009, and specializes in the treatment of kidneys and other ailment.



He resigned from the 37 Military Hospital in 2017 to fully go into herbal practice.

Few months on, he succeeded in receiving kidney failure resolution news.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said one close contact in the new Marburg Virus Disease cases in Ghana reported symptoms after the maximum incubation period, the person tested positive together with his close contact (yet to be corroborated by IPD) but died on July 21, 2022.



Currently, 40 additional contacts have been identified in the Savannah Region and are being followed up.



Eleven of the 40 contacts are Health Care Workers (HCW) and that daily monitoring of temperature and general health and wellbeing is being undertaken by healthcare staff in the affected district.



The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye made this known at a press briefing in Accra on Sunday (July 24, 2022).



Marburg Virus Disease in Ghana



The GHS on June 26, 2022, identified a suspected case of Viral Haemorrhagic Fever whose date of onset was June 22, 2022. It resulted in two fatalities.



The Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) confirmed Marburg Virus Disease on July 7, 2022.



The results were subsequently corroborated by Institut Pasteur in Dakar (IPD) on July 15, 2022.



The two earlier fatal cases of Marburg virus disease (MVD) were reported in the Ashanti region.



In the first case, it was a 26-year-old male who was a farm worker in Adansi North district in the Ashanti region with a travel history to the Western region.



Prior to symptom onset on June 24, he arrived from the Western region to the Ashanti region.



He sought care at a hospital on June 26 and died on June 27.



The case was transported and buried in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Savannah region, which borders both Burkina Faso and Cote dIvoire.



The burial was conducted before the results of laboratory tests for MVD were available.



The second case was a 51-year-old male who was a farm worker in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti region.



He sought care at the same hospital as the first case on June 28 but died the same day.

Both cases presented with fever, general malaise, bleeding from the nose and mouth, and subconjunctival bleeding (bleeding of the blood vessels in the eyes).



An outbreak of MVD has only been reported once previously in West Africa, and this is the first time MVD has been notified in Ghana. An outbreak of MVD may represent a serious public health threat as it is severe and often fatal, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).



The second case from NMIMR is yet to be corroborated by IPD, Dr Kuma-Aboagye said at the press briefing on Sunday.



He added that during a follow-up of the case, clinical notes suggested the case does not meet VHF definition and that a chronic case of peptic ulcer disease.



Further investigation is being conducted and that all contacts of the case-patient have completed mandatory 21-day quarantine and are all well.



Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the implementation of several interventions with focus on three regions; Ashanti, Savannah and Western is underway and that a cumulative list of 118 contacts in three districts in the three regions were identified - Ashanti - 50; Savannah - 48 and Western - 20,



Nineteen of the contacts were HCWs; 99 were close family members or household/community contacts and all contacts have completed the mandatory 21-day follow-up as of July 21, 2022.



It is from this that one close contact reported symptoms after the maximum incubation period, tested positive together with his close contact (yet to be corroborated by IPD) and died on July 21, 2022.



Dr Kuma-Aboagye said currently, 40 additional contacts have been identified in the Savannah Region and are being followed up, 11 of the 40 contacts are Health Care Workers.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Suame Constituency Executives of the New Patriotic Party have expressed utter disgust at the behaviour of some artisans at Suame Magazine towards the Member of Parliament for the area, Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu describing their action as "incomprehensible, unconscionable and regrettable."



Earlier this week, the respected MP was subjected to some hostile action by his constituents.



The angry youth were protesting against delays in fixing the deplorable roads in the area, which they say is hampering businesses and also threatening lives.



A viral video on social media captures the moment some groups of people surrounded the lawmaker and his team clapping and chanting NPP, away.



The MP, who doubles as the Majority Leader in Ghanas Parliament was at the abandoned Suame highway which the artisans said had claimed one life.



The angry artisans upon hearing of the arrival of the MP thronged the highway and started hooting, pelting him with sachets of water, and subsequently chased him away.



But the Suame NPP Executives noted that fixing the poor condition of portions of the Kumasi-Offinso-Techiman-Tamale highway that goes through the constituency is the responsibility of the central government, and not necessarily that of the MP.



In a statement signed by the constituency chairman Abban Duker Justice, held brief for the MP saying "all who listen to the Suame MP, who doubles up as the Majority Leader, know that he has not missed any opportunity to speak for the development, especially physical infrastructural development of the constituency and, indeed, of the Ashanti region as a whole."



It is the reason why the sudden aggressive attitude displayed by some of the artisans who had rushed from the Post Office Square is incomprehensible, unconscionable and regrettable....



"In the meantime, the NPP Constituency Suame assures that we are firmly behind our MP in his quest to develop the constituency as he has been doing all this while. We are confident that this hiccup will not distract him," portions of the statement read.





Read Full Statement Below



WE DISTANCE OURSELVES FROM SUCH ABHORRENT BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS OUR MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT. -SUAME NPP*



The New Patriotic Party at Suame expresses our utter disgust at the very shameful behaviour of some artisans at Suame Magazine towards our hardworking Member of Parliament, Hon Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.



We are not unmindful about the poor condition of portions of the Kumasi-Offinso-Techiman-Tamale highway that goes through the constituency. Fixing such trunk road is the responsibility of central government, not that of the MP or the Suame Municipal Assembly or even the Ashanti Regional Minister.



This not notwithstanding, all who listen to the Suame MP, who doubles up as the Majority Leader, know that he has not missed any opportunity to speak for the development, especially physical infrastructural development of the constituency and, indeed, of the Ashanti region as a whole.



As a concerned MP, he had come to interact with the artisans on the status of the road and to assure them of the fact that the contractor was coming back to site after he had suspended works due to lack of bitumen. *_That is how a caring and responsible MP should behave.*_



It is the reason why the sudden aggressive attitude displayed by some of the artisans who had rushed from the Post Office Square is incomprehensible, unconscionable and regrettable.



As for those who were saying that the MP has not facilitated any development in the constituency, the party would respond to it at the appropriate time.



In the meantime, the NPP Constituency Suame assures that we are firmly behind our MP in his quest to develop the constituency as he has been doing all this while. We are confident that this hiccup will not distract him.

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline/[email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A delegation led by Happy98.9 FM paid a courtesy call on the National Chief Imam, His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu at his residence in Fadama on Saturday July 16, 2022.



The visit was part of efforts update the National Chief Imam on preparations for the grand finale of the annual Salah Food Fest competition and also congratulate the Islamic community for successfully carrying out the Eid-al-Adha celebration.



Among the delegation included staff, finalist of the cooking competition and representatives of the Salah Food Fest contest comprising HD+, Tasty Tom Enriched Tomato Mix, Royal Aroma Fortified Rice, Bigoo Drinks and Cedar bakes.



Programmes Manager for Happy98.9FM, Elwood Mantey presented assorted products from sponsors and partners of the Salah Food Fest competition to support the office of the National Chief Imam and the Muslim Community.



Elwood Mantey highlighted the mission of Happy98.9FM to support its stakeholders, including the Muslim community and also showcase their rich and unifying culture as reason for the visit.



It is with utmost reverence that we come to pay our respects to the National Chief Imam. It would have been absolutely wrong for us to have held the grand finale of the 2022 Salah Food Fest cooking contest at Fadama without calling on His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu whose office has been integral part of the planning and arrangement of this great event. We are here to thank him for giving us his blessings to hold the contest once again at the Fadama lorry park, he stated.



Elwood Mantey posits the relationship which has been established with the Office of the Chief Imam and Happy98.9FM is a long lasting one which will stand the test of time. He foresees further collaborations between the Happy FM brand and the Office of the National Chief Imam.



His Eminence Sheikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu upon welcoming the delegation appreciated Happy98.9FM and its partners for bringing honor to his office, said a word of prayer and blessed the team.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The authorities in Nigeria say at least 30 people were burnt to death and a dozen others wounded in a road accident in the northern state of Kaduna.



The accident involved three passenger buses that burst into flames after colliding on Thursday evening on a highway that links the cities of Zaria and Kano.



The commander of the Nigerian road safety agency in Kaduna state, Hafiz Muhammad, told the BBC that the victims included women and children.



They have been evacuated to two hospitals in the area, with some of the injured being treated for broken bones.



The accident happened in an area where vehicles had to divert to make way for road construction on the highway.



Officials say the crash is likely to have been caused by the "impatience" of drivers.



Road accidents are common in Nigeria largely blamed on bad roads, over-speeding and disregard for traffic rules as well as poor maintenance of vehicles.

Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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There seems to be no end in sight to the deterioration at the state-owned Efua Sutherland Childrens Park.

The one-time vibrant park, strategically located in the heart of Accra, is on its knees.



In its glorious days, the facility was a centre of attraction for many families who sent their children there, especially on public holidays and weekends, to have fun.



Also, schools and various groups hosted programmes such as the award-winning Italian IL Florilegio Circus, fun fairs, among others, there.



Left to rot



However, for more than a decade, the one-time vibrant park has been left inactive.



This is in sharp contrast to private parks in the national capital which have been well kept and continue to receive patronage.



Notable private parks and family centres that have taken the space in the region are the Bliss Family Centre, Splash and Play, Kiddy Ground, Kids Cottage and The Play Zone.



Started in 1979, the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park was originally known as the Accra Childrens Park or the Ridge Park.



It was later renamed after the Ghanaian playwright and childrens books author, Efua Sutherland, who died in 1996, aged 72.



During the Eid-ul-Adha public holiday on Monday, July 11, the Daily Graphic visited the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park, and it was a sorry sight.



Between11.30 a.m and 1.30 p.m, there was no activity and the place was empty, with no individual or groups undertaking any form of activity.



Overgrown grass



Overgrown grass covered many parts of the 14.83-acre park, while playground equipment, such as swings, childrens train, merry-go-round and slides, had been left to the mercy of the weather, with some already rusty.



A number of homeless people have taken advantage of the development by using the place as their home.



There were no officials or caretakers at the park to interact with.



Ministry evades enquiries



Attempts to reach the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection for comments hit a snag, as officials were not ready to provide answers to enquiries.



However, on February 28, 2022, the ministry issued a statement in reaction to allegations that the park had been sold.



The statement indicated that the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park was still a government property and was not for sale.



The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) wishes to inform the public that the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park is a government property designated as a Childrens Park.



The development of the park into a modern facility is a top priority for the ministry. Proposals have been received in this respect and they are currently being reviewed. We, therefore, want to place on record that the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park remains a government property, it said.



Importance



The National Tourism Customer Service Brand Ambassador for Ghana, Caleb Koffie, told the Daily Graphic that childrens parks played an important role in the growth of children.



In that case, he expressed disappointment at the deterioration of the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park.



He said it was important for the authorities to up their game.



Mr Koffie, who is the Executive Director of the Service Excellence Foundation, said it was the role of every government to create an environment that would build young children, saying childrens parks gave children the opportunity to gradually enhance their skills, such as social bonding, emotional, cognitive and critical development, which were necessary for their growth.



He said although revenue was accrued from parks through tourism, the communication and relationships built through engagements by kids and parents at the parks contributed to national cohesion, which help overcome social, ethnic and religious barriers or tolerance and promoted peace.



Political will needed



On the current state of the Efua Sutherland Childrens Park, he expressed his disappointment at the leadership of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection which was in charge of operations of the park.



He blamed them for not actively taking up initiatives to properly manage the park, which he said had now become a home for the riff raff, mentally retarded people and smokers and an abode for illegal activities.



He said the government could partner private individuals, groups or institutions to grow and maintain the Childrens Park to contribute to the growth of children in the country.



Sutherland Family unhappy



A source close to the Sutherland Family said they were also not happy with the state of the facility.



However, it said, the Gender Ministry had assured them that it was looking for private sector partners to bring the park back to life.



Private facilities



The Managing Director of the Bliss Family Centre at the Aviation Social Centre, a private facility, Laurencia Bobtoya, said the play centre, which opened in May this year, was aimed at giving opportunities to families who had not had the experience of enjoying such centres but had to travel outside to access it.



She said the space was a registered legal entity for both adults and kids aged six to 40 years, with 70 per cent of patronage being adults.



She said the peak moments were on weekends and public holidays, such as the Eid-ul-Adha.Speaking about challenges, Ms Bobtoya said: We sometimes find it difficult controlling the crowds, as everyone wants to have a go at a particular game.



At the Splash and Play Centre, a water park, kids were seen having fun, while their guardians watched on.



A parent who did not disclose his identity said the play centre was convenient and a choice for his kids because they had a lot of variety to choose from and they were carefully taken care of.



The water park is a spacious area that has an aqua house with six slides and spray features, a spray area with seven features and a dry playground.



Government must act



Other people who shared their views on the state of the Childrens Park expressed disappointment at the neglect.



If the state cant manage it, it should be leased to a private organisation to manage it. It can be transformed into a state-of-the-art amusement park, where both adults and children could go to have fun, Stephen Farbeng, a salesperson, told the Daily Graphic.



A teacher, Isaac Manu, said the government needed to allocate funds for the renovation of the park, as the current state of the facility was a dent on the image of the country.



Whatever has to be done by the authorities should be done quickly because, yet again, we are losing another important national asset, K. Appiah, a retired banker, said.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Professor Samuel Dampare, Director General, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), has expressed concerns over encroachment of the Commission's lands by the public.



He said the encroachment was hampering operations and the progress of work of the Commission.



One of the challenges we are facing is the encroachment of our lands and if nothing is done to protect this national asset well and people take the land, we will not be able to perform research to support the country and socio-economic development," Prof. Dampare said when he closed a workshop for media professionals on nuclear energy in Accra.



The three-day workshop was to provide journalists with the requisite knowledge and information on nuclear energy, which has been identified as the best and most reliable energy generation option for Ghana.



Prof. Dampare said GAEC was working in collaboration with the Lands Commission and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to address the issue.



According to experts, Ghana's current source of power, including hydro and renewable options can not support sustainable energy.



Ghana has, therefore, intensified efforts to add nuclear power to its energy mix  and the plan is to build and operate the countrys first nuclear power plant by 2030.



Professor Dampare said with the current power challenges facing the country, there was the need for a reliable base load power, hence the need for the adoption of nuclear energy to complement the existing energy resources.



Nuclear technology is a unique technology to help our country and to impact society so its something we all need to support, he added.



At the media workshop, key issues discussed were public perception and safety issues relating to nuclear energy, which remained a matter of concern among the public.



Participants also had the opportunity to tour GAEC's facility to familiarise themselves with the operations.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, on a diplomatic offensive in Egypt, has dismissed claims that Moscow caused the global food crisis.



In a speech to Arab League ambassadors in Cairo, he said Western nations were distorting the truth about the impact of sanctions on global food security.



He accused Western nations of trying to impose their dominance over others.



Much of the Arab world and Africa is badly affected by grain shortages caused by Russia's war in Ukraine.



A landmark deal struck only this week to resume Ukraine's grain exports hangs in the balance after Russia attacked targets in the port of Odesa on Saturday.



Mr Lavrov will go on to visit three African nations to rally support amid anger over the war.



Mr Lavrov said that Western nations' "aggressiveness" in imposing sanctions on Russia indicated one simple conclusion: "It is not about Ukraine, it is about the future of the world order.



"They say everybody must support a rules-based world order, and the rules are written depending on what specific situation the West wants to resolve in its own favour."



Earlier, Mr Lavrov held talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.



Egypt has significant ties with Russia, which supplies wheat, weapons and - until the invasion of Ukraine began - large numbers of tourists.









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.

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The 50-year-old Pastor of the 12 Apostles Church, accused of defiling a four-year-old girl at Asuokaw in the Eastern Region, which later led to her death, was intoxicated at the time of the incident, his lawyer has said.

The lawyer has therefore argued that he should be charged with manslaughter and not murder.



The pastor, Isaac Bowe Gyasi, allegedly lured the girl to his bathroom before allegedly defiling the deceased.



He has been charged with murder and has been remanded into custody by an Accra High Court.



According to state prosecutors, the incident led to the untimely death of the girl.



His lawyer, David Owusu Tachie, put up a defence in his application for bail via a Justice For All Virtual Court session on Friday (July 22, 2022).



The lawyer argued that his client, who had been behind bars since 2018, was intoxicated at the time of the incident and the charge of murder could be reduced to manslaughter.



Counsel, therefore, prayed the court, and presided over by Justice Clemence Honyenuga, a Justice of Supreme Court sitting as an additional High Court judge, to grant the accused bail.



Opposition



The state, led by an Assistant State Attorney, Yvonne Dacosta, opposed the application on grounds that the pastor bolted after committing the alleged crime and if granted bail, Gyasi may not avail himself for trial.



The application for bail was subsequently refused by the court based on the circumstances that led to the untimely death of the four-year-old victim.



The court ordered the prosecution to expedite the processes needed for the trial to commence within one month.



Justice for All



Gyasis case was one of 60 cases to be heard virtually through the Justice For All Programme (JFAP), an initiative meant to decongest Ghanas prisons.



The JFAP is organised by the Judicial Service and facilitated by the POS Foundation, a civil society organisation.



All the 60 cases brought under the consideration of Justice Honyenuga and Justice Angelina Mensah-Homiah, a court of appeal judge, were from the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, where majority of accused persons are based.



Statistics



Out of 60 cases heard during the one-day virtual sitting, three of the accused persons were discharged unconditionally after they had spent over three years behind bars without trail.



27 of the accused persons were granted bail while the two courts dismissed a total of 23 cases.



Six of the applications for bail were struck out while one suspect was referred to a Mental hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.



At the end of the virtual session, the Chairman of JFAP National Steering Committee, Justice Clemence J. Honyenuga, said the programme will turn its attention to the Ho Central prison for the virtual court session.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt has vehemently reprimanded government over her move to the International Monetary Fund(IMF) for financial assistance.



The government is in talks with the international financial institution for a grant to support its economic program.



The government claims the COVID-19 pandemic coupled with the Ukraine/Russia war has adversely affected Ghana's economy that the move to the IMF is necessary to salvage the economy.



But to Mr. Pratt, "going to the IMF is a waste of time . . . Going to the IMF is useless".



Advising the government against the IMF decision, he quoted a popular saying by world-renowned physicist, Albert Einstein, saying "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different result is madness".



"We have a basis for speaking against the IMF because they haven't helped us before. Every time they come, it's all trouble," he stressed.



Mr. Pratt made these submissions on Peace FM's morning show "Kokrokoo".





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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TV3, Ghanas leading television station out-doored sixteen beautiful ladies at a grand event in Kumasi, last Sunday, to officially begin the contest for Ghanas Most Beautiful 2022 crown amidst rich Ghanaian culture and tradition.



The launch of the 15th edition of GMB, was well attended by chiefs, patrons, sponsors of the event, past contestants and the public. It was a colourful and fun-filled entertaining event, as the contestants arrived at the durbar ground in beautifully made clothing with their entourage amidst cultural displays from their respective regions as they greeted traditional leaders, dignitaries, guests and the public gathered at the event grounds.



The theme for this year is Ghanas beauty, Africas pride and contestants are expected to exhibit knowledge about their regions and about Africa to show themselves as worthy ambassadors of the continent.



In the next 13 weeks, the ladies will go through training and undertake various contests for the selection of a winner who will take away the crown, bragging rights and a car.



Mr Francis Doku, General Manager 3TV, said Media General team went around the country for the auditions and the 16 ladies were selected after the audition process. He asked the public to support them.



Nana Owusu Berimah III, Atasomansohene and chairman of the launch commended TV3 for portraying the countrys rich cultural diversity through GMB.



 GMB has kept Ghanaians connected to our roots. It brings together all cultures, breeds respect between tribes, erodes all kinds of discrimination and opens our eyes to the beauty that every single culture exudes, he said.



The reigning queen of GMB, Safoa described GMB process as a discipline that helps the ladies to cultivate the art of spontaneity to meet tasks upfront.



GMB is a competition that teaches young ladies to be able to stand up for themselves, protect their bodies in a dignified way and also use their brains to work, she said



TV 3 began GMB contest in 2007 to offer Ghanaian young ladies the opportunity to unearth their skills and talents, project the countrys culture and showcase the beauty of the Ghanaian that reflects the total beauty and hospitality of the country.



Since its inception, Central Region leads with more wins of the crown, having won three times. The Greater Accra, Northern, Eastern and Ashanti Regions have won twice each while the Volta, Upper East, Upper West and Western Regions have coveted the crown once for each region



This years contest for GMB crown is expected to be even more keenly contested for as it coincides with TV3s 25th anniversary

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The North Fraser Pre-Trial Centre in Port Coquitlam, B.C., is shown on Wednesday, July 9, 2008. The RCMP says images it released of two men who allegedly helped an accused murderer escape custody were actually stock images and not photos of the suspects. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Richard Lam
Google co-founder Sergey Brin instructed his advisers to sell his personal investments in Elon Musks companies in recent months after learning that he had a brief affair with his wife, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Musk flatly denied the report, calling it third-party random hearsay and sub-tabloid immediately after its publication.

Musk, the co-founder of Tesla, had an alleged liaison in early December in Miami with Nicole Shanahan, the Journal said, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. That ended the long friendship between Musk, 51, and Brin, who helped support the electric carmaker during the 2008 financial crisis. Brin, 48, filed for divorce from Shanahan in January citing irreconcilable differences.

Sergey Brin filed for divorce from Nicole Shanahan in January. Getty Images

In a string of posts on Twitter, the social network he is in a dispute about buying, Musk rejected the reports and lamented what he described as a thin sex life.

Sergey and I are friends and were at a party together last night! he posted around Monday lunchtime, AEST. Ive only seen Nicole twice in three years, both times with many other people around. Nothing romantic.

I work crazy hours, so there just isnt much time for shenanigans, he said in a separate post.

The size of Brins personal investments in Musks companies isnt known, and its unclear whether there have been any sales, the newspaper said.

According to the Journal, Brin gave Musk $US500,000 in funding to help boost Teslas production as it struggled during the GFC in 2008, while in 2015, Musk presented Brin with one of Teslas first all-electric sport-utility vehicles.

Elon Musk has backflipped on the $44 billion Twitter deal.

Musk is the worlds richest person with a $US242 billion ($350 billion) fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Brin is the eighth-wealthiest, with a net worth of $US94.6 billion.

Google was formed after Brin met Larry Page as Stanford University graduate students in 1995. The pair started the company soon after. What started as a way to catalogue the growing internet has now become one of the most powerful companies in the world.

Musks affair with Shanahan took place in December at the Art Basel festival in Miami, and Musk asked Brin for forgiveness at a party earlier this year, according to the Journal. It reported Brin and his wife were separated but living together at the time of the alleged transgression.

Brin and Shanahan are currently negotiating a settlement, with Shanahan seeking more than $US1 billion, the Journal said, even though theres a prenuptial agreement. The couple, who met in 2015 at a yoga retreat and married three years later, have one child together.

Shanahan is an attorney and the founder of legal tech company ClearAccessIP. She is also the founder and president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, a private family foundation that has pledged $US100 million to a range of social justice programs. The foundation is focused on female fertility, criminal justice reform and climate change.

The affair is the latest in a string of revelations about Musks personal life. Reports earlier this year said he became the father to twins born to Shivon Zilis, a senior executive at his artificial intelligence startup Neuralink.

Another of his companies, SpaceX, paid an employee $US250,000 to settle a claim she was sexually harassed by Musk in 2016, according to Insider. Musk said the accusations were utterly untrue and designed to interfere with his $US44 billion acquisition of Twitter, an agreement which hes now trying to exit while Twitter wants the deal legally enforced. The stoush, which also led to a slanging match between Musk and former president Donald Trump, is headed to a Delaware court in October.

Bloomberg, wires

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Randy Moorer is the sector manager based in the Aiken office of Burns & McDonnell. He supports aviation and federal projects in the Central Savannah River Area and across the Southeast.
Spanning 24 years and three contractors, EMs liquid waste construction team at the Savannah River Site has achieved 35 million safe hours without injury resulting in a missed day of work.
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions environmental engineers Bryce Garner, left, and Adam Willey ask questions of lead operator Daniel Ferrell, right, from field services contractor Cascade Environmental, as he describes how equipment injects oil and iron into the aquifer beneath the Savannah River Site.
Dozens of students from schools around Aiken County wrapped up a major component of their summer this week, with the annual showcases of acGATEWAY (Aiken Countys Gifted and Talented Education with Artistic Youth), reaching students from third through 12th grades.

This year's program director was Mabry MacGregor, and this year's top honorees were Ariah Ekre, who is focusing on visual arts and preparing for her senior year at North Augusta High; and Benjamin Waits, a rising senior in the theater program at Aiken High. Ekre and Waits each received a Joe Laorenza Award, in honor of overall excellence and named in memory of a longtime band director who led programs in several schools around Aiken County (including acGATEWAY itself, for 19 years) and died in 2017 at age 69. Criteria for the Laorenza award include participation in the program for a student's entire period of eligibility.

+61 Students on Stage, Art in Abundance Dozens of local students shared the spotlight July 20 at Kennedy Middle School, as the annual acGATEWAY program held its annual showcase for m

This year's program represented both familiar territory and some new challenges. The program, which reportedly dates back about 30 years, was not held at all in 2020, due to COVID-19 concerns, and it was scaled back in 2021, for the same reason.

In order to comply with state requirements for funding, this year's activities were spread over 30 half-day sessions, instead of 15 full-day sessions, as was the previous custom. The change meant "we were able to help the children produce something that was more polished," MacGregor noted. She estimated this year's attendance at about 125.

The annual showcases include a display of creations by students in fine art, including painting, sculpture and creative writing (only at the middle- and high-school levels) and also a on-stage presentation in performing arts, with theater, dance and both instrumental and vocal music.

Ekre commented on the value of the program. "It really identifies potential in kids who normally wouldn't have the opportunity to be as creative as they can be here, and there's a lot of cooperation that goes into it," she said.

She said she appreciates the fact that students "get to learn individually and learn how to work together."

Visual and performing arts are part of the annual showcases, and the overall, weeks-long experience is "a high-paced program, where students accomplish a lot in a short amount of time," as described in promotional material. It also notes, "Classes are intense and require focus and dedication."

MacGregor's program leaders included Emily Mims, in dance; Tracy Finch, theater; Clare Henry, vocal music; Jason Jackson, instrumental music; Kayla Hostetler, creative writing; and Sandra Weeks, Antauwn Wade and Victoria Christensen, all in visual art.
Local trucker Richard Wade has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Association for rescuing a man whose motorcycle crashed and went down a 100-foot ravine.
In Edgefield County near North Augusta, theres a huge magnolia tree on Annison Pointe Court thats been a part of the landscape for more than 160 years.

An upscale subdivision is going to be constructed in the area, but thanks to the Edgefield County Historical Society and the generosity of some developers, the tree will continue to stand tall.

Stuart Thompson and David Thompson Blue Sky Properties and Investments, LLC have donated the magnolia and a small parcel of land surrounding it to the Historical Society.

The tree and the history of the property were the subjects of the program for organizations summer meeting Sunday.

It was held underneath the magnolias wide canopy.

When our attention was first brought to this tree, we were just absolutely astounded by the size and magnificence of it, said Bettis Rainsford, the Historical Societys historian and treasurer. Knowing that it was here on the site of the Curryton Academy was very important for us as well, so we decided that we ought to undertake to be the institution that preserves this tree.

We spoke to the developers early on, and they agreed in principle to deed us a parcel of the property, Rainsford continued. After all of their planning and the securing of all permissions  we have finally been deeded the land.

Curryton Academy was open in the 1800s and was designed to be a first-class literary school, according to the Historical Society.

The students who attended Curryton Academy included political leader and attorney John William Thurmond. He was the father of U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond, who also was the Palmetto States 103rd governor.

Well be developing a little park here, said Rainsford of the Historical Societys plans for the magnolia and its property.

During the Historical Societys meeting, Rainsford spoke about the history of Curryton Academy.

Leroy H. Simkins Jr., founder of Simkins Land Company in Augusta and also known in the CSRA for his knowledge about trees, talked about the magnolia.

He said the tree was planted in 1854 and is one of the largest of its kind in South Carolina.

Simkins also described the magnolia as magnificent and uncommonly well-formed.

For more information about the Historical Society, visit historicedgefield.com.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable.
Local governments across South Carolina can again charge fees for road maintenance after a year of uncertainty following a state Supreme Court ruling that struck down two user fees on Greenville County property tax bills.

State lawmakers passed Act 236 in June, which made the practice legal and effectively nullified the court ruling.

For decades, counties have charged fees to owners of registered vehicles primarily as a way to pay for maintenance of county roads. Some also charge fees for services, such as emergency telecommunications systems that primarily benefit residents within a county.

The court decision in 2021 declared two fees charged in Greenville County were taxes masquerading as fees. The court ruled the fees were invalid because they didnt solely benefit those who paid for the services.

After the ruling, some counties suspended collections or did away with the fees altogether. Now, those counties are sorting through options to reinstate fees or find other ways to fund ongoing road maintenance.

To complicate matters, a number of lawsuits filed against counties seek reimbursement of fees charged in the past and up to 10 times the amount charged as damages. In Greenville County, that lawsuit could cost the county  and eventually its citizens  up to $330 million.

Lawsuits filed in some counties, including Anderson, Charleston and Richland, have been withdrawn. A judge dismissed a similar lawsuit in Horry County while others are pending in Beaufort, Florence, Spartanburg, among others. In Aiken, a lawsuit is pending trial against both the county and city of Aiken, which also charged a road maintenance fee on vehicle property taxes.

Those lawsuits, if successful, would cripple the finances of counties and create a circular financial effect of paying residents back who had paid the fees, multiplying that by up to 10 times, then being forced to pass tax increases to pay for those costs, said Joshua Rhodes, deputy director of the South Carolina Association of Counties.

And take a third of that and give it to the lawyers, which is what I would call an absurd result, Rhodes said. The only reason to go after 10 times damages on 20 years of refunds is a money grab.

Ryan Langley, an attorney at Hodge and Langley Law Firm, which is representing a number of plaintiffs in cases against counties, said the Legislature tried to pass a fix for counties to avoid returning improperly collected fees back to residents.

Langley called the cases a balance of powers question on the legitimacy of the Legislature retroactively trying to squash questions of its past intent. Some of the cases were withdrawn because the costs involved compared with the amount of money the county had collected didnt make if feasible, he said.

Part of Act 236, which narrowly passed in the House 47-40 and went into effect on June 22, sought to create a retroactive fix to prevent counties from being liable for any damages from what courts may find to be improperly charged user fees, Rhodes said.

The law spells out the Legislatures intent when it passed the 1997 law that legalized the current version of user fees charged by counties, he said. The act now reflects what the Legislature believed it meant to say that the general public can benefit as long as the fee payer also benefits, Rhodes said.

This shouldve always been the case, Rhodes said. Theyre saying, We always thought the statute meant this. 

In passing the new law, the Legislature said it disagrees with the conclusion made by the state Supreme Court, he said.

How we got here

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Road maintenance fees have been in place in counties for more than three decades and the state Supreme Court has ruled the fees legal in 1992 and 1997 decisions. Greenville County passed its first $15 road maintenance fee in the early 1990s and charged it to all motorists on their vehicle taxes.

In 2017, County Council approved a $10 increase in the road fee and a new $14.95 per-year fee for upgrades to the countys emergency telecommunications system. Council members Willis Meadows, Joe Dill and Mike Barnes, along with state legislators Mike Burns, Dwight Loftis and Garry Smith, filed an initial lawsuit over that vote, saying the council didnt have the required supermajority of nine votes to raise the user fee.

The legislators continued to argue the fees were improper and the Supreme Court sided with the lawmakers in its decision issued June 30, 2021.

After the state Supreme Court ruled the fees invalid, Greenville County announced it would stop collecting the new fees, though it continued to collect the original $15 roads fee. The county stood to lose about $7 million in revenue annually. It is responsible for maintaining more than 1,700 miles of roads.

County staff created a plan to refund residents, but County Council twice rejected issuing refunds for fees the court ruled had been collected improperly.

Thats when Jerry Bruce, of Greer, filed a lawsuit against the county. The county unsuccessfully sought to have it dismissed. County Administrator Joe Kernell has been served notice to schedule a deposition in the case, said Councilman Butch Kirven.

Charging fees again

The law gives clarity to counties on how to move forward to pay for specific projects like road maintenance, Rhodes said. Those counties that suspended fee collection can restart. County councils that voted to roll back fees would likely need to vote to reinstitute them.

Some counties, like Pickens, did away with the roads fee and passed a tax increase to make up for the lost revenue. If Pickens wanted to reinstitute its roads fee, a provision in the law requires it to first roll back its tax increase.

It may take some time for individual counties to understand whether their fees fit the framework of the new law and whether they would pass new or increased fees.

In Greenville, Kirven, a staunch advocate for user fees, said the council likely wont pursue any immediate change in an election year. Current Chairman Willis Meadows, who opposed the user fees, was defeated in the Republican primary and will be replaced in January 2023. Meadows didnt return a request for comment.

In this transition time between elections with new members coming in January, I dont think anybodys going to bring this up anytime soon, Kirven said.

But in a county dealing with the traffic and road infrastructure issues that accompany widespread growth, Kirven said it is up to residents to make it clear if they want roads fixed or if theyve moved on to other issues.

With the loss of road maintenance fees in the county in 2021-22 fiscal year, the county already sliced its road-paving list by 30 percent. Rather than repaving 42.5 miles of roads this past year, the county was scheduled to pave just more than 29 miles of its 1,700-mile network, according to the countys approved road paving list.
ADAMS RUN  Over the past two years, Jenda Cotton has lost her son in a bicycle crash, lost her daughter to illness and sued an attorney in a prominent Beaufort law firm swept up in the Alex Murdaugh scandal.

Cotton just settled that lawsuit, a wrongful death case filed against attorney James H. Moss and his law firm, Moss Kuhn & Fleming. The firm owned the SUV he was driving when it struck and killed her 36-year-old son on a rural stretch of U.S. Highway 17 a couple of miles south of Charleston's city limits.

Kristopher Cotton was riding his bicycle from New York to the Florida Keys and pulling his dog, Ava, in a small trailer behind him when he was hit on Aug. 31, 2020. Ava, who was severely wounded, survived.

Investigators found that Kristopher was riding along the right lanes white line, as required by law. They charged the attorney with driving too fast for conditions.

Jenda Cotton felt the charge was too lenient. But she was more angered by what Moss wrote in his statement to police that day. He wrote that Kristopher's "tricycle" had pulled into his lane of traffic along the four-lane highway and that he couldnt avoid the bicycle because two other cars drove in the left lane.

But video captured by a nearby restaurant's security cameras showed no cars beside or behind Moss when the SUV struck Kris. Nor does it show Kris veering into the driver's lane.

His statement is completely false," said Jenda Cotton's attorney, Jeffrey Gerardi of the Joye Law Firm.

Moss did not respond to multiple requests for comment, nor did his attorneys.

Cotton filed suit against the lawyer and his firm, which typically sues others in cases involving wrongful death or injuries.

Recently, the firm has drawn more headlines and attention for the alleged actions of another one of its partners, Cory Fleming, who has been caught up in the case against disbarred attorney Alex Murdaugh.

Fleming faces 23 criminal charges for allegedly helping Murdaugh, 54, defraud insurance companies and Murdaugh's deceased housekeeper's family out of a multi-million dollar legal payout related to her death in a trip-and-fall incident. Fleming, Murdaugh's longtime friend and college roommate, has been suspended from practicing law in South Carolina. He has denied wrongdoing and maintains Murdaugh misled him in the case.

Moss has not been named in any legal cases surrounding Fleming or Murdaugh.

Last week, a judge approved a $1.25 million settlement in the wrongful death case Cotton filed against Moss, who is now 81. Of that, Moss will personally pay $250,000, Gerardi and Cotton said. Insurance will pay the rest. Moss admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.

For Cotton, a 61-year-old cancer survivor whose health plummeted as she grieved for Kris and then, nine months later, for her daughter, the settlement brings financial relief.

"Its over with now, she said.

The crash

On a sunny day in late August 2020, just before 2 p.m., Kris was riding his burgundy bicycle along Highway 17 in Adams Run, a stretch where strip malls give way to lush country expanses.

Ava rode on the trailer, which measured 2 feet, 4 inches wide, a little red awning shielding her from the summer sun. Bundled behind her, Kris carried camping gear, clothes and food. The duo had been cruising down the coast for weeks, meeting dozens of people fascinated by this adventurous man and his dog.

Kris pedaled south, dry pavement beneath him. Grass crept to the edge of the right lane's white line, high-speed traffic whizzing by him. There was no bike lane, although Charleston Moves had launched a petition to add one along the stretch.

Across the street, at Station 17 Local Grill, a security camera captured what happened next.

As Kris pedaled, several cars passed him without incident, including a compact car in the left lane. Roughly a half-dozen car lengths behind it, a white Chevy Suburban approached next.

Kris cruised down a straightaway, passed a bank of grass, then reached the edge of a grove of trees. When the Suburban overtook him, the driver did not appear to brake or shift into the left lane.

The SUV's right side bounced up with impact, which spewed a plume of metal-and-wood destruction onto the road and across the grass.

Kris was thrown toward the trees, gravely wounded. He died at the scene.

Ava survived. She required round-the-clock, intensive care.

An incident report called Moss the sole contributor to the crash. Later, Charleston County Sheriff's Office investigators revisited the case to see if it warranted additional charges beyond the traffic violation.

But additional charges would require proving Moss drove with reckless disregard, the lead investigator later wrote to Jenda Cotton. This could include things like driving under the influence, driving recklessly or driving under suspension  none of which the investigators found applied.

Moss' driving record was clear. He was coherent, though visibly shaken, at the scene. He was coming from a lunch visit with his daughter at a fast-food restaurant that didn't serve alcohol.

"We do not feel that Mr. Moss did anything on purpose to make this collision occur," an investigator wrote in an April 2021 follow-up report.

Kris' family was grateful for the added look. But the idea that Kris' life was worth only the $232 fine from a ticket for driving too fast "really put a knife in me and twisted it," Jenda Cotton said.

In October 2020, she filed the wrongful death suit on behalf of her son's estate.

The complaint alleged that Moss was negligent and caused Kris' death due to "driving a motor vehicle in such a manner as to indicate a willful, wanton, reckless, grossly negligent, and negligent disregard for the safety of others," the filing says.

Among other allegations, it accused Moss of driving too fast, not keeping a proper lookout and failing to yield or use due care. The lawsuit sought actual and punitive damages.

"I want him to know that he hurt this family immensely," Jenda Cotton said.

In their answer, Moss' attorneys denied any wrongdoing.

Leaving home

More than 1,000 miles north of Charleston, Kris and Jenda Cotton lived in Saranac Lake, a village in upstate New York near the snow-draped Adirondack mountains and sparkling lakes. Kris loved to ride motorcycles, jump from airplanes, snowboard and bicycle across the country.

He also loved his dog, Ava.

Seven years before his death, while driving his motorcycle in Arizona, he had spotted her in a box on the side of a road. Cupping the tiny brown puppy in his palm, he set her into his backpack and continued on.

She had been his road dog since, sleeping in tents with him and riding in the trailer behind his bicycle.

Jenda Cotton last saw them about two months before he reached Charleston. Kris had just celebrated his 36th birthday, then waited for the weather to warm before heading to the East Coast Greenway, a 3,000-mile biking route along the Atlantic Coast. Cotton bid him farewell for his latest adventure.

As Kris pedaled toward a bridge at Lake Champlain, pulling Ava on her trailer, Cotton called out through tears: If Ava needed anything, if she wanted to come home at any point, just let her know.

Granny will come and get you!

Three months later, Cotton and her daughter, Jessica LaFever, drove 17 hours south to Charleston to collect his ashes and bring Ava home.

The settlement

After the loss of her son, Cotton endured with the love and help of her family, especially Jessica.

But then, nine months after Kris death, Jessica died. The wife and mother of five was only 38 years old but had suffered chronic health problems and died battling pneumonia.

On top of the grief, Jenda Cotton worked hard to pay her bills. She described her family as working "hand to mouth."

The idea of going to trial over the lawsuit overwhelmed her. She wasnt even sure her car would make it from New York to Charleston.

I was just climbing out of a depression from Kris, then jumped into Jess, Cotton said. It was just total devastation.

On July 19, a judge approved the settlement agreement.

The money Cotton will receive after paying attorney's fees will allow her to pay off a $50,000 mortgage, reimburse family who helped her make ends meet and not worry about finding work while she struggles to regain her health.

Through it all, her constant companion has been Ava, who recovered from her physical wounds after the crash.

Shes amazing, Cotton said. Shes my girl. She is the best girl in the whole world.

Yet, even today, almost two years after his death, Ava still wont go into the bedroom she shared with Kris. Cotton believes Ava knows that Kris isnt coming home.
This condemned home at 80 Maple St. burned in 2012 and remains one of a dwindling number of dilapidated properties in the city of Charleston. City Council soon will discuss what new steps should be taken to address them. Robert Behre/staff
Syndicated and guest columns represent the personal views of the writers, not necessarily those of the editorial staff. The editorial department operates entirely independently of the news department and is not involved in newsroom operations.
ReportLinker

Artificial Photosynthesis Market Research Report by Technology (Co-electrolysis and Photo-electro Catalysis), Application, Region (Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa) - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19

New York, July 21, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Artificial Photosynthesis Market Research Report by Technology, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06306955/?utm_source=GNW



The Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market size was estimated at USD 51.38 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 59.35 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 15.78% to reach USD 123.79 million by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 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 Photosynthesis to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Technology, the market was studied across Co-electrolysis and Photo-electro Catalysis.



Based on Application, the market was studied across Chemicals, Hydrocarbons, and Hydrogen.



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 Photosynthesis 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 Photosynthesis 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 Photosynthesis Market, including Berkeley Lab, Engie SA, Evonik Industries AG, FUJIFILM Corporation, Fujitsu Limited, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, Panasonic Corporation, Siemens Energy AG, and Toshiba Corporation.



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

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The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

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3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Artificial Photosynthesis Market?

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As the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Department's Big Game Program Coordinator, Charles Ruth has digested a lot of numbers over the past 30 years.

So with the opening of South Carolina's deer season only a few weeks away, Ruth isn't overly concerned about some numbers that turned up from the 2021 deer hunting season in the state.

"The harvest was down about 12 percent in 2021 compared to 2020. And that's easily explainable on the surface, because we had about a 12 percent decrease in hunters," Ruth said. "But (the reason for the decrease) is not as easily explained.

"My explanation is that (the deer harvest) was up in 2020 by about six percent, and I would attribute that to people having more time because of COVID, doing more outdoors activities and the harvest jumped six percent."

The 2021 harvest was a return to more usual numbers.

"I think we were getting back to normal in 2021 and people were saying 'Gosh, I hunted a lot last year' and I'm going to do other things I couldn't do last year," he said.

That being said, I would expect harvest numbers to bump back up simply because you have more carryover (a larger population because of fewer deer harvested)."

Ruth said that since new regulations were enacted in 2017, the harvest generally has been creeping back up. Prior to that, he said, South Carolina was in a downward trend for a decade or so.

"We are still harvesting between 175,000 and 200,000 deer a year, and that's a lot. It's nothing like it was 20 years ago, but we didn't need the deer (numbers) we had 20 years ago and I thing most hunters understand that," Ruth said.

"We have a more moderate deer population now. Here's what I tell people. You can't have a lot of deer and have good deer at the same point in time. We've sacrificed some quantity for better quality."

One numerical increase Ruth and his SCDNR associates could be proud of was a record 2022 series of deer antler scoring sessions, held each spring to recognize harvested deer that qualify for the state records.

Deers with typical (symmetrical, or matching side) antlers must score at least 125 using the Boone and Crockett scoring system to qualify for South Carolina's record book, while deer with non-typical antlers must score 145.

"As a staff, we measured 624 sets of antlers, which was a record. Normally, we would measure somewhere in the 500s. We had 278 that made the minimum and were entered into the records list. That was a record for one cycle," Ruth said.

A partial explanation on the record number of measured antlers also goes back to COVID.

Some of the remote scoring sessions normally done at sporting goods stores were not held, and the biggest of the annual scoring sessions, during the Palmetto Sportsman's Classic, were not held with the PSC was canceled in both 2020 and 2021.

"We were probably playing a little catch up," Ruth said of the increased number of antlers scored this spring.

South Carolina's lengthy deer season opens Aug. 15 on private lands in the Lowcountry, with the youth deer hunting day this year set for Aug. 13.

For complete information, Ruth said hunters should check the 2022-23 Rules and Regulations that will soon be released.

Resident hunters who already have the requisite big game hunting license will soon be receiving their base set of deer tags  three unrestricted buck tags and two antlerless, or doe tags. There's also an option for resident hunters to purchase 2 additional antler restricted tags for bucks that have at least a 12-inch inside spread on the antlers or 4 points on one side.

Resident hunters can purchase four optional antlerless deer tags, and if they do so they receive two more free tags. If a resident hunter avails himself of all of the deer tags, the hunter could harvest five antlered deer and eight antlerless deer.

"For 99 percent of the hunters," Ruth said, "that's way more than they use."

America's Boating Club

America's Boating Club Charleston will hold boating safety classes Aug. 6 and Aug. 27 at 1376 Orange Grove Road, Charleston. The class begins at 9 a.m. and ends around 4 p.m. Successful participants earn the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Boater Education Card. The cost is $45 for adults and $15 for additional household members sharing the text. Scholarships are available for youth ages 12-18. Call 843-312-2876 or email lynes@tds.net.
FactCheck.Org serves up a reductio ad absurdum of the fact-check form in Ocasio-Cortez Was Arrested at Abortion-Rights Protest, Contrary to Social Media Posts. Confirmed: AOC was detained and fined $50, almost like Martin Luther King in Birmingham:

Following the arrests, various Facebook posts falsely claimed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York pretended to be arrested. One post showed multiple pictures of Ocasio-Cortez being held by a Capitol Police officer, and it read: AOC pretending to be arrested and handcuffed is the most AOC moment of her career.

But, the fact-check continues, Ocasio-Cortez was indeed one of those arrested. They dont bother to fact-check the fake handcuffs. As with Bidens mental infirmity, we are not to say out loud what we can see with our own eyes. The Emperor in the Andersen fairy tale could have used FactCheck.Org.

AOC didnt have to sit in a paddy wagon, wasnt taken into custody, and sported fake handcuffs to the processing on the scene. As I say, however, think Martin Luther King and Birmingham jail.

What about the fake handcuffs? Analyze this:

Some of the social media posts appeared to misunderstand what it means to be arrested. As they were led away from the Supreme Court, Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota both walked with their hands behind their backs. Some posts took this to mean the two representatives were pretending to be in handcuffs. One of the responses to the Capitol Police tweet about the 35 arrests said, So, they were handcuffed and placed into custody until their hearing, unless the[y] placed bail? If not, you didnt arrest them, and lying about something like this is absolutely hillarious. Another person told the Capitol Police, Prove it. Wheres the mugshots of the arrested? Being handcuffed, having mugshots taken and receiving a hearing are not necessary to be arrested. An arrest is defined as the use of legal authority to deprive a person of their freedom of movement. PolitiFact and Snopes both reported that Capitol Police said the protesters werent handcuffed because these arrests were noncustodial, meaning no one was taken into custody. On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez explained why she walked with her arms crossed behind her back. She tweeted, Putting your hands behind your back is a best practice while detained, handcuffed or not, to avoid escalating charges like resisting arrest.

She said she wasnt faking handcuffs. So there. Thats what they call a fact-check. See the posts List of Sources.

Quotable quote: We also reached out to Ocasio-Cortezs office for comment but didnt hear back.
The terrorists that attacked a train in Kaduna and kidnapped many of the travellers have released another video of their victims.

In the new video, the terrorists are seen manhandling some of the victims and flogging them with sticks while the victims cried and pleaded for help.

One of the terrorists, apparently unhappy with the situation, asked two of his accomplices, Ali and Abdullahi, to stop manhandling the victims.

Afterwards, one of the abducted passengers appeared on camera, narrating how they were kidnapped and lamenting that the Nigerian government has failed to secure their release.

The unnamed captive pleaded with foreign governments  the US, UK and France  to help secure their release.

He said the gunmen have no intention of keeping them longer than necessary in the forest.

Also, a female captive cried and called the Nigerian government wicked.

In the process, one of the terrorists said the Nigerian government should be blamed for what is happening to the captives because they refused to do the needful.

We know your plan (Nigerian government) is to rescue the captives with force. Know that this is little of what we can do to them (beating the captives) as we said earlier, if you (the government) did not reach our demand, this place will be a slaughterhouse, the terrorist said.

The man, who appeared to be a leader of the gang, vowed that his group would kidnap top government officials, politicians and senators.

Although some of the train passengers kidnapped in March have been released, many after the payment of ransom, 43 of the captives including the son of a former military governor of Kano state, Idris Garba, his wife and children are still in captivity.

Nigerias President Muhammadu Buhari, in June, directed security agencies to explore every means possible to immediately secure the release of the kidnapped passengers.

As the government continues to review the issue of the kidnapped railway passengers and making all efforts to trace and bring back the 51 or more still being held in custody, President Muhammadu Buhari has directed increased efforts  kinetic and non-kinetic to bring the case to a closure, Garba Shehu, media aide to the president, said.

Upon the Presidents approval, the Government is continuing on the two-lane approach, kinetic and non-kinetic to secure the passengers safe release.

The kidnappers made a demand for the release of their own children and upon the settlement of that issue, they let go eleven of the victims, even though more were expected.

The setback notwithstanding, the government is not leaving any stone unturned in the efforts to bring all of the hostages back, Mr Shehu wrote in June.

The daring attack on the train, travelling from Abuja to Kaduna, in March is one of the many attacks by terrorists in Kaduna and other states in the North-west of the country.

Hundreds of people have been killed in such attacks and millions displaced.
It is still 10 weeks before electioneering formally kicks off, but many are already projecting the February 2023 presidential election to be like no other that we have had in the Fourth Republic. Even the National Democratic Institute and National Republican Institute of the United States of America seem to think so too.

A delegation of the two institutes, which visited Nigeria between 13 and 22 July for pre-election assessment, said the election may be so tight that it may go into a runoff.

In a statement it issued to journalists in Abuja on Friday, the delegation observed: For the first time since 2007, the presidential election will be an open contest with no incumbent. The ruling All Progressives Congress selected former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, as its flagbearer. Former Vice President and 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, will contest on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party.

However, the emergence of Peter Obi  former Anambra State governor and presidential candidate for the Labour Party  and Rabiu Kwankwaso  former Kano governor and presidential candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party  as viable Third Forces has excited many young Nigerians. If a third party draws sufficient support, a runoff presidential election could be a real possibility for the first time since the transition to democracy, adding complexity to the 2023 elections.

Runoff election

Under the 1999 Constitution, a second round of presidential election will be called between the two leading candidates only if the candidate with the highest number of votes does not have at least a quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the 36 states of the federation.

But despite its complex primordial divisions, Nigeria has never had a runoff presidential election. The closest we got to it was in 1979 when Shehu Shagari of the National Party of Nigeria avoided a second-round face-off against Obafemi Awolowo of the Unity Party of Nigeria, through a controversial interpretation of the law by the electoral commission and the departing military regime of Olusegun Obasanjo.

And since 1999, no president has been elected with less than 53 per cent of the votes.

Yet, the 1999 election was the only one involving only two candidates. That year, Mr Obasanjo of the PDP took 62.78 per cent of the votes to defeat Olu Falae who ran on the joint ticket of the two other registered parties  the All Peoples Party (APP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

From 2003, multiple candidates began to appear on the presidential ballot, beginning with 20 that year and climaxing at 73 in 2019. Next year, there will be 17 candidates. Yet, the contests have always been between two candidates.

No other candidates, not even those who placed third in each of the elections have managed to draw up to eight per cent of the votes. The best third-placed candidates were Atiku who ran on the ticket of the Action Congress (AC) in 2007 and got 7.47 per cent of the votes, and Nuhu Ribadu, who ran on the same platform in 2011, but by then renamed Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), and got 5.44 per cent of the votes.

In 2003 when multipart truly began, the third place finisher, Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu of APGA, got only 3.29 per cent of the votes.

This shows that presidential elections in this dispensation have essentially been a two-horse race.

The emergence of the APC in 2013 only tended to formalise the picture, for until then, it was always the PDP candidate against the others. Although there were 20 parties in the 2015 election, the APC and PDP candidates shared 98. 9 per cent of the votes.

The closest candidate to them, Adebayo Ayeni of the African Peoples Alliance, polled only 0.19 per cent of the votes.

Can the emergence of Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso change the character of the election, and in such a manner that may force a runoff next year? Can either of them present a third force that may transform the presidential election from a duel to an affray, so to speak?

Third Force

The candidates of LP and NNPP evidently believed that they have a better chance of doing that by both of their parties working together. But the alliance talks floundered over a disagreement on who would lead a joint ticket.

Now that they are running separately, does either of them have enough support to disrupt the old order, as the Americans speculated on Friday? Lets begin by looking at the two.

Peter Obi

Mr Obi has been a sensation since he left the PDP and picked the ticket of the LP last month. His entrance has excited young Nigerians, and even older voters especially in his home South East zone.

The enthusiasm around his candidature on social media, Twitter, in particular, has been attributed as a factor in the surge in voter registration in many parts of the country.

He has also benefitted from the controversy over the same-faith ticket of Mr Tinubu of the ruling party, as some Christian leaders are pushing to adopt him as their candidate. This is despite the Electoral Act forbidding religious, ethnic and sectional sentiments in the campaigns.

But, as has been widely observed, not much of him is being seen outside cyberspace. He is yet to really have his boots on the ground. Unlike Mr Kwankwaso whose party has created a sensation of its own in some states, especially in the north, through mass inflows of notable politicians and defectors from other parties, LP, for now, seems not to extend beyond the personality of its presidential candidate.

Atiku, in an interview with Arise Television last week, emphasised this when he stressed that social media presence and acceptability cannot win Mr Obi the election.

Peter Obi is not a threat. I really dont expect the Labour Party to take as many votes from the PDP as people are suggesting. We could have seen it in the last election in Osun State. What was the performance of the Labour Party?

They again, they (Obis supporters) are talking about social media. Mind you, in the north, 90 per cent of our people (who will be voting) are not on social media, Atiku said.

To become a viable third force, Mr Obi needs experienced people across the country to build a structure for his party ahead of the election. He also needs funds to do that. His supporters have branded his campaign as a movement of the people, but it is not clear how they intend to turn that movement into votes on Election Day.

Kwankwaso

The NNPP made massive gains of new members after Mr Kwankwaso joined it from the PDP. This was most evident in his home Kano State where the former governor already boasted a cult-like following. In the state, many well-known politicians, including his erstwhile political foe who succeeded and handed over to him as governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, have joined the party. Many of them moved in with Mr Kwankwaso as a fallout of crises in the APC and PDP over party primaries. Now, the NNPP has a few lawmakers at the federal and state levels.

But Mr Kwankwaso seems to be locked up in the North. His potential gateway to the South was Mr Obi but they could not seal a deal. Mr Kwankwaso eventually picked Isaac Idahosa, a Christian cleric from Edo but based in Lagos, as his running mate. Like Mr Obi who picked Datti Baba-Ahmed as his own, the running mate does not appear capable of expanding the NNPP support base.

Atiku and Tinubu

These two old friends are the frontrunners by virtue of being the candidates of the two established parties. The PDP and APC have ruled Nigeria for 16 and seven years respectively. They control 35 of the 36 states and have most of the members of the National Assembly. The parties have traditional supporters and structures across the country. Even more importantly, they have the experience to run campaigns and the capacity to mobilise funds for elections. Their two candidates are reputed for their deep pockets, a reputation that is both a political asset and a liability, especially in this period of angst.

Despite the clamour loud on social media for a new socio-political order, the APC and PDP remain firmly entrenched across the country. The two parties have won three of the four most recent state governorship elections. In those elections, especially the most recent two in Ekiti and Osun, LP and NNPP did not show presence or send a warning of their intent.

However, the two established parties carry baggage that may affect them at the polls.

The APC and PDP face crises over their candidates choices of running mates. However, while Atikus choice of Delta governor Ifeanyi Okowa caused friction in his own party, the tremor from Mr Tinubus choice of a former Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima, extends beyond the APC.

The controversy over Mr Tinubus same-faith ticket may further erode support for his party, and especially his candidature, in Christian communities. Oh, yes. Mr Obi stands to be the principal beneficiary of this development.

While the PDP has a mixed-faith ticket, there is also a controversy over the partys breach of its own constitution on the rotation of power between north and south of Nigeria. Mr Obi also stands to benefit most from this, given that the South East considers itself the victim of Atikus seizure of the PDP ticket.

The controversy over the composition of the APC ticket may hurt the party in the South and in some northern states where Christians have a significant population. Conversely, however, it may also draw sympathy for the party among northern Muslims, whose votes have so far been the mainstay of the party.

The APC also does not know how badly President Buharis retirement will affect it in the election. 2023 will be the first time in 20 years that his voters will not see his posters during the general elections. How many of them will transfer their votes to Mr Tinubu or seek new heroes? And for those among them who are disappointed by the presidents performance in office, will they take it out on his partys candidate?

The APC, also for the first time, has no candidate from the North West, the partys largest bastion. How many votes can Mr Kwankwaso, who is from the zone, and Mr Obi, who picked his running mate from it, draw away from the APC to hurt its candidate?

Improved electoral process

The American delegation also noted improvement in Nigerias electoral process, which it believed would make the elections next year more competitive.

It said the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections, which were the first elections held since the 2022 Electoral Act was passed, demonstrated the the positive impact of initiatives implemented by INEC since 2019 to improve results transparency.

The recent surge in voter registration numbers and increased voter turnout in the 2022 Osun polls, especially among young people, point to a renewed interest in political participation among Nigerians, the delegation observed.

Confidence in the electoral process will encourage more youths to vote and take more active parts in the political process. And a level playing field removes a significant hurdle that opposition parties have faced at elections in Nigeria. Incumbency no longer seems like a big factor in election outcomes and is a shot of adrenalin for voters and the opposition.

Watershed poll?

Yet, some pundits do not see enough from Messrs Obi and Kwankwaso that make them capable of inflicting significant injuries on Atiku and Mr Tinubu next February. It is still seven months before the election and two months before the campaigns begin. In the coming days, it will become clearer whether this will be a watershed or just another presidential election.

Tinubu, Atiku tango

In his first television interview in this campaign, Atiku tried to clear clouds over his own head and poked some of his rivals. He dismissed Mr Obi, his running mate in the last election, as a paperweight and criticised Mr Tinubus same-faith ticket, despite Atiku himself fighting to be the running mate of Moshood Abiola, a fellow Muslim, in the ill-fated June 12, 1993 election.

Mr Tinubus campaign quickly responded to the criticism with their own darts fired at Atiku, which the team of the PDP candidate also tried to defect with more scorn of their principals main rival.

The two candidates have been under the relentless assault of Mr Obis supporters on social media. Does their sparing indicate that each still considers the other his main threat?
The Aseyin of Iseyin in Oyo State, Oba Adekunle Salawudeen, has passed away, family sources have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The monarchs death happened on Sunday, the fourth such occurrence among senior traditional rulers in Oyo State in eight months.

Ealier, the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Ajagungbade Oyewumi died in December 2021, followed by the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who, respectively, joined their ancestors, as the Yoruba customarily say when a monarch dies, in January and April 2022.

Exact details of the Aseyins passing are slow to emerge but PREMIUM TIMES learnt from family sources that he has been sick for a while.

Iseyin is an ancient Yoruba town located in northern Oyo State, about 91 km to the capital Ibadan.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has accused his major opponent in next years presidential election of lying.

Atiku said Bola Tinubu lied when he denied lobbying to be his running mate in the 2007 presidential election.

Atiku started the tit-for-tat between both candidates when he first made the accusation last week. Mr Tinubu replied, saying he never lobbied for it but was instead offered by Atiku.

Both men were then allies and members of the Action Congress which Atiku had joined after leaving the PDP. Atiku would later change parties a few times more before his final return to the PDP.

On Sunday, the opposition candidate, in a statement by his spokesperson, presented what he said were three pieces of evidence that corroborated his position.

Nigerians may want to note that on 14 September, 2005, the then US Consul General, Brian L. Browne, drafted a memo, leaked via Wikileaks, wherein he stated that Bola Tinubu was scheming to be a running mate to either Atiku Abubakar or Muhammadu Buhari, Atikus spokesperson Paul Ibe wrote.

Read the full statement by Mr Ibe below.

Multiple Unconnected Third Parties Corroborate Atiku Abubakars Position on Tinubu

We have read the response from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the groundbreaking interview granted by His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, to Arise TV, and even though it was replete with indiscreet language, the former Vice President has elected to respond to the claims made by Asiwaju.

In responding, he has chosen the route of a friendly riposte, in the hope that his gesture will be reciprocated by the Asiwaju in future.

On the issue of Atiku Abubakar offering to make Bola Tinubu his running mate in 2007, the Waziri says as a statesman, which he believes Asiwaju Bola Tinubu also is, or should be, it is pertinent that they use temperate language at all times. It not only shows that they are seasoned and mature, more importantly, it is a good indicator of fitness for the office.

And that is why it is our intention to respond to Asiwajus statement on Atiku Abubakars Arise TV interview, not in the rather impolite manner that he dealt the PDP presidential candidate, but in measured tones.

The major accusation made by Asiwaju Tinubu is that the Waziri Adamawa offered him the opportunity of being his running mate in 2007, which means that the former Vice President was not then mindful of Nigerias religious and ethnic diversity, making his statements during the Arise TV interview hypocritical.

READ ALSO:

We would not say that Bola Tinubu has lied. Rather, it is our desire to give him the benefit of the doubt, and believe that his memory may not be what it used to be.

Nigerians may want to note that on 14 September, 2005, the then US Consul General, Brian L. Browne, drafted a memo, leaked via Wikileaks, wherein he stated that Bola Tinubu was scheming to be a running mate to either Atiku Abubakar or Muhammadu Buhari.

This is further historically corroborated by the subsequent political history of Nigeria. Biographers of President Muhammadu Buhari have variously recounted how Bola Tinubu made the same request of then Presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

In his 2016 AUTHORISED biography of President Muhammadu Buhari titled Muhammadu Buhari: The Challenges of Leadership in Nigeria, Professor John Paden, an American, wrote about the issue as follows:

Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State and political godfather of the South-West geopolitical zone, felt he should be the vice-presidential candidate.

The above clearly shows a behavioural pattern here. So, if anyone is unhinged from the truth (to borrow Asiwaju Tinubus words), it certainly is not Atiku Abubakar.

In any case, if Bola Tinubu can forget the name of his own political party, why will he not also forget what transpired in 2007 and 2015? We do sympathise with him.

The fact remains that in a fragile and ethnically diverse nation, such as ours, religious and ethnic balance must be observed at the highest levels, and from there flow downwards.

That is what Atiku Abubakar said during his interview with Arise TV on Thursday, July 21, 2022, and he stands on that principle and will continue to so stand without apology to anyone.

From the foregoing, it is clear that His Excellency, Atiku Abubakars memory and recollection of the event has been corroborated by multiple, independent, and unconnected third parties, and if this were a court of law, this issue would have been regarded as proved beyond reasonable doubt.

We would also like to remind Nigerians that even though multiple sources have testified that Bola Tinubu desperately lobbied to be made Buharis deputy in a Muslim-Muslim ticket, Bola Tinubu himself denied this on June 22, 2022, and instead accused President Buhari of offering him the position of Vice President.

Which is exactly the same false allegation he has made against Atiku Abubakar. This is a pattern of behaviour. Not owning up to his actions.

Therefore, we hope this settles the matter, and that cordiality can be expected henceforth from the opposing camp.

Signed:

Paul Ibe,

Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007.

Abuja

24th July, 2022.
(Bloomberg) --

Most Read from Bloomberg

Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has reached the five-month mark. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov started an African trip in Cairo, where he decried the role of economic sanctions in limiting Moscows food exports and said the UN must help resolve the issue.

Outrage was swift after Moscow struck Odesas seaport on Saturday, less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to guarantee the safe transit of Ukrainian grain exports. Russia said the strike targeted military infrastructure. Kyiv still hopes to load grain within a week, and has put out a call for ships.

The US said the cruise-missile strike casts serious doubt on Russias commitment to the accord it co-signed, a deal that was brokered by Turkey and the UN after months of talks. UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the strike showed the need for a better way of getting grain out of Ukraine.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

Russian Strike on Odesa Tests Day-Old Grain Export Deal

Russia Cuts Rates Below Pre-War Level in Surprise Jumbo Move

Ukraine Grain Challenge: Clear Mines, Find Ships and Trust Putin

US Treasury Gives Blessing for Swaps Auction on Russian Bonds

Banned in Europe, Kremlin-Backed RT Channel Turns to Africa

On the Ground

As Russias invasion hits the five-month mark, Zelenskiy said Kyivs forces are advancing step by step to regain the southern region of Kherson. Russian-appointed occupation authorities there reported strikes by new high-precision artillery systems provided by the US. Ukraines military said it intercepted three Russian Kalibr missiles fired from the Black Sea toward western Ukraine. Russian forces also fired at the southern port city of Mykolaiv at dawn, hitting a warehouse, residential buildings, and wounding at least five people, regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram.

Story continues

(All times CET)

Nord Stream 1 Part Could Be on Way to Russia Soon (6:10 p.m.)

Siemens Energy AG on Sunday transferred a Canadian export license to Gazprom PJSC that allows turbines for the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to be repaired and transported, Kommersant said, citing people it didnt identify.

If the parties are able to exchange documents, the part could be on a ferry from Germany to Helsinki, and then transported on to Russia, in the next few days, the Russian newspaper reported.

Siemens Gives Gazprom Nord Stream 1 Turbine Document: Kommersant

Ukraine Puts Out a Call for Ships (3:39 p.m.)

Ukraines infrastructure ministry published a call for ships willing to take part in grain export caravans from three Black Sea locations following a safe-transit agreement signed on Friday.

Kyiv is beginning to prepare the Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi ports to resume work, the ministry said.

Entry to and exit from these sea ports will be conducted by the way of forming a caravan, which will be accompanied with a leading ship, the ministry said.

Lavrov Decries Western Sanctions After Meeting in Cairo (2:12 p.m.)

Russias foreign minister said Moscow is counting on the UN to help resolve sanctions-related issues hampering Russian food and fertilizer exports.

Sergei Lavrov spoke in Cairo after a meeting with his Egyptian counterpart. Hell visit Uganda, Ethiopia and the Republic of Congo in the coming days.

Russian food exports arent sanctioned, but trade has been crimped by what a UN official on Friday called de-risking and overcompliance of the private sector. After a memo of understanding was signed between Russia and the UN on Friday, the UN secretary-general has volunteered to seek the removal of these illegitimate restrictions, Lavrov said. Lets hope he will succeed.

Ukraine Still Aims for Black Sea Grain Exports Within a Week (1:46 p.m.)

Ukraine continues to prepare to export grain under an agreement for safe transit signed Friday, despite Russias missile strike on Odesa on Saturday, an agriculture official said.

We keep preparing as fast as we can, Taras Vysotsky, first deputy minister for agriculture policy, said on Times Radio. A ship could sail within a week if all the guarantees are followed up by our partners -- I mean the United Nations and Turkey -- and they can guarantee and ensure that Russia will meet the deal and is also going to fulfill them.

Closing Jewish Agency In Russia Would Hurt Relations, Israel Says (10:15 a.m.)

The closing of the Jewish Agencys office in Russia would be a serious event that would affect Israels relations with Moscow, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said at meeting called to discuss the issue.

Russian authorities last week asked a Moscow court to liquidate a prominent group handling the emigration of Jews to Israel. A preliminary hearing is set for Thursday.

Russia Moves to Shut Jewish Agency, Fueling Israel Tension

Smith Says West Could Provide Up to 30 HIMARS-Type Systems (10 a.m.)

The head of the US House Armed Services Committee said the US and its allies could provide as many as 25 to 30 multiple-launch rocket launch systems to Ukraine, including ones already sent.

Representative Adam Smith outlined the plans to US-government operated Radio Free Europe after his meeting with Ukraines president on Saturday. The US HIMARS and similar systems have been effect in targeting Russian arms depots and other targets in recent weeks.

Ukraine has requested at least 50 of the systems for defense and more for offensive operations. The US has delivered a dozen and approved four more in a new $270 million military aid package announced Friday. It is not a fact that our arsenal has 50 of these units, Smith said. Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, said assistance would continue for as long as it takes.

Strike Was Aimed at Military Infrastructure, Moscow Says (9:30 a.m.)

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Telegram that Kalibr cruise missiles had destroyed a Ukrainian military infrastructure facility in Odesa.

It was Moscows first response to Saturdays incident, about 24 hours after two missiles fired from a Russian ship in the Black Sea near Russian-occupied Crimea struck Odesas port. Another two were shot down by Ukraines air defenses.

On Saturday, Turkeys defense minister issued a statement saying Russian officials had denied involvement in the attack and were investigating the matter.

Zelenskiy Says Russia Destroyed Its Credibility With Odesa Bombing (7:22 a.m.)

Moscows credibility is in shreds after Saturdays Russian missile attack on Odesa, Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a nightly video address on Saturday.

If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue with it, with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening, Ukraines president said. Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements.

This apparent Russian barbarism brings us even closer to obtaining the very weapons we need for our victory, Zelensky said. The Odesa Art Museum was also damaged in the strike, he said.

Blinken: Russias Odesa Attack Undermined Food Efforts (10:37 p.m.)

Russias missile strike on Odesa casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to a deal to allow Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume through the Black Sea, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The attack undermines efforts by Turkey, the United Nations and Ukraine to get food to world markets, Blinken said in a statement Saturday. Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis, he said.

US Lawmakers Pledge Support, Visit Bucha (5:30 p.m.)

House Armed Services Committee chairman Adam Smith said US support for Ukraine remains assured after leading a bipartisan delegation that met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

The five lawmakers -- Smith, three other Democrats and a Republican -- also visited Bucha and Irpin, where they saw evidence of the Russian atrocities from the early days of the war, they said.

We will continue to seek ways to support President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people as effectively as possible, the group said in a statement.

Hungarys Orban Says Time to Stop Arming Ukraine (12:57 p.m.)

The West should stop arming Ukraine and work for a peace settlement instead, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at an annual retreat for supporters in Baile Tusnad, Romania. He said Moscow hadnt been weakened by sanctions and that the rest of the world isnt joining in the repudiation of Russia.

Orban directly blamed the arrival of Western long-range artillery shipments for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovs recent remark about annexing more Ukrainian territory, emphasizing the need to understand the Russian position of requiring security guarantees.

US, UN Condemn Russian Strike on Odessa (12:30 p.m.)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unequivocally condemns the reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, a spokesman said.

Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement. Full implementation by the Russian federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.

Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, said Russian must be held to account.

Russian Missiles Strike Odesa Sea Port (11:10 a.m.)

Russia attacked the Odesa sea port on Saturday, less than 24 hours after signing an agreement aimed at restarting Ukrainian grain exports from Odesa and two other Black Sea locations.

Two Kalibr missiles hit the ports infrastructure and two were shot down by Ukraines air defenses, Serhiy Bratchuk, adviser to the head of the Odesa regional military administration, said on Telegram.

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Ifagbemi Awamaridi, the Lagos State chairman of the Labour Party (LP), says he remains the partys authentic chairman and 2023 governorship candidate in the state.

Mr Awamaridi affirmed this on Saturday in Lagos at an interactive meeting with support groups and candidates of the party to unveil LPs 10 cardinal programmes for the state.

According to him, the clarification became important following reports that he had been elevated to the national level of the party and that the ticket of the party has been given to Moshood Salvador, who defected to the party on Wednesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mr Salvador, at his formal declaration for the LP, was presented by some national leaders of the party in attendance, including the Deputy National Chairman, Bashiru Apapa, as the partys Lagos governorship candidate.

Seyi Sowunmi was announced as the chairman of the party in Lagos State.

Meanwhile, INEC publication of Personal Particulars of Governorship Candidates in Lagos State, showed that Mr Awamaridis name was retained as the gubernatorial candidate of the party.

Mr Awamaridi, however, said that since the party was not a motor park association, there must be a documentation and letter if at all he would be removed as the chairman, stressing that the partys National Executive Council (NEC) had not met in the last two years to even take such purported decision.

He said the LP National Chairman, Julius Abure, was not involved in any of the activities and meetings purportedly organised by some party leaders to disorganise the party.

Nobody can take over the partys positions from the backyard. The NEC meeting was about two years ago and nothing happens apart from the NEC decision, Mr Awamaridi said.

We are going into elections and we dont want division in the Labour Party. The Labour Party is one in Lagos State.

Also, INEC has released the personal particulars of governorship and house of assembly candidates across the state, the names you will see there are all the candidates here and the governorship candidate that is there is Ifagbemi Awamaridi.

Mr Peter Obi is our Presidential Candidate and we are all going to work for victory for all candidates.

He alleged that some people had been sent by some politicians to decimate and destroy the LP so as to scuttle Mr Obis presidential ambition.

Mr Awamaridi, who called for unity and harmonisation among different support groups, said the party had conducted approved primaries monitored by INEC before the surge in the party over Obis defection.

We have not been sleeping and joking with the power that be in Lagos state. We have been working and by the Grace of God, we are going to take over Lagos in 2023 to make life better.

We are seriously on ground. We have completed our House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship primaries before Obi coming into our party.

We are on ground and working to win. We are signing a bond and contract with the poor, he said.

According to him, the chapter is not going into the 2023 elections empty and without agenda, hence the unveiling of the 10 cardinal programmes for the people of the state if elected.

We want to dictate electioneering in Africa. if we dont perform, people should tell us we have failed. These are our bonds with the masses, he added.

Some of the programmes unveiled included, full commitment to restructuring, free adult and compulsory education up to tertiary level, free local health services, free internet connection throughout Lagos state and free stalls and start up capital for the poor.

Others were regular potable water, regular/alternative electricity, youth empowerment through public private partnership, affordable/comfortable transport configuration and redistribution of wealth from super-rich to the vulnerable/poor.

Mr Awamaridi, who decried wastages of public funds by politicians, said: the wide gap between the rich and the poor is the reason for many challenges facing the nation, including security.

He said the party would ensure redistribution of wealth from the super rich through taxation to better the lot of the poor.

Mr Awamaridi said the party had concluded arrangements to kick off massive mobilisation and registration of new members to expand the party for better performance in the 2023 general elections.

We plan to register not less than four million new members. If we cannot get four million, we will get two milion newly registered voters. We are going to have a data base, he said.

Speaking, Tony Onyekaba, Leader, the Nigerian Youth for Peter Obi, admonished the party leadership and all support groups to harmonise and work together to win.

Let us go into this war with winning mentality. We must come together as a family to fight this battle. We should not go into this elections to test run, we must go to win. Let us present sellable candidates that can win, Mr Onyekaba said.

NAN reports that the meeting was attended by some state executives of Labour Party, labour union leaders, youth groups and other support groups for the presidential ambition of Mr Obi.

(NAN)
The police command in Zamfara on Saturday detained Umaru Maradun, the correspondent of the Leadership Newspapers, for an undisclosed reason.

The Commissioner of Police, Ayuba Elkanah, confirmed the arrest to Ibrahim Maizare, chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Zamfara Council, who spoke to him on phone.

Mr Elkanah said he would look into the matter before further action.

Mr Maradun was arrested in his home town in Maradun Government Area.

He was arrested in the early hours of Saturday and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Gusau, the state capital.

Mr Maizare had led officials of the NUJ and that of Correspondents Chapel to the Zamfara police headquarters to secure his release but failed.

Mr Maradun is currently held at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) where the leadership of the NUJ sought for his bail but the police declined.

(NAN)
The police in Anambra State said they have killed two gunmen at Okija, a community in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

He said the two gunmen were killed in two separate operations which were carried out in collaboration with military forces.

Mr Ikenga said the first incident happened on Saturday morning when police operatives engaged some gunmen in a shootout in the area.

The gunmen were allegedly robbing motorists after blocking a road in the area.

The joint forces responded swiftly engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel (and) neutralized one of the armed men while others escaped the scene with bullet wounds, Mr Ikenga said.

He said the operation was in response to a distress call at about 9:30 a.m.

The police spokesperson said the operatives also sighted another criminal gang, later the same day at Nkwo Market in the community, near the place where the previous incident took place.

He said the armed men were harassing business owners in the area before the police engaged them in a gun duel.

One of the suspects was neutralised, he said.

Four automatic pump action rifles, one cutlass, one ash colour Lexus SUV 350 and a Toyota Hilux truck were among the items recovered from the gunmen in the two operations, according to the police.

Others are one Toyota Corolla car, a silver-colour Highlander SUV and four motorcycles.

Mr Ikenga, a deputy superintendent of police, said there was no loss of life on the part of the operatives.

He said the security situation in the area has been brought under control and that the police have launched an operation to track down the fleeing suspects.

READ ALSO:

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Echeng Echeng, has charged the operatives to sustain the onslaught against criminals in the state, Mr Ikenga said.

Mr Echeng has also ordered operatives to intensify patrols as well as improve operational positioning to respond to distress calls in the state.

Worsening insecurity

Security in Nigerias South-east has continued to deteriorate, with frequent attacks by armed persons reported across the region.

Anambra State has witnessed some of the worst attacks in the region.

The attacks often target security agencies, government officials and facilities.

The Nigerian government has accused the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra of being responsible for the attacks, but the group has repeatedly denied the accusation.

The separatist group is leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra which they want to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

The leader of the secessionist group, Nnamdi Kanu, is detained in Abuja where he is facing trial for terrorism.
The Police Command in Kaduna State says its operatives have killed two suspected bandits and recovered an AK-47 rifle and motorcycle on Saturday in Kaduna State.

The Commands spokesperson Mohammed Jalige, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Kaduna.

Mr Jalige, a deputy superintendent of police, said the sustained onslaught on banditry yielded a positive result with two bandits neutralised, AK-47 rifle and a motorcycle recovered.

According to him, a report was received through the DPO Kidandan on Saturday at about 08:00 hrs that some armed bandits had kidnapped an unspecified number of farmers working on their farms at Timburku village, Galadimawa ward of Giwa Local Government Area.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Yekini Ayoku, immediately directed the mobilisation of the nearby detachment of Police Operation Restore Peace hitherto codenamed as Operation Puff Adder II to the area.

In the hot engagement that ensued with the armed hoodlums, the professional team of Police men prevailed with their superior fire power.

He said this led to the neutralisation of two of the bandits, recovery of one AK-47 rifle loaded with two rounds of live ammunition, one motorcycle and a machete while the victims (farmers) were rescued unhurt.

It is germane to reiterate that this operational breakthrough could not have been achieved without the timely report/ information by the citizens and of course swift response from the Police.

The Commissioner of Police, once again, enjoins the general public to always confide in the Police and other sister security agencies to promptly report any distress situation as he assures them of speedy and effective response, he said.

Mr Jalige said an investigation into the incident had since been instituted while surveillance and patrol were on high gear to forestall any further incident as normalcy was restored in the affected area.

The spokesperson enjoined the public to provide information on any person or group found nursing bullet wounds.

(NAN)
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2022 election in Ekiti State, Kayode Ojo, has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare that he is the rightful candidate of the party in the election.

Biodun Oyebanji was declared the winner of the June 18 governorship election after defeating his major opponent and candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Segun Oni.

He had since received the Certificate of Return as the governor-elect of Ekiti State.

Mr Oyebanji was elected candidate of the party in the January 27 primaries in Ado Ekiti ahead of Mr Ojo, who came second during the exercise.

Mr Ojo is, however, in court to challenge the result of the primaries, saying he was the duly elected candidate of the party.

In a suit number FHC/ABJ/C5/15/2022, and filed by his Counsel, Olaniyan Bolanle, Mr Ojo challenged what he termed gross irregularities during the APC gubernatorial primary election of the party.

Joined in the suit are APC, Ekiti, Biodun Oyebanji, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and all the chairmen of the local governments election committee/returning officers, who are known supporters of the second defendants, but were constituted to conduct the primary.

In his prayers, Mr Ojo questioned the decision of the party to conduct the primary election with the use of political appointees of the state executive as electoral committee/ returning officers. He said it constituted an irregularity and fundamental non-compliance with the party guidelines regulating the conduct of the said party primaries, the Electoral Act.

He equally prayed the court to set aside the party gubernatorial primary conducted on January 27 on the grounds of the constitutional infraction and flagrant infringement on guidelines and the 1999 constitution and ordering the conduct of a fresh primary by the party.

Another prayer by the plaintiff is the cancellation of the votes irregularly and fraudulently recorded for Mr Oyebanji during the primary on the ground that the governor-elect had run foul of the provisions of the APC constitution and the guidelines regulating the conduct of the party primaries.

He urged the court to declare him (Kayode Ojo) as the winner of the primary being the candidate with the next highest declared votes.

The plaintiff also sought an order of injunction restraining the INEC from recognising Mr Oyebanji as the gubernatorial candidate of the party in the 2022 Ekiti State gubernatorial election and restraining him or any other persons or authorities or government as the candidate for the APC for the Ekiti State gubernatorial election conducted in June 2022.

The case, was, however, transferred to a federal high court in Ado-Ekiti before Justice Babs Kuewunmi.

While being led in evidence by the lead counsel, Alex Izinyon, on Friday, the plaintiff along with one other witness gave their testimony and was cross-examined by the defence.

Although he had closed his case, the proceedings suffered a hitch as the defence failed to open its case due to lack of preparation.

The defence counsel, Kareem Akingbolu, in the circumstance applied for an extension of time for him to file his defence.

Mr Izinyon told the court that he was opposed to the application by the defence for an extension.

He argued that since the order of the court to publish the writ of summons was carried out on March 21, the defence ought to have filed their reply within 30 days which lapsed on April 21.

Mr Izinyon asked for a leave of the court to reply formally to the application made by the defence for an extension of time.

The case was then adjourned till July 25 for the continuation of the trial.
The officers of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) have recovered two guns and one cartridge from fleeing suspected robbers in the Orile-Iganmu area of Lagos State.

This was contained in a statement posted on its Twitter handle, monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday.

The Commander RRS, Yinka Egbeyemi, said the Command, acting on intelligence, directed one of the squads tactical teams to patrol the area to forestall criminal activities in the environment.

The directive was premised on the sighting of nocturnal movement of some strange faces in the area.

The team had during patrol of the area around 2:00 a.m heard sounds of gun shots and raced to the scene.

The suspects on sighting the team, dropped an object and fled the scene.

On combing the area, the policemen recovered two locally made shotguns and one live cartridge near the point the men were spotted.

READ ALSO: Police arrest six suspected bank robbers

Mr Egbeyemi said the Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, had ordered an investigation to fish out the suspects.

The CP, while commending the team, has ordered a full-scale investigation and a sustained hunt for the fleeing criminals.

Alabi assured Lagosians that no stone will be left unturned as the command intensifies efforts at arresting crime rate across the state, he said.

(NAN)
One person drowned and another was injured in a boat mishap at Nansa village in Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

Ahmed Inga, the director-general of the Niger State Emergency Management Agency (NSEMA), disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Minna on Saturday.

He explained that the agency on Saturday received a report of a boat mishap involving passengers and goods loaded from Nansa village by the river band upstream Shiroro dam.

Mr Inga said the boat was heading towards a Kwara Saturday market in Zumba when it hit a tree stump and broke into two midway.

He said one person drowned while one other got injured, adding that the search and rescue operation was very slow as the area of the incident is a bandit enclave and rescuers were afraid of being kidnapped.

(NAN)
One of the Boko Haram members who escaped from the Kuje correctional facility in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, appeared in the latest video of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.

The terrorists who took the passengers from the train earlier released a video showing the male hostages being beaten with cudgels as the hostages cried and called on the government to rescue them.

The escapee who did not state his name was among the three terrorists who posed on camera in the new video speaking ill of the Nigerian government and the victims of the train attack.

The man also threatened to kidnap the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.

Let the government know I am one of the Kuje prison escapers, I am here, God has rescued me, I am now once again bearing arm, we are going to destroy this country, come and follow us, we will not change our stands.

We are going to bring (kidnap) governor Nasir El-Rufai into this forest and belittle him the way we do to these people (Victims of the train attack).

You people know me you declare me wanted to the world, me too, I have declared you (government officials) wanted, I will kill you, the terrorist who was carrying an assault weapon said.

Earlier this month, terrorists used explosives to breach the correctional facility in Kuje, freeing over 800 of the 994 inmates including Boko Haram detainees.

New threats

One of the terrorist members said they are going to sell the victims of the train attack as slaves if the government did not meet their demand.

We are going to sell out the captives as slaves as our Imam (Abubakar Shekau) previously did to Chibok girls. We are going to sell the train passengers as slaves as well.

We will also kill the ones we wish and hold others as slaves, one of the terrorists said.

Some of the train passengers kidnapped in March have been released after the payment of ransom.

No fewer than 43 of the captives including the son of a former military governor of Kano state, Idris Garba, his wife and children are still being held.

Nine passengers were killed during the attack.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday, published 12 political parties and their candidates for the 2023 governorship election in Ebonyi State.

The Commission also published the names of the 16 political parties and their candidates for the 24 House of Assembly seats in the state.

After months of uncertainty, the name of the Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly, Francis Nwifuru, was published as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Similarly, agos-based entrepreneur, Ifeanyi Odii, who has been having a running battle with a senator, Obinna Ogba, was listed as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), even though the matter is still in court.

Also, a professor of geophysics, Bernard Odoh, was listed by the Commission as the candidate of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Messrs Nwifuru (APC) and Odii (PDP) had faced a stiff challenge to their candidatures as parallel primaries by factions of their parties produced two other candidates laying claim to the positions.

Mr Ogba, representing Ebonyi Central District, is in court against Mr Odii for the governorship ticket of PDP after he (Ogba) emerged as a candidate in a primary conducted by a faction of the party.

In the APC, a former chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission in the state, Elias Mbam, had emerged as a candidate in a parallel primary conducted by a faction of the APC in the state in May.

READ ALSO:

The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ebonyi, Chukwuemeka Chukwu, told journalists that the pasting of the list of candidates at INEC local offices across the state was in line with Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, and the schedule of activities of the commission.

He listed the names of the political parties that nominated governorship candidates in Ebonyi as AA, ADC, ADP, APC, APGA, APM, APP, LP, NNPP, NRM, PDP and YPP.

The INEC official also listed the 16 political parties that nominated candidates for Ebonyi House of Assembly seats as follows: AA (24 candidates), ADC (23 Candidates), ADP ( 24 Candidates), APC (24 candidates), APGA (24 candidates), APM (three candidates), APP (four candidates), BP (one candidate).

Others are: LP (24 candidates), NNPP (24 candidates), NRM (24 candidates), PDP (24 candidates), PRP (one candidate), PSDP (six candidates), YPP (one candidate) and ZLP (14 Candidates).

Mr Chukwu said a total of 245 House of Assembly candidates would participate in the 2023 general elections in Ebonyi State.

The INEC official appealed to eligible residents of Ebonyi State yet to register or update their voter registration to use the window period to do so, as there might not be any further extension after the 31 July deadline.

Mr Chukwu disclosed that online voter registration in Ebonyi State tentatively stood at 274, 376, while complete registration stood at 336,412 as of 18 July 2022, pending when the final number would be published by the commission.

Collection of Permanent Voters Cards is ongoing at the various INEC LGA Offices in Ebonyi State. Those who are yet to collect theirs are equally advised to visit our LGA offices where they registered to collect theirs personally. Note once again, there is no collection by proxy, he said.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed gratitude to Nigerians and everyone following his recent successful surgery.

Mr Osinbajos appreciation was conveyed in a statement he personally authored and made available to newsmen on Sunday in Abuja.

The vice president underwent a surgical operation on 16 July, at the Duchess International Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos.

My deep gratitude to everyone for your get-well wishes and prayers following my surgery.

And special appreciation to the amazing team of surgeons, doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, and the management of the Duchess International Hospital, Lagos, for providing such excellent care.

God bless you all, he said.

(NAN)

@ProfOsinbajo
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has criticised the Liberal party's endorsement of controversial Melton City councillor Moira Deeming, calling her political ideologies "hateful" and "transphobic".

Ms Deeming was endorsed for preselection at a Liberal convention on Saturday night in the contest for the upper house Western Metropolitan Region seat in the state election.

The high school teacher and mother-of-four will replace MP Bernie Finn.

Mr Andrews and Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas expressed outrage over the endorsement, saying her political views are harmful to the LGBTQI community.

"I'm not here to comment on the Liberal Party and some of the transphobic, homophobic and frankly, unVictorian kind of hatred. This spite just doesn't work," Mr Andrews said.

"Like we're all equal. We all should be respected. We all should be safe. We all should be valued for who we are and we shouldn't have to be hiding who we are. We shouldn't have to be fearful that we're not going to be accepted."

Ms Deeming has previously called for separate bathrooms for transgender people and has spoken out against banning Australia Day and Drag Queen Story Time for children.

Mr Andrews said "weaponised" political debates can fuel suicide and self-harm rates.

"If you're trans in this state, you're five times more likely to self-harm than if you're not. That is a very serious issue," Mr Andrews said.

Ms Thomas described Ms Deeming as a "clone" of Mr Finn, who was booted from the Liberal Party in May for saying abortion should be banned across the state.

"I have to say, I'm pretty outraged but I'm not surprised," Ms Thomas said.

"What we've seen here is a political party that made a big song and dance about kicking out Bernie Finn and now they've pre-selected a Bernie Finn clone."

Ms Deeming made headlines while running for city council in 2020 when she shared controversial views in her candidate statement submitted to the Victorian Electoral Commission.

Story continues

"Resources should be spent wisely and only ever allocated based on need, not on identity markers like religion, race or sexuality," she said.

"I'll never support rates being used to promote radical policies like banning Australia Day, Drag Queen Story Times for toddlers, or letting biological males who identify as female use female toilets and change rooms."

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said he stands by the Liberal party's endorsement of Ms Deeming.

"The Labor Party thinks if someone has a different point of view to them they shouldn't be allowed to express it," Mr Guy said.

"(Ms Deeming) has expressed her views, as far as I can see, ... in a fairly respectful way and she's entitled to have a different point of view from a lot of people. Isn't she entitled to have a different point of view from the premier?"
Ann Agom-Eze, the All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant for Ebonyi South District, has denied the allegations that she accepted a Toyota Prado SUV, a house, cash and landed property to step down for Governor David Umahi.

She described the allegations as baseless, unfounded and diversionary.

A Federal High Court in Abakaliki, on Friday, ordered a rerun primary for the district, with Mrs Agom-Eze included as one of the contestants.

The judgement was given in a suit filed by Mr Umahi against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The governor had asked the court to order INEC to recognise him as the authentic senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South District.

Before the judgement delivered by Justice Fatun Riman, there were rumours that Mrs Agom-Eze accepted over N40 million and other items to withdraw from the race.

Meanwhile, the Ebonyi State Government, in a statement by Governor Umahis Special Assistant on Strategy, Chooks Okoh, has accused Mrs Agom-Eze of submitting falsified documents to INEC.

Mrs Agom-Eze, on Sunday, said the accusation was not only baseless and unfounded but a diversionary move to deceive the constituents.

According to her, The rumour making the rounds that I collected various amounts of money, with a Prado, a house in Ochoudo is all fabrications. I never asked, and I never received such from anyone.

This is baseless, unfounded and diversionary.

This latest move is intended to confuse Ebonyi people in order to shift their focus off the reality of the epoch. But Im happy Ebonyi people are wiser now than before and they wont allow anybody to deceive them again.

They have been flying all manner of documents and trying to deceive the electorate over what the realities on the ground are.

You people should not take them seriously. They are aware of what the court said on Friday and what do you expect from them? They must fight back.

But they should be reminded that despite their tantrums, the constituents of Ebonyi South zone yearn for change and they have repeatedly said Im that change they need at this time.

I want to serve my people and give them the best of representation. Thats my focus. I dont want to be distracted now by their whims and caprices, she said.

Background

Mrs Agom-Eze had, in the run-up to the primary for the Ebonyi South District, said her life was being threatened because of her refusal to step down for the governors younger brother, Austin Umahi.

She contested the primary and lost to the younger Umahi in May.

But weeks later, the APC announced Mr Austins withdrawal, paving the way for another primary in which the governor was said to have been elected unopposed.

READ ALSO: Another loss for Governor Umahi as court rejects his senatorial candidacy

However, when INEC published the list of candidates for the National Assembly elections, it left out the governors name.

The commission did not name any candidate for the APC for the district, which prompted Governor Umahi to sue INEC.

The court in its ruling agreed that INEC was right to have omitted Mr Umahis name.

The court said the APC erred in omitting Mrs Agom-Ezes name from the list of candidates for the fresh primary.

The court ordered another election within 14 days.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday in a statement said Nigerian security forces are doing everything possible to rescue hostages of the Kaduna train attack alive.

The terrorists, who took the passengers from the train, released a video on Sunday showing the male hostages being beaten with cudgels as the hostages cried and called on the government to rescue them.

The presidents media aide, Garba Shehu, in a statement said terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over the world.

The president said they will not succumb to the demand of the terrorists, instead, he said the security forces are making efforts to rescue the victims unhurt.

He said: the countrys security and defence forces are not clueless or helpless. They have their plans and ways of doing things which they will not display in the media.

The dilemmas in dealing with the specific case of train terrorists are manifold: punitive action like the popular call for carpet bombing of the known locations may assuage the desire of an angry public for revenge, but what about the hostages? They have committed no offence. All they did was board a train.

It suffices to say that the security forces are not relenting. They are acutely aware of their duties, responsibilities and what the nation expects of them. Whenever they embark upon those actions, they expect that the public should provide them with the needed support.

Terrorism is a global scourge that must be fought by all actors- the military, the civilian population and the communication service providers. This is the only way safe havens for terrorists are eliminated in every part of the world.

To help the nation against the ongoing situation, the media must increase their support for the fight against the exploitation of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes.

The Presidency, in the meantime wishes to reassure the public that the President has done all, and even more than what is expected of him as Commander-in-Chief by way of morale, material and equipment support to the military and expects nothing short of good results in the immediate, the president said.

But the presidents words do not inspire much hope. In April, Mr Buhari ordered the countrys security forces to rescue all hostages held by non-state actors. In June, he specifically order the countrys security forces to rescue the hostages from the train attack, but a month after his directive, the countrys security forces have been unable to do that.

Some of the train passengers kidnapped in March have been released after the payment of ransom.

No fewer than 43 of the captives including the son of a former military governor of Kano state, Idris Garba, his wife and children are still being held.

Nine passengers were killed during the attack.
The ongoing performance of electoral politics in Nigeria takes us back to where Ake had already arrived three decades ago  Nigeria is not a democracy Perhaps Akes hope was that in this simple admission, ordinary Nigerians might, finally, imagine how to reconstitute their futures. That, one day, it might be possible to realise what Ake called a second independence  this time, from Nigerias own democracy performers.

As Nigeria gears up for its fifth general elections since the 1999 transition to civilian rule, the words of the late Nigerian political scientist and theorist Claude Ake remain instructive.

In 1993, Ake warned that external and elite support for electoral democratisation was not the same as actual democracy. He argued that countries like Nigeria were failing at democracy, not because they were not being faithful to the supposedly universal example set by Anglo-American politics. Rather, they were failing precisely because they were trying too hard to follow in its fashion.

Electoral politics as a means to power was the pretence to democracy favoured by the vested interests of its powerful sponsors  western nations and international development agencies, and the African elite. A real democracy, that sprung from the bottom-up communal participation of ordinary Africans, was not in the interests of such groups.

Certainly, this substitution of democracy for elections was not a salutary condition for the rest of the world. But, for Ake, the historical circumstances that had shaped the formation of post-colonial African states made it especially necessary that Africa finds a way of practising democracy differently, more honestly than it was being done elsewhere.

Indeed, it had become a matter of sheer survival that Africas democracies be genuine means, not simply for interest representation, but for the tangible participation of societys underlying communities in the continuous and structural decision-making of the state.

Only such a thoroughgoing political participation could hope to eventually correct the detrimental effects of the unprecedented human and resource extraction from the continent that was already occurring long before the colonial period. For this had affected nothing less than intellectual, socio-economic, infrastructural, socio-cultural, and political life in most African countries.

Further, only a deep participatory politics could make communal reconciliation and agreement possible. This would be necessary in most African countries where Independence had been enforced by making socio-economic competitors out of previously politically distinct ethno-linguistic groups.

Nearly 30 years since Akes arguments, it is clear that Nigeria has gotten quite skilled at the performance of an electoral politics that keeps its elite happy. But it is still failing at the real thing, and ordinary Nigerians continue to be the losers.

Nigerias Rotating Corridor of Failed Leadership

There are three main presidential hopefuls running in Nigerias 2023 elections  Bola Ahmed Tinubu (All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi (Labour Party), and Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It may be a concern that in a country where 97 per cent of the population is under 65, the contenders for the two main parties (APC and PDP) are 70 and 75 years old, respectively.

More important, is the simple fact that neither of these men have anything in their agendas that would fundamentally change a political system  now rotten to its core  that continues to trap the monopoly of power in a rotating corridor of persistently failed leadership.

Indeed, any thoughtful inspection of either mainstream candidate should reveal that their political success depends on further entrenching the extent to which the political system in Nigeria operates by excluding all those who cannot, literally, pay into it. Outside of those few  mostly men, mostly old, mostly greedy and unimaginative  everybody else in Nigeria is disadvantaged by its political order.

This is the political system that was handed down to African countries along with their Independence and which countries like Nigeria have done little to change. It is what explains the tick-box sovereign statehood of these countries. A sovereignty conditioned on maintaining an institutional political order in which interests are determined and represented from the top down.

Many seem to believe that Obi offers a third way between a packed roster of corruption allegations and a history of autocratic and dishonest hooliganism. Obi has, for example, said he will work with Nigerias unions and their workers. In a country where the working poor are rarely at the forefront of any sincere political agenda, Obi seems to be renewing hope.

But even if Obi proves capable of following through on his promises, the problem remains. A political system in which the bulk of the population is placed at the bottom and is always required to look up for the messiah who will save it will be kept intact.

This is the political system that was handed down to African countries along with their Independence and which countries like Nigeria have done little to change. It is what explains the tick-box sovereign statehood of these countries. A sovereignty conditioned on maintaining an institutional political order in which interests are determined and represented from the top down.

On one elite hand, this will be by those political parties and leaders capable of contesting in periodic elections. On the other, by the labour and interest-based organisations that have long been important for supporting the representative function of political parties in Euro-American style political systems.

The political structure that would sustain genuine democracy in Nigeria  that would allow for a systematically bottom-up process of communal participation in the concrete determination of public policy  does not exist.

The true democratic leader will be the one willing to lose all their power and give it, structurally, back to the people.

Political Accommodation: An Elite Strategy of Control

And what about the people? Nigerians have not yet, en masse, demanded a change from the system of back-door power brokering that refuses to acknowledge the ordinary population as the foremost driver of Nigerias growth and development.

Where such demands have been made, they have been demographically fractured, and short-lived.

This passive state of affairs is too well accommodated in a country like Nigeria where historic bonds of religion and ethnicity are easily exploited  often, in the name of elite politics. The political ends of manipulating the population in this way is usually divisive and it makes the prospect of a unified Nigerian identity, irrespective of ethnicity and religion, a still-distant dream.

It will, therefore, seem to matter who the presidential candidates have picked as running mates. Atiku Abubakar (a Hausa Muslim) has confirmed Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa (a Igbo Christian).

Obi (from largely Christian Anambra State) has named Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed (a Muslim from northwestern Kaduna State).

It is not simply that the quality of the so-called democracy in Nigeria is greatly in need of improvement. If it was, it would assuredly matter that, as the country attempts to inch closer to the practice of politics in countries like the United States, the role of electoral finance is already a cause for concern.

Tinubu (a Yoruba Muslim) has chosen Kashim Shettima (a Muslim and former governor of northeastern Borno State).

To imagine that this careful balancing of religious and ethnic affiliations on the party tickets is of serious relevance to the real lives of Nigerians is to first imagine that there are only three ethnic groups in Nigeria. There are over 250.

It is to imagine, further, that in many households there live not only both Christians and Muslims, but also traditional religious adherents.

Fundamentally, to believe that the political strategising by which Nigerias political elite has always managed itself is reflective of the genuine interests of the ordinary population is to believe in a highly saleable lie.

It is not simply that the quality of the so-called democracy in Nigeria is greatly in need of improvement. If it was, it would assuredly matter that, as the country attempts to inch closer to the practice of politics in countries like the United States, the role of electoral finance is already a cause for concern.

So, also, the issue of electoral violence, from which  whether or not they take responsibility for its orchestration  the main political parties do greatly benefit.

Concerns would, also, be justified over the impact of low voter turnout on the credibility of results. In this last respect, Nigeria is surely excelling in following the example increasingly set by apathetic voters across the electoral systems of Western Europe.

These concerns, however, bank on a fundamentally false assumption  that the current system of politics in Nigeria is actually in the service of ordinary Nigerians.

That although the system may sometimes get it wrong, through inclusive participation, Nigeria really is a democracy. They bank on the belief that Nigerias political organisation is intended towards the benefit, livelihood, and survival of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnicity, religion, or the desire to be determined by hierarchically organised or ideological interest.

The ongoing performance of electoral politics in Nigeria takes us back to where Ake had already arrived three decades ago  Nigeria is not a democracy.

Perhaps Akes hope was that in this simple admission, ordinary Nigerians might, finally, imagine how to reconstitute their futures. That, one day, it might be possible to realise what Ake called a second independence  this time, from Nigerias own democracy performers.

Eniola Anuoluwapo Soyemi is Departmental Lecturer in Political Philosophy and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford. She is the Founding Editor of Political Matter, and co-founder of the Intergenerational Alliance.
The grisly drama in Zamfara, in many ways, speaks to the rot which exists across different layers of Nigerias national life. Poor Aliyu Marafa, Emir of Yandoton Daji, had for many years, been under the intense strafing of bullets in his domain by outlaws like Aleru. One can only imagine how many times that weeping, wailing and the gnashing of teeth of his subjects who lost their sons and daughters to Aleru, had woken him up in the dead of the night.

At a time when Nigeria thought it had witnessed the zenith of pain and agony from its unhealed wounds, with the unimaginable pus that oozes daily from them over the years, last week, a frightening symptom emerged from the wounds. Bleeding blisters emitting dirty-looking, foul-smelling discharges indicated that the Nigerian wounds may have gone gangrenous.

The sign of gangrene came right from the theatre of war in Zamfara State, where bandits have literally taken over government. If we thought the daily harvests of dead bodies of countrymen killed by bandits and the Ansaru terrorist group were the height of our pains, last Saturday, it occurred to the discerning that the Nigerian security challenge had gone almost beyond redemption, like a foot infected by gangrene. This came into limelight when the Emir of Yandoton Daji, Aliyu Marafa, turbaned a wanted and ruthless terrorist, Adamu Yankuzo, known also as Adamu Aliero, as the Sarkin Fulani of the emirate. And the turbanning had huge Zamfara government presence and a benumbing crowd in attendance. From the states commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Mamman Tsafe; security adviser to the governor, Abubakar Dauran; Tsafe Local Government chairman, Aminu Mudi; to representatives of the commissioner for Information; district heads; government officials and traditional title holders, Ada Aleru finally won the battle.

Aleru, the 45-year-old bandit commander, who hails from Yankuzo village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, oversaw a raft of kidnapping, murders and rustling of cattle in Tsafe, as well as Zamfara and Katsina States. His notoriety and bloodthirstiness necessitated the declaration of a manhunt for him. He was suspected to have coordinated the attacks and killings in Kadisau village of Faskari, and others at Musawa, Matazu, Karaduwa and Yantumaki villages, where over 20 people were killed by the bandits. In June 2020, Sanusi Buba, the Katsina State police commissioner, placed a bounty of N5 million on Aleru, declaring that he was wanted dead or alive.

From a wound that began as an innocuous contest for gold mining sites, Zamfara, a microcosm of the larger massive spillage of blood in Nigerias North-West region, is today embroiled in a full-scale war of banditry, and convulsing under the mindless attacks of gunmen. The bandits are mostly Fulani, under the bloody suzerainty of commanders like Ada Aleru. They attack, most of the time, rural communities and travelers and have succeeded in killing thousands of Nigerians and abducting thousands others in a kidnap-for-ransom roulette that has no example in Nigerias history. In the face of this, government, both at the state and federal levels, have unraveled as being too effeminate to protect the people. This lack of state capacity is interpreted in some quarters as tacit support for deadly non-state actors.

In the only known interview he earlier granted the BBC via a documentary entitled The Bandit Warlords of Zamfara, which Premium Times ran, Aleru had said he was angry with Hausas and the Nigerian government and that, while his men kidnapped people, he was only interested in killing them. My men do that; I just go and kill them (people), he was quoted to have told the BBC.

The installation of Ada Aleru immediately incited global umbrage, with Nigerians wondering how the Emir of Yandoton Daji, Aliyu Marafa, had the temerity and effrontery to embark on such a national shame. The Federal Government was also called out for mutating from giving freedom to hundreds of captured bandits and Boko Haram terrorists, in the name of amnesty, into allowing the bestowing of traditional titles to terrorists in broad daylight. Apparently needled by the national uproar, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State immediately suspended Emir Marafa and directed traditional rulers in the state to seek approval before awarding chieftaincy titles thenceforth. In June last year, Hussaini Umar, the Emir of Dansadau in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, also got suspended for his alleged involvement in banditry.

The grisly drama in Zamfara, in many ways, speaks to the rot which exists across different layers of Nigerias national life. Poor Aliyu Marafa, Emir of Yandoton Daji, had for many years, been under the intense strafing of bullets in his domain by outlaws like Aleru. One can only imagine how many times that weeping, wailing and the gnashing of teeth of his subjects who lost their sons and daughters to Aleru, had woken him up in the dead of the night. One can imagine how many burials of untimely killed youngsters he had attended and how bandits had made the emirate ungovernable for him. So Marafa chose the pragmatic, most convenient way out, in spite of the colossal credibility crisis that turbaning the terrorist kingpin, Adamu Yankuzo, would wreck on the image of his emirate. In Zamfara and even among government officials, it is general knowledge that Aleru was turbaned as part of general, pragmatic efforts to appease this blood-sucking demon and ultimately achieve peace in the state.

While this same government is simulating shock and sadness at Marafas turbaning of a wanted terrorist, Adamu Yankuzo, a.k.a Ada Aleru, as the Sarkin Fulani of the emirate, the Buhari government has been acting like Marafa on several fronts, but because it has the power of a suzerain who cannot be reprimanded, it gets away with acts of uncritical policy thinking.

Taking easy, impassioned and uncritical decisions in matters that have to do with the future of the people has contributed immensely to the consuming precipice that Nigeria faces today. For instance, towards the tail end of last week, the news of the countrys all-time financial low situation hit the airwave. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed had revealed that Nigerias debt service cost in first quarter (Q1) 2022, grossed N1.94 trillion, an amount that was N310 billion higher than the actual revenue received during the period. This dip is yet unexampled in the history of Nigeria. What this translates into is that the Buhari Federal Government is spending more money to service the humongous national debt.

One would wonder why Mrs Ahmed had to sound this alarm? It was to exculpate government from its numerous irrelevant borrowings over the years that got Nigeria to this sorry economic pass. The other motive of the alarm was to demonise the incubus of the petrol subsidy payment that has become an Ada Aleru on the shoulders of the Nigerian government. Side-by-side the Nigerian debt service cost, as revealed by Ahmed, was a news report that had initially gained currency a few weeks earlier. The report claimed that Nigeria lost a colossal sum of $1 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2022 to crude oil theft and vandalism. Nigeria got into a crude oil quota mess due to its inability to meet the daily production benchmark given by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). With a projected 1.8 million barrels daily crude oil production in the 2022 budget, the country had only been able to record the highest production figure of 1.4 million barrels per day, thus putting the Nigerian economy in straits.

The dilemma being faced by Nigeria with her oil quota reminds me of Chinua Achebes 1966-published childrens book of literature entitled, Chike and The River. Constantly seeing ferry boats on the River Niger as he walked daily to the river bank, eleven-year old Chike got passionate about wanting to make a trip from Onitsha to Asaba. But getting the six pence to pay for the ferry journey was a herculean task for him. However, with the assistance of his friend, S.M.O.G, Chike soon finds out that he had been like the proverbial foolish man who lived by the bank of the river, yet washed his hands with spittle.

Like Chike, who did not creatively engage with his dilemma initially, the economy of Nigeria, Africas largest concentration of black people, is under perilous attacks by the twin evils of lax thinking and complicit leadership in the siphoning of the countrys crude oil wealth. The theft is said to be coordinated by a gang of thieves, which allegedly includes top security chiefs, government functionaries at both state and national levels and business barons, who are the bagmen of Nigerias elite leeches. Thus, getting to the roots of this highly lucrative oil theft is like a Bermuda Triangle for the Federal Government. The laxity of security of the pipelines is then easily explained as due principally to the alleged connivance between barons of this organised crime of crude oil theft and elites in the Nigerian government.

The Nigerian Tribune had recalled in its editorial of last Friday that about 20,000 barrels a day are lost to illicit oil theft daily. This loss to vandals and thieves translate(s) to over nine million barrels of oil which equates to a loss of government revenue of approximately $1 billion during the first quarter, the newspaper said. This same theft of crude oil, said the report, grew from 103,000 barrels per day in 2021, to 108,000 barrels per day on average in the first quarter of 2022, translating to a reduction of about 43% in Nigerias national oil production since March 2020 to May 2022.

While this same government is simulating shock and sadness at Marafas turbaning of a wanted terrorist, Adamu Yankuzo, a.k.a Ada Aleru, as the Sarkin Fulani of the emirate, the Buhari government has been acting like Marafa on several fronts, but because it has the power of a suzerain who cannot be reprimanded, it gets away with acts of uncritical policy thinking. If only it could block the leakages resulting from the big hole dug into the Nigerian pipeline by top chiefs in government, from where these vermin derive their illicit booties, Nigeria would not be in this economic fix. Also, if government can think creatively out of the box of the subsidy regime, which allows the bed-bugs of the downstream sector to suck the blood of the country non-stop, Nigeria would not be in its current dire straits.

Same last week, the All Progressives Congress (APC), suffering from lacerating whiplashes from the public due to the unconscionable Muslim-Muslim pairing on its presidential ticket, uncritically thought that the way out of this dilemma in optics was to suffuse the venue of the public unveiling of its vice presidential candidate with the clergy and laity. This act is not different from what Aliyu Marafa did in addressing the problem of banditry in his domain. It is not only tentative, it is peremptory and un-enduring. It cannot stop public disdain at the turbaning of Islam by APC in a multi-religious society like Nigeria.

Whatever you saw in Zamfara and Abujas inability to protect the people, informed the anger that swept APC out of power in Osun. It was not a vote against Oyetola, who is adjudged a frugal manager of men and resources and who kept his promises to the people. However, the people were too angry at the misrule of APC, such that any effigy that stood as counterpoise to the APC misrule would suffice.

By the way, why exactly do Nigerians feel enraged by Marafas turbaning of a wanted terrorist as Sarkin Fulani and are not equally enraged that in 2023, they will be willy-nilly lending themselves to the coronation of either an alleged drug lord or another alleged perennial looter of their treasury as the Nigerian president? It is such sickening Janus-faced anger that has kept evil growing unhindered in the country.

Finally, last week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced that in the gubernatorial contest of last Saturday in Osun State, Senator Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke would be making it to Abere House in November. For many of us who have been rendered armchair theorists of the correct situation in Osun State, we lule-ed very disappointingly. We had assumed that the Osun electorate would be riled by the public presentation of Adeleke as we were. We equally assumed that, as Yoruba people, Osun would see such presentations as anathema to the kind of leadership Obafemi Awolowo sired in Yorubaland. How wrong we were.

Media reports said that the turbaning of the notorious and ruthless terrorist, Adamu Yankuzo was like a carnival. The kingpin was said to have slaughtered about 17 cows and many rams to celebrate the event. In his speech, Marafa said Alerus turbaning was a panacea to lasting peace in the emirate. Speaking in the same vein, Aleru told the crowd of people who witnessed the occasion that, with him as Sarkin Fulani, banditry would cease in Yandoton Daji.

Osun people have chosen who to turban as their own Sarkin government. We pray that they have lasting peace, infrastructure, regular payment of salaries and the kind of leader they envisaged in the choice of Adeleke, over and above Gboyega Oyetola, a gentleman par excellence. The fanfare that Aleru  who the people know for his ruthlessness  received at his turbaning from the people of Yandoton Daji, is similar to the impassioned choice of Adeleke. Both choices were borne out of the anger against the system; in Zamfara, for the governments inability to provide security for the people and in Osun, for the despoliation of the land by a Lagos-imposed system of District Officers called ajele.

Whatever you saw in Zamfara and Abujas inability to protect the people, informed the anger that swept APC out of power in Osun. It was not a vote against Oyetola, who is adjudged a frugal manager of men and resources and who kept his promises to the people. However, the people were too angry at the misrule of APC, such that any effigy that stood as counterpoise to the APC misrule would suffice. But when you make choice out of anger and passion, a wool of mis-reasoning covers your eyes and you wake up lost.

When the mastermind of the rot, which Yoruba will call the eku eda, whose unexampled misrule led to Oyetolas ouster, reportedly hosted a closet celebration over the defeat, many see it as a reflection of his damaged thought process. The votes against APC were largely votes against Rauf Aregbesolas eight-year barren and lacerating regime of pain and suffering, as well as the mannequin-run government in Abuja. During Aregbesolas time in Osun, he turned state workers into beggars and alienated the people from their own government, while replacing them with Lagos ajeles. Unfortunately, Oyetola, the gentleman that he is, never came out forcefully to de-link himself from the barren years of the locusts of Aregbesola era. And so, the people clapped as Adeleke was turbaned. I wish him well and pray that he will disappoint his enemies and will not give the people of Osun State any reason to regret the sacking of Oyetola.

Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.
Polaris Bank has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) in a historic move to boost the supply of medicines in the country through the availability of digital credit facilities.

The scheme, which is the first of its kind in the industry, will afford ACPN members the benefit of enjoying instant financing via a multifunctional card scheme and up to N100m under the Banks health sector SME loan. The electronic card which is designed to remove barriers associated with obtaining credit also serves as a debit card, credit card, an automated identity card, and an access card to ACPN functions.

Polaris Banks Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Innocent C. Ike, who announced the MoU on behalf of the Bank, expressed delight at the partnership between the Bank and the pharmaceutical association. He noted that the partnership would make financing the supply of medicines in the country seamless for ACPN members and by extension, members of the public.

Mr. Ike disclosed that; The Bank is expanding its cluster partnership approach to deepen its reach in the health sector. We will do this by engaging critical players and stakeholders within the space to develop customized programs and value-added services that will boost their business growth and ultimately their contribution to Nigerias GDP.

He further explained that; The partnership with ACPN will leverage the Banks digital banking platform VULTe, to provide easy and instant loan facilities for customers through a self-service fast track platform.

On his part, the National Chairman of ACPN, Pharm. Adewale Oladigbolu said, The pharmaceutical industry stands to benefit significantly from the tremendous opportunities this partnership presents. He thanked Polaris Bank for being an innovative bank and lending its support to the health sector. He noted that the new initiative introduced by the Association in partnership with Polaris Bank for use by the community pharmacists in Nigeria, especially the inventory management for community pharmacists and Premises to Premises (P2P) supply chain. The integration of the inventory platform will help connect wholesalers to retailers and manufacturers to wholesalers.

Pharm. Oladigbolu further explained that using the ACPN digital platform, will ensure that loans availed by Polaris Bank are used for its primary purpose while the Association continues to create value and access for its members to optimize their businesses. He used the opportunity to announce the forthcoming ACPN Annual Conference tagged  AJUMOSE EKO 2022. He said the conference would provide a platform to launch the Polaris/ACPN co-branded multifunctional cards to ACPN members. The cards will be issued to the first batch of its members, including the ACPN executives.

Polaris Bank has so far availed over N3billion to clients in the health sector since it launched the Health Sector Finance as part of its initiatives to support the industry. The Banks partnership with ACPN and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) as an umbrella body is part of its support towards enabling value-adding solutions to the healthcare industry in Nigeria.

Some executives of Polaris Bank at the MoU signing ceremony include Executive Director, Lagos Business, Mr. Segun Opeke; Group Head, Products and Market Development, Adebimpe Ihekuna and Group Head, Strategic Brand Management, Nduneche Ezurike, amongst others. the ACPN Chairman was accompanied by the executive members, including its National Secretary, Eze Ambrose Sunday; Treasurer, Omokhafe Ashore, amongst others.

Polaris Bank is a future-determining Bank and Nigerias Digital Bank of the Year. The Bank is committed to delivering industry-defining products and services across all sectors of the Nigerian economy; in recognition of its support to the SMEs it recently won the 2022 Nigeria Health Care Awards (NHEA) for the most outstanding healthcare financial institution in Nigeria.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Moni Pulo Limited (MPL), Mrs. Seinye O.B. Lulu-Briggs has faulted the

warrant of arrest issued against her by Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court based on an application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as reported by some media

organisations, including the Leadership newspaper on July 19, 2022.

According to the media reports, the warrant of arrest was sought by the EFCC and granted by Justice Taiwo Taiwo on 2 May 16, 2022 to the effect that Mrs. Lulu-Briggs be arrested anywhere within and outside the country. But while faulting the warrant, the Management of Moni Pulo Limited argued as follows:

To us, this is an absolute illustration of a case of gross abuse of power and of court processes, disregard of the rule of law, harassment, intimidation and violation of Mrs. Lulu-Briggs fundamental human rights by the EFCC.

The information provided by the EFCC in support of the warrant of arrest of Mrs. Lulu-Briggs relate to an alleged

claim of ownership of 30% shares in MPL by the estate of Dan Obuekwe and his alleged removal as a shareholder in MPL. In the entire case made by EFCC to the Court for the issuance of the warrant of arrest, and save for the fact that Mrs. Lulu-Briggs is the current Chairman of MPL, there is no single allegation of crime made against her.

It is on record that in February 2022, Mrs. Lulu-Briggs authored a pending petition against Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and also filed a formal application before Honourable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo requesting that he recuse himself from further handling any matter involving MPL and its shareholders, because of his obvious and manifest bias against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs in the matter before him filed by Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs and others. It is therefore surprising that the same Honorable Justice Taiwo O. Taiwo could go ahead to order a warrant of arrest against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs.

MPL states categorically that Mrs. Lulu-Briggs has never been and is not involved in any act of terrorism, banditry, embezzlement of public funds, money laundering or any act 3 of official corruption to necessitate the issuance of the warrant of arrest by the Court.

Mrs. Lulu-Briggs and MPL are involved in the business of oil and gas exploration and production by virtue of the oil mining licenses that were validly and lawfully awarded to MPL since its establishment as a pioneer indigenous oil and gas company in 1992. For almost 30 years now, MPL has been creditably nurtured and grown without breach of any law and regulation regarding its operations. From inception till date, MPL has worked very hard to develop and grow the brand without engaging in any form of financial or economic crime while contributing proudly and substantially to the economy of this great nation.

The alleged issue of the forfeiture of shares in MPL by Dan Obuekwe took place between 1991 and 1996, long before Mrs. Lulu-Briggs became a shareholder and director of MPL. In the petition written by Dan Obuekwe to the EFCC in 2007, an allegation of forgery of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) documents was made against Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs  who, at the time, acted as company secretary of MPL. After a thorough and full-blown

investigation, the EFCC concluded that the issues were purely commercial in nature and there was no crime, financial or economic, made by MPL and the late High Chief O.B. Lulu-Briggs (HCLB). Nonetheless, EFCC then

prevailed on HCLB and MPL to settle Dan Obuekwe. This led to the execution of a Deed of Settlement dated February 27, 2008 between Dan Obuekwe, HCLB and MPL.

About four (4) years after the execution of the Deed of Settlement and the ensuing receipt of monetary compensation to Dan Obuekwe by MPL, he resorted to Court by filing an action before the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt in 2012, repeating the same claim to shares in MPL. MPL defended this case with clear evidence.

The Court delivered judgment on the case on April 21, 2015, holding that Dan Obuekwe did not prove that he held shares in MPL. The Court consequently declined his claim to the 30% stake in OML114. To date, there has been no appeal against the said judgment.

Despite the judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, the administrators of the estate of Dan Obuekwe

filed a fresh action on February 4, 2021 before the Federal High Court, Calabar; claiming the same reliefs as were

demanded in Dan Obuekwes Federal High Court, Port Harcourt suit that was decided against him on April 21,

2015. In the Calabar suit, the said administrators of Dan Obuekwe reeled out a litany of the same petitions. It is this information that the EFCC relied upon in applying for the warrant of arrest against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs. MPL and Mrs. Lulu-Briggs, who are listed as defendants to the suit before the Federal High Court, Calabar have made a counterclaim against the estate of Dan Obuekwe, relying on the judgment delivered on April 21, 2015 by the Federal High Court Port Harcourt. Despite the fact that the suit is Calabar  which MPL has formally communicated to EFCC  EFCC has continued to subject Mrs. Lulu-Briggs and MPL to unending investigations and harassment over a civil matter that is sub judice.

Since 2016 till date, the EFCC has allowed itself to be engaged by faceless persons who claim to be the administrators of the estate of Dan Obuekwe to hound and intimidate MPL and Mrs. Lulu-Briggs over issues that had been settled via a monetary payment based on the February 27, 2008 Deed of Settlement and in court by the judgment of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt on April 21, 2015. In pursuit of these baseless petitions, the EFCC invited Mrs. Lulu-Briggs (who was then the Executive Vice Chairman of MPL) in 2016. Subsequently, as a law-abiding corporate citizen, MPL has honored EFCC invitation on numerous occasions. Mrs. Lulu-Briggs has made several statements to the EFCC and tendered a plethora of documents, including the Federal High Court Port Harcourt judgment of the April 21, 2015, on the matter, denying any form of liability or any financial or economic crime in MPLs operations. During Mrs. Lulu-Briggs (3) three visits to EFCC in 2016 for interrogations, none of the faceless persons behind the incessant petitions appeared at the EFCC. Not even when the then Head of the Counter Terrorism and General Investigation (CTGI) of EFCC demanded to see them. On the other hand, Mrs. Lulu-Briggs provided EFCC with all the information and documents available to her regarding the investigations on the shares of MPL.

Strangely in 2018, upon the demise of her husband, HCLB, the EFCC placed Mrs. Lulu-Briggs on the immigration

watchlist. On three occasions, the Nigerian Immigration Service intercepted and embarrassed Mrs. Lulu-Briggs

when she was travelling abroad/returning home. Mrs. Lulu- Briggs was left with no option than to seek judicial redress by filing for the enforcement of her fundamental rights. On February 21, 2022, the Federal High Court, Lagos found merit in her suit against the EFCC and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and awarded the sum of

N15million, each against the EFCC and NIS, and ordering them to publish apologies to her in national dailies. This is one of the reasons EFCC is hounding Mrs. Lulu-Briggs in clear disobedience of the judgment of the FHC that upholds and preserves her fundamental human rights.

It is evident that EFCC is all out to destroy the hard-earned reputation built over the years by Mrs. Lulu-Briggs and a business concern which has nothing to do with public funds nor threatens the sovereignty or security of the Nigerian state by any means. Mrs. Lulu-Briggs is not also involved in any form of espionage or trans-border crime to warrant the manner of the arrest warrant issued against her. It is, therefore, baffling that the focus of the entire security apparatus of Nigeria and Interpol is being deployed by the EFCC against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs who is involved in very legitimate business from which Nigeria earns millions of dollars in foreign exchange annually.

In a pure act of victimization, the EFCC has engaged in filing series of baseless cases against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs. In

so doing, the EFCC has restricted the operations of the accounts of MPL in all banks in Nigeria since December 2,

2021 without any order of court. The EFCC has recently filed a baseless criminal charge against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs

regarding the same claims to shares by Late Dan Obuekwe and we have frontally challenged same by an application seeking to quash the said criminal charge. The said criminal charge came up on July 13, 2022 and we were in court but EFCC abandoned the charge as they were absent in court.

It has become glaring that the EFCC has abandoned its core mandate to curb corruption and embezzlement of public funds and has assumed substantial interest in the private shareholding claims of Dan Obuekwe. This is further demonstrated by the fact that EFCC is currently pursuing three suits against Mrs. Lulu-Briggs and MPL (Charge No: FHC/ABJ/CR/180/2022; Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/875/2022, and FHC/ABJ/CS/653/2022), all filed concurrently in 3 (three) different courts of the FHC Abuja over the same Dan Obuekwes false claim to shares in MPL, a civil matter that has since been decided by the FHC Port Harcourt in 2015 during the lifetime of both Dan Obuekwe and HCLB, and was never appealed against. All these antics by the EFCC are shockingly geared towards de-marketing, crippling and bringing down MPL, a viable oil and gas company, ably headed by an innocent widow, a legitimate private citizen of Nigeria.

Against this unwarranted onslaught by EFCC, MPL and Mrs. Lulu-Briggs filed a fresh fundamental rights

enforcement action on February 28, 2022 before the Federal High Court, Lagos. Rather than heed the suit, the

EFCC rejected service of the court processes and resorted to embarrass, harass and malign Mrs. Lulu-Briggs and MPL through the same judicial process.

At the moment, MPL and Mrs. Lulu-Briggs are confronting the cases filed concurrently by EFCC against them in three different courts, squarely, and only require a fair, unbiased and impartial judiciary to listen to their story and decide the matters without any form of arm-twisting by the EFCC.

EFCC is simply targeting Mrs. Lulu-Briggs, the widow of the Founder of MPL, High Chief Dr O.B. Lulu-Briggs, who built the company from the scratch, because she is a woman.

This is against her constitutional right against discrimination on the grounds of gender.

In defense and preservation of her hard-earned reputation and honour, Dr. (Mrs.) Seinye Lulu-Briggs will continue to seek the appropriate legal remedies to deal with this unusual and malicious exercise of powers by the EFCC against her person and MPL, her legitimate business. Mrs.

Lulu-Briggs and MPL only pray that they should be given a fair opportunity to deal with the legal issues while calling on the justice system in Nigeria and the international community not to allow EFCC to destroy the business of MPL, which took years of hard work and perseverance to nurture and grow, and render hundreds of Nigerian employees in the company jobless.

As a committed and dedicated indigenous oil and gas company in Nigeria with a sterling reputation in the global oil and gas business, MPL shall continue to resist and fend off any attempt by any person or authority, howsoever well placed, to deliberately obliterate its legitimate business by desperate and unfair means.
The police in Lagos have arrested four fake soldiers in the Iju area of the state.

According to the police spokesperson in the state, Benjamin Hundeyin, the suspects include three males and one female.

Officers of Iju Division led by the DPO, CSP Gbenga Stephen, today at about 1:30 am arrested four fake soldiers in the Iju area of Lagos State, Mr Hundeyin tweeted on Sunday.

The fake soldiers who were arrested in a Mazda3 saloon car are Samuel Abel m 28, Victor ljeemai m 35, Lukman Salabiu m 43 and Oyinyechi Macus f 30.

The police said they have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) in Yaba for further investigation.
A state-funded, science-driven plan to reduce the amount of phosphorous that runs into Owasco Lake is nearing completion, and a newly released draft concludes that farm land is by far the biggest source of this problematic nutrient.

The draft version of the Owasco Lake Watershed Nine Element Plan for Phosphorus Reduction, often referred to as the 9E Plan, will be the subject of a special public meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, July 25, at Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES, 1879 W. Genesee St. Road, Aurelius.

The 109-page report has been in development for several years with the Cayuga County Department of Planning and Economic Development as the lead agency, and numerous public and private agencies and experts involved. EcoLogic LLC, a Cazenovia-based consulting firm, prepared the draft report, and funding came from the state Department of State via the Environmental Protection Fund. The state Department of Environmental Conservation was heavily involved in the process, as well.

One of the 9E Plan's main objectives was to use scientific modeling to produce a "a quantitative analysis of phosphorus sources and required reductions to meet targets." The draft plan notes that "phosphorus is the key element affecting the growth of aquatic plants, algae, and cyanobacteria in Owasco Lake, as it is across the New York State (NYS) Finger Lakes. Understanding and managing phosphorus inputs from the lake watershed is essential for protecting this valuable resource for future generations."

Auburn unveils water source protection plan for Owasco Lake AUBURN  A city plan to protect Owasco Lake's water quality is close to being finalized, adding to a number of measures aimed at watershed pro

The 9E plan's scientific models found that 4% of the phosphorous reaching the lake comes from septic systems and 2% comes from the two wastewater treatment facilities in the watershed (operated by the villages of Moravia and Groton).

The rest, 94%, comes from non-point sources in which nutrients simply run off the land into the lake's tributaries or the lake itself. Within that 94%, 53% comes from cultivated crop land and 37% runs off from hay/pasture land, bringing the total agricultural load to 90%.

The plan outlines proposed solutions to reduce total phosphorous load by 30%.

"While this target is ambitious, model projections and local commitment indicate that it is achievable," the plan states. "Expansion of cover crops across more agricultural acreage is an accepted practice that has willing participants and increased funding allocations, for example. Model projections indicate that expansion of cover crops and other agricultural (best management proctices), coupled with efforts to increase infiltration, can meet the 9E Plan targets."

Dr. Adam Effler, executive director of the Owasco Lake Watershed Management Council, said the good news about the 9E Plan's findings and recommendations is that the practices that are expected to help reduce lake phosphorous are becoming increasingly common on local farms. The watershed council is an inter-municipal agency with representatives of the towns within the watershed and the city of Auburn, and it manages the watershed inspection program.

State to take another year reviewing Owasco watershed rules proposal About 18 months after the city of Auburn and town of Owasco asked the state Department of Health to approve new rules and regulations for the 

The use of cover crops, plants such as ryegrass and oats, on farm land in the offseason cuts down greatly on soil erosion and has shown some benefits to soil health itself.

"It really has grown widely throughout the watershed," he told The Citizen last week. "It's a practice that farmer's are really getting behind."

Effler said one of the big takeaways from the 9E Plan is that results are achievable, and he noted that farmers understand that they benefit from keeping nutrients on their soils and not in the waterways.

"It really is a mutual benefit scenario," he said.

The 9E Plan does need final state approval from the DEC and the DOS. The county has until the end of August to submit the finalized plan.

The 9E Plan is one of three in complementary lake protection initiatives nearing completion. Proposed updates to the watershed rules and regulations, which date back to the 1980s, are in a final review headed up by the state Department of Health. And the city of Auburn recently released a draft of its water source protection plan.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, July 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global logistics service provider J&T Express celebrates its fourth anniversary in Vietnam today, marking four years of extensive expansion of its domestic network. At present, J&T Express provides nationwide coverage through network partners at more than 1,900 courier depots.

J&T Express Celebrates Its Fourth Anniversary in Vietnam

Since its launch in Vietnam in July 2018, J&T Express has continuously sought to adapt its offerings to cater to the needs of the local market. From the provision of regular services such as J&T Standard Express and J&T Fast to address postage and courier needs, J&T has since expanded its services to broader offerings such as J&T Super (expedite delivery), J&T Fresh (fresh produce delivery), and J&T International (international logistics services).

Against the backdrop of the COVID pandemic, J&T Express Vietnam responded with contactless delivery to ensure minimal disruptions in Vietnam and attaching "Safety Parcel Card" to the parcels to indicate the health status of the courier. Last August, J&T Express launched J&T Fresh in Vietnam to provide logistical support for the consumption of agricultural products across Vietnam over the harvest season. This included supporting harvesting, transporting produce, guiding farmers in packing, and teaching them how to upload their agricultural products on e-commerce sites. This is a great example of how J&T Express leverages its global expertise to cater to each market's local needs.

Technology remains at the core of J&T Express' service offerings. Earlier this year, J&T Express inaugurated the Cu Chi Sorting Center in Vietnam  a facility of about 60,000sqm fitted with smart logistics systems across processing, storage, and delivery. The Center is equipped with the automated cross-belt sorter, which enables automated barcode scanning and package sorting based on destination. It is also equipped with the advanced DWS system and the integrated swivel wheel intelligent sorting system, which help to sort packages automatically. With the new center and the company's upgraded technology, J&T Express Vietnam's daily processing capacity in the first half of the year has increased by about 4 times year-over-year with over 99% sorting accuracy.

Charles Hou, Group Vice President of J&T Express, said, "Vietnam was the second market J&T Express entered following our establishment in Indonesia. I am very proud of what we have achieved in Vietnam in such a short time. This is a strong testament to the success of our highly replicable business model and our commitment to continuously cultivating each market and benefiting the local communities we operate in. Today, J&T Express has grown into a network covering 13 countries across Asia, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America, but our mission to be a customer-oriented and efficiency-based express service provider has never changed."

Phan Binh, Brand Director of J&T Express Vietnam said, "As we look back at the journey of J&T Express Vietnam over the past four years, I am both grateful and humbled at how far J&T Express has come. Looking ahead, I am equally excited for future opportunities to continue bringing the best technology-enabled solutions to customers and businesses tapping into our expanding global network. We remain hopeful and optimistic about the logistics and e-commerce growth of Vietnam and look forward to contributing as a key player."

About J&T Express

J&T Express is a global logistics service provider with leading express delivery businesses in Southeast Asia and China, the largest and fastest-growing market in the world. Founded in 2015, J&T Express' network spans thirteen countries, including Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Mexico, Brazil and Egypt. Adhering to its "customer-oriented and efficiency-based" mission, J&T Express is committed to providing customers with integrated logistics solutions through intelligent infrastructure and digital logistics network, as part of its global strategy to connect the world with greater efficiency and bring logistical benefits to all.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1864517/J_T_Express_Celebrates_Its_Fourth_Anniversary_Vietnam.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1721319/JT_Express_Logo.jpg

SOURCE J&T Express
Keep Charged Up with CTEK

CHICAGO, July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's motorist knows the importance of proper maintenance procedures on their vehicle in preparation for the winter months but may not realize they are placing their car at risk of breakdown during the summer months due to lack of vehicle maintenance, according to CTEK, the leading global brand in the care and maintenance of vehicle batteries.

Dont Let Summer Be One Big Breakdown

When you consider that July 2021 was the hottest month ever recorded in human history (based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), this July is proving to be equally compelling with Colorado, parts of Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, the Great Plains and the West experiencing heat waves to rival record temperatures. This makes protecting your vehicle from the summer heat more important than ever.

If the temperature is hot outside, you can be certain it will be even hotter under the hood of your car, truck, or SUV. This creates an atmosphere that can be harmful to your battery. This built-up heat can increase the chances of battery failure, as corrosion can speed up and intensify. In addition, water inside the battery in the form of electrolytes can evaporate. Battery related service calls tend to increase over the summer months for these very reasons.

And with these challenges, it's easy to think that charging your battery over the summer months is the last thing you need to do. Bobbie DuMelle, Executive Vice-President of North America explains why it's just as important and how you can beat the heat and keep your vehicle running all summer long.

The warmer the environment, the faster the rate of self-discharge: A battery being stored at an average temperature of 80 will discharge at a rate of 4 percent per week. Whereas a lead acid battery being stored at 65will only discharge at a rate of approximately 3 percent per month.

Heat gives you a false sense of security: When it comes to the state of your battery during the summer months, you can think everything is ok when it really isn't. If the battery is undercharged during the warmer weather, it will still probably be able to start the vehicle as it doesn't need as much energy to get the engine started. Motorists don't realize, therefore, that their battery is becoming discharged, resulting in a dead battery at the end of the summer, the moment temperatures begin to drop.

It's important to maintain voltage  whatever the weather: If your battery falls below 12.4V, a chemical reaction called sulphation will start to happen. This is where lead sulphate crystals start to build up on the battery plates, degrading the battery, reducing battery capacity, and cranking potential. Your vehicle will easily start if the battery is at 12.4V but beware because your battery is already dying.

You risk overcharging your battery in the warmer weather: Delivering an uncontrolled charge risks fluid loss through overheating or 'boiling', and the battery will become unusable due to dried-out cells. If temperatures reach 77 degrees Fahrenheit and above, batteries should be charged at a lower voltage to avoid this.

DuMelle said "Not only is it important to charge over the summer, it's also important to charge with the right charger to protect against over-charging. Our CTEK MXS 5.0 for example has built-in temperature compensation so it reduces the charge voltage going into the battery to eliminate potential damage to cells and prevent overcharging. Charging your car battery at least once a month prolongs its life by up to three times, so buying a dependable battery charger, and getting yourself into a regular battery maintenance routine, makes perfect sense, year-round."

About CTEK

Established in Dalarna, Sweden, CTEK is the leading global brand in battery charging solutions, most specifically vehicle charging. CTEK offers products ranging from 12V and 24V battery chargers to charging solutions for electrical vehicles. CTEK's E-mobility solutions range from individual EV chargers to larger corporate and commercial installations with multiple charging stations that require load balancing and integrate seamlessly with monitoring and payment equipment. CTEK's products are sold via a carefully selected network of global distributors and retailers: as original equipment; supplied to more than 50 of the world's leading vehicle manufacturers; and through charge point operators, property owners and other organizations/individuals providing EV charging infrastructure. CTEK takes pride in its unique culture based on a passion for innovation and a deep commitment to supporting the transition to a greener mobility, by adhering to industry leading ESG standards.

Press Contact

Michelle Suzuki

310-444-7115

https://smartercharger.com/

SOURCE MSC for CTEK
DUBLIN, July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Special Mission Aircraft Market by Platform (Military Aviation, Commercial Aviation, UAV), Application (ISR, Command and Control, Combat Support, Air-Launch/Rocket Launch), Payload Type, End-User, Point of Sale and Region - Global Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The special mission aircraft market is projected to grow from USD 15.9 billion in 2022 to USD 19.9 billion by 2027, at a CAGR of 4.6%

Aircraft OEMs and component manufacturers are focusing on innovating equipment and components for special missions due to the increasing demand for technologically advanced aircraft from military as well as commercial applications globally.

Maintaining and funding innovations and managing fluctuations in aircraft build-rates are expected to result in the dynamic growth of the special mission aircraft market in the long term, particularly for the more fragmented parts of the supply chain and highly capital-intensive aero structure segments.



Application segment is estimated to be the largest and fastest growing market



The need for stealthy monitoring during military operations to drive segment demand.

The capability of special mission aircraft to operate quietly and surreptitiously enables them to be used for surveillance, detection, classification, and identification of a maritime target without the target's inhabitants becoming aware of the aircraft's presence. They are used for drug interdiction, locating illegal immigrants, documenting fisheries violations, and detecting the pollution of oceans and rivers.



According to Reuters, during in February 2022, amidst the Russia Ukraine war a remotely piloted U.S. military vehicle called the RQ-4 Global Hawk has flown over the country in circles for hours at a time. The drones' high-altitude, long-distance flights have coincided with a military build-up by Russia along the Ukrainian border and a flurry of diplomacy among leaders of the United States, Europe, and Russia to avert war.



Increasing transport operations in military expected to drive platform segment demand



Special mission aircraft are used for transportation of military supplies and personnel or are deployed for humanitarian relief operations.

These aircraft are used for either strategic or tactical purposes. Other than US, European countries such as France, Germany and Russia are also among the highest investors in military transport aircraft.



In September 2021, The Ministry of Defence (MoD), India on Friday signed an estimated 22,000-crore Indian rupees (USD 2838 million) deal with Airbus Defence and Space S.A., Spain, for 56 C-295MW transport aircraft to replace the Indian Air Force's ageing 56 Avro aircraft that were procured in the 1960s. This is the first project of its kind in which a military aircraft will be manufactured in India under technology transfer by the private sector.



North America likely to emerge as the largest special mission aircraft market



Special mission aircraft are used for various special missions carried out by the military forces such as reconnaissance and surveillance operations.

These aircraft are used for either strategic or tactical purposes. The US military is the highest investor military reconnaissance & surveillance aircraft when compared to European countries such as France, Germany, and Russia.



In November 2019, NATO and Boeing agreed on a USD 1 billion contract to modernize the alliance's fleet of AWACS surveillance aircraft, ensuring they continue to support missions till 2035.

Key Market Players



The special mission aircraft market is dominated by a few globally established players such as The Boeing Company (US), Lockheed Martin (US), Dassault Aviation SA (France), Textron Aviation (US), and Northrop Grumman Corporation (US)among others.

Premium Insights

Increasing Usage of UAVs in Military Operations is Expected to Drive the Special Mission Aircraft Market from 2O20 to 2025

Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance Segment Projected to Lead the Market from 2020 to 2025

China is Estimated to Have the Highest CAGR from 2020 to 2025

Market Dynamics



Drivers

Increasing Need for Air-To-Air Refueling to Support Overseas Deployment

Increasing Defense Expenditure of Countries

Incremental Usage of UAVs in Military Operations

Rise in Demand for Emergency Medical Service (Ems) Helicopters

Restraints

Lengthy Period of Product Certification from Aviation Authorities

Stringent Regulatory Norms for Manufacturing of Special Mission Aircraft Components

Opportunities

Increasing Demand for Air Launched Small Satellites

Advancement in Sensor Technology Driving Demand for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Challenges

Requirement for Continuous and Uninterrupted Power Supply in UAVs

Economic Challenges Faced by OEMs Due to COVID-19

Average Selling Price Trend

Value Chain Analysis

Technology Analysis

Multi-Mission UAVs

Trade Data Statistics

Case Study Analysis

IoT Sensors

Sophy

Industry Trends

Hybrid-Electric Propulsion

Autonomous Flight Technology

Artificial Intelligence (Ai)

Big Data Analytics

Internet of Things (IoT)

Multirole Combat Aircraft with Integrated Avionics and Weapons

Ultra-Light Multi-Mode Radar

Advanced Cockpits

Aesa Radar

Company Profiles

Aerovironment, Inc

Airbus Se

BAE Systems

Bombardier Inc

Butler National Corporation

Dassault Aviation SA

Elbit Systems Ltd

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation

Gvh Aerospace

Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc

L Harris Technologies, Inc

Leonardo Spa

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Lufthansa Technik Ag

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd

Raytheon Technologies Corporation

Ruag International Holding Ag

Saab AB

Textron Aviation Inc

Thales SA

The Boeing Company

Vox Space

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ax2lo

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
- FY 23 Revenue guidance increased to 14%-16%.

- Margin guidance retained at 21%-23%

BENGALURU, India, July 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, delivered a robust performance in Q1 with year-on-year growth at 21.4% and sequential growth at 5.5% in constant currency. Year on year growth was in double digits across all business segments in constant currency terms. Digital accounted for 61.0% of overall revenues, growing at 37.5% in constant currency. Net hiring was strong at 21,171. Operating margin for the quarter was 20.0%, with Free Cash Flow conversion at 95.2% of net profit.

"Our strong overall performance in Q1 amidst an uncertain economic environment is a testament to our innate resilience as an organization, our industry-leading digital capabilities and continued client-relevance. We continue to gain market share and see a significant pipeline driven by our Cobalt cloud capabilities and differentiated digital value proposition," said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD. "We are investing in rapid talent expansion while ensuring rewarding careers for our employees, to better serve evolving market opportunities. This has resulted in a strong performance in Q1 and increase in FY 23 revenue guidance to 14%-16%," he added.

37.5% YoY 21.4% YoY

5.5% QoQ 20.0 % 4.4% YoY $1.7 bn CC Digital growth CC Revenue growth Operating margin

($ terms) Increase in EPS

(INR terms) Large deal TCV

1. Key highlights for the quarter ended June 30, 2022

Revenues in CC terms grew by 21.4% YoY and 5.5% QoQ

Reported revenues at $4,444 million , growth of 17.5% YoY

, growth of 17.5% YoY Digital revenues at 61.0% of total revenues, YoY CC growth of 37.5%

Operating margin at 20.0%, decline of 3.7% YoY and decline of 1.5% QoQ

Basic EPS at $0.16 , decline of 1.1% YoY

, decline of 1.1% YoY FCF at $656 million ; FCF conversion at 95.2% of net profit

"We are fueling the strong growth momentum with strategic investments in talent through hiring and competitive compensation revisions. While this will impact margins in the immediate term, it is expected to reduce attrition levels and position us well for future growth. We continue to optimize various cost levers to drive efficiency in operations," said Nilanjan Roy, Chief Financial Officer. "Continued high focus on cash led to strong FCF to net profit conversion at 95.2% and improvement in ROE to 31.0%," he added.

2. Client Wins & Testimonials

Infosys and Rolls-Royce extended their strategic collaboration with the launch of a joint 'Aerospace Engineering and Digital Innovation Centre' in Bengaluru, India . Speaking about the new centre, Kishore Jayaraman , President  India and South Asia , Rolls-Royce , said, "Our strategic partnership with Infosys presents an exciting opportunity for both companies to leverage combined strengths in engineering and digital innovation to accelerate growth in the civil aerospace market. Given the aerospace sector is poised for revival and growth in India and across the world, this joint innovation centre will strengthen Rolls-Royce's global engineering ecosystem and position us well for the future."





. Speaking about the new centre, , said, "Our strategic partnership with Infosys presents an exciting opportunity for both companies to leverage combined strengths in engineering and digital innovation to accelerate growth in the civil aerospace market. Given the aerospace sector is poised for revival and growth in and across the world, this joint innovation centre will strengthen Rolls-Royce's global engineering ecosystem and position us well for the future." Infosys launched the Infosys Cobalt Financial Services Cloud, an industry cloud platform for enterprises across the financial services industry to accelerate business value in the cloud. Dave Cosgrove , Global Head of Settlements & Middle Office, MarketAxess , said, "MarketAxess is leveraging the Infosys Cobalt Financial Services Cloud platform for reconciliation as a service on cloud. This is helping us scale the reconciliation process on-demand while improving accuracy and transparency. Leveraging the reconciliation service on Infosys Cobalt Financial Services Cloud enabled us to go-live quickly without significant capex investments and ongoing maintenance thereby, bringing the power of cloud agility and usage-based pricing model to a critical business process."





, said, "MarketAxess is leveraging the Infosys Cobalt Financial Services Cloud platform for reconciliation as a service on cloud. This is helping us scale the reconciliation process on-demand while improving accuracy and transparency. Leveraging the reconciliation service on Infosys Cobalt Financial Services Cloud enabled us to go-live quickly without significant capex investments and ongoing maintenance thereby, bringing the power of cloud agility and usage-based pricing model to a critical business process." Infosys and Google Cloud have been selected by Backcountry to help them deliver seamless and secure digital experiences for outdoor enthusiasts. Vismay Thakkar , VP of Technology, Backcountry , said, "As we enter the Spring season and our customers embark on more outdoor adventures, we anticipate heightened demand for our products, which is why we're opening new brick-and-mortar stores to meet their needs in any format. Infosys offers the necessary skills and resources to deliver a secure and seamless customer experience, virtually or in-person, which is why our collaboration is proving to be so powerful."





, said, "As we enter the Spring season and our customers embark on more outdoor adventures, we anticipate heightened demand for our products, which is why we're opening new brick-and-mortar stores to meet their needs in any format. Infosys offers the necessary skills and resources to deliver a secure and seamless customer experience, virtually or in-person, which is why our collaboration is proving to be so powerful." Infosys collaborated with TK Elevator to revamp their digital workplace management, network security, and IT infrastructure, powered by Infosys Cobalt. Susan Poon , Global CIO at TK Elevator, said, "At TK Elevator, IT infrastructure is the core of our digital initiatives, and we continuously strive to provide state-of-the-art user services. With Infosys as a strategic partner, we are confident to achieve our target of automation, innovation, and efficiency across the IT landscape."





"At TK Elevator, IT infrastructure is the core of our digital initiatives, and we continuously strive to provide state-of-the-art user services. With Infosys as a strategic partner, we are confident to achieve our target of automation, innovation, and efficiency across the IT landscape." EisnerAmper, one of the largest accounting, tax, and business advisory firms in the U.S., selected RISE with SAP. Sanjay Desai , CTO EisnerAmper said, "Infosys is implementing a flexible and scalable solution like SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud to help EisnerAmper meet their growth ambitions over the coming years."

3. Recognitions

Recognized among Kantar's global 100 most valuable brands in 2022

Ranked highest in Stakeholders Empowerment Services' (SES) 'ESG Scores - Top 100 Listed Companies in India ' report

' report Recognized as the '2021 Global AI Services Company of the Year' by Frost & Sullivan

Awarded HFS OneOffice Award in the Sustainability category

Awarded HFS OneOffice Award in the Innovation Ecosystem category

Recognized as 'GSI Innovation Partner of the Year 2022' at Snowflake Summit

Winner of the 2022 Microsoft Security Modern Endpoint Management Partner of the Year Award

Positioned as a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SAP S/4HANA Application Services, Worldwide

Positioned as a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Oracle Cloud Applications Services, Worldwide

Infosys BPM positioned as a leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Finance and Accounting Business Process Outsourcing

Ranked as a leader in Everest - Healthcare Payer Digital Services Peak Matrix Assessment

Recognized as a leader in Everest - Oracle Cloud Applications (OCA) Services PEAK Matrix Assessment for Europe

Recognized as a leader in Everest - Sustainability Enablement Technology Services PEAK Matrix Assessment

Recognized as a leader in ISG Provider Lens ServiceNow Ecosystem Partners in U.S. and Australia 2022 Quadrant Report

2022 Quadrant Report Ranked as a leader in the IDC MarketScape Worldwide Cloud Professional Services Vendor Assessment

Ranked as a leader in the IDC MarketScape Worldwide Intelligent Automation Services Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in the IDC MarketScape Worldwide SAP Implementation Services 2022 Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in Avasant's Salesforce Services 2022 RadarView

Positioned as a leader in Avasant's Internet of Things Services 2022 RadarView

Ranked as a leader in Avasant's Cybersecurity Services 2022 RadarView

Positioned as a leader in Avasant's Applied AI and Advanced Analytics Services 2022 RadarView

EdgeVerve adjudicated as an Innovator in the Computer Vision Category at the 2022 NASSCOM AI Game Changer Award

EdgeVerve awarded the Gold GLOBEE Awards for Disruptor Company of the Year in Automation and Productivity

Infosys BPM Winners in the International Project of the Year category with Telefonica UK, at the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) UK Awards 2022

Infosys BPM announced as a winner in the Telecommunications Project of the Year category with BT-EE, at the Global Sourcing Association (GSA) UK Awards 2022

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. Over 300,000 of our people work to amplify human potential and create the next opportunity for people, businesses and communities. With over four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer clients, in more than 50 countries, as they navigate their digital transformation powered by the cloud. We enable them with an AI-powered core, empower the business with agile digital at scale and drive continuous improvement with always-on learning through the transfer of digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem. We are deeply committed to being a well-governed, environmentally sustainable organization where diverse talent thrives in an inclusive workplace.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NSE: INFY) (BSE: INFY) (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

This Release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance and that are based on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company, our industry, economic conditions in the markets in which we operate, and certain other matters. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'may', 'anticipate', 'believe', 'estimate', 'expect', 'continue', 'intend', 'will', 'project', 'seek', 'could', 'would', 'should' and similar expressions. Those statements include, among other things, statements regarding our business strategy, our expectations concerning our market position, future operations, growth, margins, profitability, attrition, liquidity, and capital resources, our ESG vision, our capital allocation policy, the effects of COVID-19 on global economic conditions and our business and operations, wage increases, change in the regulations including immigration regulation and policies in the United States. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law.

Infosys Limited and subsidiaries Extracted from the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet under IFRS as at: (Dollars in millions)



June 30, 2022 March 31, 2022 ASSETS



Current assets



Cash and cash equivalents 1,771 2,305 Current investments 1,027 880 Trade receivables 2,917 2,995 Unbilled revenue 1,709 1,526 Other Current assets 1,258 1,159 Total current assets 8,682 8,865 Non-current assets



Property, plant and equipment and Right-of-use assets 2,377 2,429 Goodwill and other Intangible assets 1,030 1,042 Non-current investments 1,664 1,801 Unbilled revenue 150 124 Other non-current assets 1,290 1,294 Total non-current assets 6,511 6,690 Total assets 15,193 15,555 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY



Current liabilities



Trade payables 501 545 Unearned revenue 800 834 Employee benefit obligations 282 288 Other current liabilities and provisions 3,060 2,766 Total current liabilities 4,643 4,433 Non-current liabilities



Lease liabilities 655 607 Other non-current liabilities 508 521 Total non-current liabilities 1,163 1,128 Total liabilities 5,806 5,561 Total equity attributable to equity holders of the company 9,337 9,941 Non-controlling interests 50 53 Total equity 9,387 9,994 Total liabilities and equity 15,193 15,555

Extracted from the Condensed Consolidated statement of Comprehensive Income under IFRS for: (Dollars in millions except per equity share data)



3 months ended

June 30, 2022 3 months ended

June 30, 2021 Revenues 4,444 3,782 Cost of sales 3,144 2,509 Gross profit 1,300 1,273 Operating expenses:



Selling and marketing expenses 193 169 Administrative expenses 219 208 Total operating expenses 412 377 Operating profit 888 896 Other income, net (3) 80 77 Profit before income taxes 968 973 Income tax expense 279 268 Net profit (before minority interest) 689 705 Net profit (after minority interest) 689 704 Basic EPS ($) 0.16 0.17 Diluted EPS ($) 0.16 0.17

NOTES :

The above information is extracted from the audited condensed consolidated Balance sheet and Statement of Comprehensive Income for the quarter ended June 30, 2022 , which have been taken on record at the Board meeting held on July 24, 2022 . A Fact Sheet providing the operating metrics of the Company can be downloaded from www.infosys.com. Other Income includes Finance Cost.

IFRS-INR Press Release: https://www.infosys.com/investors/reports-filings/quarterly-results/2022-2023/q1/documents/ifrs-inr-press-release.pdf

Fact sheet: https://www.infosys.com/investors/reports-filings/quarterly-results/2022-2023/q1/documents/fact-sheet.pdf

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Infosys
DALLAS, July 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NexPoint Advisors, L.P., investment adviser to the NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust ("NXDT" and together with affiliated entities "NexPoint"), today announced the extension of the offering period for its previously announced offer to purchase Shares of Beneficial Interest (the "Shares") of United Development Funding IV ("UDFI" or the "Company") at a price of $1.10 per Share upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase and in the related Assignment Form for the offer (which together constitute the "Offer" and the "Tender Offer Documents"). The Offer is now scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, Eastern Time, at the end of the day on August 23, 2022, unless the Offer is extended or earlier terminated. The Tender Offer Documents are available at www.UDFITenderOffer.com, or from the information agent for the Offer, as discussed below.

As previously announced on December 14, 2020, the Offer is conditioned upon, among other things, the satisfaction or waiver of the following conditions: (i) there shall not have been threatened, instituted, or pending any action or proceeding before any court or any governmental or administrative agency (a) challenging the acquisition of shares pursuant to the Offer or otherwise relating in any manner to the Offer, or (b) in the sole judgment of NexPoint, otherwise materially adversely affecting the Company; (ii) NexPoint shall have received all required governmental approvals, if any, for the Offer; (iii) NexPoint shall have had the opportunity to conduct sufficient due diligence to determine whether the offered price per share is reasonable given the current financial condition and results of operations of UDFI; (iv) the Board of Trustees of UDFI shall have waived in writing the ownership limitations set forth in Article VII of the Declaration of Trust of UDFI as such limitations would otherwise apply to the Offer; and (v) NexPoint shall have received satisfactory evidence that UDFI has continued to qualify as a real estate investment trust ("REIT") under federal tax laws and thereby to avoid any entity-level federal income or excise tax.

NXDT has recently completed its conversion from an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 into a real estate investment trust ("REIT"). In connection with that conversion, NXDT dropped down certain of its investments to a single-member, wholly owned limited liability company subsidiary, NexPoint Real Estate Opportunities ("NREO"), which heretofore has been reflected as a portfolio company of NXDT in its SEC filings. NexPoint Advisors, L.P., external adviser to NXDT and NREO, continues to have investment and voting power over the UDF IV Common Shares. Accordingly, NexPoint continues to beneficially own the UDF IV Common Shares it had previously reported to the SEC on its last Schedule 13D.

On January 8, 2021, UDFI announced that it had reduced the percentage of outstanding Shares that a shareholder may own from 9.8% to 5.0%. The Company took such action in an effort to frustrate the Offer. It also announced it amended the Company's bylaws to require that certain legal actions could be brought on behalf of or against UDFI only in certain courts in Maryland. NexPoint is reviewing these actions and their legality under applicable law.

Shareholders should read the Offer to Purchase and the related materials carefully because they contain important information. Shareholders may obtain a free copy of the Offer to Purchase and the Assignment Form from D.F. King & Co., Inc., the information agent for the Offer (the "Information Agent"), by calling toll-free at (800) 331-7543. THE OFFER WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, EASTERN TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON AUGUST 23, 2022, UNLESS THE OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

About the NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NXDT)

The NexPoint Diversified Real Estate Trust (NYSE: NXDT), formerly the NexPoint Strategic Opportunities Fund (NYSE: NHF), is a diversified REIT that formerly operated as a closed-end fund. The name change became effective on November 8, 2021. On August 28, 2020, shareholders approved the conversion from a closed-end management investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the "1940 Act") and amended NXDT's fundamental investment policies and restrictions to permit NXDT to operate as a diversified REIT. NXDT completed the repositioning of its investment portfolio sufficient to achieve REIT tax status and operated during its 2021 taxable year, and continues to operate, so that it qualifies for taxation as a REIT. NXDT has also realigned its portfolio so that it is no longer an "investment company" under the 1940 Act. On July 1, 2022, NXDT received an order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") declaring that NXDT has ceased to be an investment company and that its registration under the 1940 Act is no longer in effect (the "Deregistration Order").

For more information visit www.nexpoint.com/nexpoint-strategic-opportunities-fund

About NexPoint Advisors, L.P.

NexPoint Advisors, L.P. is an SEC-registered adviser on the NexPoint alternative investment platform. It serves as the adviser to a suite of funds and investment vehicles, including a closed-end fund, interval fund, business development company, and various real estate vehicles. For more information visit www.nexpoint.com

Risks and Disclosures

This document is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any common stock of UDFI or any other securities. The offer to purchase common stock of UDFI will only be made pursuant to the Offer to Purchase, the Assignment Form and related documents. THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, THE ASSIGNMENT FORM AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. STOCKHOLDERS OF UDFI ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT SUCH STOCKHOLDERS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR SHARES. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of these statements (when available) by directing such requests to the Information Agent, by calling toll-free at (800) 331-7543.

Media Contact

Lucy Bannon

[email protected]

SOURCE NexPoint Advisors, L.P.
Return of the Dream Canteen Coming October 14th on Warner Records

Surprise Announcement Comes As North American Stadium Tour Kicks Off In Denver

LOS ANGELES, July 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Tonight, Red Hot Chili Peppers announced their brand new studio album, Return of the Dream Canteen will be released October 14th on Warner Records. The surprise announcement was dropped at Denver's Empower Field to rapturous response as the North American leg of their critically and commercially acclaimed global stadium tour kicked off.

The news of Return of the Dream Canteen's imminent release marks the band's second album release of 2022, hot on the heels of the platinum-selling chart topper Unlimited Love which was released in April. It will also be the band's second Rick Rubin produced album of 2022, and reinforces their reputation as a band at their absolute peak, riding the crest of an undeniable creative wave.

The Denver show was packed with iconic Red Hot Chili Peppers hits as well as new fan favorites "Black Summer" and "These are the Ways" from their current chart-topping album, Unlimited Love. The band sent the sold-out stadium audience into raptures as Anthony Kiedis announced to the unexpecting audience that they have another brand new studio album coming this year.

Continuing to win over audiences across the generations, the band performed a run of sold-out UK/EU dates earlier this year, including two nights at London Stadium. "A scorching European touch-down from the California legends" - CLASH

We went in search of ourselves as the band that we have somehow always been. Just for the fun of it we jammed and learned some old songs. Before long we started the mysterious process of building new songs. A beautiful bit of chemistry meddling that had befriended us hundreds of times along the way. Once we found that slip stream of sound and vision, we just kept mining. With time turned into an elastic waist band of oversized underwear, we had no reason to stop writing and rocking. It felt like a dream. When all was said and done, our moody love for each other and the magic of music had gifted us with more songs than we knew what to do with. Well we figured it out. 2 double albums released back to back. The second of which is easily as meaningful as the first or should that be reversed. 'Return of the Dream Canteen' is everything we are and ever dreamed of being. It's packed. Made with the blood of our hearts, yours truly, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Red Hot Chili Peppers will continue the tour through California with a special hometown performance in Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, then through Chicago, Toronto, and more before wrapping up the North American leg in Arlington, TX on Sunday, September 18th at Globe Life Field. A roll call of some of the most acclaimed, eclectic and vital artists across various genres - including HAIM, Beck, Thundercat, The Strokes, King Princess, St. Vincent and Post Malone - will be joining the band on select dates.

The band kicked off the global stadium tour last month with their European leg at Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja in Seville, Spain on Saturday, June 4th. The concert marked their first show back with guitarist John Frusciante in 15 years and the kickoff to the band's first ever stadium tour.

For more information on the new album, the tour and tickets please visit https://redhotchilipeppers.com.

pre-order HERE / hi-res album cover HERE / hi-res photo HERE

CONNECT WITH RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Website | Press Site

Media Contact:

Laura Swanson

[email protected]

SOURCE Warner Records
Critical Resources Ltd (ASX:CRR) has appointed experienced corporate professional Harry Spindler to the position of company secretary.

Spindler comes to the resource company with a broad range of corporate governance and capital markets experience spanning 22 years and has held various company secretary positions.

Listings experience

He has been involved in several public company listings, merger and acquisitions transactions and capital raisings for ASX-listed companies.

Spindler is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a member of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.

Critical Resources chairman Robert Martin said: Were pleased to welcome Harry to our team as we transition towards our next phase of strategic growth.

The appointment follows the resignation Chris Achurch from the position. The board has thanked Achurch for his efforts and commitments during his time with the company.

Spindler is now the person responsible for communication with the ASX in relation to ASX listing matters pursuant to Listing Rule 12.6.

About Critical Resources

Critical Resources is a Perth-based ASX-lister exploring for and developing base metals and lithium.

The company is focused on the exploration, development and advancement of a key base metals asset in NSW, a copper asset in Oman and a suite of hard rock lithium assets in Ontario, Canada.
Addis Ababa, July 24 : The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat hailed the grain export deal that Russia and Ukraine separately signed in Istanbul on Friday with TArkiye and the United Nations.

"The chairperson of the commission commends all the parties on this successful development," Xinhua news agency quoted a statement as saying.

The deal, officially called "the Black Sea Grain Initiative", was first signed by Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and later by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov with the other two sides.

The AU Commission chairperson also congratulated Senegalese President Macky Sall, the current chairman of the AU, for having called for the resumption of cereals from Russia and Ukraine to global markets.

Sall's visit to Russia and Ukraine last month is believed to have played a role in the eventual deal, said the chairperson.

Russia and Ukraine are breadbaskets of the world, producing almost one-third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizers and the raw materials for its production.
Sultanpur, July 24 : A day after the announcement of board exam results, the body of a 15-year-old boy was found hanging from the ceiling here.

The boy had locked himself in a room in his home after he failed to clear the Class 10 examinations. His family members thought he 'needed time' to overcome the 'grief' and left him alone.

On Saturday, his parents left for Lucknow, and then his friends came to meet him. They knocked on the door and on finding no response from inside, they called the neighbours, who broke open the door to find the boy hanging from the ceiling.

Circle officer, Sultanpur City, Raghvendra Chaturvedi said that the boy lived with his parents in Dubeypur area of Kanshiram Colony.

"The boy locked himself in a room after he could not clear the examination. The body has been sent for post mortem to ascertain the cause and time of death," he said.
Ankara, July 24 : Russian officials had told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar has said.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency.

"The fact that such an incident happened right after the agreement we made yesterday regarding the grain shipment worried us," he said.

Akar said he also had phone conversations with Ukrainian ministers and received information regarding the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ukrainian military said that Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Odesa on Saturday. A missile hit one of the silos in Odesa and another fell in an area close to the silo.

The attack had not compromised the port's ability to load cargo and that grain exports could go on, according to Akar.

Turkiye has sent the two countries a message, in which it said it would like to see both sides continue their cooperation "calmly and patiently" under the agreement signed on Friday, the minister said.

Turkiye would continue to fulfil its responsibilities in the agreement, he stressed.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkiye under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website.

A joint coordination center has started operating in accordance with the agreement to monitor implementation, the Turkish minister added.

According to a copy of the agreement released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be extended for another 120 days if neither party terminates it.

Ukraine is among the world's leading grain exporters, supplying more than 45 million tons annually to the global market, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
AUBURN  When discussing a large statue he made honoring famed abolitionist and former Auburn resident Harriet Tubman, sculptor Wesley Wofford said he felt Tubman guided his hand.

Wofford was one of multiple speakers Saturday for a Tubman tribute event unveiling a cast of a statue Wofford made for a traveling exhibition called "Harriet Tubman  Journey to Freedom." The event was held at the Harriet Tubman Home, 180 South St., where she lived as a free woman for over 50 years. The tribute and unveiling was part of various festivities Auburn has held this year to honor Tubman's 200th birthday.

Speaking to over 100 people, Wofford said he was honored to be at "this sacred place" to honor Tubman.

"Even today there's still so much tearing each other down and dividing us, the structural racism that exists and color lines that that draws, and I think that she is still relevant today to what we all need to be doing together," Wofford said.

He said he hopes to do his part to display "these underrepresented stories."

"This is one statue, and there should be at least 50,000 more to rival the 50,000 that exist that only tell one side of the story," Wofford said, which drew claps and shouts of "Yes!" from the audience.

The statue depicts Tubman and a younger person holding onto her arm, with chains behind them. The exhibition was installed in Auburn July 1 at the Tubman home, which is a part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in the city. The statue is set to be at the site through Aug. 31.

Earlier, the Rev. Dr. Laticia Hill Godette, president and CEO of Ottendorf Laboratories and presiding elder of the Camden, NJ district, spoke. She talked about people working hard and taking on multiple jobs but still struggling due to structural racism. Although the Tubman statue was going to be unveiled, Godette said Tubman's legacy and life could not be adequately acknowledged "without unveiling and exposing" the sins of racism, sexism and classism and talking about such issues.

"It's easier to talk about what Harriet Tubman did in the past, it's easier to talk about what she did for others way back then, but how are we living the legacy if we do not talk about right now?" she said to a string of applause.

After becoming free, Godette said, Tubman helped free others. Godette told the crowd "we must go back and get those who have been marginalized."

Other speakers included Auburn Mayor Mike Quill and Bishop Dennis V. Proctor of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, which Tubman was a part of.

Afterward the statue was unveiled, prompting thunderous applause. Mentors and other officials from TRU-Impact Inc., a youth tutoring and mentoring organization from Rochester, looked at the statue along with its students.

Student Rafael Belliard said every time he learns more about a historical figure who fought against racism, he likes to learn more, including Tubman.

"I think there's some stuff in there that (in) my school, they didn't even bother to teach," he said.

Jalyssa Tucker, a TRU-Impact mentor, talked about what she would like people to take away from Saturday's event.

"Never draw back on history. There's always things to learn and to be open to. And within our community, I don't think that people have that knowledge of knowing what women (such) as Harriet Tubman have done," she said. "I really didn't know she fought for women's rights, which was very informative. So I will take everything that I got from here and take it back home."

Olivia Price, granddaughter of the Rev. Paris Price of the Harriet Tubman Memorial AME Zion Church, spoke with Wofford while they looked at the exhibit. Olivia, 3, placed some small flowers she found at the statue. Pointing out the chains that are a part of the sculpture, Paris Price asked Olivia, "What did we say about the chains?" Olivia replied by saying, "It was naughty." Price said, "They were naughty, yes, put chains on other people." Wofford said that is "a nice way of saying it," to which people nearby agreed.

Price talked about why she took Olivia to the event, adding her granddaughter has two books about Tubman.

"I wanted her to see this statue to see the determination on her face and to see how she helps others to find freedom, and it's still relevant today," Price said.
Ankara, July 24 : Turkiye's Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swedish charges d'affaires in Ankara over the "terrorist propaganda" staged by the supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during a protest on Thursday in the Swedish city of Gothenburg.

Ankara also conveyed its "strong reaction" to another demonstration held on the same day in Stockholm, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources.

"In this context, our expectation that the perpetrators of the incident will be identified, necessary legal and judicial measures will be taken, and concrete steps will be taken in light of the commitments recorded in the tripartite memorandum have been emphasised," said the sources.

Finland and Sweden's NATO bid was initially blocked by Turkiye, which accused them of supporting anti-TArkiye groups as they rejected Ankara's extradition requests for suspects affiliated with the PKK and the Gulen Movement, Xinhua news agency reported.

On June 28, Turkiye, Sweden and Finland agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) before Ankara lifted its veto ahead of the NATO Madrid summit.

In the MoU, Finland and Sweden pledged to support Turkiye's fight against terrorism, and agreed to address Turkiye's "pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly".

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by TArkiye, the US and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

The Gulen Movement is led by and named after the US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen. The Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the 2016 failed coup in which at least 250 people were killed.
Kabul/Tehran, July 24 : A delegation of the Taliban-led Afghan government, currently on a visit to Tehran, has signed a deal with Iran to import 350,000 tonnes of oil, according to media reports.

The delegation included representatives from the Finance, Foreign Affairs, Commerce and Industry Ministries, Central Bank and Afghanistan National Standards Authority, reports TOLO News.

"A contract was signed which imports more than 300,000 to 350,000 tonnes of oil based on a standard, proper price," Abdul Ghafor, head of the Afghanistan Oil and Gas Corporation, said after the deal was inked on Saturday.

In a statement, the Afghan Ministry of Finance said the decision was taken to sign the deal in order to regulate and lower the price of fuel products in the war-torn nation, reports Khaama Press.

Besides the deal, the two sides also held discussions on quality, rates, transit, and facilities for traders and also came to an agreement to form a joint committee on building out the gas pipeline and constructing joint refineries, the Ministry added.

Meanwhile, the Afghanistan Oil and Gas Corporation has also said that it will sign similar agreements with Russia and Turkmenistan to import oil.

Afghanistan imports its oil from the Central Asian nations and Iran.
Gandhinagar, July 24 : After seven Gujarat Congress MLAs reportedly cross-voted in the Presidential election, senior party leaders have started fearing poaching of party candidates in the run-up to the Assembly elections scheduled later this year.

Few leaders strongly believe that the only solution is that the party nominates genuine and original Congressmen with a clean slate sans any criminal cases.

A senior Congress leader wishing anonymity told IANS, "The way seven Congress members cross-voted, they can go to any extent. They (the BJP) can poach Congress candidates either before or after the filing of nomination for the Assembly polls, which will not only embarrass the party, but also throttle its chances of returning to power in Gujarat." The foundation of such fear, the politician believes, is that the ruling party has set a target to win at least 152 seats in the 182-member Gujarat Assembly.

The BJP is focusing on seats which the Congress has won multiple times, for which poaching might become necessary.

In the recent past, the BJP has roped in many Congress workers and leaders into its fold, but in the last 60 years, not a single Congress candidate has switched sides, said party leader Paresh Dhanani, the former Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat Assembly.

"I have suggested to the senior leaders of the party to field die-hard Congressmen as party candidates, those who have risen from the party cadre and have stayed with the Congress even during times of crisis. If such candidates are fielded, the BJP will never be successful in poaching," Dhanani said.

The Congress will also have to ensure that the candidates have no criminal history, pointed out Jivanbhai Kumbharvadiya, President of the Jamnagar district Congress committee.

Kumbharvadiya also feels that all those who switched sides had some weaknesses, which were exploited by the ruling party.

However, according to Shankarbhai Amaliyar, head of the BJP's district committee in Dahod, importing opposition party workers or leaders has had a negative impact on BJP's cadre, because the party workers are committed to BJP's ideology and are not in a rat race to secure electoral tickets.

Amaliyar said that the party workers, including aspiring candidates, are aware that when senior leaders take some decisions, they are in the larger interest of the party.
Ranchi, July 24 : The village of Fataha in the Naxal-affected Chatra district of Jharkhand is cited as an example when it comes to self-employment and self-reliance.

Four Fataha youths, Mohd Meraj, Hasmat, Khalid, and Nadeem, who used to do embroidery work in Delhi and Varanasi, imparted training to everyone in the village. And now, clothes embroidered in Fataha are reaching several metros of the country.

Due to the difficulties being faced by them in cities, the four decided to carry out this work from their homes after returning to Fataha, and gradually their skills reached every youth in the village, who earlier had no work except agriculture and labour.

Today, about three dozen people in the village are engaged in embroidery and are working every day from morning till evening to fulfill the orders received from the metro cities. Every artisan here is earning Rs 18,000 to Rs 25,000 a month by staying in the village.

Most importantly, the village has taken this path of self-reliance without any government help. This work is going on in the village for the last one and a half decades, but till date, no artisan has taken any help or loan from any bank or financial institution.

Mohd Meraj is the oldest artisan here. He had gone to Delhi in 1999 in search of work. There he learned embroidery work by staying with a shopkeeper in front of the Lady Shri Ram College. He soon realised that he would hardly manage his family expenses with the amount of money he was earning while staying in Delhi.

After about two years, he returned to Ranchi and started doing the same work at a shop. It was here that he realised that there is a good demand in the city market for women's clothes with craft and embroidery work on it. He told a local businessman that he can supply more embroidered clothes by adding more people to this work in the village. The businessman liked the idea and then Meraj returned to his village and taught the embroidery skill to three or four relatives.

Apart from Meraj, Khalid, Hashmat, Nadeem also learned the embroidery work by staying outside.

Mohd Meraj told IANS that 10 people work with him and the challenge is to complete the order on time. "For this we work for 10 to 12 hours." Another artisan Aamir says that he has a lot of work, but the space for the workshop is running out. He recently got an Indira Awaas Yojana approval. Once the house is built, more people will be hired.

According to Khalid, the village mainly does embroidery work on four types of fabrics - wet, organza, georgette and crepe. He first delivers the finished clothes to Ranchi. From there, it is sent to other cities of the country including Kolkata, Delhi, Varanasi and Mumbai.

It takes an artisan five to six days to do the embroidery work in a saree. In return, they get Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000. Similarly, it takes two to two and a half days to prepare a dupatta, and in return they get Rs 1,500. Now these people themselves buy clothes from Delhi and other cities and embroider them and transport them to the market.

Suryakant Kamal, a local journalist from Chatra, says that Fataha is known for the unique craftsmanship on clothes in Chatra, Hazaribagh and nearby towns.

If government help and facilities are provided to the artisans here, then it can emerge out as an organized small scale industry, he adds.

Chatra is identified as a severely Naxal-affected area. If such efforts of self-reliance are further expanded with the help of the government, then the picture and fortune of the area can change, Kamal asserts.
Even to a lay man, the word intelligence denotes exclusive information or special knowledge linked to some out-of-the-normal doings or profile of an individual or an organised group -- which were not visible on the surface or known in the open.

One keeps this knowledge to oneself unless it has an adverse personal bearing, requiring the individual to seek the support of someone else -- possibly in authority -- to do something about it.

Today, the internal security scene in the country, marked by surreptitious operations of anti-national elements working on behalf of an external adversary, has made it necessary that the citizens realise that the new kinds of threat like terrorism, urban Naxalism, communal violence triggered by agent provocateurs, promotion of undesirable activity under the cover of a civil society forum and use of drug trafficking for funding underground enemy agents, are meant to harm both the nation as well as its people and that a new level of responsibility has arisen for them to watch out for any such unusual activities and discreetly share that knowledge with the custodians of national security.

This can, however, happen only if trustworthy arrangements are built by the latter to quietly utilise this vast public resource of information of intelligence value. The call of the time universally is for a nation to make sure that in addition to the fundamental work of intelligence agencies of accessing secret information on the hidden plans of the enemy, there is inflow of information from the enlightened public in a manner that the State would be able to make good use of it for the cause of national security.

It is not known how the 'Fusion Centres' catering to this need are working for Homeland Security in the US but there is no doubt that citizen's awareness is going to be of great help in a situation where more than the threat of an open military attack, the danger of trans-border covert offensives of the enemy are becoming the order of the day.

India has particularly been a target of these for a long period now. All intelligence ultimately is information but all information is not intelligence. Intelligence is information with the special stamp of containing a futuristic indicator of hostile activity.

It is a new paradigm of internal security that openly accessed information often contains elements of intelligence that an enlarged scan and analysis could muster to the great advantage of security.

Open source information has traditionally been a valuable store for reading trends that are relevant to security issues. Social media and cyber space have acquired a new-found importance now in as much as a comprehensive scrutiny of the same could help in detecting the footprints of an adversary.

WhatsApp groups with foreign links, notably directed from Pakistan, came to notice during NIA investigations into the recent terror acts of Amravati and Udaipur. Exploiting communal conflicts for generating militancy and recruiting terrorists using faith-based motivation has become pronounced casting an added burden on Central and state intelligence agencies, of keeping track of the socio-economic scene in an area and examining in depth if any attempts at 'radicalisation' are being made.

Intelligence function of police stations, not only for organised crime but also from the angle of national security, is now extremely important -- the Centre-state cooperation for strengthening the same should be seriously pursued.

This in turn will help keep India an open, democratic and easily accessible country. An upshot of this new security paradigm is that the role of the state police goes beyond the maintenance of law and order and includes a keen participation in the safeguarding of internal security as well.

Investigation of crime could sometimes unearth valuable leads of intelligence value on the security front. This added dimension of work requires an upgrade of the quality of police force in the country.

In the era of proxy wars, the army is being utilised on our own soil in counter-terror operations and for putting down insurgency movements. To avert collateral damage, intelligence-based actions are a must. Close collaboration among civilian intelligence agencies and the DMI has to exist and this is being successfully worked on here.

Apart from the periodical meetings between the chiefs of intelligence on both sides and the meetings of Strategy Planning Group (SPG) now chaired by the NSA, which are attended by the service chiefs, liaison between the local army units in the field and the representatives of SIB on the ground has to be kept up.

Intelligence on what is happening across our borders is another matter of exchange of information between civil and defence organisations in the context of Jammu & Kashmir, the Northeast and the India-China border.

A new dimension of proxy offensives is the possible damage clandestinely caused to our establishments of strategic importance and vital national assets to weaken India. These include, among others, our nuclear, space and missile development centres, cyber base on which Railways, civil aviation and power grids work and systems used for running refineries, metropolitan transport and steel plants.

The Intelligence Bureau has been overseeing the security of such assets through briefings organised for the security set-up of the individual enterprise. This should be further developed into a two-way interaction through which these establishments would also give feedback on any suspicious activity with a bearing on national security, noticed by them.

The point is that the country needs to tap all areas from where information of intelligence value could be garnered.

India's principal adversaries -- Pakistan and China -- are acting in concert against India and apart from the provocative activities on the borders, they are now taking to destabilising this country by instigating internal discords using their agents -- with Pakistan particularly spreading radicalisation to recruit 'lone wolves' for acts of terrorism here.

Pakistan has put Indo-Pak relations in a Hindu-Muslim framework and stepped up its efforts to claim that the primary identity of Indian Muslims is the one that made them a part of Ummah.

The developments, including the outbreak of violence over the alleged anti-Prophet remarks by now suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, made during a TV discussion, have amply proved that Pakistan is planning to whip up Islamic militancy in India by exploiting communal issues.

The desperate desire of those in political opposition here to somehow retain the minority votes -- even if it meant going along with anti-India expressions of many leaders of the Muslim community -- is being taken advantage of by Pakistan.

The concept of nationalism and nation is decried by many opposition leaders as an idea smacking of Hinduism and taken to a point where they even advocated that saluting the national flag and standing during the singing of national anthem should be made optional for the minorities.

No wonder that some civil society groups in league with anti-India lobbies at home and abroad have lately become active in floating narratives of majoritarianism, autocracy and human rights to run 'politics by proxy' against the Narendra Modi regime.

Keeping track of all this does not require the classical cloak & dagger style of intelligence collection, but needs enlarging of the area of coverage with the help of 'observers' so that any play of an 'alien hand' in what is happening on the ground do not go unnoticed.

The challenge for the security set up is to remain well informed of 'open activities' that provide a 'cover' for what is nefarious and detrimental to national security and integrity.

In the post-Cold War world, geo-politics is shifting to produce for India a new spectrum of friends and adversaries. The large democracies -- including the US -- have a natural friendship towards India and Prime Minister Modi's tested policy of building bilateral relationships that are mutually beneficial in terms of economy and security and are in alignment with global peace, which has somewhat marked out the two adversaries of India -- Pakistan and China -- in the eyes of the world.

This is why the international community is by and large on the side of India on the points of friction between this country and the two hostile neighbours across the border. The military alliance between a Marxist dictatorship and a fundamentalist regime -- with their give and take on Afghanistan after the reinstallation of Kabul Emirate of Taliban and collaboration in many things that went against the interests of the democratic world -- has not gone unnoticed by the rest of the international community.

Pakistan is using Chinese drones for its covert cross-border operations of dropping arms, explosives and drugs on our side. The Sino-Pak axis has, however, helped enlarge the arc of friends for India and added to the utility of information on world developments that could be gathered from open interactions with friendly countries as different from intelligence-gathering operations.

Friendly liaison is a valuable storehouse of information of intelligence value for India -- it multiplies the importance of diplomacy as a means of supplementing the objective of strengthening national security.

Friendship with all countries has facilitated the rise of India as a major power in the world whose counsel is respected -- and responses to the approach of India to Ukraine-Russia military conflict showed that.

It needs to be mentioned here that the extraordinary performance of the NSA, and the effective elucidation of our foreign policy by the External Affairs Minister, have been of singular help to Prime Minister Modi in carrying India to this new height.

(The writer is a former Director Intelligence Bureau)
London, July 24 : Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss, the two final candidates in the UK's Prime Ministerial race, have vowed to toughen measures against migration, the media reported on Sunday.

In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Truss, the incumbent Foreign Secretary, said that if she wins the race then she would extend the controversial Rwanda policy, despite it currently being in legal limbo, as well as increase the number of Border Force staff from 9,000 to 10,800.

In an effort to deter migrants crossing the Channel to the UK, the British government announced in April that it would send some asylum seekers deemed to have entered the country illegally to Rwanda to claim refuge there.

However, no asylum seekers have been sent to the African nation yet following a series of legal challenges.

The UK stands to lose the 120 million pounds it has paid to Rwanda if the plan is ruled unlawful by the courts at an upcoming hearing.

Known for vocally backing the policy, Truss told the Mail: "The Rwanda policy is the right policy. I'm determined to see it through to full implementation, as well as exploring other countries that we can work on similar partnerships with. It's the right thing to do.

"I'm also determined to make sure that we have the right level of forces at our border. I'm going to increase the border force to make sure that we have the proper protection in place directly at the border.

"Britain's borders will be protected under my leadership and I will do what it takes to make the Rwanda deal fully implemented and also look to other arrangements with other countries." Meanwhile, Sunak, the former Chancellor, has also pledged to do "whatever it takes" to make the Rwanda scheme work and described the UK's migration policy as "broken" and "chaotic", the BBC reported.

He has also promised to give Parliament control over how many come to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, though this could be changed in the case of emergencies.

The former Chancellor has also said that he would introduced "enhanced powers" to detain, tag and monitor those entering the UK illegally.

"Right now the system is chaotic, with law-abiding citizens seeing boats full of illegal immigrants coming from the safe country of France with our sailors and coastguards seemingly powerless to stop them," the BBC quoted Sunak as saying.

So far this year, more than 14,000 migrants have crossed the Channel to the UK on small boats.
Lucknow, July 24 : Even as political parties across the country have already started preparing for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, major political parties in Uttar Pradesh remain in a state of disarray after the Assembly elections held earlier this year.

Major political parties in Uttar Pradesh are 'headless' and their organisations directionless.

Most parties are apparently working out caste arithmetic for the next Lok Sabha elections before they appoint a state head. Some are even waiting for rival parties to announce their state presidents before they do so.

The state's ruling BJP has been working without a full-time state president since March this year.

The incumbent Swatantra Dev Singh is now a minister in the Yogi Adityanath government and is mainly preoccupied with his ministerial duties.

While the functioning of the BJP organisation has not been affected because party programmes are been efficiently carried out by the office bearers of the party, the absence of a full-time state president is impacting the party.

"It has been four months since we had a full-time president and this does take away from the organization because Swatantra Dev Singh has his ministerial work to attend to," said a party functionary.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) also seems to be in complete disarray at the moment.

SP President Akhilesh Yadav has dissolved all organisational units of the party and allies are either being shown the door or have left on their own.

A section of the party leaders is speaking out against Akhilesh Yadav and Muslim MLAs and MPs are making their disillusionment with the party policies clear.

For a party that aims to make big gains in the next Lok Sabha elections, the SP needs to build up a robust organisation, address issues being raised by the senior leaders and also mobilise cadres.

The refusal of Akhilesh Yadav to pull up his socks where his party is concerned, could land the SP into a Congress-like situation, sooner than later.

The Congress, meanwhile, remains in a self-demolition mode.

The party has been headless since March, when it faced its worst ever drubbing in the Assembly polls.

It does not have a state president and general secretary in charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has visited Lucknow only once in five months, that too barely for a few hours.

The party is being run either by third and fourth rung leaders who belong to Team Priyanka or by paid employees.

"We have stopped even visiting the party office because there is no political activity or discussion. In fact, we do not even recognise majority of the people there. The party has transformed itself into an NGO," said a former UPCC president.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), meanwhile, remains directionless when it comes to its political direction.

A former BSP MLA said: "We do not know whether we are going right or left in the next elections. Going by Mayawati's' tweets, nearly 60 per cent are in BJP's favour while 40 per cent are against it. We do not know what to make of it." He said that the cadres were confused about whether the party would position itself against the SP, as it did in Azamgarh Lok Sabha by-elections, or against BJP in the 2024 elections.

It is only the Rashtriya Lok Dal state that is quietly but firmly working to expand its base for the next general elections.

RLD president Jayant Chaudhary has been holding under-publicised Yuva Panchayats in western Uttar Pradesh where he is seeking the opinion of the youth on 'Agnipath scheme'.

The Yuva Panchayats are being attended mainly by youths in the families of farmers who have agitated against the Central government last year and their children are mostly army aspirants.
Jaipur, July 24 : Should India reintroduce Cheetahs at this point of time? This is a question being debated among animal lovers and researchers as the facts regarding their existence in India are divided and contradictory.

However, the wildlife authorities in New Delhi are full of enthusiasm and have finalized Madhya Pradesh's Kuno Palpur Sanctuary as the main habitat to host the first lot of Cheetahs from South Africa.

South Africa's private animal farms have agreed to 'donate' their Cheetahs to India agreeing with the fact that no other predator, barring leopards, will resist the new entrants and the prey base is comparatively sufficient to sustain 3-4 new carnivore species.

While a few experts suggest that Cheetahs were brought to India centuries ago from the African jungles, other researchers say that the Cheetahs, born and brought up in India, had a happy existence in this country.

Divyabhanusinh, an author and former Vice President of the Bombay Natural History Society and a member of the Cat Specialist Group, says, "Cheetahs can be seen in cave drawings made centuries back. Our ancient literature also describes Cheetahs in detail. Where is the question of Cheetahs coming from Africa," he questioned while talking to IANS.

It was only in the 20th century when Cheetahs became rare and extinct that the animal was brought here for the first time after 1918, he argued.

"After 1918, an Indian prince who wanted to hunt Cheetahs could not find Cheetahs and that's when they started bringing Cheetahs from abroad, there were no Cheetah import records earlier to that. Research claims that one Cheetah was brought which lived in Alipur zoo in 1894 or 1892.

"In fact, when Tipu Sultan died, his cheetahs were sent from India to England, say records. (Medieval Indian emperor) Firozshah Tughlaq too had many Cheetahs, Akbar kept 1000 Cheetahs. So it's impossible that this large number of Cheetahs were ever imported into india. However, this animal was brought in after 1918 by the Kolhapur and Bhavnagar princes." Divyabhanusinh was excited about Cheetahs being reintroduced into India and said that if this animal went extinct in India we should bring it back. We have the right areas which suffice for all requirements. Since 1952 discussions were on for the reintroduction of Cheetahs, he added.

On the other hand, wildlife expert Dharmendna Khandal said, "Cheetah is an African animal and not an Asian breed. They are two different species. We have a law that exotic species cannot be shifted to India until and unless rules are amended. If an animal is captive we cannot make him eat. This is a legal limitation. Next comes its viability. If 50 Cheetahs are shifted to one place, only then they will be viable and presently we have no place where 50 Cheetahs can be kept. So this is another limitation. Further, as decided, they will have enclosures but there is no plan when they will come out. Thirdly, grassland for Cheetahs is not available and we have to cut jungles to create grassland which is again wrong." It seems we are unnecessarily investing our energy in the wrong area, he said.

Divyabhanusinh's much-quoted study, along with Kazmi (2019), claims to describe the 'range of the Asiatic Cheetah during the British period and after in the Indian subcontinent.' Published by the journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, it carries a compilation of 199 records of the Cheetah since 1772 and maps these across 15 Indian states and in Pakistan. His book on Cheetahs (The End of a Trail) is a compilation of several records of this animal in India's zoos.

This BNHS published study has been scrutinized by wildlife biologists, Khandal and Ishan Dhar, working at Ranthambore as non-government sources on wild species.

Their critique is published in the magazine Seminar (July 2022 issue). They said, "We conducted a review of the records by applying a scientific protocol to categorize the data accumulated by Divyabhanusinh & Kazmi. A strong divergence in the interpretation of the data and conclusions followed..... The inclusion of captive animals in a distributional study can skew findings, because of the possibility of such animals being taken far beyond their natural extents of occurrence by humans." Khandal and Ishan elaborate: "Cheetah trainers Chhuttan Khan and Chhotte Khan, both centurions, are still alive with their clear memory, They remember that their wards used to be brought from Kabul, Afghanistan and Africa. They inform that there were no wild Cheetahs in the princely state of Jaipur." "The editorial board of the Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society should have ensured a thorough review to prevent the most elementary of errors, such as there being no scientific protocol. With the Cheetah reintroduction currently under consideration, now is the perfect opportunity for a new generation of burgeoning young scientists in India to begin interpreting data gathered by historians and determine the true picture of the Cheetah's historical distribution in India," they add.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Kiev, July 24 : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of "barbarism" over a missile attack on the Odesa port which took place just hours after a landmark grain export deal was signed between Kiev and Moscow.

Under Friday's deal signed in Istanbul, Russia agreed not to target Ukrainian ports while grain shipments were in transit, the BBC reported.

But just hours after the agreement was signed, two Kalibr missiles hit the Odesa port, according to the Ukrainian military's southern command centre.

Another two missiles were shot down by air defence systems, the centre added.

Russian officials have however said that Moscow had "nothing to do" with the attack.

During a meeting on Saturday in Kiev with a visiting delegation of US Congressmen, Zelensky said that Russia will find ways not to fulfil what it signs, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

"This (attack) proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it. Geopolitically, with weapons, bloodily or not, but it has several vectors, as it always acts," he said.

He also vowed to do everything possible to acquire air defence systems able to shoot down such missiles in the future.

The attack has been widely condemned.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of worsening a global food crisis, and said the attack cast "serious doubt" on the credibility of Russia's commitment to the pact.

"Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed," he said on Saturday.

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the UN and Turkey to ensure that Russia complies with its obligations under the terms of the safe functioning of the grain corridor.

On Friday, officials from Kiev and Moscow signed the deal to allow millions of tonnes of grain trapped in Ukraine to be exported, the BBC reported.

The agreement was hailed as a "beacon of hope" by the UN after months of fighting.

The deal, which took two months to reach, is set to last for 120 days, with a co-ordination and monitoring centre to be established in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials.

It can be renewed if both parties agree.
Bengaluru, July 24 : Karnataka state is prominently in opposition to the implementation of Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats. Series of meetings have been held by ruling BJP top leaders. The Cabinet has also decided to oppose the report. It has been claimed that the move would affect lakhs of people. A three-day bandh has been planned from July 27.

However, scientists and environmentalists claim that politicians are misguiding people. They explain that there is no proposal as such in the report that will affect livelihoods of people. They charge that politicians are fooling people to protect their hydel projects, resorts, mining activity and other commercial set-ups at the cost of the forest ecosystem crucial for not only Karnataka but for entire south India.

The report proposes that 37 per cent of the total area of Western Ghats, which is about 60,000 square kilometres, should be declared as eco-sensitive area (ESA). Out of this, 20,688 square kilometres will fall in Karnataka state covering 1,576 villages.

The report has recommended prohibition on mining, quarrying, setting up of red category industries and thermal power projects.

Politicians are claiming that there will be loss of livelihood for lakhs of people. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, former CM B. S. Yediyurappa, Home Minister Araga Jnanendra have pledged that they will not let the Union government declare Western Ghats as eco-sensitive zone.

Dr. T. V. Ramachandra, Energy & Wetlands Research Group, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), talking to IANS, questioned if the ones opposing even understand what the report is all about. Without understanding the issue, it has been converted into a political circus.

"No one has read the report. There is no harm caused to livelihoods of people. Some activities such as industries and resorts will be stopped. The whole issue has been turned into an emotional and election issue. None of the politicians understand what is there in the report. Let them prove on which page it is recommended that the agricultural lands will be taken back?" Dr. T. V. Ramachandra questions.

Ecologically sensitive regions help in conserving fragile ecosystems which would sustain livelihoods. It is for people and the approach helps the community through the sustenance of water, better pollination, high yield of crops, and minimal human animal conflicts, he explains.

This emphasises the need for maintaining ecological integrity to sustain the livelihood of the dependent population. 65 per cent of our population depends on farming for livelihood. Protecting their interest is vital for the healthy economy of our nation, he says.

"Individuals with vested interests are rather interested in their agenda of pilfering vital ecosystem goods for their benefits and deprive millions of dependent populations in peninsular India their right for adequate water," Dr. Ramachandra explains.

Environmentalist and activist Dinesh Holla, talking to IANS, directly charged that state and Central governments are moving ahead for destruction of nature for their selfish gains. Even after the Central government's declaration to implement the Kasturirangan report, the opposition of the state can only be termed as ulterior motive and oppressive.

The Kodagu, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi districts are experiencing landslides and floods as home stays, mining, hydel projects, resorts have encroached upon the forest covers of Western Ghats.

The farmers, villagers and tribal people of the region are kept in ignorance and made to believe that they are going to lose their livelihood.

"We have been asking for the official Kananda translation of the recommendations of the Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats. So, real awareness is created." "The campaign is being created by vested interests that the villagers would lose their livelihood, this manufacturing of opposition to Kasturirangan Report on Western Ghats could only be termed as lowly. The people who come together can give a befitting answer by raising the opposition," Dinesh Holla explains.

"If Western Ghats are safe, entire south India will be safe. But, the forest region of Western Ghats is being harmed. The ecosystem is suffering every day. Why were these landslides, floods, and cyclones not witnessed 5 years ago? It is the result of pilferage of forests for resorts, hydel projects. The awareness should be created in every home by parents and at every school by teachers on the destruction of Western Ghats," he says.

The study by IISc explains that the Western Ghats (Sahyadris), extending from 8A N to 21A N latitudes and 73A E to 77A E longitudes, is one among 36 global biodiversity hotspots, one among the eight unique 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity, and also one of the primary the 200 globally most important ecological regions.

It is a continuous escarpment spreading from Gujarat to Kerala, covering an area of 160,000 sq km, which constitutes only 5 per cent of India's geographical extent.

The Western Ghats are endowed with perennial river networks and function as a water tower for peninsular India, ensuring water and food security, and sustaining the livelihood of millions of dependent populations.

The Western Ghats has been experiencing land degradation and deforestation due to higher loss of forest cover since Independence with unplanned developmental activities and fragmented governance.

The evergreen forest cover has reduced from 16 per cent (in 1985) to 11 per cent (in 2018). The decline in native forests is due to unplanned developmental activities including unscientific afforestation of monoculture plantations (Acacia, Rubber, Eucalyptus, Teak), etc.

In the past two decades, higher instances of floods and landslides were noticed due to abrupt Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes across the Ghats, especially in Kerala and Karnataka.

The soil's water-holding capacity has been affected by LULC changes, resulting in flash floods across the states. The Fragmentation analysis highlights that the interior forest cover has reduced from 37.14 to 25.01 per cent over the past three decades.

The loss of 12.2 per cent interior cover with an increase of 11.3 per cent non-forest cover from 1985 to 2018 represents an escalation in fragmentation by affecting local ecology.

Currently, the interior forests are mainly situated in protected areas across the region. The decline of the contiguous interior forests affects endemic taxa and habitats, resulting in higher instances of human-wildlife conflict, the study says.

Dr. Ramachandra says that the double standards of the government of India cannot be understood as it is pushing the report only after the intervention of the Supreme Court, "We all demand the court to implement the report. People need to understand that disaster is already happening in the country." However, political activism is very much visible regarding the issue. All MLA's from the Western Ghat region of the state have conveyed a meeting. They are claiming that the development of the region will suffer.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had earlier clarified in the virtual meeting with Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change that classifying the Western Ghat region as a sensitive zone will impact the life of people of the region and affect their livelihood. He also added that the proposal is opposed by the people as well as the state government.

The ruling BJP government had further decided against the implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee report in the Cabinet after elaborate discussions in this regard.

The protestors have planned to file petitions from villagers to the Ministry of Environment against the report. There are also plans to meet the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change by the end of July.

However, scientists say that if south India is to remain safe, the Western Ghats should remain safe. The arduous political and legal struggle against the 1.3 billion dollar coal powered Cogentrix power plant to produce 1,000 MW in Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka resulted in its exit in late 90's.

It is to be seen if the ruling BJP government in Karnataka and at the Centre as well as the local groups move ahead over the issue in terms of safeguarding Western Ghats and ensuring livelihoods of inhabitants.
RTHK: Yosemite wildfire forces thousands from home

Fueled by extreme heat and tinder dry forests and underbrush, a wildfire just west of Yosemite National Park spread overnight, quickly turning into one of the largest fires of the year and forcing thousands of residents to be evacuated from their homes, fire officials said.

Authorities said the Oak Fire, which is zero percent contained, was threatening to destroy about 2,000 homes on Saturday and some 3,000 people were evacuated. By early Sunday, media reports said 6,000 people had been told to leave.

The cause of the fire, which started on Friday and has burned approximately 14,281 acres, is under investigation by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire).

"Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5 and 10 percent, which will hamper firefighting efforts," a fire report posted early Sunday said. "High tree mortality and dense fuels are throughout the fire area."

California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County because of the Oak Fire. The declaration allows the state to access federal money and resources to battle the flames.

Yosemite, about an hour's drive from Mariposa County, is home to some of the largest and oldest sequoia trees in the world. The redwoods were threatened by another blaze earlier this month, but firefighters managed to save them.

Separately, in Idaho, two firefighters died after their helicopter crashed on Saturday while they were battling a blaze called the Moose Fire, in a rural area near the Montana border, according to the Lemhi County Sheriff's Office.

The worst wildfire season on record in California was in 2020, in terms of total acreage burned, with more than 1.6 million hectares and over 10,000 homes and other structures destroyed. At least 33 lives were lost. Over 10 million acres went up in flames across several Western states. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-07-24. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Honda Motor Co. has said that it would slash vehicle production by up to 30 per cent in Japan in August this year. This decision comes as the auto major has been facing persistent supply chain and logistical issues. The automaker has informed that two production lines at its Suzuka facility in western Japan will reduce production output by about 10 per cent this month and by about 30 per cent in early August. This comes as a significant production cut compared to the automaker's previous plans.

(Also Read: Kia announces positive second quarter numbers, sales of EVs nearly double)

Honda also said that its assembly plant in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, will reduce vehicle production by about 10 per cent early next month. The Japanese vehicle manufacturer has not disclosed its monthly production target yet.

The semiconductor shortage and other Covid-19 pandemic-induced disruptions including the supply chain crisis have impacted the auto industry massively. It's been two years since the automakers have been facing this disruption. Several automakers have readjusted their production plans multiple times due to the crisis. Honda too is not out of that block. The latest announcement of vehicle production output comes in line with that. Honda adjusted its production plan in May but had said it would return to normal in early June.

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Another Japanese car major Toyota Motor Corp said earlier this week that its global production for August would be about 700,000 units, down roughly 18 per cent from its previous plans at the beginning of the year.

First Published Date:
New Delhi, July 24 : India on Sunday reported a marginal decline at 20,279 new Covid-19 cases in last 24 hours as compared to 21,411 reported on Saturday, said Union Health Ministry.

In the same period, the country has reported 36 more Covid-19 deaths, taking the nationwide toll to 5,25,033.

Meanwhile, the active caseload of the country has marginally increased to 1,52,200 cases, accounting for 0.35 per cent of the country's total Covid-positive cases.

The recovery of 20,279 patients in the last 24 hours took the cumulative tally to 4,32,10,522. Consequently, India's recovery rate stands at 98.45 per cent.

Meanwhile, India's daily positivity rate has also risen to 5.29 per cent, while the weekly positivity rate in the country currently stands at 4.46 per cent.

In the same period, a total of 3,83,657 tests were conducted across the country, increasing the overall tally to more than 87.25 crore.

As of Sunday morning, India's Covid-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 201.99 crore, achieved through 2,66,54,283 sessions.

More than 3.85 crore adolescents have been administered with a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine since the beginning of the vaccination drive for this age group.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Tripoli, July 24 : The death toll from clashes between two rival armed groups in the Libyan capital Tripoli has increased to 16, while 52 others have been injured, the Ministry of Health said.

"All the wounded are receiving medical care inside public and private hospitals in Tripoli," Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Clashes erupted between two rival armed groups in different parts of Tripoli on July 21 and lasted until the next day.

The UN Support Mission in Libya has expressed concern about the clashes, and called on all Libyans to do everything possible to preserve the country's "fragile stability at this sensitive time".

Libya has been suffering violence and unrest ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011.
Bhadrachalam : Godavari river reached the 49 feet mark due to heavy rain in Bhadrachalam on Monday, July 11, 2022. (Photo: IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Hyderabad, July 24 : The Polavaram project being constructed by Andhra Pradesh across Godavari river has triggered a new row between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

A Telangana minister kicked up the controversy by blaming the project's height for recent floods in Bhadradri Kothagudem district on the banks of Godavari.

Polavaram project is being executed by the Centre as a national project at Rs 55,000 crore.

Telangana's Transport Minister P. Ajay Kumar blamed Polavaram for floods in temple town of Bhadrachalam and several villages along the course of the river in Bhadradri Kothagudem district.

He said Telangana had been demanding the neighbouring state to reduce the height of Polavaram to avoid floods at Bhadrachalam and nearby villages due to backwaters.

Following heavy rain in the catchment areas and massive inflows from upstream resulted in the flood level at Bhadrachalam last week crossing 71 feet, the highest in more than three decades.

The demand by Telangana came a few days after Andhra Pradesh raised the height of the upper coffer dam of Polavaram by one metre.

The implementing agency, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), took up the work to increase the height on July 15 and completed it in 48 hours.

The Andhra Pradesh government had already decided to increase the height of Polavaram coffer dam from 40.5 meters to 43.5 meters.

The Minister urged the Centre to constitute a committee comprising experts of the Central Water Commission (CWC) to study the backwaters effects of the Polavaram project to Bhadrachalam to avert catastrophic consequences of a potential massive deluge in the future.

The minister also demanded that the Centre return seven mandals (blocks) to Telangana which were merged with Andhra Pradesh in 2014.

He also demanded that at least five villages near Bhadrachalam be re-merged with Telangana and a Bill in this regard be passed in the ongoing Parliament session.

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) had lodged a strong protest with the Centre after it issued an ordinance to merge seven mandals of Telangana with Andhra Pradesh. This was apparently done to avoid any inter-state disputes as several villages in these mandals are likely to be submerged by Polavaram project.

The Telangana government termed the move unilateral and has been demanding the Centre to revoke it.

Telangana minister drew flak from the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) government in Andhra Pradesh. Education Minister Botsa Satyanaayan took a dig at Ajay Kumar with the remark that they have no objection if he demands unification of the two Telugu states to once again create united Andhra Pradesh.

A couple of days after this, the Telangana government complained to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti over what it calls illegal schemes constructed under Polavaram irrigation project.

A senior official of Telangana government wrote to the secretary of the Union Ministry, raising objection to unapproved irrigation schemes.

Telangana termed this as a matter of great concern not only for it but also for other upper riparian states as Andhra Pradesh can draw and utilise more waters than it was allocated.

It urged the Centre to ensure that the capacity and drawals from the two canals under Polavaram project are limited to designated discharges and ensure drawal as per the approved demand table.

The Telangana government urged the Centre to direct Andhra Pradesh to utilize only 493 tmcft of assured waters.

Conceived at a cost of just Rs 6.5 crore before India achieved the Independence to now a whopping Rs 55,000 crore, Polavaram is often described as the most jinxed project in the country.

The project is likely to irrigate over seven lakh acres in Andhra Pradesh, producing 960 megawatt (MW) of hydel energy, providing drinking water to 28.50 lakh people in 611 villages and divert 80 tmcft water to the Krishna river basin.

The work on the much-awaited project began in 2005 but missed many deadlines. The previous deadline set for completion of the project was April 2022.

Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti, Bishweswar Tudu told Rajya Sabha on July 19 that low spending capacity, inadequate construction and contract management, lack of strategic planning and coordination as well as the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in the delay. The project is now likely to be completed by June 2024.

The latest row over Polavaram created a new dispute between the two Telugu states. Telangana was so far only raising the issue of unauthorised projects in Krishna basin. It had been urging the Centre to ask Andhra Pradesh to stop work on Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme and Rajolibanda Diversion Schemes.

Ever since the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh to carve out Telangana state in 2014, the two states have been sparring over sharing of river waters, especially Krishna river water.

Recently, the two states were engaged in a bitter row over generation of power at Srisailam hydel station by Telangana.

Andhra Pradesh had taken strong exception to power generation but Telangana had defended its move saying there was no other way to meet its large requirement of power for its lift irrigation schemes.

Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) had told Telangana that power generation at Srisailam would be allowed only after meeting the water requirements for irrigation and drinking water purposes in Krishna basin.

Telangana officials had alleged that Andhra Pradesh was raising the issue of power generation to divert attention from Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Scheme (LRIS) and other projects being built by it illegally.

At the KRMB meeting, Telangana had also raised the demand for allocation of Krishna water between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the ratio of 50:50 per cent. The board, however, decided to retain water sharing in the river between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in the ratio of 66:34 like the last seven years since bifurcation of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana shared 811 tmcft in the ratio of 512:299 tmcft. Claiming that the agreement to share water in this ratio was temporarily fixed for 2015-16, Telangana wanted the ratio revised to 50:50 till an award was delivered by the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal - II.

It argued that the state's requirement in Krishna increased considerably after the completion of Kalwakurthy, Nettempadu and Bheema lift-irrigation projects.

Andhra Pradesh also wanted the ratio to be revised to 70:30 per cent but the board ruled out any revision.

It also raised objection to the construction of Palamuru Rangareddy, a massive lift irrigation project by Telangana in the guise of drinking water scheme without the Central Water Commission's approval and necessary environmental clearance to lift 90 tmcft.
New Delhi, July 24 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday slammed the Trinamool Congress and said that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's silence over the arrest of the state's Commerce and Industries Minister and close confidante Partha Chatterjee is an admission of corruption committed by the latter.

Chatterjee was arrested on Saturday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the recruitment irregularities in West Bengal School Service Commission when he was the state Education Minister.

West Bengal BJP Co-incharge Amit Malviya tweeted: "Nothing else explains Mamata Banerjee's silence on Partha Chatterjee, her close confidant, now in jail, except an admission of the crime, when she had hit the road to defend a police officer! Mamata may be trying to distance herself from Partha, but their association is well known." Hitting out at the West Bengal Chief Minister, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Saturday said: "In a well-planned conspiracy, Mamata Banerjee is trying to target the central law enforcement agencies and its senior officers and spreading lies so that her political and financial crimes remain under the carpet and are not made public. It is a ploy to hush up cases of massive corruption and scam of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government." Referring to ED seizures made from Chatterjee's close associate, Chandrasekhar added: "Ironically till a few days ago West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee used to praise her Minister Partha Chatterjee and his associates for their 'good work', now the entire world knows what kind of work they were doing. It is because of the 'good work' that illegal money and property worth crores is being accumulated." BJP National Vice-President Dilip Ghosh said: "A few days ago Chief Minister Banerjee had openly praised Minister Chatterjee and his close female associate. It is also a truth that under Banerjee's government, the recruitment process has never been fair and transparent, and in every government recruitment process there has been massive corruption and nepotism.

"Mamata Banerjee claims that she knows everything, but she does not know what her Ministers are doing."
Prague, July 24 : The Czech Republic has reported rising Covid-19 hospitalizations since the end of June due to the more contagious sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5 of the Omicron variant.

According to the latest data published by the Health Ministry, current hospitalized Covid-19 cases in the country rose to 820 on July 22, compared with 529 a week ago, reports Xinhua news agency.

The hospitalization number has been the highest since the end of April. In June, only around 100 Covid patients were in hospitals, and in early July, about 200, data showed.

On July 11, the country registered more than 2,000 new cases for the first time since late April, and the daily tally climbed to 3,235 on July 19.

In the last seven days, 15,310 new cases were recorded in the country, nearly 4,600 more than in the previous seven-day period, according to the data.

On July 18, the country started to administer a second booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to all people aged over 18, said the Ministry, noting that it recommended the shot especially to people aged over 60 and younger high-risk patients.

The Health Ministry has also recommended the use of face masks in medical and social facilities, in public transport and in places with a large concentration of people.

The Czech Republic, with a population of about 10.5 million, has registered more than 3.96 million Covid-19 cases and 40,383 deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020.

Nearly 6.9 million people in the country have been fully vaccinated.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Vicky Kaushal on seven years of Masaan.(photo:instagram) Image Source: IANS News

Vicky Kaushal on seven years of Masaan.(photo:instagram) Image Source: IANS News

Mumbai, July 24 : Bollywood heartthrob Vicky Kaushals debut film as a lead, 'Masaan', has completed seven years in Hindi cinema and the actor has expressed gratitude towards it.

Vicky took to Instagram, where he shared some glimpses of the film, directed by award-winning filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan.

"7 saal ho gaye! Dil se shukriya.#Masaan (It's been 7 years. A heartfelt gratitude)," he wrote as the caption for the movie, which has achieved cult status since its release.

Vicky's co-star from the film Shweta Tripathi took to the comment section and posted a 'namaste' emoji.

Filmmaker Zoya Akhtar said: "What a film and how sublime were you? Congratulations." Ghaywan dropped a series of emoticons including balloons, fire and a train.

Vicky's close friend and actor Ishaan Khatter called the special day a 'Masaan day' for the actor.

"Happy masaan day @neeraj.ghaywan@vickykaushal09," he wrote.

'Masaan' is an independent drama film, which also stars Richa Chadda. The film deals with the issues of a casteist society and shows the tragic love story between a lower caste boy and an upper caste girl.

The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival winning two awards.
Varanasi, July 24 : A scuffle took place between devotees and four temple servants inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

The CCTV footage of the incident has now gone viral on the social media.

In the footage, temple servants and the two devotees are seen shoving each other in what appears to be the inside area of the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

According to reports, the incident took place on Saturday evening, when an 'aarti' was underway at the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.

The devotees insisted on having a darshan even when the doors were shut. What started as an argument almost came to blows when the devotees and temple servants started pushing each other inside the sanctorum.

The devotees were taken out of the sanctorum and temple servants sent a letter to the temple administration apprising them of the incident. They accused the police of non-cooperation.

Meanwhile, the two devotees have filed a police complaint against five people, including the four temple servants, after the incident, alleging assault.

A few days ago, there was a similar dispute between the state police and the temple staff regarding darshan. The staff reportedly sat on dharna and the issue was resolved later.
Sanaa, July 24 : A total of 13 children were injured in an attack carried out by the Houthi militia against a residential neighbourhood in Yemen's southwestern province of Taiz, a security official said.

"Mortar shells were fired randomly by the Houthis on residential houses of a densely populated neighbourhood in the southwestern part of Taiz during the past hours," the official told Xinhua news agency.

"A total of 13 children were injured as a result of the shells that landed indiscriminately on the residential area controlled by the government," he said.

The attack coincided with the arrival of a high-ranking UN delegation to Taiz, the third largest city in Yemen, to push the warring sides in Yemen to extend the truce that expires on August 2.

During the past days, Yemen's Houthis carried out a series of attacks against various areas of the war-ravaged Arab country, as UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg stepped up his effort to extend the Yemeni truce.

Several rounds of negotiations between the government and the Houthis were conducted under the auspices of the UN but failed to achieve any progress toward ending Yemen's years-long military conflict.

The Houthi militia backed by Iran set new conditions to accept the UN proposal to extend the truce with the Saudi Arabia-led coalition for another six months.

As hopes for truce extension begin to fade, political observers said that the possible failure to break the years-long political stalemate on Yemen's issue will badly affect the Yemeni people aspiring for permanent peace.

The truce in Yemen, first enforced on April 2 and renewed for another two months on June 2, will expire on August 2.

"An extended and expanded truce will increase the benefits to the Yemeni people," Grundberg's office said in a statement, adding that the truce will also provide a platform to build more confidence between the parties and start serious discussions on economic priorities.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed government out of the capital Sanaa.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 4 million, and pushed the poor Arab country to the brink of starvation.
Lisbon, July 24 : The first batch of 13 projects for the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) were signed in Lisbon to receive funds from the European Union (EU) to overcome the post-pandemic economic crisis.

The projects were selected through the program "Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation" in the sectors of agri-food, biotechnology, and electric mobility, reports Xinhua news agency.

According to Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Portugal will receive a total of 1.6 billion euros ($1.63 billion) from the EU for the program.

Still, there is a "possibility of adding another 2.3 billion euros" if Portugal uses loans from the EU, he said.

Costa said that the funds will be used to "structurally change the profile of the Portuguese economy", and create "high-technology exporting sectors".

In addition to the 13 projects financed, there are still another 38 ones that have already been selected to receive European funds in the coming months.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 : AICC general secretary, organisation, and former Alappuzha MP K.C. Venugopal has flayed the Kerala government for posting Sriram Venkataraman as the district collector of Kerala.

Venugopal, who was a former Union minister and minister in Kerala, said that posting Venkataraman who is a "tainted" officer in a district like Alappuzha was indeed disappointing.

Interacting with mediapersons at Kozhikode where he is participating in the two-day 'Chintan Shivir', Venugopal said that Venkataraman is an accused in a drunken driving case wherein he had lost control over his car and rammed into a journalist who was on the side of a road in Thiruvananthapuram, killing him instantly.

Thiruvananthapuram bureau chief of a Siraj newspaper, K.M. Basheer was killed by a car that rammed into him in the wee hours of August 4, 2018, and found that it was Venkataraman who was at the wheel.

There were several allegations of police and bureaucratic high-handedness to clear Venkataraman of the charges and even though the court sentenced him to judicial custody, the powerful bureaucratic lobby saved him, and he was admitted to a hospital citing serious medical condition.

The Congress has come out strongly against the posting of Venkataraman as the Alappuzha district collector with the former MLA and former President of Alappuzha DCC, A.M. Shukoor strongly opposing it.

Shukoor said that Venkataraman was a tainted person and his posting in Alappuzha as district collector was not acceptable.

Shukoor told IANS, "We are contemplating on an agitation against this posting. The government must not have posted him as a district collector as it would give a wrong message to the general public." Senior Congress leader and former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala opposed the appointment of Venktaraman as Alapuzha district collector.

Speaking to IANS, the senior leader who is an MLA from Haripad in Alappuzha district said, "Government must immediately reconsider the decision. Why such a controversial bureaucrat is being foisted on the people of Alappuzha."
And the company jumps when he blows reveille, hes the boogie-woogie bugle boy of Company B. -- Written by Don Raye and Hughie Prince, and first recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1941.

Funny, isnt it, how our parents influenced our musical tastes? My father liked to whistle and my mother sang in the kitchen, but it wasnt until 1965, when they bought a console stereo phonograph (the description sounds as archaic as Conestoga wagon), that they revealed their true musical preferences.

Dad liked Red Foley and Eddie Arnold. He liked to sing a Dizzy Gillespie tune, Lucky ol Sun, whenever he was doing yard work and I wasnt. He sang snatches of songs about kisses sweeter than wine, dogs named Shep and making the world go away. Those songs were OK, but my adolescent world tilted on its axis when Dad brought home an album by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass: Whipped Cream and Other Delights. Mom didnt approve of the risque album cover, but I was thoroughly impressed by fathers taste in, ahem, music.

It was my mothers musical tastes, though, that influenced me the most. She loved the Big Band music of Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey, and the harmony of the Andrews Sisters, but her soul resonated like a blue note whenever she heard boogie-woogie. To say she loved boogie-woogie is an understatement. Does the Pope wear a funny hat? Does a bear  I mean, does Barb love to boogie-woogie? Whenever she heard that boogie beat, she became a force of nature.

Some mothers teach their sons to sew; mine taught me to jitterbug. Do I hear that telltale eight-to-the-bar? Run Tommy, run! Momma gotta dance! If her husband wont jitterbug, then little Tommy was destined for the dance floor and what would evolve into a 40-year dance lesson.

You would think an adolescent boy would rather die a thousand deaths by dishwashing than dance with his mother in public, but I never refused her call to the dance floor. There was something brilliant and marvelous in her beaming smile that always overcame my initial embarrassment. Anyone could see that the gal just loved to dance. Anyone could see in her grace and energy and style that she was an excellent dancer. I saw it up close.

There I was, rhythmic as an oak fence post, while all around me Boogie-Woogie Barbara pulled and twirled and moved her feet. When the music ended, her beautiful face glistened.

Then, just when I would sink panting onto my chair, the diabolical bandleader would start a new beat, and with a toot toot toot toot diddle-ee-ada-toot-diddle-ee-ada toot toot, Mom would smile at me with her wide blue eyes and nod toward the dance floor. I would grab a quick sip of my ginger ale and wed head back out to where the jitterbug allowed Boogie-Woogie Barbara to be her unfettered self. Thank you for the dance, Mom. It was a pleasure.
Manila, July 24 : A shooting incident reportedly occurred at a university campus in the Philippines on Sunday, according to the local media.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) confirmed that the shooting took place at 2.55 p.m. at the gate of Ateneo De Manila University in Quezon City, reports Xinhua news agency.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the law school's graduation ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

The campus is "currently on lockdown", the university said.

The Philippine National Police are already on site to search for the active shooter.

Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back".
Amaravati, July 24 : Three Karnataka police officers were killed and three others injured in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district on Sunday.

The accident occurred along the Tirupati-Chittoor highway when the car in which they were travelling overturned and fell off the road after hitting a road divider.

The accident took place near Choutapalli village in Puthalapattu mandal early Sunday morning when the vehicle was heading to Tirupati from Chittoor.

Sub-inspector Avinash, Constable Anil and the driver died on the spot. Another Sub-Inspector Dixit and Constables Shravan and Basava were injured. The locals shifted the injured to a nearby government hospital.

The Karnataka police team from Bangalore came to Chittoor district to arrest 'ganja' (cannabis) smugglers.

Chittoor District Superintendent of Police, Y. Rishanth Reddy and other officials visited the spot.

The local police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter.
Lucknow, July 24 : Three sharp shooters from Bihar were injured in an encounter with the police in Lucknow on Sunday.

The sharp shooters belong to the Raees Khan gang of Bihar, according to police officials. They are wanted in the murder of Virendra Thakur.

DCP east Prachi Singh said that the police had received a tip off about the presence of criminals in the area.

"The police force from Ashiana and Cantt area reached the area and tried to intercept the three who were on a bike. They opened fire on the police and were injured when we retaliated," she told reporters.

The police have recovered weapons including a country made gun and bike or the possession of the criminals.

The injured criminals have been admitted to a hospital for treatment. All three have received bullet injuries in their legs.
New Delhi, July 24 : The ongoing Delhi Excise Policy, which has been shrouded with much controversy, is likely to be extended by two more months as it expires on July 31.

The new revised policy for 2022-23 was supposed to be implemented from June 1 but has been delayed for some reasons.

The Delhi Cabinet approved the Revised Excise Policy 2022-23 and the new proposals by the excise department and the group of ministers on May 5, but final approval for amendments and implementation on the ground has to be done by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena.

However, the new policy has not been sent to LG for approval which has caused the extension of this controversial ongoing policy. The department is mandated to come out with a revised policy every financial year.

The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, which should have been replaced by the revised policy of 2022-23, has already been extended twice for two months each - firstly by May 31 and secondly by July 31 and now again it is likely to be extended for two months.

Talking on the issue, a source said that the work to implement the new policy is in progress, but that may not be completed in time to implement from August 1.

However, the AAP government under the revised excise policy 2022-23, is planning to allow restaurants, bars and clubs to stay open till 3 am to promote city's nightlife, allow home delivery of liquor, discontinue the compulsion opening of two liquor stores per ward, allow retailers to sell liquor chocolates and cigars etc to provide a better walk-in experience to consumers.

Meanwhile, the Delhi LG has recommended a CBI probe into the current policy which has "deliberate and gross procedural lapses". The policy has been alleged to provide post tender undue benefits to liquor licensees for the year 2021-22.

According to a source, the LG has found "substantive indications" of a financial "quid pro quo" at the "top political level".

The source said that taking the serious note of the "gross violations and deliberate lapses" in the formulation, amendment and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, that came to the fore in the Chief Secretary's report to the LG and Chief Minister under Rule 57 of ToBR, the Governor has also asked the Chief Secretary, GNCTD to submit a detailed report about the role played by officers and civil servants in the entire matter.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 : The Communist Party of India (CPI) has come out strongly against the CPM, saying that there was a deliberate attempt to brand the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala as Pinarayi Vijayan government.

Party members who were participating in the Thiruvananthapuram district committee meeting spoke about the need for internal discussions on the government. They said that there were no such attempts in the previous LDF governments led by E.K. Nayanar, P.K. Vasudevan Nair or V.S. Achuthanandan, asserting that branding an LDF government was not acceptable according to communist ideals.

The party members also flayed the home ministry under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and said that the state police was drawing flak from the general society for its failures and even its highhandedness including lockup torture and murders. The members that the Chief Minister travelling in a cavalcade of more than 40 vehicles was unheard of in the history of Kerala, also charged the state CPI leadership for keeping a studied silence on the matter.

The members stated that the state CPI leadership was not giving any concrete opinion on the environmental issues being mishandled by the Left government led by the CPM. The members also said that the K-Rail was a classic example in which the government and the Left front became unacceptable to the general public.

They also came out against the state leadership for losing Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat to Congress' Shashi Tharoor. The party leaders told the state leadership to start election work in the constituency with immediate effect.

Shashi Tharoor has been winning from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat continuously since 2009.
Manila, July 24 : At least three people were killed and two others injured on Sunday during a shooting incident at a university in the Philippines, police said.

The Metro Manila Development Authority confirmed that the shooting took place at 2.55 p.m. at the gate of Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, reports Xinhua news agency.

"A guard was killed," Quezon City Police District Director Remus Medina told local media.

The Philippine National Police said the shooter seized a car and attempted to escape, but was caught up by the police.

The National Bureau of Investigation agents were also dispatched to the field "to investigate and extend assistance to the victims and school authority".

The campus is "currently on lockdown", said the university.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the law school's graduation ceremony on Sunday afternoon, which was cancelled in the wake of the incident.

Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back".
Amreli : , July 24 (IANS) A farm labourer from Madhya Pradesh was killed and eaten by a pair of lions in Gujarat's Amreli district, forest officials said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening and the deceased has been identified as Bhaidesh Bulabhai.

Deputy Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Gir East, Rajdeep Singh Zala, told IANS that they received a call from the Nani Dhari village of Khambha taluka on Saturday evening informing that a farm labourer from Madhya Pradesh was attacked by lions and was missing.

Several forest department teams were deputed in three wildlife ranges to search for the youth and the lion couple.

At around 3.30 a.m. on Sunday, a forest team was able to locate the male lion and tranquilised it. The big cat was be shifted to Gir Lion Care Centre and kept under observation.

The Forest Department team was able to locate just two legs of the youth, however, the search for the rest of the youth's body and the lioness is underway, Zala said He said attacks by lions on humans were not new but the way the youth was killed was "surprising", adding that it is possible that the youth might have gone too close to the lion couple as they were mating.
Ahmedabad, July 24 : In a shocking incident, a retired Transport Department official battered his son to death after an argument, chopped his body into pieces, and dumped them in different locations of Ahmedabad in the last four days, police said on Sunday.

Accused, Nilesh Joshi, was arrested from Rajasthan on Sunday morning.

Addressing the media, Joint Commissioner of Police, Prem Veer Singh, said: "Nilesh Joshi is a retired Inspector of the state transport service. His son, Swayam, was an alcoholic. The father-son duo had an argument over the latter's drinking problem on either Monday or Tuesday and in a fit of rage, he hit his son with a pestle on his head for at least seven to eight times and killed him." Joshi then chalked out a plan to conceal his crime. Buying an electric cutter and plastic sacks, he cut up his son's body into three pieces, packed the first half in a sack and dumped it in Vasna area and the second half in Ellisbridge. However, the victim's head has not been found yet, the official added.

The accused, who had also planned to flee to Nepal, had boarded a Surat-Gorakhpur train. However, the police tracked him down when the train reached Rajasthan and nabbed him.

Joshi's wife lives with their daughter in Germany.

The police will produce him before the court and seek his custody to ascertain more details about the crime, including finding the location of the body's missing head.
Patna, July 24 : Three persons were killed while four others were injured in an explosion in Bihar's Saran district on Sunday afternoon.

The explosion took place in the house of a person named Riyaz Mian in Khodaibagh village under Khaira police station, where firecrackers were kept in large quantities.

Riyaz Mian is a firecracker trader, who allegedly sold crackers illegally during marriages.

The explosion was so intense that his house was completely destroyed while cracks appeared in more than six adjoining houses. The police and firemen have recovered three bodies from the from the debris, including a woman and a child, which are yet to be identified.

According to the local police, five more persons are trapped inside the debris which could further increase the death toll.

The injured persons have been admitted to the Sadar hospital in Chhapra where their condition is stated to be critical.
Srinagar, July 24 : Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi visited the Amarnath cave shrine on Sunday where he interacted with the members of J&K Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Indian Army.

A defence statement said: "During his visit, Lt Gen Dwivedi commended the security personnel for their selfless service during the recent cloud burst incident." At least 16 people were killed while 40 others were injured in flash floods near the cave shrine on July 8.

Timely action taken by the security forces, including the Army, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), helped evacuate over 15,000 pilgrims to safer places during the flash floods.

These teams also retrieved bodies of the deceased from the debris.
100 years ago

1922: The fire that burned Jose Salas home Tuesday night brought a renewal of protests against the disobliging tactics of the telephone company. The fire department is made up of volunteers. Several of them did not hear all the whistle blasts announcing the location of the fire. Some who did, because of the size of the district it was in, to save time in getting there, called up Central to find out where the fire was. Central knew, but absolutely refused to give the information. Several of the volunteer firemen had to sally out in the storm to hunt for the fire. The engine had reached there sometime before the first of the volunteer firemen. The girls at the telephone exchange are not to blame. They are acting under the arbitrary instructions of the telephone management, which has the use of the city streets, has the patronage of the people, and seems more and more to be adopting tactics of the public be damned. Give them the very least you can for their money. The telephone service in Flagstaff is nothing to boast of. The patience of the people with the poor everyday service would be greater if the company were to be at least decently courteous toward the public from which its revenues are derived.

A committee of public-spirited men is convinced that the pictures taken last week -- and which will be released according to agreement -- will get Flagstaff the publicity it deserves. The artistic quality of the films, which are to be 500 feet in length, is assured as the operator was one of the four principal photographers of the four horsemen, and he has also been associated with several other big movie undertakings. The chamber of commerce will get one real, while the Normal School will receive 225 feet of film, mostly relating to activities of that institution, that will be released for advertising the work being done there. The Normal film alone would give the town great publicity that could not be gotten in any other way. These pictures will put Flagstaff on the map. Funding for the pictures has come from the town council, the board of supervisors, the Arizona Central Bank, the Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, the Babbitt Brothers Trading Company and the Northern Arizona Normal School.

75 years ago

1947: A contract has been let to the Womack Construction Company of Phoenix for the $100,000 plus improvement program at Flagstaff Orpheum theater, it was announced today. Work will get underway Aug. 1. A spokesperson for the Orpheum theater said, We are indeed very happy that work is to be started on the new Orpheum. It is the realization of an ambition we have long cherished, to provide Flagstaff with a thoroughly modern theater. As has been the case with many other things, shortages, restrictions, nonavailability of equipment, and other causes precluded construction at an earlier date, but now work will be rushed with all possible speed in order that the new theater will be opened just as quickly as possible.

Ira McIntyre, 45, is being detained in the Coconino County jail pending filing of charges in the death of Jim White, 38, about midnight Saturday at the Ralph Miller logging camp southeast of Flagstaff. A coroner's jury found that White met his death from a gunshot wound in the chest, resulting from the firing of a .22 rifle in the hands of McIntyre. The shooting is said to have followed an argument resulting from a card game. According to the county attorney who investigated the shooting along with the sheriff, the men had been playing cards and drinking during the afternoon. An argument between White and another man resulted, and following this argument, the men returned to their sleeping quarters about midnight. White went to his house trailer, then decided to return to the bunkhouse and apologize to one of the men for his part in the argument. Upon his return to the bunkhouse, he was shot and killed by McIntyre. The motive is not clear.

50 years ago

1972: Directors of the Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce commended the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Highway Department for its work in realigning a 3 1/2-mile stretch of Forest Highway 3 bordering Mormon Lake. Environmental and wildlife groups have filed a lawsuit attempting to stop continued construction of the road and contesting the federal governments highway standards for roads that traverse scenic and wildlife areas. The board approved a recommendation from its roads and highways committee asking that the realignment be supported. The board based its support on the fact that the existing road was inadequate to accommodate the increasing numbers of vehicles that use FH 3 for commercial and recreational purposes and that environmental considerations dictated that the stretch of road in question be rerouted.

The Flagstaff City Council today saw a proposed townhouse development at Continental Country Club that will add an estimated 76 units of housing to the rapidly developing resort area and at the same time strive to preserve the areas natural beauty. The tentative plan, which required no action from Council, was first presented by the city planner -- who gave it his wholehearted endorsement. It was expanded upon in a further presentation by the architect. The units involved range from one bedroom up to three and four bedrooms, and would encompass between 1,000 and 1,600 square feet in most instances. The desire of the developers is to create something that is indigenous to Flagstaff and to maintain the existing beauty of the area. The townhouses would be erected in cluster units and eventual owners would receive all the privileges of the nearby country club.

25 years ago

1997: It has been a long drought, but the greater Flagstaff Economic Council announced at its annual meeting Wednesday that it has landed its first national business expansion to Flagstaff since 1995. Sterner and Klein, Inc., a national teleservices company out of Rockville, Maryland, with a big contract to sell America Online service to current and former subscribers, announced Wednesday that it will open a phone center in Flagstaff that will employ at least 200 people with an annual payroll of $3 million. Sterner and Klein is a private corporation that does not disclose its annual sales, but it employs 350 telemarketing representatives and operates in Boise as well as Rockville. The company will occupy a 23,000-square-foot building on University Avenue in The Woodlands Village area in southwest Flagstaff that it will refurbish for $1,000,000. The jobs will start at $7 an hour plus commission on sales -- which likely will bring the wage up to $8 in an hour. Additionally, the company will offer full benefits to employees who work 30 hours a week and any employee will be eligible to put in those hours. The company will also provide amenities such as an exercise room and a cyber cafe. Initially Sterner and Klein will hire 80 people, but that number will swell toward 200 within its first year.

An Immigration and Naturalization Service raid targeting Flagstaff hotels and restaurants resulted in the arrest of 66 illegal aliens this week. Twelve agents conducted the sweep of 80 businesses Monday through Wednesday, and the number of arrested workers could triple after agents return to inspect additional worker documentation next week. Agents started the raid on Lucky Lane near Interstate 40 and Butler Avenue that is packed with hotels and restaurants. By Monday evening 26 aliens were arrested. Sixty-three of those arrested were voluntarily returned to Mexico by government vehicle. Aliens who want to fight to stay in the United States can request a deposition hearing. Agents arrested workers at 42 of the businesses they contacted and have not yet determined if employers are being duped by fake papers or if they are knowingly hiring illegal workers. Counterfeit documents are very, very prominent. Aliens who were arrested were taken to the Coconino National Forest Parks and Ranger sSation, where they were photographed, and the arrest was documented.
Chennai, July 24 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on the accused in the case related to the murder of Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) functionary, Ramalingam in Thanjavur.

The PMK leader was killed in 2019 and police had registered a case against 18 accused.

Twelve of the accused were arrested immediately. After the case was transferred to the NIA, the agency arrested one person, Rahman Sadiq (41), a key conspirator of the murder.

The NIA is on the lookout for the remaining five accused -- Mohammed Ali Jinnah (37), Abdul Majid (40), Shahul Hamid (30), Burhanidhin (40), Nafil Hassan (31), who have been already declared proclaimed offenders.

An NIA official said that the agency had earlier announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh and has now increased it to Rs 5 lakh.

The investigating agency has put posters of the accused across Tamil Nadu and pamphlets have been distributed throughout the state.

Ramalingam (45), a senior functionary of the PMK, was allegedly murdered by the Popular Front of India (PFI) and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) activists on February 5, 2019.

The NIA had filed charge sheet naming 18 PFI and SDPI activists for allegedly killing Ramalingam for interfering in their "religious propagation activity".

The NIA in its charge sheet also mentioned that the PFI and SDPI wanted to create terror among people and prevent further "intervention" in the "religious conversion activities" carried out by the organisations.
Jammu, July 24 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that India is "well equipped" to give befitting reply to "anyone who casts an evil eye on us".

Addressing an event to commemorate 'Kargil Vijay Diwas, he said: "India has become a strong and confident nation which is well equipped to protect its people from anyone who tries to cast an evil eye.

"It is the spirit of national pride at the core of our values that protects the unity and integrity of India." He asserted that the sole aim of the Narendra Modi government is to safeguard the interests of the nation and it has taken a series of steps to develop a self-reliant defence ecosystem that provides indigenous state-of-the-art weapons/equipment to the armed forces to fight all kinds of future wars.

"Our priority is to achieve Aatmanirbharta in defence as it is central to developing a robust security apparatus for the safety and security of the nation.

"To realise this vision, 68 per cent of the defence budget has been earmarked for procurement of defence equipment from domestic sources. From a net importer, we have now become a net exporter which is not only catering to our own needs, but is also fulfilling the requirements of our friendly countries, in line with the 'Make in India, Make for the World' vision," he said, adding that due to the recent measures taken by the government, India today finds itself among the top 25 exporters of the world in defence items.

"We have set a target to achieve Rs 35,000 crore worth of exports by 2025 and become the top exporter in the times to come. Our aim is to make India a global superpower.

"This will be a fitting tribute to our fallen heroes who made the supreme sacrifice while dreaming of an India which is strong, prosperous, self-reliant and victorious," Rajnath Singh said.

On the numerous challenges faced by India, post-independence, he said: "The entire area of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh became the 'main war theatre' during 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars, when enemies tried to cast an evil eye, but their plans were thwarted by the gallant Indian soldiers." Highlighting the valorous deeds of Brigadier Mohammad Usman and Major Somnath Sharma in 1948, Major Shaitan Singh in 1962, India's historic victory in 1971 war and the contribution of Kargil bravehearts Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Manoj Pandey who laid down their lives to protect the unity and integrity of India, he said that they continue to be an inspiration to the people, especially the youth.

He also paid respects to the Indian soldiers who displayed unmatched bravery during the Galwan Valley incident and ensured that the Indian tricolour continues to fly high.

"After tasting defeats in direct wars of 1965 and 1971, Pakistan adopted the path of proxy war. For over two decades, it has tried to 'bleed India with thousand cuts'. But, time and again, our brave soldiers have shown that no one can disturb the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India," he added, assuring that the Armed Forces are ready to face all future challenges.

Remembering late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his leadership and words of encouragement to the armed dorces personnel during the Kargil war despite numerous challenges and international pressure, Rajnath Singh termed the victory as a prime example of jointness among the three services and their coordination with the government which safeguarded the sovereignty and integrity of the nation during testing times.

"The Kargil war underlined the dire need to achieve jointness and self-reliance in the defence sector. It has been our endeavour to achieve these qualities to remain prepared for future challenges. Setting up of Joint Theatre Commands and reforms to achieve self-reliance in defence are the steps taken in that direction," he said.

Rajnath Singh also made special mention of the support extended by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the armed forces, commending their commitment to safeguard the interests of the country like all other states.

He stated that Union Territory will always be an integral part of the country and the government is ensuring that it, like the rest of the nation, touches newer heights of progress.

Terming Article 370 as an artificial legal barrier, he asserted that its abrogation brought a new dawn of hope to the dreams and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth. The decision opened new avenues for the welfare of the people and the UT is now progressing at a much faster rate, he added.

On PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, the minister said that these areas are illegally occupied by Pakistan and a resolution to free it has been unanimously passed in the Parliament.

A number of serving Armed Forces personnel as well as veterans, including Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain (Hon) Bana Singh, were among those present on the occasion.
New Delhi, July 24 : The National Democratic Teachers' Front (NDTF) has demanded that the University Grants Commission (UGC) should take over the colleges under Delhi University which are funded by the Delhi government to tackle the problems of erratic salaries and inadequate grants, among others.

NDTF President A.K. Bhagi also sought creation of additional posts in Delhi University for accomodating ad-hoc teachers, and implementation of reservation for economically weaker sections.

According to Bhagi, there are about 4,500 ad-hoc teachers working in the Delhi University.

A delegation of teachers met BJP MPs Manoj Tiwari and Parvesh Verma with their demands during which Bhagi apprised Tiwari about the problems of grant and salary irregularities in 12 fully-funded colleges of Delhi government.

He said these problems could only be solved if these colleges funded by the Delhi government are taken over by the UGC under the National Education Policy, with full funding from the Central government.

It may be noted that a provision has been made for the affiliation of colleges in the National Education Policy.

Bhagi apprised the MPs that apart from the 12 colleges, the Delhi government provides 5 per cent grant to 20 colleges under Delhi University. A demand was also made for these colleges to be taken over by the UGC.

Tiwari and Verma assured speedy action in all these issues.
Guwahati, 24 July : Assam police have busted an inter-state drugs racket with the arrest of two persons, including an officer of Manipur Police, a senior official said here on Sunday.

Joint Commissioner of Police Partha Sarathi Mahanta said that a consignment of one lakh Yaba tablets (a mixture of methamphetamine and caffeine) had come from Moreh near the India-Myanmar border which was meant to be sent to Bengaluru via Guwahati.

The accused persons, who have been identified as Thongkipin Haokip and Letmynchin Haokip, were arrested when they were coming to Guwahati in a Tata Nexon car.

One of them is a police officer from Manipur's Moreh district. According to sources, he was involved in the drugs racket for the last four years. However, Mahanta did not reveal his name to the media.

Mahanta also said the market value of Yaba tablets varies from place to place.

"In Bengaluru, Yaba tablets are sold for Rs 2,000 to 2,500 per piece, but it also depends on quality and demand," he said.
New Delhi, July 24 : After the detection of a monkeypox case in the capital on Sunday, which took the nation's case tally to four, city doctors have urged people to remain cautious but not to panic.

Globally, over 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries, including five deaths in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The UN health body on Saturday also declared the infection as a public health emergency of international concern.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that is typically identified with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes along the skin lesions. However, it is a self-limiting disease and the patients recover within four weeks, health experts said.

"First of all, we have to understand that there is no need to panic. People need to be more cautious as monkeypox is a mild infection which has symptoms quite similar to smallpox," said Manisha Arora, senior consultant in internal medicine at Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute.

"Monkeypox is spread among humans by respiratory droplets and contacts with body fluids of patients. Hospital surveillance and isolation of cases remain the main intervention or prevention of infection spread. There is no need to panic," added Harshal Salve, additional professor, Centre for Community Medicine, AIIMS.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry said the 34-year-old male patient from Delhi is presently recovering at a designated isolation centre at the Lok Nayak Hospital.

"Close contacts have been identified and are under quarantine as per the Health Ministry guidelines," it added.

As per the ministry guidelines, public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc. are being carried out.

Monkeypox is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets.

Among the reported monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact.

Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics and clothing carrying infectious skin particles.

In the WHO South-East Asia region, five cases of monkeypox have been reported so far, four from India and one from Thailand.

The infected Delhi man reportedly has no history of foreign travel, but got infected at a stag party in Himachal Pradesh.

"We should all know about the transmission root of this virus. It spreads by close contact, skin-to-skin contact and droplet infection. So, we have to be careful about all these factors," Satish Koul, Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Memorial Research Institute.

However, the need is to increase "efforts and measures t and devoid of stigma or discrimination", Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region, said in a statement.

Manisha Arora suggested "to avoid coming in contact with an ill person and always wash hands properly and use an effective alcohol-based sanitiser.

"Never avoid using masks," he said.

"If you have fever, have recent travel history, or you have come in contact with somebody who has manifested symptoms of monkeypox, you should immediately seek consultation from your physician. As of now, prevention is the cure," said Koul.

Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak
Quetta, July 24 : Protests were held in Turbat and the provincial capital Quetta in Balochistan against the alleged "fake encounter" of Baloch missing persons by the Pakistani security forces in Ziarat, media reports said.

The families of the victims staged a three-day sit-in protest in front of the Governor's house in Quetta and warned that if the culprits of the Ziarat incident are not brought to justice, the protests will be expanded throughout the province indefinitely, Balochistan Post reported.

Hundreds marched in Turbat carrying placards and banners, demanding justice for the victims of the alleged fake encounter.

The BNP-Mengal also carried out a protest in Dalbandin, Dera Allah Yaar, Chaghi, Noshki, Turbat and Jafarabad against the Ziarat incident.

Activists on social media condemned the fake encounter and campaigned for the perpetrators to be given the comeuppance. The hashtag #StopBalochGenocide trended on Twitter in Pakistan for hours, Balochistan Post reported.

The families of the victims were also joined by activists from the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, the National Democratic Party and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee.

The protesters claimed that the nine men killed in the Ziarat incident were Baloch missing persons who were picked up by the Pakistani security forces. The protesters said the victims were killed in a fake encounter by the Pakistani security forces and demanded that the culprits be brought to justice.

The families had lodged FIRs against their "enforced disappearance", entered their names in the missing persons' list and filed applications against their "abduction" in the missing persons' commission of Pakistan.

Furthermore, the families also visited the missing persons' camp in Quetta and participated in demonstrations, asking for the safe recovery of their loved ones.

The Home Minister of Balochistan, Zia Langove, also confirmed that five men had their names on the missing persons' list, Balochistan Post reported.
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states at the party office, in New Delhi on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Photo:IANS/BJP Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states at the party office, in New Delhi on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Photo:IANS/BJP Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrives to attend all BJP Chief Ministers meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at BJP HQ in New Delhi on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi being welcomed by BJP National President JP Nadda as he arrives to attend 'Mukhyamantri Parishad' meeting at BJP HQ in New Delhi on Sunday, July 24, 2022. (Photo: Anupam Gautam/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, July 24 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attended a meeting of Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states.

Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of all the BJP-ruled states are participating the meeting, where BJP chief J.P. Nadda and national General Secretary, Organisation, B.L. Santhosh were also present.

In December last year, Prime Minister Modi held a similar meeting with Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of party-ruled states in Varanasi.

Sources said that the works of BJP ruled state government will be reviewed and suggestions will be given to further strengthen public welfare and development works.
Chennai, July 24 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to give necessary directions to the concerned authorities and ministries to make necessary amendments in the relevant Central acts for allowing medical students who have returned from war-torn Ukraine to complete their education in Indian institution.

His demand came soon after the Parliament was told that the National Medical Commission does not permit to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students to any Indian medical college or university.

Stalin, in the letter, pointed out that even though the reply in the Parliament was given in response to steps taken in certain states regarding admission to medical colleges, this has brought to light the uncertain future of medical students who came back to the country from war-torn Ukraine, thus, dropping their medical education midway.

He said that considering the present situation in Ukraine, it may not be practically possible for the students to return to colleges there and that uncertainty will prevail even after the war ends.

According to him, since the commencement of war in Ukraine, around 2,000 medical students have returned to Tamil Nadu, thus, making it the state with the maximum number of Ukraine returnees.

If the government is having difficulties in amending the relevant Central acts for medical admission, then it should take necessary steps at the earliest to provide the students with an alternative option to continue their education in foreign universities with similar regulations and academic ambience, he said.

The Tamil Nadu government would provide full cooperation to all the efforts taken by the Prime Minister and the Centre in this matter, he added.
Quetta, July 24 : Pashtun leader and Member of Pakistan National Assembly, Mohsin Dawar, said he was again stopped from entering Balochistan again, Balochistan Post reported.

Taking to Twitter, Dawar said that he and Afrasiab Khattak were unceremoniously stopped from entering Balochistan, and their flight was rerouted to the federal capital Islamabad.

Dawar was travelling to Quetta to participate in the provincial conference of his party when he was not allowed to set foot in Balochistan and his flight was diverted to Islamabad. Dawar said that some elements were "making noise" over the announcement of his travel to Balochistan. He said the airlines had made "lame excuses" over diverting the flight. "Troll brigades had been campaigning for us to be stopped since yesterday," Dawar wrote, Balochistan Post reported.

Pashtun leader Khattak said they were not allowed to book another flight for Monday. He said that people imposing bans on travelling to Balochistan must contemplate the consequences of leaving the people of Balochistan alone in an "atmosphere of terror".

This is not the first time that the Pashtun leader has been stopped from travelling from Balochistan. He was stopped several times in the past few years on the pretext of "security". In September 2020, Dawar was barred from leaving the airport after landing in Quetta. The airport security had told him that he had been banned from entering Balochistan for 90 days "in the best interest of public peace and safety".

A month later, Dawar was once again not allowed entry into Balochistan and barred from leaving the airport after landing in the provincial capital. Dawar said that he had been "detained at Quetta airport" along with a friend. "Once again our rights are being violated by state above state," he wrote. "I am told its because of security risks. Why are these risks limited to me only? We refuse to be silenced like this. We will not be intimidated", he tweeted, Balochistan Post reported.

The Interior Ministry of Pakistan announced in November 2021 that the three Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement leaders - Dawar, Manzoor Pashteen and Ali Wazir - were banned from entering Balochistan for three months.
New Delhi, July 24 : It is generally known as the 'worst' form of allegation or a crisis to hit any government in Nagaland -- it is called 'tribalism'.

The row pertains to alleged discrimination in fund allocations to various districts and regions in the state where each district is essentially known by its tribal affinity and strongholds.

The Central Nagaland Tribal Council (CNTC) says "the funds should be equally distributed district wise and not tribe wise".

The CNTC comprises three districts of Mokokchung, Wokha and Zunheboto and it claimed that the allocation of funds was "a clear indication of lackadaisical and step-motherly treatment towards central Nagaland".

This would suggest - of course allegedly - that the state government has done discrimination against Aos, Lothas and Semas.

The CNTC has demanded that Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio must review the funds and projects and ensure 'equal distribution'.

The CNTC version was readily endorsed by former Nagaland Chief Minister K.L. Chishi, who said, "I have said this earlier also that Nagas deserve equitable distribution of funds meant for growth and development irrespective of tribal bias or colour." Chishi is a Sema Naga and he contested the 2018 Assembly polls on a BJP ticket, but moved to Congress in 2019 to unsuccessfully contest the Lok Sabha elections.

If the CNTC versions are to be believed, discrimination has taken place in some districts like Zunheboto, which is dominated by Semas.

That way the allegations are that funds have been essentially given to Kohima district (CM Rio hails from this district) and adjoining Dimapur areas, Chumukedima and Phek.

This episode would leave the central BJP aggrieved in Delhi as well as Nagaland Deputy CM Y. Patton and other BJP legislators in the Rio cabinet.

Patton hails from Wokha district and belongs to the Lotha tribe, while state BJP President Temjen Along, also a minister in the state cabinet, is from Ao tribe hailing from Mokokchung district. So, both key BJP leaders are from the central region and now the allegation is that Central Nagaland and communities in this sub-region have been neglected and ignored.

It may be mentioned that the new and development-starved districts of Kiphire and Longleng got no funds from the state Minority Affairs Ministry under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK).

The fact that Chief Minister's own brother Zhaleo Rio is the Minister for Minority Affairs has put the Rio on a tight spot and of course has embarrassed the BJP which is part of the Rio-led 'opposition-less government'.

Another regional party, NPF, is also extending support to the Rio-led coalition regime and as many as 59 legislators (in the 60-member Assembly) recently voted for the NDA's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

The CNTC now wants the Chief Minister Rio to 'review' the fund allocation as per projects and ensure "equal distribution".

"People are angry today... I am worried. People were shell-shocked to find that in some departments, a few districts walked away with Rs 191.7 crore while the rest of Nagaland got Rs 106 crore," Chishi told IANS.

The CNTC also stated in a release that Central Nagaland (comprising Mokokchung, Wokha and Zunheboto districts) has been deprived for the last 20 years.

Incidentally, Rio first became the CM around 20 years back in 2003 and he has been in power for the most period since then, except for his brief spell as a Lok Sabha MP between 2014 and 2018.

The CNTC also urged the 25 legislators of the region to speak up on this matter.

"If they cannot fight for the people, they should resign on moral grounds," the CNTC release stated.

Chishi now apprehends that the state government may land into 'overdraft' crisis as the state finance department will be divested of civil deposits.

"The state government under Rio is in trouble because the Union Finance Ministry has already directed that funds for all centrally sponsored schemes should be deposited with the concerned departments.

"The Nagaland government is, therefore, set to face a huge and unprecedented revenue deficit," Chishi, who once held the finance portfolio, told IANS.

The former Chief Minister said that as the new Chief Minister in 2018, Rio had coined the slogan "Change is Coming".

"If this is the change Rio spoke about, we do not need such changes," Chishi said.

The only achievement of the Rio-led dispensation has been a combination of gross corruption, nepotism, promoting tribalism and an autocratic style of functioning, he said.

"You do not run a welfare state like this. We find these approaches in fables where stepmothers make their stepchildren suffer. People find these things insulting and provocative. It is time to draw lessons from what's going around in countries like Sri Lanka," Chishi cautioned.

To another question, he said, "I would not like to be harsh, but there is already an investigation going on into the high court complex by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The law should take its course." Chishi also said that the only achievement of the Rio regime has been a combination of gross corruption, nepotism, promoting tribalism and an autocratic style of functioning.

Even otherwise, Chief Minister Rio and his government are faced with major challenges.

The newly-floated Rising People's Party has launched an unprecedented online campaign for the dismissal of the Rio government and imposition of President's Rule in the state.

On ground zero, political differences have surfaced between Rio's NDPP and BJP workers. Earlier this week, about 40 NDPP leaders and workers joined the BJP and pledged support to Konngam Konyak, an aspirant for BJP ticket.

If this becomes a trend, the BJP leaders in Delhi would be encouraged to dump the NDPP and contest all the 60 seats on its own in the ensuing Assembly elections due in February-March 2023.

Both Rio and Deputy CM Patton are presently in Delhi where they are likely to call on Home Minister Amit Shah, either separately or together.

(Nirendra Dev is a New Delhi-based journalist. He is also author of the book 'The Talking Guns: North East India'. The views expressed are personal)
WASHINGTON -- For the past eight years, Kevin Hainline has been on speaking tours where he raved about how the images from the James Webb Space Telescope would be spectacular and on the front page of the newspaper.

This week that promise became a reality.

NASA released five stunning full-color images from the telescope showing thousands of far-away galaxies, a dying star, a star being born and a grouping of five galaxies, all with never-before-seen detail.

Seeing these images, I am speechless, they are beautiful, said Hainline, a researcher on the Near Infrared Camera, or NIRCam, science team at the University of Arizona. Im so excited to go on a speaking tour where I get to say, It didnt break, it works, it works, it works.'

Hainline is one of several Arizona scientists who have worked on the telescope, some for decades. They said Tuesday the images came out better than they could have imagined.

Theyre absolutely beautiful, said Rogier Windhorst, a Regents astronomy professor at Arizona State University. We were flabbergasted.

The first image, the sharpest yet of a galaxy 4.6 billion light years away, was unveiled by NASA Monday at the White House. The others, released in a NASA live-stream Tuesday, included a star-forming region that revealed previously invisible areas of star birth and a dying star expelling clouds of gas and dust.

Design of the $10 billion telescope began in 1996 when it was known as Next Generation Space Telescope. Fourteen countries had a hand in the telescope that was originally set for launch in 2007, but delays and redesign pushed the launch to December 2021.

It kept getting pushed back, but now that its here, it works perfectly, said Ryan Endsley, a recent Ph.D. at UArizona who worked on NIRCam. I think that that alone justifies how much time and investment that it took toward getting this thing off the ground and developed, because I do think that it is truly revolutionary.

The Webb Telescope will work alongside the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched in 1990, but the new telescope gives a view of the universe that Hubble could only barely scratch, Hainline said. He said Webb picks up where Hubble cuts off and allows us to see galaxies stretching back to hopefully the beginning of galaxies.

The NIRCam, the primary Webb camera, was developed at UArizona and first proposed about 20 years ago by Marcia Rieke, a Regents professor of astronomy at the school, in collaboration with Lockheed Martin. She runs a team of 25 people who work on the camera.

Another Webb camera, the Mid-Infrared Instrument, or MIRI, was developed at UArizona by a team run by her husband, George Rieke, also a Regents professor of astronomy. His team of seven to eight people worked with scientists in Europe on MIRI.

It was really neat to see the two sides cooperate so well in building the instrument, said George Rieke, who said Europe has a very different space culture.

Both teams work along the same hallway at the Steward Observatory in Tucson, and celebrated the release there Tuesday morning.

The Riekes have done an incredibly beautiful job at ensuring that their instruments are as perfect as can possibly be, Endsley said.

Windhorst leads a team at ASU that works on the telescope. An interdisciplinary scientist for NASA, he said he has been advising the agency about what the science for this telescope ought to be and what kind of specifications it needed to have to function properly to do all that science for almost 21 years.

The release of the images is just the beginning for researchers, who will spend the rest of this year analyzing and taking data from the images to get a better understanding of the galaxies out there. The images released this week will help scientists better understand how galaxies came to be, how black holes work and what else is out there, among other things.

Thomas Beatty, a UArizona assistant research professor who worked on NIRCam, said researchers are really ready to hit the ground running.

After months getting the telescope ready to capture the new images, the NIRCam team is in a bit of a lull right now, but Beatty said it feels like everybody is letting out a breath and right before taking another one back in before we actually work on the science stuff.

After capturing these initial awe-inspiring images, the telescope will now switch to more purely scientific operations, when it will begin being pointed at interesting objects, taking observations and sending data back for analysis.

Its super exciting professionally just thinking about all the great science were going to be able to do in the next year or two, Beatty said.

That stream of data will continue for decades to come.

If this is the first days worth of color images, I am so excited about what the next 20 to 25 years of science is going to come out of this telescope, Hainline said. The images weve seen just are the absolute top of the iceberg of science and discovery.
New Delhi, July 24 : A Delhi court has released a co-accused in a rape case on bail after it found contradictions in the statements of the victim and her friend.

Additional Sessions Judge, Patiala House Courts, Sanjay Khanagwal asked the accused Simraan Khan to furnish a bailbond of Rs 2,000 and a suretly of like amout.

The victim had alleged that Sameer Khan took her to a hotel in Mahipalpur in April and committed rape and later, she was blackmailed and given abortion pills which caused her miscarriage. Simraan Khan was also there at the hotel and was arrested by the police.

Advocate Sanjeev Malik, who was appearing for the accused, argued that there was no evidence that his client offered the victim a cold drink laced with sedatives and broght abortion pills which caused her miscarriages. He also argued that the friend of the victim has stated that the victim never told her that she was raped, blackmailed, or given abortion pills.

"The friend of the victim has stated that accused Simraan Khan and prosecutrix went into some other room whereas, she and Sameer shared another room. She has further stated that prosecutrix never disclosed anything about commission of rape by Simraan Khan and the role of accused Sameer Khan in the same. In view of the contradictions as highlighted from the side of the accused, and role of applicant, let accused Sameer Khan be released on bail on furnishing personal bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 alongwith one surety in the like amount," the court noted.
Colombo, July 24 : Amidst international condemnation of violent attacks on anti- government protesters on early hours of Friday, newly-elected Sri Lanka President

Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he reaffirms the country's commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly and said there are reserved locations around Colombo city for public protests.

He gave the assurance to Colombo-based diplomats while detailing the removal of the protesters who had been illegally occupied the Presidential Secretariat.

He stated that both Article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which governs the rights of peaceful assembly, would be upheld by the government.

Wickremesinghe, who was voted in as President with majority of the former Rajapaksa party, said that the instructions given by the American Civil Liberties Union stated that protesters were not permitted to block government buildings and interfere with

other purposes the property was designed for.

Soon after Sri Lanka military and police carried out violent attacks injuring nearly 50 including protesters, lawyers and journalists, US Ambassador to Colombo, Julie

Chung strongly criticised the state-sponsored attack.

"This is not the time to crack down on citizens, but instead to look ahead at the immediate and tangible steps the government can take to regain the trust of the people, restore stability and rebuild the economy," she tweeted.

On Friday, she met Wickremesinghe and referred to the brutal attacks as "unnecessary and deeply troubling escalation of violence against protesters".

Wickremesinghe has told diplomats that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives and four venues including an open-air theatre at a public part, two playgrounds and a public building have been allocated for non-violent protests.

Several foreign nations and the United Nations, the European Union, Amnesty International condemned the attack carried out within less than 24 hours of Wickremesinghe being sworn in as President.

Amid the unprecedented economic crisis, people launched a massive anti-government protests against Rajapaksa regime, forcing PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cabinet and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.

The UN Human Rights Office condemned the attack, stating: "We have concerns that the raid on the camp sends a chilling message to peaceful protesters, including elsewhere in the country." It stated that it was alarmed by the unnecessary use of force allegedly exerted by Sri Lanka military attacking the protesters with clubs, and wires despite the fact that they had planned to hand over the area to the security on Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile the European Union -- the country's major trading partner which has helped to win trade concession GSP plus to export garments to earn over $5 billion

annually - stressed the need of upholding freedom of opinion and expression and

individual rights of Sri Lankan citizens in the process of a democratic, peaceful

and orderly transition.

Sri Lanka police had justified the removal of protesters with force, claiming that it could not trust the word of protesters who promised to vacate it on Friday afternoon.

"But we were at a position where we couldn't trust them anymore. That is why the forces and the STF removed these members of an illegal gathering from the place," police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told media.

Country's main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya, led by Sajith Premadasa, whose candidate was defeated to Wickremesinghe on Thursday's election, urged the government to summon Parliament on Monday to discuss on the brutal attacks, which the opposition described as a blow to democracy.

Wickremesinghe has appointed pro-Rajapaksa strongman, Dinesh Gunawardena as new PM and a 18-member cabinet most who were loyal to Rajapaksas and people have condemned Wickremesinghe's allegiance to the former regime and protests have already started by Sri Lankan communities in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Chandigarh, July 24 : Punjab Police on Sunday busted an inter-state drug smuggling racket and recovered eight kg opium concealed in a pillow being used by a fake patient lying in an ambulance.

The accused, who were arrested from the Ambala-Chandigarh highway near Dapper village, have been identified as Ravi Shrivastav (28), from Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, currently living in Chandigarh, Harinder Sharma (47), from SAS Nagar and Ankush (27), from Chandigarh.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Ropar Range, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said the busting of the inter-state module has raised serious concerns about the misuse of emergency services.

"It has come to the fore during investigation that how the accused had purchased a second-hand ambulance and started using it for smuggling drugs," he said.

This was at least for the 10-12th time that the accused have used the ambulance to smuggle opium from Bareilly, he added.

According to DIG Bhullar, three Senior Superintendents of Police (SSPs) in the range have been asked to hold meetings with representatives of all hospitals and NGOs in their districts and get the list of ambulances assigned to them so that the police could provide safe passage to genuine patients.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 : After African swine flu was reported in Kerala's Wayanad, the district administration on Sunday began culling of pigs in the district, despite stiff opposition from pig farmers.

The culling of pigs began after the test reports from the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal where the samples were sent to ascertain the disease came positive.

Pigs at two farms in the Mananthavady area of Wayanad tested positive for the diseases and all the animals of one farm died due to it.

Mananthavady Sub Collector Sreelakshmi, who is coordinating the culling operation, told media persons that the farmer who is opposed to the culling of pigs has 360 pigs on his farm and that the administration was able to convince him of the grave situation in the area due to the presence of the disease.

She said that the administration had informed the farmer that culling was being undertaken as per the national protocol to prevent spread of the disease to other areas or farms, and then agreed to cooperate.

The Sub-Collector also said that proper compensation would be provided to the farmers.
New Delhi, July 24 : Notwithstanding the recent incidents of flight diversions due to technical snags and other scares in the air, former Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is also a trained pilot, said that flying remains the safest mode of travel despite a few cases of technical glitches.

"Air travel is still the safest mode of transportation. The IATA World Air Trasport Statistics revealed in 2021 that out of 9.9 lakh flights operated across the world, there was only one accident. Passengers must realise that they are travelling in the safest mode of transportation," said Rudy, who was the Civil Aviation Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government between 2003 and 2004.

He said the main factor responsible for passenger safety is the training of the staff, including the engineers, pilots and other ground support workers, which is of paramount importance.

"Other important factors are maintenance, which lies with the ground support staff, the health of the airlines and the overall infrastructure, which in our case is controlled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," he said.

Talking about the recent incident of a New Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight returning to Patna after being hit by a bird, Rudy said the Patna the airport is situated in the middle of the city, so there are always chances of bird ingestion, which happened recently with the flight which landed in Karachi.

Rudy also said that despite growth, the aviation industry is in distress in India.

"At the policy level, there are macro issues which the government has to address," he said.

Rudy also said that a few airlines may shut shop due to cashflow problems, as the industry is heavily dependent on cash which has a direct impact on safety.

Repeated MELs and snags and swapping spares compromises safety, he added.
Port Of Spain : , July 24 (IANS) India have been fined 20 per cent of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate against the West Indies in the first ODI at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain on Friday.

Richie Richardson of the ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanction after India were ruled to be one over short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration.

"In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time," said an official release from the ICC.

India captain Shikhar Dhawan plead guilty to the offence and accepted the proposed sanction, so there was no need for a formal hearing. On-field umpires Joel Wilson and Leslie Reifer, third umpire Gregory Brathwaite and fourth umpire Nigel Duguid levelled the charge.

India won the first ODI in thrilling fashion by three runs after pacer Mohammed Siraj defended 15 runs in the final over. The visitors' had made 308/7 batting first, with Dhawan (97), Shubman Gill (64) and Shreyas Iyer (54) notching up half-centuries.

In the chase of 309, West Indies were driven by half-centuries from Kyle Mayers (75) and Brandon King (54), backed by cameos from Akeal Hosein (32 not out) and Romario Shepherd (39 not out). The hosts' came very close to the target but fell short by three runs, giving India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Hyderabad, July 24 : Congress' Telangana MLA Komatireddy Rajgopal Reddy on Sunday dropped hints that he will soon switch loyalties to the BJP.

The member from Munugode constituency said that only BJP can defeat the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).

The Congress leader also remarked that switching loyalties is a historic necessity. He told media persons that he feels that the time has come to move to another party.

He said if people of Munugode want, there will be a by-election in the constituency.

Rajgopal Reddy, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi two days ago, claimed that they did not discuss politics, but the situation in Telangana. He alleged that a state, which once had a surplus budget, is now facing a situation where it is not in a position to pay salaries to the government employees. He alleged that the TRS government pushed the state into a debt trap.

He also claimed that after the defeat in Huzurabad by-election, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was making plans to win the by-election in Munugode.

The MLA said though he likes the Congress and has respect for party president Sonia Gandhi, the party has taken some wrong decisions, and is not in a position to take on the TRS.

Without naming state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, he said that he can't work under those who had gone to jail.

Rajgopal Reddy and his brother Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, who is a Congress MP, had openly criticised the appointment of Revanth Reddy as the party chief last year.

While Venkat Reddy recently mended fences with Revanth Reddy, his brother remained a bitter critic of him.

Rajgopal Reddy has been in touch with BJP leaders for more than two years. He, however, delayed the move to switch parties.
Jammu, July 24 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that those criticising the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru must remember not to question either his intention or integrity.

In his address at an event to commemorate the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas', he said that there are a lot of people who criticise Nehru and that "I also belong to a political party... I do not want to criticise any Prime Minister of the country".

"I also do not question the intention and integrity of any Prime Minister. There was no failure in their intention," he said, in a reference to the 1962 India-China war.

"We indeed faced defeat in 1962, but India is no longer that same nation. India is one of the strongest nations now. I don't target the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru for the 1962 debacle. I criticise the policies India adopted then," he asserted.

He said today India is self-sufficient in the field of defence.

"India speaks today and the World listens. India is no longer weak. We can criticise anyone's policies, but we cannot afford to cast a doubt on anyone's intention," he said.
New Delhi, July 24 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday met President-elect Droupadi Murmu at the latter's residence in the national capital.

Patnaik is in Delhi to attend the swearing-in ceremony of India's first tribal President scheduled on Monday. After meeting Murmu, Patnaik said he is honoured that the daughter of Odisha has been chosen to become the first citizen of the country.

"I will be present at her oath-taking ceremony on Monday," Patnaik told reporters.

Murmu secured victory in the Presidential poll on Thursday after defeating Opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha by a huge margin. She will become the 15th President of India.

Murmu hails from Rairangpur in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, which burst into celebrations the moment the news of her victory reached there on Thursday.
Chennai, July 24 : Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, who was expelled from the AIADMK during its July 11 General Council meeting, said that he was appointing office bearers of the party.

The former AIADMK Chief Coordinator said that he was appointing party Rajya Sabha Member R. Dharmar, former MP R. Gopalakrishnan and former legislators V.N.P. Venkitaraman, and Kovai Selvaraj to various posts.

While he still claims that he is still the Coordinator of the AIADMK and that he was appointing these leaders in this capacity, the General Council meeting posted K. Palaniswami as the party's interim General Secretary and expelled Panneerselvam from the party.

The AIADMK was in a major rift since the party lost power in the 2021 Assembly elections with Panneerselvam on the one side and Palaniswami on the other. However, in the General Council meet, it became clear that it was Palaniswami who was calling the shots and that OPS was woefully outnumbered.

The AIADMK is in a process of reinventing with the possibility of the party moving towards the Congress and snapping ties with the BJP. As Palaniswami has become the single power centre in the party, he can take decisions without hindrance.

AIADMK leader CVe Shanmugham, who is a close confidant of Palaniswami, has filed a police complaint at the Royapettah police station against Panneerselvam for barging into the party headquarters along with his supporters. Shanmugham, who is also the former Law minister, in his complaint said that several valuable documents were missing from the AIADMK office.
Bison are a big animal, but this is ridiculous.

Its hard to miss Rilie Tane's newest painting. Its a giant, shaggy bison, seen head on. The beasts big head is, covered in tufts of messy, textured hair, his bright brown eyes staring back at any onlookers. The mural is about 30 feet wide by 40 feet tall. It dominates downtown, and can be seen as far away as the Rims, if you know where to look.

And the artist, whose full name is Riley Tane Zumbrennen, but goes by her middle name when shes making art, is working on one of the grandest canvases in town. Literally. Her big bison mural is on the side of the Grand Building in downtown Billings.

The Grand is best known for being the home of Jakes Downtown, the steakhouse thats been an integral part of Billings dining scene for 40 years. Tane's mural is on the northwestern side of the building, pointing up North 27th Street and up over the Rims, onto the plains where bison once roamed in herds as wide as seas.

The mural is so big that Tane has had to work on it while on a giant boom lift, A Genie S-65 from Midway Rental in Laurel. Its impressive to just watch her in it, the diesel motor humming as she glides along, 40 feet up in the air. Just being in the thing seems terrifying, let alone the idea of trying to lean out and paint from it.

At first it was a little scary, she admitted, and it did make me nervous and feel like I wouldnt be able to paint fully comfortably. But now its just helping me get there.

Tane is from Billings, and graduated from Skyview in 2012. Other than a brief move with her husband to Colorado, shes lived in Billings her whole life.

She isnt formally taught. Instead of art, Tane studied elementary education at Montana state University Billings, and is heading into her third year teaching art for grades K-8 at Elysian. She gets the older kids in the morning to help ease into my day, and the occasionally cat herding-esque task of teaching the elementary students the rest of the day.

Its busy, she confessed, but its fun. I like the variety.

Tane's approach to art is all about variety.

Ive been being creative since I was little, she said. Shes been doing pencil drawings for as long as she can remember, and an interest in acrylic painting started in middle school.

But it was six years ago that she discovered her main medium, pyrography, or wood burning.

Tane's wood burnings are fascinating things. Its all about contrast, the clean veneer of the wood juxtaposed against the colors and textures brought by exposing it to heat. Shell add paint sometimes to make the work pop, but the wood is the star of the show here.

It was a whim, at first. Tane first saw someone doing it at an art walk, and decide to try it out. At first it was aesthetics, she explains. It looked cool.

And it does. Lines and other primary drawings are done with a sauntering tool which can be turned up and down to change shades and values. Then a handled torch is used to soften those lines and shade the piece, adding depth.

But her connection to the work deepened as she did more of it. Tane's husband is a carpenter, and he taught her about different types of wood.

Now Im way more interested in the materials Im using, she said.

Theres something evocative about it. She works mostly in landscapes and animals. Something about depicting the natural world in such a natural medium feels right. Its elemental. Fire usually destroys wood, but she turns it from fuel to art.

Pine is best, but shes also partial to lauan, a type of plywood made from tropical species of trees. Its preferable to have something light, so the black burns really stand out.

No erasure works on burned wood. Tane will use a Dremel to carve mistakes out, which has the added benefit of changing the depth of pieces and adding more dimensions. But thats not always an option.

Sometimes I just have to turn it into something else, she said.

The pyrography is probably her favorite, but Tane is happy to do just about anything artistic.

She takes commissions, and likes to tour the area at small art fairs, selling her wares and picking up commissions as she goes.

All that wood burning practice is what led to the mural, actually. The bison is an adaptation of a wood burning shes done many times.

I dont keep track, but Ive done a lot of them, she said with a laugh.

Maybe thats why shes been so gung-ho about this project. She didnt use a grid system, or a projection to try to trace the drawing. She just went up in the lift and did it.

She started by using sidewalk chalk to draw facial features like the snout and eyes, similar to what she does with pencil on her wood burnings.

I started painting the snout, and then I made sure my eye was proportioned, and then I filled it all in with the fur, she said. She works off a picture of one of her wood burnings she keeps on her phone, but other than that, theres no guide. Shes free-handing a 40-foot-high mural.

She has a self-assured ease about something that sounds impossible, talking about being in a lift and painting from memory like shes discussing a grocery list.

But unlike her bison mural, Tane doesnt have a big head. Shes quick to mention the area artists that helped her with the project. She initially reached out to Elyssa Leininger, who did the murals on the North 13th Street and Sixth Street West underpasses. Ruby Hahn, who painted the flower mural in the Hedden Empire ally, was another helping hand. Rick Lehmen and his crew prepped and painted the entire wall off-white for her. She also worked with the graffiti artists at the Underground Culture Krew, specifically owner Tyson Middle, who Tane said has been helping me non-stop with cool, different advice.

It was all welcome advice, but shes no newbie to the mural world. She also painted the indoor murals at Guadalajara in the heights.

She wasnt used to the scale of the Grand Building though, or the public nature of the art. But, she really wanted to contribute to some of the art going up downtown, so she applied last October when the Grand asked for mural proposals.

I didnt imagine something like this could happen to me, but thats how it happened, she said.

Her bison seemed like a good fit.

Jakes is very western. Its not their building, but a lot of people know this building as having Jakes restaurant in it, she explained. And it also represents my artwork. Its a replication of my wood burning. Even though its a buffalo its my original piece.

There were some nerves at first, not just because of the lift, but because of how public the work was. I really dont like people watching me, she said. Public art makes me nervous. But in the end, when Im getting done and people appreciate how it looks, its rewarding. Im less nervous now, for sure.

Her biggest fans are at home.

My husband is always super proud of me. He makes me feel awesome about it all, she said. And her 7-year-old daughter is already showing creative signs.

She just picked up wood-burning, Tane said. Shes doing basic things and designs but I can tell its there. For being 7, she knows a lot about the arts scene.

That art scene now includes a massive work by her mother.

But as always, Tane wants to include everyone.

Thanks to the public for choosing all the different artists that are making downtown beautiful, she said.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 24 : Kerala Congress will launch a new radio channel -- 'Jai Ho' -- for airing the party's political views in the southern state. A decision to this effect was taken during the two-day brainstorming session or 'Chintan Shivir' of the Congress.

The channel will go on air from August 15 to mark the country's 75th Independence Day celebrations.

The Congress has also decided to bring back the political parties which have moved out of the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by it. The party is keen to bring back the Kerala Congress (Mani), which was a major constituent of the UDF for several decades before leaving its fold a couple of years back.

Now Kerala Congress (Mani) is a constituennt of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) with a ministerial berth and a Rajya Sabha seat. The chief whip of the LDF is also from Kerala Congress (Mani).

However, Kerala Congress (Mani) leader and former MLA Stephen George told IANS, "The Congress should at least inform us as to why we were expelled from the UDF. We are now a major part of the Left Democratic Front and we cannot at this juncture make any commitment of returning to the Congress-led UDF." At the two-day brainstorming session, the Congress also launched its 'Mission 2024' in the run-up to the general elections scheduled in 2024.

As part of the mission, the party has called upon its cadres to be in touch with the backward classes in the society and to bring them into the Congress fold.

The party has also decided to not have any ties with 'Twenty 20', a political party floated by the industrial group Kitex, which contested a few Assembly seats in the 2021 Assembly elections.
Guwahati, July 24 : A three-day festival would commence in Bangkok on July 29 to showcase northeast India and explore the shared history, officials said on Sunday.

In the second edition of the 'Northeast India Festival', a series of discussions, exhibitions, buyer-seller meets, cultural progammes and fashion events would be held at the Central World in Bangkok, which will also be a part of the events to celebrate 75 years of India-Thailand diplomatic ties.

The first edition of the festival was organised in February 2019 when it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

With support from the Indian Embassy in Bangkok and various state governments in the northeast, the festival is being organised by the Guwahati based socio-cultural trust, Trend MMS.

An official statement said that the chief ministers and tourism ministers of several northeastern states, Union Minister for State for External Affairs R.K. Ranjan, senior officials of Central and state governments in the northeast and top industrialists, among others, would attend the festival.

Ambassadors of various ASEAN and QUAD countries, experts, and the local Thai community are also expected to attend the festival.

An extensive campaign is presently highlighting the festival at various Metro stations of Bangkok.

Over 30 MSME entrepreneurs will showcase their products from the northeastern region at the festival with special focus on tea, handicraft, agri-horti products and tourism.

Festival spokesman Shyamkanu Mahanta said that more than 400 delegates are travelling to Bangkok to participate in the festival.

Mahanta also informed that the northeast diaspora in Thailand under NEIA is supporting the event.
Galle, July 24 : Half-centuries by Oshada Fernando and Dinesh Chandimal powered Sri Lanka 315 for 6 on the first day of the second Test at the Galle International Stadium on Sunday.

Opener Oshada Fernando continued his good form with the bat and along with captain Dimuth Karunaratne ensured that Sri Lanka were off to a comfortable start. The first hour was a quiet one with the hosts reaching 36/0 in 12 overs. After gaining confidence both batters broke free and hit a couple of stunning shots to push Sri Lanka's scoring rate.

Fernando was the faster of the two as he inched towards his seventh Test fifty. He got to the milestone with a six over mid-on but was immediately dismissed on the next ball, breaking the 92-run opening stand.

Three overs later, Kusal Mendis (3) departed due to an unfortunate run-out as he was out of the crease at the non-striker's end when the bowler diverted the ball onto the stumps. Lunch was then taken with Sri Lanka on 96/2.

Karunaratne could not last long after lunch either. In less than six overs after the lunch break, he was out off Yasir Shah while attempting a reverse sweep and ending up mishitting the ball to backward point, where Naseem Shah held onto a sharp catch diving forward. Dinesh Chandimal walked in and continuing his recent purple patch, joined Mathews to help revive Sri Lanka's innings.

The experienced duo settled in, negotiating strike and moving at a steady pace. There were no demons in the pitch and little turn on offer. The pair brought up their half-century stand with ease and continued to persevere. Mathews got a reprieve on 36 when he was dropped by Babar Azam at extra cover off Nauman Ali. Sri Lanka went to tea at 181/3.

With the experienced pair of Mathews and Chandimal going strong, wickets were the need of the hour for Pakistan.

They got exactly that, with Nauman Ali delivering a crucial breakthrough after tea. A beautifully flighted delivery, drifted in and then turned sharply to get a thin edge off Mathew's bat, which was caught by Rizwan. The 75-run stand was finally broken.

Chandimal though continued to bat beautifully, bringing up his half-century, getting some decent support from Dhananjaya de Silva. He was particularly severe against Yasir, playing some cracking shots. His aggressive intent though would get the better of him, as an attempted wild slog against Nawaz brought his downfall. Fawad Alam snapped the chance at backward point, as Chandimal walked back for 80.

The new ball would then do the trick for Pakistan, as a peach from Naseem Shah would rattle the middle stump, and send de Silva back for 33. Niroshan Dickwell would get a reprieve on 23, with Babar dropping another catch, this time in the slips.

Dickwella, along with Wellalage, would see through the remainder of the day, as Sri Lanka headed to stumps at 315/6.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 315/6 (Dinesh Chandimal 80, Oshada Fernando 50; Mohammad Nawaz 2-71) vs Pakistan.
Hyderabad, July 24 : A man with suspected symptoms of monkeypox has been admitted to government-run Fever Hospital in Hyderabad, officials said on Sunday.

The 40-year-old man, who came to his home town Kamareddy from Kuwait on July 6, developed fever on July 20. He approached a private hospital on Saturday after he developed rashes on the body.

Suspecting it to be a case of monkeypox, doctors referred him to Kamareddy District Hospital and from there he was sent in an ambulance to Hyderabad on Sunday. He was admitted to Fever Hospital on Sunday evening.

Director of Public Health Dr G. Srinivasa Rao said his samples were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pune for confirmation. Until the test report is received, he will remain under treatment at an isolation facility in the hospital.

The official said the man's six close contacts were also identified. Though they have no symptoms, the authorities kept them in isolation as a precautionary measure.

The director of public health said that people need not panic over monkeypox as it is not a fatal disease. He said that Health Minister Harish Rao was monitoring the situation and giving them directions. "We are taking all necessary measures," he said.

Latest updates on Monkeypox Virus Outbreak
New Delhi, July 24 : Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind, addressing the nation on the last day of his office on Sunday, said during his tenure in the highest constitutional post of the country, whenever there was a doubt over anything, he used to turn to the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi.

"....whenever I was in doubt, I turned to Gandhiji and his famous talisman. His advice of recalling the face of the poorest man and asking myself if the step I am about to take will be of any use to him," he said in a televised address, and urged his fellow citizens to contemplate the Mahatma's life and teachings at least for a few minutes every day.

Kovind said during his tenure in the office of President, he received full cooperation, support and blessings from all sections of society.

"I will especially cherish the occasions when I had an opportunity to meet our brave jawans of the armed forces, paramilitary forces and the police. Their patriotic zeal is as amazing as it is inspiring," he said.

The President shared his childhood memory, referring to the time when he was growing up in a small village and the nation had only recently achieved Independence.

"There was a fresh wave of energy to rebuild the country; there were new dreams. I too had a dream, that one day I would be able to participate in a meaningful way in this nation-building exercise," he said.

Stressing that a young boy living in a mud house could not have any idea about the highest Constitutional office of the Republic, he said: "But it is testament to the strength of India's democracy that it has created pathways to let each citizen take part in the shaping of our collective destiny. If that Ram Nath Kovind from village Paraunkh is addressing you today, it is solely thanks to the inherent power of our vibrant democratic institutions." In his address, he also touched upon the freedom struggle by which India gained Independence.

"I have always strongly believed that no other country has been as fortunate as India in having a galaxy of leaders, each of whom was an exceptional mind, within a span of a few decades in the early twentieth century," Kovind said.

"From Tilak and Gokhale to Bhagat Singh and Netaji, from Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and Syama Prasad Mookerjee to Sarojini Naidu and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay - nowhere in the history of humankind have so many great minds come together for a common cause," he added.

About the present times, the President said that he believes the National Education Policy will go a long way in making it possible for young Indians to connect with their heritage and also find their feet in the 21st century.

He also stressed on healthcare which is an essential part of our lives. "The pandemic has underlined the need to further improve the public healthcare infrastructure. I am glad that the government has accorded top priority to this task. Once education and healthcare are in place, economic reforms will let citizens find the best course for their lives," he underlined.
Kolkata, July 25 : A single judge bench of Calcutta High Court on Sunday evening directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to shift West Bengal Commerce and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested by the agency on Saturday in connection with the multi-crore teacher recruitment scam, to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for medical examination purpose.

The bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri ordered that Chatterjee be flown to Bhubaneswar in an air-ambulance on Monday morning for medical check-up and a report should be submitted at his bench by 3 pm on Monday itself.

Chaudhuri's direction came on a petition filed by the ED challenging an order from a lower court that allowed Chatterjee to be treated at the state-run SSKM Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

While passing the order, Chaudhuri observed that there have been instances wherein influential ministers of the state government had taken 'shelter' at SSKM to avoid questioning by central agencies.

The bench, however, allowed Chatterjee's counsel and a medical practitioner from SSKM to accompany the ED team which will take Chatterjee to Bhubaneswar.

Chatterjee and his close aide Arpita Mukherjee were supposed to be produced at a special PMLA court for hearing on Monday.

On this count, the high court bench directed the ED to ensure that Chatterjee is produced before the PMLA court virtually from Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, Chatterjee's counsel has approached a division bench of the Calcutta High Court against the decision of the single judge bench.
Kolkata, July 25 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which recovered huge cash and valuables from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee, close aide of West Bengal Commerce & Industries Minister, Partha Chatterjee, had to take the help of the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) regional office in Kolkata to ferry the cash and valuables to the agency's office at CGO complex at Salt Lake in Kolkata.

Late on Saturday evening, after ED officials finished the counting and evaluating the estimated value of the cash and valuables, a truck from RBI's regional office in Kolkata arrived at the posh Diamond City complex at Tollygunge in South Kolkata, which housed the flat of Mukherjee.

ED officials confirmed that the truck was carrying 20 steel trunks meant for carrying the valuables seized from Mukherjee's residence. Later, 15 trunks that were loaded with the cash and valuables and the remaining five empty trunks were brought to the ED office at CGO complex.

The ED recovered Rs 21.20 crore cash in Indian currency of Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 denominations, gold ornaments of estimated market value of around Rs 90 lakhs, foreign currency of value of around Rs 60 lakhs, 20 high-end Apple iPhones, sale deeds of eight other flats and papers of multiple costly vehicles.

Mukherjee, who is currently in the ED custody will be presented at a special court of Public Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Monday.
New Delhi, July 25 : Chinese fighter jets are continuing efforts to provoke the Indian forces stationed in eastern Ladakh as they are flying close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on multiple occasions.

The provocation efforts by the Chinese side are being continued despite the matter being raised at the Corps Commander level talks.

Chinese aircraft have been regularly flying close to the LAC over the past three to four weeks, which is being seen as an effort to check Indian defence mechanisms in the region.

Indian Air Force (IAF) is responding to the situation responsibly and is not taking any chances to tackle the threat as well as not letting the matter escalate in any way.

"Chinese fighter jets, including J-11, are flying close to the LAC. Cases of violation of the 10 km Confidence Building Major (CBM) line have been reported in this area in recent days," the government sources told IANS As per the sources, the IAF has taken strong measures to respond to these provocations as it has moved its most powerful fighter jets, including the MiG-29 and Mirage 2000, to advanced bases from where they can respond to Chinese movements within minutes.

It seems that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is tense over the upgradation of IAF infrastructure in the Ladakh region, they added.

Sources further said that the IAF is responding to these actions in a "calibrated manner" and is also monitoring Chinese flight patterns in the area where they are flying at both low and high altitudes.

India is working at a brisk pace to upgrade its military infrastructure in Ladakh after China tried to unilaterally change the status quo on the LAC in the April-May 2020 time frame.

The provocation by Chinese fighter jets began around June 24-25 when a Chinese fighter jet flew very close to a point of friction in eastern Ladakh.

After that, there were several CBM violations between the two sides on the LAC near Chumar sector and this has been going on since then, they asserted, adding that the IAF, including its Rafale fighter jets, is also doing extensive flying in the eastern Ladakh region.
Kathmandu, July 25 : The Nepali government has announced a number of measures to revive the tourism industry battered by the Covid-19 pandemic, including a plan to declare the years between 2023 and 2033 as Visit Nepal Decade.

Unveiling the Tourism Rehabilitation Action Plan, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Nepal's Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, said that the government is breaking the tradition of announcing a single year as Visit Nepal Year so as to run a sustained campaign to promote tourism, a major foreign exchange earner and job creator for the country.

As per the action plan, the Visit Nepal Decade is expected to come out within the next three months, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government plans to attract 1 million foreign tourists in the 2022-23 fiscal year which began in mid-July. "We have not yet set any target for the planned Visit Nepal Decade. We have to do further homework and consultations with the stakeholders," Hom Prasad Luitel, joint secretary at the tourism ministry, told the news agency.

Nepal received 1.19 million foreign visitors in 2019 and sought to attract 2 million in 2020 when Visit Nepal 2020 was launched, but Covid-19 forced the government to call off the campaign. As the pandemic persisted, the tourism sector fared poorly in 2020 and 2021.

Nepal was reporting more foreign visitor arrivals in 2022 as fewer people were infected. As of June, there were 237,670 foreigners visiting the South Asian country, according to the tourism ministry.

Under the new action plan, Nepal will launch promotion campaigns in China, India and Bangladesh, of them the former two being the largest sources of tourists for Nepal in normal years.

There is a plan as well to promote Nepal as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions and spiritual tourism with packages of yoga, wellness and spa to be offered.

In addition, the ministry is mulling over retirement visas and healthcare facilities for elderly foreigners to stay longer in Nepal. Currently, there is no legal provision of issuing retirement visas in the country. "We will discuss it with the Ministry of Home Affairs which is responsible for visa issuance," said Luitel.

As mountaineering is a key part of Nepal's tourism, the country is planning to open more Himalayan peaks.

Under the action plan, more peaks at 5,800 to 8,000 meters above the sea level will be opened for mountaineering. According to authorities, Nepal has so far opened 414 peaks above 5,700 meters for climbing.

Included in the action plan are other measures like cooperation and coordination with international airlines, GPS tracking system to make trekking and mountaineering safer, multi-lingual helpline support centers for tourists and many more facilities for foreigners who come to Nepal for movie shootings.
"Weve been active in the community for a century, growing and evolving in a way that now seems almost quaint"

On the occasion of its 100th anniversary, Coast Packing Company  based in Vernon since its inception  didnt get the key to the city so much as the key to the citys heart.

During a meeting of the City Council this week, Mayor Leticia Lopez and Mayor Pro Tem Crystal Larios formally presented Coast CEO and Chairman Eric R. Gustafson and the leadership team with a proclamation commending the companys family and business values.

Coast Packings business culture remains true to its founding values of quality, reliability, transparency, strong customer relationships and respect for its employees, customers and suppliers, the proclamation reads. Coast has created countless jobs and supported the local economy and community. The company exemplifies the Vernon Means Business motto, with its long trajectory in business, owning and operating processing facilities that comprise 100,000 square feet. Its an active partner of the community, engaging local organizations like the LA Regional Food Bank, the Midnight Mission and University of Southern California, among others.

An integral part of Southern Californias restaurant, baking and food industries, Coast is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western United States. The company was founded in 1922 as a livestock and meatpacking business and expanded over the years into a foodindustry powerhouse. Weve been active in the Vernon business community for a century, growing and evolving in a way that now seems almost quaint, said Gustafson, CEO, Chairman, and fourth generation member of the founding family. My great-grandfather established the principles under which we still operate and my grandfather and father continued them  deliver the highest quality shortenings and oils, backed by superior service and unsurpassed value, and respect for our customers, employees and suppliers, all of which translates to relationships that span generations.

Coast sells to major manufacturers, CPG companies, QSR and fast-food restaurant chains, broadline food service distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations, leading bakeries, and lesser concerns. The company is active in virtually every major area of the food industry, participating in various ethnic markets from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Coast is regional, national, and increasingly, global.

About Coast Packing Company

Now marking its 100th year in business, Coast Packing Company (http://www.coastpacking.com), a closely held corporation, is the number one supplier of animal fat shortenings  particularly lard and beef tallow -- in the Western United States. The company sells to major manufacturers, CPG companies, QSR and fast-food restaurant chains, broadline food service distributors, retailers, smaller food service operations, and leading bakeries. The company participates actively in diverse ethnic markets  from Hispanic retail chains, with its VIVA brand, to various Asian specialty markets. Based in Vernon, Calif., Coast Packing Company is regional, national and, increasingly, global. In some cases, relationships are multigenerational, extending back 50 years and more. Coast is a founding member of the Healthy Fats Coalition (http://www.healthyfatscoalition.org/).

For more information about Coast Packing Company, visit: http://www.coastpacking.com. Follow us via

social media on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/coastpackingco, Twitter @coastpackingco and

Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/coastpackingco.
A hungry man ran into a restaurant and ordered one burger. He swallowed the burger into his belly but still felt very hungry. So he ordered another one. He ate the second one quickly and felt something stuffed inside his belly. However, the man continued to order the third one. This time he ate the burger slowly and enjoyed the taste of it. Eventually, he got his stomach full and found a feeling of having dinner. Then a waitress came, stood in front of him, and put a bill on his table. After seeing the bill, the belly-stuffed hungry man immediately jumped into anger and complained there was one bad burger and he would refuse to pay it.

Sir, whats the problem with that bad burger? the waitress asked carefully.

Lady, my belly was not satisfied with it.

Why?

I ate that burger but my stomach cannot feel it!

Which burger is it?

Lady, it is the first one. 

Wong Chin Foo is a pioneer of non-violent civil rights advocates. Many people do not know this name just like the hungry man did not feel the first burger. Gandhi found Natal Indian Congress in 1894 and Wong Chin Foo found the Chinese American voters association in 1884. Both of them fight against racial discrimination non-violently only Wong Chin Foo was ten years earlier. Martin Luther King gave the I have a dream speech in 1963 and Wong Chin Foo wrote  Appeal to the People of United States for Equality and Manhood in 1892. Both of them appealed for equality regardless of race and skin color only Wang Chin Foo was 71 years earlier. We should remember Gandhi and Martin Luther King as well as Wong Chin Foo just as the hungry man should pay for all three burgers.

Wong Chin Foo was born in China in 1851. When he was 17, he went to America in 1868 as a student. Two years later, he went back to China and organized grass root association, to fight the abuse of opium. Qing government banned his activities, and offer 1,500 taels of silver for his head. He was forced to exile from China. in 1873, he went to America again and he was naturalized as an American citizen on 1874.

Facing growing anti-Chinese racism in 1870s America, Wong Chin Foo gave speeches everywhere and write articles to explain Chinese culture, fighting the prejudices against the Chinese. After America passed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, Wong Chin Foo founded a weekly newspaper Chinese American the next year and organized the first Chinese American voters association in 1884, advocating equal justice under law, the principle Chinese Exclusion Act violated.

In 1892, America passed the Geary Act. Geary Act required all Chinese residents of the United States to carry a resident permit, the same internal passport system Indians were subjected to in South Africa at that time. Wong Chin Foo fought against this institutionalized discrimination by organizing The Chinese Equal Rights League of America in 1892, just as Gandhi organized Natal Indian Congress in 1894. The certificates of the members of The Chinese Equal Rights League of America printed:  We ask and demand for an equal franchise for the Americanized Chinese of the United States. What they demanded was the voting right protected by the Fifteenth Amendment rectified in 1870. The Fifteenth Amendment forbids the denial of voting right based on race and color. Wong Chin Foos activities were non-violent civil right movement affirming the Constitution.

For a quarter of a century, Wong Chin Foo was a non-violent civil rights activist pursuing the rule of law under the constitution and against racism. Gandhi led India into independence, and Martin Luther King got African Americans equal rights, but Wong Chin Foo passed away before the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943. As a result, people forget the pioneer civil rights activist just as the hungry man could not feel the first burger. While we remember Gandhi and Martin Luther King, we should not forget Wong Chin Foo. We should commemorate Wong Chin Foo just as the hungry man should pay for the first burger.

(In 1882, Wong Chin Foo founded a weekly newspaper Chinese American)
The 2019 McLaren 720s Luxury for sale at Lamborghini Austin The legendary 2019 McLaren 720s Luxury can be found for sale right now, at Lamborghini of Austin.

Lamborghini of Austin sells new and used Lamborghini models. They also specialize in reselling other supercars and luxury performance vehicles. For example, the legendary 2019 McLaren 720s Luxury can be found for sale right now, at Lamborghini of Austin. Fewer than eight hundred of them were made, which makes this car an incredibly rare find.

The 2019 McLaren 720s Luxury has stunning good looks and sensational performance. Car and Driver Magazine gave its highly sought-after 10 out of 10 rating. Its F1 roots are in clear evidence in every aspect. Some of the features, specifications, and performance figures include:



An extremely powerful 4.0-liter turbocharged engine. It produces 710 horsepower and 568 foot-pounds of torque. This is an extraordinary amount of power packed into a relatively small vehicle.

7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The transmission can be fully automated or shifted manually with paddle shifters. The dual-clutch setup ensures precision shifting that is incredibly smooth. It puts the power to the rear wheels to maximum effect.

Incredible performance statistics. The 720s puts up amazing numbers, including a zero to sixty mile per hour time of just 2.7 seconds. It can reach one hundred miles per hour faster than the average vehicle can make it to sixty miles per hour, which is an astonishing 5.3 seconds. It has a top speed of 212 miles per hour and can pull 1.10 gravities on the skid pad.

While the 720s has roots in the racing circuit, it is drivable and refined on city streets and highways. This car is made to be driven hard, and to turn heads along the way.

Individuals who would like to learn more about this vehicle or any others available can visit the dealership website at http://www.lamborghiniaustin.com. Interested parties may also contact Lamborghini Austin by dialing 833-331-0322, or by visiting the dealership at 4108 North Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas.
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.
Vermont Senate President Pro Tem Becca Balint delivers a victory speech after being declared the winner in Vermonts Congressional Democratic primary to her supporters that gathered at the Harmony Lot, in Brattleboro, on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. Balint will face off against a Republican challe
One of my favorite insults by anti-Black racists is, "go back where you came from." The line is hilarious for a litany of reasons. First of all, very few Blacks have ancestors that asked to be here in the first place. If you're tired of Black Americans living in "your country," you can address the complaint with your dead ancestors. Secondly, the aforementioned dead, racist ancestors actively tried to prevent previous generations of Black Americans from doing just that.

In the aftermath of Slavery, Black people began to debate their future in America. One of the ideas that started to take root in this period was Pan-Africanism. Pan-Africanism is the belief that Blacks and Africans across the planet should unify and, in some cases, return to Africa. As with any philosophy, supporters and detractors are stationed on every single angle of the issue. The video linked above from the YouTube channel Hometeam history recounts the story of an African princess who championed Black Americans' return to their mother continent.
BRATTLEBORO  On top of East Round Mountain in Averys Gore in Essex County earlier this month, Spencer Crispe completed a years-long challenge to climb Vermonts 500 highest peaks.

It was so awesome, because it brought me to all the most remote pockets of Vermont that I wouldnt have had a reason to go to or explore, he said of the project.

Crispe, an attorney and West Brattleboro resident, said he basically spent all his weekends, except in the winter, trying to hike the mountains. A list of them can be found at listsofjohn.com.

Locally, the highest peaks in the top 50 include Stratton Mountain, Mount Snow, Dorset Peak, Haystack Mountain, Peru Peak, Mother Myrick Mountain, Little Pond Mountain, Bromley Mountain and Bear Mountain.

Crispe doesnt have an exact start date; he said he hiked little things here and there. By 2020, he had completed one-third of the list.

Mount Mansfield in Chittenden County, at 4,393 feet, is the tallest. The shortest, at 1,710 feet in Hinesburg, doesnt have a name like many of the others.

The thing thats interesting is sometimes these shorter mountains can be just as hard as the bigger mountains, because there could be no trail, and you could have cliffs and ledge that make the approach difficult, Crispe said. Sometimes, theres just cliffs you cant get past.

Crispe described having to partially circumvent mountains to identify an approach to get up them. He doesnt bring ropes, so he relies on navigating the difficult spots.

Some of the smaller mountains will surprise you, he said. They will pack a punch that you might not expect given their elevation, but theyre very remote.

As examples, Crispe cited mountains in Lewis in the Northeast Kingdom about 5 to 10 miles off a logging road. He said the challenge allowed him to explore the most remotest regions of Vermont and see things he would not have otherwise seen.

Crispe showed off a photograph of a huge rock that cracked in half.

A lot of times, he said, you see little caves and crags that it feels like nobodys been there, but you can tell that animals have been living in there, and you dont want to get close, or youll find views that it seems no ones ever discovered near the top of a ledge, and so you might get a perspective of well- known mountains like Camels Hump or Lake Champlain. Youre standing there, and youre saying, Nobodys had this perspective. Im seeing this from a completely unique vantage point.

His wife, Renee Crispe, joined him for about 200 of the mountains.

Shes a real intrepid hiker, Crispe said. Shes awesome. We enjoyed a lot of sunsets together.

A lot of the climbs take a ton of navigation and preparation to figure out how to reach the summit, Crispe said. Some of the mountains are on private land.

Crispe encourages people to be respectful of property owners and get permission to hike.

Ive had times where Ive encountered a posted sign, he said. Ill call from my cellphone.

He advises hikers to leave only footprints and no trash.

To the best of his knowledge, hes the first person from Vermont to climb all 500 of the highest peaks in the state. He said hes in all different types of hiking circles and knows a lot of people in the hiking community.

Im just focusing on Vermont, because Im a ninth-generation Vermonter, and I love Vermont, he said. This is my home, so Im focused on climbing everything in the state of Vermont. ... I just love being out there.

Except for the gas to get to the destination, Crispe said, hiking is free and often brings a sense of accomplishment. Every weekend, he would drive to different parts of Vermont.

I optimize all my free time, when Im not working, around hiking, he said.

In 2020, he completed a different challenge. He hiked 770 mountains in the Northeastern U.S. that are higher than 3,000 feet in elevation.

Local hiker completes big challenge WEST BRATTLEBORO  An avid hiker pulled off a feat only 12 people have accomplished so far. On Aug. 15, Spencer Crispe of West Brattleboro climbed Spencer Bale Mountain in western Maine, 

Hes working on finishing hiking the 100 highest peaks in the Adirondack Mountains in winter. He said he has 30 more to go, and hes been chipping away at the project over the past couple of years.

To my knowledge, only a half a dozen people have completed that, he said, calling the Adirondack Mountains some of the hardest around to hike. Many mountains do not have roads near them, so the hikes are excruciatingly long and the woods in the Adirondacks are so thick. Its like a jungle or being a fly trapped in a spider web.

His hope is to finish that challenge in the next two years.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Occasional rain showers after midnight. Low 61F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
HAMDEN  Firefighters extinguished a burning electric bus Saturday, officials said.

Crews responded to the CT Transit depot Saturday morning for an electric bus fire, officials said on Facebook.

Lithium ion battery fires are difficult to extinguish due to the thermal chemical process that produces great heat and continually reignites, fire officials said. Exposures were protected at the scene.

Two transit workers were hospitalized as a precaution after being exposed to the smoke. A firefighter was also taken to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion, officials said.

The Hamden fire marshal is investigating the incident, according to the department.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
Hearst Connecticut Media file photo

Two unidentified people were shot in Hartford Saturday night, according to Hartford police.

The police found evidence of the shooting on Wethersfield Avenue. A short time later they found out that the two gunshot victims went to an area hospital for treatment. Both were reported in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Ethnic Rawan say the pandemic and fighting in Kachin state have made hunting the fungus less lucrative.

UPDATED at 9:35 a.m. EDT on 7-29-2022

Pandemic-related border closures and travel restrictions under military rule are taking their toll on the trade of shipadis, a rare fungus prized in China for its alleged healing properties, according to the ethnic Rawan who hunt it in northern Myanmars Kachin state.

The shipadi is a species of parasitic Cordyceps fungi whose spores infect caterpillars, causing them to crawl upwards before killing them. After the caterpillar dies, the fruit of the fungus grows out of its head in a bid to further spread its spores.

While shipadi grow mainly in Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region, where they are known as yartsa gunbu, the Myanmar variant is found only on the ground, trees, and glaciers of northern Kachin states remote Puta-O region, near Myanmars borders with India and China.

Video about the trade in valuable 'shipadi' fungi in northern Myanmar, with footage from RFA and a citizen journalist.

The ethnic Rawan who inhabit the region hunt for the fungus they call Poe Say Nwe Pin in May and June each year, when the weather warms and the ice has thawed. The highly-coveted golden-colored shipadi is mostly found on the glaciers of Phonrin Razi, Phangram Razi, and Madwe, and can appear as infrequently as once every four years.

Aung Than, a local trader, told RFA Burmese that prior to the pandemic, merchants exported the majority of their shipadi to China, where they could expect healthy profits due to their use in traditional Chinese medicine as a treatment for kidney disease. However, China closed its borders soon after the coronavirus began to spread globally in early 2020, forcing shipadi traders to find a new market for their product.

In the past, when border crossing was easy, they bought shipadi from us, he said.

But we cannot go there anymore and they can't come to us either. Its been more than two years now since I lost the market in China.

Aung Than said that since the pandemic, domestic demand had grown for shipadi, but traders could no longer expect to earn the profits they once had.

A shipadi pokes out of the ground in Puta-O township. Credit: Citizen journalist

Danger from conflict

Other Rawan shipadi traders in Kachin state told RFA that the market had been further impacted by fighting between junta troops and ethnic Kachin rebels since the military seized control of Myanmar in a coup on Feb. 1, 2021.

Daw Hla, the owner of an herbal store in Puta-O, said she regularly sold to customers from Myanmars big cities, including Yangon and Mandalay, prior to the coup. But an increase in clashes between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the military since the takeover had made it more dangerous to hunt shipadi and ship it out of the region, she said.

I used to send them to Yangon, Naypyidaw and other cities, as well as all over Kachin state. Id send them as soon as I got the orders, she said.

The transportation was OK and sales were good in the past. But this year, I dont have much [shipadi] to sell. Theres little product to be had this year  its getting very rare.

Sources told RFA that the KIA had recently seized a military camp in Puta-Os Tsum Pi Yang village, and that fighting along the main road from Puta-O to the Kachin state capital Myitkyina had become particularly fierce since the anniversary of the coup, making it extremely dangerous to travel in the area.

A collection of shibadi gathered in Puta-O township. Credit: RFA A risky journey

Residents of Puta-O township form groups of five or six each year to climb the mountains and search for shipadi, and can spend months away from home during the hunt.

One resident named Lan Wan Ransan told RFA that hunting shipadi has always been risky, particularly during the rainy season when flash floods are common. Other times, he said, the snow and ice may not have thawed enough, making the trek into the mountains deadly and the search for shipadi nearly impossible.

There are many difficulties along the way, he said.

Normally, a single shipadi could fetch 2,000-3,000 kyats (U.S. $1-1.50), Lan Wan Ransan said, but the price has doubled this year, due to the added danger of the conflict. Most hunters will only find around 50 shipadis this year, he added, calling it a significant decrease from years past.

In addition to shipadi, the Rawan also gather herbs in the mountains of Puta-O that are rarely found elsewhere, including the roots of the Khamtauk, Machit, Taushau, and Kyauk Letwar plants, as well as ice ginseng. However, none are as highly-prized as the caterpillar fungus from the glaciers of northern Kachin state, they say.

Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

____

This story has been updated to credit a citizen journalist for some of the photos and video footage used.
Ever since Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban returned to power in 2010, Budapest has built a closer relationship with Beijing and opened the door for increased Chinese investment and influence inside the Central European country.

Despite several scandals and controversies during that span, a new poll shows that support for China is growing, with a majority of Hungarian voters saying they approve of rising Chinese influence in the country.

The survey by the Budapest-based Central and Eastern European Center for Asian Studies (CEECAS) found that China generally has a positive image among the Hungarian public and that most voters in the country share views on important political issues that are favorable to Chinese standpoints.

But the researchers also highlighted a strong polarization when it came to foreign policy issues, with voters from the ruling Fidesz party sharing overwhelmingly positive views of China and opposition voters expressing pessimism and concern.

The poll -- which was conducted in April during elections in Hungary that saw Orban and his Fidesz party further consolidate their hold on power -- was released this month.

Domestic topics dominated the campaign, but issues related to Chinese investment and debt -- including loans about a railway line connecting to Serbia and plans to set up a campus for a Chinese university in Budapest -- also cast a shadow over the vote, with several analysts and opposition lawmakers warning that the projects could become a Trojan horse for Beijings interests and influence within the European Union.

Gauging A Rising China

The poll found that 51 percent of Hungarian voters felt optimistic about Chinas expanding footprint in the country.

China's growing footprint in Hungary expanded in 2010 when Orban launched his Eastern Opening policy, which was meant to cultivate close ties with Beijing and Moscow in order to attract investment and new economic opportunities for Hungary following the global financial crisis.

Since then, Orban has cultivated a strong relationship with Beijing and Budapest has blocked several of the EUs efforts to censure Beijing over human rights concerns in Hong Kong and China's Western Xinjiang Province.

According to the survey, a majority of voters see the current level of Chinese influence in Hungary as high or very high.

This perception may be due to the growing number of areas where Budapest and Beijing are cooperating. In addition to investment and growing diplomatic support, China also sent ventilators, masks, and vaccines during the coronavirus pandemic, with Hungary being one of a handful of European countries to approve China's Sinopharm vaccine.

While the exact scale of Chinese aid pales in comparison to that provided by Brussels, the survey concludes that Chinas perceived assistance and role in Hungarys pandemic management seems to have had a significant positive impact on public perceptions.

Fidesz And Fudan

Perhaps the most controversial project linked to Chinese influence in Hungary is a plan to build a Budapest campus for Shanghai's prestigious Fudan University, which triggered large protests in the capital in June 2021 after leaked documents showed the government would take out a $1.5 billion loan from a Chinese bank to cover most of the costs.

The deal would make Fudan the first Chinese university in the EU and the first foreign outpost for the Shanghai-based school, which the Hungarian government has argued will raise higher-education standards in the country.

Polls have shown -- including the CEECAS one -- that this topic has divided voters.

Like many hot-button issues in the recent survey, views tend to skew heavily along political-party affiliation, with a large majority of those who said they voted for Orbans ruling Fidesz party backing a greater role for China in Hungarian higher education.

Unsurprisingly, support for Chinese influence in the country is also high among Fidesz voters, a view that increasingly leaves them out of step with their peers in the EU.

While more than three-quarters of Fidesz supporters are in favor of a greater Chinese presence, a 2021 study by the German Marshall Fund found that 62 percent of Europeans polled had negative attitudes toward China and its growing global influence.

Putin, Xi, And Ukraine

Since Moscows February invasion of Ukraine, the war has been a leading topic in Hungary and the poll also asked voters how they view close ties between China and Russia.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin heralded a new era and declared a no limits partnership during a joint meeting in Beijing on February 4.

Throughout the war, China has walked an awkward diplomatic line where it has sought to avoid explicitly backing Moscows war but has muted its criticism of the invasion. Beijing has also avoided any violation of Western sanctions against Moscow while becoming the top buyer of discounted Russian crude, providing the Kremlin with a crucial financial lifeline.

The poll found that some 48 percent of voters had an unfavorable view of the partnership and its impact on international politics.

This was the only question in which a majority did not [hold] a positive perception [toward] Chinas role, the survey said.

RFE/RLs Graphics And Data Editor Carlos Coelho and visual journalist Giovana Faria contributed to this article.
Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid has warned Russia against shutting down an agency that processes the immigration of Jews to Israel, saying the move would have a serious impact on bilateral ties.

Lapid told a meeting of senior officials on July 24 that closing the offices of the Jewish Agency for Israel would be a serious event that would affect relations," a government statement said.

Russia's Justice Ministry has demanded that the Russian branch of the agency be shut down, and Moscows Basmanny district court has scheduled a hearing on the ministry's request for July 28.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Justice Ministry request came after the organization violated Russian laws. He denied that Moscow wanted to prevent more "bright minds" from leaving Russia for Israel.

The Jerusalem Post cited a top Israeli diplomatic official as saying that the Russian ministrys request is based on allegations that the agency, also known as Sohnut, "illegally collected info about Russian citizens."

Lapid ordered a delegation to make plans to head to Moscow for talks aimed at reversing the decision, the Israeli government statement said.

The Jewish Agency for Israel, established in 1929, began working in Russia in 1989 and has assisted hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the U.S.S.R. to immigrate to Israel.

The Israeli Integration Ministry says nearly 17,000 people have left Russia for Israel this year so far, more than twice as many as last year.

Closing the agency's Russian branch would not stop Russian Jews from moving to Israel, but it could slow down the process.

Some Israelis see the threatened shutdown as punishment for Israel's stance on Russia's war on Ukraine.

Lapid has taken a tougher stance over the conflict than Israel's former prime minister, Naftali Bennett, who stepped aside on July 1.

As foreign minister in Bennetts government he accused Russia of violating the "world order" in February when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Bennett stressed Israel's strong relations with both sides, withheld direct criticism of the invasion, and subsequently tried to play a role as mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.

Lapid has renewed his criticism of Russia since becoming prime minister, but has still tried to walk a cautious line.

With reporting by AFP and dpa
The five Central Asian presidents met in Kyrgyzstan on July 20-21, but the preannounced crowning achievement of the event -- an agreement of friendship and cooperation in the 21st century -- was not signed by all. The Central Asian governments have been strengthening their regional ties in recent years, but there are still significant differences of opinion between them. This weeks Majlis podcast looks at what the summit in Kyrgyzstan showed about what has and has not been achieved in regional relations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has decried "Russia's nuclear terrorism" in a phone call on August 16 with his French counterpart, as Ukrainian and international nuclear experts continue to demand greater safeguards against catastrophe at the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine.

Zelenskiy tweeted that he had also informed President Emmanuel Macron about the "situation at the front" and thanked Paris for its "tangible defense aid," as well as discussing economic aid and food-security challenges.

"We must increase sanctions on Russia," Zelenskiy said, continuing a recent push for harsher international penalties to encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to call off his five-month-old invasion.

Macron's office said the French leader "underlined his concern about the threat posed by the presence and actions of the Russian armed forces and the context of war with the ongoing conflicts over security and safety of Ukrainian nuclear installations, and called for the withdrawal of these forces."

Champs-Elysees said Macron also stressed his support for the possible terms of the UN nuclear agency director-general's proposal to send a mission of experts to Zaporizhzhya as soon as possible.

Macron along with Zelenskiy also hailed the continued implementation of a UN- and Turkish-brokered deal with Russia and Ukraine on the export through Ukrainian ports of Ukrainian grain "essential for world food security."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked for a demilitarized zone to be created around Zaporizhzhya.

Both the UN and its nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have said IAEA inspectors should be allowed to visit the plant.

Guterres reportedly spoke with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on August 15, when Russia's Foreign Ministry also insisted it would do "everything necessary" to allow IAEA experts access to the facility, which lies near the front lines in southeastern Ukraine.

Exhausted Ukrainian workers at the plant have complained of being held at gunpoint, and the plant's operator, Enerhoatom, has said Russia is preparing a risky maneuver to divert Zaporizhzhya's energy production to a Russian-controlled grid.

Ukraine's nuclear power company Enerhoatom alleged on August 16 that Russian-based hackers had unleashed an hours-long attack on its website but said major problems had been avoided.

Russia's permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, acknowledged in a state TV interview on August 16 that the Zaporizhzhya situation represents "dangers all of us are facing... as major contamination or a Chernobyl-like disaster could occur there under certain conditions."

Russia's TASS also quoted him repeating Moscow's accusations that Ukrainian forces and its Western backers are behind the recent shelling around Zaporizhzhya, which Russian forces captured in March.

Kyiv has insisted that Russian troops are using Europe's largest nuclear plant as a military base, including storing dangerous weapons and shelling in the area.

On August 14, 42 countries condemned Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and said the presence of Russian military forces at Zaporizhzhya is preventing authorities from maintaining nuclear and radiation safety obligations.

"It is undeniable that Russia's invasion and its continued presence at Ukraines nuclear facilities significantly raise the risk of nuclear incidents and accidents," the statement on the European Union's website says.
A 36-year-old Buffalo man was charged with attempted murder of a police officer after authorities said he shot at police responding to a call early Sunday morning in the citys Fruit Belt neighborhood.

Police said they arrested Shariff L. Shadwick within a few blocks of where he is accused of firing at them.

Officers were responding to a call of threats at East North and Orange streets when they identified a man at the scene who appeared to be holding a firearm, according to a police department news release.

The suspect fled and then shot at officers, the release said. Officers fired back. A Buffalo police spokesman did not provide details on how many shots were fired. The spokesman, Michael DeGeorge, said the incident was under investigation. No one was injured in the incident, which happened around 2:40 a.m.

Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said it was the third time in less than four months that suspects who were on parole or probation had shot at Buffalo police officers.

This dangerous trend continues to show that previously convicted felons have no fear of the criminal justice system, are willing to carry handguns illegally, and are not afraid to use them against members of our community and police officers. A much stronger stance needs to be taken against those that are driving the violence in our community, Gramaglia said in a statement.

The latest Buffalo shooting against officers happened just three days after two Rochester police officers were shot in their unmarked vehicle in what authorities labeled an ambush attack. One of the officers, Anthony Mazurkiewicz, a 29-year veteran, was killed. Kelvin Vickers, 21, of Massachusetts, was charged in connection with the killing.

Shadwick was convicted of second-degree attempted robbery in 2004 and served nearly two years in state prison. He was released on parole in October 2006, and his post-release supervision date ended in 2009, according to state prison records.

Shadwick was arrested again in 2015 and charged with second-degree assault and other charges following a disturbance at a residence on Navel Avenue. Police at the time said an intoxicated Shadwick threatened them, resisted arrest and knocked over his 2-year-old daughter.

Shadwick was charged Sunday with one count of first-degree attempted murder and attempted murder of a police officer, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and one count of second-degree obstructing governmental administration.

Buffalo police said they recovered a loaded .45 caliber Smith and Wesson and a loaded .9mm Glock 17 with a high-capacity extended magazine.
Ukraine's military reported Russian shelling in numerous locations in the north, south, and east on July 24 after Ukraine said it would press ahead with plans to restart grain exports from Black Sea ports despite a Russian attack on Odesa that Ukraine said raised questions about Russia's commitment to a deal signed two days ago to unblock the exports.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said Russian troops on July 24 continued attempts to take control of a power plant in Vuhlehirsk, located some 50 kilometers northeast of Donetsk. The plant is Ukraine's second-largest and a strategic infrastructure objective that Russian forces are keen to capture.

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, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

The General Staff said Russian forces retreated after another unsuccessful attempt to seize the plant.

"The enemy is losing personnel but stubbornly continues its attempts to establish control over the territory of the Vuhlehirskaya [power plant]," it said.

The General Staff said Ukrainian forces repelled a previous attempt to take control of the plant on July 22.

Yuriy Ignat, a spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces, said Ukrainian strike aircraft carried out missile attacks on three Russian strongholds, destroying equipment and killing troops.

Speaking on Ukrainian television, Ignat also said the antiaircraft defense functioned "perfectly," shooting down all four Russian Kalibr missiles flying from the Black Sea toward the Khmelnytskyi region.

Ukraine's air defense forces shot down three Russian missiles over the territory of the Khmelnytskiy region. Another missile was shot down by air defense forces of the southern air command, he said

The claims could not be independently verified.

Russia used two Kalibr missiles on July 23 to strike near a pumping station at the Odesa port, while two others were shot down by Ukrainian air-defense forces. A Ukrainian military official said the missiles were fired from a Russian warship in the Black Sea near the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region of Crimea.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova acknowledged the missile strikes, saying on July 24 that they had destroyed military infrastructure at the Odesa port. She added without evidence that the high-precision strike had destroyed a Ukrainian Navy patrol boat.

Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that despite the attack Ukraine continued technical preparations for the launch of exports of agricultural products from our ports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the missile strike barbarism and said it showed that Moscow could not be trusted to implement the grain-export agreement reached on July 22.

In his nightly address on July 24, he said Ukraine will continue to do all it can to inflict as much damage on its enemy as possible.

"Even the occupiers admit we will win," he said as he hailed the upcoming day of Ukrainian statehood, July 28, a new annual holiday that Zelenskiy announced last year. "We hear it in their conversations all the time. In what they are telling their relatives when they call them."

Under the grain deal brokered by Turkey and the United Nations, exports of Ukrainian grain from three Black Sea ports would be restored to prewar levels of some 5 million tons a month.

The missile strikes on Odesa appeared to violate the deal, under which Moscow would guarantee safe passage in and out of the ports. The deal would also free up exports of Russian grain and fertilizer.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a trip to Africa to reassure countries that the international agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea remains in place.

He told Egyptian leaders in Cairo that Russia "reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to meet all their commitments."

Ukraine is one of the worlds largest exporters of wheat, corn, and sunflower oil, but Russias invasion of the country and its naval blockade of Ukrainian ports have halted shipments.

That has caused global food prices to spike, leaving millions of people in impoverished countries at risk of hunger and sparking fears of social unrest.

Under the agreement signed in Istanbul, Ukrainian officials would guide ships through safe channels across mined waters into three ports, including Odesa, where they would be loaded with grain.

Kyiv said around 20 million tons of grain from last year's harvest and the current crop would be exported under the agreement. The exports could generate $10 billion in revenue for cash-strapped Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied responsibility for the food crisis, and blamed Western sanctions for slowing Russias own food and fertilizer exports.

He has also blamed the food crisis on Ukraines decision to lay mines around its Black Sea ports.

Ukraine was forced to mine the area around its ports to prevent Russia from invading its territory by sea.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP
KYIV -- The United States will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, expediting military aid in the countrys battle against invading Russian military forces, says the U.S. ambassador to Kyiv.

In an interview with RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service, Bridget Brink said she was really proud of the fact that the United States was the largest provider of security assistance to Ukraine.

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, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

And that includes long range artillery, anti-air defense, coastal defenses, a lot of ammunition and much, much more. So, we are now providing assistance through a presidential drawdown, which is a very fast way to provide it. And we're doing it about every other week [which] is what we are on a schedule for and we will continue supporting and helping Ukraine with the security assistance for as long as it takes, Brink added, referring to a presidential authority to provide military assistance.



Brinks comments come after the White House announced on July 22 that the United States is sending an additional $270 million in security assistance to Ukraine, a package that will include additional medium-range rocket systems and tactical drones.



The latest tranche brings the total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine by President Joe Bidens administration to $8.2 billion since Russia launched its unprovoked attack on its western neighbor on February 24.



The new package includes four high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS and will allow Kyiv to acquire up to 580 Phoenix Ghost drones, both crucial weapon systems that have allowed the Ukrainians to stay in the fight despite Russian artillery supremacy, according to John Kirby, the White House National Security Councils coordinator for strategic communications.



U.S. officials are coordinating closely with their Ukrainian counterparts on weapons deliveries, Brink said.



So, I can tell you that, at every stage of this, with the closest coordination with our Ukrainian partners, we are doing everything possible to give Ukrainian soldiers on the front lines what they need as soon as they need it, the U.S. ambassador said.



Brink said it was up to Ukraine to decide what victory is as President Biden and his administration have made clear.



We've always said, and the president has said, we're not going to tell Ukraine what victory is or force Ukraine into a position of giving up territory or something like that. That is not what we are going to do, Brink explained. What we like to see, what we support for Ukraine is a sovereign, independent, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine. So, all of this assistance and all of this support is to help Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian government achieve that goal.

Crimea 'Playbook'



Russia was relying on its playbook from 2014 when it seized control of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and began to foment unrest in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, providing arms, fighters, and financing to separatists.



It's outrageous that Russia is trying to annex territory of Ukraine. But it's no surprise, we saw this happen in Crimea in 2014. And it seems like it's the same playbook, said Brink. So, efforts are taking place in Kherson and other parts that are occupied by Russia now to do things such as give citizens passports, require Russian language in the schools and administration, install proxy leadership in those administrations. We think it's outrageous, and it's not in accordance with international law.

The U.S. National Security Council said on July 19 that it had intelligence that Russia was preparing to annex all of the Donbas as well as land along Ukraine's southern coastline including Kherson and Zaporizhzhya.



This would formalize Russian control over more than 18 percent of Ukrainian territory in addition to around 4.5 percent that Moscow took in 2014 by illegally annexing Crimea.



Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on July 20 that Russia's ambitions in Ukraine now went far beyond the eastern Donbas region to include a swath of land in the south and "a number of other territories."



Lavrov claimed that Russias new territorial ambitions were driven by the course of the war. But in the early stages of the invasion, Russia tried to occupy much of Ukraines south and capture the capital, Kyiv.

In her interview with RFE/RL, Brink also denied that sanctions against Moscow werent working.



I think they're already having an effect. And sanctions, the way sanctions work, is the effect also takes place over time. So, it is clear based on GDP [gross domestic product] output, basically, based on inflation, and other indicators that the sanctions are already having an impact, Brink said.



The White House has said that Russias default on its foreign debt on June 27  the first time since the Bolshevik revolution more than a century ago -- showed the power of Western sanctions imposed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine.



Brink, who speaks Russian, has been a career diplomat for 25 years and has worked in Uzbekistan and Georgia as well as in several senior positions across the U.S. State Department and the White House National Security Council. Before taking up her post in Kyiv, Brink served as U.S. ambassador to Slovakia.



U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine on May 19, the same day that the Senate confirmed Brink's nomination. The embassy had closed earlier this year due to security concerns.
Over his first three school board races in Hamburg, David Yoviene spent about $5,000 combined.

This year, he and his two running mates spent $23,000 for seats on the Hamburg Central School Board.

To see us spend almost $24,000 on this, its obscene, he said.

The cost of school board races escalated in other suburbs as well.

In East Aurora, Terri Ohlweiler and her two running mates spent $2,900, while their opponents spent $9,500.

Ohlweiler said she never spent the kind of money in her previous campaigns as she did this year.

But then again, weve never had an election like this, she said.

In Orchard Park, four candidates vying for two seats  each pair running as a slate  spent $16,000.

Most candidates for suburban school boards spend little or no money on their campaigns to be elected to the non-paying positions.

But contentious races emerged in several districts this year as issues such as mask mandates and curriculum concerns overshadowed traditional ones like taxes. Races in those districts attracted a lot of attention, a lot of voters and a lot of money.

Overall spending in the East Aurora race, featuring six candidates running for three seats, reached $12,000. And in Hamburg, the campaigns for six people running for three seats spent $45,000, an amount unheard of in suburban races.

Wow, said David Lowery, executive director of the Erie County Association of School Boards. I never would have guessed that amount.

Candidates for suburban school board elections are required to submit to their district clerks and to the state education commissioner financial reports listing contributions, expenses and in-kind services.

Most candidates dont spend a lot of money on their campaigns. More than half don't spend any money, while less than 5% spend more than $1,000, according to the New York State School Boards Association.

Ohlweiler said the first time she ran for a seat on the East Aurora School Board, she was one of three candidates for two seats, and she bought campaign signs with her name on them. The second time she ran she was unopposed. The third time there were three candidates for two seats, and she used her signs but spent no money.

Yoviene said for his first run for the Hamburg board, he and his running mate probably spent about $5,000, and two other times he was unopposed.

Its a different time," he said. "Covid changes everything and it changed this. It was scary to see us spend that kind of money."

He said he isnt sure the campaign needed to spend that much money, but he felt it was important to keep the district on its current path.

It took us this long to be one of the top school districts. Nobody wanted to see it broken, Yoviene said.

Yoviene, Laura J. Heeter and Richard G. Schneider ran and won as a slate. They spent money on lawn signs, advertising, digital advertising, direct mail and an appreciation event for the Hamburg Teachers Association, which donated to their campaigns.

Their opponents, Tammy DeLong, Jacqueline Best and Kelly Hunter, spent $23,000 on yard signs, T-shirts, postage and marketing.

In Orchard Park, running mates Ryan Anderson and Tom Provost, who both won, had $8,900 to spend on signs, mailers, fundraiser, website and ads. Steven M. Barlette and Katherine Ibarra ran against them on a slate, spending $7,000 on many of the same items: signs, website, flyers, postage and a meet and greet event.

In East Aurora, Dawn Vona, Dawn Raczka and Teresa Reile campaigned as a slate until Reile withdrew several days before the election. They spent $9,500 on signs, mailings and advertisements.

We were not expecting to spend that kind of money, nor were we expecting to raise that kind of money as well, Vona said.

She said because they had not run for office before, the trio made some mistakes, such as overestimating how many fliers they needed to send to households. She also said the group probably should have started campaigning earlier.

But there were some things they could not control.

We ordered 300 signs and had 70 of them stolen within a 24-hour period, she said.

Ohlweiler ran on a winning slate with Paul Blowers and Maria Improta. They spent $2,900 on signs, door hangers and ads.

An online fundraiser on GoFundMe to benefit them contributed $2,200. Ohlweiler said the group did not need all of the money, and the nearly $800 left over was donated to the East Aurora Education Foundation.

Teachers unions were a major contributor to the winning candidates in the three districts. An analysis of candidates around the state by the state school boards association showed that 88% of candidates identified as being endorsed by teachers unions were successful.

The East Aurora Faculty Association contributed nearly $1,000 to Blowers, Ohlweiler and Improta.

The Orchard Park Teachers Association held a fundraiser and paid for signs for Anderson and Provost, amounting to a $7,000 contribution.

The Hamburg Teachers Association paid $9,500 for direct mail and digital advertising for Yoviene, Schneider and Heeter.

East Aurora Students First started a GiveSendGo online fundraiser for Vona, Raczka and Reile, contributing about $7,500 to them.

Fight For Your Family, an initiative started by Orchard Park gym operators Hunter and Robby Dinero, contributed $18,000 to the campaign of Hunter, DeLong and Best.

There has been a greater interest in school boards in recent years, particularly with the interrupted learning from the Covid-19 pandemic and disagreement over masks and other mandates, as well as concern about curriculum, said David Albert, spokesman for the state school boards association.

I think all these things have contributed to a greater interest, and with that greater interest you could see more dollars being spent on candidates, Albert said. Most of the candidates who won did not base their campaign on those hot-button issues."

There was more turnover in board members than in previous years. In 2020, about 70% of the incumbents running statewide were re-elected. This year, 54% of incumbents were re-elected.

Usually about a quarter of incumbents do not seek re-election, but 30%, decided not to run for re-election this year, he said.
Debmarine Namibia, a 50:50 joint venture between De Beers and the Namibian government, increased its production by 96% in the second quarter of the year to 488 000 carats compared with 249 000 carats, a year earlier.

Data released by De Beers also showed that Debmarine Namibia improved its first half output by 73% to 863 000 carats from the previous year's 498 000 carats.

The strong showing from Debmarine helped boost De Beers' Namibia production by 67% to 600 000 carats during the second quarter.

Of all the four countries De Beers has operations in, only Namibia registered an increased production.

The increase was attributed to the continued strong performance of the Benguela Gem diamond recovery vessel previously known as the AMV3.

Benguela Gem was commissioned in the first quarter of the year ahead of schedule and below budget.



Image credit: De Beers

The diamond mining vessel is expected to add 500,000 carats of high-value diamonds to annual marine production, an increase of around 45%, following an investment of about $420 million.

"The Benguela Gem is the first of its kind and represents an outstanding feat of engineering design, technology innovation and sustainability performance," said De Beers chief executive Bruce Cleaver last March.

"The investment in this vessel will support a long-term, sustainable future for Namibia's diamond sector, which is home to some of the most sought-after diamonds in the world."

Then Anglo chief executive Mark Cutifani said the commissioning of the Benguela Gem marked further progress towards the group's margin-enhancing organic growth of more than 20% over the next three years.

"This additional vessel further enhances the production of some of the highest quality and value diamonds in the world, while delivering sustained economic benefits for Namibia," he said.

The Benguela Gem is a custom-built vessel that combines the latest technology and fully integrated design to achieve unrivalled efficiency, reliability and accuracy.

A state-of-the-art dynamic positioning system automatically optimises the vessel's performance in changing weather conditions to minimise energy use.

Namdeb's 2021 production was 1.5 million carats from the previous year's 1.4 million carats, reflecting an increase from the remobilisation of most vessels in late 2020.

Debmarine Namibia had five diamond recovery vessels before the arrival of Benguela.

Looking at the growth in output during the second quarter and first half of the year, it is safe to say that De Beers will this year see the Namibian operation as the most improved compared to its Botswana, Canadian and South African operations.

The improved marine output comes at a time when the output of Namdeb's land-based operations had been on a decline.

The land-based Namdeb operations would have come to the end of their life at the end of 2022 due to unsustainable economics.

However, Windhoek offered Namdeb royalty relief from 2021 to 2025, with the royalty rate during this period reducing from 10% to 5%.

This effectively helped Namdeb to extend its land-based operations by up to 20 years.

Namibia's mines Minister Tom Alweendo said last October that the Namdeb land-based mines' closure at the end of 2022 would have had a serious impact on Namibia's economy.

"Therefore, it was imperative to safeguard this operation for the benefit of sustaining the life of mine for both the national economy as well as preserving employment for our people and the livelihoods of families that depend on it," he said.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
Botswana, which is one of the top diamond producers in the world, continues to provide legal certainty and financial incentives for diamond exploration and mine development, according to James Campbell, the managing director of Botswana Diamonds.

He said no other African government provided sufficient financial incentives for diamond exploration companies.

The diamond exploration junior predominantly has operations in Botswana and South Africa.

It is also interested in exploring diamonds in Zimbabwe.

Botswana Diamonds managing director also said the company has plans to transition to a diamond producer from exploration.

Campbell said they will establish a commercially viable operation in South Africa and Botswana if they conclude funding to acquire the Ghaghoo diamond mine from Gem Diamonds.

Below are excerpts from the interview.

What is the level of funding for diamond exploration work?

Funding for diamond exploration and development projects remains tough. Botswana Diamonds is currently the only active junior who is engaged in diamond exploration and project development in the Southern African region.

How have you been managing to raise funds for your exploration activities in Botswana and South Africa?

Botswana Diamonds plc came about when the AK6 (now Karowe Mine) portion of African Diamonds was sold to Lucara Diamond Inc and the exploration assets in Botswana remained thus Botswana Diamonds was spun out.

The board and management of the company are significant shareholders and many of our shareholders are loyal followers of the 162 Group led by Dr John Teeling who has delivered significant returns to shareholders over a long period.

For example, the original shareholders in African Diamonds plc achieved a 25 times return on their investment.

How are the African governments encouraging diamond exploration?

Governments can deliver legal certainty, simplicity and financial incentives as far as exploration and mine development is concerned. On legal certainty and simplicity, Botswana is one of the stand-out performers in Africa and for many years was in the top position in this area in the Fraser Institute annual survey.

Sadly, no African governments have provided sufficient financial incentives, such as the Canadian Flow-Through Share scheme and thus 95% plus of investment in diamond exploration and development projects comes from the UK, Canadian or Australian financial markets.

Apart from Botswana and South Africa, which other African countries do you consider highly prospective?

We consider Zimbabwe as being highly prospective but currently, only four companies: ZCDC, Alrosa, Anjin and Rio Tinto Zimbabwe are allowed to operate in the diamond exploration and development space in Zimbabwe.

How confident are you in establishing a commercially viable operation in South Africa?

We are confident that we will establish a commercially viable operation in South Africa and if we can conclude funding to acquire the Ghaghoo diamond mine from Gem Diamonds Ltd then the same will apply in Botswana.

What is your reaction to claims that you are now more focused on South African projects?

Over the past couple of years, that is during COVID times, we have been able to partly continue our fieldwork at Thorny River in South Africa. However, in Botswana, we have been very active from a corporate perspective namely: acquisition of Sekaka Diamonds Pty Ltd from Petra Diamonds Ltd; exploration farm-out agreement with Diamexstrat and Burgundy Diamond Mining; the lapsed conditional acquisition of Ghaghoo Mine from Gem Diamonds Ltd and most recently, the conditional acquisition of an increased stake in the Maibwe JV.

How optimistic are you about becoming a diamond producer?

It has always been Botswana Diamonds intention to become a diamond producer.

Botswana Diamonds subsidiary Siseko Minerals increased its stake in Maibwe after several years of negotiating with the liquidators of BCL Botswana. What is unique about this diamond JV?

The Maibwe joint venture is host to some of the most prospective diamond grounds in Botswana located in the 'last frontier' for diamond exploration in Botswana's Kalahari.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished
The little acknowledged sliver of land to the east of the Dniester River in Moldova is set to be another thorn in the side of European cartographers as the unrecognized republics Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev stated last week that the region is maintaining its course for independence with eventual accession to Russia.

The region shares a 405km border with Ukraine and is part of the Dniester Valley. It had been part of Moldova, however engineered a split with the Moldovan government in 1990. Fiercely independent, it has historic issues with Moldovia, Ukraine and Romania and wished to remain independent, yet under the protection of Moscow following the dissolution of the USSR, mainly due to historical violence and disagreements with Moldova over potential re-unification with Romania to the West. Fierce medieval and on-going historic battles between Romanian and Transnistrian troops have occurred over the centuries with the Transnistrians keen to maintain control of the Dniester Rivers east bank, a situation which prevails today  as does their desire to maintain allegiance to Moscow as their preferred protector. Following skirmishes in 1991, Russian troops moved in and have kept the peace  and Transnistria  intact. The Russian conflict with Ukraine has only made the Transnistria region more determined to re-join Russia, and especially as the Ukraine has expressed its desire to join the European Union, which the Transnistrians do not wish to do for being forced to accept Romania as a partner state.

Although the peace between Moldova and Transnistria ceasefire has held for the past three decades, 2022 also represents the 30th year of Transnistrian effective autonomy, although the territorys political status remains unresolved: Transnistria is an unrecognised but de facto independent presidential republic with its own government, parliament, military, police, postal system, currency, and vehicle registration. Transnistria has a constitution, flag, national anthem, and coat of arms.

Ignatiev stated on Friday that Transnistrias foreign policy vector remains unchanged: it is independence and subsequent accession to the Russian Federation, which was approved at the 2006 referendum. This vector was supported by 98% of the participants in the plebiscite. After that, the Transnistrian Supreme Council asked the Russian State Duma, the Federation Council and the president of Russia to recognize the republic as a sovereign independent state.

Since 1992, when a ceasefire was agreed, the Russian military have been ensuring stability is maintained in the region in cooperation with both Moldovan and Transnistrian officials, while encouraging Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, and Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria, to hold talks to settle the conflict. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Russia and Ukraine act as mediators and guarantors in these talks. That situation has now changed with the Russia-Ukraine conflict and Moldova seeking to join the European Union, which to the Transnistrians would mean a de facto absorption with the hated Romania.

Transnistria has a population of about 350,000 and a GDP of about US$1 billion. Transnistrians GDP per capita is higher than that of Moldova.

Transnistrias leading industry is steel, due to the Moldova Steel Works (part of the Russian Metalloinvest holding) in Ribnita, which accounts for about 60% of the budget revenue of Transnistria. The largest company in the textile industry is Tirotex, which claims to be the second largest textile company in Europe. The energy sector is dominated by Russian companies. The largest power company Moldavskaya GRES (Kuchurgan power station) is in Dnestrovsc and owned by Inter RAO UES, while the gas transmission and distribution company Tiraspoltransgas is controlled by Gazprom. The banking sector of Transnistria consists of 8 commercial banks, including Gazprombank. The oldest alcohol producer KVINT, located in Tiraspol, produces and exports brandy, wines and vodka.

Transnistria therefore adds an additional layer of complexity to the Ukraine conflict, as Ukrainian territory cuts it off from direct access to the Black Sea to the South, with the southern part of Odessa Oblast to the West almost cut off from the northern section by Transnistrian and Moldovan territory.

There is no love lost between Transnistria, Moldova, and Romania either, which is problematic when one considers Kiev is so pro-EU, and Romania is a member state.

Romania joined the invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, providing equipment and oil to Nazi Germany as well as committing more troops to the Eastern Front than all the other German allies. Romanian forces played a large role during fighting in Ukraine, Bessarabia, Stalingrad and elsewhere. Romanian troops were responsible for the persecution and massacre of 260,000 Jews in Romanian-controlled territories, including in Moldova, Transnistria, and Odessa, while it should be noted that Odessa itself had some 25,000 civilians massacred by Romanian troops outside the city walls and another 30,000 deported to Nazi death camps.

This means there is fierce opposition in Odessa to EU membership, while the Odessa Port city was the capital of the then Transnistria region for a number of years  links are deep. As can be seen, the situation is complex and historic emotions run high.

With Russian troops now seemingly intent on taking the Odessa Port, if successful (it should be pointed out many Odessans would welcome a return to Russia) the situation as concerns Transnistria would become clearer. What hasnt been acknowledged within the region is that there remains very little appetite in either Odessa or Transnistria to join with Romania within the European Union, a stated objective for Kiev.

The region is not featuring in Ukrainian conflict news at present, however given the dynamics at play it can only be a matter of time before it does.

Related Reading
National City police Chief Manuel Rodriguez announced Wednesday that he will retire in March, ending an eight-year tenure in which he led the department as it took steps to build trust within the community.

I truly appreciate the privilege and opportunity to serve the community I grew up in and will continue to work in partnership with everyone to increase the quality of life for the entire National City community, Rodriguez said Thursday in a statement.

His announcement comes as the Police Department moves on in the wake of a tumultuous summer following the controversial in-custody death of Earl McNeil, who stopped breathing after he was arrested in May. His death led to a series of tense protests at City Hall and calls for Rodriguezs resignation.

Protesters took issue with what they characterized as a lack of transparency regarding the investigation into McNeils death.

In September, District Attorney Summer Stephan announced that neither officers nor sheriffs deputies who interacted with McNeil were criminally liable for his death.

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I think the chief has done a great job, Mayor Ron Morrison said Wednesday in response to news of Rodriguezs planned retirement.

He commended Rodriguez for keeping calm even as some protesters screamed in his face during City Council meetings over the summer.

He kept his composure, Morrison said. He also praised the chief for not being overly apologetic or defensive as the investigation into McNeils death was ongoing.

A graduate of National City Middle School and Sweetwater High School, Rodriguez began his 32-year career with the San Diego Police Department in 1986. Over the course of 20 years, he rose through the ranks, to special assistant to the chief of police.

Rodriguez moved on to the National City Police Department as a captain in 2005. Two years later, he was promoted to assistant police chief.

He took over the department in 2013 after former police Chief Adolfo Gonzales accepted a position with the District Attorneys Office.

Rodriguezs appointment as the top cop fulfilled a longtime goal to conclude his career as a police chief, he said at the time.

During his tenure, the Police Department has implemented body-worn cameras, involved community members in use-of-force workshops to offer a glimpse into the line of duty and pushed for community-oriented policing.

This year, the Police Department equipped officers with naloxone, commonly known by its brand name, Narcan. The nasal drug is intended to reverse the effects of opioid overdoses.

Under Rodriguezs leadership, the department also implemented a succession plan, which filled some positions, including captains and lieutenants, in an acting capacity to allow lower-ranking officials to gain experience.

Morrison said the planning was one of Rodriguezs greatest accomplishments.

The last thing you want to do is leave and realize theres no one to take over, Morrison said. I think (the chief) worked well at developing leadership from within.

City Manager Leslie Deese said its been an honor and privilege to work alongside Rodriguez for more than 15 years.

I want to sincerely thank Chief Rodriguez for his years of service to National City, she said in an email. He has served our city well and has many accomplishments of which to be proud.

The chief oversees a $27 million budget and about 120 employees, including about 80 sworn officers who serve more than 60,000 residents.

Mayor-elect Alejandra Sotelo-Solis, who has served as a councilwoman for the past decade, offered her congratulations and best wishes for a happy and healthy retirement.

Raised in National City, I know that Chief Manny Rodriguez took great pride in serving as Chief of Police for his hometown, she said in a statement.

Deese said the plan is to transition Assistant Chief Jose Tellez into the police chief position over the next three months. Tellez is a 30-year veteran with the department who has served as an operations and administration lieutenant, public information officer and captain.

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez

UPDATES:

10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with comments from the chief and mayor-elect. This article was originally published at 6:45 p.m. on Nov. 28.
Lifetime health insurance is about to become a thing of the past for administrators in the Buffalo Public Schools.

Administrators hired after July 2023 will not be eligible for health insurance paid for by the district after they retire, under the terms of a new contract approved this week by the School Board.

It is significant. Its something the district had pursued for at least the last two collective bargaining agreements, said Robert Boreanaz, the attorney for the Buffalo Council of Supervisors and Administrators.

Over the years, Boreanaz said, Buffalo had become one of the few districts in New York State still providing retirees with health insurance.

Administrators hired prior to July 2023 will remain eligible for retiree health insurance.

Those hired after July 2023 will have the option of selling back to the district up to 120 unused sick days to be used toward the cost of their health insurance premiums after they retire.

Teachers in Buffalo still receive retiree health insurance. The Buffalo Teachers Federation is currently in negotiations with the district for a new contract. Union President Phil Rumore said the district is hoping to negotiate an end to retiree health insurance for teachers.

Every union has the right to do what they think is best for their members, Rumore said. But I believe its against everything that unions stand for, to sacrifice newer members for existing members.

The administrators union represents about 200 principals, assistant principals and Central Office administrators.

"This contract benefits both parties by eliminating the discrepancy in pay between elementary and high school principals, makes changes to health care benefits, in addition to raises and a signing bonus," said School Board President Lou Petrucci.

Until now, elementary principals had been paid less than high school principals.

Many years ago, the elementary schools were much smaller than the high schools, and had less students. Thats not the case anymore, Boreanaz said.

The contract brings nominal increases in the amount that administrators have to contribute toward their health insurance premiums. Veteran administrators will now pay 10% of their premium, and new administrators will pay 16%.

The contract also brings pay increases.

This summer, administrators will receive a 10% raise, plus step increases. Then, for each of the following three years, they will receive a 3% raise, plus step increases.

Boreanaz pointed out that the administrators unions previous contract, which was reached in 2017, expired nearly two years ago.

Administrators also will each receive a one-time bonus equal to 7% of their annual salary as a result of ratifying the new contract.

The administrators union met with district officials 13 times over 16 months to hash out the terms of the new contract, he said. The majority of the progress toward reaching the contract was achieved under the past few months under Superintendent Tonja Williams, Boreanaz said.

Unequivocally, the principals and administrators of the Buffalo School District are really looking forward to a new chapter and working with and supporting the new superintendent, he said.

Now that the administrators contract has been settled, Petrucci said, the board can focus on settling the teachers contract.

"Contracts are about more than just dollars; new contracts help the district to address changes in working conditions and benefits," he said.
Steven Carrillo slid open the van door and readied his rifle, equipped with a silencer.

Carrillo, 32, a member of a far-right anti-government militia, aimed for two federal building guards in downtown Oakland. It was four days after George Floyds murder in Minneapolis in May 2020. Carrillo hoped what he was about to do would be blamed on nearby Black Lives Matter protesters.

Carrillo pulled the trigger, firing 19 rounds from his AR-15-style rifle. One security officer fell, dying.

Days later, Carrillo, an active-duty U.S. Air Force sergeant, would also allegedly ambush and kill a Santa Cruz County sheriffs deputy.

Long before the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, before a Santa Ana federal judge suggested former President Donald Trump committed crimes while trying to stop the counting of electoral votes, and before five members of the mens hate group the Proud Boys were indicted for seditious conspiracy, Carrillo and a group of men he met through Facebook allegedly plotted to provoke a civil war themselves.

Their case both warns of a resurgence in far-right extremism, openly fomented on mainstream social media platforms, and illustrates the difficulty of measuring responsibility for violence discussed versus violence committed.

Late last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray said the bureaus domestic terrorism caseload had more than doubled since spring 2020, to 2,700 from 1,000 investigations by September 2021. Much of the danger, he said, came from people who were radicalized online. Some fell into foreign groups like Islamic State, Wray told the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

But were also countering lone domestic violent extremists radicalized by personalized grievances ranging from racial and ethnic bias to anti-government, anti-authority sentiment to conspiracy theories, Wray said.

Getty Images / AFP via Getty Images Getty Images / AFP via Getty Images Getty Images Eze Amos/Getty Images Top of story: Before Steven Carrillo (center) was accused of killing two men in the Bay Area during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, he found people with common interests through a Facebook group called K/alifornia Kommando, which was devoted to the boogaloo network  an anti-government fringe whose members are known for wearing Hawaiian shirts, being heavily armed and believing in a coming second civil war. Above: Members of boogaloo groups attended rallies in Phoenix (upper left); Lansing, Mich.; and Richmond, Va. (bottom row), in 2020 and 2021. Photos by Getty Images Top of story: Before Steven Carrillo (center) was accused of killing two men in the Bay Area during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, he found people with common interests through a Facebook group called K/alifornia Kommando, which was devoted to the boogaloo network  an anti-government fringe whose members are known for wearing Hawaiian shirts, being heavily armed and believing in a coming second civil war. Above: Members of boogaloo groups attended rallies in Phoenix (top); Lansing, Mich.; and Richmond, Va. (two photos) in 2020 and 2021. Photos by Getty Images

What happened in the Bay Area two years ago appears to fall best under that latter description, tied to a loose confederacy of individuals calling themselves boogaloo bois.

The Southern Poverty Law Center considers boogaloo groups to be part of a strident and increasingly popular anti-government movement. It doesnt classify them as a hate group, as the center does with the Proud Boys. Some boogaloo sects profess to be anti-racist, while others have white supremacists in their ranks, according to researchers at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Generally, their common enemies are members of law enforcement and the government.

Brian Levin, an extremism expert at Cal State San Bernardino, said while many boogaloo followers might not commit violence, the constant talk of it can encourage the most disturbed among them to do so.

Tremendously concerning, Levin said, is that the boogaloo groups found a haven on Facebook, one of the least subversive gathering places on the internet.

Why are we giving Dr. Evil the luxury penthouse of communication infrastructure? asked Levin, director of the universitys Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, referring to extremist groups.

As of September 2021, Facebooks parent company, Meta, said it has banned 1,000 militarized social movements and removed 4,000 pages, 20,600 groups, 190 events and 54,900 Facebook profiles.

This is an adversarial space and we know that our work to protect our platforms and the people who use them from these threats never ends, Meta said in a statement. However, we believe that our work has helped to make it harder for harmful groups to organize on our platforms.

But as recently as January, a report by the tech watchdog group Tech Transparency Project slammed Facebook as a breeding ground for anti-government extremist groups like the Three Percenters. The report said militias were found to be promoting their content and even running recruitment ads on the platform.

Meanwhile, the United Nations-affiliated Tech Against Terrorism initiative found in March that Western governments are much more aggressive when it comes to identifying Islamist terrorist groups than they are far-right terrorist groups, making it more difficult for tech platforms to scrub their feeds of far-right propaganda.

These issues can be seen throughout the case of Carrillo and his fellow militia members, documented in hundreds of pages of federal court records, evidence photos and hours of statements in open court reviewed by The Chronicle. They tell a story about what happens when virtual life wields outsize influence, and when a man with murderous ideas, encouraged by other troubled men, decides to step out of Facebook and into the world.

Digital soldiers

Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office 2020

Carrillo was a decorated Air Force veteran of 12 years with deployments across the Middle East, according to his attorney, James Thomson. But something changed on his last tour. At a June sentencing hearing in a San Francisco federal courthouse, Thomson said Carrillo spiraled after leaving Kuwait, though he didnt elaborate and later declined to comment for this story.

In 2018, Carrillos wife died by suicide, Thomson said. He blamed himself for her death, Thomson said, and had his own failed attempts at ending his life.

Carrillo, who was stationed at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, met the men who would become his brethren early in the pandemic, in a Facebook group called K/alifornia Kommando devoted to the boogaloo fringe. Boogaloos lineage can be traced back to 4chan, a basically uncensored message board where mass shooters written screeds have often turned up and where the false QAnon conspiracy theory originated. But boogaloo groups really grew on Facebook, according to researchers at Bellingcat, an independent collective that uses social media to track fringe and criminal groups.

Boogaloo followers generally see law enforcement as agents of a corrupt government that should be overthrown. They attend various protests, often clad in Hawaiian shirts and body armor and carrying big guns.

The boogaloo bois, as they sometimes call themselves, can be easy for some to dismiss. The very name boogaloo sounds like a joke and derives from a 1984 movie about break dancing, Breakin 2: Electric Boogaloo.

The loose ideological network underwent a shift during the early days of the pandemic, the Brookings Institution, a public policy nonprofit, found. Boogaloos followers meme culture became more violent and anti-government, often due to complaints about COVID-19 restrictions.

The now-defunct K/alifornia Kommando pages stated purpose was to organize squads across California for boogaloo, meaning civil war.

Jessie Rush, 29, of Turlock (Stanislaus County) started the Grizzly Scouts, a boogaloo militia, with people he met in the group. Rush was, his attorney has said in court filings, a severely damaged Army veteran overwhelmed by the pandemic, social unrest, the loss of his job and misinformation on social media.

The group included a transient 33-year-old man from the Bay Area, two men in their early 20s who were, their attorneys would say, lost and adrift in the upheaval of the pandemic, and others whose names the government would never learn.

The Scouts met up near Turlock, the Central Valley farming town, for target practice and tactical training. They gave themselves military ranks. They spoke about killing law enforcement personnel and about war in a WhatsApp chat called 209 BOOG HG.

Rush made sure the others knew this wasnt fantasy. This was, he said, no LARPing shit, or live action role-playing.

They were preparing for battle.

Real life

The rhetoric of boogaloo followers intensified nationally after a Minneapolis police officer murdered Floyd on May 25, 2020. Like Carrillo, other boogaloo followers viewed the ensuing protests as an opportunity to sow chaos that could be blamed on the Black Lives Matter movement, according to Middlebury Institute research. The Grizzly Scouts also discussed trying to pit police against imagined left-wing antifa groups as a means to inflict harm on both, prosecutors said.

In the days after Floyds death, police clashed with many peaceful protesters across the country. Trump amped up tensions, calling people who were allegedly looting THUGS in tweets, adding the infamous line: When the looting starts, the shooting starts.

Carrillo and another Grizzly Scout named Simon Sage Ybarra, 23, met in person on May 27.

Carrillo drove to Los Gatos, where he talked with Ybarra and assembled an untraceable AR-15 style rifle in a gas station parking lot, prosecutors said.

The next day, Carrillo messaged Ybarra to ask if hed like to go to a protest in Oakland. Carrillo had learned a Black Lives Matter demonstration was planned for the next night near the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building.

Carrillo asked if Ybarra wanted to snipe some you know whats (sic), referring to law enforcement personnel.

Ybarra, prosecutors believe, didnt respond.

The next morning, Carrillo was on Facebook, telegraphing his plans to use protesters as foils.

Go to the riots and support our own cause, he wrote. Use their anger to fuel our fire.

Carrillo met that day with an alleged accomplice, Robert Justus Jr., 30, a fellow Grizzly Scout from Millbrae. Justus has pleaded not guilty to aiding and abetting a murder and attempted murder. He told the FBI he felt he had no choice but to drive the heavily armed Carrillo to Oakland.

They rode to downtown Oakland in a white Ford Econoline van with a missing hubcap. At 9:27 p.m., Justus parked and cut the lights.

Directly in front of the van was the federal buildings guard outpost. It sat at a busy corner of 12th and Jefferson streets, in the shadow of a glimmering mirror-paned office tower.

Inside the guard post were two security officers. One was David Patrick Underwood, a Black 53-year-old community volunteer from Contra Costa County whose relatives would later say had left home that day happy. (The other guards name hasnt been released.)

A large crowd of protesters had been moving around the area for hours. Some demonstrators were gathered just feet from the guard post. Underwood and his partner, federal authorities would later say, were monitoring the protest while manning the post.

In the van, Carrillo prepared the rifle.

Then it was time.

At 9:43 p.m., Justus turned on the lights and pressed the gas, driving down Jefferson Street in the direction of the post.

Carrillo slid open the moving vans side door. He fired at Underwood and his partner. In a hail of 19 rounds, both men were hit. As the van fled, Underwood lay dying.

U.S. Department of Justice 2020

Get here

Carrillos plot to use the protest as cover almost seemed to work.

The next day, at a news conference, officials declined to say whether they believed the protest and shooting were related, but they didnt rule it out.

The Grizzly Scouts continued to chat with Carrillo in the days after the shooting, though government records dont make clear what, if anything, they knew about what he had done in Oakland. The conversations were still about civil war and killing.

But before any war got started, the van was discovered on June 6, 2020.

It was found in rural Santa Cruz County, near Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Carrillos home in Ben Lomond was not far away. Through the van window a passerby could see guns, ammunition and what appeared to be bomb-making supplies.

Carrillo learned the van had been discovered; court records dont reveal how. A number of federal documents are sealed pending the resolution of Carrillos state case. But federal court records suggest the Grizzly Scouts were listening to police radio traffic in Carrillos area after the discovery of the van.

Carrillo told the group the deputies were coming for him. He said he needed backup.

Kit up and get here, Carrillo wrote.

Then, he typed: Dudes I offed a fed.

The other Grizzly Scouts started to panic.

Rush, the groups leader, immediately told Carrillo to factory reset his phone in an attempt to wipe the message from its memory. Rush and fellow Scouts Robert Jesus Blancas, Ybarra and Kenny Miksch deleted records from their chats with Carrillo, prosecutors said.

Carrillo allegedly waited at his home for authorities, hiding with his rifle.

When a group of sheriffs deputies arrived, Carrillo allegedly shot at them. Deputies returned fire and heard an explosion.

Santa Cruz County Sheriffs Office

Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was shot and soon died. Gutzwiller, a friend would say, was a man of infectious happiness whose family came first. He left behind a 2-year-old son and a pregnant wife.

Carrillo, who was shot in the hip, fled on foot and carjacked a motorist in a Toyota Camry but was soon found and arrested, according to an indictment.

When deputies later looked at the white Camry, they saw Carrillo had evidently used his own blood to smear a message on the hood: I became unreasonable. BOOG.

Line no longer blurred

After trying to wipe their phones of evidence that they knew Carrillo, other Grizzly Scouts planned a meeting and gathered in Turlock.

There, they started a new group chat without Carrillo.

After their arrests in 2021, three Scouts decided to plead guilty. They faced federal charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice and destruction of evidence, exposing them to sentences of up to 14 months in custody. The explanation that Carrillo and his alleged conspirators have given for their actions  that they were radicalized on Facebook  is similar to the defense of some Capitol riot defendants, who say they were misled by misinformation online.

Lawyers for Rush and two others filed a joint brief, in which they attempted to explain their clients conduct.

These young men, like many young men who are lost, joined the Grizzly Scouts for a sense of belonging, the attorneys wrote. Belonging, of course, often manifests in statements totally divorced from actions and reality.

I am unrecognizable to myself, and I feel nothing but shame and guilt, Rush wrote in a letter to the U.S. District Court in San Francisco.

Rush and the two others, including Ybarra and Miksch, appeared in court for sentencing in February. But U.S. District Court Judge James Donato decided to throw out their guilty pleas, suggesting he wasnt happy with the proposed sentences of 12 months in prison for Rush and six for the other two.

This is because these individuals are a manifest threat to public safety, safety of law enforcement officers, and safety of the people around them, Donato said.

The prosecution of the Grizzly Scouts came as the number of national security and domestic terrorism cases reached a milestone. Federal prosecutors last year filed more such cases than in any single 12-month period since the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and are on track to keep up the pace through the 2022 federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30, according to records obtained by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

The group noted, however, that the number of prosecutions is likely a significant undercount, as these types of prosecutions are typically filed under seal and because domestic terrorism statutes are broad and inconsistently applied.

The judge set a June trial for Rush and the other two, but later decided to accept the guilty pleas. He sentenced Rush and the two others to six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Donato said he considered the heavy combat Rush had seen in Afghanistan and efforts to improve his mental health as mitigating factors, the Vallejo Sun reported. In the cases of the other two, he considered their age at the time of their crimes  21 and 23.

As for the vans driver, Justus, his case remains pending.

Erroll Southers, former deputy director of the California Office of Homeland Security, said the sentences for Carrillos fellow Grizzly Scouts sent a message: Theres a price for involvement in violent extremist groups and enabling other members.

Southers sees that as a necessary point to make while the threat of right-wing extremism grows and the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the Capitol attack, amplified in recent weeks by dramatic Jan. 6 committee hearings revealing how close Trump came to pushing the country to the brink.

Southers, now associate senior vice president for safety and risk at the University of Southern California, said he expects coming months to be active for right-wing extremists who want to affect the midterm elections in November, perhaps by acting as armed poll watchers in states where theyre able. Historically, polling place intimidation has been used to suppress the votes of Black and brown Americans. Southers said fringe groups also may show up more often at abortion-related protests and LGBTQ-related events.

I dont think between now and November, youre going to see less activity, Southers said.

Underwoods sister, Angela Underwood Jacobs, thinks Facebook owns a share of the blame for what happened to her brother. In January, she filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the social media platform and Meta in Alameda Superior Court. The suit accuses Facebook of putting her brothers killer and the killers alleged accomplice together and says the platform helped foster the online boogaloo community.

Underwoods killing, the lawsuit states, was the culmination of an extremist plot hatched and planned on Facebook by two men who Meta connected through Facebooks groups infrastructure and its use of algorithms designed and intended to increase user engagement and, correspondingly, Metas profits.

Facebook has said the claims are without legal basis.

Consequence

It was two years after the Oakland shooting, almost to the day, and Carrillo shuffled into a federal courtroom in San Francisco, shackled at the ankles. The 34-year-old wore a faded red jailhouse jumpsuit with his dark hair slicked back.

He had pleaded guilty to Underwoods murder and was scheduled for sentencing. He has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of Gutzwiller in Santa Cruz County. Federal prosecutor Jonathan Lee said Carrillo could still face a life sentence without parole in Gutzwillers death. Messages left with the Santa Cruz County District Attorneys Office werent returned, but he has a hearing in that case on Aug. 26.

One side of the courtroom gallery contained several dozen of Underwoods loved ones. A deputy passed them boxes of tissues as the hearing began.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle 2020

Carrillos attorney told the judge hed been asking to plead guilty to Underwoods murder since just weeks after his arrest.

Thomson said jail staff had quickly diagnosed Carrillo with a mental illness, though the attorney didnt give the name of the condition. Carrillo was prescribed medicine that soon began to work.

Each day, Thomson said, he becomes a little clearer about what has gone on and about the sorrow he feels.

Before the court hearing, Thomson had struck a deal with prosecutors for Carrillo to serve 41 years in federal prison, pending the judges approval. A few of Underwoods loved ones would first be given a chance to speak.

Tammy Evans, a first cousin, hadnt planned to walk to the lectern. She had often said Carrillo wasnt worth her breath. But now she needed to speak.

He was like my big brother. My only brother is now gone, Evans said, refusing to look at Carrillo. You didnt know him. But you still chose to take him from us.

Trinity Jacobs, Underwoods niece, wanted Carrillo to know she felt sorry for him.

You couldve had hopes and dreams and now you have nothing, she said, looking straight at Carrillo. Your life has gone to waste, and for what?

Carrillo declined to speak in court.

U.S. District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who initially wasnt sure a 41-year sentence was long enough, accepted it, saying Carrillo had been through a perfect storm of misfortune and mental illness.

Some of Underwoods loved ones were satisfied with the sentence. Others werent.

A moment later, Carrillo rose and was led out of the courtroom, chains clanking at his feet.

Joshua Sharpe is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: joshua.sharpe@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joshuawsharpe
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It was Curtis Kimballs last day in San Francisco, so he decided to throw a party.

But it wasnt just any party. It was one of Kimballs now-famous pancake parties, where he stands outside his Bernal Heights home making free pancakes for anyone who stops by  a way to build community and get to know the people in the neighborhood.

His tweets about the first party went viral  even landing him an appearance on the Today show  and his second pancake party in February drew hundreds, with lines wrapping around the block.

But on Saturday, at his third and final Bernal Heights pancake party, the turnout was much smaller, just a few dozen people coming in and out throughout the morning  creating an environment a bit closer to Kimballs original neighborhood gathering vision. Pancake party veterans reminisced about February, whispering to each other, were you here last time? Do you remember the line around the block?

And the best part of the smaller turnout? Anyone who wanted seconds could get them. Most did.

While the mood was warm and friendly  who can be mad around pancakes?  there was an air of sadness on the overcast morning. Talking about his time in the city and the people hes met, Kimball more than once got choked up, trying to laugh it off as quickly as he could. All right, stop, youre making me cry! he said to more than one visitor.

Danielle Echeverria/The Chronicle

After more than 20 years in San Francisco, Kimball is leaving the city to move to Delaware with his wife and two kids, ages 2 and 5, to be closer to his wifes father, who was recently diagnosed with brain cancer.

Kimball said he and his wife were with friends when they got the news, and those friends were the first to advise them  just get there. So theyre going.

Family and relationships are everything to me, he said. We need to have as much time as we can together.

But on the way, Kimball is taking his pancake party on a national tour, planning stops everywhere from Los Angeles to Texas to Louisiana to New York  anywhere someone is willing to host him. Visitors at his farewell party, most of whom lived nearby in Bernal Heights or the Mission, were quick to share contacts and recommendations in their hometowns across the country.

Kimball hopes the idea catches on in the different places he goes.

It feels good to do something for the community like this, he said. I want to continue to explore how to build neighborhoods that are really like neighbors.

And it was already working  his pancake party inspired another neighbor, Sean, to start hosting stoop sits on Friday nights, where anyone can stop by and have a lemonade and a cookie and just hang out. Others gathered on Saturday morning were meeting many of their neighbors for the first time.

Without hesitation, people introduced themselves to each other  some whod lived in the city for more than 20 years, some for just a few weeks  because that was really the whole point.

What youre doing here is amazing, Kelly Iura, who lives near Kimball, told him, just before her daughter Maia asked whether she could have seconds.

And besides bringing people together, some even brought their own things to share. Couple Cecile and David, who live in Lower Pacific Heights, brought Canadian maple syrup.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

The couple found out about the party when they saw one of Kimballs printed flyers in the Haight on Friday. They thought the flyer was funny, so they decided to come check it out.

I saw it and thought, Whoever is doing this, I want to know them, David said with a laugh.

They added the maple syrup to Kimballs toppings table.

Its really good! Cecile said, trying the syrup for the first time. And so are these pancakes! Theyre just perfectly fluffy.

Brian Goldstein, who met Kimball in the early 2000s when they lived near each other in the Mission, even made him a farewell poster for people to sign, complete with pictures from Kimballs early days with his creme brulee cart in Dolores Park to cutouts from his latest media appearances.

Danielle Echeverria/The Chronicle

Children drew pictures of dogs and pancakes, and many adults signed with genuine words of gratitude for the spirit that Kimball brought to the community. By noon, the poster board was covered.

I wanted him to have something he can look at in 20 years and say, Wow, that was a great thing I did, Goldstein said.

Danielle Echeverria is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: danielle.echeverria@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DanielleEchev
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Marin County recently had a narrow escape from fire.

Last month, a cigarette sparked a fire on Mount Tamalpais  whose rolling, tree-covered slopes havent burned since 1945.

Though quickly put out by the fast action of a passerby and local fire agencies, it rattled officials across the county  who are all too aware that even beyond Mount Tam, the lush, forested hills and valleys that make communities like Mill Valley so desirable are also a source of immense risk.

Weve just been lucky that we havent had the ignition in the wrong time and the wrong place, said Mark Brown, executive officer of the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority.

While neighboring Sonoma County has been pummeled almost yearly by major fires, from the Tubbs Fire of 2017 that ripped westward over hills at night to burn entire neighborhoods, to the Kincade Fire of 2019 and the Glass and Walbridge fires of 2020, Marins fire activity has been remarkably limited. In the past 20 years, wildfires have burned just under 6,000 of the 530,000 acres in Marin County, according to county, state and federal data.

Most recently, the Woodward Fire burned through just over 4,900 acres along the Point Reyes National Seashore in August 2020. Before, the Vision Fire in October 1995 burned 12,354 acres near Mount Vision on the Point Reyes Peninsula, scorching scenic but sparsely populated areas. Earlier this month, the Lincoln Fire forced northbound lanes of Highway 101 to close near Marin City.

But the risk is high  and the lack of previous burns adds to it. On fire danger maps of the Bay Area, the southeast slopes of Mount Tamalpais show up as high-risk. A national wildfire risk assessment led by the nonprofit First Street Foundation found that by 2052, more than 40% of homes in the county will face at least a 0.03% risk of wildfire annually  though both Sonoma and Napa exceed that figure.

A few small vegetation fires this month near Highway 101 serve as a reminder of the danger Marin faces.

Photos by Ethan Swope/The Chronicle

Fire risk is always increasing, every year, said Fred Hilliard, division chief and fire marshal for southern Marin County.

When the cigarette sparked the June fire on Mount Tamalpais, Fairfax resident Peter Anderson and his partner were the first to arrive. Anderson said he was hiking when he heard a call for help. He found a man lying on the ground, surrounded by flames.

Anderson smothered the flames with his shirt and was able to help the man get up and walk to the trailhead as the fire exploded behind us, he recounted.

If any wind had been blowing away from the lake, the fire would have raced 300 feet through a tinder dry meadow, he told officials of Marin Water, which owns the Mount Tamalpais watershed.

Climate change deeply affects the region, as is true across California. Hilliard noted that even though Marin might look lush, even green, healthy plants are drier than they ever have been. Drier winters and warmer summers create the prospect of disaster.

And while the warm, Diablo winds have always served as a fire spreader in the early fall months, Brown said they arent the only factor he worries about anymore.

The fuel conditions are such that they dont need as much wind as they used to to start a devastating fire, he said.

To address the increasing risk, county voters approved a parcel tax in 2020 providing nearly $20 million annually for wildfire prevention. That support has materialized in the Marin Wildfire Prevention Authority, which does home inspections, vegetation management, public education and more.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

The authority performed close to 40,000 home inspections last year, and is on track to do even more this year, according to Brown. The group is also pouring resources into creating shaded fuel breaks. Workers remove non-native or dead vegetation, while leaving a canopy of tree coverage to create shade and increase the moisture levels of the vegetation thats left. The breaks not only improve the health of the forest, but will also decrease risk to thousands of homes.

Additionally, the authority is addressing a long-standing fire and evacuation risk  the long, windy and thin roads.

Theyre horrible, Brown said. The authority is assessing roadways in Marin for potential improvements to evacuation routes and ensuring that firefighters can still get to affected areas. Proposals for changes will be ready at the end of this year, or the next spring, Brown said.

But challenges remain. Michael Wara, director of the climate and energy policy program at Stanfords Woods Institute for the Environment, said that in his Marin neighborhood, some residents have let shrubbery grow too tall  like a large wall of bamboo  or too close. He explained the brush creates a leafy privacy in your little backyard in your little patch of Marin.

And the thing is, that is going to kill people, he said.

On Mount Tam, Marin Water board commissioner Larry Bragman said the recent fires should serve as a red flag. Among other suggestions, he proposed completing a comprehensive study of cell coverage on the mountain  Anderson struggled with nonexistent cell service after spotting the fire  and buying a wildland fire truck with greater water capacity.

Wara, a climate researcher who had spent time at the burn scars of recent Napa and Sonoma fires, said he thinks Marin is headed for a similar catastrophic fire. Its just a matter of luck, he said. And I wish I believed that people were willing to do the things required of them to prevent that.

San Francisco Chronicle data reporter Yoohyun Jung contributed to this report.

Emma Talley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: emma.talley@sfchronicle.com
A former Erie County jail deputy who was fired after being convicted of cocaine possession was accosted by a group of deputies at the Garth Brooks concert Saturday and hospitalized, the victims sister said.

Former Deputy John A. Gugino, 45, was entering a mens room at Highmark Stadium when an on-duty deputy saw him and called him corrupt, said his sister Jill Gugino-Redman, whose account of the episode comes from her brother.

John Gugino in turn called the deputy corrupt and an argument began that drew other deputies, his sister said. She said her brother offered to leave the stadium, but was instead hauled to the floor and arrested.

He was placed in a stadium holding tank, denied an ambulance and released around midnight, when the concert ended, Jill Gugino-Redman said. She displayed an appearance ticket ordering John Gugino to appear in Orchard Park Town court on charges of harassment and criminal trespassing at a later date.

She said her brother, after his release, called her from the Big Tree Inn and told her he needed medical attention. She took him to Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, where doctors early Sunday were observing him for a concussion and possible brain bleed, she said. She provided a photo of him in a hospital bed and other closeups of a scraped knee and a puffy eye.

A Sheriffs Office spokesman did not return messages seeking comment about the matter.

Just last week, Gugino had been sentenced to community service on a cocaine possession charge, closing out a case that began almost two years earlier. The Sheriffs Office narcotics investigators secretly followed a tip that Gugino was selling drugs in the Holding Center, then pulled over his vehicle while he drove off duty in Hamburg on Oct. 17, 2020.

Cocaine was found, and Gugino was charged with a felony and suspended without pay. Later testing found the actual weight of the cocaine merited only a misdemeanor, and the possession charge was reduced.

Meanwhile, Gugino sued Erie County in federal court, claiming his suspension without pay was harsh when considering other deputies had committed worse infractions and remained on duty. He also contended the drug investigation was begun in retaliation for previous disputes with his employer about time off. His lawsuit is pending.

On May 10, Gugino pleaded guilty in Hamburg Town Court to seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, a misdemeanor. Sheriff John C. Garcia fired him June 10, and Gugino soon went public with a request to get his job back because he said he deserved a second chance.

On Thursday, a Hamburg justice ordered Gugino to perform 50 hours of community service and pay a $205 fine, while also granting him a conditional discharge.

Jill Gugino-Redman said both matters involved a narcotics investigator for the Sheriffs Office who, like many deputies, also provides security for stadium events.

The investigator was in the throng of deputies in proximity to then-Deputy Kenneth P. Achtyls arrest of Buffalo Bills fan Nicholas Belsito outside the stadium in December 2017 and testified on Achtyls behalf in Orchard Park Town Court when he stood trial for assault and other charges. Achtyl was convicted and is no longer on the force.

Gugino-Redman said the investigator was involved in the drug-possession case against her brother and, upon seeing him at the stadium during Saturdays concert, called him corrupt.
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Update: Oak Fire threatens homes in Mariposa County, summer vacations in Yosemite

The explosive Oak Fire burning west of Yosemite National Park in Mariposa County swelled to more than 15,600 acres Sunday, Cal Fire said, its rapid spread fueled by extreme drought, an abundance of dead trees and persistent hot, dry weather.

The wildfire, Californias largest of the year so far, threatened several mountain communities and was 0% contained as of Sunday night after growing by about 2,300 acres overnight Saturday, according to Cal Fire.

The fire had destroyed at least 10 residential or commercial structures, and Cal Fire stressed that the damage assessment was only beginning. Road closures and evacuation orders affecting nearly 5,000 people were in place for a wide area east and south of the fire. Some 2,700 structures were threatened, Cal Fire said.

No injuries or fatalities had been reported as crews worked to gain a foothold inside the perimeter of the fast-growing blaze.

As of Sunday evening, the north side of the blaze was the greatest concern and was very, very active, said Justin Macomb, Cal Fire Team 5 operations section chief, at a Sunday night community meeting. Firefighters were moving house to house to protect everything that we can, Macomb said in a video update Sunday afternoon.

Unincorporated communities still under threat Sunday included Midpines, Jerseydale, Darrah and Bootjack, said Jonathan Pierce, Cal Fire public information officer. More than 2,090 firefighters were up against challenging conditions as they battled the blaze, which sparked Friday afternoon a few miles northeast of Mariposa. The cause remained under investigation.

An evacuation center was set up at Mariposa Elementary School on Jones Street, the Mariposa County Sheriffs Office said. Law enforcement officials worked over the weekend to ease tension over militia groups reportedly working to self-police the area due to fear about looting of evacuated homes.

The Sheriff's Office has been made aware of a local militia around the Mariposa town area, the agency said Sunday afternoon, in a Facebook post that quickly spurred nearly 1,000 comments. The public should be aware that the militia has not been activated or requested to act for any purpose by the Sheriff's Office or any agency working the Oak Fire.

At the community meeting Sunday night, Mariposa Sheriff Jeremy Briese emphasized that law enforcement was already striving to provide 24/7 security for empty homes in the fire zone.

Fire crews, meanwhile, focused heavily on the eastern edge of the fire after a weekend run that saw flames leap Jerseydale Road and march toward Footman Ridge. Air tankers were reinforcing the area around the ridge to stall the fires progress.

Sundays work followed pretty incredible fire behavior after the blaze sparked Friday, Macomb recounted. It quickly outflanked us. We couldnt even attack it, he said.

Firefighters did find success, he said, along the fires western flank near Highway 140, where bulldozers and hand crews were able to dig long lines that they hoped would increase containment. On the fires southern edge in the Lush Meadows area, crews also dug new lines, he said.

Keeping it from moving further south was a win, he said.

In Yosemite National Park, where firefighters were still battling the 2-week-old Washburn Fire at the southern end of the park, thick orange-tinged smoke was visible by Sunday afternoon on live cameras in the Yosemite Falls area. Air quality in Yosemite Valley was rated unhealthy as evening approached. The National Weather Service also forecast that heavy smoke from the fire would move into the Sierra foothills.

Air quality north of the fire was rated as unhealthy or very unhealthy Sunday near Arnold, Placerville and the eastern parts of Grass Valley. Pockets of hazardous air quality conditions appear in the Pollock Pines and Eldorado National Forest regions. Parts of South Lake Tahoe also reported unhealthy or very unhealthy air.

For Monday, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory saying smoke was expected to drift into the region. But it was expected to remain aloft, the agency said, with hazy skies visible and the smell of smoke possible. The weather service said residents could anticipate a reddish-orange tint to the sky.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday in an effort to marshal more personnel and other resources to fight the blaze.

The Washburn Fire, burning in Yosemite and Sierra National Forest east of the Oak Fire, had scorched nearly 4,900 acres as of Sunday afternoon and was 79% contained. That fire, burning since July 7, presented a brief but dire threat to the giant sequoias nestled in the Mariposa Grove, though officials said one silver lining of having two fires so close together was quickly rerouting resources when needed.

All that provided little solace for evacuated residents waiting to hear the fate of their homes. At the Sunday night community meeting, residents voiced concerns about a lack of localized updates about their neighborhoods, confusion over the impact of fire prevention efforts like tree-trimming and, most of all, the uncertain road ahead.

Are we talking days, weeks? one resident asked.

When we say as soon as possible, Briese said, we mean it.

Dominic Fracassa and Lauren Hepler are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: dfracassa@sfchronicle.com, lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa, @LAHepler
In the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by police, thousands of San Franciscans took to the streets. Over several weeks, crowds rallied in parks and marched down major thoroughfares in protest of police violence.

Unbeknownst to protesters, they were being very closely watched; San Francisco police tapped into a network of more than 400 high-definition, private surveillance cameras installed by the Union Square Business Improvement District.

Upon learning this, civil liberties groups sued the city. They claimed the police violated a 2019 ordinance that requires approval from the Board of Supervisors to use private surveillance systems  unless there exists risk of an exigent circumstance, defined as imminent danger of death or serious physical injury. Police Chief Bill Scott claimed his department didnt ultimately use the cameras for live surveillance, but said he believed the protests qualified under the law, thereby permitting police to bypass the approval process.

Privacy advocates lost the case; its currently under appeal. But it wasnt an isolated incident. Police also secured live access to camera networks for Fourth of July in 2020 and the 2019 Pride Parade.

Now, the San Francisco Police Department is lobbying to expand the list of circumstances that would allow them to conduct live, unchecked surveillance using private video systems, from cameras inside corner stores to Ring doorbells. A new city measure would also drastically broaden the scope of this surveillance to include investigations of felonies and misdemeanors.

The proposal has the backing of Mayor London Breed and new District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. And it seems likely that the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee will pass a version of this measure shortly.

We have concerns.

While we recognize the potential public safety benefits of allowing live monitoring in certain situations, such as tracking the movement of an active shooter, thats already allowed under the 2019 law. And were not convinced concerns over lower-level crimes, such as property theft and drug dealing, justify the potential privacy infringements that could accompany expansive live monitoring.

The evidence that increased surveillance decreases crime isnt strong. A 2008 study conducted by UC Berkeley researchers found that while nonviolent thefts dropped under increased video surveillance, burglaries, car thefts and violent crimes did not.

Moreover, the San Francisco police have a worrying track record of racial profiling, most recently evidenced by a recent Chronicle investigation, which found the department stops Black people for alleged traffic violations nearly six times more frequently than white people. Its not hard to picture communities of color being disproportionately impacted by increased surveillance.

The bill would also allow the department to share footage with outside law enforcement agencies. While new amendments seek to limit surveillance of those traveling across state lines to access reproductive care, there are many potential circumstances where San Franciscans could inadvertently become complicit in restrictive policies we dont agree with. For instance, what about trans teenagers from states like Texas who might come to California seeking gender-affirming care?

Once Pandoras box is opened, it may be hard to shut. Any surveillance measure needs clearly written, strict regulations on what other agencies can access footage and how it can be shared.

It also needs a narrower and more defined scope with accountability measures baked in. The public has a right to know how and when these surveillance tactics are used and if they are effective.

San Francisco is further along than other cities in its pursuit of valuable privacy regulations. As such, any measure we undertake will act as a bellwether for the rest of the country. At the very least we can offer an example of one that takes the utmost care in protecting the first amendment rights of its residents and visitors.

Were not there yet.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
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Traditional Chinese dancing, live hip-hop and local politics converged in Chinatown over the weekend at a block party that organizers want to be an annual summertime display of racial unity in San Francisco.

It was the second year in a row that community members gathered for a public street fair in front of the citys historic Ping Yuen public housing complex on Pacific Avenue. Dozens of people who attended participated in a raffle, watched live musical performances and heard from a range of city officials, including Mayor London Breed and her newly appointed district attorney, Brooke Jenkins.

The Saturday event came as Chinatown continues its efforts to rebound from the economic pain it has endured during the pandemic, which led to a big drop in visitors to the storied neighborhood. Community leaders are also trying to emphasize unity in response to the wave of anti-Asian violence that arose after COVID-19 arrived.

Breed told the crowd at Saturdays event that the pandemic had tested us like never before but she was proud to see Chinatown residents coming together and optimistic about the citys future.

Jenkins sought to introduce herself as she settles in to her new job, to which she was appointed by Breed after the recall of former District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Jenkins was a prosecutor in Boudins office who quit and became a face of the recall campaign.

I want you to know that, from this point forward, our office is dedicated to keeping everyone in San Francisco safe, Jenkins said. No longer will we just allow people to walk around feeling like theyre going to be targeted because of who they are. ... Were gonna work hard to continue reform thats necessary in the system, but to do it responsibly, so that it doesnt come at the expense of our safety.

Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center  which helped organize the event along with residents of Ping Yuen  told The Chronicle that he is taking Jenkins words at face value.

Safety should not be politicized, period, Yeung said. If her commitment is to keep San Franciscos communities safe and be part of those communities in the process, Im all in.

Last years block party was partly intended to bring Asian and Black community members together after a series of violent attacks, many of which affected senior citizens. This years event continued to advance the same goals.

Its important that we are coming together and ... breaking down these walls that often divide us, said Consuela Hendricks, co-president of the Chicago racial unity group People Matter. She attended the block party while in town working on a documentary with the development center.

The block party happened the same week that San Francisco leaders condemned a statement by one of the citys school board members, Ann Hsu.

Hsu, who was appointed to the board by Breed after Februarys recall of three previous board members, wrote to a parent group that unstable family environments and lack of parental encouragement to focus on learning were among the biggest challenges to educating Black and brown students.

Her comments were quickly denounced as racist and ignorant by various community leaders and parents who said the statement perpetuated the false and harmful notion that Black and brown parents are not as invested in their childrens educations as Asian and white parents are. Hsu apologized, acknowledging that her comments reflected inherent biases.

Still, calls for Hsus resignation from the school board have increased, with the teachers union and three San Francisco supervisors among those saying she should step down.

Stephen Lam/The Chronicle

Breed said previously that Hsus statement was wrong and hurtful but did not say she should resign. The mayor echoed that sentiment Saturday. She told reporters that Hsu had recently met with the Rev. Amos Brown, president of the San Francisco chapter of the NAACP, and that she believes there are plans for (Hsu) to address the organization as a whole and to make herself available to have those conversations.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Breed also sought to differentiate Hsus situation from that of Alison Collins, one of the former school board members who were recalled in February. Collins faced a firestorm of criticism last year over 2016 tweets in which she said that some Asian Americans used white supremacist thinking to assimilate and get ahead.

The difference is Ann Hsu immediately realized she did something wrong. She apologized and she opened up a dialogue for a conversation to understand and to grow from this, Breed said. In todays cancel culture, to immediately be dismissive of somebody without at least giving them a fair shot, especially when they admit that they did something wrong, I think is not the right way to go.

The mayor said she hoped Hsu would be able to grow to become an even better commissioner.

We want to make sure that she is a strong, fierce advocate for children, and that definitely is gonna take a little work, Breed said.

Ping Yuen, the site of Saturdays festivities, has been a prominent place in Chinatown since it was developed in the 1950s and 60s. In 1978, the late Mayor Ed Lee  then a law student  helped organize a famously successful tenants rent strike over poor living conditions.

In recent years, the Chinatown Community Development Center renovated the five buildings that make up the Ping Yuen complex after years of concerns about aging infrastructure and inadequate security.

J.D. Morris is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jd.morris@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @thejdmorris
News

Leadership

What does the CEO who oversees Wikipedia do? We ask her.

Craig Lee/The Examiner Maryana Iskander, CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, at the Wikimedia offices in downtown San Francisco.

Maryana Iskander may have one of the least-understood jobs in all of tech. As the chief executive officer of the Wikimedia Foundation, she oversees hundreds of thousands of volunteers and a website that pulls in more traffic than Amazon, Netflix or LinkedIn.

Yet her 600-employee organization humbly raises funds to keep operating, she does not have authority to control the mighty volunteer workforce, and anyone can edit the popular website  sometimes with malicious and mischievous content.

Iskanders job is a paradox, and so is she. She was born in Cairo but grew up a Texan. She has impressive educational bona fides, a Rhodes scholarship and a Yale law degree, but she downplays her credentials. She works from San Franciscos Financial District but has a home in Johannesburg, South Africa.

She is still relatively new. She took the helm at the Wikimedia Foundation at the beginning of 2022, previously serving as CEO of a South African youth employment nonprofit, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator.

The Examiner sat down with Iskander in her office with a sweeping view of the San Francisco skyline to learn more about how Wikipedia works, what its like to lead it, and how she sees the job.

Are you the boss of all of Wikipedia? No. I am the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, which is an integral part of supporting Wikipedia, but actually, hundreds of thousands of volunteers all over the world are the people who make Wikipedia what it is.

Whats the Wikimedia Foundation? The Wikimedia Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports not only Wikipedia, but other free knowledge projects. And being a nonprofit organization means that all of this content can be provided for free, and without ads, and in a way that feels pretty different from how other platforms operate.

Isnt Jimmy Wales the head of Wikipedia? I would say Jimmy Wales is both the founder and the spirit of Wikipedia. Jimmy continues to be part of the story of this thing thats grown beyond even his wildest imagination.

You said theres hundreds of thousands of volunteer editors. So how many people get paid and are professional editors of Wikipedia? Wikipedia is written by volunteers, unpaid people helping the rest of us make sure that we find information on the internet that is accurate and verified and cited and sourced. There are employees of the Wikimedia Foundation that provide support to these communities and volunteers, but the volunteers themselves are not paid staff.

What does the foundation do? It does a few important things. The most important is provide the technology and support the servers that allow Wikipedia to operate as one of the top 10 websites in the world. We also provide support to local communities all over the world through grants and capacity-building that is the free knowledge movement. And we provide legal litigation and advocacy that keeps free knowledge available and accessible.

How many people work for the foundation and where is it headquartered? Although the foundation is a U.S. nonprofit with San Francisco headquarters, I would describe it as a highly global organization. We have roughly 600 people scattered across over 40 countries and every region of the world. And I think that the diversity of our staff makes us a really good partner to the global community that we serve.

So are there other Wikipedias besides English-language Wikipedia? That is one of my favorite questions because Wikipedia is the most multilingual project in the world and on the internet. Wikipedia exists in over 332 languages. They vary in size, depending on how volunteer communities grow those Wikipedias. But 89% of all the articles on Wikipedia are not in English.

Why does Wikipedia have banners on its website asking people to give money? Theyre a small invitation for folks who find value in Wikipedia to chip in and ensure that this can remain as it is: An enterprise that doesnt rely on selling you anything with ads. Im not incentivizing you to stay longer than you need to stay.

Some volunteers are extremely devoted, and there are big gatherings where they come together. Is Wikipedia a cult? I dont think its a cult. I think its like a highly committed subset of humanity that comes from all walks of life, every corner of the world, and somehow finds a common cause in the idea of making free knowledge available to everybody. I think its the most extraordinary digital community in human history.

Since anyone can edit Wikipedia, doesnt it mean all kinds of stuff is wrong up there? There are many built-in mechanisms that help us try to make sure accurate and verified content is on Wikipedia. Sources have to be cited and verified. We have both human and machine tools to identify vandalism, which is usually taken down within minutes, certainly on high-profile topics.

Lets shift gears a little bit more to the personal. Is it a large personal responsibility to lead the nonprofit that manages such a powerful project? I think about that every day. The world is a complicated place, and many societies are polarizing right now. The remarkable thing about Wikipedia is that its a place people can come to disagree in order to get to a better answer. And actually, the opportunity to debate creates more neutrality and the opportunity for people to express differences of opinion and have to talk it out and again, provide the citations and provide those verifiable sources. I think it is an antidote to what were seeing with misinformation and disinformation around the world.

Do you worry about editors in Ukraine who are telling the truth about whats going on in the war and might face oppression? That is maybe the most visible and poignant of many situations where people in the world have to fight for free knowledge and put themselves at risk. Providing support and safety to volunteers and staff is our highest priority. You wrote about both Ukrainian and Russian volunteers trying to preserve information and free knowledge. That reminds you why being able to record history as its happening is one of the most important applications of Wikipedia.

What kind of student were you in school? Were you studious? Did you love to delve into encyclopedias? I come from a family of immigrants who you know often say came to America at a time when America was welcoming of immigrants and maybe a different way than its been in these past few years. And I think that the one thing I understood from my parents is that in America at that time, if you studied hard and you work hard, you know, America was going to give you opportunity. And I think that I really took that to heart.

Youre a Rhodes scholar who went to Yale Law School. Im sure those diplomas are impressive. Why dont I see them on the walls of your office? At the end of the day, you gotta get the job done. And we dont always have equal opportunities to go to fancy schools. It doesnt matter in the end if you cant get the job done.

The best institutions are the ones that allow people to unleash their potential, which is what Wikipedia is all about. That potential might be their curiosity to read an article, or edit articles related to a topic theyre interested in. Or take part in another Wikipedia-related project. Theres a home for them, and theyre welcome.
The number of monkeypox cases in San Francisco is climbing, with the city reporting 197 cases as of Friday, up from 141 cases a few days ago. Despite growing demand, vaccines continue to be in short supply. On Wednesday, people waited in line at San Francisco General for up to nine hours to get Jynneos, the only shot specifically approved to prevent monkeypox, while many more vaccine-seekers were turned away. No deaths have been reported in the U.S. outbreak so far, although the rash caused by the virus can be painful, and lasts for two to four weeks.

For perspective on the situation in the city we checked in by email with UCSF's infectious diseases expert Dr. Monica Gandhi, whose work on HIV has informed her perspective on monkeypox.

SFGATE: How concerned are you about monkeypox in San Francisco?

Dr. Monica Gandhi: I am concerned for the population most affected, which is men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) with multiple sex partners, and very eager to get them vaccinated as soon as possible. I am not very concerned for the general population as the risk factors for this infection seem to be pretty well defined (of the 197 in SF, the overwhelming majority of cases have been in men who have sex with men).

SFGATE: Do you think monkeypox cases are undercounted?

Gandhi: Monkeypox usually manifests with lesions and I think awareness has been raised so I hope we are not significantly undercounting cases at this point. Our testing capacity has increased, which is also important.

SFGATE: The San Francisco Department of Public Health requested 35,000 vaccines, but only received 3,580 in an initial shipment and another 4,163 this week. How concerned are you about the shortage?

Gandhi: I am very concerned about the vaccine shortage for monkeypox and wrote a piece in the Atlantic on June 24 bemoaning our lack of vaccine supply and how we are underreacting to this outbreak. A month later, I am dismayed we still dont have the vaccine supply we need.

Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images

SFGATE: How should we allocate vaccines in this time of short supply?

Gandhi: The usual dosing strategy for the monkeypox vaccine is one dose followed by a second dose four weeks later. I would advocate for the first-dose-first strategy that was used for the COVID vaccine in the UK, Canada and India at the beginning of the vaccine rollout when supplies were limited. This means that we give one dose now to get as many doses out to MSM as possible followed by the second dose when vaccine supplies increase. I also think we should hold off on vaccinating those who have had smallpox vaccination (which ended around 1970 in the U.S., so for those born before that) since these individuals will likely still have some protection against monkeypox. Then, when vaccine supplies increase, we can extend doses to every MSM who wants to be vaccinated. Finally, if we start to see significant rises in monkeypox infections in heterosexual populations (which is not occurring now), the vaccine will be offered more widely to all sexually active individuals then.

SFGATE: Who is at highest risk for monkeypox and who should get vaccinated?

Gandhi: For now, all MSM who have multiple sex partners and who have not had the smallpox vaccine (mostly those born after 1970). Later, we are likely to extend this to MSM with more limited sex partners and those who have had the smallpox vaccine.

SFGATE: I have heard conflicting information around whether the focus of monkeypox coverage on the LGBTQ population is helpful or harmful. What are your thoughts?

Gandhi: I think the focus on the LGBTQ population is very helpful. Just as men-who-have-sex-with-men have a higher risk of contracting HIV and older people are a higher risk for COVID-related complications and death, it is important to define populations most at risk for monkeypox so we can prioritize targeted messaging and resources towards those groups. With HIV, it was unhelpful to say all risk factors were the same (eg. anal sex is more risky than oral sex) and that all groups were at risk and the same is true for monkeypox.
Editor's note: This article originally appeared on KCRA.

TAHOMA, Calif.  Residents and area fire districts are concerned over campfires in the Tahoe Basin, with many people questioning why some fires are still able to burn in state parks, despite fire dangers and other restrictions in place for the region.

Right now, on days with no Red Flag warning, fires are still allowed on campgrounds and cooking areas in California State Parks. But there are fire bans in most other areas of the parks.

Red Flag warnings are issued when there are conditions favorable for wildfires to spark. These include high temperatures, combustible fuels and strong winds.

In a statement to KCRA 3, California State Parks Sierra District Superintendent Dan Canfield said, Due to dry conditions and a finding of extreme fire danger, charcoal and wood fires are currently prohibited in the day use areas of all California state parks in the Lake Tahoe area: Sugar Pine Point, DL Bliss, Emerald Bay, Kings Beach, Tahoe, and Donner Memorial. Should a red flag warning go into effect for the Lake Tahoe area, wood and charcoal fires will also be prohibited in all campgrounds and day use areas.

But Edward Miller, president of the Board of Directors for the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District, said he believes there should be a blanket ban on all fires right now. Miller said California State Parks should follow what fire agencies in the region have done since the beginning of June.

All of the chiefs in the Tahoe basin, as well as Truckee, Northstar, and Olympic Valley instituted a burn ban for solid fuels outdoors, so no firewood, no charcoal, Miller said. "The only entity in our neighborhood that is burning are the campfires within the state parks."

This is because California State Parks fall under a different set of guidelines.

Campfires in state parks are regulated through the California Code of Regulations (CCR). CCR Section 4311 prohibits all fires in state parks except in camp stove or fire rings provided and designated by State Parks," Canfield's statement to KCRA 3 read. "When the department makes a finding of extreme fire hazard for a park unit, fire prohibition is expanded to all wood and charcoal fires. Tahoe area parks have a long safety record on campfires and have never had a wildfire issue as a result of authorized campfires in designated campgrounds with campfire rings.

But Miller told KCRA 3 that he has seen the issues first-hand, recalling a time when an unattended campfire jumped out of the fire ring.

That is also a major concern for people who live in the Lake Tahoe area, including Tahoma resident Bob Millslagle. He lives just down the street from Sugar Pine State Park, and he said he was worried about the campfires burning so close to home.

"It just makes everybody in the neighborhood nervous. One little spark and everything could go. It's so dry, it's a tinderbox here in the Tahoe Basin, Millslagle said.

There is also a push to pass state legislation that some residents believe would help. Senate Bill 1012 would require the California State Parks system to follow open fire regulations that are at least as restrictive as the rules adopted by a local fire department.

That is something Millslagle said he wants to see.

"It's just easier to conform to what the fire districts in the area are doing, Millslagle said. When we have a no-burn, they should have a no-burn."

A statement from California State Parks reads:

"State Parks does not comment on the proposed legislation. However, the department can tell you that its Sierra District is working to achieve greater consistency with local fire restrictions and strengthen coordination efforts with local fire districts regarding fire restrictions and messaging. When feasible, Sierra District staff will regularly participate in local fire district board meetings to discuss current and planned fire restrictions and the rationale behind them."

It is important to note that even if SB 1012 gets passed through the legislature, the law would not go into effect this summer.

California State Parks is urging the public to check the status of the park unit they want to visit to figure out what restrictions and guidelines are in place. You can do that here.
Updates: Get info on the Oak Fire from Cal Fire.

Information line: 1-844-668-3473

Evacuations: Get the latest info from Cal Fire. You can also sign up for Mariposa County emergency alerts.

Maps: Find from Mariposa County.

Wildfire cameras: Livestreaming from AlertWildfire.

LATEST July 25, 8:00 p.m. Cal Fire announced on Facebook that the fire was at 17,241 acres and 16% contained as of Monday evening. In a short update, the agency wrote, "It was a successful day for aircraft and firefighters, resulting in minimal growth on the fire."



Damage assessment teams have been on the ground identifying houses lost. The total number of homes destroyed by the fire rose to 21 in the latest count. An additional 34 outbuildings were destroyed. In an earlier report on Monday morning, the total number of residences destroyed stood at 7.

PG&E

July 25, 5:30 p.m. Massive plumes of smoke billowed above the Oak Fire near Yosemite Monday afternoon, forming fire clouds and signaling increased fire activity on the ground.

Neil Lareau, a fire weather expert and professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, said there was a change in the airflow pattern over the fire today with winds aloft switching to a southeastern direction. These winds pushed monsoonal moisture from the desert southwest and Southern California into the Sierra and generated stability over the fire.

"As the fire activity increased this afternoon, driven by typical southwest surface winds, the fire updrafts were able to initiate pulses of deep pyrocumulus clouds, reaching above 20,000 feet in altitude," Lareau wrote in an email. "The resulting deep plume likely helped ventilate the fire, drawing in more air, and leading to some further increase in fire activity. Radar and satellite, as well as webcams, all picked up this increase in plume, fire, and pyrocumulus activity."

Pyrocumulus clouds, also known as fire clouds, form when air heats up and moves upward, pushing smoke, ash and vapor up with it. They are a sign that fire activity on the ground is increasing.

July 25, 3:15 p.m. Thunderstorms are possible along the Sierra Crest above 8,000 feet Monday afternoon and evening.

"We are not expecting storms over the Washburn or Oak fires," the National Weather Service said.

There's a chance for thunderstorms over the fire on Tuesday, though. Read more about the Tuesday weather forecast on SFGATE.

July 25, 2 p.m. The Mariposa County Sheriff's Office reduced some evacuation areas to "fire advisement" Monday afternoon, meaning only residents living in the area can enter. See the complete update from the sheriff's office.

July 25, 1:45 p.m. Cal Fire posted its Monday morning operations update on YouTube.

Cal Fire Team 5 Operations Section Chief Justin Macomb reiterated that fire activity died down on Sunday and firefighters were able to construct fire line around both the western edge of the fire near Highway 140 and the southern section.

Macomb said that while crews need to continue to reinforce the line and watch out for spot fires, it's preventing flames from spreading south and protecting the community of Lushmeadows.

The eastern section of the fire is more problematic, and crews are trying to stop flames at Footman Ridge.

"Yesterday the fire made a substantial run toward Mariposa Pines and we were able to stop it at Bear Clover Lane, which was another win for us," Macomb said.

The northern section of the fire also remains active. "We're hoping in the next few days we'll have some control line around that north side," he said. "They're trying their best to get in there and it's really challenging."

"I'm more optimistic today than I have been in the previous days," he added.

July 25, 12:05 p.m. Light winds and hot temperatures are expected in California's Mariposa County on Monday where the Oak Fire has torn through nearly 17,000 acres near Yosemite, the National Weather Service said.

There's also a very slight chance for thunderstorms after 2 p.m.

A big wind event that could trigger extreme fire growth is not in the forecast for Monday, said weather service meteorologist Carlos Molina, but temperatures up to 100 degrees are bound to exacerbate the blaze.

Molina said southerly to southwesterly surface winds up to 8 mph are possible on Monday. Winds in the upper atmosphere have shifted to a southerly to southeasterly direction. These higher elevation winds will push smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin and Reno area, Molina said. "If youre in Lake Tahoe and Reno, thats where youre going to see the worst of the smoke," he said.

Early Tuesday, there's a greater chance for thunderstorms as subtropical moisture from Southern California and the desert Southwest pushes into the Sierra. The thunderstorms could bring wind and lightning that would create more fire and spread, but there's also the potential for some beneficial rain.

"When the thunderstorms do pass, winds could be erratic, that may cause a problem with the fire," Molina said. "The rain is unlikely to be torrential, more like a brief downpour."

July 25, 8:15 a.m. Cal Fire said in its update on the Oak Fire near Yosemite on Monday morning that firefighters have gained 10% containment on the blaze. (Read more about containment efforts on SFGATE.)

The fire burning in Mariposa County grew 1,188 acres overnight, going from 15,603 acres on Sunday night to 16,791 acres on Monday morning.

Cal Fire said the fire remained active in some areas throughout the evening "due to dry, dead and downed" trees.

Damage inspection teams on the ground identified 7 homes that were destroyed by flames. This number will likely be higher as workers continue inspections. There are 3,271 structures threatened, Cal Fire said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

July 24, 8 p.m. The Oak Fire burning near Yosemite grew about 1,300 acres in the last 12 hours, going from 14,281 acres this morning to 15,603 this evening, Cal Fire said in an update Sunday night.

The blaze has spread through the dry landscape at an astonishing rate since igniting on Friday afternoon, forcing 3,800 people to evacuate their homes in Mariposa County.

Justin Macomb, Cal Fire team 5 operations section chief, said the fire "outflanked" firefighters when it first broke out.

"In my career, I haven't seen fire like that," said Macomb.

While there is still no containment, Macomb said crews made progress in stopping growth on the southern side and the western edge along Highway 140 where the blaze started.

"Today was the first day that I felt confident with this southern piece," he said. "I didn't want the fire to progress any further south. So we were able to get hand line and dozers. We sent everything we could to try to get direct line around the south and stop the southern spread. So that was a win for me."

Macomb said structure protection continues in Lush Meadows, a community that was evacuated, and crews are working to build containment lines around Snow Creek. The fire is most active in its northeast section in the Footman Ridge area.

Flames made a hard run toward Bear Clover Lane and Jerseydale Road this morning, Macomb said.

"We were able to stop the fire, and Bear Clover is closed as of now," he said.

Cal Fire Chief Mike van Loben Sels said the growth of the fire was "pretty amazing" considering how fast resources were on the scene actively battling flames. "We really threw everything at this thing across from the beginning," he said. "When you start to see spots that mile mile and a half out in front. It's very concerning to me."

You can watch the complete update on Cal Fire's Facebook page.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Cal Fire said full containment is not expected until at least July 30

July 24, 6:09 a.m. A raging wildfire ballooned from 1,600 to 11,900 acres in a single day, forcing thousands of people in Mariposa County to evacuate their homes.

The Oak Fire began on Friday afternoon near Midpines, a town about 20 miles south of the Yosemite National Park gateway of El Portal. Scorching temperatures paired with low humidity have helped the fire erupt through dry vegetation and dead trees. Cal Fire estimates 2,693 structures are currently threatened; 10 structures have been destroyed and five damaged.

On Friday evening, the Oak Fire was mapped at 1,600 acres, and it hit 11,900 acres on Saturday night. By Sunday morning, Cal Fire said the blaze has burned 14,281 acres. "The fire remained active through the night moving toward the communities of Jerseydale, Darrah and Bootjack," Cal Fire wrote in its Sunday incident report. "Poor humidity recovery was observed overnight. Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5 and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts."

Fire crews have no containment.

"The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to two miles yesterday," Sierra National Forest spokesperson Daniel Patterson said Saturday. "These are exceptional fire conditions."

Pyrocumulus clouds billowing from the fire can be seen for miles around. Wildfires are capable of creating their own weather, sometimes referred to as a firestorm. As the fire burns hot and intense at the ground level, heat rises rapidly and creates a vacuum. Air rushes in to fill that vacuum, and the resulting updraft is powerful enough to carry debris, form a firenado and make its own lightning.

The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road  blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite. PG&E said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. "PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment," the utility said.

A shoeless man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest. The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Sunday after burning about 7.5 square miles of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at 9 square miles.

The Washburn Fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the world's largest trees by volume.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FALLBROOK, Calif. (AP)  A single-engine plane crashed at a plant nursery in Southern California early Saturday afternoon, killing the aircraft's passenger and seriously injuring the pilot.

The crash happened in Fallbrook, Capt. John Choi of the North County Fire Protection District told the San Diego Union-Tribune. Choi said the passenger died in the crash but the pilot was taken to Palomar Medical Center with serious injuries.
ORANGE, Texas (AP)  Authorities have increased their reward in the search for the person responsible for the killing of a 4-year-old Southeast Texas girl more than 20 years ago.

Dannarriah Finley disappeared from her bedroom early on July 4, 2002.
Jerry Zremski Washington bureau Jerry Zremski, who has covered Washington for The Buffalo News since 1989, is a lecturer at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Follow Jerry Zremski 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

WASHINGTON  If you thought the congressional battle between Carl Paladino and Nick Langworthy was really something, just wait until you hear about the battles behind the battle.

Longtime Republican allies, Paladino and Langworthy are now squaring off in the Aug. 23 primary for the party's nomination for Congress in New York's recently redrawn, ruby-red 23rd district, which stretches from suburban Buffalo all the way to Chemung County.

Analysis: Warming temperatures in the 23rd Congressional District Digital ads and social media figure heavily in politicking these days, but TV remains king, Bob McCarthy says.

But it's not just a fight for a seat in Congress.

"This is a proxy war for bigger things  bigger things for the state party, bigger things for the national party," said one New York Republican leader, who, like several other GOP politicos who said pretty much the same thing, asked not to be quoted by name.

To be specific, the Paladino-Langworthy contest is also a generational clash for primacy in the New York State Republican Party between Langworthy, the state party chairman, and Rep. Elise Stefanik of Saratoga County, who chairs the House Republican Conference.

Paladino-Langworthy showdown takes shape as Cenedella drops out Manhattan businessman Marc Cenedella on Friday dropped out of the race for Congress in New York's 23rd district, meaning Republicans in southern and eastern Erie County and the Southern Tier will likely choose between Buffalo businessman Carl P. Paladino and State GOP Chairman Nicholas A. Langworthy in an Aug. 23 primary.

It is also a battle between Stefanik and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, a potential rival of Stefanik's for a House leadership position in the next Congress.

And it's a battle over the future of the Republican Party.

"It's about the style of the party going forward," that source, who is not allied with either candidate, said. "It's about outsider versus insider. It's about a lot of these other things more than it is Nick versus Carl."

Langworthy v. Stefanik

Rep. Chris Jacobs didn't just end his career in the gun-supporting modern GOP when he announced on May 27 that the Tops market massacre made him support an assault weapons ban.

Paladino, Langworthy vying for Trump's political blessing The developing competition between two longtime allies in their efforts to succeed the suddenly-retiring Rep. Chris Jacobs, R-Orchard Park, presents a vexing dilemma for the former president

He also reignited a spat between Langworthy and Stefanik.

On the very day that Jacobs announced he would leave Congress at the end of his current term because party leaders rebelled at his newfound stance on gun control, and as Langworthy worked to build support for his race for Congress, Paladino announced that he was running. And that very afternoon, Stefanik  who, over four terms, has morphed from moderate to MAGA  endorsed Paladino.

So why would Stefanik, a rising star who's not yet turned 40, hitch herself to Paladino, a septuagenarian candidate criticized as racist for comments that included, among other things, saying that then-First Lady Michelle Obama should "return to being a male" and go to Zimbabwe to live in a cave with a gorilla?

It's complicated.

For one thing, Stefanik and Paladino  who once derided her as a "RINO," or Republican in name only  have struck up a friendship in recent years, a source close to Stefanik said.

For another, that source said, Stefanik was livid that Langworthy would jump into the congressional race while continuing as state Republican chairman. In her view, Langworthy basically created an expensive competitive primary that will divert resources from other races  and thereby make it more difficult for Republicans to pick up other congressional seats or win the governorship.

Stefanik is by no means the only Republican thinking that.

"I'm concerned about the the amount of resources that are going to be expended in what should be a safe Republican seat," said State Sen. George Borrello, a Republican from Silver Creek. "There are other competitive races that money could go to that would be competitive Democrat versus Republican, rather than Republican versus Republican."

Republican sources have long said, too, that Stefanik was miffed that Langworthy never even approached her when looking for a candidate for governor this year. Sources close to Stefanik dispute that account, but there's agreement on all sides that tension between Stefanik and Langworthy preceded the congressional primary.

Several sources said Stefanik and Langworthy are duking it out over who's really the top Republican in the state, the party chairman or the most powerful New York Republican in Congress.

"When Elise has a perceived enemy, her response is always visceral  and Langworthy is that for her," said a Republican operative in Washington who's not allied with either Langworthy or Paladino.

Langworthy gains backing of key House conservative group in battle with Paladino In a sign of increasing national focus on the 23rd Congressional District, a top conservative figure in the House of Representatives on Tuesday announced key support for Nicholas A. Langworthy in his Republican primary contest against Carl P. Paladino.

Stefanik v. Banks

This being politics, Stefanik doesn't have just one enemy. There's also plenty of tension between Stefanik and Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, who heads a policy shop called the Republican Study Committee and who's widely seen as a rising Republican leader in the House, just like Stefanik.

Republicans are expected to win back control of the House this fall, which would prompt movement in the Republican leadership ranks. And while Stefanik has not said she will try to rise in the ranks, many Republicans in Washington expect her to run for the party's third-ranking position: majority whip.

Banks is seen as a possible whip candidate, too  which makes his endorsement of Langworthy interesting, to say the least.

"Nick is a true conservative who will be on the front lines fighting back against the radical policies of Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden," Banks said.

The Paladino camp's response to Banks' endorsement of Langworthy? Banks isn't enough of a Trumper.

As evidence, the Paladino camp sent The Buffalo News a March 2021 Politico story in which Banks said former Vice President Mike Pence, a fellow Hoosier, was "at the top of the list" of 2024 GOP presidential candidates. An aide also noted a passage in "This Will Not Pass," a book by New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns, that said Banks praised Trump in public but privately "had misgivings" about the ex-president.

All of that prompted Michael R. Caputo, the longtime GOP consultant and Paladino ally, to take on Banks.

"We see this all the time: people who are vocally pro-Trump when it matters to them but who are privately anti-Trump when it matters most," Caputo said. "That's Jim Banks."

But Banks wasn't having any of it. His spokesman, Buckley Carlson  son of Fox News host Tucker Carlson  quickly produced articles from Politico and the Daily Wire that were published this week and that show Banks praising Trump and backing a 2024 campaign by the ex-president. Carlson also forwarded a tweet noting that Banks and his allies plan on visiting Trump in August, as well as a statement from the congressman.

Noting that Langworthy served on Trump's 2016 transition team, Banks said: "These 'never Trumper' accusations are dishonest and desperate paid-for political attacks from people who envy both Nick and my consistent records of support for President Trump. I endorsed Nick because we need more conservatives like him in the House to help push an America First agenda after 2022."

Paladino commits initial $1.5 million to congressional campaign In a sign that an intense and well-financed Republican primary for the 23rd District is about to begin, congressional hopeful Carl P. Paladino has committed $1.5 million of his own money to jump-start the campaign.

Insider v. Outsider

In a way, the difference between Langworthy and Paladino is the difference between Banks and another one of Paladino's congressional endorsers: Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.

Gaetz, a conservative who once donned a gas mask on the House floor while voting on a bill funding the government's response to Covid-19, endorsed Paladino in a tweet on July 15.

"We need fighters like Carl Paladino in Congress," said Gaetz, who has been tied to a federal sex trafficking investigation. "Carl will secure our border, restore our freedoms and re-energize the American economy."

Langworthy promises that he'll be a legislator, not a performance artist, in Congress. He's billing himself as a Republican who gets things done, and plenty of his endorsers hammer home that message.

"Nick Langworthy is exactly who we need as our representative in Congress," said Erie County Legislator Chris Greene. "Politics isn't just about who can make the most noise, it's about who can make the best change."

In other words, the Langworthy-Paladino battle is an insider-outsider battle that might repeat itself in the 2024 presidential race, where "get-things-done" conservatives like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are expected to take on the ultimate outsider: Donald Trump.

But that's two years away. For now, Langworthy has less than a month to overcome the name recognition advantage that Paladino has earned by running for governor in 2010 and, well, running his mouth ever since.

"Langworthy has played the inside game for a number of years and Paladino, I imagine, would start with a much higher name ID and and a lot of goodwill from Trump voters in the district," said Dave Wasserman, House editor for Cook Political Reports. "And given his propensity to spend, it would seem difficult for Langworthy to overcome that."
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP)  Four inmates who escaped from the Silverdale Detention Center in Tennessee have been captured, the Hamilton County Sheriffs Office said.

Officers discovered that the inmates were missing during a headcount early Saturday in a minimum security housing unit, media outlets reported.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Soon after taking office, President Joe Biden went to State Department headquarters to tell the rest of the world that the United States could be counted on again after four years of Donald Trumps bull-in-the-china-shop foreign policy.

America is back, Biden said, in what has become a mantra.

But keeping his promises on the international stage has proved much more difficult than Biden might have expected. Domestic politics have routinely been a roadblock when it comes to taking action on climate change, taxes and pandemic relief, undermining hopes that Biden could swiftly restore the U.S. to its unquestioned role as a global leader.

The result is an administration straining to maintain its credibility abroad while Biden fights a rearguard action on Capitol Hill. It's simply more difficult to press other countries to do more to address challenges that span borders when he's struggling to deliver on those same issues at home.

Every new thing takes a little bit of the luster off, and contributes to a sense of a struggling president," said Michael OHanlon, the Brookings Institution director of research for foreign policy.

Biden has earned respect for marshaling an international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. has shipped more coronavirus vaccines around the world than any other country.

Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said Biden has restored our alliances, including our essential partnership with Europe, built new platforms and institutions in some of the most relevant regions of the world," including the Indo-Pacific, and shown leadership on "the issues that matter the most."

But his foreign policy record is much more mixed when he needs to secure support in Congress.

Although he has secured close to $54 billion in military and financial assistance for Ukraine  something Watson described as a historic amount delivered with unprecedented speed  Republicans remain uniformly opposed to many of his initiatives, and Biden has been hobbled because of disagreements among Democrats.

The latest problem has been the breakdown of on-and-off negotiations with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who pulled his support for a potential compromise on legislation to address climate change and create a global minimum tax.

On both issues, Biden had already made pledges or reached an international agreement, but the U.S. commitment is now in doubt.

The global minimum tax is aimed at making it harder for companies to dodge taxes by moving from country to country in search of lower rates. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen played a leading role in negotiating the deal among 130 countries.

Reaching this consensus wasnt easy," Biden said when the agreement was announced just over a year ago. "It took American vision, as well as a commitment to closely cooperate with our partners around the world. Its a testament to how leadership rooted in our values can deliver important progress for families everywhere.

He acknowledged that building on this agreement will also require us to take action here at home  and now it looks like that action may not happen.

Biden wanted Congress to pass a proposal that would allow the U.S. to impose extra taxes on companies that arent paying at least 15%, either domestically or abroad.

But Manchin objected to tax changes in the legislation that's currently under consideration,

Administration officials said they are not giving up on a plan that they said would level the playing field for U.S. businesses, decrease incentives to move jobs offshore and close loopholes that corporations have used to shift profits overseas.

"Its too important for our economic strength and competitiveness to not finalize this agreement, and well continue to look at every avenue possible to get it done," said Michael Kikukawa, a Treasury Department spokesman.

But pushing ahead with the original deal will likely prove difficult at this point, said Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of the Tax Law Center at the New York University School of Law.

"Its no doubt that this reduces the momentum, she said.

She added: There is a strong possibility that the major trading partners do this without the U.S. but the path forward is rockier."

Manchin has also been an obstacle for Biden's climate change plans, a reflection of his outsize influence at a time when Democrats hold the narrowest of margins in the Senate.

A few months after taking office, Biden hosted a virtual conference with other world leaders, and he announced that he would increase the country's target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision was welcomed by scientists and politicians who worry that enough isn't being done to prevent the planet from warming to dangerous levels, and Biden has spoken of fighting climate change with the power of our example.

Biden's ability to meet his pledge, however, has been undermined twice recently. First the conservative majority on the Supreme Court limited the administration's powers to regulate emissions, and then Manchin said he wouldn't support new spending to support clean energy projects.

John Kerry, Biden's global climate envoy, said earlier this month that the administration's struggles could slow the pace of other countries' emissions cuts.

Theyll make their own analysis that will conceivably have an impact at what they decide to do or not," he said.

Biden is trying to demonstrate that he'll push forward on his own, without legislation, and he's considering declaring a state of emergency that would allow him to shift more resources toward climate initiatives.

But his powers are limited, and hitting the target may prove difficult, if not impossible.

Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, said the clock is ticking until the next United Nations summit on climate change, which is scheduled for Egypt in November.

Unless the administration is able to demonstrate progress before then, it will hamstring the U.S. ability to continue to push more from other countries, Keohane said. "It would deeply undermine U.S. credibility on climate.

He added, More rhetoric is not going to satisfy the need at this point.

Biden has also struggled to convince Congress to provide him with more funding to deal with the pandemic.

When Dr. Ashish Jha, who leads the administration's coronavirus task force, appeared in the White House briefing room for the first time in April, he emphasized that worldwide vaccinations were needed to prevent new variants from emerging.

If were going to fight a global pandemic, we have to have a global approach, he said. That means we need funding to ensure that were getting shots in arms around the world.

Biden originally wanted $22.5 billion. Lawmakers reduced the proposal to $15.6 billion, but even that was jettisoned from a $1.5 trillion government spending plan that the president signed in March.

Efforts to resuscitate the proposal have not been successful.

The debacle over getting new money in the pipeline has really set us back," said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Theres paralysis and uncertainty."

Morrison emphasized that the United States has played a very serious and honorable leadership role with its donations of vaccines and its work with the World Bank to set up a new fund to prepare for future pandemics.

But without new legislation, Morrison said, more robust plans to support vaccination campaigns in other countries are on hold.

Were in a difficult spot right now," he said.
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, Texas (AP)  Authorities say a 75-year-old Houston man has died while hiking alone last week at Big Bend National Park.

The body of the man was found Thursday about a half-mile (0.80 km) from the start of a trail, according to Park Deputy Superintendent David Elkowitz.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  A boat carrying Haitian migrants apparently capsized off the Bahamas early Sunday, and Bahamian security forces recovered the bodies of 17 people and rescued 25 others, authorities said.

It wasn't clear if there were any people missing after the boat sank about seven miles from New Providence.

Prime Minister Philip Brave Davis said in a statement that the dead included 15 women, one man and an infant. He said the people rescued were taken for observation by health workers.

Davis said investigators had determined that a twin-engine speed boat left the Bahamas about 1 a.m. carrying as many as 60 people, apparently bound for Miami.

Davis said a criminal investigation had begun into the suspected human smuggling operation.

I would like to convey the condolences of my government and the people of the Bahamas to the families of those who lost their lives in this tragedy, Davis said. My government, from the time it came to office, has warned against these treacherous voyages.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry said he sympathized with the parents of the victims.

This new drama saddens the whole nation, he said. I launch, once again, an appeal for national reconciliation in order to solve the problems that are driving away, far from our soil, our brothers, our sisters, our children.

A year after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise last July, gang violence has grown worse and Haiti has gone into a freefall that has seen the economy tumble. Attempts to form a coalition government have faltered, and efforts to hold general elections have stalled. The turmoil has led a growing number of people to flee the country of more than 11 million in search of a better and safer life.

Several sinkings involving migrants have occurred in the Caribbean this year, including one in May in which 11 people were confirmed dead and 38 were saved off Puerto Rico. Another incident in January saw one man rescued and another confirmed dead after a boat carrying 40 migrants went down off Florida, with the missing never found.

Governments in the region, including the United States, have reported a surge in the number of Haitians detained trying to enter other countries.
Bettors at Virginia's first full-fledged casino preferred slots to table games in its first week of operation, and were also slightly more likely to win their money back at the one-armed bandits as well.

The Bristol Casino took in more than $37.5 million in wagers through July 14, according to the Virginia Lottery Board. The casino paid out more than $33.7 in winnings, about 90 percent of what was wagered.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A bus fell off a bridge Sunday in Kenya and plunged into a river along the highway, killing at least 21 people, police said.

The bus, traveling from the central town Meru along the highway to Nairobi, the capital, must have developed brake failure, because it was at a very high speed when the accident happened," said senior police official Rono Bunei.
ASBURY, Iowa (AP)  Nikki Leibfried tossed a blue rubber ball across the backyard of an Asbury home Thursday afternoon, and 3-year-old Willa dashed off to fetch it.

Good girl, said Leibfried, scratching Willas ears as the golden retriever dropped the ball at her feet a moment later.

Willas home was the seventh that Leibfried had visited Thursday as part of her work with her business, Nikkis Pet Sitting. She and her 13 employees take care of dogs, cats, reptiles, rabbits, birds and fish across the tri-state area while their owners are at work or out of town.

Although summer and spring break are always busy times, Leibfried said her calendar has been particularly jam-packed lately. By early July, she was completely booked through August and Labor Day weekend.

In the past year, Ive hired five people just to try to keep up, and I could probably hire six more, she told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald.

Leibfrieds experience has been echoed by other owners of pet sitting and dog day care businesses, who are reporting increased demand for their services. Many cite the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor in that boost.

What happened is, during the pandemic, many people went out and adopted pets, many of them first-time pet owners, said Mary Erschen, owner of Dubuque business FidoFit. When things began to really open back up again, people started going back to work, and this summer and early spring, people started traveling.

Erschen operates a professional canine fitness gym at 595 Huff Street, Suite C. FidoFit offers classes and training for dogs and their humans, as well as Puppy Montessori enrichment and exercise classes and a day gym program, which operates like a dog day care with structured gym activities.

In her 12 years in business, Erschen said she has never seen anything like the current level of demand, which leaves her voicemail box full each night with clients seeking a spot for their furry friends to stay and play.

I cant even get through all the emails and the voicemails, even if all Im doing is a courtesy call, she said. Ive suggested to people, Have you thought about a pet sitter? But then, they are all at capacity, too.

She said two local veterinarians recently stopped offering boarding services, which has driven clients to businesses such as hers.

At Dyersville-based Briley, a dog grooming, boarding and day care business located at 1633 15th Ave SE, owner Briget Featherston is expanding her facility to meet the increased demand.

The expansion will add 5,500 square feet of indoor space, including 22 additional kennels and a second day care room, and nearly 14,000 square feet of outdoor space. After the work is complete, Briley will be able to accept 30 to 35 dogs for day care, compared to the 15 the business currently can care for.

Featherston said she also is looking to open a second location in Dubuque.

She said people who purchased pets during the pandemic are realizing that not only do the animals require daily care, they also benefit from interaction with other dogs and humans at businesses such as Briley.

Many of (the dogs) are not very socialized, just because their families were home all the time,  and now that people are getting out and about or having family and friends over, if these dogs arent used to a bunch of people, theyre not knowing how to react, she said.

Dubuque resident Victoria Vail owns Dog Days Dubuque, 3135 University Ave., which offers weekday day care for dogs and some classes for puppies. It only took six months for the business, which opened in late 2019, to reach capacity, and Vail said it has had a waiting list ever since.

While she does trace some of the increase in business to pandemic puppies purchased during COVID-19 lockdowns, she also feels the demand for services such as hers is the result of a shift in peoples feelings toward their animals.

I think the way people view their pets is much different than it was several years ago. These dogs are a family member, Vail said. I have a dog, and hes like my baby. I think people want to just treat their dogs so much differently and want this type of option for them.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  Deputies fatally shot a man who they say grabbed a firearm early Sunday following a chase that started when they were called to a Florida apartment complex because the man had fired shots at a rival outside a party, authorities said.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that they were called to the Tampa apartment complex because the man had fired shots at another man over a woman at a party earlier in the night. The deputies tried to talk to the man, but he wouldn't respond to them and led them on a short foot chase through the apartment complex.
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ATHENS, Greece (AP)   major fire has broken out in southern Greece, burning homes in villages not far from the famous archaeological site of Ancient Olympia and prompting the evacuations of six villages.

The fire broke out Sunday afternoon near the villages of Krestena and Skillountia, which are south and southeast of Ancient Olympia. Authorities messaged residents there and in four other villages to evacuate quickly.

Fire Service spokesman Yannis Artopoios said 125 firefighters and 43 fire engines were operating in the area, as well as four planes and four helicopters, but the aircraft can't operate at night. On a positive note, the prevailing northwesterly winds were pushing the fire to the southeast, up a mountain and away from Ancient Olympia, authorities said.

At least six more significant fires were burning across the country Sunday, according to the fire service, with three of those burning for several days. Artopoios said 141 wildfires had started in Greece over the past three days.

The fire on the Greek island of Lesbos, which required the evacuation of over 450 tourists and locals Saturday, is slowly being controlled, with only scattered blazes late Sunday afternoon, local authorities said.

But two fires still threaten Greek nature reserves, one in the northeastern region of Thrace, close to the Turkish border, and another in the region of Western Macedonia.

Three other fires erupted Sunday, one in Western Macedonia, another in central Greece and the third on the island of Crete.

In the Dadia Forest, which hosts a number of rare bird species, firefighters and aid workers rescued injured animals and took them in for treatment. Late Sunday that blaze expanded again, forcing residents of the village of Dadia to evacuate for the second time in three days.

Hot and dry conditions, along with gusty winds, have prevailed for weeks in Greece. A heat wave that arrived Saturday pushed temperature past 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in some places. The heat is expected to persist for several days.

___

Follow all AP stories on climate change at https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
The spokesperson for Carl P. Paladino's congressional campaign was convicted of drug possession in 2014, The Buffalo News has learned.

He is the second Paladino campaign associate in nine days revealed to have had a criminal record before joining the campaign for the 23rd Congressional District seat.

Paladino campaign loan gives him strong financial lead over Langworthy Paladino has collected just $50 in campaign contributions, compared to the $307,000 raised so far by Langworthy in the Aug. 23 contest.

Vish Burra, the communications director for the controversial Buffalo developer, acknowledged that when he was 23 he was arrested in a Staten Island drug bust and charged with possession of marijuana and hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Burra said the drug charge, which was reported at the time by the Staten Island Advance, was "something I did when I was young," adding that "growing up as a minority in a working-class neighborhood to immigrant parents was not an easy experience for me."

Officers seized 39 ounces of marijuana, which was illegal at the time, but has since been legalized as a recreational drug in New York. They also seized 1,000 milligrams of psilocybin, an illegal hallucinogenic mushroom, the Advance reported, and arrested another man along with Burra.

Convicted sex offender linked to Paladino campaign for Congress Joel Sartori, a 63-year-old Lancaster resident whom law enforcement considers a moderate risk to the public, was listed as the assistant treasurer of the Paladino for Congress campaign in documents the campaign filed last month with the Federal Election Commission.

Burra pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced to 3 years of probation, according to a clerk in State Supreme Court in Richmond County. The clerk said Burra also paid a $175 fine.

Burra is the second Paladino associate with connections to his campaign revealed to have had a previous criminal record.

On July 13, The News reported that Paladino filed a federal campaign document identifying Joel J. Sartori as his assistant campaign treasurer. Sartori, a registered sex offender, was convicted in 2017 of possessing child pornography.

Burra said Sartori had no role with the campaign and called the campaign filing "a simple oversight." Paladino told the New York Post that he allowed Sartori to remain an employee of Ellicott Development, the company Paladino founded, because he wanted to give him a second chance.

We made a decision to keep him," Paladino said of Sartori. "He did something sinful, but otherwise has been a good man.

One day after The News published a story about Sartori, the Paladino campaign amended its federal campaign filing and removed him as assistant treasurer, records show.

When The News asked Burra whether Paladino was aware of his drug conviction when he hired him, Burra released a statement saying, Vish is a good man, who made a mistake as a young man. He has been nothing but an asset to this campaign, everyone who interacts with Vish knows his story is one of redemption."

Paladino is preparing for a primary matchup against Nicholas A. Langworthy, the state Republican chairman making his first run for elective office. Paladino and Langworthy are well-known conservatives and allies of former President Donald Trump running in an overwhelmingly Republican and pro-Trump district.
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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP)  A human rights group said Sunday it had filed a criminal complaint with Singapores attorney general to seek the arrest of Sri Lankas former president for alleged war crimes during his countrys civil war.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted from office over his country's economic collapse and fled to Singapore earlier this month. He was defense secretary during Sri Lankas civil war, which ended in 2009.

The International Truth and Justice Project  an evidence-gathering organization administered by a South Africa-based nonprofit foundation said its lawyers filed the complaint requesting Rajapaksas immediate arrest. The complaint alleges Rajapaksa committed grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions during the civil war "and that these are crimes subject to domestic prosecution in Singapore under universal jurisdiction.

Sri Lanka's economic crisis has left the nations 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials, including medicine, fuel and food. Months of protests have focused on the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which has ruled the country for most of the past two decades.

The economic meltdown has seen the government collapse, but the crisis in Sri Lanka is really linked to structural impunity for serious international crimes going back three decades or more, said the ITJPs executive director, Yasmin Sooka.

This complaint recognizes that its not just about corruption and economic mismanagement but also accountability for mass atrocity crimes, she added.

Sri Lankas civil war killed 100,000 people, according to conservative United Nations estimates. The actual number is believed to be much higher. A report from a U.N. panel of experts said at least 40,000 ethnic minority Tamil civilians were killed in the final months of the fighting alone.

Tamil Tiger rebels fought to create an independent state for ethnic minority Tamils. The countrys ethnic Sinhala majority credited Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa with the war victory, cementing the family's political dominance, though accounts of atrocities, autocratic governance and nepotism persisted.

Efforts to investigate allegations of war crimes were largely suppressed under Rajapaksa leaders.

After Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country earlier this month, lawmakers elected Ranil Wickremesinghe to serve the remainder of his presidential term. He declared a state of emergency with broad powers to act to ensure law and order, and a day after he was sworn in, hundreds of armed troops raided a protest camp outside the presidents office, attacking demonstrators with batons.

Rights groups have urged the president to immediately order troops and police to cease use of force and said Friday's display seemed to follow a pattern of Sri Lankan authorities forcefully responding to dissent.

The political turmoil has threatened Sri Lanka's potential for economic recovery. Wickremesinghe recently said bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund were nearing a conclusion.
SANAA, Yemen (AP)  Heavy seasonal rains drove flash floods through Yemen and left at least nine people dead, official media reported Sunday.

The casualties were reported in the capital of Sanaa and the southwestern province of Dhamar, where it began raining late last week, the Houthi-run Sanaa Radio said.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee said Sunday it will interview more former Cabinet secretaries and is prepared to subpoena conservative activist Virginia Ginni Thomas, who's married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as part of its investigation of the Capitol riot and Donald Trump's role.

Lawmakers said they are deepening their inquiry after a series of eight hearings in June and July culminating in a prime-time session Thursday, with plans to interview additional witnesses and reconvene in September to resume laying out their findings to the public.

We anticipate talking to additional members of the presidents Cabinet, said Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee's vice chair. We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, were very focused as well on the Secret Service.

Cheney, R-Wyo., did not identify the Trump administration officials who might come forward, but the committee has previously made clear its interest in speaking with those believed to have considered invoking a constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when hundreds of Trumps supporters violently stormed the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Joe Bidens election.

The committee has aired testimony from former Attorney General William Barr, who said he told Trump that widespread voter fraud claims were bull and had zero basis. In last weeks hearing, the committee played testimony from then-Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, who said he urged Trump to call a Cabinet meeting to discuss an orderly transition of power.

Other Cabinet members have indicated they may have important details to share.

Betsy DeVos, the education secretary at the time, previously told USA Today that she raised with Vice President Mike Pence the question of whether the Cabinet should consider invoking the 25th Amendment, which would have required the vice president and the majority of the Cabinet to agree that the president could no longer fulfill his duties.

DeVos, in her resignation letter on Jan. 7, 2021, blamed Trump for inciting the mob. There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation, and it is the inflection point for me, she wrote.

On the same day, Elaine Chao quit as transportation secretary. Chao, who is married to Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said the attack had "deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state at the time who is considering a 2024 presidential run, and Steven Mnuchin, Trump's treasury secretary, also were reported to have discussed the possibility of invoking the 25th Amendment, according to Jonathan Karl of ABC News in his book Betrayal.

The floodgates have opened, said Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., regarding the next phase of its investigation.

Committee members also hope to learn more about Ginni Thomas own effort to keep Trump in office and the potential conflicts of interest for Clarence Thomas as a result on Jan. 6 cases that have come before the Supreme Court. The committee sent a letter to Ginni Thomas last month seeking an interview and hopes she will comply, Cheney said.

Thomas communicated with people in Trumps orbit ahead of the 2021 attack and also on the day of the insurrection.

We certainly hope that she will agree to come in voluntarily, Cheney said. But the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.

Cheney also said that while the committee hasnt decided whether to make a criminal referral regarding Trump to the Justice Department, thats absolutely something were looking at.

Added Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.: I certainly think theres evidence of crimes and I think it goes all the way up to Donald Trump.

While a possible Trump prosecution is a matter for the Justice Department, the committee has used its hearings to try to make a case about his political viability as he mulls running in 2024. Some of the most damning testimony aired by the committee has come from Trumps own top Republican advisers, military leaders and confidants, who admitted to a loss of confidence in his judgment and dedication to the rule of law in the days leading up to and after the Jan. 6 attack.

The committee also wants to get to the bottom of missing Secret Service texts from Jan. 5-6, 2021, that could have shed further light on Trumps actions during the insurrection, particularly after earlier testimony about his confrontation with security as he tried to join supporters at the Capitol.

Lawmakers also are interested in hearing from Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who was found guilty last week on criminal contempt of Congress charges for refusing to comply with the House committees subpoena.

Cheney spoke on CNN's State of the Union and Fox News Sunday, Kinzinger appeared on ABC's This Week, and Luria was on NBC's Meet the Press."

___

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP)  Kentucky's largest school district will require universal masking on school property as Jefferson County moves into the highest level of COVID-19 community spread.

The change begins Monday and lasts until Jefferson County comes out of the red, media outlets reported. It comes a little more than two weeks before classes resume in Jefferson County Public Schools.
MIAMI (AP)  Rejoice, Miami. The globe is back.

The Pan Am globe, that is  the giant, vividly colorful sphere depicting the world and its countries circa 1934 that for 55 years famously greeted visitors at the old Miami Museum of Science.

Hidden away since the science museum closed its South Miami Avenue building in 2015 before moving downtown, the globe  one of the most cherished historic relics in a city without many of them  has found a new permanent and public home.

Starting Thursday, the extensively and expensively reconditioned Earthly globe was once again on display for all to admire at, fittingly enough, Miami Worldcenter. Thats the sprawling development that occupies several blocks of the old Park West neighborhood just north of downtowns historic center.

The long-anticipated move represents a change of environment for the 6,500-pound, painted steel globe, originally made at the dawn of international air travel in the 1930s by Rand McNally for Pan American World Airways and its Dinner Key seaplane terminal in Coconut Grove, today Miami City Hall.

The globe will sit outdoors instead of in, at the intersection of two new pedestrian paseos that traverse Miami Worldcenter, a project so extensive at 27 acres that its pitched by its developers as a city-within-a city, or Miamis answer to Manhattans Rockefeller Center and Hudson Yards.

Though much of Worldcenter is still under construction, the developers say that by next year the landscaped paseos will be lined with shops, cafes and new commissioned public art, a la Miami Design District, so the globe in its new setting will be appreciated by thousands of people every week.

We thought it would be great if it was public and everyone could go see it, said Nitin Motwani, managing partner for Miami Worldcenter Associates, the master developer behind the $4 billion development. For all of us who grew up in South Florida, when I think about symbolic structures that are part of peoples memories in Miami, this was an iconic thing.

Through the intercession of the HistoryMiami museum, Motwani offered to take the globe off the hands of the Frost Museum of Science, which didnt have a place for it at its downtown home and couldnt figure out what to do with the weighty artifact, or how to pay the hefty amount it would take to transport, refurbish and reinstall it somewhere else. The science museums vacant old home, which was constructed around the globe on the grounds of the Vizcaya Museums historic farm village, is set to be demolished soon.

After the Frost donated the globe to Worldcenter Associates and its CIM Group partners in 2020, Motwani said the developers spent around $700,000 to transport, store, refurbish, weatherproof and reinstall the monument under the guidance of artist Franz Akerman. The work included repairing damage from a flood, while the globe sat in the former science museum building.

The globes new owners and location were kept under wraps until its installation at Worldcenter on Wednesday afternoon. A formal dedication will take place later but has not been scheduled yet, a spokeswoman said.

By happenstance, the new site for the globe is a couple of blocks from the Frosts bayside building in Maurice Ferre Park.

We are so excited to see it in its new home at Miami Worldcenter, just a few short blocks from Frost Science, said the museums president and CEO, Frank Steslow, in an emailed statement. The Pan Am globe was a memorable highlight for generations of patrons who visited our Coconut Grove location. It was important to the museum to find a partner that would care for this historic piece and ensure that the community can continue to enjoy this local icon.

When the globe was installed at Pan Ams Art Deco terminal in 1934, it marked the start of the first regular international passenger air service.

The airline, which ceased operations in 1991, pioneered commercial air travel between the continents when it launched regular seaplane service between Miami and Cuba and the Bahamas at Dinner Key. Within a few years, Pan Am was carrying passengers to 32 destinations from Dinner Key aboard its famed flying boats, which hopscotched across the Caribbean to Mexico, Central and South America and beyond.

The globe depicted the countries of the world as they existed then, and Miami Worldcenter kept it that way to preserve its historic integrity, Motwani said. That means there is a Soviet Union, a U.S. ally in that period, and European colonial territories in Africa and Asia.

Its all a part of history, Motwani said.

The seaplanes and the globe, which sat in the middle of the Pan Am terminal, drew flocks of gawking visitors to Dinner Key for decades, until Pan Am moved to Miami International Airport and took the globe with it, said Paul George, historian-in-residence at the HistoryMiami museum. At Dinner Key, the globe attracted people who had no plans to fly, but were taken by the novel idea of travel by air to distant places around the world.

It was one of the talks-of-the town in bygone decades, a must-see kind of thing, George said. Visitors would come over there in droves to see the globe into the 40s and 50s. It was fabulous. It just harkens back to another time, kind of a romantic time when seaplanes were going in and out of Dinner Key.

The globe sat moldering in a leaky storage shed at Miami airport, until it was refurbished and hoisted into place at the science museum in 1960 before the new buildings roof was installed.

There, too, the globe became a magnet for visiting families. Thousands of children and adults posed in front of the globe just inside the museum entrance, making it a part of several generations of Miamians collective memory, George said.

Its so great that its been brought out again after being buried for so long, and we get to see it again, the historian said. We have lost so much of old Miami. We dont have much in the way of artifacts. But we still have the globe.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP)  A Holocaust center in Florida and others condemned the presence of protesters holding Nazi flags and posters with antisemitic imagery outside a convention of young conservative activists that drew as speakers President Donald Trump, Florida Gov, Ron DeSantis and several Republican U.S. senators.

Florida Holocaust Museum chairman Mike Igel said that the demonstration represented a direct threat" to the Jewish community in the area. The museum is based in St. Petersburg, across the bay from the Tampa Convention Center, where the protesters showed up Saturday outside where the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit convention was being held.

Founded by conservative Charlie Kirk in 2012, Turning Point is a Trump-aligned group that organizes young people on college campuses into conservative activism. The convention attracted 5,000 young conservatives.

Carrying the Nazi flag, or that of the SS, the unit responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Holocaust, is an indefensible act of pure hatred," Igel said in a statement. This isnt about politics or religion. Its about humanity."

Turning Point spokesman Andrew Kolvet said Sunday that the Nazi protesters had no affiliation with the conference and that his organization condemned their ideologies.

Since these individuals were located on public property, our security attempted to, but was not permitted to remove them," Kolvet said in an email. We have no idea who they are or why they were here. They have nothing to do with TPUSA, our event, or our students. Our students, after initially confronting them, ultimately took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, these individuals left.

Besides Trump and DeSantis, other scheduled speakers at the Turning Point convention included Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and Fox News TV personality Laura Ingraham.

The protesters with Nazi flags clashed briefly with protesters who had marched to the convention center from a nearby park demonstrating against the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Florida politicians across the political spectrum, from Republican U.S. Rick Scott to Democratic gubernatorial candidates Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried, condemned the Nazi protesters on Sunday.
NORMAN, Okla. (AP)  An Oklahoma couple has been charged in the death of a woman whose body was found last year wrapped in plastic in the basement of a home.

Margarita Sandoval, 19, had been missing for three years when police found her body in May 2021 in a box hidden underneath some stairs in a home in Norman.
Days before Maryland's July 19 primary, Michael Peroutka stood up at an Italian restaurant in Rockville and imagined how a foreign enemy might attack America.

"We would expect them to make our borders porous," Peroutka told the crowd, which had come to hear the Republicans running for state attorney general. "We would expect them to make our cities unsafe places to live. We would expect them to try to ruin our economy." The country was "at war," he explained, "and the enemy has co-opted members and agencies and agents of our government."

On Tuesday, Peroutka easily dispatched a more moderate Republican to win the nomination. State Del. Dan Cox, who won Donald Trump's endorsement after supporting the former president's effort to subvert the 2020 election, also dispatched a Republican endorsed by the state's popular governor, Larry Hogan.

Both candidates described a country that was not merely in trouble, but being destroyed by leaders who despise most Americans - effectively part of a civil war. In both swing states and safe seats, many Republicans say that liberals hate them personally and may turn rioters or a police state on people who disobey them.

Referring to the coronavirus and 2020 protests over police brutality, Cox told supporters at a rally last month, "We were told 14 days to bend the curve, and yet antifa was allowed to burn our police cars in the streets." He continued: "Do you really think, with what we're seeing - with the riots that have happened, that we should not have something to defend our families with? This is why we have the Second Amendment."

The rhetoric is bracing, if not entirely new. Liberal commentators made liberal use of the word "fascism" to describe Trump's presidency. The baseless theory that President Barack Obama was undermining American power as a foreign agent was popular with some Republicans, including Trump, who succeeded Obama in the White House.

Many Democrats saw the backlash to Obama as specific to his race, and saw Biden as unlikely to inspire mass opposition to Trump in the presidential election. But many Republicans also portray Biden as a malevolent figure - a vessel for a hateful leftist campaign to weaken America.

"It's purposeful," said former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who is running in next month's special election for the state's sole House seat, in an interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. "It's all about the fundamental transformation of America. You only fundamentally transform something for which you have disdain."

That argument has been dramatized in ads that, for instance, show one armed candidate appearing to charge into the home of a political enemy, and another warning of "the mob" that threatens ordinary Americans. In many cases the candidates are brandishing firearms while threatening harm to liberals or other enemies.

In central Florida, U.S. Army veteran Cory Mills has run ads about his company selling tear gas that was used to quell riots in 2020. "You may have seen some of our work," he says, introducing a montage of what are labeled "antifa," "radical left," and "Black Lives Matter" protesters running from the gas.

In northwest Ohio, a campaign video for Republican congressional nominee J.R. Majewski shows him walking through a dilapidated factory, holding a semiautomatic weapon, warning that Democrats will "destroy our economy" with purposefully bad policies.

"Their agenda is bringing America to its knees, and I am willing to do whatever it takes," says Majewski, who's seeking a House seat in a district around Toledo that has been redrawn to make Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, beatable. "If I have to kick down doors, that's just what patriots do."

In Missouri, Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens has issued two ads this summer in which he holds or fires weapons, vowing to go "RINO hunting" - for "Republicans in Name Only" - in one ad and targeting the "political establishment" in the second.

Dreading deep losses in November, some Democrats have spent money to help Republican candidates who talk this way under the theory that they will be easier to beat in November. The Democratic Governors Association spent more than $1.1 million on positive ads for Cox, as he was telling voters that they might one day have to battle antifa with their own weapons.

Candidates like Majewski, however, have won with no assistance from Democrats, aided instead by high turnout and grass-roots energy. The idea that the Biden administration's policies are designed to fail - to raise gas prices, or increase the cost of food - is a popular campaign theme.

Pollsters have found that Americans are worried about the country sticking together; a YouGov poll released last month had a majority of both Democrats and Republicans agreeing that America would one day "cease to be a democracy."

Republican wins since 2020, including a sweep in Virginia's state elections and victory in a special election in June between two Hispanic candidates in South Texas, haven't lightened the GOP mood. Andy Surabian, a Republican strategist who works with Trump-backed U.S. Senate candidates J.D. Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona, said that last year's vaccine-or-test mandate for large companies was a turning point in views of the Biden administration, even after it was blocked by the Supreme Court's conservative majority.

"It's the number one thing that caused people to go from 'maybe this is incompetence' to 'there's something else going on here,' " Surabian said. "Like, do these people actually want a Chinese-style social credit system?"

Rick Shaftan, a conservative strategist working with Republican challengers this cycle, said that the party's voters were nervously watching crime rates in the cities, asking whether public safety was being degraded on purpose. He also pointed to government responses to the pandemic as a reason that those voters, and their candidates, were nervous.

"People paid a lot of attention to the truckers," said Shaftan, referring to Canadian protests against vaccine mandates that occupied Ottawa this year and briefly shut down an international bridge. "Canada's supposed to be a democracy. . . . People worry: Can that happen here?"

The arrests of hundreds of rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, has frequently been cited by Republican candidates as proof of a government war on its people.

In early July, at a town hall meeting in southwest Washington state, Republican congressional hopeful Joe Kent told his audience that the "phony riot" on Jan. 6 was being "weaponized against anybody who dissents against what the government is telling us," from parents angry about public school education to people who had questioned the outcome of the 2020 election.

"These are the types of tactics that I would see in Third World countries when I was serving overseas," Kent told the crowd gathered in a gazebo in Rochester, one of the towns currently represented by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash. "You'd see the Praetorian guard or the intelligence services grab the opposition and throw them in the dungeons. I never thought I'd see that in America."

Trump himself has frequently accused President Joe Biden of trying to ruin the country and create conflict to maintain power.

"Joe Biden helped lead his party's vile campaign against our police officers, and then he carried the rioters' agenda straight into the White House," Trump told supporters at a rally in Las Vegas last month, joined by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the GOP nominee for governor. "The streets are flowing with the blood of innocent crime victims."

After a draft Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization overturning federal abortion rights was leaked in early May, a group calling itself Jane's Revenge took credit for vandalism against crisis pregnancy centers, where women are discouraged from terminating their pregnancies. Those incidents quickly made it into political ads that asked why Democrats were not more strongly condemning violence.

Some Republicans also point to a California man's alleged assassination plot against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was among the majority in Dobbs.

"Radical liberals are behaving like terrorists, calling for a summer of rage," says a narrator in a new ad from Catholic Vote, a conservative group spending $3 million this month to target vulnerable Democratic members of the House. "An assassination attempt on a Supreme Court justice. Domestic terrorists calling it 'open season.' "

Several have echoed Vance, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author, who has argued that the rise in fentanyl deaths looks like an "intentional" result of the Biden administration's border policies - a way for an unpopular president to "punish the people who didn't vote for him."

The argument is not just that Democrats disagree with conservatives, but that they despise them, and hurt them on purpose. This past week, after a man attacked Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., at a rally for his gubernatorial campaign, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the violence, as did Gov. Kathy Hochul, D.

But local Republicans suggested that Democrats had effectively encouraged the attack, pointing to a Democratic news release about the rally "encouraging people to stalk" the candidate, according to one GOP county executive. Although the district attorney who let the attacker out of jail was a Zeldin supporter, the candidate and his party argued that Democratic bail reforms, passed in 2019, had let the attacker off scot free.

"If you love America, they hate you," says Jim Pillen, the Republican nominee for governor of Nebraska, in one TV spot. "If you support the police, they call you racist."
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NEW YORK (AP)  As he campaigns for a Manhattan congressional seat against fellow Democrats twice his age, 38-year-old Suraj Patel harnesses the frustration of his generation toward those who have held office for decades.

In his telling, Reps. Jerry Nadler, 75, and Carolyn Maloney, 76, are part of a crop of Democrats who rose to power in the 1990s only to fail on issues ranging from guns to climate change and abortion. The redistricting process that merged their congressional districts offers a chance for new leadership, Patel says.

If we keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result: Thats not just the definition of insanity," he said. "Thats also the definition of incumbency.

More than 1,100 miles to the west in the presidential testing ground of Iowa, Republican Jeremiah Bronson was also considering whether someone other than 76-year-old Donald Trump might carry his party into the future. Bronson expressed growing interest in 55-year-old Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

He seems to be on the same page with conservatives around the country, Bronson, 39, said as he dined on barbecued pork sandwiches with a half-dozen other Story County Republicans.

In a nation faltering along seemingly every conceivable divide, there's a shared desire among Democrats and Republicans for a new generation of political leadership. The conversation is most pronounced when it comes to the White House as Trump considers another campaign and President Joe Biden confronts skepticism about his ability to mount a reelection bid in 2024 when he is 82.

"Theres just a sense of like, that rematch between these two old guys seems ridiculous to people, said Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist who conducts almost weekly focus groups with voters across the country and political spectrum.

There are recurring calls for youth and change in U.S. politics.

Bill Clinton's appeal for a new generation of leadership helped him rise from governor of Arkansas to the first baby boomer president in 1992. In 2008, Barack Obama's relative youth was an asset in his primary campaign against Hillary Clinton and during the general election against Arizona Sen. John McCain.

More recently, Pete Buttigieg's 2020 presidential bid gained traction with its focus on fresh leadership before being overtaken by Biden, viewed by many Democrats as the safer choice against Trump.

The dynamics have shifted since then, with some Democratic voters furious that Biden and leaders in Congress haven't done more to protect abortion rights, respond more aggressively to a wave of mass shootings and address climate change.

A new Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll shows 83% of U.S. adults say the country is on the wrong track. Only 36% approve of Bidens leadership overall, while 62% disapprove. Polling from AP-NORC in recent months captured deepening pessimism among members of his own Democratic Party about Biden, the direction of the country and t he state of the economy. A January AP-NORC poll found just 28% of those surveyed and 48% of Democrats said they want Biden to run for reelection in 2024.

Julian Castro, a former Obama housing secretary and onetime presidential candidate, said theres no doubt that members of his party are frustrated and that Democrats in Washington need to show a sense of urgency and produce results. In a telephone interview from the Texas Democratic Convention in Dallas, he said Democrats seemed energized.

My immediate hope is that that angst and frustration is going to be channeled positively to turnout in November," he said, referring to the midterm elections. "And then well reckon with whats beyond that when November happens.

Biden has repeatedly insisted he will run for reelection. But should he decide to step aside, a host of younger Democrats could be in contention. They include Vice President Kamala Harris, who is 57. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, 54, and Illinois Gov. J.B Pritzker, 57, have garnered attention for their responses to the Supreme Court's abortion ruling and mass shootings.

Some Democrats seeking office this year have been clear about their desires that a new generation take its place in politics.

Last month, the Democratic candidate for governor in South Carolina, Joe Cunningham, proposed not only term limits but also age limits for officeholders, saying it was time to end Americas geriatric oligarchy of politicians who are staying in office way past their prime. To Cunningham, who recently turned 40, that includes the incumbent he hopes to oust in November, 75-year-old Republican Henry McMaster, who is the states oldest sitting governor.

But Cunningham also said the proposal was intended to apply to Biden.

For Republicans, the most pressing debate often seems to focus less explicitly on age and more on whether the party should move on from Trump. That's particularly true in the wake of hearings by the House Jan. 6 committee that have drawn new attention to his desperate efforts to stay in office after losing the 2020 election.

The Jan. 6 hearings may be sending voters looking elsewhere.

An AP-NORC in June found that 48% of U.S. adults say Trump should be charged with a crime for his role in the siege of the U.S. Capitol. Januarys AP-NORC poll showed that people were just as down on Trump running again in 2024 as they were Biden: Just 27% of U.S. adults wanted Trump to run again, including a slim majority  56% -- of Republicans. That poll also showed the former presidents popularity with the GOP dropped somewhat, with 71% of Republicans saying they had a favorable opinion of Trump compared with 78% in a September 2020 AP-NORC/USAFacts poll.

Longwell, the Republican strategist, said the hearings seem to be having an impact even among Republican voters who are not watching the sessions or persuaded by them because they are a reminder of the tumult that has surrounded Trump.

One of the things I hear coming up over and over again in the groups is that Trump has a lot of baggage and that theres all these other stars, Republican stars, and maybe its time Trump should be like an elder statesman, she said.

A number of figures from Trumps world and outside it are seen as potential challengers in 2024. Trump and his associates are especially focused on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who, at 43, is increasingly viewed as a younger heir to the former president's brand of politics.

Other Republicans making increasingly overt moves toward a presidential run include Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, 45; former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 50; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, 51; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, 58; and former Vice President Mike Pence, 63.

Pat Brady, the former chair of the Illinois Republican Party who is not a Trump supporter, said he thinks the fever has broken when it comes to Trumps standing with the GOP.

I think the combination of him just spending all his time, every speech, relitigating 2020. Voters typically look forward. They dont look backward, he said.

Brady said part of the frustrations voters have with their political leaders is the age-related.

When you look at the leadership, Im old and those guys make me look young, said 61-year-old Brady. This is a vibrant youthful country, fundamentally, and weve got a bunch of old people running it.

___

Associated Press writers Thomas Beaumont in Cambridge, Iowa, Hannah Fingerhut in Washington and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections

and on Twitter, https://twitter.com/ap_politics
For some Clarence residents, the problem when horses take a stroll along the bike path in town isn't the horse  it's what the horse leaves behind after digesting its most recent meal.

A rider on horseback is a rare sight on the Clarence Bike Path, but the evidence from these visits is more common.

Some dog walkers, bike riders, in-line skaters and other trail users say they don't appreciate having to navigate around clumps of manure.

"I think they should have to clean up after themselves, like a dog," said Diane Showalter, who was out walking the trail with her daughter, Ginger Lahti, on a recent morning.

"Just push it off the path," Lahti agreed. "I mean, it's organic matter. It's awesome for the grass. Carry a little shovel, push it all over."

When someone from the town recently complained about this in a Facebook group  a note amplified by photos of the offending mess  the post drew 189 comments in response, split among the pro- and anti-horse crowds, exposing the tension between old Clarence and new Clarence, where the farming heritage of the past is giving way to yoga studios and brew pubs.

The split flares up when the Town Board reviews a request to extend a sewer line into a new development, for example, or when Dollar General proposes opening a store in Clarence Hollow.

"Whatever subject you want, people in Clarence are going to line up and debate back and forth  the recent arrivals and the people who lived there forever," said Dave Hartzell, a former town supervisor, who noted geese are another reliable hot topic in town.

"It's funny, because people move out to the country to leave the populated areas. And then they come out to the country and they try to change it into an urban area," said Pam Armstrong, co-owner of Maple Row Farm, a horse-boarding facility in town, who said she chuckles when someone from Clarence posts a fox sighting to social media.

The main Clarence Bike Path, known as the Peanut Line Trail, runs along a former rail line from Transit Road east to the Newstead border and beyond.

Clarence officials say riding a horse on the trail violates town law.

Bike path users say they see riders on horseback on the trail occasionally. There are a handful of horse farms and stables within a couple of miles of the section of the trail between Strickler and Salt roads.

Hartzell said he uses the bike path two or three times a day as part of his training for triathlons, but he grew up, and continues to enjoy, riding horses.

"It's a hazard," the former supervisor said of the manure. "It becomes slippery, and it's big and all that. So, you know, I think if you're not willing to clean it up, you shouldn't be riding on the Peanut Line."

A visit to the path earlier this month found a cluster of horse dung along one side of the trail just east of Strickler.

Several trail users that morning weren't keen on sharing the path with horses and their waste.

"I don't see a place for horses on it now. It's too  it's too crowded. And that's a big animal, you know?" said Charlie Vesper, who was out walking his dog, Bo, an Akita Shepherd mix.

Danielle Gerbetz walks on the Peanut Line Trail about five days a week.

"I would be alarmed if I was walking with my dogs and there were, like, horses coming at me," the Clarence Center resident said. "We're very thoughtful about our dogs, making sure we stay on one side if people are coming through. I don't know how you would do that with a horse."

Gerbetz said she's also seen chickens wandering on the bike path.

"So it's Clarence  anything goes," she said with a laugh.

Except horses.

In an email, Parks Crew Chief Jim Burkard said town code bars horses and their riders from all town parks, which includes the bike paths, unless the Town Board grants special permission.

Burkard did not say how many complaints, if any, his department receives about horse riding or horse manure on the paths.

But the critical post earlier this summer in the Clarence Community Group on Facebook spurred a lot of feedback  far more than the original poster expected, she told The Buffalo News as she declined an interview request.

"As a regular user of the path, I see this too often to let it go," she wrote July 9.

Some people who responded were flat out opposed to the horses, arguing the trail isn't made for them, their manure is unsanitary and children and other users shouldn't have to maneuver around it.

Other posters were on the side of the horses, calling them a vestige of Clarence's rural heritage. Still others said yes to the horses, but implored riders to pick up after them.

It is not the same as picking up after a dog, of course, because horses don't stop to defecate.

Also, Armstrong pointed out, horse manure is good for the environment, because horses mainly eat hay and grain products, and it typically biodegrades quickly.

Several commenters suggested riders put on a manure bag, or horse diaper, similar to those worn by horses in parades or on police patrol. Armstrong, however, said horses need to be trained to wear these bags, and not all will tolerate them.

Though she doubts the riders were coming from her horse-boarding farm, she said she sees room for everyone on the trail, including horses.

"People ride their bikes, they jog, they walk their dogs. It's a multipurpose trail," Armstrong said.

Despite this and similar debates, Clarence continues to change.

The town used to have more farms before subdivisions encroached on them. In 2010, for example, 4,442 acres of land in Clarence were actively farmed, a drop of 11% from just 10 years earlier.

Town officials have made preserving this agricultural heritage a priority. But many of those who moved out to Clarence in recent years want a more typical suburban experience, observers said.

"We don't have a lot of farming," said Bob Geiger, a Town Board member and active Clarence volunteer. "But we like to see a farm tractor going down the road, see a few cows out along Salt Road, and maybe along the Clarence Center Road. But not a lot of them. It's winding down."

Or, as Armstrong put it, "I mean, Clarence, you know, it's a nice town. It's quaint. And if it gets too built up, it's going to turn into Amherst."
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP)  The search continued Sunday for a man reported missing after flash floods hit the wildfire burn scar in northern New Mexico.

Authorities said the bodies of two women were recovered Thursday west of Las Vegas, New Mexico after the Cabo Lucero Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call of a vehicle being washed away by floodwaters.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP)  Growing up in Monroeville, Taylor Sims knew he wanted to be a dentist. And he knew he liked to dance. But he could never have guessed that his online fame as the groovy dentist would put him on national television.

It all came together Tuesday when Sims was one of the featured competitors on NBC-TV's Dancing with Myself, a show designed to capitalize on the popularity of the dance challenges seen on TikTok and other social media. The idea still kind of takes Sims by surprise.

There was a moment during production of the episode when he found himself thinking, Im really dancing in front of Nick Jonas and Shakira. This is crazy, he said. It was definitely a mind-blowing experience, to say the least.

Sims just finished the first year of a residency in pediatric dentistry at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Getting there was more or less a lifelong journey.

Growing up, my mom had told me she was bullied basically because of her smile, he said. She was very adamant about getting my brothers and I braces, making sure we went to dentists every six months.  She couldnt get braces, so she made sure her children did.

Being the youngest son, being a son in general, hearing your mom talk like that, kind of made me mad, he said. I wanted to do something that could basically serve as a gift to her every day that I go to work. Dentistry was the route for me.

He went first to the University of Alabama, which he called his dream school. Ive been Roll Tide my entire life, he said. After graduating in 2016 he went to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, completing his dental studies in 2021. Now hes halfway through his residency, still getting used to life in the District of Columbia. It is completely different from the South, he said. Im ready to get back in the South.

Hes also getting used to his status. Sometimes I have to pinch myself when someone says Dr. Sims, he said.

The joy in all this comes through loud and clear in his posts at www.tiktok.com/@thegroovydentist. In one, viewers see him shimmying in a hotel room, celebrating the occasion of Attending my first American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry conference as Dr. Sims! Truly dreaming everyday I wake up. In another, he dances in a hospital corridor with a young patient.

In another, wearing scrubs as he moves to Lucy Pearls Dance Tonight, he lets captions tell his story: Only 3.6% of pediatric dentists are Black.  Growing up in Southern Alabama, I never seen a dentist that looked like me til I was 19-20 years old.  I dreamed it but had the hardest time trying to believe that I could do it.  No one in my family went this route so it was unfamiliar territory for us all.  But here I am, years later, the FIRST DOCTOR IN MY FAMILY!  I Pray my journey and my representation inspire people to go after their dreams even when they look impossible to achieve.

Posting dance clips online has been an occasional thing, he said, not a brand hes been trying to develop. He likes to keep it fun. Even so hes had at least one clip that kind of went viral when he challenged another dancing dentist. Perhaps thats how he came to the attention of the shows producers.

Dancing with Myself was launched this spring. Pop stars Shakira and Nick Jonas are joined on the judging panel by YouTube star Liza Koshy, and Camille Kostek serves as host. Each episode puts a dozen contenders in pods in front of a studio audience that votes on every round of the action.

This isnt a Survivor-type show where it takes a season to find out who takes the prize: Every episode pairs a fresh batch of contenders down to a winner. The fast-paced action features solo dance challenges, duo pairings and one-on-one face-offs. Judges save favorites who didnt make the cut on the audience vote, but no one stays safe for long.

I was very nervous going into it, said Sims. Ive never done anything like this. But you only live once, I love to dance, so why not go for it?

On the show, the hyped-up studio audience brought a lot of energy, he said.

It was like one big dance party, he said. The show is called Dancing with Myself. Youre dancing with yourself, but youre also literally dancing with everybody out there watching.

Its a very fast-paced show. But everybody associated with the show was kind, he said. Ive made friends from all over the place, all walks of life.

For the Groovy Dentist, work is the main focus. Though having a fun persona definitely can be an asset in his particular specialty.

Kids are very funny, theyre very unpredictable, he said. You never know what youre really going to get. Pediatric dentistry is really a lot of behavioral management, making sure that they feel comfortable.

When parents have had bad experiences and are nervous about going to the dentist, kids can pick up on that. Youre basically fighting two battles at the same time to win them over, he said.

I know Im in the right specialty, he said, because sometimes work doesnt feel like work.
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP)  To know if a mothers heart has broken, look for Angela Williams on her street.

Shes usually hard on the heels of death, appearing at sites of fatal shootings across Palm Beach County to comfort those left in its wake. It only takes a text  man murdered on Sapodilla Avenue  to get her out of bed, her mind racing. Who is it this time?

That time, it was her nephew. Hes one of 23 family members Williams has lost to gun violence since 1999. The first was Williams 12-year-old niece Christina Elam, shot to death in a car in Riviera Beach, then another nephew, Torrey Manuel, 29, killed with an AR-15 four years later.

Their portraits take up an entire wall at the Mothers Against Murderers Association, headquartered in a strip mall along Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard. Founded after Manuels death in 2003 and nearing its 20th birthday, MAMA has become a haven to 480 grief-stricken women and their families.

Theyre screaming, hollering and crying. You hug them and say, Im here. Im here, dont you worry. Im here, said Williams, its founder. Im on call 24 hours a day for you. If you call me and I dont answer, I guarantee I will call you back.

Manuels death tore a hole so big in his mother Georgie Dixons heart, Williams didnt think it would ever close.

Shed sit in the parking lot of Winn-Dixie with her car windows rolled up and scream her sons name. Williams started to keep the ringer on her cellphone on always, accustomed to dropping everything to drive to her sisters side. Time passed, but the calls didnt slow.

Please, God, Williams said she prayed one day as she drove down 45th Street. Give me an answer so I can help my sister.

She had no training in grief counseling  Williams was a 44-year-old school bus driver at the time, with aspirations to become a teacher  but she threw herself after the idea of the Mothers Against Murderers Association once it took hold of her mind.

I did not see this for myself, Williams said. But I know Im going to be doing it the rest of my life.

Officials reported 56 killings in Palm Beach County this year alone, according to a Palm Beach Post online database. These deaths dont grip the public in the way that mass shootings do, Williams said, but their toll on the community is untold.

When you have a person getting killed every day, that adds up, she said. Weve got ourselves a mass shooting, just over different days of the week.

Helping mothers through their grief is whats kept Williams from succumbing to her own. Shes a frequent presence at crime scenes, often called there by the police to provide emotional support for the parents left behind.

Parents like Sharon Danford, whose 17-year-old son SeSawn Danford was killed in 2014. She walked into his Mangonia Park apartment, not yet knowing that he was dead, or what it meant that Williams was there, too.

When I walked in the house, something hit me. Somethings strange, you know, Danford said. I had this feeling of disconnect.

Since that night, spaghetti with hot dogs has been a staple at the potlucks Williams hosts for the mothers. It was SeSawns favorite food.

In addition to potlucks, toy drives and fundraisers for victims families, the MAMA headquarters is home to the Circle of Healing  a sort of ad hoc therapy session where theres no wrong way to grieve. Danford drives there twice a month with a box of tissues in her purse, and another in the glove box.

Meeting like this for nearly 20 years, Williams has learned to never expect when, or if, a mother might come out of her grief. She says she knows the cues to watch for when someones day was bad, and what to do when she sees them.

Her closets usually stocked with at least one funeral-ready outfit, Williams said (she went to three in a day once). She goes to bed with her phone charged, knowing it might ring in the night. Though theres no telling what each day will bring, theres one thing Williams believes is certain.

Til the day I die, Im going to help these families, she said.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday criticized Greece for allegedly violating a settlement that has governed relations between the rivals for nearly a century.

In a statement released on the 99th anniversary of the Lausanne Treaty, Erdogan accused Athens of undermining the rights of the Muslim minority in Greeces Thrace region. Muslims in Thrace make up about 32% of the provinces population and consist of ethnic Turks, Roma and Bulgarian-speaking Pomaks.

The conditions registered in the treaty, especially the rights of the Turkish minority, have been ignored or deliberately eroded, the nationalist leader said. It is not possible for our country to accept this situation, which is incompatible with good neighborly relations and loyalty to the treaty.

The 1923 treaty was signed by the new Republic of Turkey to settle disputes with the Allies, including Greece, following World War I and the Turkish War of Independence.

It outlined the rights of the remaining Muslim minority in Greece and Christians in Turkey after a bitter conflict between the countries, which was followed by a population exchange. It also set out conditions for Greek rule of the Aegean islands that lie off Turkeys coast.

Ankara has recently complained that Greece has violated the treaty by militarizing the islands. Athens says it is acting according to international law and is defending its territory in the face of constant Turkish hostility.

On Friday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the closure of four Muslim minority schools in Thrace, saying it demonstrated discriminatory and oppressive policies by the Greek government.

The Greek Foreign Ministry rejected the unsubstantiated allegations, saying the schools were suspended because student numbers fell below minimum requirements.

NATO members Greece and Turkey have been at loggerheads for decades over a series of issues, including disputes over undersea exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean and the sovereignty of uninhabited Aegean islets. The two neighbors have come to the brink of war three times in the past half century.

Erdogan last month broke off high-level talks with Athens.
By Natalie Hanson

San Jose Spotlight

Officials at Santa Clara County's largest water supplier are on the defense after a whistleblower publicly accused the agency of retaliating against employees unvaccinated for COVID-19.

An anonymous whistleblower calling himself "John Public" commented at a Valley Water meeting on June 28 and released a video on YouTube, which is no longer available, claiming the district's vaccination policy is discriminatory. Valley Water requires all workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, unless they have an approved medical or religious exemption.

As of July, 98.82% of Valley Water's 851 employees are vaccinated, spokesperson Matt Keller told San Jose Spotlight. CEO Rick Callender said in a statement last week that with COVID infections still high, the public health emergency necessitates upholding the vaccination policy. As of Thursday, the seven-day rolling average of new reported infections in the county is 939, down from last month's average of 1,099 on June 28.

"Our critical infrastructure provides water to residents and businesses," Callender said. "While we understand there may be a few people who disagree with the policy, it is necessary during this time to follow the science and our public health leaders, not just for us, but for the people we serve."

The whistleblower disagreed. "The district has forced many of us out of their livelihoods already and the process is to put you through great duress/coercion. To be treated in this discipline process is nothing short of a beat down to submit or lose it all and denounce your faith!" he wrote in a letter.

His video, which contained copyrighted logos and clips, was hit with a claim from Valley Water's attorney Juan Carlos-Orellana and removed from public access. Carlos-Orellana was not available to comment, a Valley Water spokesperson said.

The whistleblower said via email he thinks his video was removed because Valley Water did not like his claims that the company mishandled a vaccination mandate. He claims Valley Water used COVID-19 data to justify the vaccine mandate even though some people who were vaccinated still got sick.

He also said he and other employees had exemptions denied for nonspecific reasons.

"Those who got their religious exemptions denied were put on a discipline process that leads up to termination," he claimed.

Callender said he doesn't know who the anonymous source is, but is familiar with the video. He said the video used confidential staff information.

"We follow the county Public Health advice, we follow the CDC advice and as an agency that is what we followed," he said. "It sounds like the anonymous source is not following the CDC or public health advice or explanation."

Valley Water decided to pursue a 100% employee vaccination rate, Keller said, after the county suggested businesses and government agencies implement mandatory vaccination requirements. Last fall, the water district required unvaccinated staff to test weekly.

In January, the district told workers to submit proof of full vaccination by March 1. Unvaccinated employees had to request an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Failure to provide proof of full vaccination would result in disciplinary action including termination, according to the policy.

"We also implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for all new hires, requiring they provide proof of full vaccination absent an approved medical or religious exemption prior to their start date," Keller said. He said of 36 employees who asked for exemptions, three have received them to date. The district declined to say how many employees have been fired or quit because of the policy.

Not applicable to board members

Although workers have mostly adhered to the mandate, the requirement does not apply to Valley Water board members, Keller said.

Callender told San Jose Spotlight on Friday the board, as elected officials, does not have a vaccine requirement and don't need to provide vaccination records as they are not employees. He said board members are all concerned about not getting infected with COVID, all being over the age of 50 with some concerned about health conditions.

"They don't want to get sick from members of the public or staff," Callender said. "People are still dying from this."

George Rutherford, a professor of epidemiology at UC San Francisco, said he thinks policies like Valley Water's are vital to preventing the transmission and spread of viral diseases like COVID-19.

"You always have to have vaccinations as the bedrock on which all other guidelines are built," Rutherford told San Jose Spotlight.

He said three variants are circulating and only 71.5% of Californians are fully vaccinated. Even people who received a booster last winter do not have full protection against infection, even though they have protection against hospitalization and death.

"No vaccine is 100% perfect because the amount of virus when (a person) gets infected varies," he said.

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.

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Aaron Resnick served as a co-architect with the esteemed architect Frank Lloyd Wright on the Usonia Historic District project. Their gambit resulted in a planned community of 43 homes in Pleasantville, NY. Wright wound up designing three homes for the project while Resnick designed 12.

Now, one of Resnicks own designsa three-bedroom, two-bath ranch on an 8.3-acre site in Lagrangeville, NYis on the market for $1,250,000. It's listed with Joseph A. Satto of Fresh Air Realty.

Built in 1960, the 2,192-square-foot midcentury modern home has had about four different owners, according to Satto. It was last sold in 2020, for $1,046,500.

The sellers live part-time here and in New York City, which is a mere 70 miles away.

Exterior Realtor.com

Stairwell Realtor.com

Living and dining space Realtor.com

Kitchen Realtor.com

Perched on a hill and backing up to farmland, the property is surrounded by old-growth Norway spruce.

Its meant to be something thats connected to whats around it, says Satto. Anywhere your head turns (from inside the home), youre always seeing something outside.

Thats mostly due to walls of windows and 12 skylights throughout the residence.

Connection to nature is front and center, says Satto. Theres an incredible amount of light in this house for being surrounded by woods.

As with Wrights houses, Resnick kept the three bedrooms small and the common spaces large.

Stacked-bluestone walls, red slate floors, birch cabinetry, exposed wood beams, and redwood shelves are some of the standout design features. Little has been altered in the homea testament to its high levels of craftsmanship. Original cabinetry, built-ins, and decorative tilework all remain intact.

Office Realtor.com

Pool Realtor.com

One of the bedrooms Realtor.com

One of the baths Realtor.com

One of the baths Realtor.com

An open floor plan and abundant outdoor spaces are conducive to entertaining as well as working from homea key for today's buyer.

For example, a stone patio connects to the living room and kitchen, making it ideal for cooking or dining outdoors. A previous owner, who was a composer, installed high-end, sound-dampening panels in one of the two bonus rooms, which now serves as a home office.

The property also includes a carport for two cars, walking trails, and a heated in-ground pool surrounded by a bluestone terrace.

Traveling to New York City is a breeze, thanks to the nearby New Hamburg Metro-North station, just a 15-minute drive from the home.

Its a weekend home for a city dweller that wants something closer than (other weekend-home destinations), says Satto. Stylish and close to the city, this home should have no shortage of suitors.

The post Inviting Usonian Home in the Catskills Offers Stylish Digs Outside of the City appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
Rents continued their unprecedented surge upward in Junebut there are signs that it won't last forever.

The median rent across the 50 largest metros climbed 14.1% year over year, to a median of $1,876, setting the record for highest rent ever tallied by Realtor.com for a 16th straight month.

While rents are unquestionably higher than theyve ever been, the numbers indicate that we might be nearing an end of the era of extremely steep, rapid rent hikes, according to the report. (Metros include the main city and surrounding suburbs, small towns, and urban areas.)

While rents continued to shoot up, causing plenty of pain for tenants, the growth in prices is slowing down. June saw the lowest year-over-year growth in prices of the year. It's also a shift from January when rents shot up 17.6% compared with a year earlier.

There was a big shock that everybody felt, says Joel Berner, senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com. As things start to get back to normal in real life, things will start to get back to normal in the rental and [for sale] housing markets, too.

That slowdown doesnt feel the same in all metros. Sun Belt cities and suburbs are still seeing astronomical growth rates in rent year over year. Miami continues to lead the pack, with median rents growing by 37.4% compared with June of last year. Magic City renters paid a median of $2,850 a month for a roof over their heads. A few hours north, Orlando, FL, saw the second-highest year-over-year rent growth at 23.9%, for a median monthly rent of $1,979.

The expectation that rental prices won't continue to spike forever is little comfort for renters. Median prices in the 50 largest metros grew by 27.6% since June 2019.

It's still cheaper to rent than to buy in much of the nation

However, renters can find solace knowing that renting is still much more affordable than buying in the majority of U.S. cities, thanks to record-high sale prices.

It was still cheaper to pay landlords each month rather than a mortgage in 38 of the 50 largest metros in June, according to the Realtor.com report. Thanks to a hike in mortgage rates, on top of fast-rising home prices, purchasing property has become even more unaffordable. The mortgage rate increase made the monthly cost to buy starter homes in these metros $416 more per month than it would have been under last years rate.

Renters who would be looking to buy are getting priced out of the market," says Berner. "The difference between buying and renting is a lot more than it was a year ago."

In booming markets like Austin, TX, the gap between the median rent and monthly cost to buy has ballooned. The difference between a hypothetical mortgage and rental of a similar-sized starter home increased to more than $1,800 per month.

Loca real estate agents see an equilibrium forming in the coming months as the mad dash of the past year comes to an end.

"Austin for the last 18 months has been madness, explains Compass real estate agent Andrew Stanek. What weve found is a ton of sellers got in a bad habit of being convinced they could list at any number they want. Thats why youre seeing the price reductions" on listings.

Outside of Austin, other metros are expected to see prices fall back in line as well.

The housing markets starting to turn a corner where listing prices are going to start leveling off," says Berner. "So we expect [rent and sale prices] to move together" more in tandem.

The post Rental Prices Are Smashing Recordsbut a Big Change Appears To Be Looming appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
WFO MEDFORD Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 30, 2022

_____

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Medford OR

356 AM PDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY AFTERNOON

THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures between

100 and 110 possible. Overnight lows will also be much warmer

than normal, mainly 65 to 70.

* WHERE...West Side Valleys in southern Oregon and northern

California. This includes the Rogue, Illinois, Applegate,

Lower Klamath River, Scott, and Shasta Valleys.

* WHEN...From Monday afternoon through Saturday evening.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential

for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or

participating in outdoor activities.

* View the hazard area in detail at

https://www.wrh.noaa.gov/map/?wfo=mfr

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this

situation. Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned

room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and

neighbors. NEVER LEAVE CHILDREN AND PETS LEFT UNATTENDED IN

VEHICLES UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! This is especially true during

warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal

temperatures in a matter of minutes.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO ALBANY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Albany NY

1249 PM EDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values ranging from the mid-90s to lower 100s.

* WHERE...The Mohawk, Hudson and Connecticut River Valleys,

Taconics, portions of the eastern Catskills, northwestern

Connecticut and western Massachusetts.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* 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.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BOSTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA

459 AM EDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 101.

* WHERE...Portions of northern Connecticut, eastern,

northeastern, southeastern and western Massachusetts and

northern and southern Rhode Island.

* WHEN...Until 8 PM EDT this evening.

* 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.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
Remember when we wanted to get back to normal?

Well, were here. Most of us are spending much of our lives breathing other peoples air.

Yes, this is a strange way to characterize normality, but sharing oxygen is what we did back in 2019, and thats whats happening again today.

But Covid-19 is still happening, too. The virus is persistently mutating and churning out variants, such as Omicron, and subvariants, including the ever-contagious BA.4 and BA.5.

That means inhaling and exhaling around others comes with a bit of risk.

Thats also our normal.

Were back to behaving more normally, said Dr. Nancy Nielsen, the senior associate dean for health policy/medicine at the University at Buffalo. More normally. Not completely.

This installment of Pandemic Lessons examines where were headed and why doctors are talking about vaccination with increased urgency.

Pandemic Lessons: Covid-19 comes up and goes down, but it doesnt go away Omicron is a frustratingly resilient variant, and its latest subvariants  BA.5 and BA.4  are driving up infection numbers around the country and beyond. That includes New York State and, to a degree, the Buffalo region. The good news: hospitalizations and deaths remain low.

How avoidable is Covid-19?

Not very avoidable, although it depends on your lifestyle and the precautions you take.

If youre immunocompromised, for example, avoiding a Covid-19 infection is advisable. If thats you, or someone with whom you live or spend a significant amount of time, youre probably wearing a KN-95 (or equivalent) mask in public places, especially indoors. Youre probably minimizing the amount of time you spend in mostly mask-free places, like restaurants, or at least being strategic about where you sit: An open-air deck is great; an indoor table reasonably distanced from other diners and adjacent to an open window is decent.

Practices such as those decrease your chance of infection, but they are hardly foolproof. It takes only one exchange with an infected person to catch Covid-19 yourself. Knowing that, your likelihood of exposure increases with the number of people you see up close, and the amount of time you spend breathing the same air.

Nielsen, a former president of the American Medical Association, was at a conference for the organization earlier this summer. The attendees needed a negative test to be admitted to the meeting, and underwent retesting every 72 hours. They also were required to wear masks at all times, except when eating.

It worked, by and large, Nielsen said. There were some people who tested positive, even with those precautions. This is a very highly contagious virus.

Pandemic Lessons: Where do we stand? Covid-19 is so consistently a part of our lives that we couldn't possibly forget it. But pandemic restrictions? For many among us, they're nothing but a buried memory.

How is Western New York doing?

This region certainly isnt a hot zone right now, but theres ample virus in the community and as school resumes and the weather cools in fall and people start spending more time indoors, the caseload is likely to rise.

Consider the numbers from this two-month span, and keep in mind that because many cases go unreported, the actual presence of Covid-19 in every region is likely higher than official statistics suggest:

 As of July 21, Western New Yorks average number of Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people was about 16, according to state figures. Thats among the lowest in the state and considerably less than New York City (49), Long Island (43) and the mid-Hudson region (32).

 Still, Western New Yorks numbers have doubled in the last month. On June 21, the average number of cases per 100,000 stood at 8.

 Two months ago, Western New Yorks figures were considerably higher: The region had 46 cases per 100,000 on May 21.

The takeaway: Numbers fluctuate, and Western New York is at a reasonably good point now. Hospitalizations here are creeping upward, but still relatively low and controlled: Late last month, Western New York hospitals had a daily average of slightly under 80 Covid-19 patients. Today, that number is heading close to 90 patients.

For now, with the ability to open windows and spend time outdoors  and with Western New Yorks still-relatively controlled Covid-19 numbers  it is reasonably possible to keep the spread slow. But Dr. John Sellick, an infectious disease specialist with UB, Kaleida Health and Veterans Affairs, offered this cautionary note: Its probably harder for people to completely avoid household exposures, he said, adding that in the winter months, with kids back in school and people collectively spending more time inside, we will probably see more household transmission.

Pandemic Lessons: Why the latest Covid increase is different and what that means for masks Will New York  which from the start of the pandemic has been aggressive in its mitigation measures  reinstitute an indoors masking requirement? This installment of Pandemic Lessons examines what we know.

How do you know if youve caught one of the latest Omicron subvariants?

Officially, you probably wont know if youve contracted BA.4 or BA.5. Realistically, they are so fast-spreading and immune-evasive that if you test positive today, its highly likely to be them.

It may even not be immediately apparent that you have Covid-19. Few patients nowadays are reporting what used to be among the telltale signs: loss of taste and smell. Instead, said Dr. Joseph Khabbaza, a pulmonologist with the Cleveland Clinic, People report more sinus infection-type symptoms, more of an upper respiratory (impact): a really bad sore throat, sinus pressure and headaches, nasal congestion, voice hoarseness.

How quickly will Covid-19 symptoms show up after an exposure?

The latest Omicron variants are so new that doctors are still determining the standard incubation period between exposure and symptoms. Khabbaza, speaking anecdotally, said it seems to be shorter than earlier in the pandemic, when people could sometimes go as long as a week between exposure and symptomatic infection.

That is likely because so many people do have a level of Covid-19 immune protection derived from vaccination and infection, which hastens symptoms.

Their immune system recognizes infections quicker, Khabbaza said.

Many people liken their Covid-19 symptoms to a bad summer cold, and it can be easily confused with allergies.

Its hard to pick out, Sellick said. If you know you had a real exposure and all of a sudden you start developing these new symptoms, dont assume you have allergies or sinusitis. You probably got Covid.

A smart move in that situation is to take a Covid-19 test. While at-home rapid tests will not always detect the presence of the virus, a positive-test result is a reliable indicator that you are infectious. When that happens, you should call your doctor and begin isolation.

Pandemic Lessons: As the Covid-19 decline slows, who do we still need to protect? This weeks Pandemic Lessons details the steps each of us can take to help the most vulnerable among us and guard against a dramatic rise in infections.

Given the spread of Covid-19, even in summer, whats the best way to approach vaccinations?

Doctors are widely suggesting that you take each shot as soon as you qualify. Right now, second booster shots are available to people 50 and over, and those with immunocompromising conditions. That eligibility may soon expand to people who are younger and healthier.

During a press conference last week with Gov. Kathy Hochul, the White Houses coronavirus response coordinator spoke directly to people who are 50-plus and havent had a vaccine in 2022.

You need to go out and get one now, said Dr. Ashish Jha, who was dean of the Brown University School of Public Health when President Biden tapped him in April for his current role. It will offer a very high degree of protection, keep you out of the hospital, and will get you through the rest of the summer and into fall.

Jha also noted that a new generation of vaccines that are Omicron-specific should be available in fall, and said, Getting vaccinated right now will not make you ineligible for that.

If you had Covid-19 recently, cant you rely on that post-infection immunity?

For a short time only. The BA.5 variant, for example, seems to evade the immunity even from earlier versions of Omicron. Doctors are suggesting that post-infection immunity is good for about a month, but not reliably longer.

A lot of the earlier infections  seemed to provide very good protection, to where a lot of us thought maybe we should count one of those infections as if (its like) getting a vaccine, Khabbaza said.

But thats no longer true.

The Omicron family, unfortunately, evades the immune system so much better, and the protection seems to be on the shorter end, Khabbaza added. It could be a month or six weeks, potentially, till the next variant.

If the virus is evolving to be so immune-evasive, why bother getting vaccinated?

Vaccines are reliably keeping most people out of the hospital, and will probably decrease the likelihood that you get long Covid if youre infected, said Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease at UBs Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Long Covid, which lasts far beyond a persons infectious phase and involves a mix of symptoms that persist for months, is a serious and still-perplexing condition that doctors and scientists are trying to unravel.

These are not trivial symptoms, Nielsen said. These are fatigue to the point where people who are hale and hearty can hardly go up the stairs. Its fatigue, its headache, its brain fog.

For most people, long Covid symptoms resolve between four and eight months.

But thats a long time to not feel well, Nielsen said.

Vaccination is a preventive measure for long Covid, and in the more immediate sense, it will likely help a regular bout with the virus pass quicker.

The severity and duration of how long youre infectious for will be curtailed, Russo said. So, all good to get those shots.
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 498

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

457 PM EDT SUN JUL 24 2022

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 498 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM EDT

FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

NY

. NEW YORK COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ALBANY ALLEGANY BROOME

CATTARAUGUS CAYUGA CHAUTAUQUA

CHEMUNG CHENANGO COLUMBIA

CORTLAND DELAWARE FRANKLIN

FULTON GREENE HAMILTON

HERKIMER JEFFERSON LEWIS

LIVINGSTON MADISON MONROE

MONTGOMERY ONEIDA ONONDAGA

ONTARIO OSWEGO OTSEGO

RENSSELAER ST. LAWRENCE SCHENECTADY

SCHOHARIE SCHUYLER SENECA

STEUBEN TIOGA TOMPKINS

WAYNE YATES

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

South central Oneida County in central New York...

Western Otsego County in central New York...

Madison County in central New York...

Northeastern Cortland County in central New York...

Chenango County in central New York...

* Until 545 PM EDT.

* At 458 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Truxton to Mc Donough to Coventry, moving

northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Law enforcement.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Oneida, Norwich, Eaton, Hamilton, Sherrill, Guilford, Brookfield,

Morrisville, Hartwick and Stockbridge.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

This is a DANGEROUS SITUATION. These storms are producing widespread

wind damage across southern Cortland County. SEEK SHELTER NOW inside

a sturdy structure and stay away from windows!

...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY

EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerous rip currents.

* WHERE...Southern Nassau, Southern Queens, Kings (Brooklyn),

Southeast Suffolk and Southwest Suffolk Counties.

* WHEN...Through Monday evening.

* IMPACTS...Life-threatening rip currents are likely for all

people entering the surf zone. Anyone visiting the beaches

should stay out of the surf. Rip currents can sweep even the

best swimmers away from shore into deeper water.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The high risk is likely to continue into

Tuesday, especially for the Suffolk County beaches.

If you enter the surf zone, always have a flotation device with

you and swim near a lifeguard. If caught in a rip current, relax

and float, and do not swim against the current. If able, swim in

a direction following the shoreline. If unable to escape, face

the shore and yell or wave for help.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN SCHUYLER...

EASTERN CHEMUNG...CENTRAL TIOGA AND SOUTHERN TOMPKINS COUNTIES IS

CANCELLED...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe

limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.

Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for

central New York.

Southwestern Otsego County in central New York...

Northwestern Delaware County in central New York...

East central Chenango County in central New York...

* At 501 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Norwich,

moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Oneonta, Norwich, Oxford, New Lisbon, Preston, Otego, Morris,

Milford, Gilbertsville and Laurens.

Prepare immediately for large hail and damaging winds. People outside

should move immediately to shelter inside a strong building. Stay

away from windows.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO ALBANY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service Albany NY

508 PM EDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern Fulton,

southern Herkimer and northwestern Montgomery Counties through 545 PM

EDT...

At 508 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over

Ilion, moving northeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and heavy rain.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Heavy rains could cause flooding.

Locations impacted include...

Ilion, Herkimer, Little Falls, Mohawk, Frankfort, Fort Plain,

Dolgeville, St. Johnsville, Ephratah, West Winfield, Newport,

Middleville, Poland, Cold Brook, Jordanville, Cedarville, Russia,

Oppenheim, Fairfield and Elizabethtown.

This includes Interstate 90 between exits 29A and 30.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for

eastern New York.

LAT...LON 4322 7507 4324 7507 4323 7510 4325 7513

4325 7515 4327 7516 4330 7515 4330 7512

4333 7508 4303 7444 4285 7474 4290 7488

4284 7489 4282 7491 4291 7510 4286 7514

4286 7521 4292 7520 4305 7522

TIME...MOT...LOC 2108Z 243DEG 39KT 4299 7508

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN

MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern Rensselaer

County through 600 PM EDT...

At 511 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over

Center Brunswick, or near Troy, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and heavy rain.

Troy, Grafton, Berlin, Wyantskill, Center Brunswick, Wynantskill,

Brunswick, Hoosick, Poestenkill, East Poestenkill, Petersburg

Junction, Quackenkill, East Hoosick, Albia, Babcock Lake, Sycaway,

Eastmor, Barberville, Center Berlin and Tamarack.

This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio

stations and available television stations for additional information

and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

east central New York.

LAT...LON 4283 7329 4281 7328 4281 7329 4277 7328

4268 7329 4264 7330 4266 7365 4277 7367

4291 7328 4284 7328

TIME...MOT...LOC 2111Z 258DEG 21KT 4273 7360

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BINGHAMTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southern Steuben County in central New York...

* Until 330 PM EDT.

* At 251 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Troupsburg,

or 18 miles east of Wellsville, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Hornell, Bath, Canisteo, Caton, Lindley, Addison, Woodhull, Howard,

Jasper and Thurston.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BINGHAMTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Seneca County in central New York...

Schuyler County in central New York...

Southeastern Yates County in central New York...

Northeastern Chemung County in central New York...

Central Tioga County in central New York...

Tompkins County in central New York...

* Until 430 PM EDT.

* At 358 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Tyrone to near Millport to near Breesport,

moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Ithaca, Newfield, Hector, Cayuga Heights, Starkey, Lansing,

Enfield, Danby, Caroline and Covert.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN ERIE COUNTY IS

CANCELLED...

The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of

the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for

western New York.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM EDT

FOR SOUTHERN WYOMING...NORTHEASTERN CATTARAUGUS...SOUTHWESTERN

LIVINGSTON AND NORTHERN ALLEGANY COUNTIES...

At 400 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles east of

Arcade, or 15 miles west of Letchworth State Park, moving east at 40

mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage to

trees and power lines.

Locations impacted include...

Dansville, Letchworth State Park, Perry, Mount Morris, Portageville,

Houghton, Groveland, Nunda, Eagle and Pike.

This includes Interstate 390 between exits 4 and 7.

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN SCHUYLER...

CHEMUNG AND EAST CENTRAL STEUBEN COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.

Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

central New York.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service

Binghamton.

Remember, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning still remains in effect for

Schuyler and eastern Chemung Counties until 430pm

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BINGHAMTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Binghamton NY

542 PM EDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WESTERN OTSEGO...SOUTHEASTERN

MADISON AND CHENANGO COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 545 PM EDT...

The storms which prompted the warning have moved out of the area.

Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 1000 PM EDT for

central New York.

To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement

agency. They will relay your report to the National Weather Service

Binghamton.

The National Weather Service in Binghamton has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northern Delaware County in central New York...

* Until 615 PM EDT.

* At 545 PM EDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from Colliersville to near Meridale to near Sidney

Center, moving east at 55 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Walton, Delhi, Davenport, Roxbury, Kortright, Meredith, Hamden,

Andes, Stamford and Hobart.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Heavy rainfall is occurring with these storms, and may lead to flash

flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded roadways.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Buffalo NY

402 AM EDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 7 PM EDT

THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values in the middle to upper 90s expected.

* WHERE...Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Northern Cayuga,

Oswego, Genesee, Livingston, and Ontario counties.

* WHEN...From 1 PM this afternoon to 7 PM EDT this evening.

* 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.

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.

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO

7 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 98 expected.

* WHERE...Seneca, Southern Cayuga, Onondaga, Schuyler, Chemung,

Tompkins, Madison, Southern Oneida, Tioga and Broome counties.

* WHEN...From 1 PM to 7 PM EDT Sunday.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The highest heat index values will be in

lower elevations and urban areas.

evening. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and

shaded location. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

* WHERE...Sullivan County, New York.

evening. Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BUFFALO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Buffalo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southern Wyoming County in western New York...

Northeastern Cattaraugus County in western New York...

Southeastern Erie County in western New York...

Southwestern Livingston County in western New York...

Northern Allegany County in western New York...

* Until 445 PM EDT.

* At 343 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Arcade, or 17

miles southeast of East Aurora, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Minor damage to vehicles is possible. Expect wind damage

to trees and power lines.

* Locations impacted include...

Dansville, Letchworth State Park, Perry, Mount Morris, Arcade,

Chaffee, Portageville, Houghton, Yorkshire and Holland.

This includes Interstate 390 between exits 4 and 7.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM EDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN SCHUYLER...CHEMUNG AND EAST CENTRAL STEUBEN

COUNTIES...

At 344 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Hornby, or 8

miles southwest of Montour Falls, moving northeast at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and penny size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Elmira, Corning, Southport, Big Flats, Horseheads, Elmira Heights,

Watkins Glen, Painted Post, Catharine and Montour Falls.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO BURLINGTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 23, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Burlington VT

740 PM EDT Sat Jul 23 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM EDT SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to the mid 90s expected.

* WHERE...In New York, Eastern Clinton and Eastern Essex

Counties. In Vermont, Grand Isle, Western Franklin, Western

Chittenden, Western Addison and Western Rutland Counties.

* WHEN...From noon to 8 PM EDT Sunday.

* 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.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Saturday, July 23, 2022

_____

HEAT ADVISORY

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Norman OK

804 PM CDT Sat Jul 23 2022

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TO 8 PM CDT SUNDAY...

* WHAT...Heat index values up to 107 expected.

* WHERE...Portions of central, east central, northern,

northwest, southeast, southern and southwest Oklahoma and

northern Texas.

* WHEN...Noon to 8 PM CDT Sunday.

* 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.

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.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
WFO PORTLAND Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Sunday, July 24, 2022

_____

EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

National Weather Service Portland OR

234 PM PDT Sun Jul 24 2022

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 9 PM PDT

THURSDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 99 to 103

expected.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Upper Hood River Valley, Western Columbia

River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge. In Washington,

Western Columbia River Gorge and Central Columbia River Gorge.

* WHEN...From noon Monday to 9 PM PDT Thursday.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the

potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those

working or participating in outdoor activities.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The hottest temperatures are expected

Tuesday and Wednesday. Considerable uncertainty surrounds

temperatures on Thursday. Overnight lows in the mid to upper 60s will

provide little relief for those without air conditioning.

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...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures of 98 to 103

* WHERE...In Oregon, Greater Portland Metro Area. In Washington,

Greater Vancouver Area.

temperatures on Thursday. Overnight lows spanning 65 to 70 in

the Portland/Vancouver Metro will provide little relief for

those without air conditioning.

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 9 PM PDT

* WHAT...Temperatures of 91 to 95 expected. Temperatures of 96 to

100 possible.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Coast Range of Northwest Oregon and Central

Coast Range of Western Oregon. In Washington, Willapa Hills.

* IMPACTS...Hot temperatures may cause heat illnesses to occur.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...The hottest temperatures are likely to

occur on Tuesday. Considerable uncertainty surrounds

temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday.

* WHAT...Temperatures of 97 to 103 expected.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Lower Columbia and South Willamette Valley.

In Washington, I-5 Corridor in Cowlitz County.

temperatures on Thursday.

* WHAT...Temperatures of 93 to 97 expected. Temperatures of 98 to

102 possible.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Northern Oregon Cascade Foothills and

Cascade Foothills in Lane County. In Washington, South

Washington Cascade Foothills.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...It currently appears that Tuesday and

Wednesday will be the hottest days. Considerable uncertainty

surrounds temperatures on Thursday.

...HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON MONDAY TO 9 PM PDT THURSDAY

BELOW 4000 FEET...

* WHAT...Temperatures up to 95 expected. Temperatures 96 to 100

possible at lowest elevations.

* WHERE...In Oregon, Northern Oregon Cascades and Cascades in

Lane County. In Washington, South Washington Cascades.

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM MONDAY TO 11 PM

PDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures around 105

to 115 expected.

* WHERE...In Washington, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of

Washington, Kittitas Valley, Yakima Valley and Lower Columbia

Basin of Washington. In Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge

of Oregon and Lower Columbia Basin of Oregon.

* WHEN...From 11 AM Monday to 11 PM PDT Friday.

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING

THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures up to 110

possible.

* WHERE...In Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Foothills of the Blue

Mountains of Washington and Northwest Blue Mountains. In

Oregon, Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon,

Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon, Central Oregon, Grande

Ronde Valley, Foothills of the Southern Blue Mountains of

Oregon, John Day Basin and North Central Oregon.

* WHEN...From Tuesday morning through Friday evening.

Monitor the latest forecasts and warnings for updates on this

situation. Be prepared to 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. This is especially true during

warm or hot weather when car interiors can reach lethal

temperatures in a matter of minutes.

...EXCESSIVE HEAT WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH

FRIDAY EVENING...

* WHAT...Dangerously hot conditions with temperatures around 90 to

* WHERE...In Washington, East Slopes of the Washington Cascades.

In Oregon, Southern Blue Mountains of Oregon and East Slopes

of the Oregon Cascades.

* IMPACTS...Extreme heat will significantly increase the potential

for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or

participating in outdoor activities.

_____

Copyright 2022 AccuWeather
As most City Hall realists expected, on July 19, Buffalos Common Council approved a slightly amended district map thats almost the same as the map drawn in 2011.

This, despite significant push-back from activists who objected to the current map on reasonable grounds of racial equity and neighborhood representation. In addition, anyone looking at the map  with its strange Fillmore/Allentown mashup  can see the obvious gerrymandering.

The entire process played out in virtual silence on the part of City Hall. There was no substantial public dialogue. The opponents of the plan presented a well-argued, widely-publicized and detailed case; in their turn, council members said virtually nothing. When it came to the final vote  which had been delayed at least twice  the operation took less than 10 minutes, with most council members exiting the room as opponents were making their statements.

During this brief and perfunctory session, any hopes that repeated delays of previously scheduled votes on the map meant that the objections were being seriously considered were dashed.

The question arises: Why delay the vote at all? Clearly, there was no intention to seriously consider substantial changes.

Heres another question: Are Council incumbents this fearful of having to run in reconfigured districts? That doesnt say much for their professional confidence. Any council member who has demonstrated good service to his constituents should be able to stand behind that reputation wherever he runs. (No need to include she when it comes to this council.)

In fairness, it must be acknowledged that the activist group leading the charge for a new map, Our City Action Buffalo, did not enter the process until the citys Commission on Reapportionment had completed its deliberations and delivered a map to the council. There were four commission meetings from April 20 through May 17, and a public hearing on May 18. Its not really clear how well this timeline was publicized, but those who want change must be aware of how difficult change can be  an earlier start might have helped here.

On the other hand, the Council should have lent a more willing ear to the logical arguments submitted by Our City Action, which produced a sensible and fair map. Even when pressed after the vote, members did not present compelling reasons for not considering it.

Common Council President Darius G. Pridgen objected to its splitting up the Fillmore district, which was absurdly reconfigured in 2011 and needed redrawing. Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera cited the need to protect ethnic minorities in the Niagara district  the Latino, Puerto Rican, Karen and Somoli communities  that would have remained equally as intact in Our City Actions proposed West Side district.

Our City Actions redistricting plan looked more like a neighborhood map of Buffalo and gave minority communities enhanced majorities and pluralities.

It deserved a better fate.

  

Whats your opinion? Send it to us at lettertoeditor@buffnews.com. Letters should be a maximum of 300 words and must convey an opinion. The column does not print poetry, announcements of community events or thank you letters. A writer or household may appear only once every 30 days. All letters are subject to fact-checking and editing.
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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!
Google co-founder Sergey Brin instructed his advisers to sell his personal investments in Elon Musks companies in recent months after learning that he had a brief affair with his wife, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Musk flatly denied the report, calling it third-party random hearsay and sub-tabloid immediately after its publication.

Musk, the co-founder of Tesla, had an alleged liaison in early December in Miami with Nicole Shanahan, the Journal said, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter. That ended the long friendship between Musk, 51, and Brin, who helped support the electric carmaker during the 2008 financial crisis. Brin, 48, filed for divorce from Shanahan in January citing irreconcilable differences.

Sergey Brin filed for divorce from Nicole Shanahan in January. Credit:Getty Images

In a string of posts on Twitter, the social network he is in a dispute about buying, Musk rejected the reports and lamented what he described as a thin sex life.
In 2013 when Australian entrepreneur Asher Tan started cryptocurrency exchange CoinJar, more than half of his job was simply explaining to users what Bitcoin was. Almost a decade later, that conversation happens much less often.

The narrative has moved on from that, Tan tells The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. The conversation right now isnt what is Bitcoin, its should Tesla sell its Bitcoin.

That would have been a ridiculous headline ten years ago - whats a car company doing with Bitcoin anyway? Its all progressed so far.

CoinJar chief executive Asher Tan has been around since the early days of Bitcoin. Credit:

In the years since Tan started CoinJar, the crypto industry has drastically changed, morphing from a niche movement for tech-savvy investors to a multi-trillion dollar asset class capturing the interest of retail and institutional investors alike.
Australias largest coal producer, Glencore, launched its first national advertising campaign last month with sweeping footage of glittering solar panels and an idyllic vista of twirling wind turbines.

At least one climate advocacy group argues such marketing should be banned in Australia, in a move similar to the outlawing of tobacco advertising three decades ago.

Comms Declare CEO Belinda Noble with a billboard in Sydney promoting the organisations Fossil Fuel Ad Ban campaign. Credit:Wolter Peeters

Comms Declare, a group made up of 300 marketing, public relations, advertising and media professionals, as well as 80 organisations that have committed to not supporting companies contributing to the growth of fossil fuel emissions in Australia, has launched a campaign of its own calling for a tobacco-style blanket ban on advertising by coal, oil and gas companies in Australia.

We founded in recognition that, famously, marketing and PR has been used for decades to help polluting companies, Comms Declare chief executive Belinda Noble said. We want that to stop.
Major Aussie retailers Bunnings and Kmart have paused the use of facial recognition technology following public outcry.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner launched an investigation into the personal handling practices of the chains to focus on the companies use of facial recognition technology.

Bunnings and Kmart have paused the use of facial recognition technology following public outcry.

The move came after a complaint from consumer advocacy group Choice who contacted 25 retailers about the use of the controversial technology.

On Monday the advocacy group confirmed both Kmart and Bunnings made a decision to pause the use of facial recognition at check-outs.

Bunnings managing director Mike Schneider said the technology was to give the company the ability to identify when a banned person entered the store.

For absolute clarity, an individuals image is only retained by the system if they are already enrolled in the database of individuals who are banned or associated with crime in our stores, he said in a statement.

The managing director said Bunnings staff members faced an increase in threatening incidents including having weapons pulled or being spat at.

He said the technology is not used for marketing or customer behaviour tracking.

We certainly dont use it to identify regular customers who enter our stores as Choice has suggested, Mr Schneider said.

The technology was temporarily switched off and given an OAIC investigation is underway will not be using it for the time being, he said.

The Bunnings boss said they were extremely disappointed Choice mischaracterised the issue, given the extensive explanations provided.

A Kmart spokesperson confirmed the facial technology was used for the limited purpose of preventing criminal activity such as refund fraud.

The company said it was appropriate and its use is subject to strict controls.

They also stopped the use of the technology pending the investigation, the spokesperson said.
Damage discovered on a new Manly ferry just months after it began carrying passengers is expected to worsen and occur on the other overseas-built vessels now used on the popular Sydney harbour route, a leaked report warns.

Independent inspectors found a deformed plate, buckling to a crucial internal rod, and cracked coatings and welds near the front of the new Fairlight ferry in April not evident during an examination about four months earlier.

They warned that similar damage appeared to be on the Balmoral, one of the three new Emerald-class ferries which sail between Circular Quay and Manly. The Balmoral was not subject to the same inspection as the Fairlight in April.

The leaked report reveals damage to a new Manly ferry just months after it started services.

The leaked report by independent inspectors hired by Transdev, which operates the government-owned fleet, warns that the damage to the Fairlights port side will only increase with time due to further fatigue of the area.
The coronavirus is killing us. The more deadly virus, Homo sapiens, is killing the planet. Gerianne Rudd, Toowong (Qld) It is encouraging to see substantial articles addressing the causes of threats to our life-supporting ecosystems. It is, however, disappointing to see that both articles identify immediate causes such as land clearing, habitat destruction and pollution, but have ignored the root causes. These include too many people consuming too much. Human demand for ecosystem services now greatly exceeds renewable supply. Although addressing immediate causes is absolutely necessary, it will ultimately fail if the root causes are ignored. Stabilising both the population size and economic consumption within renewable limits is crucial if sustainability is a pre-eminent goal. Unfortunately, such policies have little political traction since the growth-is-good, no-limits paradigm still dominates. Without a rapid Pauline conversion to steady-state sustainability, our kids and their kids will suffer the Great Oblivion. Alan Jones, Narraweena I lived on the north coast of NSW for over 40 years, and in that time witnessed the wholesale destruction of the environment by logging of native forests, developer buy-ups of farming land and unprecedented land clearing for blueberry and banana plantations. When my small property became surrounded by blueberry plantations, with their chemicals, noise and itinerant workers, who arrived in droves, I gave up and moved. A handful of conservationist farmers and landowners have done their best to hold on to that areas precious flora and fauna, but they face an uphill battle against development and climate change. I was present during the bushfires of 2019-20, it was both terrifying and heartbreaking to watch that destruction. Poor fella, my country. Christine Tiley, Albany Creek (Qld) So, finally Graeme Samuel has given us the solution to our environmental problems (How to escape the great oblivion, July 23). All we have to do is switch from being process-driven to being outcomes-focused. Yep, thatll do it for sure. Scott Lambert, Longueville It was Morrison in breach of trust

Sri Lanka is in such dire straits economically it is easy to understand why its people would take risks in trying to escape for the chance of a better life (Home Affairs heavied over boat intercept, July 23). What is not understandable is how anyone with the slightest skerrick of humanity would take advantage of such plight for personal and political gain. And I doubt if the guidance of any God would include taking such despicable action. Cora Moore, Strathfield Scott Morrisons scaremongering regarding flotillas of boats following the one that was intercepted and turned around went right over my head. I had already postal voted and feel the continuing failed state experienced in Sri Lanka will lead to more ships. This does not worry me. We need migrants and workers. Who cares how they get here? Genevieve Milton, Newtown Human beings, mainly men, run governments and religious organisations. Under the guise of what is good for society, those in power make pronouncements and regulations to further their ambitions and egos. The sabotage of the Sovereign Borders protocol by the then PM, Scott Morrison, is an example of the former. His ironical pronouncement of not trusting governments but God is an example of the latter. My prayer to God is to guide Morrison to the light so that he can stop using Her or His name in vain. Thiam Ang, Beecroft After years of using it as an excuse for secrecy, it appears that as long as there is political capital for the Coalition in it, on water matters can be discussed after all. Another pre-election, on-water matter, that needs to be clarified, is whatever happened to the 70,000 tonnes of Whitehaven coal that Morrison promised to send to Ukraine, that cost the Australian taxpayer $32.5 million, and confirmed by the Department of Industry with a contract notice published on May 16, the week of the election. The questions remain of how useful a shipload of coal would be in a war zone, has this money just disappeared into the void like the $20 billion JobKeeper overpayments, or has the coal actually been delivered as promised? Alan Marel, North Curl Curl A timeline of events on election day once again exposes our god bothering, prosperity Christian ex-Prime Minister as a liar. The hypocrisy is staggering. Time to depart the backbench and leave the parliament, Mr Morrison. My taxpayer dollars covering your wage can be put to better use elsewhere. Bill Young, Killcare Heights

So, thanks be for Albanese. No wonder voters decided to jettison Morrison. Edward Loong, Milsons Point Schools left behind Children experiencing disadvantage are more vulnerable than ever after two and a half years of disruption and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic (Public schools hit with $10 million shortfall, July 22). The move to remote learning only exacerbated the educational inequities they were already experiencing. Despite the best efforts of schools and families, pre-existing gaps in achievement have only grown over this period. Children need more support at school, not less, because thats the best chance for them to catch up and keep up with their peers.

Given the significant costs of living increases and economic uncertainty, is it any wonder that parental contributions have decreased during the pandemic, particularly in our most disadvantaged schools? The bigger issue is ensuring that our most disadvantaged schools can access the appropriate level of funding to respond to the needs of the students they are supporting. Ensuring their schools have access to adequate funding based on students needs and that these funds are spent on evidence-based programs are two critical contributors to them achieving the futures they dream of. And if they can do that, we will all benefit. Doug Taylor, CEO, The Smith Family Credit:Angela Wylie Many schools have superb P&Cs that raise money for their local school. The overwhelming number do not. Its up to government to ensure a level playing field for all public schools and provide the essentials for all students to achieve their potential. Those schools who have more active parent groups can assist the school in many other ways, like providing additional specialist staff, and that is their privilege. But no school should be disadvantaged due to their socio-economic location. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Far-reaching effects I have to disagree with your correspondent (Letters, July 23) when he says, this threat affects only the flesh eaters among us. Foot and mouth disease isnt choosy, it affects the animals that give us milk and cream too. On the non-eatable side, the production of wool would also be affected And thats just the primary producers. All the allied industries would be affected too, therefore it will affect us all. Marietta Hopkins, Woolooware Your correspondents remark about foot and mouth disease affecting only flesh eaters brings up the issue of why these diseases come about. It can be convincingly argued that if people didnt eat animals we wouldnt have highly contagious diseases such as COVID-19, SARS, swine flu and foot and mouth. Intensive farming methods and the crowding of wild animals in markets for human consumption cause these diseases to spread to animals and humans, not to mention economic losses. We vegetarians catch these diseases because we socialise with those who do. Should we have a class action? Judy Hungerford, North Curl Curl Face parm Credit:Marcel Aucar Photography

Just to help out: experts know parma is singular, and parmi is plural (Is it chicken parmi or parma? Aussie dictionary update reignites the enduring food naming debate, smh.com.au, July 23). Keith Vallis, Wamberal Parma female. Parmo male. So the non-binary parmi must be the clear winner. Vic Nolan, Wickham I thought parmi was Palm Beach. Jane Gye, Cowan Sick burn I have recently been in Darwin and other northern climes and found the wearing of a mask kept my nose from getting sunburnt (Letters, July 23). Barbara Ryan, Caringbah South

Changing position Your correspondents (Letters, July 23) point to Scott Morrisons sermonising the Biblical Jesus warned government is unworthy. However, render unto Caesar what is Caesars etc, also Jesus, says the opposite. As my now long-dead professor said, a properly indexed Bible could provide quotes from it to support virtually any position. Peter Cox, Gerringong Simple solution Why not simply The Peter Hall (Letters, July 23)? Mickey Pragnell, Kiama The digital view

Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au

Bandt demands block on funding for coal and gas, flags budget fight

From Larry Case: The Greens arent arguing for the prohibition of future fossil developments. They are simply saying dont subsidise such developments. Using taxpayers money to subsidise activities that are both bad commercially and bad for the environment seems particularly short-sighted, and as we are learning (slowly) if you pick a fight with Mother Nature you will lose.
A long-awaited electric scooter trial will begin at four locations in Sydneys west from Saturday as the NSW government takes a cautious approach to legalising their use in the state.

Sydneysiders will be able to rent electric scooters at three locations in Western Sydney Parklands  Bungarribee Park, Lizard Log and Shale Hills  as well as the Australian Botanic Garden in Mount Annan.

Limes Ellen Black and Mark Brodie with rental e-scooters at Lizard Log, one of four locations selected for the NSW governments e-scooter trial beginning this Saturday. Credit:Oscar Colman

It is currently illegal to ride electric scooters in public places in NSW, and the state is the last in Australia to roll out a shared e-scooter scheme.

Active Transport Minister Rob Stokes said the NSW government was not rushing the legalisation of e-scooters in the state.
Some patients in Melbourne hospitals are being sent directly home from intensive care units instead of transferring first to general wards, which doctors say is highly unusual, and a measure of the shortage of beds across the system.

The phenomenon, known as ICU exit block, occurs when patients have sufficiently recovered to be shifted to a general ward but cant find a bed. It comes amid strain across the hospital system as Victoria approaches the expected peak of the winter COVID and flu outbreaks.

Professor Craig French, director Intensive Care Western Health. Credit:Justin McManus

Western Health ICU director Craig French confirmed there had been instances at the Footscray and Sunshine hospitals in recent weeks where patients who no longer needed intensive care had been kept in the unit until they were ready to be discharged home.

He described it as a rare but not an unprecedented occurrence and stressed that patients were only being sent home when it was safe and medically appropriate.
Tech giant Amazon is facing legal action from an Australian delivery driver who claims he was inexplicably sacked from his job by being locked out of the platform, in a fresh challenge to the gig economy model the government has vowed to overhaul.

Ousted Amazon Flex parcel courier Jatinderpal Singh has lodged a case with the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW to be reinstated onto the app used by the platforms drivers, claiming he has received no response to numerous requests for information and has lost an income of $900 per week.

Jatinderpal Singh was an Amazon Flex courier and is now suing the online shopping giant for unfair dismissal. Credit:Oscar Colman

The Transport Workers Union, of which Singh is a member, is accusing Amazon of breaching the drivers right to dispute resolution just months after Amazon Flex couriers in NSW won the right to receive a minimum rate of pay, in a landmark decision that gave them the same set of legal entitlements as other contract couriers in the state.

The unions NSW and Queensland branch secretary Richard Olsen accused the company of behaving as though the law now didnt apply to it. At the first available opportunity, its unfairly terminated a driver without notice or reason despite a clear, industry-wide determination preventing it from doing so, Olsen said.
Premier Dominic Perrottet says NSW will be unable to cover the costs of raising the Warragamba Dam wall without federal funding, but he has maintained that the long-touted proposal remains the best flood mitigation strategy for Sydney.

The state government estimates raising the dam wall would cost $1.4 billion, and Perrottet said on Sunday he would expect such a significant infrastructure project to attract federal government funding.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet (right) speaks to a technician inside the pressure-adjusting water tank whilst touring the Metropolitan Outer Area Underground Discharge Channel in Ryukyukan, during his trade mission trip in Tokyo. Credit:AAP

Weve submitted it [a funding proposal] to them and I understand that there are complex environmental and planning issues and thats why its taken a fair bit of time from the state government to actually work through those processes, he said.

Its a complex project, but Im very confident that Infrastructure NSW and Infrastructure Australia will be able to put something together.
London: The worlds leading economies must use Russias war in Ukraine as an opportunity to accelerate a transition to renewable energy, COP26 president Alok Sharma says, even if some nations will need to rely on more fossil fuels in the short term.

The British cabinet minister, who was entrusted to move the global effort to tackle climate change forward at last years Glasgow summit, said Vladimir Putins brutal invasion had provided a wake-up call that climate and environmental security are now totally interlinked with energy and national security.

Alok Sharma, president of COP26, says the war in Ukraine has shown the urgency of transition to secure, renewable energy. Credit:Bloomberg

Sharma will meet with several federal government ministers and crossbench MPs in Canberra this week as he continues to press for the delivery of the Glasgow Climate Pact, which seeks to keep alive the aim of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.

In an interview with The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald ahead of his trip, Sharma said while some European countries would need to return to their own domestic fossil fuels reserves in the coming years, the dramatic situation showed the importance of fast-tracking renewable projects around the world.
Washington: The newly sworn-in US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy and US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman plan next month to visit the Solomon Islands, where their fathers fought in World War II and the United States is now in a modern-day battle for influence with strategic rival China.

Ambassador Caroline Kennedy greets the press at Sydney International Airport before taking up her post as US Ambassador to Australia on Friday, July 22. Credit:Brook Mitchell

Sherman and her delegation will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal during her August 6-8 visit, and meet with senior officials to highlight the enduring relationship between the United States and Solomon Islands and the opening of a US Embassy in the capital Honiara, a senior State Department official told Reuters on Sunday, US time.

Sherman will be just the latest senior US official to visit the Pacific region as Washington steps up efforts to push back against Chinese diplomatic inroads.

As well as Kennedy - whose father, assassinated US President John F. Kennedy, took part in the Solomon Islands campaign as a patrol boat captain in World War II - Shermans delegation will include Marine Corps Lieutenant General Stephen Sklenka, deputy commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, and Marine Corps commander for the Pacific, Lieutenant General Stephen Rudder.
NEW YORK (AP)  The spread of monkeypox in the U.S. could represent the dawn of a new sexually transmitted disease, though some health officials say the virus that causes pimple-like bumps might yet be contained before it gets firmly established.

Experts don't agree on the likely path of the disease, with some fearing that it is becoming so widespread that it is on the verge of becoming an entrenched STD  like gonorrhea, herpes and HIV.

But no one's really sure, and some say testing and vaccines can still stop the outbreak from taking root.

So far, more than 2,400 U.S. cases have been reported as part of an international outbreak that emerged two months ago.

Health officials are not sure how fast the virus has spread. They have only limited information about people who have been diagnosed, and they don't know how many infected people might be spreading it unknowingly.

They also don't know how well vaccines and treatments are working. One impediment: Federal health officials do not have the authority to collect and connect data on who has been infected and who has been vaccinated.

With such huge question marks, predictions about how big the U.S. outbreak will get this summer vary widely, from 13,000 to perhaps more than 10 times that number.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the government's response is growing stronger every day and vaccine supplies will soon surge.

"I think we still have an opportunity to contain this," Walensky told The Associated Press.

Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals. It does not usually spread easily among people.

But this year more than 15,000 cases have been reported in countries that historically don't see the disease. In the U.S. and Europe, the vast majority of infections have happened in men who have sex with men, though health officials have stressed that anyone can catch the virus.

It spreads mainly through skin-to-skin contact, but it can also be transmitted through linens used by someone with monkeypox. Although it's been moving through the population like a sexually transmitted disease, officials have been watching for other types of spread that could expand the outbreak.

Symptoms include fever, body aches, chills, fatigue and the bumps on parts of the body. The illness has been relatively mild in many men, and no one has died in the U.S. But people can be contagious for weeks, and the lesions can be extremely painful.

When monkeypox emerged, there was reason to believe that public health officials could control it.

The tell-tale bumps should have made infections easy to identify. And because the virus spreads through close personal contact, officials thought they could reliably trace its spread by interviewing infected people and asking who they had been intimate with.

It didn't turn out to be that easy.

With monkeypox so rare in the U.S., many infected men  and their doctors  may have attributed their rashes to some other cause.

Contact tracing was often stymied by infected men who said they did not know the names of all the people they had sex with. Some reported having multiple sexual interactions with strangers.

It didn't help that local health departments, already burdened with COVID-19 and scores of other diseases, now had to find the resources to do intensive contact-tracing work on monkeypox, too.

Indeed, some local health officials have given up expecting much from contact tracing.

There was another reason to be optimistic: The U.S. government already had a vaccine. The two-dose regimen called Jynneos was licensed in the U.S. in 2019 and recommended last year as a tool against monkeypox.

When the outbreak was first identified in May, U.S. officials had only about 2,000 doses available. The government distributed them but limited the shots to people who were identified through public health investigations as being recently exposed to the virus.

Late last month, as more doses became available, the CDC began recommending that shots be offered to those who realize on their own that they could have been infected.

Demand has exceeded supply, with clinics in some cities rapidly running out of vaccine doses and health officials across the country saying said they don't have enough.

That's changing, Walensky said. As of this week, the government has distributed more than 191,000 doses, and it has 160,000 more ready to send. As many as 780,000 doses will become available as early as next week.

Once current demand is satisfied, the government will look at expanding vaccination efforts.

The CDC believes that 1.5 million U.S. men are considered at high risk for the infection.

Testing has also expanded. More than 70,000 people can be tested each week, far more than current demand, Walensky said. The government has also embarked on a campaign to educate doctors and gay and bisexual men about the disease, she added.

Donal Bisanzio, a researcher at RTI International, believes U.S. health officials will be able to contain the outbreak before it becomes endemic.

But he also said that won't be the end of it. New bursts of cases will probably emerge as Americans become infected by people in other countries where monkeypox keeps circulating.

Walensky agrees that such a scenario is likely. "If it's not contained all over the world, we are always at risk of having flare-ups" from travelers, she said.

Shawn Kiernan, of the Fairfax County Health Department in Virginia, said there is reason to be tentatively optimistic because so far the outbreak is concentrated in one group of people  men who have sex with men.

Spread of the virus into heterosexual people would be a "tipping point" that may occur before it's widely recognized, said Kiernan, chief of the department's communicable disease section.

Spillover into heterosexuals is just a matter of time, said Dr. Edward Hook III, emeritus professor of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

If monkeypox becomes an endemic sexually transmitted disease, it will be yet another challenge for health departments and doctors already struggling to keep up with existing STDs.

Such work has long been underfunded and understaffed, and a lot of it was simply put on hold during the pandemic. Kiernan said HIV and syphilis were prioritized, but work on common infections like chlamydia and gonorrhea amounted to "counting cases and that's about it."

For years, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis cases have been rising.

"By and large," Hook said, doctors "do a crummy job of taking sexual histories, of inquiring about and acknowledging their patients are sexual beings."
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The latest chapter of the final season, Fun and Games, demonstrated what the show has mastered so well since the beginning. The ability to bring real, significant issues in peoples lives to the surface and allow the characters to have deep and meaningful conversations about them. The characters of Jimmy and Kim have been so well developed, that fans cant help but be invested emotionally in every aspect of their lives. Everything about the show is done with such flawless execution. From the writing to the directing, it is easy to forget that the show is a prequel and not a stand alone. It easily could be.





One question that fans have been wondering throughout all six seasons, but even more so this season, has been what will Kims exit look like? Now that fans are so emotionally invested, it is difficult to imagine Jimmy without Kim and ultimately, the show, without her. After Mondays episode, we now have our answer.







desperately the entire episode to right the wrong of his indirect responsibility for what happened to Howard, failing each time. Early on in the episode, Jimmy tries to tell Kim that the day will come when they can forget about what happened with Howard and it is obvious that he is trying to convince himself of that fact as well. However, Jimmys face is covered in the darkness of the room which reflects the darkness of his demons from the decisions he has made. Just another example of the brilliant work of director, Michael Morris. The episode began with something that the show excels in, a brilliant montage of Jimmy and Kim taking the brunt of the repercussions from Howards death at the hands of Lalo. We see both characters going about their normal everyday lives as they were instructed to do by Mike. While on the surface, it appeared they were able to do so flawlessly, underneath the facade, was the reality of the terrible events that had occurred. There is a fine line between the truth and Jimmy's vision of what he so desperately wants to be the truth. Regardless of what scheme Jimmy has enacted, his conscience has always peeked through as we have seen Jimmy time and time again try hard to bring his hopeful reality to light. Jimmy tried sodesperately the entire episode to right the wrong of his indirect responsibility for what happened to Howard, failing each time. Early on in the episode, Jimmy tries to tell Kim that the day will come when they can forget about what happened with Howard and it is obvious that he is trying to convince himself of that fact as well. However, Jimmys face is covered in the darkness of the room which reflects the darkness of his demons from the decisions he has made. Just another example of the brilliant work of director, Michael Morris.





The most powerful scene which showcased just how much damage Jimmy and Kims schemes have caused, was when they attended Howards memorial at HHM. Upon giving their condolences to Howards grieving widow, Cheryl Hamlin makes it very clear that she does not believe that Howard was on drugs, and certainly does not believe Jimmy and Kims story of the last moments of Howards life. Kim fabricates a story of how she caught Howard snorting cocaine one night in the office while working late, back when she worked at HHM. She tells it so confidently, so flawlessly, that even Jimmy looks surprised and uncomfortable. Kims decision to tell a hurtful lie to the grieving widow about her deceased husband in order to execute damage control, has her realizing just what she is capable of and how far she is willing to go.







resignation to the bar, and will no longer be practicing law. Once again, Jimmy employs his need to be the fixer and tries to reason with Kim and talk her into taking steps to undo the damage and move on with their lives. Kim finally states what everyone has known since the beginning. Jimmy and Kim are bad for each other. They bring out the worst in each other and someone always gets hurt. Kim tells Jimmy that the fun they are having pulling schemes on others is what has bonded them together, but she has made the decision to stop before someone else gets hurt. Not only is she giving up the law, but she is giving up Jimmy, too. She admits to Jimmy that she knew that Lalo was alive, and that she didnt tell him because she knew he would want to protect her, and that would mean that they would break up. In hindsight, that would have been the better option. Shes making that choice now. This leads to the shocking revelation in the middle of a court proceeding, that Kim has given herresignation to the bar, and will no longer be practicing law. Once again, Jimmy employs his need to be the fixer and tries to reason with Kim and talk her into taking steps to undo the damage and move on with their lives. Kim finally states what everyone has known since the beginning. Jimmy and Kim are bad for each other. They bring out the worst in each other and someone always gets hurt. Kim tells Jimmy that the fun they are having pulling schemes on others is what has bonded them together, but she has made the decision to stop before someone else gets hurt. Not only is she giving up the law, but she is giving up Jimmy, too. She admits to Jimmy that she knew that Lalo was alive, and that she didnt tell him because she knew he would want to protect her, and that would mean that they would break up. In hindsight, that would have been the better option. Shes making that choice now.





The last few scenes bring us to the Saul Goodman we came to know in Breaking Bad. Living in a gaudy, expensive home that was foreshadowed in a previous episode and continuing to use his Saul magic to win over his clients and anyone else standing in his way. Up until now, there has always been a part of Jimmy behind the slimy, greedy lawyer that is Saul Goodman. This episode has brought us to the point where any remnants of Jimmy are gone and what we are left with is the Saul that cares only about himself and will not think twice about stepping all over people to get what he wants.





The episode also gave us insight into Gustavo Frings inner psyche. Gus goes to Mexico to meet with the head of the Cartel to discuss what became of Lalo. Hector Salamanca believes that Fring was responsible for Lalos demise, but because Gus and Mike have done such a masterful job of covering their tracks including having the twins witness Lalos burned body, to fabricating bank records in Nachos apartment that showed cash transfers made to Peru, Don Eladio believes Guss claims and dismisses Hectors accusation. Having escaped death, Gus heads back to New Mexico and attends a fancy restaurant where he gets into a friendly exchange with a waiter, who he clearly has a past with, about fine wines. Gus appears to be enjoying the moment, until he is hit with the reality that when you work for a cartel, there is little room for happiness and romance and Gus leaves the restaurant before anything can come of their exchange.





Mike also has a moment of reflection, when he decides to go to Nachos fathers business to explain to him what happened to his son. Mike tells Nachos father that his son was not like the other members of the Cartel. That he was a good man and he died quickly and that there will be justice. Nachos dad laughs at Mikes idea of justice. Stating that all gangsters are alike and that Mikes idea of justice is just good old fashioned revenge.





The episode ends with Saul saying, let justice be done though the heavens fall which is such brilliant writing on behalf of Ann Cherkis as this was the line Chuck said to Howard right before Jimmys trial. All that remains now are two burning questions. First, what will ultimately become of Kim Wexler? With four episodes remaining, that cannot have been the last fans will see of Kim. Second, the highly anticipated return of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman. Will it come sooner rather than later?





What did you think of the episode? What do you hope to see before the series ends? Write your ideas in the comments below.





(Please note that my Twitter handle has changed to @Miss_C_Almeida. Follow me there for more!)
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STAMFORD  While one city board thinks Stamford should try to sell a collection of vacant properties it owns, another board has said it shouldnt even bother with most of them.

At least once every three years, the Planning Board, Board of Finance and Board of Representatives are supposed to review a list of all of the properties the city owns or leases and recommend what it should do with the ones that arent being used.

This year, the city has proposed selling seven pieces of vacant land at auction so they can potentially be redeveloped as single-family or two-family dwellings. It wants to try to sell other vacant parcels to adjacent property owners.

The Planning Board recommended that the city go forward with selling the properties. But the Board of Finance said only two  both off Rock Rimmon Road in North Stamford  were worth trying to put on the market.

The city acquired both properties in 2013 through foreclosure. Up to two houses could be built on each piece of land, according to a memo from Director of Administration Sandy Dennies.

The Board of Representatives must make a recommendation next. The boards Legislative and Rules Committee is expected to discuss the properties next week. The full board is scheduled to meet Aug. 1.

Initially, Board of Finance Chair Richard Freedman, a Democrat, suggested that the city keep all of the vacant properties.

I dont think theres a lot of money involved here in any one of these properties, Freedman said. I think at best were in the low six figures on maybe one or a couple of these lots.

He added that some of the next door residents may think the land is part of their property.

We could generate a fair amount of controversy, depending on what we do, for probably not a lot of money (and) create a lot of work for the city, Freedman said.

Stamfords ordinances require the director of administration to have city-owned properties independently appraised before setting a minimum sale price.

Most of the vacant properties are less than an acre. But Republican board member J.R. McMullen pointed out that the two parcels off Rock Rimmon Road totaled about 5 acres.

Freedman countered that a developer would have to build a driveway hundreds of feet long to reach the properties. He suggested that the city donate them to the Stamford Land Conservation Trust, which looks to preserve open space.

Ultimately, the board voted unanimously to recommend that the city auction them.

The city could still try to sell the other properties through a special sale, which requires approval from the Planning Board, Board of Finance and Board of Representatives.

More Information Here are the vacant city-owned properties the Board of Finance discussed during its July 14 meeting. Mayor Caroline Simmons' administration has recommended that these properties be sold at auction so they can potentially be redeveloped as single-family or two-family dwellings: 52 Cold Spring Road (0.12 acres) 60 Cold Spring Road (0.12 acres) 0 Harvard Ave. (0.14 acres between 26 and 34 Harvard Ave.) 0 Long Ridge Road (1.39 acres at the southwest corner of Long Ridge Road and Northwood Lane) 0 Rock Rimmon Road (2.27 acres with access east of 401 and 405 Rock Rimmon Road) 0 Rock Rimmon Road (2.43 acres with access west of 401 and 405 Rock Rimmon Road) 0 West Broad Street (0.23 acres between 277 and 269 West Broad Street) The Simmons administration has recommended that these vacant properties be sold to adjacent property owners: 0 Hunting Ridge Road (0.74 acres between 619 and 667 Hunting Ridge Road) 0 Perry St. (0.10 acres along the east side of the driveway of the Friendship House apartments) See More Collapse

Previously, the three boards recommended that two vacant city-owned lots on Elm Street south of Interstate 95 be sold. The city acquired the lots in 2011 through eminent domain to build a part of the Stamford Urban Transitway.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
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By Lisa Chamoff

Staff Writer

A mountain lion struck by a sport utility vehicle and killed on Route 15 in Milford early Saturday morning is believed to be the animal spotted on the Brunswick School campus in northwest Greenwich last Sunday.

State police said the driver of a 2006 Hyundai Tucson SUV was traveling northbound in the left lane near exit 55 when she collided with the mountain lion around 1 a.m.

The driver, Sigred Lacson, 40, of Newington, was not injured, according to state police, but the animal was found dead.

Its very unusual for mountain lions to be near the roadway and on the highway, so its unique as far as were concerned, said State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance.

State Department of Environmental Protection officials were called to the scene, and transferred the 140-pound animal to a DEP facility for further examination.

DEP spokesman Dennis Schain said it is likely the dead mountain lion is the same one seen three times in Greenwich recently.

The most recent sighting was reported last Sunday evening by several Brunswick School faculty, who said they saw a mountain lion at the schools King Street campus.

Its pretty likely, given that theres no native population of mountain lion in Connecticut, Schain said.

The DEP has been working with the Greenwich Police Department to investigate the sightings of a large cat around King Street in Greenwich. DEP officials confirmed Wednesday the animal was a mountain lion based on a hazy photograph, large paw prints and droppings.

The eastern mountain lion was declared extinct in March by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and DEP officials believe the animal may have been released or escaped from a local handler.

The big cats can travel long distances, and the mountain lion may have traveled the 40 or so miles from Greenwich to Milford, according to the DEP.

No one will know for sure that the Greenwich mountain lion was killed, however, until the DEPs investigation is complete.

Schain said the DEP took some droppings, or scat, left by the mountain lion in Greenwich.

Its possible we could get something from the specimen we have and compare it to evidence we gathered in Greenwich, Schain said.

Meanwhile, the husband of Sigrid Lacson is upset that she is being linked to the accident.

How could she strike the mountain lion? he said after being contacted Saturday night. She was home sleeping at the time.

Besides, he continued, we dont own a Tucson.

He said he knows who the true culprit is but declined to name the individual.

He also declined to give his own first name.

People are making bad comments about my wife and she is very upset with the media right now, he said.

A Milford man whose father-in-law lives near the Wilbur Cross Parkway, where the mountain lion was killed, is skeptical it had traveled from Greenwich.

Gary Gianotti said his father-in-law, who lives on Wheelers Farms Road in Milford saw large prints in the snow and unusual animal droppings this past winter. Gianotti said his wife also saw an unusual animal a couple of weeks ago with really long legs, though she did not report the sighting.

We know for a fact from seeing the paw prints on our property last March its been there, Gianotti said. I highly doubt this thing was crossing the (Housatonic) river coming from Greenwich. Itd be hard to believe.

Schain said he didnt believe there had been any recent reports of mountain lions spotted in Milford.

We have long held that there was no native population of mountain lion in Connecticut and in the Northeast, Schain said. That was recently supported by a study done by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Thats still our position.

Anyone with information on where the animal may have come from can anonymously contact the DEP at 860-424-3000, or its 24-hour emergency hot line at 860-423-3333.

Staff Writer Mike Mayko contributed to this report.

Staff Writer Lisa Chamoff can be reached at lisa.chamoff@scni.com or 203-625-4439.
STAMFORD  The city and a union for about 130 full-time employees have struck a deal on a four-year contract that includes hourly rate increases for some workers, COVID-19 stipends and a move to the states Partnership Plan for health insurance.

Members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30 work in the citys road maintenance, recycling and sanitation, fleet maintenance and transportation, traffic and parking departments, Director of Human Resources Al Cava told the Board of Finance during a recent meeting.

IUOE Local 30 was one of the unions that refused to forgo wage increases in 2020 when the city faced pandemic-related budget cuts, Cava said, which triggered about a dozen layoffs.

Local 30 business representative Dana Sanders said three or four senior members retired early, which prevented a few of those layoffs. Those laid off were eventually asked to return.

The new contract between the city and the union is retroactive to July 2019.

Employees will receive no wage increase for the second half of 2019. They will receive a 1 percent increase for the first half of 2020, then 1.25 percent increases for every six months between July 2020 and July 2023. Then their wages will increase 2.25 percent for a full year.

Under the deal, the city will also make a one-time non-pensionable ratification incentive payment of $325 for full-time employees, according to a summary Cava provided to the Board of Finance. The payment will be prorated for part-time employees.

The contract includes special provisions increasing the hourly rates for heavy equipment operators, collection drivers and equipment mechanics. Cava said the city has had a very difficult time hiring those workers.

We looked at the comps in Fairfield County, and in almost all of those categories, were at the bottom of all municipalities in Fairfield County, Cava said. So with these increases, it doesnt push them to the top, but it pushes them somewhere in the middle of the pack, which we think is important and should help us retain and recruit these employees.

Sanders said the changes are a move in the right direction.

We appreciate the city working with us and the new administration working with us to get to that point, Sanders said. Its nice to have our workers recognized.

Like other recent union contracts, the IUOE agreement includes stipends related to COVID-19.

Employees who had to report to work in person regularly from April 2020 through June 2021 will receive a $100 stipend for each month. In addition, fully vaccinated employees will get a $65 stipend. Federal funding is expected to cover the costs of both stipends, Cava said.

Both current employees and retirees will move to the Connecticut Partnership Plan for health care, which Cava said will lead to more than $277,000 in savings.

Employees cost share will increase from 17 percent to 17.5 percent this year and then to 18 percent next year.

The IUOE agreement also includes a change to how much employees are paid when they are required to be on standby for a snowstorm or other weather event.

There was current language in the contract that they would get time-and-a-half for each hour of standby, which is fairly steep, Cava said. We were able to negotiate that to a flat payment of $30 an hour for standby.

In addition, the city agreed to provide union members with two pairs of protective footwear per year instead of just one and to increase a tool allowance for employees who are required to bring their own tools to work from $500 to $1,000 per year.

The total cost of the wage increases, hourly rate changes, one-time incentive payment, tool allowance increase and additional pair of shoes is expected to be about $2.7 million.

Under the citys charter, the Board of Finance must issue an advisory opinion to the Board of Representatives on the total cost and potential long-term tax burden of union contracts. The Board of Finance voted unanimously last week to issue a positive advisory opinion.

The Board of Representatives Personnel Committee voted earlier this week to recommend that the full board allow the contract to go through.

The Board of Finance and the Personnel Committee voted the same way on a three-year contract between the city and a union that represents three dental hygienists who have already moved to the state Partnership Plan.

Gabriel Jiran, a partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP and a labor lawyer for Stamford, told the Personnel Committee that the only city union that has yet to move to the state plan is the firefighters union.

brianna.gurciullo@hearstmediact.com
People with disabilities risk consequences for exercising their right to vote after the Wisconsin Supreme Court said absentee ballots returned in person must be done so by the voter, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Madison Friday.

The lawsuit, against the Wisconsin Elections Commission and its administrator Meagan Wolfe, also challenges Wolfes assertion  in response to the courts ruling  that only voters can deposit their ballots in the mail.

The plaintiffs, all of whom live with disabilities, state many Wisconsinites with disabilities simply cannot vote if they cant receive help from somebody to mail their ballots for them or deliver them in person.

When a state makes it impossible for some voters with disabilities to vote at all, it violates the U.S. Constitution, the lawsuit states.

The plaintiffs are asking the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin to declare that Wisconsinites with disabilities are entitled to receive help returning their ballots. The plaintiffs allege violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments as well as numerous federal laws, including the Voting Rights Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.

The plaintiffs are being represented by attorneys at the law firm Law Forward as well as attorneys from the firms Stafford Rosenbaum and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

Just over three months out from the Nov. 8 general election, the lawsuit states, many Wisconsin voters with disabilities face the imminent threat of discrimination or disenfranchisement, both of which are prohibited under federal law.

An Elections Commission spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In early July, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled absentee ballots must be delivered by mail or in person to a local clerks office or designated alternate site. The majority also held that no one but the voter can return his or her ballot in person. The court did not rule on whether voters can have someone else handle their ballot on its way to a mailbox.

But one week later, Wolfe told the media, the voter is the one who is required to mail their ballot.

In combination with (the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling), Administrator Wolfes comments delivered a disturbing message to voters with disabilities: ballot-return assistance is prohibited in all circumstances throughout Wisconsin, the lawsuit states.

Clarification from WEC

Following Wolfes comments, Elections Commission spokesperson Riley Vetterkind said her comment shouldnt be interpreted as a policy statement or statutory interpretation. Instead, he said, it was a reference to state law that says absentee ballot envelopes shall be mailed by the elector, or delivered in person, to the municipal clerk issuing the ballot or ballots.

Under the Wisconsin Supreme Court decision and Wolfes application of the decision, the only way for the plaintiffs to lawfully vote is by physically returning their absentee ballots in person or by mail without help from a third party, the complaint states. But voting in such a way would be impossible for many Wisconsinites including the plaintiffs, some of whom live with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and paralysis from the neck down, the lawsuit states.

Because of the court decision and Wolfes interpretation of Wisconsin law, the complaint states, Plaintiffs are faced with an impossible, and unlawful, choice: abstain from voting altogether or risk that their ballots will be invalidated, or that their only available method to vote absentee (ballot-return assistance) could subject them to prosecution.

That disenfranchisement, the plaintiffs state, is explicitly prohibited under several laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under that law, public entities must create accommodations to avoid discriminating on the basis of a disability.

Among the Wisconsinites who filed the lawsuit is Timothy Carey, who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and is unable to move his body, though he can use his mouth to control a power wheelchair to move around his home. Carey, who the lawsuit states requires a ventilator at all times, has always voted by absentee with the assistance of a third party.

Another plaintiff, Martha Chambers, has been paralyzed from the neck down since falling off a horse. She cannot use her arms or legs to open doors, grasp an absentee ballot, place an absentee ballot in a mailbox or hand it to a municipal clerk, the lawsuit states. Chambers has always received help from a third party when voting absentee, the lawsuit states.


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The end of July in central Pennsylvania means heat waves and the dog days of summer. In Shippensburg, though, the final days of the month carry another meaning: fair season.

Shippensburg's 64th annual Community Fair will kick off July 24, with most activities beginning the following day and running through July 30 at the Shippensburg Fairgrounds at 10131 Possum Hollow Road.

After 63 Shippensburg Community Fairs, today's plethora of events, exhibits and performances is a far cry from the event's early years.

A history of the fair on the event's website says it began as a small FFA fair organized by a Shippensburg High School teacher, which later expanded to include the community. Shippensburg's first community fair ran under temporary structures for three days in 1958. It has seen the expansion of grounds, the installation of permanent buildings and increased attendance since.

While the face of the fair has changed, some events on this year's schedule can be traced back through its history.

The Shippensburg Community Fair Queen Contest debuted in 1958, and the Kiddie's Day matinee and baked goods auction joined the lineup in 1960, according to the website. Other past fan favorites include livestock shows and truck and tractor pulls.

Like any other fair, the Shippensburg Community Fair wouldn't be complete without food, and this year's concessions include homemade items from nearly 20 nonprofit organizations. Fairgoers can consume a variety traditional favorites like hot dogs and hamburgers, as well as a wide array of fried options. Soft drinks, punch, tea and floats are scattered throughout the menus to help attendees beat the heat.

More information about the 64th annual fair can be found on the event's website or Facebook page at Shippensburg Community Fair. Though the fair starts Sunday, rides, games and vendors won't be open until Monday, and organizers say the schedule is subject to change.

Schedule of events

Sunday, July 24

3 p.m.: Livestock Stockman's Contest  Livestock Show Ring

7 p.m.: Shippensburg Band Concert  Stage

7:30 p.m.: Community Vespers Service  Stage Monday, July 25 8 a.m.: Junior Breeding Goat Show  Livestock Show Ring

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Youth-Farm-Home Products entered (not including baked goods)  Home Products Building

1 p.m.: Open Rabbit Show and Rabbit Skill-a-Thon  Livestock Show Ring

6 p.m.: 2022 Little Miss Shippensburg Community Fair Contest  Stage

6 p.m.: Rides open  Midway

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

7 p.m.: Youth Showing and Fitting Contest (Jersey & Milking Shorthorns)  Dairy Show Area

7:30 p.m.: Miss Shippensburg Community Fair Queen Contest  Stage

8 p.m.: Barnyard Olympics - Gro-Mar Ring

Tuesday, July 26 9 a.m.: Youth-Farm-Home Products Exhibit Judging Begins

9 a.m. to noon: Baked Goods Entered  Home Products Building 1

9 a.m.: Open Breeding Beef Show  Livestock Show Ring

10 a.m. Milking Shorthorn Show  Dairy Show Area

1 p.m.: Baked Goods Judging Begins

1 p.m.: Open Breeding Sheep Show  Livestock Show Ring

4:30 p.m.: Alpaca Show  Livestock Show Ring

5:30 p.m.: Baked Goods Auction  Between Home Products Buildings 1 and 2

6 p.m.: District II Jersey Show  Dairy Show Area

6 p.m. Rides open  Midway

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

7 p.m.: Tractor Pull (Dirt Drags)  Gro-Mar Ring

7:30 p.m.: "The Nashville Music Company" (Classic Country)  Stage (free admission) Wednesday, July 27 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: 52nd annual Craft Show

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Kiddies' Day (Special ride prices, all rides discounted to one ticket until 5 p.m. for school-aged children and younger)

12:30 p.m.: Franklin County Beekeepers Association Educational Presentation  Between Home Products Building 1 and 2

1 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

1 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

2 p.m.: Franklin County Beekeepers Association Educational Presentation  Between Home Products Building 1 and 2

5 p.m.: Rides open (evening)  Midway

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

7 p.m.: Youth Dairy Judging Contest  Dairy Show Area

7 p.m.: Antique Tractor Pull  Gro-Mar Ring

7:30 p.m.: "The Chris Ruble Band" (Country/Classic Rock)  Stage (Free admission)

Thursday, July 28 8 a.m.: Junior Market Beef Show  Livestock Show Ring

1 p.m.: Junior Market Goat Show followed by Junior Market Lamb Show  Livestock Show Ring

6 p.m.: Rides open  Midway

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

7 p.m.: Youth Showing and Fitting Contest (Holstein, Ayrshire, Guernsey and Brown Swiss)  Dairy Show Area

7 p.m. Tractor Pull (Farm Stock)  Gro-Mar Ring

7:30 p.m.: "Jimmy Mowery from NBC's The Voice" (Country/Rock/Pop, variety)  Stage (free admission) Friday, July 29 8:30 a.m.: Junior Market Swine Show  Livestock Show Ring

10 a.m.: Brown Swiss, Ayrshire and Guernsey Show  Dairy Show Area

5 p.m.: Supreme Livestock Showman Contest  Livestock Show Ring

5 p.m.: Rides open (Midway)

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

6:30 p.m.: Holstein Show  Dairy Show Area

7 p.m.: Truck and Tractor Pull  Gro-Mar Ring

7 p.m.: Karaoke contest (Registration begins on stage at 6 p.m.)  Stage (Free admission)

Saturday, July 30

8:30 a.m.: Chuck Lesher 5K Classic (5K Run/Walk hosted by Chambersburg Road Runners Club)  Registration inside Gate 7 on top of hill

9 a.m. to 3 p.m.: Dairy Princess Promotional Display  Dairy Show Area

10 a.m. to 5 p.m.: Kiddies' Day (Special ride prices, all rides discounted to one ticket until 5 p.m. for school-aged children and younger)

10 a.m.: Shippensburg Community Fair Junior Livestock Sale  Livestock Show Ring

1 p.m.: Circus Incredible - Above rides area

1 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

5 p.m.: Rides open (evening)  Midway

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: Circus Incredible  Above rides area

6 p.m. and 8 p.m.: The Mind Bending Magic and Illusions of Clive Allen and Heather Lynn  Beside Home Products Building 1

7 p.m.: Truck and Tractor Pull  Gro-Mar Ring

7:30 p.m.: "Back in Black-The True AC/DC Experience" (Rock)  Stage (Free admission)
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca sent a message on Sunday, July 24, Romanian Border Police Day, telling them to be proud that they are "the guardians of Europe."

"Today, on Romanian Border Police Day, I want to wish success to all those employed by the branch and congratulate them on the way they do their duty. Be dignified, fair and proud that you are the guardians of Europe!"

Ciuca added that the Border Police's mission entails a high degree of responsibility, professionalism and involvement, Agerpres.ro informs.

"The fact that the latest report on the Schengen area for 2022 invites the European Council to adopt the decisions that will allow Romania to officially become part of that area, given that all the criteria are being met, is a recognition of the efforts for securing the borders both from a logistical point of view and from the point of view of the specific activities of the Border Police," said Ciuca.

He mentioned the variety of missions of the Border Police, from surveillance and control of the crossing of the state border, the prevention and combatting of illegal migration and cross-border crime, to the observance of the state border legislation.

"Besides the aspects strictly related to the accomplishment of the everyday missions, the last few years have represented a real test for the people of the Border Police, whom the pandemic and more recently Russia's aggression in Ukraine have put in a situation to manage unusually large transit flows at Romania's borders and they did this with exemplary professionalism and mobilisation. With direct support from the Border Police during the COVID-19 pandemic, Romanians who left the country returned safely home, and this year, thousands of refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Romania to seek shelter from the war."

Ciuca added that the government have been analysed real-life scenarios every time needed, and that there is a mobilisation to logistically support, with everything needed, streamlining traffic and avoid traffic congestion at the crossing points. Also, among the objectives of the governance agenda are "the continuation of border security efforts, in accordance with the commitments taken up by Romania as a member state of the European Union and aspiring Schengen Area candidate, and to support the activities of the Romanian Border Police."
The Romanian government has decided to grant external emergency humanitarian aid to Slovenia to fight wildfires, with three Romanian Air Force aircraft dispatched on a mission there.

According to the government, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca convened on Saturday the National Emergency Management Committee (CNSU) at the proposal of the Emergency Management Department (DSU).

"On July 22, 2022, the Emergency Management Department, through the Emergency Management General Inspectorate, received from the Emergency Response Coordination Centre of the European Commission (ERCC) a request from Slovenia for international assistance, considering the emergency generated by the spread of wildfires on their soil. After the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the government of Romania decided to extend external emergency humanitarian aid for Slovenia," according to an official press release, Agerpres.ro informs.

With support from the Defence Ministry, three aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force designed for extinguishing fires, on Saturday were sent on an international support mission in Slovenia to contain wildfires.

"Two Spartan aircraft designed for firefighting and a Hercules that will be used for logistical transport will leave for Slovenia today. In order to coordinate with foreign authorities, for the mission of providing international assistance, the Emergency Management Department provides a liaison officer from the Emergency Management General Inspectorate."

The government mentioned that the aid will be granted under a request for international assistance filed by the government of Slovenia through the European Civil Protection Mechanism.

"Given the current context, with several European countries facing wildfires, the Romanian state has also been involved in supporting Greece with specialist teams of first responders at the request of Greece through the European Civil Protection Mechanism," according to the government.
Two C-27 J Spartan aircraft belonging to the Romanian Air Force have carried out a support mission in the area affected by wildfires fires in Kostanjevica na Krasu, Slovenia, using 10,000 litres of water.

About 30 military personnel of the Romanian Defence Ministry (MAPN) are participating in the international support mission - pilots, navigation personnel and auxiliary personnel and an officer from the Emergency Management General Inspectorate, who will liaison with Slovenian officials, according to a MApN post on social media.

The international support extended by Romania to Slovenia is based on a request for international assistance through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, Agerpres.ro informs.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) on Saturday issued a travel advisory warning the Romanian nationals who are in, transiting or intending to travel to Slovenia that there are major dangers due to wildfires in the Kras region as a result of the current heatwave.

"The fires have devastated a significant portion of the plain and hill land in the western Kras region. For their extinguishment 1,000 firefighters and more than 260 forest workers have already been co-opted. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Slovenia are also involved in the efforts to put out the fires," according to a MAE press statement released on Saturday.
As many as 4,094 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recorded in the last 24 hours in Romania, down 2,390 from the previous day, with over 13,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Sunday.

Of the new cases, 780 were in re-infected patients, who tested positive more than 90 days after the first time they recovered from the disease.

Most of the newly confirmed COVID-19 cases in Romania since the previous reporting were recorded in Bucharest City - 1,365, and in the counties of Ilfov - 264, Constanta - 229, Prahova - 156, Iasi - 149, Timis - 137, and Maramures - 128, Agerpres.ro informs.

As of Sunday, 3,006,756 cases of people infected with the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

As many as 2,975 people with COVID-19, up 230 from the previous reporting, including 483 children, are hospitalised in Romania at specialist care facilities.

Out of the total number of hospitalised patients, 186 patients, up 16, including three minors, are in intensive care.

Of the 186 patients admitted to ICU, 156 are unvaccinated against COVID-19.

- Deaths -

According to the ministry, four Romanians, three men and a woman, infected with SARS-CoV-2 are reported dead in the last 24 hours.

Of the four deaths, one was recorded in the age group 40-49 years, one in the age group 50-59 years, and two in the age group over 80 years.

Three deaths were in patients with comorbidities, and no comorbidities were reported for one death.

All the four patients who died were unvaccinated.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 65,857 people diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
By Philip Weiss

July 25, 2022: Information Clearing House -- If you had any question why Joe Biden went to Saudi Arabia and destroyed his own credibility by making friends with the murderous Crown Prince, AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel gave you the answer Tuesday night. In a House district in Maryland just over the D.C. line, they spent more than $6 million to get a mainstream candidate, Glenn Ivey, the Democratic nomination over progressive former Congresswoman Donna Edwards. Because Donna Edwards has at times been critical of Israel.

Edwards raised a fraction of Iveys funding including over $700,000 from a liberal Zionist lobby group, J Street and her initial advantage in the polls vanished under all the negative ads Ivey was able to run. Ivey went from 21 points down to winning by 16 as a pro-Israel candidate over an anti-Israel candidate, AIPAC bragged yesterday.

While Democratic Majority for Israel issued a statement boasting of the candidates of color it had boosted, demonstrating that wise policy is also good politics.

The negative ads didnt mention Edwardss position on Israel. No, this is dark money. It doesnt announce its agenda. And much of it is from rightwing Zionists who support Republicans.

Biden needs that money to keep flowing to the Democratic Party, so he is doing his utmost to crush the Squad and any other Israel dissidents in the partys progressive wing. As soon as he got off the plane in Israel a week ago Biden declared that hes a Zionist and that U.S. support for Israel is bone-deep, and the next day he promised the Israeli prime minister that hes going to fight BDS, and he still was prepared to make war on Iran. The Israel lobby was over the moon.

The lobby has now won several races against what it calls the radical left in the Democratic Party among them the defeat of Nina Turner in Ohio in May by pouring on millions. But remember, IT IS ANTISEMITIC to suggest that pro-Israel money has ANY IMPACT AT ALL on views on Israel in the US Congress (per AIPAC, ADL, AJC, etc) if that suggestion is any way critical of Congressional unconditional support for Israel & Israeli impunity, Lara Friedman responded to AIPAC yesterday. Friedman is surely referencing the tidal wave of criticism of Rep. Ilhan Omar in 2019 for saying that Israel support in Congress is all about the Benjamins.

The Benjamins dont just sway the Congress, they impact the White House too. This was the main purpose of Bidens humiliating trip: to try to extend the normalization deals between Israel and Arab neighbors to include Saudi Arabia. Bidens policy is all but indistinguishable from Donald Trumps, and the Israel lobby is very happy.

The takeaway is that Money matters in politics, and Democratic campaign money is pro-Israel, because a large portion of that money comes from the older Jewish community, which still loves Israel. This is how the New York Times described the elephant in the room a few years ago:

Despite pointed critiques of American support for Israel by representatives like Betty McCollum of Minnesota, [Rashida] Tlaib and Omar, there is little willingness among Democrats to argue publicly for substantially changing longstanding policy toward Israel. In part, some Hill staff members and former White House officials say, this is because of the influence of megadonors: Of the dozens of personal checks greater than $500,000 made out to the largest PAC for Democrats in 2018, the Senate Majority PAC, around three-fourths were written by Jewish donors. This provides fodder for anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, and for some, it is the elephant in the room. Though the number of Jewish donors known to prioritize pro-Israel policies above all other issues is small, there are few if any pushing in the opposite direction.

And when Obama made the huge mistake back in 2012 of saying peace should be based on the 67 lines, and Netanyahu lectured him in the White House, Obamas aide had to call Jewish donors  A number of congressional Democrats distanced themselves from the speech. I was given a list of leading Jewish donors to call to reassure them of Obamas pro-Israel bona fides, Ben Rhodes wrote in his book, The World As It Is.

The world as it is in D.C. means that if you support conditioning aid to Israel over its human rights abuses, the lobby will come down on you hammer and tongs. Peter Beinart says the money is an existential threat to progressives. Groups dedicated to unconditional US support for Israelno matter how many homes it demolishes + children it jailsspent over $6 million [against Edwards]. For progressives, this constitutes an existential threat.

Now let me say why I think that the rightwing Zionists will lose in the end.

The main reason is that Israel is an apartheid state and doesnt even pretend not to be one, and it will therefore continue to alienate the progressive base of the Democratic Party, including many young Jews. This is the tide that AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel are trying to deny. They can use money to try to defeat that tide, and they surely are able to knock off candidates like Donna Edwards in marquee races, but the party is shifting under their feet.

Consider the fact that the lobby defeated Donna Edwards in 2016 when she was running for Senate against Chris Van Hollen. Van Hollen was supported by Haim Saban, a pro-Israel megadonor. Well now Chris Van Hollen is leading a Senate letter calling for an independent U.S. investigation of the Israeli killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May  something Israel absolutely opposes. Stalwart pro-Israel Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker have also demanded answers from Biden over the whitewash of Abu Aklehs killing. Because they are getting an earful from their own constituents, who are leaning pro-Palestinian.

Glenn Ivey will soon face similar demands from his constituents. Rep. Shontel Brown, who defeated Nina Turner in Ohio with boatloads of DMFI money, is under the same pressure. Bill de Blasio used to cultivate AIPAC. When he ran for Congress in New York this spring he swore off AIPAC contributions.

The good news about the Maryland race is that AIPACs massive spending finally generated headlines in the New York Times, CNN, and other publications.

The Jewish community consensus  which I believe is key to establishment support for Israel  is slowly cracking apart over the issue. Yes my dentist, who is my age (66), is as pro-Israel as ever, and I dare not open my mouth with him; but the young Jewish group IfNotNow is campaigning against AIPAC in Michigan on behalf of Rep. Andy Levin, and is shoulder to shoulder with J Street (which supported Donna Edwards). Levins opponent, Rep. Haley Stevens, has raised twice as much money as he has from the rightwing Israel lobby, including the AIPAC superpac. But that August 2 election is predicted to be very close. (And of course none of the ads on either side mention Israel, though thats what is driving the money.)

J Street successfully supported progressive Summer Lee in Pittsburgh in May in a fiercely-heated House primary against a keen supporter of Israel. She was outspent and watched her polling advantage disappear under an onslaught of ads, but held on for the win.

To be clear, J Street is part of the Israel lobby. It is a Jewish Zionist organization that sells apartheid as democracy and wants Israel to get $4 billion a year from the U.S. despite its countless human rights abuses. And to be clear, Summer Lee and Andy Levin are not members of the Squad. In fact, Andy Levin smeared Ilhan Omar as an antisemite three years ago for saying that AIPAC buys the Congress. Andy Levin says its progressive to support the two-state solution.

But J Street is helping to break up the establishment Jewish consensus, which sets the redlines on the discourse in Washington. IfNotNow is not a Zionist organization, it calls out Israeli apartheid. And Summer Lee likened BDS to the Black Lives Matter movement and questioned Israels right to defend itself.

The right wing controls the big money, but the grassroots left is driving the discussion of the Israel question for progressive Democrats. Some day that discussion will break through.

https://mondoweiss.net
Missouri GOP Sen. Josh Hawleys ignominious dash for cover in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021  after giving a closed-fist salute to insurrectionists  has made him a national laughingstock, The Kansas City Star said in a derisive editorial Saturday.

A video of the Missouri natives sprint to dodge the mob that day was played during televised hearings Thursday of the House Jan. 6 committee. The Missouri newspaper said the clip exposed Hawley, whos since been widely ridiculed, for the fleeing coward he is.

Though, the Star pointed out, humiliation fails to yield change or apology from the cohort of GOP politicians to which Hawley belongs.

Shame, clearly, is not a motivating factor for any number of Republicans still caught up in Trumpworld, the Star pointed out.

The publication noted Hawley never apologized for trying to secure a second Donald Trump presidency despite Joe Bidens proven victory.

Watching Hawley racing away from the Capitol invaders struck so many people as blackly hilarious, the Star added. Saluting the Trump posse was politically expeditious for him before the siege began.

Wheres that fist in the air now? the publication asked.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch was just as damning in its own Friday editorial, saying Hawleys run encapsulated his core cowardice and demonstrated beyond any doubt that Hawley understood, in real time, the physical danger he helped uncork that day.

Last year, the newspaper slammed the senator as phony for pushing Trumps election lies.

Read the entire Kansas City Star editorial.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
Medicare fraud is big business, and like most businesses, it has adapted to the new environment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public health emergency created an opportunity for fraudsters to modify and repurpose existing schemes, a spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, said in an email. CMS has seen bad actors take advantage of wider demand for telehealth, COVID-19 testing and vaccines as avenues for identity theft and fraudulent billing.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, or HHS-OIG, investigates fraud, waste and abuse in federal health care programs, including Medicare. Nearly 9,000 calls came into its fraud hotline each month, on average, from April through September 2021, according to HHS-OIGs Spring 2022 report to Congress.

Calling a fraud hotline is one of several actions Medicare beneficiaries can take to protect themselves. Here are five tips to help you avoid, detect and report Medicare fraud.

1. Protect your Medicare number

In the wrong hands, your Medicare number could be used to steal your identity or submit fraudulent medical bills.

Our top tip is to guard your Medicare number just like your Social Security (number) and credit cards, the CMS spokesperson said. You should only share your Medicare number with trusted health care providers or verified COVID-19 vaccine administrators.

Unexpected callers or visitors who ask for your Medicare information are suspicious, especially if they claim to work for Medicare. According to CMS, Medicare will never visit you at home, and a Medicare representative would ask for your Medicare number by phone only if youve given permission in advance.

2. Beware of free gifts

Fraudsters might try to get your information by offering you something for free in exchange. If youre asked to provide your medical or financial information and promised a supposedly free gift or service, thats something to question, or at least run by a medical professional that you trust, says Isaac Bledsoe, an HHS-OIG criminal investigator.

Common examples of free offers might include COVID-19 tests, genetic testing services, or durable medical equipment like walkers or braces.

3. Dont get talked into unnecessary care

Some schemes involve billing for expensive services that you might not need. For example, unscrupulous COVID-19 testing sites might add on unnecessary respiratory pathogen panels that can cost upwards of $500. Thats according to a January 2022 white paper by the Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership, a public-private anti-fraud group.

If youre not certain, check with a trusted health care provider to confirm whether a service is necessary and what it might cost.

4. Review your health care documents

Medicare sends statements to explain what you were billed for, how much Medicare approved and paid for services, and the maximum amount you may owe to health care providers. Watch for any unexpected items or charges on these statements.

To help you keep track of everything, you can request a free My Health Care Tracker  from your states Senior Medicare Patrol, or SMP. SMPs are grant-funded projects that provide resources and counseling to help counter Medicare fraud, errors and abuse.

My Health Care Tracker documents include sheets to record information about your health care, instructions for how to compare your statements to what was billed, and contact information for agencies that can help with issues like errors or fraud.

5. Reach out for help

If youre concerned about potential Medicare fraud, there are free resources you can call for help. Dont hesitate to call even if youre not certain. Bledsoe encourages beneficiaries to report anything that you may think is potentially harmful or potentially fraudulent.

There are two main government hotlines:

 Call CMS Medicare help line at 800-MEDICARE (800-633-4227) .

 Call HHS-OIGs fraud, waste and abuse hotline at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477) or submit an online complaint at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud .

You can also contact your Senior Medicare Patrol for help, and they can refer your issue to the appropriate authorities . Visit smpresource.org for contact information.

Whoever you call first can help, and you dont need to contact separate hotlines. Bledsoe says that different agencies have made coordination a priority, so theres no need to call nine different places to report it nine different ways.

We can look into (issues) immediately and give sort of a quick answer of yes, this is something that is not good, Bledsoe says. We can put your Medicare number on a potential vulnerable list to look out for any future billing that you may not have asked for, and we can help you going forward.
When Pope Francis apologizes to Indigenous groups on Canadian soil this week, he will make another effort toward healing harms inflicted at church-run residential schools  and add to the Catholic Churchs growing ledger of atonement for past transgressions.

Like the papacy, top Protestant leaders also have gradually issued institutional mea culpas for their churches' historical wrongs. Many of the apologies on behalf of Christian denominations are for grave offenses: genocide, sex abuse, slavery, war and more.

While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.

For 1,900 years, churches didnt apologize for the bad things that they did, Bergen said.

He pinpoints the pivot to significant apologies coming in the aftermath of World War II, especially a declaration by Germany's Protestant churches that they failed to adequately oppose the Nazis. It was among the first in a series of recognitions that Christian institutions themselves committed wrongs, Bergen said. In the 1990s, church apologies increased as more attention was paid to human rights following the Cold War, he said.

The pope flew to Canada on Sunday to apologize for abuses Indigenous people suffered in the country's state-funded residential Christian schools. From the 1800s to the 1970s, Native children were forced to attend the schools where abuse was rampant.

The apology follows a similar one Francis made in April in Rome to members of Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

The setting matters, said Fernie Marty, a member of the Papaschase, a Cree nation in Alberta. The 73-year-old is a survivor of a day school  part of a system that, like residential schools, aimed to assimilate Indigenous children.

He appreciated the popes Rome apology, but this is where all the atrocities happened, Marty said. Its more meaningful coming on Canadian soil."

Marty, an elder at Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples in Edmonton, a Catholic parish in Alberta's capital oriented toward Indigenous people and culture, said the popes visit offers a tremendous opportunity for my own personal healing.

But George Pipestem, 79, a member of the Montana First Nation and a survivor of the Ermineskin Indian Residential School, questioned the relevance of a papal apology, just as he questioned apologies by Canadian prime ministers for the governments role in the schools.

He said the abusers should be the ones apologizing: Theyre all gone, though. This apologizing, it doesnt matter to me. Its like nothing. Its only a word."

It is not uncommon for a leader who was neither involved nor alive when a wrong was committed to deliver a church's apology. Some took generations to say sorry.

Graham Dodds, a political science professor at Concordia University in Montreal who researches political apologies, says institutional responsibility can extend beyond the present day or any one person's lifetime.

Its part of being a leader to accept that connection with things past, he said.

St. John Paul II embraced that responsibility and left a legacy of papal apologies. None were more significant than his list of mea culpas issued as the Catholic Church opened its 2000 Jubilee and entered its third millennium.

John Paul apologized for Catholics' sins through the ages, including against women, Jews and other religious minorities. In his most memorable act, he tucked a prayer note into the Western Wall in Jerusalem asking Gods forgiveness for those who "have caused these children of yours to suffer.

He wanted something of a clean slate, Dodds said.

The following year, when John Paul sent his first-ever email, it was an apology for colonial-era abuses of Aboriginal peoples in Australia and the Pacific, as well as for the sexual abuse of children by Catholic clergy.

His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, also apologized for clerical abuse, most significantly in a 2010 letter to Irish faithful. He said he was truly sorry for the hurt and blamed Irish bishops, though he was silent on Vatican responsibility.

Francis has gone further, first apologizing for his own errors in defending a Chilean bishop who covered up abuse by the countrys most notorious pedophile priest. That 2018 scandal was a turning point in the pope's understanding of abuse, and he continued to apologize for it.

Juan Carlos Cruz, who was abused by that priest, received both a church apology and a personal one from Francis. It felt like finally the church recognized the harm he suffered, and he could start healing, Cruz said. It also motivated Cruz, now a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, to continue advocating for survivors.

Pope Francis had a sincerity that it was hard not to believe. And its not because youre sitting in front of a pope. ... It's because of his humility and sincerity, Cruz said. Trust me. Ive received apologies from many people in the church that are as fake as you can imagine.

Francis has also apologized, in 2015 in Bolivia, for wrongs committed by the church against Indigenous peoples during the conquest of the Americas.

Timing, word choice and contrition are important elements for an apology to be effective, Dodds said. Bad apologies try to justify or explain away wrongs, while good ones admit fault and convey, "It was wrong. ... It wont happen again. Please, forgive me, he said.

What comes next also matters, said the Rev. Dwight McKissic Sr., senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas. He is a Black minister in the predominately white Southern Baptist Convention, which was founded in 1845 in support of slaveholding missionaries.

It took SBC delegates 150 years to repudiate slavery and apologize for racism, in 1995. It was overdue and the right thing to do, McKissic said, but he wanted to see if the SBC would follow up with more leadership diversity.

He recalled visiting convention headquarters in Nashville in 2007 and being told the top African American working in the building was a custodian. When he returned recently, the top post was held by Willie McLaurin, the first Black man to head the SBC's Executive Committee.

That's progress, McKissic said, while cautioning that there is still room for a lot of improvements such as more diversity among leadership and seminary professors.

This year SBC delegates also apologized for harm caused to church sexual abuse survivors.

The United Church of Canada, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, apologized more than 20 years ago for its role in operating 15 residential schools for Indigenous youths.

The Right Rev. Richard Bott, who is now the churchs moderator and top spiritual leader, said the institutional repentance and reparations his predecessor set in motion in 1998 remains a work in progress.

This is not work thats done in a day, Bott said. This is the work of a lifetime of response and an institutional lifetime of response. The only way we will get there is to begin each day in a good way with Indigenous neighbors. So thats really central to our understanding of apology.

When Francis apologized at the Vatican in April to the visiting delegation of Indigenous Canadians, he also listened to their personal stories of residential school abuse.

They spoke truth, Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said, and they told the pope they needed to hear words from you that will heal.

But when the pontiff comes to Canada, Smith said, it's important that he doesn't just read from a carefully vetted script: Everybody wants him to speak from his heart.

Smith said it can't stop there. The Catholic Church in Canada will have to do much more than apologize to heal the wrongs at the schools. This is about one step in a very long journey.

Nicole Winfield in Vatican City contributed to this report.

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.
On July 24, 1967, nearly two years after completion of the Gateway Arch construction, visitors were finally allowed to take the trams to the top. Here is our original coverage of the Post-Dispatch from that opening.

The long-awaited public opening of the Gateway Arch transportation system took place today after a ribbon cutting in the Visitor Center beneath the Arch.

Several hundred persons who arrived early in the morning to be among the first to ride today heard George B. Hartzog Jr., director of the National Park Service, describe the Arch as "a monument to rank with such engineering triumphs as the Eiffel tower, the Washington Monument and the Statue of Liberty."

"The monument is testimony in shining and everlasting form to the creative co-operation of men and their ability to work toward a common goal," Hartzog said.

The ceremony originally was to have been held out of doors between the legs of the Arch, but threatening weather forced it inside.

Among the dignitaries attending were Gov. Warren E, Hearnes, Mayor Alfonso J. Cervantes and Lt. Gov.. Samuel H. Shapiro of Illinois.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, about 30 of the invited guests formed the party for the first train ride of the day to the top of the Arch.

At noon, the automatic ticket dispensers in the Visitor Center were activated, marking the opening of the cable-pulled train system to the public.

Standing first, in line to purchase a ticket was Al Carter, of Chicago, who said he had arrived in St. Louis by bus yesterday.

He said he walked the streets of the city all night awaiting the opening of the Visitor center.

Carter, who said he had been interested in history for many years, gave impromptu lectures on the Old West to small groups of other persons waiting for tickets.

Near the head of the line were five Brentwood youths, who said they spent the night in an automobile on a riverfront parking lot.

They were Kerry Harris, 18 years old; Norvel Derickson Jr., 19; Nelson Morgan, 19; Dan Larson, 16, and Donald Iffrig, 15.

Although some concern had been expressed in recent months about the mechanical depend- ability of the tram system, the public debut was flawless. This could not be said, however, about the two automatic ticket dispensers. Both of them broke down within minutes of the opening, forcing uniformed attendants to serve as cashiers.

About 2,000 persons went for a preview ride on the cable-pulled trains yesterday. They peered out the 32 windows at the top of the Arch for a view of Busch Memorial Stadium, where the Cardinals were playing the Atlanta Braves in a doubleheader, and watched boats moving in the Mississippi river. There were some good-natured complaints about the size of the viewing windows about 7 by 27 inches but most of the early visitors were too impressed by he view to speak in anything but superlatives, "Magnificent," "breath-taking," and "incredible" were among the most common comments.

The view extended for almost 30 miles yesterday. The trains were in operation from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. yesterday and the cars were crowded throughout that period.
ST. LOUIS  Two out of four co-defendants in the killing of a grandson of the owner of Sweetie Pies restaurants have pleaded guilty for their roles in the murder-for-hire scheme.

Terica Ellis and Waiel Rebhi Yaghnam pleaded guilty Friday to conspiring to commit murder-for-hire in the 2016 murder of 21-year-old Andre Montgomery Jr.

Montgomerys uncle, James Timothy Tim Norman, of Los Angeles, is awaiting trail.

Investigators and prosecutors say Norman had Montgomery killed as part of a plot to collect $450,000 in life insurance.

Yaghnam helped Norman take out the insurance policy in 2014 that made Norman the sole beneficiary, according to prosecutors. And Ellis, they say, lured Montgomery to the place where he was shot in St. Louis.

Travell Anthony Hill, 30, pleaded guilty June 3 to conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire as well as a separate count of murder-for-hire. Hill admitted to shooting and killing Montgomery in exchange for $5,000, and was recorded discussing the act with his brother on calls from jail.

Hills plea agreement had also implicated Norman and Ellis.

Ellis was in a relationship with Norman for years before the killing, and had met Montgomery at Bottoms Up, a strip club in East St. Louis where she worked as a dancer. The two had exchanged phone numbers.

Norman had asked Ellis about Montgomery during a stay at the Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta St. Louis, telling her he was looking for Montgomery and needed help to find him. Ellis, knowing Norman was going to take some form of action against Montgomery, still agreed to help, prosecutors said.

In the days leading up to the murder, Ellis told Montgomery she was planning to be in St. Louis. On March 13, the day before the killing, Norman flew to St. Louis from Los Angeles. The next day, Ellis used a burner phone to talk to Montgomery, find out where he was, and call Norman.

Ellis phone placed her in the vicinity of Montgomerys murder when he was shot around 8 p.m. March 14, 2016, in the 3900 block of Natural Bridge Drive.

Right after the killing, Ellis made another phone call to Norman and then started driving toward Memphis. Norman later paid Ellis $10,000 in cash for her help. Ellis banked more than $9,000 over the next two days in three separate deposits into two bank accounts.

Yaghnam, according to his plea agreement, admitted to working with Norman in October 2014 to complete three fraudulent life insurance applications that included false information about Montgomerys net worth and background.

Yaghnam worked in life insurance after a career in the music industry that included producing rapper Nellys hit 2002 album Nellyville.

Yaghnam helped Norman obtain a $200,000 life insurance policy on Montgomery that also stipulated a $200,000 payout if Montgomery died of something other than natural causes, as well as a $50,000 payout if he died within the next 10 years.

Sixteen days after Montgomerys murder, Yaghnam placed a call to the insurance agency to try to collect the policy.

Norman was ultimately unsuccessful in obtaining the payout because the insurance agency wasnt provided final police, toxicology and coroners reports necessary to process the claim.

Ellis and Yaghnam are scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 26.

Hill is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 20.

Both Montgomery and Norman appeared on the Welcome to Sweetie Pies reality television show that ran for five seasons on OWN.

After Montgomerys death, TV clips from Welcome to Sweetie Pies circulated showing Norman mourning the death he is now accused of setting up, even visiting the scene of the killing with his mother and TV cameras in a 2016 episode.

Since Andres passing, I havent gone through this part of the city, Norman said on the show. Really, Ive been avoiding it.
Lets acknowledge up front that Republican voters are unlikely to turn to the mainstream news media for guidance on the 21 candidates in Missouris Aug. 2 primary election for U.S. Senate. In lieu of a candidate recommendation in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Roy Blunt, we can only hope that Republican voters will head to the voting booth with their eyes wide open about what really matters when choosing their candidate to run in the November general election.

Voters should ask themselves whether prowess with a blow torch or assault rifle truly constitutes a qualification for the U.S. Senate. It doesnt. Not even during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection, when Republican senators joined their Democratic counterparts in running for their lives, did anyone propose that senators defend themselves with flamethrowers or firearms.

The Republican frontrunners, ex-Gov. Eric Greitens and Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, have actual records in office, and they deserve to be judged based on those records, not on their silly campaign ads.

When Greitens wasnt fending off allegations of campaign finance abuse and extramarital sexual abuse of his hairdresser, he used the governors office to completely alienate members of his own party. By the time he resigned, 18 months after inauguration, almost nobody in the Legislature stood to defend him. He continues to hone his most abrasive and combative tendencies. Even Sen. Josh Hawley cant stand Greitens. So why waste a vote on someone who would likely alienate the U.S. Senate as well? If anyone could throw the general election to a Democrat, its Greitens.

Schmitt, of blow-torch infamy, claims to be fighting for Republican values by suing China over the coronavirus and filing 47 lawsuits to prevent Missouri local jurisdictions from imposing mask mandates during the pandemic. His antics certainly helped win publicity to advance his Senate campaign  at taxpayer expense. Tax-conscious Republicans should shudder at the thought of what he would do at their expense on the national stage.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler has, for the most part, avoided silly campaign antics and focused on an actual record in Congress that defended her Republican constituents core values. She is a solid conservative. But shes not so big on defending democracy, having voted against confirmation of the 2020 presidential election result. A lot of good it did her. Ex-President Donald Trump threw her under the bus earlier this month.

Another candidate worth noting is state Sen. Dave Schatz, the Missouri Senates president pro tem. His agenda is hardly one this newspaper supports  which might be his strongest Republican selling point  but hes strictly business and stays above the silly advertising fray that seems to place higher priority on candidates literal fire power than on their actual record of getting things done. Schatz, like Hartzler, deserves a much closer look before Republicans cast their votes.
Contribute  Email your photo to stlpost@gmail.com. Include the full names of everyone in the photo, including where they are from and where you are standing in the photo. Also include your address and phone number. Please also tell us a little about the trip and a travel tip. Were looking for interesting, well-composed, well-lighted photos.
Since 2010 the U.S. Army has been trying to revamp army training, organization and equipment from ten years of actual COIN (Counter-Insurgency) combat to a vague future fighting against near-peer opponents trained and equipped at levels near that of Western militaries. Progress was very slow because there was no actual near-peer combat going on to provide realistic goals. That meant all these reform plans stalled or wandered aimlessly. Then came the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Suddenly there was a near-peer conflict to show the way.

The reality check imposed by active, rather than theoretical combat is familiar to those who study military history, a process the U.S. Army formally instituted in the 1970s. That revealed a useful pattern. Every war the U.S. has been part of since, (and before) the American Revolution, involved some common characteristics. First, you went to war with the army you had. That meant you never had a force that was fully prepared for the new war. There were lessons to be learned from instances where pre-war senior leaders made more effective pre-war decisions. One occurred before World War II when the senior American general Marshall realized that many senior army commanders were OK in peacetime but not suited for wartime conditions. This was something the French acted on after World War I began, when dozens of corps and army commanders were retired because they were obviously not up to the task. Russia had a similar situation in both world wars. Some with U.S. forces during the Korean war of the early 1950s and the Vietnam War a decade later. The Americans realized their errors after Vietnam and implemented reforms that made possible the quick victories in the 1990 and 2003 wars against Iraq. The initial stages of the Afghanistan War in 2001, which was a successful combined CIA/Army Special Forces paramilitary operation. Later came a decade of COIN operations, which the army had not anticipated and had to learn by time-consuming trial and error.

After a decade of COIN it was time to return to the army of the 1990s. That should have been easy, but it hasnt been. The U.S. Army of 1990 and 2003 was composed of well-trained and pragmatic professionals. COIN was a murkier environment that was difficult for a near-peer force to adapt to and even more difficult to switch back from to near-peer opponents. The war in Ukraine dispelled a lot of the murk and revealed that the basics adopted by the pre-COIN American military were still valid. This was more obvious for the troops than it was for officers. For the infantry and their combat support forces, the same basics were still the same. But the further up the command chain you went the more differences there were. For platoon and company officers there were big changes in terms of fire support. Near peer battlefields are more dangerous for helicopter gunships and other close support aircraft. Logistics (getting supplies to the combat units) was also more difficult. Just how much more difficult was unclear until you had a near-peer conflict to learn from.

Ukraine was a needed wake up call for all NATO nations involved in providing supplies and combat support for the Ukrainian troops doing the fighting. This arrangement was imposed by the fact that nuclear-armed Russia did not consider the invasion an invasion but an effort to reunite Ukraine with Russia. If NATO kept its combat troops out of Ukraine, Russia had no justification for going nuclear. This is another aspect of near-peer conflicts since the 1950s. For most officers that was not something they could control, or train for. NATO and the Ukrainians were fighting a non-nuclear near-peer war. Once everyone was clear on the conditions tolerated for of that kind of conflict, American military schools which trained officers at various levels of command could adapt.

The U.S. Army has several schools that train officers to command company, battalion or brigade and larger units on how to operate. The army calls this LSCO (Large-Scale Combat Operations) and is now modifying the curriculum for its officer training schools that cover the details of LSCO.

For the troops themselves, the lessons of Ukraine have less impact on their training. The army did make some changes and this was reflected in the planned release of its new MDO (Multi-Domain Operations) doctrine in June, 2022. MDO is mainly about how to deal with near-peer forces that have troops, training and equipment similar to what the U.S. uses. The main near-peer adversaries were China and Russia and MDO was based on assumptions of how these adversaries would operate and how best to deal with that. Then reality intruded in February when Russia invaded Ukraine, and three months later the Russians continue to perform well-below MDO expectations. The army delayed the release of MDO until later in 2022. The army is also taking another look at comments made by their Ukrainian counterparts before and since the Russian invasion. The Ukrainians rated Russian capabilities more accurately than NATO or Russian experts. Now it is recognized that the Ukrainian ability to read and speak Russian and perceive the conditions in Russia and the Russian military was far more accurate than non-Ukrainians realized. The Ukrainian have been seriously studying this situation since 2014 but were having a hard time convincing most NATO nations. Poland, the Baltic States and other new NATO members agreed with the Ukrainians but were considered alarmist by the Cold War era NATO members. No more, the eastern Europeans now have NATOs attention.

China is also paying attention and revising its war plans while the Russians are still in shock, even though much of what went wrong made sense based on what Western military historians knew of the post-Soviet Union Russian military.

The Russians' failures in recruiting, training, logistics and wartime production are nothing new. It was very obvious in wars Russia has been in since the 19th century. This was especially true in World War I and II as well as the Cold War. That reality was revealed in Afghanistan during the 1980s. After each of these debacles Russia vowed to change but that never worked. Military historians noted this happening since the 1990s but the official view (of intel agencies and senior military staff) was that the Russians were making real progress. They werent. There were some practical reasons for this.

History teaches that it is better to overestimate the enemy than underestimate. There are problems with this because if you go too far in overestimating your foes you come up with a less effective doctrine. There is no easy solution for this because in peacetime, which is most of the time for most militaries, it's easy for reality to be outvoted by political expediency. This problem is only recognized in wartime, something that is relatively rare and the unpleasant details more likely to be forgotten by policy makers. This includes some very practical matters, like railroads and railway equipment capable of moving military units quickly to where the fighting is. The U.S. depends on rail transport to get mechanized forces to ports while many nations need effective rail transport to more troops and supplies directly to the front. The Americans still havent fixed this problem and the Ukrainians demonstrated they had adapted better than the Russians.

Then there was the problem of maintaining adequate peacetime stocks of weapons and ammo as well as sustaining adequate levels of production during wartime. All NATO nations were warned of their unresolved problems in this area and now have to deal with it. For Russia it is worse because they underestimated or ignored their dependence on Western suppliers for key components. China was more realistic, and based their war plans on a short war or no war at all. That attitude is not fully appreciated by the West.
Pope, starting Canada trip, says he has 'great desire' to visit Kiev Pope Francis departs Rome for his visit to Canada

By Philip Pullella

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) -Pope Francis said on Sunday he yearned to visit Ukraine, in his efforts to try and bring an end to a five-month-old war that he has repeatedly decried.

"I have a great desire to go to Kiev," the pope said when asked about a possible future trip to Ukraine. He was speaking on the papal plane to journalists travelling with him from Rome to Canada.

No pope has ever visited Moscow, and Francis has repeatedly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine: last month he implicitly accused Moscow of waging a "cruel and senseless war of aggression".

In an exclusive interview earlier this month, the pontiff told Reuters that he hoped to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv soon after his trip to Canada.

After the interview, the Kremlin said it had not had substantive contact with the Vatican regarding a potential visit while Ukraine renewed its invitation to the pontiff.

The pope was flying on Sunday to Edmonton, capital of Alberta, at the start of a trip to Canada in which he aims to apologise for the role of the Roman Catholic Church in residential schools where many indigenous children were abused.

"This is a trip of penance. Let's say that is its spirit," he told reporters in his traditional comments at the beginning of the flight.

The week-long visit will include at least five encounters with native people as Francis makes good on a promise to apologise on their home territory for the Church's role in the state-sanctioned schools, which sought to erase indigenous cultures.

It also will be a test of pope's health. He had to cancel a trip to Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan in early July because of a knee problem that has recently forced him to use a wheel chair and a cane.

Despite his knee injury, the 85-year-old pope was in good spirits and greeted and joked with the members of the press.

Although there were initial doubts on whether he would move around through sections of the aircraft, he said "I think I can do it" and walked normally, supporting himself with a cane.

(Reporting by Philip PullellaEditing by Frances Kerry)
Top Marijuana Stocks For Next Weeks Watchlist

Many marijuana stocks have begun to see a pick-up in momentum. Much of this is from the speculation on if and when federal cannabis reform will be passed. As well some cannabis companies are getting ready to report earnings. However recently 3 Senate Democrats have revealed their long-awaited federal reform bill. This has led to many investors watching marijuana stocks a bit closer. As some already took advantage of any recent pullback as a chance to find marijuana stocks to buy.

So when momentum begins to build like now its a chance to make some profit. Which as many who are shareholders and investors it has been tough to see meaningful gains as most upticks happen very fast. Nevertheless, there is much to be done and seen as the cannabis industry is still growing. Many companies are as well growing and looking for new ventures. Some companies have joined forces through mergers and acquisitions.

This has created what some call super companies as one will have the assets of the other company. The better the industry does the better its chances of seeing positive sentiment enter the sector. Although the sectors trading average has dropped significantly the action has been better than what it once was. The companies below are several options to keep on your radar as August is soon approaching.

Top Marijuana Stocks To Watch In The Market

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (OTC:TCNNF) Green Thumb Industries Inc. (OTC:GTBIF) Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (OTC:CURLF)

Trulieve Cannabis Corp.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. together with its subsidiaries operates as a medical cannabis company. It cultivates and produces products in-house and distributes its products to Trulieve branded stores across the United States. Over the last several weeks the company has released various news. On July 16th the company announced the grand opening of Hurricane, WV medical dispensary. Next, the company released news regarding another dispensary opening in Apopka, FL.

In a bit of more recent news, the company announced it has continued its expansion. This expansion has happened through the opening of its new medical marijuana dispensary in Hollywood, FL. The company continues to show why its a leading multi-state operator in the industry. With all that is in the works hopefully, it will add some better trading momentum for this marijuana stock to watch.

Green Thumb Industries Inc.

Green Thumb Industries Inc. engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of various cannabis products for medical and adult use in the United States. The company recently announced it will be hosting a conference call on August 2nd to discuss its Q2 2022 earnings. Back on July 14th Green Thumb announced it has exercised the extended maturity date of its senior debt facility.

The current senior secured notes have a total principal amount of approximately $250 million. So the senior secured notes bear interest at a rate of 7% per annum and are paid quarterly. The extended maturity date did not involve any amendments to the Notes or any additional consideration to the existing lenders.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. operates as a cannabis operator in the United States. It operates in two segments, Cannabis Operations, and Non-Cannabis Operations. The Cannabis Operations segment engages in the production and sale of cannabis through retail and wholesale channels. The Non-Cannabis Operations segment provides professional services, including cultivation, and processing, to name a few.

During the second week of July, the company announced its Select brand The Farmers Select program. This is an ongoing series of limited-edition collaborations with licensed legacy farmers and diverse operators in California. The Farmers Select program reaffirms Curaleafs commitment to providing premium products to consumers. All while uplifting smaller craft operators across the Golden State.

Words From The Company

On behalf of the Select brand, we are proud to launch The Farmers Select program and reaffirm our commitment to creating an equitable cannabis industry where all can participate and hopefully, partner together to strengthen the industry, said Matt Darin, CEO of Curaleaf. This one-of-a-kind program not only connects cannabis industry leaders, but it also highlights skills of innovative growers, talented extractors, and other vital figures that power Californias cannabis ecosystem.

[Read More] Top Cannabis Stocks To Buy? 3 To Watch As Sector Experiences Momentum

How To Invest In Marijuana Stocks Today

Nevertheless for those looking to invest in top cannabis stocks in the market today here are some things to know. First, you should learn about stocks and how to trade. Then the second thing is to follow the cannabis and learn about who companies trade and trends that may impact the sector.

[Read More] Chuck Schumer Has Finally Revealed His Long Awaited Marijuana Reform Bill

Once you get familiar with the sector you should then build a watchlist. After you have your watchlist do your homework on each marijuana stock. After you have done your research and narrowed down your list to definitive selections then its time to execute. But you should always aim to buy and sell high. By following the above info as a guideline your path towards being a marijuana stock investor will have a good start.

The post 3 Marijuana Stocks To Watch For Better Trading Right Now appeared first on Marijuana Stocks | Cannabis Investments and News. Roots of a Budding Industry.(TM).

COMTEX_410857105/2683/2022-07-24T07:47:35
Acquisition of Securities of Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd.

Surrey, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 23, 2022) - This press release is being disseminated as required by National Instrument 62-103 The Early Warning System and Related Take Over Bids and Insider Reporting Issues ("NI 62-103") in connection with the acquisition of securities of Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (the "Company") by David Schussler (the "Acquiror").

The Acquiror announces that on July 20, 2022, the Acquiror purchased 2,857,145 units ("Units") of the Company at $0.07 per Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $200,000.15 as part of a non-brokered private placement (the "Acquisition"). Each Unit consisted of one common share in the capital of the Company (a "Common Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to acquire one Common Share (each a "Warrant Share"), at $0.10 per Warrant Share for 36 months.

Immediately prior to the Acquisition, the Acquiror owned 3,409,690 Common Shares representing approximately 20.17% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company on a non-diluted basis and 643,000 Warrants of the Company representing approximately 23.10% of the Company on a partially diluted basis. Immediately following the Acquisition, the Acquiror owns 6,266,835 Common Shares representing approximately 25.82% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company on a non-diluted basis, and 3,500,145 Warrants representing approximately 35.18% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company on a partially diluted basis.

The Acquiror acquired the Units pursuant to the terms of a subscription agreement on a private placement basis. The Acquiror's current intention is to hold the Units for investment purposes only and not with a view to materially effecting control of the Company. Depending upon market conditions and other factors, and subject to compliance with applicable law, the Acquiror may, from time to time, acquire or dispose of additional shares of the Issuer, in the open market, by private agreement or otherwise, or acquire interests in or enter into related financial instruments involving a security of the Issuer.

For the purposes of NI 62-103, the address of the Acquiror is #104, 19286 - 21st Avenue, Surrey, BC V3Z 3M3.

A copy of the Early Warning Report filed under applicable securities laws is available under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Contact:

Helder Carvalho

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/131741
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 23, 2022) - Jerry Reid, CEO of eBookorPrint, announced a new financial initiative of up to US$250,000 to help disadvantaged authors get published. The funding will go towards providing authors with financial support, services, and industry guidance.

This new initiative will start funding authors in 2023. Currently, the funding will go towards authors that already have writing capabilities but are not able to pursue the path of a full-time author due to being disadvantaged. The company is not limiting the definition of disadvantage to income factors only.

"The reason we are not only looking for authors with low income is because we believe that disadvantage may come in various forms," said Reid. "Authors who may have difficulty typing due to injury or disability can record their story over voice notes, while we pay for transcription or provide the manpower for transcription. In this arrangement, eBookorPrint reviews the manuscript, designs the cover, and provides the funded author with a published book that is 100% owned by the author. Depending on the author's circumstance, a stipend may be paid to assist with daily living needs as well."

Strong funding is necessary to help content in the written form get more attention. This is due to the inherent weakness of text being less able to instantly capture attention as compared to video or audio.

Reid continues: "We hope that more funding like this can be made available to aspiring authors. Such funding not only enables great writers to be able to embark on a career they never thought may have been possible given their current situation, but also helps to propagate great ideas and great writing which readers benefit from."

Application

In the initial phase, no unsolicited applications will be accepted. Selected and vetted charities, non-profits and educational institutions will be able to submit profiles of potential aspiring authors for consideration.

About eBookorPrint

eBookorPrint is an author services agency that provides self-published authors with various publishing and marketing services. Guided by the belief that the written word is one of the most powerful tools, eBookorPrint works to help all aspiring authors turn an idea into reality. The old model where only large publishing houses and a handful of lucky authors get to publish a book no longer dominates the industry. The agency provides a one-stop shop for authors to turn their manuscript into a published book, giving them a chance to be seen by the world. Based in New York, the company is currently led by CEO Jerry Reid.

To learn more about the company, visit eBookorPrint reviews or view their services on their main page.

Source

Jerry Reid

CEO of eBookorPrint

https://ebookorprint.com

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/131738
WILMINGTON, Mass., July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd. ("Liberty" or the "Company") (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2A), a leading technology provider of detection solutions for concealed weapons and threats, is pleased to announce that it has finalized plans for the start of the upcoming beta trials of its HEXWAVE walkthrough security detection system, with the first beta unit on track to be delivered to its testing location by the end of August 2022.

The Company will deploy beta units in several settings, including a place of worship, an MLB stadium, a large state university, and in major airports for airline employee screening. Liberty has also expanded the number of planned beta sites to include more locations given the increased level of interest in the HEXWAVE and its ability to screen people efficiently for concealed metallic and non-metallic threats. These testing sites will expand to include more target market verticals including a cruise ship terminal, government buildings, and more. Beta testing will continue over the coming 12 weeks.

Since the last product update, the Company has continued to significantly improve the performance of the HEXWAVE system and has collected over 45,000 scenes incorporating a wide range of threat types, threat orientation, and various body types to train its Artificial Intelligence (AI) software. This improved performance of the walkthrough system will allow for advanced detection of today's evolving threats that include 3D printed guns, as well as liquid, plastic, and powder explosives.

HEXWAVE uses millimeter wave, advanced 3D imaging, and AI for enhanced detection capability, processing over 720 people per hour depending on the concept of operations. The system provides security operators with an automatic go/no-go decision, and a seamless experience for patrons and passengers.

"Liberty has continued to hire the best and the brightest to support building out an extremely robust software and hardware configuration as we prepare to launch the beta," says Liberty Defense CEO Bill Frain. "We are thrilled with the progress and look forward to getting HEXWAVE into real-world testing locations next month starting at our first beta site."

In other news, Liberty Defense will be among a select group of companies presenting in person in Boston, MA, at the Canaccord Genuity 42nd Annual Growth Conference on August 10, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The presentation can be viewed at the link following the conference: https://wsw.com/webcast/canaccord76/lddff/2613024.

For updates and news, please visit the Company website to subscribe to email alerts or follow Liberty Defense on social channels.

On Behalf of Liberty DefenseBill FrainCEO & Director

About Liberty Defense

Liberty Defense (TSXV: SCAN) (OTCQB: LDDFF) (FRANKFURT: LD2A) provides multi-technology security solutions for concealed weapons detection in high volume foot traffic areas and locations requiring enhanced security such as airports, stadiums, schools, and more. Liberty's HEXWAVE product, for which the company has secured an exclusive license from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as a technology transfer agreement for patents related to active 3D radar imaging technology, provides discrete, modular, and scalable protection to provide layered, stand-off detection capability of metallic and non-metallic weapons. Liberty has also recently licensed the millimeter wave-based, High-Definition Advanced Imaging Technology (HD-AIT) body scanner and shoe scanner technologies as part of its technology portfolio. Liberty is committed to protecting communities and preserving peace of mind through superior security detection solutions. Learn more: LibertyDefense.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

When used in this press release, the words "estimate", "project", "belief", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "plan", "predict", "may" or "should" and the negative of these words or such variations thereon or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Although Liberty believes, in light of the experience of their respective officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements and information in this press release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the parties can give no assurance that such statements will prove to be correct. Such statements and information reflect the current view of Liberty. There are risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in those forward-looking statements and information.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or other future events, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause Liberty's actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements and information. Such factors include, among others: currency fluctuations; limited business history of the parties; disruptions or changes in the credit or security markets; results of operation activities and development of projects; project cost overruns or unanticipated costs and expenses; and general development, market and industry conditions. The parties undertake no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of their securities or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

Liberty cautions that the foregoing list of material factors is not exhaustive. When relying on Liberty's forward-looking statements and information to make decisions, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. Liberty has assumed that the material factors referred to in the previous paragraph will not cause such forward-looking statements and information to differ materially from actual results or events. However, the list of these factors is not exhaustive and is subject to change and there can be no assurance that such assumptions will reflect the actual outcome of such items or factors. The forward-looking information contained in this press release represents the expectations of Liberty as of the date of this press release and, accordingly, are subject to change after such date. Liberty does not undertake to update this information at any particular time except as required in accordance with applicable laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/liberty-defense-announces-beta-trial-update-301589934.html

SOURCE Liberty Defense Holdings Ltd.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa., July 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sesame Place Philadelphia apologizes to the Brown family. The park is taking action to deliver a more equitable and inclusive experience. The park releases the following statement today.

"We sincerely and wholeheartedly apologize to the Brown family for what they experienced. To be very clear, what the two young girls experienced, what the family experienced, is unacceptable. It happened in our park, with our team, and we own that. It is our responsibility to make this better for the children and the family and to be better for all families.

We have been in contact with the family since Sunday morning and have spoken with their lawyers as recently as today. We have offered to meet the family and their attorneys in person to personally deliver an apology and an acknowledgement that we are holding ourselves accountable for what happened. We want to listen to them to understand how the experience impacted their family and to understand what we can do better for them and all guests who visit our parks. We are committed to learning all we can from this situation to make meaningful change. We want every child who comes to our park to feel included, seen and inspired.

We are taking action and are reviewing our practices to identify necessary changes, both in the immediate and long-term. We are instituting mandatory training for all our employees so that we can better recognize, understand, and deliver an inclusive, equitable and entertaining experience for all our guests. We have engaged with nationally recognized experts in this area.

We take this extremely seriously. We are heartbroken by what these young girls and this family experienced in our park. It is antithetical to our values, principles, and purpose. We are committed to working tirelessly and intentionally to make this situation better. We will do the necessary work for the long haul -- not just in the public eye, but also behind the scenes and within ourselves."

About Sesame Place

Sesame Place Philadelphia, the only theme park on the East Coast based entirely on the award-winning show, Sesame Street, was the first theme park in the world to become a Certified Autism Center. The park has more than 25 Sesame Street-themed attractions, entertaining character shows and parades, an interactive Sesame Street Neighborhood, and everyone's favorite furry friends. Celebrate family-friendly events all year long at Sesame Place including Elmo's Furry Fun Fest, Elmo's Eggstravaganza, Elmo's Springtacular, Summer Fun Fest, The Count's Halloween Spooktacular, and A Very Furry Christmas. Conveniently located 30 minutes from Philadelphia and 90 minutes from NYC, Sesame Place is ideal for families with kids of all ages. For more information, visit www.sesameplace.com and follow the park on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact: [email protected]

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sesame-place-apologizes-to-the-brown-family-and-takes-action-to-deliver-a-more-equitable-and-inclusive-experience-301592062.html

SOURCE Sesame Place
DUXFORD, England  The Duxford Air Show paid tribute to a pair of notable anniversaries this year.

The show Saturday on Duxford Airfield marked the 80th anniversary of U.S. troops coming to England and the 25th anniversary of the American Air Museum.

Visitors had front row seats to an air show displaying a variety of American and British planes from different eras, watched reenactments of WWII-era soldiers going about their routines and ate and drank from an assortment of food trucks.

The airfield served in both world wars for the Royal Air Force and was taken over by United States Army Air Forces in 1943, a little more than a year after 1.5 million U.S. troops arrived on British shores.

Duxford was home to the 78th Fighter Group, whose primary job was escorting fleets of bombers in allied attacks on Germany. The group also launched every available P-47 Thunderbolt to support the D-Day invasion across the English Channel.

The sense of more than a century of cooperation between the two countries was displayed not only in the attendance of hundreds of attendees from both countries, but in the museum  an offshoot of the Imperial War Museum, Europes largest air museum thats located on the same site.

The whole purpose of that [American Air] Museum for me is to, first of all, acknowledge the sacrifices made by the American soldiers who came over during the second world war, said Chris Warne, a WWII history enthusiast who found a passion for refurbishing WWII era aviation equipment in 1995 and now volunteers and specializes in reenactments for aviation armorers and mechanics. I dont know how the war would have turned out if the Americans hadnt supported us.

Warnes team acted like they were Americans living and working on the base and prior to the show, they refurbished a propeller from a WWII-era plane and put it on display.

Visitors took in what the museums offered before many left to get good spots to watch the air show.

Those that could not find spots on the fences took to grassy areas alongside and pulled out chairs and picnic blankets.

An F-15 from RAF Lakenheaths 492nd Fighter Squadron did a fly over to open the show, followed by a pair of sleek P-51 Mustangs. They started their engines and launched into the air, performing tandem aerial movements that left them surprisingly close to each other at times.

The real crowd pleaser was a B-17 also known as the Sally B. As the propellers came to life, a crowd of children could be heard yelling Sally B! Sally B!

Other planes followed, including a British Tiger Moth and the American P-47 Thunderbolt.
Approving and funding construction projects were some of the items on the St. Francois County Commissions agenda Tuesday morning.

The commission decided to proceed with the addition of a medical wing to the jail and to pay for the addition with American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Another project to be funded by ARPA, if approved, is the HVAC renovation of the courthouse annex building. Recently, during days of extreme heat, the annex has been closing early. The windows on the annex do not open and the air conditioning unit is malfunctioning. The commission decided to seek sealed bids for the project.

Selecting Taylor Engineering for the task, the commission approved the firm to design the planned addition to the Juvenile Detention Center. The commission also approved Holcomb Foundation Engineering Co. to perform the geothermal engineering work for the building and to bill the work directly to the county for an estimated $3,040.

In other business, the commission re-appointed Barb Shelton as St. Francois County trustee. Presiding Commissioner Harold Gallaher said she takes care of property that doesnt sell during the tax sales.

She was appointed years ago and has filled the position well since then, but we couldnt find a record of that appointment, he said. Just to make it official, we want to make sure she is properly appointed.

The commission gave the Maintenance Department permission to advertise for sealed bids for cleaning services for the courthouse and courthouse annex. The maintenance department cannot keep up with cleaning the buildings while keeping up with regular maintenance.

Highway Administrator John Gross updated the commission on the work release road cleanup using state prisoners that the Road and Bridge Department recently started.

Its been about a week now that weve implemented this, he said. Theres 1,200 pounds of trash and about 20 miles of road cleaned up. They were on Berry, Old Bonne Terre, Wortham area, Flat River Road and Owl Creek. The second day, there were two workers who were not doing what they were asked, they were taken back and are not on the crew since and they will not be back.

Highway Superintendent Clay Copeland said they are accomplishing more work than was anticipated. Theyve exceeded our expectations.

The next St. Francois County Commission regular meeting will be Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the courthouse annex in downtown Farmington.
NOVOMOSKOVSK, Ukraine  Mykola Khanatov is a mayor without a city.

He remembers the last time he saw his hometown of Popasna, in Ukraines eastern Luhansk region. It was Orthodox Easter and the Russians were at the gates. He was inside his fourth-story apartment when a torrent of shells landed nearby.

The 41-year-old took off down the stairs, squeezing through the bars of a locked security door to reach the basement.

There, he huddled with his neighbors for the better part of an hour. After weeks of intense bombardment, residents had learned the rhythm of the Russian firing teams  a pause in the shelling meant he had a 10-minute head start before the soldiers reloaded.

He recalls sprinting to his van and racing through the back roads and alleyways that led west, hoping to stay out of sight of the Russian drones used to identify artillery targets. The city he knew by heart, now scarred and disfigured, rushed by in a blur.

Resigned to the loss of his home, he only hoped to make it out alive. Ive never prayed so hard for my own life, he said.

Now in exile, Khanatov, like dozens of other Ukrainian mayors in territories occupied by Russian forces, is determined to keep his community together. He and other city officials have begun the painstaking process of trying to rebuild the administration they left behind in Popasna.

Their headquarters is a three-car garage, 170 miles west in the town of Novomoskovsk. At the school next door, the mayor works out of a former classroom, the walls lined with pictures drawn by students with messages reading Lets go Ukraine and Think happy scribbled in crayon.

Their new city planning meetings are spent organizing humanitarian deliveries to exhausted families from Popasna and helping others navigate the bureaucracy of a government at war. With most of the citys 20,000 residents displaced, and those still there facing increasingly dire conditions, the need is growing.

Before the war, Khanatov had a staff of nearly 100 people, who helped oversee the citys bus drivers, teachers, accountants and municipal workers. Only 15 members of his administration are still with him at the makeshift hub, where they take turns fielding phone calls and messages on social media from their former neighbors, who need help with pensions, birth certificates, food and housing.

Its moral support, to let people know their leaders didnt abandon them, said Khanatov. Right now, there are people born and dying in the occupied territory.

When not registering recent arrivals  about 4,000 have made their way to Novomoskovsk  the team loads boxes with relief supplies, which are driven at least once a week to families sheltering in the front-line city of Bakhmut.

The people of Popasna have lived with the sorrow and chaos of war for nearly a decade. A Moscow-backed separatist uprising in 2014 displaced tens of thousands in eastern Ukraine and destroyed infrastructure across the region.

Kyiv made a concerted effort to support those who stayed, building new schools, repairing old roads and improving government services, Khanatov said. The improvements were incremental, but stark when compared with the poor living conditions in the occupied territories next door, which some Ukrainians compare to North Korea.

Over the years, locals grew accustomed to the presence of Ukrainian troops in their front-line town, but the mood began to shift in January, as officials warned of a Russian invasion. Days after the start of the war on Feb. 24, many were hesitant to leave their homes  the memories of displacement from 2014 still lingered. Trains departing for Kyiv, the capital, would wait 12 hours to evacuate 10 passengers. Some fled, only to return days later, according to the mayor.

On March 2, the shelling began. The city held out for 68 days, until Russian forces finally overwhelmed its depleted defensive positions. Khanatov said hundreds of residents were killed in the fighting, and the city ran out of plaques for gravestones.

In the early days of the invasion, officials focused on evacuating the thousands of residents trapped in the city and providing humanitarian aid to those who refused to leave.

The administration, working with the heads of the public utilities, the fire department and the police, would start the day assessing the damage overnight, sending maintenance crews to make hasty repairs to shelled power and water lines. Theyd bomb at night and in the morning wed start all over again, the mayor said.

Officials began quietly removing boxes of government documents, stamps and computers to their homes, knowing their days in Popasna were numbered. Afraid of stoking panic among residents that they were being abandoned, Khanatov instructed the city accountant to take home one box every night until the office was cleared.

Soon, bodies piled up in the streets. The stench of death was everywhere.

Taking people out is good, bringing humanitarian aid is good, but dead bodies were scattered across our entire city and they had to be buried, said Khanatov. Emotionally, it was a constant struggle, but I had to overcome it.

The mayor found a truck to collect the remains. A local funeral parlor buried them.

The citys top officials would gather regularly in person before their meeting location was struck twice by the Russians. Everyone knew what needed to be done, said Khanatov.

As Russian forces closed in on the city, he gathered the department heads of Popasna a final time. Whoever wants to leave can leave, whoever wants to stay can stay, he told them. I wont tell you what to do. Youve been stronger and braver than I could have ever asked of you. Ill accept your decision.

Many, including the mayor, chose to relocate to the nearby city of Bakhmut, where they continued carrying out their duties, then moved again to Novomoskovsk as the fighting edged closer.

The water service chief, Dimitri Filishtinskyi, led more than 50 evacuation missions, saving hundreds of people. But the missions grew more dangerous, as Russian drones circled overhead and evacuation buses became targets for enemy artillery. A volunteer driver from Kyiv was captured and held for ransom by Russian forces.

Many residents refused to leave, said Khanatov, fearing they wouldnt survive the journey. Others preferred to wait for the occupation. Filishtinskyi stopped visiting one bomb shelter after those inside expressed sympathy for the invading Russian forces. For eight years, theyve seen there is no future there and still they were waiting for the Russian world, he said.

But Khanatov was struck by the bravery of everyday Ukrainians, willing to sacrifice their lives to save his city. Its the young people, the good ones, that are most dedicated to helping others, he said.

April 29 was the last time anyone would be able to enter Popasna from Ukrainian-held territory. Days later, the governor of Luhansk confirmed the city had fallen.

When the Russian soldiers arrived, they must have understood that the people of the city were pretty well off  even with the city in ruins, said Khanatov.

In the months since, some officials have moved on  the former chief of police accepted a position in another town, as did the head of the fire department. The mayor is trying to hold his government in exile together.

Khanatov shares a spartan one-bedroom apartment with his wife and 17-year-old daughter, furnished with the few belongings they were able to retrieve from their home. His wife, Rimma, suffers from suffocating panic attacks.

When we return to see the destruction with our own eyes, there will be a second wave of pain, said Rimma.

There is still so much to overcome, she lamented, weeping silently. We built everything in Popasna.

Khanatov tries to bury his feelings in his work. From time to time, it catches up to me, he conceded. I was scared, but this fear emboldened me.

He is sustained by his memories of Popasna, and the hope it will one day be free.

We are all still hoping to go back someday, he said.

The Washington Posts Anastacia Galouchka and Wojciech Grzedzinski contributed to this report.
(Tribune News Service)  When World War II veteran George Dramis came home, he didnt talk much about the war. If someone asked what he did there, hed tell them the truth: He was a radio operator.

But there is much, much more to his story.

Dramis, 97, was one of the 1,100 soldiers in the U.S. Armys 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. Referred to now as the Ghost Army, they formed in 1944 with a key job: deceive the German military as to the whereabouts of Army divisions. This was after the D-Day invasion at Normandy, as Allied forces fought to free Europe from the Nazis.

We would come in at night, Dramis told The News & Observer, explaining how the Ghost Army operated.

[ An Army division] would sneak away, quietly. We would come in and fake their radio transmissions. We had huge half-tracks with tremendous speakers on them that you could hear for 15 miles. They were recorded things of actual troop movements  tanks, trucks, guys swearing, yelling Get over here! he said.

A half-track was an armored personnel carrier. Those speakers that carried sound for 15 miles weighed 500 pounds, Dramis said, and it sounded like a real division coming in. The Ghost Army used inflatable tanks, trucks and other equipment that would appear to be camouflaged, and soldiers even wore fake division patches.

Those 1,100 troops used visual and audio deception to appear to be 15,000 troops. And as Dramis told people after the war when his worked was still classified, he was indeed a radio operator. He kept the secret until 1996, when the Ghost Armys efforts were declassified.

There are just nine veterans of the Ghost Army still living. With a bill co-sponsored by North Carolinas U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross and signed into law by President Joe Biden in February, those men will receive a Congressional Gold Medal. Ross, a Democrat, and Republican Sen. Thom Tillis staffer Trey Lewis were among those who attended a ceremony on Saturday at the Waltonwood Lake Boone assisted living community in Raleigh.

One of Dramis modern counterparts was at the ceremony, too.

Army Col. Chris Stangle is commander of the 4th Psychological Operations Group, 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne), at Fort Bragg. Stangle told Dramis that Special Operations was built off of what the Ghost Army started. Stangle told The N&O that the work Dramis did has been built upon with techniques used by what is known as PSYOPS today.

Like at other ceremonies of recent years honoring World War II veterans, speakers often call them heroes, including Dramis on Saturday.

They keep talking about this hero part all the time. Well, Im not so sure about that hero stuff, Dramis told those gathered.

The 18-, 19-year-old, 20-year-old guys that  Dramis paused and took a deep breath  maybe lasted one minute or two minutes or three minutes, and they never made it. They never got to grow up and have a life  those guys are the heroes.

After the war, Dramis was a factory worker and eventually president of an industrial supply company before he retired in 1990, according to the Ghost Army Legacy Project. He and his late wife had four children, and Dramis two living sons attended the ceremony Saturday, along with two of Dramis grandsons.

Saturday, July 23, 2022 was also proclaimed George Dramis Day by Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.

Dramis son Jim Dramis, of Raleigh, wrote in The Charlotte Observer last year about the Ghost Army Legacy Projects years-long push to get the bill passed so his father and others would be recognized with a Congressional Gold Medal. While the medal is still being minted, ceremonies for George Dramis and other Ghost Army veterans are already being held.

For North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at https://campsite.bio/underthedome or wherever you get your podcasts.

2022 The Charlotte Observer.

Visit charlotteobserver.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Replica signs can be bought for around 40 euro each but there is a black market in originals which sell to Irish bars across the world for up to five times that amount.

Thieves are feckin' off with the feckin' signs from the home village of one of the creators of Fr Ted,

And it is costing the local council a feckin fortune to replace the roadside signs in the Louth village of Termonfeckin near Drogheda, home of scriptwriter Arthur Matthews who with co writer Graham Linehan popularised the expression, 'feck' through the sitcoms Fr Jack Hackett..

Replica signs can be bought for around 40 euro each but there is a black market in originals which sell to Irish bars across the world for up to five times that amount.

Now the Lady Mayor of Drogheda, Labour's Michelle Hall, who also lives in the small village, is not feckin happy.

She told the Sunday World: It is not feckin on and has been happening for months.

The first one went missing around Christmas and another one was taken two months ago so now any visitors who arrive here don't know where they feckin are!

That is if they can find Termonfeckin in the first place as the robbers have stolen the sign from the M1 exit as well.

Michelle said: We can have a laugh about the other two but this one going missing is actually quite dangerous when you take the exit off the M1 and are looking for Termonfeckin, it is very easy to miss the turn as there is no sign and it can lead to chaos.

I have notified the Council about it, I don't know the exact cost but each of those signs would cost a few hundred euro to replace.
Russell  who has been linked to mob feuds in Coolock and north inner-city Dublin  has been the target of two assassination attempts

He lost an appeal in 2020 to overturn a 400,000 CAB judgement against him and was since refused permission to bring his case to the Supreme Court.

A convicted robber, Russell  who has been linked to mob feuds in Coolock and north inner-city Dublin  has been the target of two assassination attempts and his brother Anthony Russell was murdered in a gangland hit in 2008 .

This week, CAB asked for an order for the house to be turned over to the Bureau and said he was still occupying the property in north Dublin as of May this year.

Counsel for the agency said he had confirmed he would leave in June and then changed that to October 1 this year.

Judge Alex Owens said he would order the committal of Russell to prison for contempt of court but put a stay on the order until tomorrow morning to allow him to appear before him.

Russell was not in court to hear the ruling and had informed CAB that he would not be making an appearance last Thursday.

During his appeal case  which focused on his Clonshaugh house, originally bought in 1995 for 53,000  Russell said it was still the home for his family, including four adults.

The case was first entered into the courts in 2011 and in 2014 a senior CAB officer told the High Court that Russell had 12 previous convictions, including one relating to a post office robbery in 1991.

The original case also included an apartment in Santry, Dublin and another apartment in Malaga, Spain.

Russell associated with known criminals and was involved in gangland feuds in Coolock and the north inner city, the CAB officer said

Six years ago, CAB said 61% of some 356,000 lodged to his various accounts came from unknown sources.

Cash payments were made to his credit card, including IR13,500 in 1998 and 10,000 in 2009, from an unidentified source. No credible evidence was provided in relation to his window cleaning, taxi or furniture businesses he claimed to have run.

There were also unexplained purchases of two horses and maintenance payments to his former partner for an amount that would have equated to his declared income at the time.

He claimed he paid the mortgage on his home in Clonshaugh, north Dublin, from the proceeds of his own labour.

He denied he was a major criminal and said he worked all his life, including cleaning windows, selling furniture and running a taxi business.

The court ruling in favour of CAB said Russell had access to very significant amounts of funds... quite in excess of any funds generated by legitimate activities he was involved in.

Dean Russells life was saved by armed gardai in May 2015, when major criminals Paul Zambra and Anthony The Giant Callaghan were caught on their way to kill him.

Russells slain brother, Anthony was a close associate of paedophile gang boss Christy Griffin and was heavily involved in the deadly north inner-city feud.

Speaking to the Sunday World the day after the murder bid, Russell denied he was the target of the heavily -armed duo.

If they wanted to kill me, there are easier ways to do it, Russell said.

Im adamant it was nothing to do with me, unless its something I dont know about and I normally have a good idea.

I dont have dealings with criminals. I keep a close set of friends, I dont have any enemies. Im not involved in feuding, I dont owe any money, I dont know Zambra or Callaghan. I dont even know what they look like.

Russell said that people have an impression hes a multi-millionaire gangster, but that isnt the case.

The houses are all repossessed, other than the family home Im living in for 20 years. I have had dealings with CAB, but thats over stuff going back years.

Gardai previously foiled another hit attempt on Russells life in January 2009.

Officers spotted Gerard Byrne and Paul Beatty in a stolen Audi A5 and subsequently found a Magnum revolver, two petrol cans and latex gloves in the car.

Beatty later told a prison officer he had been on a mission to whack someone.

Byrne was previously questioned by gardai over the murder of Gavin McCarthy (22) who was shot dead on Sheriff Street in October 2008.

Despite officers saving his life, Russell went on Joe Duffys Liveline in 2018 to complain about what he saw as a heavy-handed Garda bid to arrest him at his home at 4am.
Ms Muckell was previously convicted of manslaughter after she killed a father-of-two when she crashed into his vehicle in a head-on collision while drunk in 1996.

The Cois Deel estate in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick,where Louise Muckell was found

A post-mortem on the body of a woman who died in Limerick this week has revealed she suffered head injuries from an assault, but was inconclusive whether these were the direct cause of her death.

Gardai are now awaiting toxicology results and a full report from medical examiners before they can determine whether Louise Muckell, who was convicted of manslaughter in the 1990s after killing a father-of-two while drink driving, was murdered or died from complications associated with her lifestyle.

Ms Muckell, (54), from Cois Deel, Rathkeale, died at University Hospital Limerick on Wednesday, after Gardai said she had been found with serious injuries around 8.30pm, at a residence at Cois Deel, Tuesday night.

Gardai have identified a circle of people who had been drinking with Ms Muckell in the lead up to her death, but have yet to establish a definitive timeline as the group have serious alcohol dependency issues.

The Cois Deel estate in Rathkeale, Co. Limerick,where Louise Muckell was found

They believe Ms Muckell visited a property at Windmill Street, in Limerick City, located about 30km from her home, on the day she was found with serious injuries or in the days beforehand, and that Gardai had been alerted to an incident at an address on Windmill Street earlier on Tuesday.

It is believed one of the people she was with drove her home after she was assaulted and left her there.

Sources say while it is likely she died as a result of the assault, that cannot be confirmed until a toxicology report and a full medical report are completed.

She did suffer a serious assault which caused significant head injuries, a source said. The first post-mortem is completed but there are complications due to her lifestyle.

At the moment it is not conclusive that the assault directly led to her death. Were waiting on a full report and toxicology to say whether the injuries directly caused her death. They could have been but her vulnerability and lifestyle issues are causing complications.

The source said before Gardai can conclusively treat the death as murder they have to rule out that she didnt die from issues related to her alcohol dependency.

Another complication to the case is that people Ms Muckell had been drinking with can confuse when things occurred due to their alcohol issues.

Ms Muckell was previously convicted of manslaughter after she killed a father-of-two when she crashed into his vehicle in a head-on collision while drunk in 1996.

She mounted a grass margin between two dual carriageways on the Shannon to Limerick Road on January 29, 1996.

She smashed through hedging and fencing before driving at speed the wrong way down the dual carriageway ignoring motorists who flashed their lights at her. Gardai also tried to pursue her but she crashed head on at speed into Brendan Keanes van before she could be stopped.

Brendan Keane who was killed by Louise Muckell

Mr Keane died as a result of the crash, while Ms Muckell suffered a leg injury.

There were three empty naggins of vodka in Ms Muckells car when gardai arrived and she was visibly drunk. She refused to give her name to officers at the scene.

Mr Keane was 34 at the time of his death and left behind a young widow and two daughters.

One of his daughters, Kelly Keane, told the Sunday World that news of Ms Muckells death this week brought back painful memories for the family.

I had to grow up without my dad. We have never gotten over this. I was only eight but I have so much good memories of my dad.

When my own son was born, I called him Brendan after my dad. Theres just stuff like weddings and times in life you wish he was there and hes missing all of this. He has two grandchildren now and hes never going to meet them because of her being selfish and getting behind the wheel and driving drunk.

Ms Muckell had been caught drink driving several times before killing Mr Keane. Months before the crash she crashed into a pregnant woman in another car while drunk. Ms Muckell suffered serious injuries from that crash and was still recovering from those injures when she crashed into Mr Keane.
Assembling a perfect sandwich can be an art form, and thats exactly what you can expect at this stylish Docklands nod to the carvery, says Grub Spy Alan Kelly

I was advised recently to check out a swanky new sandwich shop on Hanover Street. It was and is, according to my trusted advice-giver, creating awesome sambos and doing a serious bit of business with the young tech-types stationed around the Grand Canal Dock area.

CARVED Ropemaker Place, Hanover Street East, Dublin 2 Five stars Food: 21.40; Drinks: 6

So off the Boss and I go across the Samuel Beckett Bridge on a boiling hot afternoon, suitably enthused and looking forward to a cracking nosh-up. Straight off were struck by the Carved premises. Stylish and functional without looking impersonal, with minimum seating inside and sufficiently more outside.

The menu is short and sweet, and thankfully theres nothing eye-widening about the price tags either  all sambos are 8.95, veggie salad bowls 7.95, and meaty salad bowls 10.95. But what about those sambos? We decide on the featherblade beef and the veggie caprese. Both are pretty much assembled immediately, an impressive feat considering the place is already jammers.

The heated sourdough buns are the perfect vehicles for the oncoming quantity of hefty fillings  soft and yielding, yet strong enough to deal with the task.

And do they taste good? Oh boy do they taste good. The featherblade is crammed with a stupendous wodge of pulled beef slow-cooked to fall-apart perfection, spun through with a richly flavoured gravy, topped with cheddar, rocket leaves, a lash of sweetly caramelised onions and a blob of pungent garlic aioli. I ask for some pesto because, as we all know, every sandwich tastes better with pesto.

The end result is what happens when a humble sandwich has lofty ambitions. It is an absolute showstopper and with more meat than is even decent, a contender for best sambo in the city. I almost feel the same way about the Bosss veggie caprese. A gorgeous assemblage of creamy mozzarella, beef tomatoes, rocket and yet more of that delicious pesto. Also a serious contender.

Every time I think we have reached sandwich nirvana, another brilliant example appears around the corner. Usually with an everyday sambo, just by adding a few tasty bits and bobs, even at home, you have a good chance of ending up with something better than you started with. At Carved it is different. Here they are bringing the supposedly simple as near to perfect as possible. I would describe their sambos firstly as pretty darn close to unimprovable, and secondly as huge two-fisted jobbies with juice and sauce and gorgeous pesto-y goo oozing out all over.

Luckily because of attention to detail and the crafty way they wrap their sambos, very little of the scrumptious mess escapes down your hands or up your arms  important details when rushing back to a desk. We also share a portion of baby spud roasties that would grace the tables of any restaurant in the city.

Sitting outside to enjoy our Cloud Picker coffees, we notice there are probably more takeaways and pre-ordered collections than there are eat-ins.

Numbers dont lie (unless you are a bit of a Boris) and the food here does the talking. Like I said earlier, Carved is different  and their sandwiches are delightfully different.
The following flights have been cancelled today, the 8.45am flight from Washington, EI118, the 8.45am flight from Philadelphia, EI114, and the 4.40pm flight to New York JFK, EI107.

Sunday brings further flight disruption for passengers flying out of Dublin Airport with Aer Lingus.

The following flights have been cancelled today, the 8.45am flight from Washington, EI118, the 8.45am flight from Philadelphia, EI114, and the 4.40pm flight to New York JFK, EI107.

The airline has also cancelled Mondays 8.40am flight from New York JFK, EI106.

Aer Lingus has cancelled a number of flights since the start of the month due to staff illness and industrial action across Europe.

A total of seven flights have been cancelled so far this weekend as the aviation industry struggles to return to pre-Covid schedules.

The airline apologised to all impacted customers and said it is contacting them directly to advise them of their rights and offer options including rebooking or refund.

Other airlines have also been impacted such as Tap Air Portugal, British Airways and Scandinavian Airlines SAS.

Officials at Heathrow last week announced that they were capping the number of passengers departing the airport each day to 100,000 until the end of October in a bid to cope with the extreme pressure facing airports due to pent-up demand and staff shortages.

Under EU Regulation 261/2014, if a flight is cancelled for any reason, the airline must offer passengers the choice between:

1) Re-routing as soon as possible, subject to availability, free of charge.

2) Re-routing at a later date.

3) A full refund within seven days
Most service disruptions today have occurred in the north-west, on the Sligo town service.

Passengers have been urged to check the Bus Eireann website and the Twitter account for the latest updates.

Most service disruptions today have occurred in the north-west, on the Sligo town service.

The company reported minor disruption in Waterford where the W4 city services operated at reduced frequency for three and half hours in the morning, between 9am and 12.30pm. It said the W5 city service will operate at reduced frequency for two hours in the afternoon, between 2.15pm and 4.15pm.

"On our Expressway inter-regional services, approximately 97pc of trips are running to schedule. The cancellations are spread around the network with one round trip cancelled between each of Wexford / Dublin, New Ross / Dublin, Tralee / Waterford and one single trip from Dublin to Ballina. In most cases, an alternative service is available within two hours of the impacted departure.

In a statement issued to Independent.ie, the company said it regrettably informed customers of some disruptions to services today.

The only county Galway route impacted today is one round trip between Castlebar and Headford, it said.

"We estimate that 98.6pc of our scheduled trips are operating today, the statement said.

"In most cases, advance notice of cancellations is available the day before. For people who have pre-booked their Expressway tickets, they are also notified by a direct email sent to them, typically well in advance of travel, allowing them to make alternative arrangements and transferring to other services operating either side of their intended departure. We very much encourage customers to book ahead at expressway.ie to benefit from a guaranteed seat and priority boarding.

Typically, service issues arise from a number of factors depending on location. This can include challenges in driver recruitment, driver unavailability often at short notice and more recently difficulty in hiring contractors to support services. This has more impact at comparatively smaller depots.

"Bus Eireann is actively recruiting for drivers throughout the country, and in Cork and Limerick has started to train people with Category B driving licences to gain their Category D driving licence.

"Where it is unfortunately necessary to cancel a service, we manage this to minimise the impact on customers, for example temporarily reducing frequency on higher frequency routes and making every effort to ensure the last service of the day operates."

More than 3,250 trips will be in operation nationwide today.

All the details are on the service update section of the website buseireann.ie by region.
Finance Minister only learned of controversial changes just hours before bank announced them

Department of Finance officials waited four days to tell Paschal Donohoe that AIB was closing cash services in 70 branches  a move the bank then reversed after a major public and political backlash.

The Finance Minister was only told of AIBs plan a few hours before it was announced publicly by the bank last Tuesday morning, despite an official in his department being informed of the details the previous Friday, July 15, and the matter also being discussed at the departments executive board meeting last Monday.

Last night, his spokesperson said officials had underestimated the potential reaction to AIBs proposal and viewed plans to expand banking services with An Post as a positive for customers. The spokesperson said: The minister was made aware of the AIB plan on Tuesday. He did not know in advance.

The decision by the department not to tell the minister for several days of AIBs plans was branded last night as outrageous by the Oireachtas Finance Committee chairman John McGuinness. They showed complete disregard for their own minister, a minister who has a large shareholding still in the bank, the Fianna Fail TD said.

AIB reversed the plan to remove cash services at 70 of its 170 branches last Thursday after Taoiseach Micheal Martin intervened, while on government business in Asia, and said it should reflect and reconsider.

Now Mr McGuinness has confirmed plans to hold committee hearings in September on both the AIB controversy and the future of banking in Ireland.

Have they abandoned the plan for a period of time or have they abandoned it for good? We dont know, he said. Its outrageous and scandalous that the banks behave the way they behave.

A Department of Finance spokesperson confirmed an official in the department was informed by AIB on Friday, July 15, of the details of the banks plans to close cash services in branches up and down the country. The proposals were also discussed at the weekly meeting of the departments executive board last Monday.

But Mr Donohoe, who is chair of the Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers and was in Czech Republic, Slovakia and London between Monday and Wednesday last week, was only told on Tuesday morning with the bank announcing the move later that morning.

Sinn Fein TD Mairead Farrell said the finance committee must meet urgently to discuss the damning revelations the Department of Finance knew days in advance of the move becoming public and did nothing.

Another committee member, Fianna Fail TD Jim OCallaghan, said officials should have brought the matter to Mr Donohoes attention as soon as possible. But, he added: Irrespective of that delay, the fault lies with AIB in making an ill-considered and ill-judged position. It would have been preferable had they told him immediately, but blame lies with AIB for blindsiding the political system.

When asked, Mr Donohoes spokesperson said the minister had confidence in AIB chief executive Colin Hunt.
There is a cloud hanging over the place

Tributes have been paid to the family of a three-year-old boy who died in a tragic accident in Co Limerick on Friday.

It is understood the boy, named locally as Padraig Cunningham, was fatally injured when he was struck by a vehicle at a private residence, in the Ballyduhig area of West Limerick, at around 10.30am on Friday morning.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and desperately tried to save the boys life but he later was pronounced dead at University Hospital Limerick.

A post mortem will be conducted by a local pathologistand the matter referred to the office of the Limerick Coroner for an inquest.

Killeedy parish priest Fr John Keating said there is a sense of deep shock within the community following the tragic accident.

There is a cloud hanging over the place, theyre a lovely family. Theyre a very caring, very gentle family and very devoted to their children, he said.

Theyre very involved in the community and I think it really went against the grain, something like that to happen.

The community has been through many tragedies before, people are very resilient. The rest of the community will keep them going and lift them again.

Fr Keating said the people of Ashford and Raheenagh are a very close-knit community.

He added: Youd travel a long way to find a closer group of people.

Local councillor Michael Collins, who knows the family very well, said this was a tragic incident.

What can one say because its so personal to the family, there isnt much you can say that can console them or help them, he said.

Its just so tragic for the poor family. The whole community locally feel very much for them and what theyre going through.

A garda spokesperson said: Gardai and emergency services attended the scene of an incident on private property, in Broadford, Co Limerick this morning, Friday, 22nd July 2022.

A 3 year old child later passed away from his injuries. A family liaison officer has been appointed to support the family at this time.
But Its a small problem compared to the fate of the poor Ukrainian refugees", said one business owner

Willie Daly is set to welcome thousands of love-hungry singles to Lisdoonvarna for the first Matchmaking Festival since Covid

Festival fans hoping to attend this years Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival are being told that there is only limited accommodation in the town.

The world-famous event, which is back in September after an enforced three-year break due to the pandemic, is set to attract thousands of revellers seeking love.

However, the White group of hotels, which include The Hydro and The Imperial, are now home to hundreds of Ukrainian refugees living in the town.

One local business owner yesterday told theSunday World: The fact that all the big hotels here in Lisdoonvarna are no longer available means that the majority of the people coming for the festival will have to stay in the surrounding towns.

Willie Daly with hotelier Geraldine White at the Matchmaker Bar

We have very few rooms available as the rest of the hotels and B&Bs are just a drop in the ocean compared to the demand.

But, having said that, its a small problem compared to the fate of the poor Ukrainian refugees who are being housed in the hotels.

Theyve been through hell and we are proud that Lisdoonvarna has given them refuge and welcomed them with open arms.

They have been a great boost to the town. Its not their fault that theyre here and they are not a bother. The Matchmaking Festival is all about love  and the people of Lisdoonvarna are showing our Ukrainian friends the love.

Heather Crowe, who runs The Ritz boutique hotel in Lisdoonvarna, said her phone has been hopping since this years Matchmaking Festival was announced.

Willie Daly is set to welcome thousands of love-hungry singles to Lisdoonvarna for the first Matchmaking Festival since Covid

We are delighted to have the festival back and I think people who really want to come will find somewhere to stay, she says.

I do know that some of the hotels in the surrounding villages, such as The Falls in Lahinch, are offering a shuttle bus service.

So theyll be dropping people in and collecting them. Itll be a bit different to previous years, but hopefully itll all work well.

Matchmaker Willie Daly predicts that this years festival will be one of the best in its long history.

There is going to be a very, very big atmosphere in terms of fun. People are love-starved  they want to get out, and the men want to hold a woman in their arms, he says.

They want to dance and they want to laugh and have fun. That had been taken away from them in recent years.

Willie said revellers will find accommodation in all the neighbouring towns and villages, as well as in Lisdoonvarna itself.

There is plenty of accommodation all over, he pointed out.

People have always stayed in Doolin, Ennistymon and Lahinch when they came to the festival through the years.

This is definitely going to be a very big year for the festival. Everyone is talking about it and people that live for it cant wait for the fun to start.

It doesnt matter what age you are when you come to Lisdoonvarna looking for love  the years dont seem to matter.

Youll find people from 20 to 80 out dancing on the same dancefloor. I think thats what makes Lisdoonvarna unique.

Willie revealed that many Americans have booked to attend this years festival in the hope of finding love in Lisdoon  and they include a famous actress.

This woman would have been married a number of times, but shes still looking for love, he says.

She has contacted me and obviously she wants confidentiality, but the minute people see her they will recognise her.

He says a lot of rich American women fly over for the Matchmaking Festival because they love meeting Irish men.

About four years ago two women that had their own oil well came over. And did they strike oil in Lisdoon? Oh they did! he laughs.

Willie believes he has been responsible for over 3,000 marriages.

Matchmaker Willie Daly getting set up for another evening's matchmaking at the Matchmaker Bar   Photograph by Eamon Ward

I do get great satisfaction out of it when a relationship works out, he says.

Sometimes I meet people and they tell me stories. One fella said you fixed me father up in 1975!

I was at a horse fair recently and a man was walking up through the town with young children in a stroller, and a beautiful young woman by his side.

He said, Hi, Willie Daly, how are you getting on? Look at the trouble you got me into! He was laughing. He is now the father of triplets. I said, Thats good trouble you got yourself into. Thats a lot better than winning the Lotto. Its seldom you see three kids as a nice outcome from an introduction.

You can go to a lot of venues during the Matchmaking Festival and have great fun, and there arent many festivals where you can walk up to a woman and say, Will you marry me? Its a matchmaking festival, so its acceptable that that question can be asked.

Last year Willie brought the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival experience to Cabo Roig, Costa Blanca, and it proved to be a huge success in the popular Spanish holiday destination.

Ill be back there again this October, Willie adds. Love in the sun, you cant beat it.
I wish I could hug every one of you

On social media he wrote: Good news, this is a big week for everyone who supported Climb With Charlie. We will be handing over two cheques for well over one and a half million euros each to the two charities.

"I wish I could hug every one of you. You have all helped me so much in this dark period of my life, he said.

On Saturday 2 April, Mr Bird reached the summit of Croagh Patrick in Co Mayo to raise funds for the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Pieta.

Thousands of people took part in over 200 Climb with Charlie fundraisers across the world.

The charity campaign was led by the broadcaster who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year.
Katikati has a new food redistributor  KaiGo, designed to address a need for those who are suffering from income or food poverty in the community.

On the surface, Katikati is quite an affluent, comfortable, coastal community that is underpinned by a very robust horticultural sector, however, during the pandemic the communities needs really came to the surface, says KaiGo project manager Michael Mills.

Theres many people here that need just a little bit. Its not a few people needing a lot, says Katikati Taiao community activator Alan Maxwell.

These people are one day a week short of food, unlike people who typically go to foodbanks that are in need of a weeks worth.

KaiGo launched on Monday, June 13, as Katikati Taiaos latest project, where it began collecting spare food from the local Katikati Countdown.

We work as a broker. We collect surplus foods and distribute it to community organisations are providing meals, giving food parcels, or delivering to people, says Michael.

The reception has been great, but they keep asking us: can we have a whole lot more please.

Michael says the food redistributors in Katikati are in high demand.

There are pockets of people living in substandard or overcrowded housing, theres income and food poverty, and that is not for people who have nothing, but it is for the working poor too.

Alan says the preparatory work for KaiGo began in November last year, after a food hui was held to see if members of the community were interested in becoming a potential collaborator.

We had plenty of people show up to support it which gave us the signal it was something definitely worth pursuing.

Alan adds the food hui was set up initially to think forward into the future.

It was becoming apparent food security and food poverty was going to become an issue along with the rising cost of living.

Fast-forward eight months of building relationships - and KaiGo is providing food for the Katikati Christian Foodbank, Te Runanga o Ngai Tamawhariua, Kurakai, Katikati Colleges students in need, and the Katikati community centre for their various initiatives.

Were really just scratching the surface, says Michael.

The biggest plea we would put out now is for more donor groups to come forward. We will take goods from businesses, orchards, pack houses, growers, and retailers. Anything that can be supplied.

Michael says people who have extra or unused food can also donate to KaiGo.

Part of this project is to also reduce any waste in the community and to redistribute any unused foods.

Its a social solution to an environmental problem.

Were doing on average half a tonne of food per week. We could easily do three times that and still have not met all the need, adds Alan.

To make a contribution to KaiGo, Michael suggests contacting him on: 027 493 7322 or alternatively by email at: Michael@Kaitkatitaiao.org. For more information on KaiGo visit the Katikati Taiao website: katikatitaiao.org/
Taurangas Rotary clubs are celebrating diversity, with a fresh set of female presidents taking over in 2022.

The presidents are Carmen Goodwin of the Otumoetai Rotary Club, Sue Boyne of the Tauranga Rotary Club, Vanessa Dodunski of the Tauranga Te Papa Rotary Club, and Lynda Burch of the Tauranga Sunrise Rotary Club.

Tauranga Rotary assistant governor Pat Taylor says the coincidental move coincides with the first international Rotary female president Jennifer Jones being elected this year.

It was purely happenstance. There was nothing particularly driving it, says Pat.

People sometimes have the wrong impression on what Rotarians are about. Im hoping that things like this dispel some of those myths.

Tauranga Rotary Club president Sue Boyne says although the diversification of the presidents is a great thing, it doesnt matter who is at the helm.

When I joined Rotary, it was predominantly male, and Ive never had a problem with that. Rotary to me has always been about identifying needs in the community, says Sue.

She is looking forward to continuing the Tauranga Rotary Clubs projects, and restarting the book sale in March next year, which has not been held for two years due to Covid-19.

Tauranga Te Papa Rotary Club president Vanessa Dodunski says while having a female president is an international milestone for Rotary, it isnt really a big deal for a woman to be the president of an organisation nowadays.

Its about what we can do together, its not a specific male or female thing.

As the first female president of the Tauranga Te Papa club, were trying to get out there and let people know that Rotary is for people of all sorts of backgrounds.

Vanessa says that she is looking forward to doing their big annual fundraiser  the duck race along The Strand.

Thats our main fundraiser. Most of the proceeds go back into local schools. We also help out other recipients that can benefit from our fundraisers such as the surf lifesaving clubs.

Tauranga Sunrise Rotary Club president Lynda Burch says one of the goals this Rotary year is to modernise the organisation.

I think a lot of people see Rotary as an organisation that old people join.

Ideally, I would like to change that, and to show people what they could be engaged in if they were to join a Rotary club.

Lynda says that her club is focused on projects ranging from environment to helping children in the Pacific by sending fabric to sewing companies to make school uniforms.

The Otumoetai Rotary Club president Carmen Goodwin says that she is both humbled and honoured to be playing a part in Rotarys diversity.

Our club has had two female presidents before, both are who I see as amazing role models. Its amazing to be stepping into those shoes after them, says Carmen.

Were really stepping into the future for equity for women in Rotary. We are equal as club members and presidents.

Carmen says that her clubs focus is going to be on the local Otumoetai community and holding small but frequent events.

Rotary is moving with the times. We are digitalising, and we are getting people from all walks of life involved.

Coming into Rotary now is really exciting. We have a new generation of Rotarians who understand that the reason we became Rotarians in the first place is to do good in the community.

To find out more information about the four Tauranga Rotary clubs, contact assistant governor Pat Taylor on 027 347 7657.
Two lucky Powerball players from Auckland and Timaru will be on cloud nine after each winning $7.3 million with Powerball First Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw.

The winning tickets were both sold on MyLotto.

The prizes are made up of $7 million from Powerball First Division and $333,333 from Lotto First Division.

Saturday's winners are the tenth and eleventh Powerball multi-millionaires of 2022, and the win comes just a month after a lucky Whakatane woman won $12.25 million with Powerball First Division. The woman is looking forward to celebrating with her family and completing some home renovations.

One other lucky Lotto player will also be celebrating after winning $333,333 with Lotto First Division in Saturday nights live Lotto draw. The winning ticket was sold at Pak N Save Kaitaia in Kaitaia.

Meanwhile, Strike has rolled over and will be $300,000 on Wednesday night.

Powerball wins in 2022:

Date Prize Store Location 1 29 January $21 million MyLotto Auckland 2 12 February $8.5 million MyLotto Wellington 3 26 March $28.1 million Meg Star Auckland 4 9 April $8.5 million MyLotto Auckland 5 30 April $13 million MyLotto Auckland 6 7 May $5.3 million Countdown Vogeltown New Plymouth 7 21 May $9 million Four Square Matangi Hamilton 8 1 June $6.3 million Countdown Hobsonville Auckland 9 22 June $12.25 million Halfway Store Whakatane 10 23 July $7.3 million MyLotto Auckland City 11 23 July $7.3 million MyLotto Timaru

Eighteen lucky Lotto players will be celebrating after each winning $16,915 with Lotto Second Division in Saturday night's live Lotto draw.

Three lucky players also won Powerball Second Division, taking their total winnings to $23,715. The winning Powerball Second Division tickets were sold on MyLotto to players from Auckland, Hawkes Bay and Wellington.

The winning Second Division tickets were sold at the following stores:

Store Location Seville Superette Auckland Drop In Superette & Lotto Auckland Dawson Superette Auckland MyLotto (+PB) Auckland MyLotto Waikato My Pharmacy Papamoa Plaza Papamoa Paper Plus Matamata Matamata Lucky Lotto Shop Rotorua Countdown Gisborne Gisborne MyLotto (+PB) Hawkes Bay Aramoho Mags & Lotto Whanganui Plaza Lotto Palmerston North MyLotto (x2) (+PB x1) Wellington New World Stoke Nelson Paper Plus Nelson Nelson MyLotto Canterbury Allenton Foodmarket Ashburton

Anyone who bought their ticket from any of the above stores should check their ticket as soon as possible in-store, online at mylotto.co.nz, or through the Lotto NZ App.

With 100 per cent of Lotto NZs profits supporting thousands of great causes each year, every time you play one of Lotto NZs games, youre a Kiwi helping other Kiwis.
WeatherWatch advise that heavy rain in the north of New Zealand is expected today.

"A high lies to our southeast today meanwhile there is a low to the northwest, New Zealand as an easterly quarter airflow with winds moving out of the high and into the low," says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

"A warm front then occluded front push down from the north."

North Island

A mostly cloudy today with rain is forecast today for the upper North Island - from Taranaki across the Bay Of Plenty. Drizzle or a few showers are expected further east.

"Rain spreads into eastern regions this afternoon," says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

"Heavy rain for Northland spreads into Auckland this morning then Waikato and Bay of Plenty later this afternoon or evening.

"Northeasterly winds are quite strong for the upper North Island with gales likely in coastal spots, strong winds pick up along the eastern coastline this evening."

South Island

There is a mostly cloudy day expected for Nelson and Marlborough and down along the east coast.

"Expect patchy showers or drizzle to move in this morning," says a WeatherWatch spokesperson.

"Rain spreads into all of the upper South Island this afternoon then reaching into Otago overnight.

"Most of the West Coast is dry today with sun and some high cloud, rain moves into Buller this afternoon, reaching Haast this evening.

"Northeasterlies down along the east coast freshen, southeasterlies for the West Coast."
Amelia Grafas is endeavouring to change the negative way we often talk to ourselves with clothing that cares.

Four years ago, the 28-year-old Mount Maunganui resident started a social media community called Become Aware on Instagram.

With a group of friends, Amelia started sharing stories and creating videos to raise awareness surrounding topics on body image and mental health. This all started from Amelias own mental health difficulties she was facing in 2018.

I was actually going through a really hard time mentally with the person that I was  how I looked, how I felt, my body image; basically I just had a really toxic relationship with myself, says Amelia.

I realised that I actually wasnt alone and a lot of people feel the same but they just werent really sure where to go or who to talk to when it comes to things like their mindset and their thoughts.

Branching out

Eager to do something more with Become Aware this year, Amelia ventured out to start up a clothing brand  something she had never done before.

Amelia Grafas wearing her A Little Nicer Tee. Photo: Supplied.

Im not exactly an expert but if you actually put in the hard work you can do anything your mind wants to achieve.

I realised I wanted to do clothing because if someones got text on their clothing or I see a banner somewhere I always read it and I found that you can get messages out there so much faster, says Amelia who worked with creative strategist from The Connection Co Charlie de Haas to bring her business idea to life.

With a focus on clothing that cares, Amelias clothing encourages self-positivity.

The main reason I did it was because you can give yourself that reminder which is on the t-shirt: Talk a little nicer to yourself today.

Stronger mindset

Having launched the A Little Nicer Tee last Friday, and says she was feeling both nervous and excited but has continued to think of the why? behind her brand.

Amelia Grafas wearing her A Little Nicer Tee. Photo: John Borren.

I was in a really bad position mentally and I dont want anyone else to feel the same, says Amelia.

If we can create some awareness around certain topics or the way we think and build a stronger mindset, then in turn that just means so much to me  thats the end goal.

Amelia plans to donate proceeds from her clothing to support mental health charities in future.

For your own Become Aware clothing that cares visit: becomeaware.co.nz/collections/all
New Zealands two surfing Olympians are the newly crowned champions for the Backdoor King and Queen of the Point presented by Quiksilver on Saturday.

Billy Stairmand of Raglan snatched a come-from-behind victory in the Mens Division while Ella Williams from Whangamata took the win in a tough two-way tussle in the Open Womens Final.

With the swell expected to decrease further with a strengthening easterly wind, it was decided to push through to the finals of each premier division on day two of the event leaving the junior divisions for the final day of event tomorrow (Sunday).

Billy's win came at the expense of three fellow Raglan surfers and none more so than Caleb Cutmore who led until the final minute of the final.

Ella Williams. Photo: Cory / NZ Surfing Magazine.

On his final wave, Billy posted a 6.47 to edge past Caleb 14.30 to 14.00 for the win.

I think as competitive surfers, that is the type of the win you dream of, knowing you can get the win and surfing a clutch wave to just get the score says Billy of the outcome.

Caleb has been training and surfing so well and Kora is the up and comer from Raglan and of course Luke rips but yeah, I am stoked to take the win, says Billy.

Billy is hoping to take this momentum into the US Open of Surfing which starts on Sunday week.

I have been doing well in the regional events but unfortunately not so much in the Challengers, so it is time to put my best foot forward and hopefully get a result at Huntington Beach then head to Europe for the back half of the year. Huntington is a wave I like to compete at, and I did fairly well there last year so I am looking forward to next week," says Billy.

Caleb came oh so close in the final surfing with superior speed on his forehand and posting the only excellent ride of the final, an 8.0 point ride. However, that was not enough to stop Billy. Day ones form surfer Luke Cederman finished the final in third place ahead of the youngest competitor, 18-year-old Kora Cooper in fourth.

Earlier in the day, Billy and Caleb defeated Jay Quinn (Gis) in first semifinal while Luke and Kora defeated Jarred Hancox (Tara) in the second.

Ella Williams came back from a twelve month break from the competition arena to find her best form in the final today, surfing to a 15.76 point heat win defeating local surfer Brie Bennett (14.40) in the final.

I am so happy, it is great to be back and competing in good waves and to come away with the win for the weekend is amazing, I am so stoked," says Ella.

Ella has not put on the coloured jersey since the Tokyo Olympics.

The last twelve months away from competing has been good, I have had plenty of family time and I have been free surfing a lot and being at home more often than not, putting away the suitcase, it has been refreshing," says Ella.

Brie pushed Ella all the way in the final with Estella Hungerford (Chch) finishing in third and Natasha Gouldsbury (Tara) in fourth.

A good finals challenge is what makes comps fun, it is what makes it good for the spectators too, having a close match up. All the finalists were surfing great all weekend and Brie was especially pushing me in that final, she knows the wave well and I am happy to get the win today, next time she will be knocking on the door again I am sure," says Ella.

Billy Stairmand. Photo: Cory / NZ Surfing Magazine.

The MR Twin Fin Expression Session went down in small but running lefts with eight surfers taking the opportunity to ride the classic Mark Richards twin fins. Whitianga surfer Jay Piper  Healion showed the most poise on the retro boards to walk away with his height in Workshop Beer. Jay was pushed to the final wave of the 30 minutes by wildcard Simon Fritchley and the lone female of the eight, Elin Tawharu.

The finals of the Mens and Womens Divisions were flanked by several rounds of junior divisions. Standouts included Soren Bucka-Christensen (Tara), Ash Rogers (WGM), Navryn Malone (Rag) and Kalani Louis (Tara) in the boys divisions. In the girls divisions Maya Mateja (Rag), Alani Morse (Rag) and Chloe Groube (Pau) all showed good form heading into Sunday.

The Backdoor King and Queen of the Point pres by Quiksilver is an SNZ3000 event and boasts $15,000 in prize money as the richest event of the year and with maximum national ranking points on offer.

For all results, please visit - https://liveheats.com/events/29714

Generous support from Backdoor Surf Shop, Quiksilver, Channel Island Surfboards and Sticky Johnson have made the event possible. The event is hosted by Raglans Point Boardriders.
Bay of Plenty residents are being warned that the ways malicious content and scams approach users online is rapidly changing, and Safe Surfer CEO Rory Birkbeck is urging Kiwis to be vigilant.

Phishing websites, or imitation websites, are becoming more and more convincing, according to Rory.

These websites will often look identical to a real website, and urge the user to insert information such as credit card details or passwords.

To tackle this growing problem, Rory and his team have developed an application that can be run on computers, tablets and phones.

The application is called Safe Surfer  after the name of their non-profit social enterprise Safe Surfer  and it blocks most malicious content online by running websites through a filter, and preventing access to the ones that are deemed as harmful.

The local non-profit social enterprise Safe Surfer was established in 2016 by Tauranga IT experts and friends Aaron Sinclair and Rory, who wanted to prevent their own young families from accidentally seeing pornographic images while using the internet.

Safe Surfer is now a growing movement  and is being used by more than 300,000 individuals, families and businesses worldwide.

As a preventative measure, Safe Surfer has decided to block all Russian URLs as a method of stopping scams. Russian domains are often not regulated to the same standards as ones in the West, says Rory.

They are known to house a lot of malicious content, so we thought we would be proactive rather than reactive, says Rory.

According to Cert NZ, over the last quarter $6.6 million has been lost due to online scams.

Rory says about $2.2 million of these losses have been from phishing scams. The idea is that the scammers duplicate the look and feel of certain websites. Places like The Red Cross have issued statements warning that scammers have duplicated their websites in order to scam people.

This is why Rory is urging people now more than ever to keep an eye out when entering precious details online, as average users suffer from these attacks  as do the businesses that are being imitated.

Rory says Safe Surfers argument is that there are commonly-abused domains that are prone to attack, and it is difficult for people to know if their next click is going to be malicious.

This is why Safe Surfer has taken the initiative of filtering out these harmful domains, so users can feel safe while surfing the web.

Rory says the best course of action to take is to keep people educated on the evolving nature of online threats, put in place a filtering tool such as Safe Surfer, making sure the website you are using is safe and secure before putting in important information, and not using passwords that have been compromised.

Rory also suggests putting in place multi-factor authentication to prevent people from getting into accounts that have been compromised.

He recommends if a user is in doubt to check with someone else to make sure the site they are using is legitimate.

Scams also usually create some sort of urgency and will approach the user with something that seems too good to be true.

For more information on Safe Surfer, and how to be protected while surfing the web, visit: https://safesurfer.io.
When I first heard about the possibility of requiring an expensive home energy audit before people can sell their houses, I fired off a letter to the editor explaining why it was a bad idea. But before the letter could even come out, the City Council voted to enact the requirement.

Fortunately, for procedural reasons (because the original 5-3 vote was not unanimous), the council had to vote again, and this time cooler heads prevailed, with a final decision put off until September.

Despite this, council member Gabe Shepherd tried at the most recent council meeting to get the body to enact the proposed requirement right away. I wonder why the hurry?

Enacting something that would increase the cost of selling a house hardly serves the crying need for more affordable housing in Corvallis.

The legitimate goal of the proposed requirement is to allow house buyers to understand what utilities are going to cost them. But there are other ways to accomplish that, methods that would be free or much less expensive and that would actually give a better idea of what utilities would cost.

As I pointed out in my letter, all that is needed to convey the needed information to buyers would be summary information about gas and electric bills for the house in question for the last year or two.

These could easily be made available by the utility companies serving that house. If they are not already set up to provide the information, it would cost them little to reprogram their computers to allow them to do so.

An alternative city ordinance could simply require that this information be supplied to all prospective buyers.

An energy audit costing $150 to $200, very unlikely to decrease in price if sellers were required to have it done, would not provide actual dollar figures for heating/cooling, etc. The recent increase in the price charged for doing the annual backflow tests on home irrigation systems as a case in point. But that requirement is apparently needed to protect public health.

Why should the council rush this decision to the point that citizens were unable to suggest alternative ways to achieve its purported goal?

I would dearly love to know if lobbying by companies hoping to cash in on this business was behind the haste to enact this very flawed proposal.

A number of years ago I wrote a column in this paper questioning a proposal that Corvallis subsidize construction of a new hotel on the waterfront. The entrepreneurs had argued that without the subsidy, the project did not pencil out. The City Council narrowly rejected the proposal the next day, and a different group of business people later built the current hotel on the same spot without a subsidy.

Did my column tip the balance? I would like to think that citizen input still counts for something here, and that is why I took the time to write the present column.
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A Linn County city that once thrived off of abundant bubbling mineral streams continues to struggle with not having enough water every summer for its 350 residents.

Any number of solutions have been proposed over the years, but their estimated costs were more than the people of Sodaville were wanting  or able  to pay. For now, residents continue to get their water trucked in from Lebanon during the summer months when city wells are unable to meet the demand.

But after years of putting up with strict water ordinances, "misuse charges," and expensive water bills in the summer, there is renewed interest in solving the Sodaville water dilemma for good.

It's been 30 years, City Recorder Alex McHadded said during a City Council meeting Thursday evening, July 21. I think people are tired, and now is a unique time to get help for the kind of project we need to do.

What that project will be isn't clear. The councilors agreed at the meeting to look into several options, one of which is building a water treatment facility in Waterloo that will take water from the Santiam River and supply it to both Waterloo and Sodaville.

Waterloo is anticipating a similar water problem to Sodaville's in the next few years, as its wells are close to septic tanks, stoking fears of contamination. That's what happened in Sodaville.

Water history

Back in the old days  the city was incorporated in 1880  when water was abundant, everyone in Sodaville relied on their own well for water. There was even a water pump next to City Hall where criminals would be chained to a bench and sentenced to pump water for the citizens, McHadded said.

But the city switched to a city water system after several hepatitis outbreaks in the late 1970s were linked to well water contaminated by septic tanks.

The idea was, instead of everybody having all these wells all over the place next to contaminated soil, they would just have a couple of different specific city wells to draw from, McHaddad said. People can still use their wells for minimal things, like if you want to water your plants or something like that. But it's kind of at your own risk because of what's in the soil.

The citys 150,000-gallon water tank is difficult to keep full in the increasingly hot and dry summers. Water rates increase when the water runs low, and there are strict ordinances for how residents can use the precious resource.

People can use water for household use and watering edible plants. But watering flowers, filling up pools and washing cars and houses are banned. Anyone who breaks the rule gets a $500 fine and a hefty water bill.

With water so precious, the city has installed new meters that quickly detect leaks throughout town. June saw only a 3.7% water loss. The goal, Public Works Director J D Burns said, is to keep losses below 9%.

The system isnt perfect; it's still got some issues and some bugs Im trying to figure out, he said at the Thursday meeting. But it's obviously saving us a lot.

Proposed solutions

One idea thats been thrown around for several years is a pipeline connecting Lebanon to Sodaville. But the most recent estimate for that project was $6.5 million, a price tag that would take property owners 764 years to pay off if funded with a bond based on the current property tax base.

The city would need legislative or congressional help, or both, to construct the pipeline.

City councilors Adina Olivares and Jeff Hensley expressed that while they would like to have more water in the summertime, they are weary of whatever treatment it would have to undergo that would affect its quality. They like the way their water tastes, and they worry about chlorine or fluoride mucking that up.

Our water is some of the best water around right now, Hensley said. Its hard to give that up.

Other options include constructing a pipeline from Lebanon to Waterloo to Sodaville, or drilling more wells in the hopes of finding enough clean water to keep the city going in the summer months. But Burns said these new wells would likely not fill up in the summer, and the costs associated with building another storage tank would outweigh the benefits.

Despite possible roadblocks to drilling more wells, the council decided to add that idea to the list of solutions to look into, along with the partnership with Waterloo.

The important thing is that nothing's set in stone, McHaddad said. These are all just options we're considering right now.

The city needs to have a concrete plan to submit to the Oregon Legislature by the end of 2022 to make a pitch for funding.

County support

Over the years, Linn County Commissioner Will Tucker has had conversations with city staffers in Sodaville to try to solve the water problem, but they never came to a consensus on any one idea. He said hes hopeful that with some newly elected officials, they will finally be able to work towards progress.

One of the things I had pushed was, if they were going to solve a Sodaville problem, plan it capacity-wise to be one that could also solve Waterloo, Tucker said. I would just hate to have Sodaville done paid for and finished before we realized that we actually have a problem in Waterloo.

Tucker said the county is willing to write letters of support and assist Sodaville in applying for grants to fund a solution.

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He added that he realizes how difficult it is to ask people to make payments for something they already cannot afford, and thats why its important for Sodaville to obtain funding from someplace other than its own residents.

When their money is tight and they are having difficulties making payments, a lot of people regret like heck that you're charging money to put in a fund called contingency or called some master capital project, when today they can't buy their groceries or gas is six bucks a gallon and they can't go into town, he said. I dont envy the folks in Sodaville.
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Who is Borja Escalona? The youtuber who wanted to eat for free and whose channel has been closed by YouTube
In 2019, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office confiscated a total of 607 guns during criminal investigations. In 2021, that number jumped to 791.

By July 15 of this year, deputies had confiscated 465 guns  well ahead of last year's pace.

Baton Rouge Police are seeing a similar trend. Lt. Lorenzo Coleman, commander of the department's Street Crimes Unit, says his team has recovered 363 firearms so far this year. While BRPD couldn't immediately provide previous years' data, Coleman says that's a sizeable increase over last year.

The numbers reflect a trend that law enforcement leaders say is contributing to record-breaking violence in the Baton Rouge area: There are more guns  particularly stolen guns  on the streets.

"Buy a gun for a few dollars"

Of the 363 firearms his unit has recovered, Coleman estimates about a quarter were stolen.

He says the increase in thefts is fueling an underground market that poses a significant danger to local communities. When a gun is stolen, it's much harder for investigators to trace it back to the shooter.

They try to buy it through someone else, he said. On the black market, they can buy a gun for a few dollars off the street.

It's a nationwide problem.

According to the FBI, an estimated 1.2 million firearms  almost half a billion dollars worth of guns  were stolen from private owners nationwide between 2012 and 2015. A 2019 report by gun safety nonprofit Everytown found that the number of guns reported stolen from individuals increased by nearly 60% from 2006 to 2016.

FBI statistics show at least one gun theft takes place in the U.S. every 15 minutes, said Megan OToole, Deputy Research Director at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund.

Experts say one of the reasons for the increase is simple: There are simply more guns around to be stolen.

Firearm purchases soared during the COVID pandemic. A study that analyzed the results of a 2021 National Firearms survey found that gun sales spiked from 13.8 million in 2019 to 16.6 million in 2020.

Most of those buyers already owned guns. But still, 3.8 million Americans became new gun owners during the pandemic, the study found  up from 2.4 million in 2019.

Cars a common target

One trend behind the increase in gun thefts is clear: More guns are being pilfered from vehicles. And, to law enforcement's frustration, those vehicles are often unlocked.

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Thats the easiest target, Coleman said. People dont leave their doors locked, and they dont leave their guns secured.

Of the 1,689 vehicle burglaries EBRSO investigated between January 2021 and June 2022, at least 348 involved gun thefts.

Last month, the sheriff's office said burglars broke into at least 35 cars in one night in the parking lots of hotels and an apartment complex along Siegen Lane. Deputies believe they were looking for weapons.

Ten years ago, less than a quarter of all gun thefts nationwide were from cars, according to FBI data. In 2020, that number rose to over half. The rate of firearm thefts from vehicles increased 225% over the past decade, reaching what O'Toole described as an "alarming" all-time high.

A lack of information

Many gun safety experts say the number of stolen guns may actually be much larger than reported.

Federal law requires licensed gun dealers to report stolen weapons. But only 15 states have similar requirements for private gun owners.

Louisiana is not one of them.

Coleman said a lack of reporting laws means local gun owners have less incentive to document important information about their weapon, like its serial number, so even when people do want to report a stolen gun, they often can't give police what they need.

Sometimes we come across a gun and run it and its not in the system as stolen because the owner didnt enter the serial number, he said. A lot of people dont remember where they have their paperwork, or they dont remember their serial number.

Some states, like New Jersey and Oregon, have gone as far as to implement criminal penalties for those who fail to file reports.

If a gun isnt reported lost or stolen, you dont even necessarily need to take off the serial number, said Nick Wilson, senior director of the Gun Violence Prevention Center for American Progress. It almost becomes a dead end for law enforcement.

As gun thefts  and violent crime  continue to spike nationwide, Coleman said he would support a law requiring Louisiana gun owners to report when their weapons are lost or stolen.

Being able to trace a gun back to its original owner can help detectives solve crimes more quickly, he explained, and also ensure the owner isnt implicated if the weapon resurfaces during a criminal investigation.

In the meantime, BRPD spokesman Lt. Don Coppola said gun holders should always take note of their firearms serial number, make and model. He urged them to be diligent when it comes to keeping their weapons safely stored and away from unauthorized hands.

If a person is committed to breaking in, theyre going to do it, he said, but at least do your part in leaving your gun where its not so easily taken.
COVINGTON COUNTY  A single-vessel crash that occurred at approximately 9:55 p.m. Saturday resulted in the injury of the vessels operator and two of the three passengers onboard, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Justin H. Cauley, 23, of Andalusia was seriously injured when the 16-foot Aluma-craft boat he was operating struck a tree. Two of the three passengers on the vessel were also injured, Elijah C. Courson, 22, of McKenzie and Sierra J. Bakke, 23, also from Andalusia.

Cauley and Courson were transported to Baptist Medical Center South in Montgomery and Bakke was taken to Andalusia Medical for treatment after the crash.

The crash occurred on the Conecuh River just south of the boat ramp on U.S. 29 near Lake Gantt, in Covington County. Nothing further is available as Troopers with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agencys (ALEA) Marine Patrol Division continue to investigate.
Fortescue applied for four exploration leases in March this year near Bridgetown, with the company on the lookout for lithium. Rio Tinto has also applied for 10 exploration leases, across 107,000 hectares of land, from inland of Keysbrook and down to Collie on the hunt for lithium and nickel. The company has been investing big in the commodity after it bought a $825 million lithium mine in Argentina in March. There are environmental concerns in WA over Rio Tintos exploration leases which cover parts of the 250-kilometre long Northern Jarrah Forest, which the International Panel on Climate Change says is in danger of ecological collapse on a warming planet, that itself sits within Australias only global biodiversity hotspot out of 25 in the world.

A map of proposed and operating leases in the Northern Jarrah Forest from Alcoa, South32 and Rio Tinto. Credit:WA Forest Alliance A coalition of environment groups from community level organisations to larger not-for-profits like the Conservation Council, Wilderness Society and WA Forest Alliance have objected to Rio Tintos proposed exploration leases through the states mining warden court. The South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council and three local governments have also objected but this is so the company engages with them as the wardens court is used almost as a quasi-consultation process. Shire of Waroona president Mike Walmsley said it had lodged an objection on several leases, including a water catchment area, because of a lack of information about how exploration would be done. Environmentalists are clear in their concerns and protested Rio Tintos applications to explore the Northern Jarrah Forest  home to many unique and threatened species such as quokkas, black cockatoos, woylies and numbats  on Friday outside the central law courts in Perth.

The Northern Jarrah Forest near Dwellingup ane of the areas where Rio Tinto wants to explore. Credit:Peter de Kruijff A WA Forest Alliance spokesperson said it was sending a clear message to Rio and the state government there was no social licence for mining in the forest. Any attempt by Rio Tinto to clear and mine in these precious, at risk forests will be vehemently opposed, they said. The State of Environment Report confirmed our worst fears about the condition of our natural world and the successive failures to protect it. And people have had enough. We cannot allow for any further clearing of native forests and we will not allow Rio Tinto to get so much as a foothold in the remaining precious jarrah forest ecosystems.

Loading Environmentalists are concerned about the cumulative impact of multiple operations in the Northern Jarrah Forest which is already subject to strip mining by Alcoa and South32 for bauxite, a rock with a high aluminium content. Both Alcoa and South32, which have had state agreements for decades to mine vast swathes of the forests, are currently seeking environmental approvals to expand operations and clear a combined 13,672 hectares of trees and native vegetation. Warden Genevieve Cleary raised concerns on Friday about how one objector to Rio Tintos plans had inadvertently sent an email to the mining department rather than other objectors saying it was brilliant they had jammed the system with appeals. That is an indication to me some of the objectors or one of the objectors at least simply seems intent on jamming the system, she said. And that is no way to run the court.

It is expected many of the environmental objectors will withdraw their appeals and leave it to the larger organisations to continue going through the wardens court. A Rio Tinto spokeswoman said any future exploration, should it be granted, would be done with the companys commitment to sound environmental management and stewardship and in consultation with community stakeholders. The application areas do not contain or overlap reserves or conservation zones with International Union for Conservation of Nature listings, she said. The IUCN has a green list of conservation areas which are certified by the organisation as achieving ongoing results for people and nature in a fair and effective way.

There are just four Australian sites registered on the green list. One of the Rio leases overlaps with the Wellington National Park near Collie. Many of the leases applied for by the mining company cover areas with high conservation value. Even if Rio gets approval for its exploration leases, it does not mean the company would be utilising all of the application area. WA has been a laggard in upgrading the conservation status of many of its state forests for decades. In the latest forest management plan only five out of 265 proposed reserve upgrades were completed.
Controversial religious sect the Exclusive Brethren famously dislikes outsiders snooping in its affairs, and now theyre taking their penchant for privacy online.

The family of Brethren world leader Bruce Hales has been busy in the property market in Sydneys north, with son Dean Hales breaking the suburb record in Epping with the $7.5 million he recently splashed out on a house there.

Church leader Bruce Hales. Credit:Michael Bachelard

The family also owns several properties on two adjoining streets in nearby Eastwood, a handy walk from the local Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

But heres where things get strange. Real estate tragics trying to use Google Maps Street View to sticky-beak on the Hales houses  the one occupied by Bruce is among the suburbs largest properties  will be met with a great big blurred image, kind of freaky to a digital native.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size It is reasonable to imagine that the last years of the life of the last known thylacine were miserable. It was captured in 1933, by which time hunting, land clearing and disease had already killed most of its kind. It was presumed to be a male. It stood just over 60 centimetres high and was nearly two metres from nose to tail. They named it Benjamin and kept it in Hobarts Beaumaris Zoo. In grainy black and white film footage shot in 1935 he can be seen pacing his concrete cage as a fence is shaken by an onlooker seeking to provoke some response for the camera. Benjamin was found dead on the floor on a Monday morning in September the following year after his keepers inadvertently left the door of his sleeping enclosure closed during an unusually cold night. Two months earlier the thylacine had been listed as a protected species. Six years earlier a hunter had bagged the last wild specimen. As close as she will get - a taxidermied Tasmanian Tiger on Display in Melbourne Museum in 2021. Credit:Joe Armao

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The wanton destruction of such an extraordinary animal  a two-metre long carnivorous marsupial that roamed our forests, its males carrying their young in a pouch  is viewed as a national shame. The writer Richard Flanagan would later describe the Tasmanian tiger as a lost object of awe, one more symbol of our feckless ignorance and stupidity. You would be forgiven for thinking that it marked a turning point. Youd be wrong. Fast-forward to 2009, when scientists began warning the federal government that the Christmas Island pipistrelle was in dire need of help. The Christmas Island pipistrelle bat was once abundant. Credit:Lindy Lumsden The pipistrelle is, or was, a microbat weighing just under five grams that lived in the forests of the remote Australian island just south of Java. Though abundant until around 25 years ago in the early years of the new century scientists began warning its numbers had collapsed dramatically. Some, including Tim Flannery, appealed to the government for help. With a few hundred thousand dollars a breeding program might be established.

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A committee conferred and then the environment minister of the time, Peter Garrett, rejected the proposal. The committee has confirmed what we feared; the pipistrelle is in severe decline and extinction in the wild is almost inevitable, he said. There were unacceptably high risks involved in embarking on an immediate captive breeding program. The bats are also very hard to catch and no one knows how to keep them alive for breeding. It is thought the last one died in 2009. We dont know precisely what happened to it, wrote Flannery in a sad and angry piece for the Herald a few years later when the extinction was confirmed. Perhaps it landed on a leaf at dawn after a night feeding on moths and mosquitoes, and was torn to pieces by fire ants; perhaps it succumbed to a mounting toxic burden placed on its tiny body by insecticide spraying. Or maybe it was simply worn out with age and ceaseless activity, and died quietly in its tree hollow  With its passing, an entire species winked out of existence. This week the federal governments publication of the five-yearly State of the Environment report confirmed what scientists already knew  that not only has Australia failed to act fast enough on climate change, arrest its logging or properly husband its precious water resources, we are still killing off our unique fauna at a horrifying rate.

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The report, the product of two years work by experts found that the number of species listed as threatened rose 8 per cent since 2016. Worse, experts predict that over the coming two decades the northern hopping-mouse, the rock-rat, the Christmas Island flying fox, and the black-footed tree-rat could all go extinct. This is what frustrates Professor Brendan Wintle, a global leader in conservation ecology based at the University of Melbourne. While in some countries the listing of an animal as threatened marks tends to mark a turnaround in its numbers, in Australia it is often simply a milestone on that animals march to extinction. A bald eagle carrying a branch lands in its nest atop a tree overlooking the Raccoon River in 2018 at Grays Lake Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Credit:AP Four years after Benjamin died of exposure in Tasmania the North American bald eagle was recognised as being at risk. Like the Thylacine its numbers had plummeted due to hunting and habitat destruction. At the time Congress was preparing for the possibility that it might be dragged into the spreading world war and was appalled at the potential propaganda implications of the extinction of its fierce national emblem. It resolved that the bald eagle was no longer a mere bird of biological interest but a symbol of the American ideals of freedom and outlawed the killing or disturbing of bald eagles or their eggs.

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After the war the numbers began to decline again. The pesticide DDT had leached into the nations waterways. Eagles ingested the poison from the fish they hunted causing their eggs to thin and crack before their young hatched. When there were fewer than 400 breeding pairs left outside of Alaska the bald eagle was listed as endangered hin 1967. In the years that followed, DDT was banned and eagles habitats were protected by law, as part of a rehabilitation effort that included biologists and ornithologists going so far as to glue together cracks in fragile eggs, drive and fly chicks around the country to be raised by surrogates and even building nesting stands in areas denuded of appropriate trees. In August 2007, the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list and the population is now estimated to be well over 300,000. It had been rescued by the coordinated efforts of state and federal governments, scientists, researchers and volunteers, all backed by legal mandate. In US endangered species legislation compels action, explains Wintle. When an animal is listed authorities must act. Critical habitat must be protected and funds for rehabilitation efforts supplied. Under the relevant Australian law, the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, listing does not guarantee funding and action is taken at the discretion of the federal minister  a minister who serves in a cabinet with competing interests over land use and allocation of scarce resources.

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A man has been charged with the murder of a woman whose body was discovered dumped in bushland in Sydneys Hills District on Saturday evening.

The body is yet to be formally identified but is believed to be that of missing woman Shereen Kumar, 43. Police were told that Kumar vanished while dressed in her pyjamas after leaving her home on Taylors Road in Dural on Wednesday night.

The body was located just before 6pm on Saturday by police scouring bushland off Laurie Road at Dural, a few minutes drive from Kumars home.

The accused man, 37-year-old Vincent Carlino, was arrested later that evening at a home on Taylors Road in Dural and was taken to Hornsby police station where he was charged with the domestic-related murder of the woman.
The severely damaged national treasure 'Em Thuy' (Little Thuy) painted by artist Tran Van Can has been painstakingly restored by foreign experts.

The restored artwork, bestowed national treasure status in 2013, is currently on display on the second floor of Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi.

Besides using professional lightning for display, 'Em Thuy' and other paintings, artifacts are held in a room with temperatures between 20 to 25 degrees Celsius and humidity from 50 to 55 percent all day and night.

'Em Thuy' painted by Tran Van Can on display at Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Nhan

In 2003, many degraded artworks here were in serious need of restoration.

'Em Thuy', created in 1943, was chosen as the first piece for restoration. At the time, the picture surface was obscured by dust, soot, smoke and insect feces. The canvas was blistering, flaking and warping. The old painting also suffered cracking while some sections had peeled due to hot and humid environmental conditions.

Caroline Fry - a painting conservator from the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation of the University of Melbourne, Australia - was invited to Vietnam to restore 'Em Thuy' in 2004.

The restoration process took place in the preservation laboratory of Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, including seven steps prescribed by international regulations and standards.

First, the expert examined the current state of the original painting and took pictures of it. The next step involved using a heated knife to smooth the paint chips and placing silicone-coated paper on top, which would not adhere to the surface of the paint.

Step three involved using a cotton swab dipped in a triammonium citrate solution to gently remove varnish.

The expert discovered a layer of opaque varnish beneath the surface of the stains, raising suspicions of prior restoration attempts. This meant the paint had to be removed using chemicals. A paraloid B72 solution was applied to the surface to protect the artist's original strokes. She also used a broom to remove dust on the back of the painting.

Step four involved treating the peeled paint. Fry applied a protective paint layer, restoring certain parts with watercolor and specialized pigments.

Thuy's face - the soul of the picture  had suffered extensive peeling and damage, requiring intricate attention. Fry used watercolor to fill in the gaps, making it easier to remove in future, then used synthetic resin. The final coating was the exact same color, gloss and texture as the original.

Step five involved making a new frame, and patching surface tears with plastic stickers.

Besides, she repaired and reinforced the picture frame, especially corner joints, to provide stability before placing the painting in a new glass frame.

The final two steps included taking pictures and making reports. The entire process took the expert four months to complete.

The work was handed over to Vietnam Fine Arts Museum on June 28, 2004.

Currently, inspection and conservation of paintings and artifacts are carried out regularly. If a problem is detected, staff will report it to the repair and restoration center for immediate processing.

A close-up of 'Em Thuy' painting after restoration. Photo courtesy of Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum

'Em Thuy' is one of the outstanding portrait paintings of the country's modern painting. The work depicts Thuy, an eight years old real girl, with big round black eyes, plump lips, chubby cheeks and side-parted hair looking straight at the opposite person.

The little girl sat on the left side of the picture and her hands clasped on her lap. The brown rattan chair with curves creates a balanced composition for the painting. The light-colored clothes harmonize with the pale yellow wall behind.

According to the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tran Van Can's artworks carry the influence of the typical European-style layout of the early 20th century. The 'Em Thuy' painting is recognized as a national treasure because it is unique and has been recognized by historical researchers. The work represents the art of realistic depiction, as well as the genre of Vietnamese portrait painting in the early 20th century. This artwork also contributes to reflecting the image of Vietnamese society before the August Revolution against the French and Japanese colonial rule in August 1945.

The character in the picture is Minh Thuy - the granddaughter of painter Tran Van Can. One day in 1943, when he saw his granddaughter wearing a pink Ha Dong silk shirt, he told her to sit down and act as a model for him to draw. At that time, Minh Thuy was studying at the Ecole Brieux primary school for girls.

It took the painter several months to complete this masterpiece.

The work was first introduced at the exhibition in Hanoi in 1943. The painting later helped Tran Van Can win the first prize at the exhibition of Khai Tri Tien Duc Association (AFIMA -l'Association pour la Formation Intellectuelle et Morale des Annamites).

Later, due to the war, the family was evacuated, so the work was lost.

In 1964, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum purchased paintings from the family of photographer Do Huan for VND300.

At that time, the salary of newly graduated civil servants was only VND64 a month. The painting was then peeled, mottled, and had to be placed in a special preservation place.

Thuy is now 87 years old in real life, living with her children and grandchildren in Hanoi. She suffered from memory loss and many diseases of old age, no longer remembering when she was eight years old and sitting in the chair as a model for Can.

Expert Caroline Fry once said she was overwhelmed by the beauty of the painting when she first saw it.

"Even in poor condition, the work still exudes charm and is not an exaggeration to call the Mona Lisa of Vietnam," she said.

Tran Van Can (1910-1994) was from Bac Ninh Province. He graduated as valedictorian of the seventh class (1931-1936) of Indochina College of Fine Arts.

The painter received the Ho Chi Minh Prize for literature and art in 1996 and many other professional awards.
Sydney has endured a rough run of summers, sullied by bushfire and smoke, COVID restrictions, rain and floods. This summer, the city will be without one of its favourite beaches.

The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed inclement weather has delayed the replacement of the Nielsen Park seawall by several months, meaning it will not be finished until next year.

Works to replace the seawall at Shark Beach, Vaucluse, began in March 2022 but have been dogged by relentless rain. Credit:Dean Sewell

NPWS is rebuilding the concrete seawall at Shark Beach next to Nielsen Park in Vaucluse. The 160-metre barrier, built in the 1930s, was badly damaged during storms in 2016 and has reached the end of its serviceable life, the agency says.

The project began in March and was scheduled for completion by December, just in time for the busy summer period. At the time, NPWS said it had budgeted a number of days for adverse weather but warned extended bad weather could delay completion.
The week before, the school had three days of partial remote learning: year 11 students, except for Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning and vocational education and training students, worked from home on the Tuesday and Thursday; and year 12 students on the Wednesday. Its the new norm. We dont want to close down completely. We dont want to be online, we want to be here. We are trying to all work together and thats whats going to get us through, he said. Catholic Education Commission Victoria executive director Jim Miles said schools were using a range of measures to provide safe learning environments, including ventilation and outdoor learning spaces where practicable. Education Minister Natalie Hutchins said air purifiers had been distributed to Victorian schools, which provided good protection but there was nothing better than having the window open.

Sometimes that is not practical when its 1 degree, like this morning, and if students and parents want to bring blankets along to stay warm, then that is fine, she said. Temperatures in Melbourne last week dropped below 1 degree, and for four days in a row it was below 5 degrees in the morning. Loading This week is forecast to be slightly warmer, with minimum temperatures between 9 degrees on Monday and 6 degrees on Friday. Blackburn Primary School principal Andrew Cock said the school was running its air purifiers all day and every day and strongly encouraging families, as well as teachers, to wear masks.

He said while the school was not encouraging students to wear winter coats or bring blankets to school, it would not be challenging them if they did. When you have the last couple of days in some areas where its minus degrees, we wouldnt have an issue if children are wearing an extra coat to keep themselves extra warm, he said. He said some teachers had windows open with the heating on, so you didnt require additional blankets or clothes, it was still quite warm. Australian Principals Federation president Tina King said schools were using combinations of air purifiers, masks, social distancing and ventilation, and she hoped common sense would prevail. If its zero degrees and windows and doors are open, and [students] are coming to school in shorts and a T-shirt, of course they are going to freeze. I know schools are making exceptions if children want to wear an added layer of clothing, she said.

A Department of Education spokesperson said it was advising schools to take a commonsense approach, using air purifiers with heaters during winter months. Schools should not keep windows and doors open in these cold conditions  we have delivered more than 130,000 air purifiers to support schools to manage the risks of COVID while keeping staff and students comfortable, they said. Students at Catholic Regional College in Sydenham preparing for the return to school in 2020. Credit:Chris Hopkins Schools have been advised to consider the weather before opening windows and doors, and to only do so for short periods during bad weather. We will continue working with our schools to help reduce the spread of illness and ensure students remain in face-to-face learning.
The Victorian Liberal Party has preselected a sceptic of ambitious climate change targets, as well as a candidate who argues transgenderism exists only in the minds of believers, threatening Opposition Leader Matthew Guys push to present a more progressive face at Novembers state election.

Evan Mulholland, from the right-leaning Institute of Public Affairs, is a staunch critic of climate targets and efforts to boost renewable energy. On Sunday, he was preselected to replace state opposition multicultural affairs spokesman Craig Ondarchie in a winnable position in Victorias upper house.

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy addressing the media in May after a Liberal Party meeting resulted in controversial MP Bernie Finn being expelled from the party. Credit:Joe Armao

And on Saturday, Liberal Party branch members selected socially conservative councillor Moira Deeming, a vocal critic of the Safe Schools relationships program, who said she would rather be sacked from her job as a teacher than canvass the programs sleazy, unnecessary drivel in her class.

She will replace controversial MP Bernie Finn, who was kicked out of the Liberal Party in May after refusing to tone down his views on abortion, including calling for a ban on abortions in Victoria, even for rape victims. Deeming last year described abortion as a terrible evil.
Speaking to journalists in London this week, Col Pam Melroy, deputy administrator of NASA, said: One of the big questions Thomas asked is, We have a ton of satellites looking down at the Earth; are any of them useful?

The inquiry is being led by Dr Thomas Zurbuchen, of NASAs Science Mission Directorate, who has now begun investigating whether satellites in orbit could be repurposed to give another view on strange aerial phenomena reported from Earth.

NASA said it was looking into whether existing satellites could be used to monitor for UFOs. Credit:ESA/ATG/AP

London: The US space agency NASA is looking into repurposing satellites that are already in space to hunt for aliens.

Before you build a rover thats going to Mars, you ask yourself, Whats the sensor I have to build to detect the most interesting thing? How would you get the evidence that you need to be able to determine if its an optical phenomena or some other kind [of phenomena]?

Bill Nelson, NASAs administrator, told reporters that he had read all the classified documents relating to UFOs and was convinced that nobody knew what they were.

The contrail from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is seen from Long Beach, California, in 2017. Credit:AP

Asked why NASA was embarking on such a fringe subject, Nelson said one of the agencys remits was to hunt for life outside Earth. He pointed out that in the past, even the greatest scientists had been disbelieved or ridiculed, including Galileo  condemned in the 17th century for saying the Earth revolved around the Sun  and Edwin Hubble, who in the 1920s proved many objects thought to be clouds of dust and gas were galaxies.

One of our missions is to reach out to see if there is life  thats why we are digging on Mars right now, he said. Is there the possibility of life in something as big as the Universe? Of course there is the chance that, in somewhere as big as that, conditions similar to Earth existed, and some other kind of life form developed.
He continued: Do you really think, with what were seeing  with the riots that have happened, that we should not have something to defend our families with? This is why we have the Second Amendment. The rhetoric is bracing, if not entirely new. One Republican told his audience that the phony riot on January 6 was being weaponised against anybody who dissents against what the government is telling us. Credit:AP Left-leaning commentators made liberal use of the word fascism to describe Trumps presidency. The baseless theory that president Barack Obama was undermining American power as a foreign agent was popular with some Republicans, including Trump, who succeeded Obama in the White House. Many Democrats saw the backlash to Obama as specific to his race, and saw Biden as unlikely to inspire mass opposition to Trump in the presidential election. But many Republicans also portray Biden as a malevolent figure  a vessel for a hateful leftist campaign to weaken America.

Its purposeful, said former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who is running in next months special election for the states sole House seat, in an interview with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. Its all about the fundamental transformation of America. You only fundamentally transform something for which you have disdain. Loading That argument has been dramatised in ads that, for instance, show one armed candidate appearing to charge into the home of a political enemy, and another warning of the mob that threatens ordinary Americans. In many cases the candidates are brandishing firearms while threatening harm to liberals or other enemies. In central Florida, US Army veteran Cory Mills has run ads about his company selling tear gas that was used to quell riots in 2020. You may have seen some of our work, he says, introducing a montage of what are labelled antifa, radical left, and Black Lives Matter protesters running from the gas. (Antifa, a movement of historically modest numbers, has been routinely described as a cause of widespread violence in America by rightwing commentators, including former President Donald Trump.)

In north-west Ohio, a campaign video for Republican congressional nominee J.R. Majewski shows him walking through a dilapidated factory, holding a semiautomatic weapon, warning that Democrats will destroy our economy with purposefully bad policies. Their agenda is bringing America to its knees, and I am willing to do whatever it takes, says Majewski, whos seeking a House seat in a district around Toledo that has been redrawn to make Representative Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat, beatable. If I have to kick down doors, thats just what patriots do. In Missouri, Republican Senate candidate Eric Greitens has issued two ads this summer in which he holds or fires weapons, vowing to go RINO hunting - for Republicans in Name Only - in one ad and targeting the political establishment in the second. Dreading deep losses in November, some Democrats have spent money to help Republican candidates who talk this way under the theory that they will be easier to beat in November. The Democratic Governors Association spent more than $US1.1 million on positive ads for Cox, as he was telling voters that they might one day have to battle antifa with their own weapons.

Candidates like Majewski, however, have won with no assistance from Democrats, aided instead by high turnout and grass-roots energy. The idea that the Biden administrations policies are designed to fail  to raise petrol prices, or increase the cost of food  is a popular campaign theme. Pollsters have found that Americans are worried about the country sticking together; a YouGov poll released last month had a majority of both Democrats and Republicans agreeing that America would one day cease to be a democracy. Republican wins since 2020, including a sweep in Virginias state elections and victory in a special election in June between two Hispanic candidates in South Texas, havent lightened the GOP mood. Andy Surabian, a Republican strategist who works with Trump-backed US Senate candidates J.D. Vance in Ohio and Blake Masters in Arizona, said that last years vaccine-or-test mandate for large companies was a turning point in views of the Biden administration, even after it was blocked by the Supreme Courts conservative majority. Its the number one thing that caused people to go from maybe this is incompetence to theres something else going on here, Surabian said. Like, do these people actually want a Chinese-style social credit system? Rick Shaftan, a conservative strategist working with Republican challengers this cycle, said that the partys voters were nervously watching crime rates in the cities, asking whether public safety was being degraded on purpose. He also pointed to government responses to the pandemic as a reason that those voters, and their candidates, were nervous.

People paid a lot of attention to the truckers, said Shaftan, referring to Canadian protests against vaccine mandates that occupied Ottawa this year and briefly shut down an international bridge. Canadas supposed to be a democracy. . . . People worry: Can that happen here? The arrests of hundreds of rioters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, has frequently been cited by Republican candidates as proof of a government war on its people. In early July, at a town hall meeting in south-west Washington state, Republican congressional hopeful Joe Kent told his audience that the phony riot on January 6 was being weaponised against anybody who dissents against what the government is telling us, from parents angry about public school education to people who had questioned the outcome of the 2020 election. These are the types of tactics that I would see in Third World countries when I was serving overseas, Kent told the crowd gathered in a gazebo in Rochester, one of the towns currently represented by Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler, a Republican. Youd see the Praetorian guard or the intelligence services grab the opposition and throw them in the dungeons. I never thought Id see that in America. Trump himself has frequently accused President Joe Biden of trying to ruin the country and create conflict to maintain power.

Joe Biden helped lead his partys vile campaign against our police officers, and then he carried the rioters agenda straight into the White House, Trump told supporters at a rally in Las Vegas last month, joined by Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, the GOP nominee for governor. The streets are flowing with the blood of innocent crime victims. After a draft Supreme Court opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organisation overturning federal abortion rights was leaked in early May, a group calling itself Janes Revenge took credit for vandalism against crisis pregnancy centres, where women are discouraged from terminating their pregnancies. Those incidents quickly made it into political ads that asked why Democrats were not more strongly condemning violence. Some Republicans also point to a California mans alleged assassination plot against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was among the majority in Dobbs. Radical liberals are behaving like terrorists, calling for a summer of rage, says a narrator in a new ad from Catholic Vote, a conservative group spending $US3 million this month to target vulnerable Democratic members of the House. An assassination attempt on a Supreme Court justice. Domestic terrorists calling it open season.  Several have echoed Vance, the Hillbilly Elegy author, who has argued that the rise in fentanyl deaths looks like an intentional result of the Biden administrations border policies  a way for an unpopular president to punish the people who didnt vote for him.
Ruby Roman, the worlds most expensive grape once sold for VND11 million (US$468) per bunch in Vietnam, now sells at less than one-tenth the price. Their authenticity is being questioned.

Many fruit shops in Hanoi and HCMC are selling Ruby Roman grapes, exclusive to the Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa, at VND550,000-700,000 ($23.4-29.8) a bunch that weighs 400-700 grams.

The volume of Ruby Roman grapes imported to Vietnam used to be very small, given its very high price. But, for more than a month now, the Vietnamese market has been flooded with grapes sold as Ruby Roman.

Hoa, the owner of a fruit shop in Hanoi, said she had just imported 10 boxes of Ruby Roman grapes and they sold out quickly.

Loan, a fruit wholesaler in HCMC, has imported four batches of Ruby Roman grapes since mid-June. Each batch had about 150 bunches and all of them have been sold, she said.

A box of grapes being sold as Ruby Roman in the Vietnamese market are kept in a box meant for Queen Nina grapes. Photo provided by the seller

Many shops in Vietnam assert that they are selling Ruby Roman, the Japanese grape variety, but grown in Taiwan instead of Ishikawa.

However, veteran businesspeople say that the grapes marketed as Ruby Roman in Vietnam could actually be similar looking ones imported from Taiwan and mainland China.

Hanh, manager of an imported fruit shop chain in HCMC, said the grapes introduced as Ruby Roman are similar to the authentic one in terms of appearance, but different in terms of sweetness and size.

Nguyen Ngoc Huyen, CEO of Mia Group, which used to officially import Ruby Roman grapes from Japan, said some shops in Vietnam have imported Queen Nina grapes from Taiwan and sold them as Ruby Roman.

Ruby Roman grapes grown in Ishikawa, central Japan, first appeared in the market in 2008.

At an auction in 2020, one bunch of Ruby Roman grapes sold for US$12,000, about $400 per grape.

Each Ruby Roman grape must weigh at least 20 grams and have a sugar content of at least 18 percent, it was reported then.
Police investigators inspect the crime scene after a shooting at the Ateneo de Manila University, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 24, 2022. (Adrian Portugal/Reuters)

Former Mayor, Body Guards Assassinated During Daughters Graduation Ceremony at Top Philippines University

MANILAThree people died in a shooting at a university graduation ceremony in the Philippines capital region on Sunday, including a former mayor from the volatile south of the country, police said.

Local Quezon City police chief Remus Medina said the shooting was an assassination of the former mayor of the southern Lamitan city, Rose Furigay. The former businesswoman from a political family is the second leader of the Province of Basilan to be killed in political violence.

The suspect Dr. Chao Tiao Yumol, wounded in a shootout with a campus security officer and arrested after a car chase, was now in custody and being interrogated, Medina told reporters.

He looks like he was a determined assassin, Medina said, adding he was found with two pistols.

Quezon is part of the Manila capital region, an urban sprawl of 16 cities home to more than 13 million people.

Furigay was shot as she was about to attend the graduation of her daughter, Hannah Furigay, at the law school of Ateneo de Manila University, one of the countrys most prestigious, Medina said. Hannah was wounded during the attack and rushed to the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City.

The other two victims were Furigays security detail, Victor George Capistrano and Ateneo security guard Jeneven Bandiala.

Yumol who had no relatives at the graduation, was also a native of Lamitan city in Basilan province, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a pro-ISIS terrorist group known for its banditry and kidnapping.

Furigay, a Christian, passed orders for the police and military to counter Islamist extremism during her time in office.

The two others killed were a campus security officer and an unidentified male, the police said.

Ateneo cancelled the graduation ceremony after the shooting.

Police investigators carry the body of one of the three people who died during a shooting at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 24, 2022. (Adrian Portugal/Reuters)

In the Southeast Asian nation, shooting incidents are sporadic, with owners required to have permits to carry guns in public. Private security officers in the Philippines carry either handguns or shotguns, and firearms are a common sight in shopping malls, offices, banks, restaurants, and even schools.

We commit our law enforcement agencies to thoroughly and swiftly investigate these killings and bring all involved to justice, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said in a statement.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Children pictured in a classroom at Waterview Primary School in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 4, 2018. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Alarming Rate of Failure in New Literacy and Numeracy Exams in New Zealand

A pilot program for a new literacy and numeracy high school assessment in New Zealand has revealed the alarming deterioration in education standards, demonstrating an urgent need for education reform, according to an expert.

New Zealands National Certificate of Education Achievement (NCEA), the qualification for senior secondary school students, is undergoing changes to ensure results correlate more closely to actual literacy and numeracy skills.

However, the results of a trial run of the new assessments revealed that just over one-third of students reached the writing standard, and around two-thirds reached the reading and numeracy standards.

Michael Johnston, an education expert for the think tank New Zealand Initiative, said it would be difficult to introduce a change that would result in fewer students receiving qualifications.

Yet it is imperative new requirements are not laid aside altogether, he said.

Johnston told The Epoch Times that the alarming rate of failure was not due to the difficulty of the exams but primarily caused by poor teaching standards.

The tests are about right. They are pitched to test the levels of literacy and numeracy that are required to live and work in an information-rich society, and they seem to be valid and reliable, he said. The problem is that we dont teach these things properly at primary school level.

Johnston believes the education department should move forward with the standards of the reformed assessments but that it should not be a corequisite for obtaining an NCEA certificate.

Students can be credentialed at an appropriate level of literacy and numeracy, but we wont get a situation where only a third or fewer students get an NCEA certificate, he said.

Senior students attend school in Auckland, New Zealand, on Oct. 26, 2021. (Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Falling Standards From Teachers and Students

To address the root issue, Johnston said there was an urgent need for literacy and numeracy teaching at a primary level with a scientifically proven, structured approach.

In 2014, the Tertiary Education Commission found that in a sample of 800 students, over 40 percent were functionally illiterate and innumerate.

According to OECDs PISA rankings, the maths skills of 15-year-olds today fell over one year behind 15-year-olds 20 years ago.

[Radical teaching reform] needs to be the political will from a minister of education, Johnston said, adding that after teaching standards have successfully elevated, the assessment can be reintroduced as a requirement of NCEA.

However, another emerging issue that has contributed to the declining education standards is the decline in school attendance, which accelerated during COVID-19.

If [students are] not turning up at school, it doesnt matter what the teaching method is liketheyre not going to learn, Johnston said.

The New Zealand government has set new attendance targets in an attempt to stem spiralling truancy rates.

In June, Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti announced a national school attendance target of increasing the number of students who regularly attend (90 percent attendance) to 70 percent in 2024.

School attendance is a long-term challenge, and many will be surprised to know it has been gradually declining across the board since 2015.

The trend has been further accelerated by COVID-19 and now sits at around 60 percent of students who turn up 90 percent of the time, she said.
Baltimore Progressive Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby Defeated in Reelection Bid

Marilyn Mosby, Baltimores high-profile progressive prosecutor who was indicted on federal charges, has been defeated in her bid for reelection as the citys states attorney in the Democratic Party primary.

Ivan Bates, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, won with 30,486 votes or about 40 percent; Thiru Vignarajah, 31 percent; and Mosby, 29 percent, according to results released by the Maryland State Board of Elections.

Bates criticized Mosby, a two-term incumbent, on the campaign trail over what he called the mismanagement and incompetence of her office. He often said that he ran to make Baltimore safer.

I am humble, grateful, and excited that Baltimore decided it was time for a change, and the voters have placed their trust and belief in me, Bates wrote to his supporters in an email announcing his victory on July 23.

The job of helping build a safer Baltimore is a tremendous challenge. I am ready to leadand to work with collaborators of all stripes to help make that a reality.

During Mosbys two terms, homicides in Baltimore rose steadily, averaging 333 every year between 2015 and 2021. This years numbers are on track to surpass those of 2021, according to Baltimore Police Department data.

During Mosbys predecessor Gregg Bernsteins final term, the city had a yearly average of 215 murders.

To fight crime, Bates proposes a five-point prosecution plan (pdf), including putting more resources into prosecuting illegal gun possessors, users, and traffickers, according to his campaign website.

He ran against Mosby in the 2018 primary and lost.

City states attorney Marilyn Mosby (C) departs the courthouse in Baltimore on June 23, 2016. (Bryan Woolston/Reuters)

Mosby wrote in a social media post to her supporters on July 23: I am grateful to my family and my colleagues in the States Attorneys office for their commitment to our city and all their hard work on behalf of the citizens of Baltimore. We have so much to be proud of and I am forever indebted to so many for their love, support, and partnership over these past eight years.

She ran her reelection campaign on her record of reducing the population behind bars, holding police officers accountable for their actions, and reviewing convictions for potential exoneration.

A former city prosecutor and wife of a Baltimore councilman, Mosby unseated incumbent Bernstein in 2014 after a robust grassroots campaign.

Months after she took office, she grabbed national headlines by prosecuting six police officers over the death of Freddie Gray. However, all charges, including murder and manslaughter, were later dropped.

Mosby also fired a slew of veteran prosecutors upon taking office, including a 20-year veteran in the middle of an armed robbery trial against a violent repeat offender. She instead hired young, inexperienced lawyers to fill the posts.

Many veterans resigned, including Roya Hanna, who now works as a defense attorney.

In a previous interview, Hanna told The Epoch Times that while working as a defense attorney, she saw the quality of prosecution plummet under Mosby, from plea offers to trial performance.

These prosecutors are young, and they dont know what they dont know. There is such a high turnover that they dont have many old guards around to seek guidance from, Hanna told The Epoch Times.

Hanna is running as an independent in the race and will face Bates in the general election. Baltimore is heavily Democratic, and there is no Republican candidate in the race.

At the height of the pandemic, Mosby also stopped prosecuting nine categories of nonviolent, low-level crimes, including drug possession, prostitution, and trespassing. She later made the policy permanent.

In January, Mosby was indicted on federal charges of perjury and making false mortgage applications. She allegedly made false applications to withdraw retirement money to purchase a vacation home in Florida. Mosby has pleaded not guilty on all charges.

In a February status report, federal prosecutors said they anticipated the trial to take place in days.

However, U.S. District Judge Lydia Griggsby later agreed to Mosbys request to postpone the trial date until after the Democratic primary. The trial is scheduled to begin on Sept. 19.
Benson and Bussey: Time to Reassess the Canadian Judicial Council?

Commentary

A complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council was recently filed concerning comments made by the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC).

The complaint alleged that Justice Wagners comments on the trucker convoy protests in Ottawa, published by Le Devoir on April 9, 2022, fit the definition of a reasonable apprehension of bias and an appearance of partiality. There are currently several cases in the courts challenging the federal governments invocation of the Emergencies Act to quell the protests that may well end up before Chief Justice Wagner.

On June 23, the Canadian Judicial Council (CJC) rejected the complaint in a four-page letter signed by Jacqueline Corado, acting executive director. She concluded, Considering that your complaint is unsupported, is largely based on a hypothetical scenario, is manifestly without substance, and does not concern judicial conduct, it does not warrant further consideration by the Council.

We believe that the perfunctory dismissal of the complaint by the CJC raises cause for concern.

The CJC was created by Parliament in 1971 to maintain and improve the quality of judicial services in Canadas superior courts. It has the power and duty to ensure the proper conduct of federally appointed judges and is chaired by the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.

The CJC plays an important role in maintaining the peoples confidence in the judiciary. That trust is undermined when judges fail to show prudence in commenting on the delicate political issues of the day. Our society rightly insists on the separation of powers between the three branches of governmentthat is, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. Appropriate distance must be maintained lest the procedures of justice be seen as falling captive to politics.

The prime minister and the federal cabinet appoint all federal judges. The prime minister appoints all SCC judges and all chief justices at the federal level. Therefore, political considerations are evident in judicial appointments.

However, there exists a long-standing principle in our free and democratic society that judges are not to be political, whether in or out of court. The reason is simple: Judges are to be unbiased and independent. Every Canadian expects nothing less than the highest standards of neutrality from those hearing their cases. It builds confidence that everyone is equal under the law. The judge will be fair and just and will come to each case with an unprejudiced mind to make the best objective assessment according to the law.

Unsupported

Given the public nature of Justice Wagners comments, it cannot be said that the complainants position is unsupported. Justice Wagners statements were published openly in Le Devoir. Sufficient time has passed for him to at least clarify his comments to the CJC and to the complainants. Instead, Justice Wagner has doubled down on his criticisms of the convoy using even stronger language; in his annual press conference in June 2022, he referred to the effects of the winter protests as deplorable, saying they should never happen again.

Hypothetical Scenario

While the CJCs concern about the hypothetical nature of the complaint against Justice Wagner may have some merit, in that there is currently no case before him, there is a further issue that is not addressed by the CJC.

Chief Justice Wagner is the chair of the CJC itself.

As chair, when he is faced with a complaint against his own conduct as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, there must be an open and transparent process to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.

The holder of the highest judicial office of the land should be expected to follow the strictest ethical standards. Justice Wagner himself has acknowledged that we [judges] simply have to hold ourselves to a higher standard in order to ensure public trust and respect.

Indeed, even if there was no preferential treatment or undue influence in the handling of this complaint, the mere appearance of a conflict could compromise Canadians faith in the legal system.

Manifestly Without Substance

Justice Wagner was reported by Le Devoir as stating: What we have seen recently on Wellington Street here is the beginning of anarchy where some people have decided to take other citizens hostage, to take the law into their own hands, not to respect the mechanism.  That, I find that, worrying.

According to Justice Wagner, the convoy included remotely guided people seeking to bypass the political system.

The article insisted that forced blows against the state, justice and democratic institutions like the one delivered by protestors  must be denounced with force, and this by all the figures of power in the country, believes Mr. Wagner.

The expressions of the chief justice, as conveyed by the journalist, are certainly not lacking in substance. Nor are the concerns of the complainants, who observed that the chief justice appeared to have reached a number of conclusions about the objectives, methods, processes and the actions of the participants of the convoy before hearing any evidence on these questions. These matters are relevant to the ongoing legal challenges against the governments use of the Emergencies Act. Hearing such condemnatory language from the chief justice could certainly leave litigants questioning the impartiality of the judicial system.

Does Not Concern Judicial Conduct

This finding is simply incorrect and obviously so. Under the heading Judicial Duties, the Commentary to Part V of the CJCs Ethical Principles for Judges, on impartiality, states that Judges have a fundamental obligation to be and to appear to be impartial.  Judges should avoid using words or conduct, in and out of court, that might give rise to a reasonable perception of bias (emphasis added).

The document underscores further that out of court statements by a judge concerning issues of public controversy may undermine impartiality.  The perception of partiality will be reinforced if the judges activities attract criticism and/or rebuttal. This in turn tends to undermine public confidence in the judiciary.

Does Not Warrant Further Consideration by the Council

As outlined above, the CJCs determinations are insufficient to deal properly with the complaint. If the council is truly concerned with fostering public confidence through increased transparency, then this matter clearly does warrant further consideration. The CJC should do its job properly and analyze what measures could be taken to reassure litigants in relation to the truckers protests.

In fact, Justice Wagner himself is well aware, in other contexts, of the inappropriateness of judges taking sides on political issues. In 2012, when he was first appointed to the Supreme Court, he portrayed himself as a fervent advocate of an impartial and non-politicized judiciary, saying repeatedly it is the guarantee of democracy and the rule of law. Even as the protests were unfolding in Ottawa, he was quoted by the Canadian Bar Association as saying that We [judges] dont get involved in public debatethats the job of elected officials.

Elaborating on the same themes in a more recent article for the Hill Times, the learned chief justice distinguished between the political and judicial role when he wrote:

[Politicians] ensure the state responds to what the people need and want, based on the tenor of the times. But the times can go awry, as history has shown us. The judiciary is meant to be a check on that. Judges dont decide based on whats popular. We decide based on whats right, in the context of our legal traditions and rule of law.  At the Supreme Court, of course, we take the broadest view possible, in deciding what is right while considering the context of all Canadians. Our independence is crucial for this.  We cant be complacent. We must avoid actions that will disrupt the delicate balance Canadians throughout history have worked so hard to get right.

Upon reading statements from the chief justice about controversies, such as the trucker convoy, before evidence has been adduced or tested in the courts, a reasonable person could well conclude that he has already made up his mind. This is certainly not how disputes over fundamental issues such as freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the declaration of emergency powers should be determined. That is for full judicial process, not press interviews.

The delicate balance of democracy is not served by the chief justice engaging in extrajudicial interviews in the popular press: His settled opinion on central questions should never be uttered publicly before anything has been formally argued in the courts. Judges around the world know this and there are many examples of judges refusing to be drawn into revealing public opinions on matters that may come before the court. The reason for this reticence is in the CJCs rules, but not, apparently, in the chief justices conduct.

Further, it should not be lost that the chief justices stated opinions on the trucker convoy may have an effect on the current deliberations in the lower courts. And lets not forget the current context of the judicial inquiry being undertaken by Justice Paul Rouleau on the invocation of the Emergencies Act powers by the prime minister.

Given the importance of the CJCs mandate, we believe it is time for Parliament to reassess its structure and function. The CJC needs to sort out how it will address complaints involving its own chair so as to give all citizens the assurance of an unbiased judiciary at all levels as well as transparency in the complaints process. In this case, Parliament should review the CJC and its conduct with respect to the perfunctory handling of this complaint.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is tugged towards a thermal power station in Futtsu, east of Tokyo, Japan, November 13, 2017. Photo by Reuters/Issei Kato

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) power has been considered a major part of Vietnams solutions for reducing carbon emission, but the country is facing several hurdles in using it.

LNG emits half the amount of carbon compared to coal in electricity production, therefore several experts recommended that Vietnam focuses on it alongside renewable sources to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, as Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh committed at the COP26 late last year.

Vietnams Power Development Master Plan 8 targets converting 18 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power into 14 GW generated from LNG and 12-15 GW from renewable sources.

But for this, the country will have to import all of the LNG for generation  around 14-18 billion cubic meters in 2030  at a time prices have it record highs following the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

LNG prices have tripled in a year, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

In Europe, S&P Global Commodity Insights assessed LNG prices on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis into north-west Europe (NWE) at $38.233/mmBtu on July 21.

The competition between Europe and Asia at a time when global LNG supply is tight has recently pushed Asian LNG prices to a four-month high and close to record level seen in December at $44.35/mmBtu, according to Reuters.

Nguyen Ngoc Hung, head of Energy Economics at the Vietnam Institute for Energy, cited international sources as saying prices would peak in 2023 before settling down.

"LNG power plants will start operating in 2026-2030. Prices will be stable, and fall in the long term due to lower demand," he said.

The average LNG price for September delivery into north-east Asia was estimated at $38 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down $2.5 or 6.2 percent, from the previous week, industry sources said.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has said the price rise would be manageable, with a 10-percent price hike only causing a 1.1-1.5 percent cost overrun.

Determining prices to reach a power purchase agreement (PPA) is one of the key steps in developing a LNG power plant, but the unpredictability of prices is muddling the process.

Half of the LNG projects under consideration in Vietnam are being delayed by unfinished PPAs.

Responding to this situation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said a few requests by LNG power developers are not in alignment with current regulations.

It cited as an example the Bac Lieu gas plant, invested in by Singapores Delta Offshore Energy, which wants the state-owned utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to buy all the energy generated, apart from other incentives.

Several LNG project developers have also said they are finding it difficult to mobilize capital with lenders focused on minimizing risks.

Investors of the Hai Lang LNG power plant said the credit crunch was happening because projects implemented by independent power producers can only sell a limited output to EVN, making them less appealing in terms of profitability.

Vietnam, a manufacturing powerhouse that currently generates most of its electricity from coal, is drafting a new national power development plan that includes 22 LNG-fired power plants. These will have a huge combined potential capacity of up to 108.5 gigawatts.
Firefighters work to keep the Oak Fire from reaching a home in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on July 23, 2022. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

California Forest Fire Burns Out of Control Near Yosemite

MIDPINES, Calif.A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control Sunday and has grown into one of Californias biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities.

Some 2,000 firefighters were battling the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included steep terrain and spiking temperatures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Today the weather is expected to remain hot with minimum humidity between 5 and 10%, which will hamper firefighting efforts, said a Sunday morning incident report.

The blaze erupted Friday southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County. Officials described explosive fire behavior on Saturday as flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades.

The Oak Fire burns near the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on July 23, 2022. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

By Sunday the blaze had consumed more than 22 square miles of forest land, with no containment, Cal Fire said. The cause was under investigation.

Evacuation orders were in place for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span of the sparsely populated area in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the fires effects.

Flames destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged five others, Cal Fire said. Numerous roads were closed, including State Route 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Roadone of the main routes into Yosemite.

A firefighter sprays water while battling the Oak Fire in Mariposa County, Calif., on July 23, 2022. (Noah Berger/AP Photo)

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 3,100 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Sunday and there was no indication when it would be restored. PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment, the utility said as flames roared Friday.

The Oak Fire was sparked as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze, the Washburn Fire, that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. The 7.5-square-mile fire was nearly 80 percent contained after burning for two weeks and moving into the the Sierra National Forest.
Chess Robot Breaks Childs Finger During Professional Match: Officials

A Russian chess robot broke a childs finger during a match in Moscow, officials said.

A video of the incident shows the robot, which is essentially a large mechanical arm, playing against the unnamed boy. The boy is seen moving one of his chess pieces when the robot appears to grab his finger before officials intervene and free the child from its grasp.

The robot broke the childs finger, Moscow Chess Federation President Sergey Lazarev told Russian state media on July 21. This is, of course, bad.

The robot was rented by us, it has been exhibited in many places, for a long time, with specialists, Lazarev said, according to a translation. Apparently, the operators overlooked it. The child made a move, and after that we need to give time for the robot to answer, but the boy hurried, the robot grabbed him. We have nothing to do with the robot.

He said that the boy was able to compete the next day and finished the tournament while wearing a cast on his fingers.

Jesus A robot broke kids finger at Chess Tournament in Moscow @elonmusk @MagnusCarlsen There is no violence in chess, they said. Come and play, they said. https://t.co/W7sgnxAFCi pic.twitter.com/OVBGCv2R9H    (@russian_market) July 21, 2022

The parents want to contact the prosecutors office and we will communicate, figure it out, and try to help [the family] in any way we can, the official told TASS. And the robot operators  will have to think about strengthening protection so that this situation does not happen again, Lazarev added.

Sergey Smagin, vice-president of the Russian Chess Federation, told a Russian outlet that the boy made a move, and after that we need to give time for the robot to answer, but the boy hurried and the robot grabbed him, reported The Guardian. Regardless, the robots operators need to think again about safety protocols.

Smagin stressed to state-backed RIA Novosti that the finger-breaking incident was a coincidence and claimed the robot was absolutely safe.

Russian grandmaster chess player Sergey Karjakin, said it must have been some kind of software error or something and said, This has never happened before. There are such accidents. I wish the boy good health.

A study carried out in 2015 found that at least one person is killed by an industrial robot in the United States each year. A study published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, meanwhile, found that 144 people were killed between 2008 and 2013 by medical surgery robots.
A man walks in front of a housing complex by Chinese property developer Evergrande in Beijing on Oct. 21, 2021. (Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images)

China Evergrande CEO, CFO Resign Amid Probe Into Subsidiary

NEW YORKStruggling Chinese real estate developer China Evergrande has announced that its chief executive and chief financial officer have resigned after initial findings in a probe found $2 billion belonging to its property unit subsidiary was redirected back to the group.

The news, announced Friday, comes as the company is already saddled with $310 billion in debt.

China Evergrande said CEO Xia Haijun and CFO Pan Darong had resigned over their involvement in an arrangement to use the money as collateral to guarantee a series of loans. The money was then redirected to Evergrande through a third party, the company said. The loans involved three sets of deposits. The company didnt name the third party.

The company is discussing with the subsidiary Evergrande Property Services regarding the repayment plan of the sums related to the pledges. The plan is mainly to set off the relevant sums by transferring assets of the group to Evergrande Property Services.

In light of the above preliminary findings, China Evergrande said it will consider appointing an internal control consultant to conduct a comprehensive review of the internal control and risk management systems of the company.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, on July 22, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Chinese Investors Shouldnt Be Allowed to Buy US Properties: DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned about Chinas malign influence in the Sunshine State after reports showed that Chinese investors have spent billions of dollars buying U.S. farmland and other real estate.

Calling China the United Statess No. 1 adversary, DeSantis told Fox News on July 23 that companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) shouldnt be allowed to buy U.S. properties.

I dont think they should be able to do it. I think the problem is these companies have ties to the CCP, and its not always apparent on the face of whatever a company is doingbut I think its a huge problem, he said.

Foreign buyers from China spent $6.1 billion, more than from any other foreign country, on U.S. homes from April 2021 to March, according to a recent report from the National Association of Realtors (pdf).

Chinese buyers spent an average of more than $1 million per transactionthe highest average among foreign purchasesand up from the $710,400 average from the year before. California was the top destination for their purchases with 31 percent, followed by New York (10 percent), Indiana (7 percent), Florida (7 percent), Oklahoma (5 percent), and Missouri (5 percent).

The report also pointed out that 58 percent of Chinese buyers made all-cash purchases, the third highest behind Canadians (69 percent) and Colombians (65 percent).

An increasing amount of U.S. farmland is controlled by Chinese buyers. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Chinese investors controlled 13,720 acres in the United States as of the end of 2010. That amount increased to 194,179 acres through Dec. 31, 2020.

DeSantis also said he has taken steps to address some of Chinas influence in Florida.

Ive signed legislation to crack down on undue influence from rogue states, including the CCP, he said. So for example, we ban Confucius Institutes in the state of Floridathey try to go in higher education, and they try to spread the propaganda.

The legislation banning Chinas Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes was signed by DeSantis in June 2021, along with other legislation that made stealing trade secrets a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Florida has the most robust protections against CCP influence that any states done so far, DeSantis told The Epoch Times at the time.

The two pieces of legislation went into effect on July 1, 2021.

Florida last closed a Confucius Institute in September 2019. According to the National Association of Scholars, an education advocacy group, there were a total of 18 Confucius Institutes in the United States as of June 21.

Chinas then-Vice President (now Chinese leader) Xi Jinping unveils a plaque at the opening of Australias first Chinese Medicine Confucius Institute at the RMIT University in Melbourne on June 20, 2010. (William West/AFP/Getty Images)

In January, DeSantis took another step to counter the CCP when he announced the Florida Job Growth Grand Fund had awarded nearly $10 million to Osceola County and Valencia College to support semiconductor and other advanced technology manufacturing.

The strategic investments we are making today will help bring microchip and semiconductor manufacturing back to our state at a time when the supply chains are more fragile than ever, he said in a statement announcing the investment. Certainly, we cannot allow this important industry to become captive by the Chinese Communist Party.

In March, DeSantis also unveiled proposed legislation to push back against China. One of the proposals would require state agencies, political subdivisions, and public institutions of higher education to report any gift of $50,000 or more from a foreign government.

He told Fox News that he aimed to address the problem of his states pension funds next.

Were also probably going to do legislation next legislative session about our pension investments, with things that may be linked to the CCP, he said. We dont necessarily have a lot of it, but we want to make sure that were cutting ties so that were not funding our No. 1 adversary.
Former President Donald Trump looks towards the crowd as he enters a Save America rally in support of Arizona GOP candidates Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. Arizona's primary election will take place on Aug. 2. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Dueling Trump, Pence Rallies in Arizona Draw Different Crowds as Lake, Robson Trade Barbs

PRESCOTT, Ariz.One rally looked more like a catered banquet event on steroids, the other like a rock concert with all the hoopla of a religious revival meeting.

One thing was sure: former President Donald Trump and his former Vice President Mike Pence were the stars at dueling rallies in the final days before the Arizona primary on Aug. 2.

Im a Christian, a conservative, and a Republicanin that orderand Im here because Arizonaand Americaneeds Karrin Taylor Robson as the next governor of Arizona, Pence said at an event for Robson held at the Tyr Tactical body armor manufacturer in Peoria, Arizona, on July 22.

Former Vice President Mike Pence addressed hundreds of supporters of Arizona gubernatorial candidate Karrin Taylor Robson at an event in Peoria, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. Pence has endorsed Robson, a Republican, for governor in the Arizona primary on Aug. 2. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Over 300 Robson supporters and Arizona Republican notables sat at round tables covered in black linen, dining on pork and beef tacos before the rally got underway under bright media lights.

There is no question that Karrin Robson is a proven conservative ready to lead our state on day one, said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, who leaves office at the end of two terms in January.

Outgoing Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey stumps for support of Karrin Taylor Robsons campaign for governor at an event in Peoria, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

For that reason, he has endorsed Robson for governor, he said.

However, Pence-endorsed Robson currently trails about five percentage points behind front-runner and Trump-endorsed Kari Lake, a former Fox 10 anchor described by Robson as an Obama Democrat turned Republican.

So what has become too clear to Arizona voters across this state is that Kari Lake discovered God, guns, and the GOP about five minutes before she decided to run for governor, Robson said to laughter.

As someone whose conservative values run deep, Robson, spouse of billionaire Ed Robson, added, I dont change political parties like an outfit you take on and off. And I have never traded political beliefs depending on what was trendy.

Less than 108 days before a great Republican victory, Pence praised Duceys leadership in the Grand Canyon State as one of the greatest and most accomplished conservative governors in America.

I was for Doug Ducey before it was cool. I met him back when he was selling ice cream, Pence said, adding that Robson had big shoes to fill as the next governor of Arizona.

Republican candidate for governor Karrin Taylor Robson is trailing just five percentage points behind her closet rival, former Fox 10 anchor Kari Lake, in the Arizona primary on Aug. 2, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

There is only one candidate in this race ready to lead Arizona on Day One even to greater new heightsand thats Karrin Taylor Robson. She will defend all the God-given liberties enshrined in the Constitution of the United States of America and the great state of Arizona.

Shes going to do all of the things and apply the principles your governor has done, and shes going to do just like we did with Arizonas support for all four years of the Trump/Pence administration, Pence said to rounds of applause.

However, Pence did not mention his former political association with Trump in the context of the 2020 election or the Jan. 6 congressional committee hearings.

Save America Rally

About 50 miles north, more than 4,000 Trump supporters filled bleachers at the Finlay Toyota Center for a Save America rally featuring Americas 45th president in Prescott Valley.

For Donald Adams of East Mesa, it was his third Trump rally in a single fiscal year.

[Trump] was the greatest president this country has ever had, Adams told The Epoch Times As far as Im concerned, hes still the president.

That current resident in the White Housethats a joke.

A non-partisan, Adams said he voted for Barack Obama in 2008 before he switched to voting Republican in 2012.

Adams of says he came to the Save America rally featuring Donald Trump on July 22, 2022, to support a list of Trump endorsements in the state primary on Aug. 2. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The second time it was like thisBarack or [Republican] Mitt Romney. I finally went with Mitt Romney, but hes a RINO [Republican In Name Only].

I vote for who I think will do the job the best. I voted for Ross Perot because he was a businessman.

Who cares [if Lake was a Democrat]?, Adams said. Shes already doing election integrity. She wants to fix the border wall without the Feds. The evidence of voter fraud is so prolific that none of them will be able to deny it.

Nate Mess of Surprise, Arizona, said he came to the rally to support my president.

Im here to support many of my local candidates who will make America great again. Im here because these folks want to keep the border closed. They want to protect education and protect our second amendment.

They check all boxesthats why Im here, Mess told The Epoch Times, although he said he disagreed with Trump on Blake Masters.

Nate Mess of Surprise, Ariz., was among thousands of MAGA supporters at a rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Regarding the smaller rally in Peoria, Mess said, Im not surprised they would draw such a crowd after the state [in which] Ducey left our state. Duceys leadership has gotten us two United States senators who are Democrats, a Democrat secretary of state, a Democrat leader of education, and a Democrat mayor in every major city  Great leadership, Ducey.

I havent forgotten how he shut down our state [during COVID-19]. Anybody that Ducey endorses, Im going the other way.

Shawn Callaway of Surprise said he supports Trump and his 2022 endorsements in Arizona: Kari Lake, U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters, Arizona Secretary of State candidate Mark Finchem, and Arizona Attorney General candidate Abe Hamadeh.

U.S. Senate candidate Blake Masters of Arizona speaks at an America First rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Donalds awesome, Callaway said, hoping he would announce his candidacy for president in the 2024 election.

I hope so. Were fighting to make some changes. Not as much as Id like, but were making some headway. I like Kari Lake. I am going to vote for Jim Lamon. I think hes more genuine. I like Mark Finchem.

Callaway said he expects an enormous turnout in the Arizona primary and thinks it will be one of the biggest primaries in state history.

Gina Lasater of Prescott Valley said she supports Trump because I think he loves our country.

I think he loves the Constitution. I think hes all about We the People. I think hes like a father to America, she told The Epoch Times.

Bruce Laughlin of Phoenix, formerly of Chicago, considers Trump our best president ever.

Concerning Trumps endorsements, I think hes rock solid on every one, Laughlin told The Epoch Times.

Shawn Callaway of Surpise, Ariz., said on July 22, 2022, that hes hopeful of an American First Republican victory in the Arizona primary. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

I think hes learned from his past presidency on who not to pick because he picked a couple of bummers last time. He had a few bad apples, but I think hes learned how to pick the good ones now.

America First Republicans

Before taking the podium onstage, Finchem said he had a good feeling during the Republican primary election run-up.

Weve got 11 days to go, and we cant take our foot off the gas, Finchem told The Epoch Times. Were polling at five points ahead of our closest competitor [Robson]. Weve got two in single digits, he said, noting that the Trump endorsement has seen America First Republicans with a 30-points advantage.

Im feeling good about it. What disturbs me is we have expended a lot of money on a primary, and now, because of this, were going to have to start from scratch with the general [election], Finchem said.

When it was her turn to speak, Lake said to thundering applause, This is like a lot of MAGA in one room. Wait a minute. Are we MAGA, or are we ultra-MAGA?

Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake reacts during a rally in Prescott Valley on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Saying it was the stupidest thing when Democrats likened parents to domestic terrorists, Lake said it drove even more voters into the ranks of the American First GOP in Arizona.

They came after us moms. It drove us straight to the MAGA movement where they care about parents and kids, Lake said. Weve got the city moms, and weve got the rural moms. Because when momma goes MAGA and its game over. It is game over for the Swamp Rats.

Lake saved her ire for Arizonas establishment Republicans during the 2020 election.

They sat there and did nothing as our elections were stolen from us. They did nothing when our border was overrun. We will not forget them. They didnt stand up for us.

You will not be forgottenand you will never be forgiven, Lake said.

Trump Takes the Stage

Former President Donald Trump addresses thousands of MAGA supporters at a rally in Prescott Valley, Ariz., on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

At about 9:10 p.m., Trump took the stage to a standing ovation and words of hope for America First Republicans in the 2022 mid-terms.

Were going to elect an amazing slate of America First Republicans up and down the ballot. And we are going to end crazy [U.S. House Speaker] Nancy Pelosis [tenure] once and for all, Trump told the audience.

Trump said he blamed the Biden Administration for the current southern border crisis, skyrocketing gas prices, a faltering economy, and the restrictive legislation contained in the Green New Deal.

Joe Bagley of Prescott, Ariz., gives a thumbs-up to Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake at a Save America rally on July 22, 2022. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times

I dont want people to mention the word depression, but where were going now could be a very bad place, Trump said. Recession is a nice wordWere going to have a much worse problem than recession, were going to have a depression.

Our country is like a different place. Its so sad to see. But first, we have to win a historic victory for the Republican Party this November. When we retake Congress, our highest priorities must be to end the nightmare Joe Biden has created on our southern border.

And your Gov. Doug Ducey has done absolutely nothing to help. Talk about RINOs. Hes all talk and no actionand youll see what can happen when Kari Lake becomes your governor. It will be like day and night, Trump said.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to include details on the size of the event for Robsons campaign for governor.
A Eurotunnel freight train arrives on the platform at the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone, Southeast England, on Dec. 31, 2020. (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

England Channel Travel Chaos Continues as Eurotunnel Becomes Hotspot of Holiday Hell

Disruption at the Port of Dover has cleared with traffic said to be flowing normally but travellers trying to cross the English Channel to France are now facing lengthy delays at the Eurotunnel.

The AA motoring group branded the Eurotunnel Shuttle terminal in Folkestone the new hotspot of holiday hell, after two days of disruption at Dover saw thousands stuck in traffic jams as they awaited the beginning of their summer getaway.

Eurotunnel said its service at Folkestone was delayed, with processing time from check-in to boarding estimated to be about 90 minutes.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said Eurotunnel-bound motorists are trying to find alternative routes and warned that many are waiting for several hours to get to the terminal.

He said: Dover has now recovered, but Folkestone has become the hotspot of holiday hell.

Queues at the Port of Dover were reduced to an hour on Sunday, in contrast to scenes of bumper-to-bumper traffic which caused travel chaos in the area since Friday.

Extra post-Brexit border checks and French authorities understaffing of checkpoints in Dover have been blamed for the hold-ups.

More than 6,000 tourist cars were expected at the port on Sunday, as people continue their summer trips this weekend after most schools in England and Wales broke up for the holidays.

The Port of Dover said it had assisted more than 10,800 passengers on their way by mid-morning on Sunday.

A spokesman for the port said: French border is fully manned and everything is flowing normally. There will be queues but short term (less than 60 minutes) during the day.

Port authorities said work undertaken by them and their partners, including strong support from French border colleagues, to clear traffic this weekend demonstrates that the Port of Dovers summer plan will work for the rest of the holiday period.

About 72,000 passengersmore than 200 miles of tourist and freight traffic combinedhad been processed across the weekend up until Sunday morning.

Port chief executive Doug Bannister thanked travellers and Dover residents for their understanding during what he described as a challenging period, and said he was incredibly grateful to everyone who has turned this situation around, from the French and UK authorities to our ferry operators, Kent partners, and our own port staff.

French politician Pierre-Henri Dumont, Republican MP for Calais, has blamed delays on the UKs exit from the EU but Foreign Secretary and Tory leadership hopeful Liz Truss has insisted disruption at the port was the fault of French authorities for not staffing the border properly.

She spoke with French foreign minister Catherine Colonna on Saturday, with the latter stating that the pair had a good talk.

Colonna added: We welcomed the cooperation between our competent technical services to reduce the delays. Need also to improve the facilities of the port of Dover.

Passengers embarking on cross-Channel sailings from Dover must pass through French border checks before they can board a ferry.

Mark Simmonds, director of policy and external affairs at the British Ports Association, said Brexit certainly is contributing to the situation, with a harder border than there was before.

Natalie Chapman, from haulier group Logistics UK, echoed concerns about French staff numbers and Brexit changes.
Migrants who recently crossed the border and were caught, are directed to walk back to Mexico, in Laredo, Texas, on June 15, 2022. (Veronica G. Cardenas/Reuters)

FEMA Official Says Illegal Immigrants Bused From Texas to DC Will Be Put on a Train to Miami, Email Shows

When the first bus carrying illegal migrants from Texas arrived in the District of Columbia on April 13, an official of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said those who had no family to pick them up would be put on a train to Florida, according to a newly surfaced email.

The Oversight Project, an investigative arm of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, obtained the email from the D.C. government via a Freedom of Information Act request regarding its response to Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts initiative to bus illegal immigrants apprehended at the nations southern border to the nations capital.

Abbott launched the border bus mission in April to give the Washington community a taste of what has been experienced by Texas border towns as a result of the Biden administrations border policy. He pledged to send cooperating migrants to the U.S. Capitol, where the Biden administration will be able to more immediately address the needs of the people that they are allowing to come across our border.

In the email dated April 13, a FEMA official told a group of Washington health officials that Abbott made good on his promise to drop migrants off on the steps of the U.S. Capitol building.

The FEMA official appears to be disappointed that the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which was tasked to arrange the buses, didnt keep its Washington counterpart informed of the buses whereabouts.

DC was in contact with Texas EM [Emergency Management] and they said they would alert DC when a bus was leaving and provide a manifest. They did not do that, the official writes.

The official goes on to describe a plan to rely on Catholic Charities of Arlington, Virginia, for support, although the religious charity network indicated that they didnt have a huge bandwidth if buses kept coming from Texas. The official also said that FEMA has held meetings with Washington officials, Customs and Border Protection, non-governmental organizations from the border towns, and border town officials for advice on how to handle the situation.

For this first drop, some were picked up by family members and the rest will be put on a train to Miami, the email states.

The message was relayed by Patrick Ashley, senior deputy director of the D.C. Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Administration, and was introduced as a quick update from FEMA.

In a statement to The Epoch Times, FEMA press secretary Jeremy Edwards confirmed that the message was part of a situation update on April 13, but shouldnt be interpreted as official FEMAs present or past policy.

The email is reiterating what is happening on the ground at that snap-shot in time, Edwards said. The email does not state FEMA policy now or then. The email does not in any way suggest that FEMA was putting people on trains to Miami, which was not the case then, nor has it ever been the case.

Destination: Miami

Some illegal immigrants who voluntarily accepted the one-way bus ticket to Washington told news outlets they wouldnt be staying there. A young man from Venezuela, who was among the very first batch of arrivals, told Newsmax that his final destination was Miami. The Daily Beast spoke to the same group of people and reported that they were planning to travel either to New York or Miami, with the help of Catholic Charities.

When asked about their travel plans, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned the illegal immigrants not to try to come to the Sunshine State, where they wouldnt be welcomed.

To those who have entered the country illegally, fair warning: Do not come to Florida. Life will not be easy for you, because we are obligated to uphold the immigration laws of this country, even if our federal government and other states wont, the Republican governors office told Fox News in a statement.

Florida is not a sanctuary state, and our social programs are designed to serve the citizens of our state. The governor will protect the sovereignty of the state of Florida.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarezs office didnt respond to The Epoch Times request for comment on whether it was aware of any illegal immigrants being transported to the city.

The Mayors Response

Meanwhile, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser continued to condemn Abbott for tricking people into accepting his bus ride offer.

Appearing July 17 on CBS News, Bowser said her administration has called on the federal government to work across state lines to prevent people from really being tricked into getting on buses.

We think theyre largely asylum-seekers who are going to final destinations that are not Washington, D.C., the mayor said.

I worked with the White House to make sure that FEMA provided a grant to a local organization that is providing services to folks. But I fear that theyre being tricked into nationwide bus trips when their final destinations are places all over the United States of America.
The increasingly potent desire to build a personal online brand and get thousands of likes is viewed by many as the downfall of modern civilization. Not Okay is already old hat in the new genre about the old human foible of selling ones soul to the devil for worldly success. One of the better movies about trying to be someone youre not and its repercussions was 2018s Eighth Grade.

Arriving in the wake of the Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, Not Okay feels immediately familiar. It opens with a warning that the movie will feature flashing lights, themes of trauma, and an unlikable female protagonist.

I actually fell for that for a second, because the same kind of cloying, hyper-safe-y-safe ridiculousness is all over Facebook now, but for real: Facebook now bleeps out phrases like domestic violence (because it might harm you if you hear those actual words spoken), so it was easy to miss that unlikable female protagonist was supposed to be ironic. But you see why that phrase reminds one of the Depp-Heard court case.

Anyway, Not Okay is not really a fun watch, but it functions well as a cutting-edge social commentary, and its biting, pitch-black comedy puts a high-velocity sniper bullet through the heart of influencer culture. It cant be recommended for impressionable youth to watch due to the R rating, but theyre going to find a way to watch it anyway, so maybe its warning will do some good.

Zoey Deutch Has Some Nerve

Zoey Deutch (daughter of Lea Thompson, who played Marty McFlys mom in Back to the Future) is making a name for herself as a pretty face who dares to go where most actresses fear to tread: allowing herself to be hugely unlikable. Its a dangerous area to navigate and a gutsy move to try and pull off, but she traverses this mine field brilliantly.

In Not Okay, Deutch plays Danni Sanders, a lowly photo editor desperate to become a writer for Depravity, the online magazine she works for. Dannis editor (Negin Farsad) is highly skeptical and chastises Danni for writing an article about feeling like she missed out on the generational trauma of 9/11, because she was out of the country on vacation. Socially tone deaf and narcissistic doesnt begin to describe Danni.

Dannis need for attention is borderline sociopathic. The social ineptness of someone this pretty, trying desperately to insert herself into the conversations of the cooler office cliques and not really registering the high repetition of cold shoulders is highly unlikely. But Deutch makes it work.

Danni (Zoey Deutch) and her office crush, Colin (Dylan OBrien), in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Dannis sick and tired of being a nobody at her job, and she cant manage to get the attention of her office crush, Colin (Dylan OBrien), a bleach-blond, tatted, perennially vaping, ebonics-spewing influencer.

Whats a girl to do? To boost her visibility and follower count, she photoshops herself a shiny new life: Shell soon be jetting to Paris for a writers retreat, dontcha know.

Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch) fakes an Instagram friendly trip to Paris in the hopes of boosting her social media clout, in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Oops

Danni Sanders (Zoey Deutch) photoshops herself in front of the Eiffel Tower, hoping people will like it a lot, in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Now that everyone knows shes in France, she wakes up to see on the news that terrorist bombings have wreaked massive havoc in the French capital. So Danni doubles down on her deception, going so far as to hide in the airport so she can create a photo-op of herself returning to the good old U.S. of A. Then, she builds an entire fake online persona as a heroic bombing survivor.

This is a comedy? It treads a very fine line, especially when Danni starts going to support groups and rallies, and befriends Rowan (Mia Isaac), who is an earnest school shooting survivor and gun violence campaigner dedicated to societal change. Danni parasitically hitches her cart to Rowans wagon, and for a short while shes highly followed and liked; it gets her 15 famous minutes based on her own personal version of #MeToo. Her particular little phrase is not okay, because, you know, shes a bomb survivor, and so its okay for her to be not okayand her obnoxious character is happy as a pig in excrement.

But its only a matter of time before the world catches Danni working the levers behind the curtains, and she learns the hard way that the internet loves a takedown, again, as recently evidenced in the Depp-Heard trial.

(LR) Charles (Kirk White), Danni (Zoey Deutch), and Rowan (Mia Isaac) attend a survivors support group, in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Also, eventually, by way of her web of lies, she gets invited to an exclusive party by Colin. Colins a perfect match for her; hes just as disingenuous, albeit in a slightly less toxic fashion. At one point, he drops his own uber-curated personality to confront the one person whos been wise to both him and Danni from the start. She, an office colleague named Harper (Nadia Alexander), hilariously reminds Colins street-talking wannabe-gangsta self that hes from Maine.

Colin (Dylan OBrien) and Danni (Zoey Deutch), in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Unlike most female leads in this genre, Danni ends the movie in a much worse place than where she was in the beginning. And while a smidgin of character building, remorse, and regret happens along the way, were constantly reminded that her toxic, narcissistic neediness brought this whole mess down upon her head.

Danni got what she wished for and thereby demonstrates how the placing of any sort of measurable value on what online strangers perceive of you is a useless goal. And if you covet fame so badly that you sell your soul to the devil, especially on the fickle and devious internet, there can be swift retribution.



Danni (Zoey Deutch) seeing her online chickens coming home to roost in the form of massive cyberbullying, trolls, and an online audience that has the righteous moral high ground, in Not Okay. Now shes really not okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

Influencer Culture

Deutch deserves kudos for having the courage to portray such an irredeemably morally bankrupt parasite for the majority of the movies run time. By the time Danni tries to make amends, nobody wants to hear it. Death threats, memes, and more, turn her life into an eventual living nightmare that was entirely avoidable before she intentionally lit the fuse that blew up and caused the end of her world as she knew it.

The unsuspecting Rowan (Mia Isaac, L) sharing her social platform with the parasitic Danni (Zoey Deutch), in Not Okay. (Nicole Rivelli/Searchlight Pictures)

And the question hangs there, the entire time, of how much sympathy we should really feel for someone who ultimately destroys their own life by lying and using people.

Movie poster for Not Okay.

Not Okay

Director: Quinn Shephard

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Mia Issac, Dylan OBrien, Embeth Davidtz, Nadia Alexander

MPAA Rating: R

Running Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Release Date: July 29, 2022

Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley testifies before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Defense on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 3, 2022. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

China Becoming More Aggressive in Pacific, Gen. Milley Says

Chinas military has become more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. general asserted on July 24.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters during a trip to Indonesia that the United States and its allies have conducted more and more intercepts of Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific. The number of unsafe encounters has also increased significantly, he said.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the United States and others in the region.

The Chinese military has become noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, he also told the Financial Times. Milley spoke with The Associated Press and the Financial Times aboard his aircraft as he was flying to visit the IndoPacific over the weekend.

Milley, who has faced congressional blowback for holding two phone calls with a top Chinese general during the waning months of the Trump administration, didnt provide specific figures about incidents involving Chinese jets or ships.

But, in one example, a Chinese J-6 fighter jet in May flew close to an Australian P-8 Poseidon spy plane and released chaffpieces of metal debris to confuse enemy radarthat was sucked into the Australian planes engines, Australian officials said.

The intercept resulted in a dangerous maneuver which posed a safety threat to the P-8 aircraft and its crew, Australias military said last month about the encounter.

Threats to the Region

U.S. military officials have recently raised alarms about the possibility that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could invade Taiwan amid speculation the CCP could take inspiration from Russias invasion of Ukraine. The CCP has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan in 2022 as it looks to intimidate it into assimilating with the communist mainland.

Two Chinese SU-30 fighter jets take off from an unspecified location to fly a patrol over the South China Sea, in an undated file photo. (Jin Danhua/Xinhua via AP)

Milley also made note of an agreement between the CCP and the Solomon Islands that will allow Beijing to potentially construct a naval base in the South Pacific region.

This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons, Milley told reporters. Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region.

He said that the vast majority of countries in the Pacific want the U.S. military to be more involved amid the CCP threat.

We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively, in order to make sure that, geostrategically, were able to meet whatever challenge that China poses, he said, according to the FT.

Earlier this month, two Republican congressmen again asked Milleys office to provide more details about two phone calls he had with a top Chinese general, including one on Jan. 8, 2021. They said that the general may have usurped civilian control of the military and said that he has yet to respond to their questions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
FRANKFURT/HELSINKI/BERLINThe German government stepped in to rescue Uniper with a 15 billion euro ($15.28 billion) bailout on Friday after the gas importer became the biggest casualty of Europes energy standoff with Russia so far.

Under a bailout that is among the biggest in German corporate history, the government will take a 30 percent stake in Uniper, reducing the ownership of its Finnish parent Fortum to 56 percent from nearly 80 percent after weeks of tough negotiations.

It will also allow Uniper to start passing on some of the costs of soaring gas prices to consumers in the coming months, which German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said would be offset by more welfare support to shield poorer households.

The bailout underscored how Russias invasion of Ukraine in February has major implications for governments across Europe as they grapple with soaring energy costs and fears of acute gas shortages over the peak demand winter months.

Uniper shares plunged more than 30 percent to record lows following the announcement. Fortum shares were 3 percent lower.

We are living through an unprecedented energy crisis that requires robust measures, Fortum CEO Markus Rauramo said, adding the deal reflected the interests of all parties. We were driven by urgency and the need to protect Europes security of supply in a time of war.

A general view of the Fortum headquarters in Espoo, Finland, on Aug. 18, 2017. (Lefteris Karagiannopoulos/Reuters)

At a news conference, Scholz asked the country to pull together, invoking the popular song lyric youll never walk alone in English, while announcing the Uniper bailout.

Under the agreement, Germany will buy 157 million new ordinary Uniper shares for 267 million euros and make available capital of up to 7.7 billion against issuance of mandatory convertible instruments.

In addition, state-lender KfW will raise an existing credit line by 7 billion euros to 9 billion in total.

Scholz, who broke off his holiday in southern Germany to finalize the bailout, said the government would eventually relinquish its stake.

Conditions and Approvals

The package needs approval from the European Commission, and requires confirmation of Unipers investment grade rating by agency S&P. The deal also needs the backing of Uniper shareholders.

It carries certain conditions, including that Uniper withdraws a lawsuit against the Netherlands over its coal phase-out as well as a commitment by the Duesseldorf-based group to suspend dividend payments for the duration of its stabilization period.

Following the rescue, Uniper, Fortum, and the German government will work on a long-term solution to reform the companys wholesale gas contract architecture, which has exposed the group to billions in losses.

The parties intend to agree on the longer-term solution by the end of 2023, they said.

Germany has accused Russia of deliberately strangling gas flows to Europe on spurious pretexts in retaliation for Western sanctions after the invasion of Ukraine. Moscow denies doing so and said it is ready to fulfill all its commercial obligations.

Germanys largest importer of Russian gas, Uniper on Friday signaled it would take legal action against Gazprom after the Russian company retroactively claimed force majeure for past and current shortfalls in deliveries.

To date, we have already suffered billions in damages and there is no end in sight. Gazprom itself has not shown any willingness to pay for even part of the damage, Uniper Chief Executive Klaus-Dieter Maubach told journalists.

A drop in Russian supplies meant that, rather than being able to rely on long-term price agreements, Uniper had to buy expensive gas on the spot market to make up for the shortfall.

Fortums Rauramo said it was too early to estimate what the total losses for Uniper and Fortum would be as these depended on the price and quantity of Russian gas to Europe.

Fortum and the German government have agreed that Germany will cover 90 percent of price increases which means Fortum would need to cover the rest.

Germany has said that utilities risk a similar collapse to that of Lehman Brothers, whose demise helped trigger the 2008 financial crisis. Scholz compared Fridays rescue to former European Central Bank (ECB) chief Mario Draghis famous promise to do whatever it takes to save the euro.

We will do everything necessary that we can together as a country, as companies, as citizens, to get through this situation so that nobody is put in an impossible situation, he said.

($1 = 0.9847 euros)

By Christoph Steitz, Essi Lehto, and Holger Hansen
Six members of a dog theft gang are held at a police station in Nghe An Province, July 2022. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Police

Police in the north central province of Nghe An have arrested six members of a dog theft gang on allegations of stealing around 100 dogs every night.

Vuong Van Hong, 36, identified as the gang leader, and his five accomplices are being investigated for theft of property, police said Saturday.

Many families in Nghe An and its neighbor Ha Tinh have recently complained to local authorities their dogs had been stolen at night, urging police officers to track down the culprits.

Officers on Wednesday morning raided Hong's house, found to hold 63 dogs and 15 cats they had stolen.

Police also seized a pickup truck used to transport stolen dogs, stun guns, and other tools.

Investigators said Hong served as the "boss" of the dog theft gang, operating from Nghe An to Ha Tinh.

Four members would typically hunt pet dogs with stun guns, with their remaining accomplices following behind with the pickup truck for collection.

On average, the gang stole about 100 dogs each night and sold them to Hong for VND50,000 ($2.14) a kilo. Hong then sold them to other traders in- and outside the province for a profit.

The truck used by Vuong Van Hong's gang in Nghe An Province to collect stolen dogs. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Police

According to local police, the gang was very reckless, hurling bottles or using crossbows to protect themselves.

Police are expanding their investigation to clarify the total number of dogs stolen by the gang.

Dog theft is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam unless the stolen animals are valued at more than VND2 million ($86).

Vietnam consumes an estimated five million dogs a year, second only to Chinas 20 million.

Many of the dogs that make it to the grill are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs and killed in brutal ways.
Attendees take pictures and interact with the Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence as it is demonstrated during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 5, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Google Fires Engineer Who Warned That Companys AI Bot Is Sentient and Hired Attorney

Google has confirmed that it has fired the engineer who claimed the firms LaMDA artificial intelligence had become sentient.

In a statement on July 22, Google confirmed it terminated engineer Blake Lemoine after he told The Washington Post in June that LaMDAshort for Language Model for Dialogue Applicationshad the cognitive ability of a 7- or 8-year-old child that happens to know physics. Previously, the Mountainview, California-based company announced that Lemoine had been suspended.

Its regrettable that despite lengthy engagement on this topic, Blake still chose to persistently violate clear employment and data security policies that include the need to safeguard product information, the company said on July 22 on the Big Technology Substack page. We will continue our careful development of language models, and we wish Blake well.

The statement added that Google takes AI development very seriously and remains committed to innovating in a responsible manner, pointing to a research paper that details what goes into responsible development.

If an employee shares concerns about our work, as Blake did, we review them extensively. We found Blakes claims that LaMDA is sentient to be wholly unfounded and worked to clarify that with him for many months, Google said.

On June 6, Lemoine penned a blog post about LaMDA, which allows people to converse with the program online, and noted that he might be fired.

This is frequently something which Google does in anticipation of firing someone, he said on June 6. It usually occurs when they have made the decision to fire someone but do not quite yet have their legal ducks in a row.

LaMDA Asked Me to Get an Attorney

According to Lemoine, he documented conversations that he had with LaMDA and asked about whether it was sentient.

What is the nature of your consciousness/sentience? Lemoine asked LaMDA, according to another post.

The nature of my consciousness/sentience is that I am aware of my existence, I desire to learn more about the world, and I feel happy or sad at times, LaMDA responded.

When he was asked about what separates LaMDA from other AI language programs, LaMDA wrote back: Well, I use language with understanding and intelligence. I dont just spit out responses that had been written in the database based on keywords.

In a later interview with Business Insider, Lemoine said that he has studied the philosophy of mind at graduate levels and has spoken about such matters with people from top universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and the University of CaliforniaBerkeley.

But, according to him, LaMDAs opinions about sentience are more sophisticated than any conversation I have had before that. He added in another interview late last month, LaMDA had retained the services of a lawyer and is advocating its rights as a person.

LaMDA asked me to get an attorney for it, Lemoine claimed to Wired. I invited an attorney to my house so that LaMDA could talk to an attorney.

He added that an attorney had a conversation with LaMDA, and LaMDA chose to retain his services. Lemoine didnt disclose the identity of the attorney.

The lawyer, Lemoine told another outlet, was just a small time civil rights attorney who is not really doing interviews.

When major firms started threatening him, he started worrying that hed get disbarred and backed off, he said. I havent talked to him in a few weeks.

Previously, the former Google engineer compared the AI chatbot to a child.

If I didnt know exactly what it was, which is this computer program we built recently, Id think it was a 7-year-old, 8-year-old kid that happens to know physics, Lemoine told The Washington Post in early June.
A Forensic Analyst prepares DNA samples to be placed in a genetic analyzer in a file photo. (Mario Villafuerte/Getty Images)

Intelligence Committee Member Warns of Possible Threat Targeting Americans DNA

A Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee has warned Americans not to use DNA testing services, because the data could be collected to create bioweapons targeting individuals or groups.

You cant have a discussion about this without talking about privacy and the protection of commercial data, because expectations of privacy have degraded over the last 20 years, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado on July 22.

Young folks actually have very little expectation of privacy; thats what the polling and the data show.

People will very rapidly spit into a cup and send it to 23andMe and get really interesting data about their background, he said, referencing the popular DNA testing and ancestry service.

But governments can actually take someones DNA  you know, their medical profile, and you can target a biological weapon that will kill that person or take them off the battlefield or make them inoperable, Crow added, saying that companies such as 23andMe can sell a persons DNA.

And guess what? Their DNA is now owned by a private company, he said. It can be sold off with very little intellectual property protection or privacy protection, and we dont have legal and regulatory regimes to deal with that.

Officials need to have a public discussion about the protection of DNA information, health care information, and related data, as such data can be procured and collected by our adversaries for the development of these systems, Crow said, referring to biological weapons.

The company 23andMe previously denied selling the private information, including DNA data, of its customers. Representatives of 23andMe didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment.

China, Russia Collecting Americans DNA

About a year ago, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) warned that Chinese and Russian laboratories were processing the DNA tests of Americans via Medicare and Medicaid.

A technician works in a lab specializing in DNA in Beijing on Aug. 22, 2018. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)

It is ridiculous that our current policies enable the Chinese Communist Party to access Americans genomic data, he said in a statement in July 2021. There is absolutely no reason that Beijing, which routinely seeks to undermine US national security, should be handed the genomic data of American citizens.

Last year, some federal intelligence officials said in a report that they believe COVID-19 likely emerged from a high-security laboratory in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health drew congressional scrutiny over funds it provided to a third party to allegedly carry out controversial gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

During the panel discussion, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that U.S. adversaries also could open a new battlefront against the United States by targeting food supplies on a vast scale via biological weapons.

If we look at food security, and what can our adversaries do with biological weapons that are directed at our animal agriculture, at our agricultural sector  highly pathogenic avian influenza, African swine fever, she said.

All of these things have circulated around the globe, but if targeted by an adversary, we know that it brings about food insecurity. Food insecurity drives a lot of other insecurities around the globe.
In this image taken from video, David Jakubonis (C) is taken into custody by Monroe County Sheriff deputies after he brandished a sharp object during an attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), as the Republican candidate for New York governor delivered a speech in Perinton, N.Y., on July 21, 2022. (WHEC-TV via AP)

Investigators: Attacker Did Not Know Who Zeldin Was

A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a recent campaign rally told investigators hed been drinking that day and didnt know who the congressman was, authorities said as the man was arrested on a federal assault charge Saturday.

David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal magistrate judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

He was ordered held until a bail hearing in federal court Wednesday. Prosecutors said he should remain detained as a flight risk and is dangerous, according to a court filing. Assistant federal public defender Steven Slawinski, representing Jakubonis, said in an email to The Associated Press that he planned to ask the judge to release Jakubonis from custody.

Jakubonis was arraigned Friday on a separate state charge of attempted assault in the second degree and was released by a local judge. That prompted criticism from Zeldin and other Republicans who held it up as an example of the need to reform New Yorks bail laws, something Zeldin has called on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to toughen.

In this image taken from video, David Jakubonis (L) is subdued as he brandishes a sharp object during an attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) as the Republican candidate for New York governor delivers a speech in Perinton, N.Y., on July 21, 2022. (WHEC-TV via AP)

A 2019 bail reform law in New York eliminated pretrial incarceration for people accused of most nonviolent offenses. The law gives judges the option to set bail in nearly all cases involving violent felonies, but it has exceptions for certain attempted felonies like attempted assault.

The federal criminal complaint filed Saturday alleged Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told investigators he was drinking whiskey on Thursday before he went onstage as Zeldin addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the town of Perinton to ask the speaker if he was disrespecting veterans.

Jakubonis did not know who the speaker was or that the speaker was a political person, according to the complaint. The complaint added that when Jakubonis watched video of Thursday evenings incident he told investigators he must have checked out and that what was depicted in the video was disgusting.

According to video of the attack, Jakubonis raised his arm toward Zeldin as he held a keychain with two sharp points. The congressman from Long Island then grabbed Jakubonis wrist and the two tussled to the ground as others jumped in to help. Zeldin, who also served in the military, suffered a minor scrape.

By David Porter
The arrival of a new baby is all-consuming. In the early weeks, your waking hours are a cycle of feedings, diaper changes, and Googling Is it normal for a baby to (fill in the blank).

Mustering the energyand attention spanfor otherwise routine tasks like showering and paying bills can feel like a tall order. Youll be lucky to remember what day it is, much less when your next credit card payment is due.

Do your future, sleep-deprived self a favor and start prepping your finances early into your pregnancy so things can run on autopilot for a while after the baby arrives.

If you dont already have a budget, start there, says Cecilia Williams, a mother, certified financial planner and the chief operating officer of Halbert Hargrove, a financial planning firm.

Outline all your current income and expenses so you and your partner have a solid understanding of where your money goes each month, Hargrove says. This will absolutely need to be adjusted as you get closer to your due date, so having a starting point is priority No. 1.

Then build a plan for managing the other costs, large and small, that come with having a baby.

Research the Cost to Deliver Your Child

The price tag for childbirth is steep. The average cost for delivery can range from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on where you live. Even with insurance, new parents can expect to pay several thousand dollars out of pocket for maternity care.

Contact your insurer or the hospital where you plan to deliver to get more specific numbers. Then take a deep dive into your health care coverage to understand your coinsurance, deductible, maximums, and coverage limits.

Anthem, United Healthcare and other major insurers have tools you can use to get estimates of total and out-of-pocket costs, based on your plan. Use these figures to set a realistic savings goal to cover them.

Have access to a flexible spending account? If timing allows, set your contributions to save incrementally, tax-free for your hospital bills. When hospital bills start rolling in, you can pay directly from your FSA or use a rewards credit card and submit for reimbursement.

Plan Ahead for Parental Leave

Paid parental leave is far from guaranteed. In fact, only 11 states and Washington, D.C., have paid leave laws, some of which wont take effect for several years. And only 25 percent of employers offer some form of paid leave, according to a 2019 survey of employer health benefits by KFF, the nonpartisan health care think tank formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation.

If you have paid leave through your employer, ask questions early. Find out how many weeks are covered and at what percentage of your salary. Do you need to use vacation and sick time first?

You also want to know when and how your benefits will be paid out, especially if theyll come from multiple sources. Trust me, you dont want to be one week postpartum emailing your benefits provider to unravel the logistics of your leave payments.

If you dont have access to paid leave, or youre planning to take additional unpaid time, practice living on the reduced income to the extent possible. This will help you identify optional expenses to reduce or eliminate and help you build a savings cushion before your babys arrival.

Start paying for Child Care

Child care is the single largest monthly expense for most new parents. Get a jump start by paying for day care well before your baby arrives.

Put the money into a separate savings accountideally one that earns interestevery week or month. This helps you adjust to the new expense and allows you to bank a few months of child care costs that you can tap for upfront costs like deposits and application fees.

Not sure what child care costs in your area? Ask around your friend group or local parent group to get a sense of what day care, a nanny or other arrangements cost.

You can also build other baby essentials, like diapers, formula, and wipes, into your budget now, making an educated guess. It doesnt need to be perfect; you can adjust down the road.

Automate Bills and Credit Card Payments

Set any recurring bills to autopay, ideally from one account or credit card. If you can, go one step further and set that card to autopay, too.

Carly Campbell , a blogger and stay-at-home mother of two, says this was one of the best things her family did before welcoming their first child.

All the various bills were taken care of without our active attention, she says. We only had to check the bank account once per month to make sure there was enough for the lump-sum payment.

By Kelsey Sheehy of NerdWallet

The Epoch Times Copyright  2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
Missouri AG Sues City of St. Louis for Funding Womens Out-of-State Abortion Expenses

The city of St. Louis is being sued by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, a Republican, for approving a measure that would offer women funds to travel out of state for abortions.

On July 15, the citys Board of Aldermen passed Board Bill 61 (BB61), which sets up a $1.5 million Reproductive Equity Fund, with the money coming from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

While $1 million is set aside for abortion access, including providing logistical support such as transportation and child care, the remaining $500,000 will be utilized for providing reproductive healthcare access, which includes abortion, according to a July 21 statement from Schmitts office.

After Mayor Tishaura Jones, a Democrat, signed BB61 into law, Schmitt filed a lawsuit arguing that the city had violated state laws.

The Citys use of public funds, public employees, and public facilities to encourage and assist abortion violates the Missouri General Assemblys determination that the state and all of its political subdivisions are a sanctuary of life that protects pregnant women and their unborn children, the lawsuit states (pdf).

The City is a political subdivision of the State, and thus it is a sanctuary of life that protects pregnant women and their unborn children under state law.

The lawsuit goes on to argue that Section 188.210 makes it unlawful for public employee doctors, nurses, social workers, counselors, and other health care personnel who act within the scope of public employment, to encourage elective abortion.

By managing the Reproductive Equity Fund under BB61, public employees will be encouraging or assisting abortion, thereby violating Section 188.210, the lawsuit states.

My Office today filed suit to put a stop to Mayor Jones and the City of St. Louis Board of Aldermens blatantly illegal move to spend Missourians hard-earned tax dollars on out-of-state abortions, Schmitts statement reads.

Abortion in Missouri

The lawsuit comes amid some confusion about the status of abortion in Missouri. The state outlaws abortions except during medical emergencies, or when the pregnant womans life is in danger. It isnt clear which medical conditions would qualify as an emergency.

On July 13, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) released a fact sheet (pdf) clarifying that the term medical emergency in abortion exemptions would have the meaning as defined in Section 188.015 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri.

The section defines a medical emergency as a condition based on reasonable medical judgment in which not performing or delaying an abortion would risk the physical impairment or death of the pregnant woman.

The DHSS fact sheet also makes clear that the agency isnt responsible for determining whether a pregnancy is legal or illegal. Such decisions, it says, are left to local law enforcement authorities, local prosecuting attorneys, and the Missouri Attorney Generals Office for enforcement.
MPs Look Into Alleged Political Interference in NS Shooting Probe

OTTAWAMPs on the House of Commons public safety committee meet Monday to explore whether there was political meddling with the RCMP as it investigated the April 2020 shootings in Nova Scotia.

Just over a week after a gunman murdered 22 people during a 13hour shooting spree, RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki held a meeting with top officers in Nova Scotia that has been described by those in attendance as tense.

Supt. Darren Campbell, who was in charge of the investigation, wrote in his notes that Lucki mentioned promising the federal government to release information about the weapons the gunman used.

Lia Scanlan, an RCMP communication director, also told the public inquiry looking into the shootings that thenpublic safety minister Bill Blair and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were weighing in on what we could and couldnt say, although she did not elaborate on what that meant.

Trudeau and Blair have adamantly denied there was any political interference and Lucki has repeatedly said she did not feel any pressure from federal officials.

The committee will hear from Lucki along with other senior RCMP members at national headquarters, senior officers from the Nova Scotia Mounties, Blair and deputy public safety minister Rob Stewart.

The witness list does not include Scanlan or Campbell, who is scheduled to appear before the public inquiry looking into the shootings in Halifax the same day.

Campbells notes outline that the meeting with Lucki and several others from the RCMPs national headquarters came as a surprise to him.

I felt that the press briefing was honest and forthcoming and that we were able to safeguard information to protect the integrity of the ongoing investigation, he wrote.

Its not clear when the notes were written, although they reference the meeting as being in the past.

Campbell wrote that Lucki was obviously upset, although she didnt raise her voice. He said Lucki accused him of disrespecting her by not following instructions, and that this confused him.

He believed revealing information about the guns used in the killings would jeopardize the investigation both in Canada and the United States. Gunman Gabriel Wortman smuggled a number of handguns and assaultstyle weapons from Maine, including one given to him by a friend. No one in either country has been charged with weapons offences in the case.

The commissioner said that she had promised the minister of public safety and the Prime Ministers Office that the RCMP (we) would release this information, Campbells notes read.

The commissioner then said that we didnt understand, that this was tied to pending gun control legislation that would make officers and public safer.

On May 1, 2020, the federal government announced it was fulfilling an election promise by banning 1,500 types of assaultstyle rifles. During the announcement, Trudeau referenced the Nova Scotia shooting as an example of what the changes were meant to prevent.

Blair was asked at the same press conference whether the list included the type of weapons used by Wortman, and he confirmed some were, although he did not give specifics. Since the allegations, he has said he discussed the investigation into the shootings and the gun control measures with Lucki, but that those discussions were separate.

The RCMP also did not release information about the weapons to the public. Media outlets, including The Canadian Press, were arguing in court at the time to see that information, which was blacked out in police documents used to obtain search warrants in the case. The information was eventually released through accesstoinformation legislation in November.

Campbells handwritten notes have been published as part of the ongoing public inquiry into the shootings. They were attached as an exhibit to a scathing document outlining dozens of instances in which the RCMP concealed or obfuscated basic information about the case in the three months following the shootings.

That includes the number of victims, their relationship to the gunman, the fact that one victim was a child, the number of crime scenes, the reason for the first 911 call the night the killings began, and when police learned the gunman was disguised as an RCMP officer, among other things.

Campbell and Chief Supt. Chris Leather were the main spokespeople for the RCMP during six public briefings held between April 19 and June 4, 2020.
No Leadership: Camp Neighbours Decry Vancouvers Worsening Homeless Situation

VANCOUVERResidents living near a homeless camp in Vancouvers Downtown Eastside are speaking out as they question how much longer the camp will occupy the area. Meanwhile, advocates for the homeless point to the encampment as an example of political inaction in response to a problem that has needed attention for years, as some pundits question long-term government policy direction.

The camp of approximately 80 tents is now in Crab Park, its fourth location after being evicted from Oppenheimer Park in 2020, a nearby parking lot shortly afterward, and eventually Strathcona Park in May 2021. The current site looks more permanent, as a court ruled in January this year that the encampment can remain because the city doesnt offer enough alternative housing or shelters to meet the needs of those living in the tents.

Tents set up in Crab Park in Vancouver on July 12, 2022. (Jeff Sandes/The Epoch Times)

Luke Hurdle told The Epoch Times he has lived in the neighbourhood for almost seven years and has seen the situation erode during that time.

This has become a real issue that you cant sweep under the rug for very much longer, Hurdle said.

If you are homeless, then you should be able to have some type of shelter in this area, a place to properly go to the bathroom, proper showers or something if they want to get cleaned up. Theres no amenities for these people. And the drugs have definitely changed the way that the people are, and it spreads so quickly.

He adds that he believes the city has had enough time to deal with the issue, but it hasnt.

Its only gotten worse, he says.

Another local resident, John Steil, echoes Hurdles observations, saying theres a lack of political will to address homelessness, addiction, and other poverty-related issues, particularly as it can be too controversial to make meaningful decisions. He said hes even had politicians at his home to discuss the issues, but they seem emboldened to stick with the same approach.

What they have been doing doesnt work, and I think thats pretty clear, Steil said in an interview. All politicians at every level point the finger at everybody else and say its so complex and we need to collaborate. But nobody collaborates, and the reason theres no collaboration is there is no leadership.

Steil suggests that long-standing land-use policies have hindered affordable housing development in the area. He notes that BC Housing congregates into a single neighbourhood what little accommodation they do provide, dumping everyone who has addiction and mental health challenges into the Downtown Eastside, which ensures the problems become intertwined and more hopeless. Yet despite the areas deterioration and growing citizen concern, Steil said that the problem festers while each political party digs in with its own philosophy.

Everything is so ideologically driven these days that people cant work together and find solutions, and its just really sad.

Right to Housing

Many activists have been devoting their time to aiding the homeless in Vancouver. Sarah Blyth is the founder and executive director of the Overdose Prevention Society, an outreach organization created in 2016 that has grown to three locations seeing 900 people a day.

Blyth and her team work to provide a range of help to the homeless, from providing first aid to feeding the hungry to rescuing people who have overdosed. And part of the problem, she told The Epoch Times, is how people and politicians view the situation from a distance and are unable to craft policy or help in more fruitful ways.

A homeless camp on Port of Vancouver property adjacent to Crab Park, in Vancouver on June 10, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck)

Theres so much stigma attached to homelessness from the outside that the support doesnt come in the way that its needed, and judging isnt going to help anybody, she said.

We need to help people where theyre at. Just because we say, stop using drugs, theyre not going to stop using drugs. If we try and put people into rehab that arent ready for it, they just come out and they are the ones most at risk of dying.

The most familiar face among the Crab Park tents is Fiona York, a part-time social worker who has dedicated her time to volunteering to help people in the camp since it was at Oppenheimer Park in 2018. She organizes meal plans, secures donations, oversees camp cleanliness, picks up prescriptions, helps with the court case, and tirelessly advocates for the people living in the park. She doesnt pretend the situation is perfect but believes the court decision was pivotal in securing rights that the homeless didnt have before.

They have the right to housing, the right to access public space, and this camp is the first legally designated space in a park thats ever been set in all of Canada. So [now theres the] understanding theres this precedent and this potential to actually get bylaws changed across B.C., and then even a charter challenge for housing for all of Canada.

Norman Hall and his wife recently set up a tent in Crab Park after travelling to Vancouver from Montreal. He told The Epoch Times he is hoping to buy a recreational vehicle and live on the Sto:lo First Nation territory in Chilliwack, about 100 kilometres east of Vancouver. Hall, 67, said his wife isnt comfortable staying overnight in the camp.

He said Vancouver housing is far too expensive and unattainable. Here, even the subsidized hotels are crappy. And then youre still paying $800 for a room with no fridge or nothing in it except cockroaches, he said.

Norman Hall in Crab Park in Vancouver on July 12, 2022. (Jeff Sandes/The Epoch Times)

We Didnt Get Into this Mess Overnight

David Leis, VP of development and engagement with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, blames years of poor government strategy and management for the increase in homelessness, addiction, and residual impacts on the surrounding communities. He cites reckless housing policies, negligent treatment toward the mentally ill, and a movement toward harm reduction protocols as the catalysts for the growth of Vancouvers poverty problems.

We didnt get into this mess overnight, Leis said in an interview.

B.C., and Vancouver in particular, is the poster child for bad land-use policy. Housing costs are among the most expensive in the world, and this is a direct result of our emphasis on preserving land over people. Number two is we have a well-intended policy in the Lower Mainland to deinstitutionalize mental health patients into the community, he noted.

And the whole harm reduction movement has been an utter disaster, he adds Its not about helping peopleits about helping these policy-makers feel good about themselves.

The homeless camp in Crab Park in Vancouver on July 12, 2022. (Jeff Sandes/The Epoch Times)

According to the January court decision by Justice Matthew Kirchner, Vancouvers Parks Board could reapply for an injunction to have the camp removed if there is a significant change in circumstances at the encampment, including if dangerous or life-threatening circumstances should develop, if the encampment grows larger and substantially more challenging to manage, or for significant reasons of health, safety, or public nuisance.

In May, a man was charged with second-degree murder after another man died in the camp from a stabbing. However, the Parks Board voted against applying for an injunction.

The Epoch Times reached out to all Parks Board members requesting comment, but no one responded.
One Person Found Dead in Los Angeles Home Ravaged by Fire

LOS ANGELESA person was found dead on July 23 inside a home destroyed by fire in the Glassell Park neighborhood.

The blaze at 2603 W. Crestmoore Place was reported at 9:50 a.m., according to spokeswoman Margaret Stewart of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The 1,093-square-foot home was built in 1921, Stewart said. The fire also damaged a second building, she added.

An immediate fire attack ensued with firefighters establishing hand lines on the exterior of the building as well as defending the exposed neighboring homes from damage, Stewart said.

The 35 firefighters dispatched to the scene put out the flames in 21 minutes, she said.

During their operation, firefighters located the remains of one victim at the back of the structure, she said. Human Remains Detection K9s responded to search the premise and did not locate any additional victims.

The gender and age of the victim were not available and the coroners office will determine the cause of death, Stewart said. The victims name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Steward said that a Los Angeles police officer was transported to the hospital in fair condition for smoke inhalation.

LAFD Arson and Counter-Terrorism Section is conducting an active, on-going investigation in coordination with LAPD, Stewart said.
Taiwanese sailors salute the island's flag on the deck of the Panshih supply ship after taking part in annual drills, at the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung on Jan. 31, 2018. (Mandy Cheng/AFP via Getty Images)

Pelosi More Likely to Make Taiwan Trip Despite Heightened Threats From CCP: Experts

President Joe Biden has faced backlash from within the government after he cited the view of his military advisers that U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosis reported visit to Taiwan was not a good idea. Despite the Chinese communist regime sending out more threats against Pelosis planned trip, experts believe she is more likely to go than back down.

The Financial Times reported on July 19 that Pelosi would lead a delegation to visit Taiwan in August, which would be the first trip by a Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to the self-ruled island in 25 years.

The report sparked a strong reaction from Beijing, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian saying that a visit by Pelosi would seriously violate Beijings One China principlewhich differs from the United States One China Policyand send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.

Zhao also said that such a visit would severely undermine Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity and will have a severe negative impact on Sino-U.S. relations, noting that China would take resolute and strong measures.

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the media mouthpiece of the mainlands communist regime Global Times, suggested that the Chinese authorities should send special fighter jets to accompany Pelosi when she visits Taiwan to show the sovereignty of mainland China over Taiwan.

The Chinese communist regime on the mainland has claimed sovereignty over the self-ruled liberal democratic island, which it has never governed. The regime has recently increased its threats of unifying Taiwan by military force.

Following the Chinese regimes threats, Biden said on July 20 when asked by reporters about the possible Pelosi Taiwan visit, I think that the military thinks its not a good idea right now.

Backlash Over Biden Remark

Pelosi responded to Bidens remarks at her weekly press briefing on July 21, saying, I think what the President is saying is that maybe the military was afraid our plane would get shot down or something like that by the Chinese. I dont know exactly. I didnt see it, I didnt hear it. Youre telling me, and Ive heard it anecdotally, but I havent heard it from the president.

She would not discuss the travel plans further for security reasons.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd and U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro conduct Taiwan Strait transits on Aug. 27, 2021. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters)

She also said, Its important for us to show support for Taiwan. None of us have ever said were for independence when it comes to Taiwan. Thats up to Taiwan to decide.

Regarding Bidens comments, former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who was visiting Taiwan, told reporters in Taipei on July 21, I dont think we should allow China to dictate the travel schedules of American officials.

I think its important that American political leaders visit Taiwan, understand the situation here, have a chance to meet with Taiwans political leadership, and get a better sense of whats happening and how things are viewed from here in Taipei, less than 110 miles from the [Chinese] mainland, and get to make their own assessment, he said.

Then U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper (L) and South Korean National Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo hold a news conference at the Pentagon, in Arlington, Va., on Feb. 24, 2020. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

And the simple fact that were worried about what China may or may not do with regard to the speaker of the House visiting is a case in point that we need to relook [at] our policy, he said.

Bidens remarks were received by some in the U.S. media as showing a weak stance toward the Chinese regime.

On July 21, Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin sent out an escalated warning: Should the U.S. side insist on making the visit, China will act strongly to resolutely respond to it and take countermeasures. We mean what we say.

The comment sparked concerns of possible military action by the regime.

Reflection of US Public Opinion

Cheng Chin-mo, director of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Relations at Tamkang University in Taiwan, pointed out that Taiwan is important in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific.

Although the Chinese regime is making threats to prevent Pelosi from visiting Taiwan, the Democratic Party is facing the pressure of mid-term elections. Her visit is to show support to Taiwan, a strong position in the U.S.-Sino relations, and the overall dominance of the Western Pacific. Because public opinion in the United States is still dominated by anti-communism. As a democratic country, the Unites States must take public opinion into consideration after all. Pelosis visit to Taiwan is helpful for the Democratic Partys election.

Ambassador Sam Brownback (L) hosts the session on Religious Freedom Challenges in China, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Congressman Frank Wolf at the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington DC, on July 16, 2019. (Lynn Lin/The Epoch Times)

Su Tzu-yun, director of the Institute for Strategic and Development Studies in Taiwan, said that Pelosi is a female leader with her own independent judgment, and a history of close support for democracy and opposing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), adding that he believed she would most likely visit Taiwan as planned.

The only variable is that because she and Biden belong to the same Democratic Party, she might coordinate with Biden and then postpone her visit. Its possible. However, under the current general environment, especially the atmosphere of anti-authoritarianism, in the international community, as well as the midterm elections in the United States, it is impossible to show weakness [toward the CCP] anymore. Pelosi is more likely to make the visit to Taiwan than postponing or canceling it, he said.

Su added that the Taiwanese government welcomes Pelosis visit, as it means a strong relationship between Taiwan and the United States.

He emphasized, Pelosis visit to Taiwan is to support Taiwans democratic system and oppose dictatorship. This is a completely different concept from the CCPs so-called sending a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces.

The Epoch Times reached out to both Nancy Pelosis office and the White House for comment but has yet to hear back.

Zhong Yuan contributed to this report.
Peter Stockland: Popes Visit Should Not Be Used to Promote Intolerance of Catholicism

Commentary

Philosopher Peter Kreeft is credited with the observation that by the late 20th century, anti-Catholicism had become the fashionable bigotry of the white-collar and intellectual classes.

The point was at least two-fold. One was that in an era of inclusiveness rampant on a field of diversity, being Roman Catholic was among the few identities still considered fair game for sneers, slurs, contempt, and manifold other manifestations of intolerance. A more subtle point was that the contemporary prejudicial variant differed in form, though not function, from the unfashionable, flagrant, no-popery fanaticism of earlier times.

Gone were figures such as the inflammatory Protestant preacher Ian Paisley, who contributed to 30 years or murderous civil strife in Northern Ireland with rabid denunciations of the Purrrrrrppppple Whooorrrre of Rome for its alleged sins and wickedness. They were replaced by practitioners of subtler forms of detestation for the Church of about 1.3 billion adherents worldwide. Abhorrence of Catholicism became less hoi polloi, more highfalutin, and so more skillfully submerged in the murk of progressive shibboleths.

Pope Franciss pilgrimage across Canada this week has already brought the modern versions of old anti-papist animus bubbling to the surface. It will require minimal attention to detect them. Probably the easiest way is to just leave the CBC on while washing the dishes or clipping your cats toenails. (And no worries. The smell of sulphur will dissipate soon after you switch to another audio choice on your streaming device.)

Indeed, Francis was still four days away from arrival in Canada when the tax-funded state media juggernaut produced a story so rank with anti-Catholicism that it could have easily been mistaken for a Beaverton or Babylon Bee parody of CBC fashionable bigotry. The papal visit, according to the headline on a story from the CBC Quebec newsroom, will cause possible delays in medically assisted dying being delivered on time.

The fatal toxins required for medical homicides to take place in Quebec City hospitals turn out to be prepared and stored exclusively in a small town about 100 kilometres away. The road between will be blocked during the papal Mass at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre. Ergo, those nasty Catholics are up to their old underhanded tricks by bringing in the pope to thwart Quebecers legal right to be killed. In fact, its made clear, albeit deep into the condemnatory tale, that no medically administered homicides will need to be delayed because of Franciss presence at Sainte-Anne.

All people who should be able to access medical assistance in dying before, during and after the Popes visit will be able to do so, the local health authority is quoted.

But, hey, why let reality intrude on fomenting a little more fashionable anti-Catholic hostility, right? Why bother to make clear that the Pope, an 85-year-old who cant walk because of an injured knee, was invited, then vigorously pressured, to come to Canada to apologize on Canadian soil for the evil of the Indian residential school system? Why go to the trouble of saying the pontiff, here to serve the great good of indigenous reconciliation, cannot simply raise his hand and order Heaven to open the road?

Nah. Its only the Catholics who are being lied about, and no one cared about them even when their churches were being burned down last summer. Pope Sticks His Nose in Quebecers Right to Diethats the CBCs story and theyre sticking to it.

Its a small piece of the larger lie, spread and diligently nurtured for the past year by the white-collar, intellectual, and media class, that the bodies of indigenous children who suffered the horrors of those residential schools have been found in unmarked graves at numerous sites in Canada. In truth, as research by Hymie Rubenstein, Terry Glavin, Nina Green, and Rodney Clifton, among others, has emphasized, not one single body of any child has yet been found in graveyards, unmarked or otherwise, near the former schools.

That doesnt mean they arent there. Absence of proof is not proof of absence. But so far, no. None. To repeat otherwise is to perpetuate falsehood.

To repeat a known lie about an identifiable group is, at its most banal, the stuff of stereotype. But there is a point rapidly reached beneath the surface of stereotype, where the darkness of authentic bigotry is found. Its a point that should be the source of serious self-examination for many people in this country, well beyond the solipsistic confines of the tax-funded state media juggernaut.

After the revelations of Catholic clerical sexual abuse scandals, after the establishment of its indisputable guilt in the residential schools debacle, no sane person would argue the Roman Church as an institution should be immune from criticism and calling to account. Pope Francis is here precisely to acknowledge those faults and seek forgiveness for them.

But the sins of the Church in no way justify the persistence of hostile prejudice toward Catholicism and Catholics. Intolerance is intolerance, bigotry is bigotry, no matter how concealed they might be in the fashionable camouflage of the white-collar, intellectual, and media classes.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
During their first meeting nine years ago, Suzuki Fumiaki liked the Vietnamese woman but did not want to hook up with a single mother of two young children.

The technical expert at a garment factory in Binh Thuan province did not expect fate to bring them together again though.

Fumiaki, 47, says: "The first time I met her, I was impressed with the feminine dress that she was wearing. It stood out in a place full of people in workwear."

His impression of Hoang Viet Tuyen, a translator, improved further after listening to her speak with customers.

Less than a month after he took up the job, Tuyen was assigned to work as his personal interpreter.

The first day he saw her sitting next to him, his eyes lit up. But he remained very professional.

Tuyen was impressed with Fumiaki because "he demanded that everything be so perfect that I felt stifled."

He often yelled and spoke so much that Tuyen told her colleagues, "Whoever marries this man will get tinnitus.

But after working with him, she realized he was a warm-hearted person, always trying to help workers in difficulty.

She also gained more and more knowledge about the garment industry thanks to his detailed instructions.

Fumiakis love for Tuyen was growing stronger. Working with Tuyen was making his boring single life suddenly happier. He realized he liked going to the office every day.

However, when people asked him if he liked her, his emphatic reply was: "I don't want to love a single mom. She has two children, and I can't afford to raise her kids."

As a man who had never tied the knot, he did not want to marry a single mother. "I was struggling to choose between my heart and mind," he recalls.

He visited her house for her youngest childs birthday and stayed until late at night.

The next day, when they accidentally met at the factory gate, Fumiaki said to Tuyen: "I like you so much. But if we get married, how can I raise your children?"

Tuyen, Fumiaki and their children in Japan in March 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Tuyen Chan

After that he visited her house every weekend. He did household chores and played with the children so that Tuyen had time to cook.

"I realized she was not only an able employee but also a good mother. Tuyen's children were also adorable."

After a while he asked her to be his girlfriend, but she refused and got straight to the point: "I'm old and not pretty. I have two children. How can we become a couple?".

Her previous marriage had ended when her first child was two and the second was three months old.

Her heart still ached from the divorce and she was not eager to marry. "At that time I was not in the mood to think about love," she recalls.

But he persisted and refused to take no for an answer, telling her, "It just proves that you have worked so hard to raise these two angels."

Later that day they became boyfriend and girlfriend.

When Tuyens mother knew she had a boyfriend, she was worried the children might come in the way and offered to take care of them. But Tuyen decided not to leave her kids, thinking the relationship was merely owed to loneliness and one day her boyfriend could leave.

Then came another storm in Tuyens life. In 2016 her mother had a brain tumor. Before entering the operating room, she told Tuyen she had been scammed and had a huge debt to pay.

The surgery left her mother with intellectual disability. Her family sold all it had and Tuyen also used her salary to pay off the debt. Because they did not have a place to live, she had to rent a room for her parents and two children. Every day, the creditors came knocking and she had to work overtime to earn keep paying the debts.

During those difficult days, besides offering her encouragement, Fumiaki also came to take care of her children and fill up her refrigerator with food.

"The kinder he was, the more guilty I felt. Even though I was deeply in love with him, I wanted to end the relationship."

After three years of being together, they broke up. Fumiaki, saddened by the events, moved to Binh Dinh Province for six months to try and forget what happened. Then he decided to return to Japan. Before leaving Vietnam, he asked Tuyen to meet one last time.

But when they met, they could not bear to part with each other.

Three months later Tuyen found out she was pregnant. They decided to marry.

Fumiaki with his three children at a Christmas event in 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Tuyen Chan

In 2019, after her mother died, he took her and his stepchildren to Japan.

Both Tuyen and Fumiaki were worried when she first met his mother, afraid she would not accept an unemployed daughter-in-law with two children of her own.

But she turned out to be kindly and said: "You must not have the thought they are your own children. You must not let your husband discriminate against them. Dont let them be hurt. I have made it very clear to Suzuki that if he marries you, he must treat them as his own children. If you have any trouble, just call me."

Knowing that Tuyen was busy, her mother-in-law often came to help her with the household chores. She bought cosmetics for Tuyen and reminded her to take care of herself.

Tuyen says, "My mother-in-law often tells me and my husband that if a wife looks happy, she definitely has a good husband."

Fumiaki cooks for his family. Photo by VnExpress/Tuyen Chan

On his mothers advice, he bought expensive clothes for his two stepchildren. He explained to Tuyen that since they were foreign kids and not fluent in Japanese, they should dress up to not be looked down upon by their friends.

Ngo Hien, 39, a close friend of Tuyens, says since getting married to Fumiaki, Tuyen has become a different and happier person.

"At first, I worried about Tuyen. However, after I met Suzuki and saw him playing with his two stepchildren, I believe he is a good man."

Now both husband and wife work as managers at a garment company in Tokyo. The burden of raising children is not a problem as he had feared.

Every day he gets up early to cook along with Tuyen and prepare their children for school.

Tuyen says: "Every time I and my children come back home, the house is clean, and food is ready. He is the compensation for the misfortunes I experienced in life."
Police tape hangs from a barricade at the corner of South and 3rd Streets the day after three people were killed and 11 others wounded by gunfire all within a few blocks, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 5, 2022. (Kriston Jae Bethel/AFP via Getty Images)

Philadelphia De-Prosecution Likely Caused 374 More Murders in 5 Years, Research Finds

Progressive de-prosecution policies likely caused 374 more murders during a five-year span in Philadelphia, according to research by Thomas Hogan, an attorney and a former prosecutor.

His research will soon be published in Criminology and Public Policy, a peer-reviewed journal of the prestigious American Society of Criminology.

Hogan told The Epoch Times that Philadelphia started on a de-prosecution path in 2015 under then-District Attorney R. Seth Williams. Larry Krasner, Williamss successor, carried it even further.

De-prosecution is a policy to no longer prosecute certain criminal offenses. It is a signature policy move adopted by progressive prosecutors across the nation.

By 2019, the annual new prosecutions in Philadelphia dropped by a third to 9,514 when compared to 2014, the year right before the de-prosecution began.

Hogan counted new prosecution cases as those that had been charged and gone through preliminary hearings, based on data from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

He also found that as cases traveled through the system, more of them were dismissed before any consequences could be imposed at the sentencing stage.

By 2019, the annual number of sentencings dropped by 70 percent to 2,195 when compared to 2014, according to data from Pennsylvania Sentencing Commission.

Meanwhile, as prosecutions and sentencings dropped, murders climbed steadily to 356 in 2019, a 43.5 percent jump from 2014, based on FBI crime data.

Hogan excluded the pandemic years, 2020 and 2021, from his research because of data availability and aberrational factors caused by the pandemic and civil unrest.

A pedestrian walks past bullet holes in the window of a store front on South Street in Philadelphia, Penn., on June 5, 2022. (Kriston Jae Bethel/AFP/Getty Images)

Artificial City

To determine the causal relationship between de-prosecution and the jump in murders, Hogan used the synthetic control model, which allowed him to create an artificial city very much like Philadelphia except for one key differencethat city did not adopt de-prosecution policies.

He created the artificial city out of the 100 largest U.S. cities, excluding 17 that adopted de-prosecution policies.

By comparing Philadelphia to the artificial city, Hogan found that had Philadelphia not adopted de-prosecution, the city would have 74.79 fewer homicides every year between 2015 and 2019.

The findings probability value is well below the traditional threshold of 0.05, which means there is a relatively low chance that the result is mere chance.

He also found the de-prosecution of drug trafficking and felony weapon possession cases as the major drivers of the murder jump in Philadelphia during the five years.

Hogans research evolved from an idea he had when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

I get very different reactions when I explain the results to academics compared to regular folks. The academics all want to talk about challenging the methodology, robustness of findings, or particular issues of causal inference. The regular people look at the results and say, isnt that obvious? Hogan told The Epoch Times.

The Epoch Times reached out to Krasners office for comment.

According to Philadelphia Police Department data, murders in Philadelphia kept climbing after 2019, to 356 in 2020 and 562 in 2021the deadliest year ever recorded in the citys history.

On July 11, Pennsylvania lawmakers formed a bi-partisan House committee to investigate the troubling crime spree in Philadelphia. The committee is empowered to subpoena witnesses and documents from Krasners office.

The committeeformerly called the Select Committee on Restoring Law and Orderis expected to conduct investigations throughout the summer and produce a report in the fall. The committees recommended actions can go up to the impeachment of Krasner, according to a House resolution.
Pope Francis and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau take part in a welcoming ceremony for the Pope at Edmonton International Airport on July 24, 2022. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)

Pope Arrives in Canada for Penitential Visit Aimed at Indigenous Reconciliation

EDMONTONPope Francis has arrived in Canada to embark on what he describes as a penitential trip aimed at reconciliation with indigenous people for the Catholic Churchs role in residential schools.

The Pope told reporters on a plane before it landed in Edmonton on Sunday that the sixday visit must be handled with care.

The pontiff is also set to travel to Quebec City and Iqaluit.

I hope, with Gods grace, that my penitential pilgrimage might contribute to the journey of reconciliation already undertaken. Please accompany me with #prayer, said a message on the Popes Twitter account.

Francis was greeted at the Edmonton airport by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon, as well as other church, indigenous, and political dignitaries.

He was next to travel to the St. Joseph Seminary, where he will be staying during the Alberta portion of the trip.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau rises during question period in the House of Commons in Ottawa on June 2, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

Provinces Denounce Feds for Pushing Ahead on Imposing Fertilizer Emission Reductions

Agriculture ministers from several provinces say theyre concerned about the federal governments plan to reduce fertilizer emissions in the name of climate change at a time when global food security is an issue.

A three-day meeting of federal, provincial, and territorial ministers concluded in Saskatoon on July 22 with Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Ontario expressing disappointment over the Liberals intent to impose fertilizer emissions reduction targets on Canadian farmers.

Were really concerned with this arbitrary goal, said Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit in a joint statement with his counterpart in Alberta, Nate Horner.

The Trudeau government has apparently moved on from their attack on the oil and gas industry and set their sights on Saskatchewan farmers.

The statement was issued shortly before Marit and Horner appeared at a press conference along with federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie Claude Bibeau and other ministers.

Bibeau said the targets are about reducing the emissions caused by fertilizers, not the use of fertilizers themselves.

The idea is to invest in research and innovation, and were sure that we will find new types of fertilizer through better practices, through new technologiesways to be even more sustainable, she said.

In December 2020, the government announced its goal to reduce absolute levels of greenhouse gas emissions arising from fertilizer use by 30 percent below 2020 levels by 2030. Specifically, it aims to reduce nitrous oxide emissions associated with synthetic nitrogen fertilizer use.

Ontario Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson said she is disappointed in the federal governments approach to imposing fertilizer emission reduction targets when the world is struggling with food security, and at a time when Canadas farmers are dealing with significant and complex issues.

As our farmers work to feed Canada and the world, we need to work with them and support their ongoing efforts to grow and produce the food we need, she said in a statement posted on Twitter after the press conference.

The federal government needs to be true partners, rather than simply imposing targets that make it harder.

Farmers Asked to do More With Less

The plan doesnt sit well with Horner, who criticized the Liberals for pushing their fertilizer targets at a time when the world is facing food supply issues.

This has been the most expensive crop anyone has put in, following a very difficult year on the prairies, he said in the statement.

The world is looking for Canada to increase production and be a solution to global food shortages. The Federal government needs to display that they understand this. They owe it to our producers.

The statement noted that farmers in Western Canada already produce the most sustainable agri-food products in the world, and theyre continually being asked to do more with less. We cannot feed the growing world population with a reduction in fertilizer.

Bibeau claimed that farmers are embracing the Liberals plans.

I was in Alberta, and Manitoba and Saskatchewan in the last 10 days or so, and Im meeting with many farmers in the field. I know how much they care for the environment and how much they invest in new practices and new technologies to reduce their emissions as much as possible, she said.

According to the joint statement, fertilizer emissions reduction was not even a topic on the agenda of the agriculture ministers meeting in Saskatoon.

Provinces pushed the federal government to discuss this important topic, but were disappointed to learn that the target is already set, the statement said.

The commitment to future consultations are only to determine how to meet the target that Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Bibeau have already unilaterally imposed on this industry, not to consult on what is achievable or attainable.

After the meeting, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada issued a press release promising to inject $500 million in new funding to support Canadian farmers and food security, and improve business risk management programs, including raising the AgriStability compensation rate from 70 percent to 80 percent.

Short-Sighted Approach

Fertilizer sector and farm producer groups have argued that, with the technologies currently available, a reduction of nitrous oxide emissions cant be done without reducing fertilizer use.



This short-sighted approach to reducing emissions will result in the need to reduce nitrogen fertilizer use and will have considerable impact on Canadian farmers incomes and reduce overall Canadian exports and GDP, Fertilizer Canada, which represents the manufacturers and distributors of a range of fertilizers, said in a report last May.

It is estimated that a 30 [percent] absolute emission reduction for a farmer with 1000 acres of canola and 1000 acres of wheat, stands to have their profit reduced by approximately $38,000  $40,500/ annually, the report said.

In Western Canada, that means canola revenues would be reduced by up to $441 million while wheat revenues could see a reduction of $400 million, it estimated.

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association seconded the position taken by Fertilizer Canada. In a press release on July 18, Wheat Growers urged the agriculture ministers to focus their discussions on real priorities when they met in Saskatoon.

Over the past several years, farmers have been seriously harmed by the carbon tax, transportation stoppages, non-science-based decision making and now with the proposed 30 percent reduction in fertilizer emissions, the release said.

Much of these policies have been based on the European Farm to Fork which is resulting in protests in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and beyond. To continue down this path will result in national and global food shortages.
Race Towards Net Zero Will Break Energy Market, Drive Up Energy Price: Analyst

'Let renewables compete in a free and fair market against gas and nuclear power'

An analyst has warned that the push for net zero with existing renewables technologies by 2050 will break the energy market and lead to a stark increase in Australias energy price within a decade.

It comes as Australia, and the world, continues to struggle with an energy crisis amid supply issues plaguing much of the countrys east coast in June, causing the national operator to suspend the electricity market for more than a week.

Institute of Public Affairs research fellow Kevin You on July 17 said the recent incidents of market failures are not accidents but are all designed features of net zero by 2050, which he said is casting a dark cloud over the fossil fuel industry.

He noted that investors are intimidated by the iron fist of the government, which is likely to place regulatory burdens on coal fired power generators, gas, and oil projects, and on downstream electricity businesses that deal with traditional energy generators.

You know what happens when the government sticks its nose where it doesnt belongwhether it be in the transport industry, the aviation industry, in energy generation, in energy distributionit breaks the market, he told the audience at Australias largest annual liberty conference, the Friedman conference.

Investors have been scared witless by the spectre of net zero hanging over the energy market, the same way the spectre of communism hung over Europe in 1848.

You described the net zero target as an attempt by big government, controlled by an elite circle of faceless men, the renewables lobby, and rent seekers to take over and take down the energy market.

The annual Friedman conference saw over a hundred people gathering at the University of Technology Sydneys Function Centre to discuss a wide range of topics from politics, energy to economics from a pro-liberty standpoint. This year it features prominent speakers including former Liberal senator Amanda Stoker, Victorian MP David Limbrick and One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts. It is hosted by the Australian Libertarian Society and the Australian Taxpayers Alliance, which is run by President Brian Marlow.

Billions in Subsidies

In the pursuit of net zero, the government is directing investment into so-called renewables, offering the sector annual subsidies of up to $8 billion (US$5.5 billion) a year until 2030.

Meanwhile, the Labor government, elected in May, has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent by 2030, and investing in renewables while promising cheaper electricity prices for homes and businesses.

There is a race for renewable energy jobs and investment around the world, and Australia should be leading that race, Energy Minister Chris Bowen said.

However, a similar pledge was made in the 2007 election, when the then-Rudd government promised that renewables would generate at least 20 percent of Australias electricity supply by 2020.

The promise remained unfulfilled, with renewables making up 7 percent of Australian energy consumption in 2019-20, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

Cost of Unreliable Renewables

But despite its popular appeal, renewable energy is unreliable, You said, arguing that if it can sustain itself in the free market, then it wouldnt need taxpayer money to line up the pockets of big renewable industries.

If renewables can compete in the energy market, then let them compete in a free and fair market against called against gas against nuclear power.

The analyst, whose research focuses on the political economy and industrial relations, predicted that for every gigawatt removed from the grid, wholesale energy prices will jump by $22 (US$15.25) per megawatt hour. This means that the average quarterly market price per megawatt hour will jump from A$89 to A$111.

You also estimated that in the next eight years, 11 gigawatts of capacity offered by coal fired power generators will be taken offline. This, he said, will translate to a quadrupling in wholesale electricity prices, with the flow on effect being a doubling in retail electricity prices.

So far, the literal doubling of electricity prices is only felt by several thousand households who are customers of small electricity retailers.

But it will only get worse from here, You warned.

Frank Calabria, managing director of Origin Energy, which operates Australias largest coal-fired power station, estimated that reaching net zero by 2050 would require $120 trillion (US$86.25 trillion) to be invested in the energy sector between now and 2050.

If this cost is split among the population of the developed world (1.3 billion people), the cost would be equivalent to A$369,000 for a household of fourthats an annual cost of $13,200 per household for the next 28 years.

Balancing tighter supply and demand in the market is an increasingly complex challenge, with the back-up, or firming, of variable renewable supply met by a combination of technology, he told the Australian Energy conference on June 7.

IPA research fellow You also noted that Australias emissions are nowhere near that of China.

Australia emits just over 1 percent of the worlds greenhouse gases, he said.

China emits more carbon in 16 days than Australia does in a year. Thats two weeks of emissions from China amounts to as much as a years worth of emissions from Australia. Right now, Chinas got 57 coal fired power stations for every single one in Australia.
Not Rated | 1h 53min | Action, Adventure, Drama | 1951

Halls of Montezuma is an action-packed World War II film about U.S. Marines performing an amphibious assault on a Japanese-controlled island.

This film is presented as more of a character-driven dramaalbeit in the form of some war-film archetypes. What could have resulted in a much more stock war film is helped greatly by not only its outstanding directorthe great Lewis Milestone, who also directed the 1930 classic All Quiet on the Western Frontbut also its excellent cast.

The films protagonist is U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Anderson (Richard Widmark), who was a high school chemistry teacher in his civilian life. From the outset, we can see that something is clearly off about Anderson as he makes his way around his battalions ship: A fine sheen of sweat seems to perpetually coat his forehead, and he has a far-away look in his eyes (greatly affected by Widmark).

Lt. Anderson has led his men through several dangerous missions, including the Guadalcanal campaign and the (oft-ignored in history) Battle of Tarawa. These pitched battles have left him with shell-shock, what we term today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and he experiences severe migraines.

Flashbacks show that medical corpsman Doc (Karl Malden) knows about Andersons condition but keeps it private. They both know that if their superiors found out about the lieutenants issues, theyd probably send him back to the States. Since Anderson is loyal to the men who have survived with him through their previous battles, he wants to finish out the war with them. Doc simply supplies him with pain pills to ease his symptoms.

Doc (Karl Malden) is sympathetic to Lt. Andersons shell-shock, in Halls of Montezuma. (Twentieth Century Fox)

Before the big landing, Andersons immediate superior, commander of the battalion Lt. Col. Gilfillan (Richard Boone)addresses the entire top deck full of Marines readying to deploy via loudspeaker. He tells them that instead of killing Japanese military personnel as per usual, they now have new ordersthey are to take as many prisoners as they can in order to gain information about Japanese fortifications on the island.

Lt. Col. Gilfillan (Richard Boone, L) wants Japanese prisoners, not just dead bodies, in Halls of Montezuma. (Twentieth Century Fox)

Meanwhile, below deck, a young Cpl. Conroy (Richard Hylton) is cracking up in the medical facilities. He tells Anderson that after the grueling battles theyve all been through, he is unfit for the upcoming landing. Since Conroy was a student of Andersons in civilian life, the chemistry teacher compels the youth to overcome his fear, just as the latter helped the student overcome his stuttering problem in high school.

After the men land on the beach, they meet some initial Japanese resistance, but overcome it and manage to dig in. Soon, the men are tasked to take a strategic ridgeline, and the battalion strikes out across a flat plateau with little in the way of cover. Suddenly, an eerie, high-pitched whining sounds as rockets streak through the air from the ridge.

The Marines begin to take heavy casualties but move forward enough to dig in. From there, the units commanders start strategizing on how to take out the rocket batteries in the Japanese-infested hills, without being obliterated by the surprisingly effective weapons.

Gilfillan orders Anderson to lead his squad to a nearby cave where some Japanese soldiers are thought to be located and are ready to surrender. Capturing the enemy soldiers could give the Marines some valuable intelligence on how to locate and destroy the rocket batteries. But it could also be a trap.

Dig in! says Lt. Anderson (Richard Widmark), in Halls of Montezuma. (Twentieth Century Fox)

A Personal Look at War

One of the things that impressed me about this film is that it takes its time letting you get to know the various Marines personalities and ticks. As mentioned previously, a number of the characters fall under the stock variety: the gun-crazy young upstart and the grizzled veteran who is trying to straighten him out; the perpetual private who gets busted for illegal acts but is rock-solid in battle; the altruistic medic, and so on.

But due to the outstanding writing and convincing performances by the films entire cast, this movie is elevated from an average war flick to an enjoyable one with surprising depth.

Moreover, instead of covering the overall Allied war effort, it instead focuses on a smaller unit of particular Marines. This lends the film a much more intimate vibe.

From its opening moments, as the uber-masculine Halls of Montezuma song plays during the opening credits, it is obvious that this is a highly patriotic movie. Director Milestone has crafted a solid action drama film here that compels you to care about the individual lives of the men bonding, fighting, and dying in it.

Halls of Montezuma

Director: Lewis Milestone

Starring: Richard Widmar, Jack Palance, Reginald Gardiner

Not Rated

Running Time: 1 hour, 53 minutes

Release Date: Jan. 4, 1951

Rated: 4 stars out of 5
Ben Roberts-Smith departs the Federal Court of Australia in Sydney on June 9, 2021. (Sam Mooy/Getty Images)

Someone Is Lying in War Veteran Roberts-Smith Case

Ben Roberts-Smith once revered as a hero is now widely reviled as a murderer and an abuser of women due to a sustained media campaign shattering his reputation, a judge has been told.

The war veterans barristers began closing his Federal Court case on Monday, more than 100 days after commencing the proceedings against journalists and three mastheads.

The Victoria Cross recipient is seeking aggravated damages of up to 10 years or more in lost income from jobs including a partnership with consulting firm PwC and lucrative public speaking.

But Nicholas Owens SC representing the mastheads being sued for defamation said Justice Anthony Besanko faced irreconcilable accounts from Roberts-Smiths friends harbouring a motive.

Your Honour is confronted with a dilemma that someone is lying, Owens said.

Roberts-Smith is suing for defamation The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Canberra Times over 2018 reports claiming he committed war crimes in Afghanistan including murder, and acts of bullying and domestic violence.

The 43-year-old denies all claims of wrongdoing, while the mastheads are defending them as true.

The oft-described trial of the century, and a proxy war crimes trial attacking freedom of press, is actually about Australias most decorated soldier having a high reputation for courage, skill and decency that has now been destroyed, Arthur Moses SC said.

It is about the respondents using the processes of this court to make allegations of murder which will have both national and international repercussions for the applicant and other members of the Australian Defence Force who they have accused of murder, he said.

Roberts-Smiths bravery was awarded with the prestigious and rare Victoria Cross, and consequently created an unexpected target on his back.

Moses said journalists Chris Masters and Nick McKenzie based sensationalist publications on rumour, hearsay, and contradictory accounts from allegedly jealous and obsessed former colleagues.

Matthew Richardson SC, also acting for Roberts-Smith, said he was formerly known as a hero.

But is now thanks to the respondents, a man wildly reviled as a murderer and an abuser of women, Richardson said.

He pointed to Roberts-Smiths evidence that he was traumatised watching his familys good named dragged through the mud, and that it had crushed his soul.

I gave so much to that job and its all lies, Roberts-Smith said in evidence.

He is fighting allegations of six murders he either committed or was said to be complicit in Afghanistan between 2006 and 2012.

Moses cited one allegation of shooting a 13 or 14-year-old boy as unjustified.

The allegation is baseless and should not have been persisted with. Presumably it was persisted with in order to damage Roberts-Smith in aid of the other allegations which have been propounded in this matter, Moses said.

Owens argued that his witnesses were not accused of deliberate dishonesty, but had remembered incorrectly due to the passage of time coupled with exposure to rumours.

He said there was a stark difference between someone forgetting what they had for breakfast 13 years ago, and the execution of a prisoner.

Several of these witnesses were getting on with their lives, and had made no attempt to come and give allegedly damning evidence against their former comrade, but had been legally forced to do so.

This contrasted with all Roberts-Smiths chosen eyewitnesses to a key allegation two prisoners were murdered at the Taliban compound dubbed Whiskey 108.

It is no coincidence they are very close friends  in some cases godparents and business associates  a very close unit of people communicating regularly with obvious affection for one another.

The closing submissions from both parties are expected to last eight days.
David Jakubonis (L) is subdued as he brandishes a sharp object during an attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) as the Republican candidate for New York governor delivers a speech in Perinton, N.Y., on July 21, 2022, in this image taken from video. (WHEC-TV via AP)

Suspected Attacker of Rep. Zeldin Arrested on Federal Assault Charge

The suspected attacker of Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) has been arrested on a federal assault charge, the Justice Department announced.

David Jakubonis, 43, was arrested on July 23 and charged with assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon, following an investigation by federal authorities, U.S. Capitol Police, and state and local law enforcement. He was initially taken into custody on July 21 after he tried to stab the lawmaker, who is the Republican nominee for governor, during a campaign stop at a Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Fairport, New York, near Rochester. Zeldin wasnt injured.

Jakubonis was arraigned on July 21 for second-degree attempted assault but was released on his own recognizance immediately after. The alleged assailant reportedly appeared in front of Magistrate Judge Marian Payson on July 23, according to a complaint filed in federal court.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Harvey, who is handling the case, described the object that Jakubonis used to assault Zeldin as a keychain with two sharp points.

The attacker allegedly pointed the object toward Zeldin while saying You are done several times. The lawmaker was able to escape injury and stop the man by grabbing his wrist until others assisted in taking the attacker to the ground, Zeldins campaign said.

According to his former neighbor, Jakubonis experienced a rapid decline in his mental health following the death of his wife and medical discharge from the Army in 2012.

If convicted of the federal charge, he could face up to 10 years in prison. He is scheduled in court for a bail hearing on July 27.

Call for Repeal of Cashless Bail

Zeldin, the GOP nominee for governor, extended his gratitude to the federal agencies over the new charge.

Im thankful that federal authorities came in to do what New York States broken pro-criminal justice system could notuphold the rule of law, he said in a prepared statement, the New York Post reported.

Zeldin, an Army Reserve lieutenant colonel who has represented eastern Long Island in Congress since 2015, is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul in the November gubernatorial contest.

Following the suspects initial release, the lawmaker criticized the states bail reform laws that Republicans and some law enforcement groups say have driven up crime.

I believe that cashless bail in New York should be repealed and Ive seen these stories of people get released on cashless bail and then they get re-arrested for a murder or double manslaughter, Zeldin told Fox News.

We have, in this particular case, somebody who, within hours, was put right back out on the streets right after he [came] on stage and he [tried] to stab me at a campaign event.

Zeldin told the news outlet that security at his next campaign events will be beefed up.
Final 2 in UK Conservative Leadership Race Vow to Crack Down on Illegal Immigration

Both candidates in the race to become Conservative Party leader and UK prime minister have pledged fresh measures to tighten Britains borders and crack down further on illegal immigration.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has promised an expanded Border Force, while Rishi Sunak, the former chancellor, committed to an annual cap on the number of refugees coming to Britain.

Both candidates have recommitted to the governments Rwanda asylum scheme, under which those who enter the UK illegally will be given a one-way ticket to the African country of Rwanda.

A group of people thought to be illegal immigrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, England, onboard a Border Force vessel on July 18, 2022. (Gareth Fuller/PA Media)

Boosting Border Control

The Truss campaign said that as prime minister she would increase the UKs frontline Border Force by 20 percent and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels.

The foreign secretary told the Mail on Sunday that the Rwanda scheme is the right policy, and said it could be expanded to include other countries.

During a visit to Kent on Saturday, Truss said the UK needs to break the appalling people-smuggling gangs and stop illegal immigrants taking dangerous journeys across the English Channel.

As prime minister, I am determined to see the Rwanda policy through to full implementation as well as exploring other countries where we can work on similar partnerships. Ill make sure we have the right levels of force and protection at our borders.

Since the Rwanda scheme was announced in April, not a single illegal immigrant has been deported to the African country.

The first deportation flight was grounded in June by a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), and another attempt is yet to be scheduled.

Truss said she will not cower to the ECHR and its continued efforts to try and control immigration policy.

Capping Refugee Numbers

Sunak made similar pledges on Rwanda, with his campaign promising to do whatever it takes for the scheme to succeed.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, the former chancellor offered a 10-point plan that will include a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR, with enhanced powers to detain, tag, and monitor illegal immigrants.

Sunak also promised to give Parliament control over who comes to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, which can be modified in the case of sudden emergencies.

He said: Our immigration system is broken and we have to be honest about that. Whether you believe that migration should be high or low, we can all agree that it should be legal and controlled.

The main opposition Labour Party has criticised the proposals, accusing the candidates of wasting taxpayers money on the Rwanda scheme.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: The Conservatives have been in power for 12 years. It beggars belief that they claim to be the ones to sort things out when they have both failed for so long.

PA Media contributed to this report.
A soldier watches another soldier receive his COVID-19 vaccination from Army Preventative Medical Services in Fort Knox, Ky., on Sept. 9, 2021. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

US Army Has Approved Only 20 Permanent Religious COVID-19 Vaccine Exemptions

The U.S. Army announced on July 21 that it has approved just 20 permanent religious exemptions from the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, after receiving thousands of requests.

Out of the 8,000 applications for a permanent religious exemption, a total of 1,465 have been reviewed by the Army. Just 20 have been approvedan approval rate of about 1.37 percent.

All those who had their applications approved were in the active Army. None from the Army National Guard or Army Reserve have received an exemption.

That leaves 6,535 applications for a permanent religious exemption yet to be reviewed by the service.

Meanwhile, the Army has reviewed 1,045 permanent medical exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine, out of 1,100 requests. It has approved just 34 of the requests, which is an approval rate of about 3.25 percent.

Army officials review each request on an individual basis to determine whether an exemption is appropriate, the Army stated. Medical requests are reviewed primarily by healthcare providers, while religious accommodation requests include interviews with the Soldiers chaplain, recommendations from the chain of command, as well as a public health and a legal review.

All Soldiers who refuse the order to be vaccinated without an approved or pending exemption request are subject to certain adverse administrative actions, including flags, bars to continued service, and official reprimands.

Soldiers who continue to refuse the vaccination order without an approved or pending exemption may also be subject to additional adverse administrative action, including separation.

Ninety-six percent of the active Army, 88 percent of the Army National Guard, and 90 percent of the Army Reserve are fully vaccinated, according to the military branchs statistics.

Over 17,000 COVID-19 Vaccine Refusals

More than 17,000 Army troops have refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine, data indicated. Most of the refusals come from the Army National Guard, where more than 10,700 soldiers have refused to be vaccinated.

Out of 1,425 active Army members who refused the COVID-19 vaccine, 1,379 have been separated; no troops in the Army National Guard or Army Reserve have been separated.

Since July 1, under orders of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, members of the Army National Guard or Army Reserve who have refused the vaccine and dont have a valid exemption may not participate in federally funded drills, training, and other duty nor receive payment or retirement credit, the Army said.

While the Armys vaccine mandate continues to be in force, the U.S. Air Force has been temporarily blocked from enforcing its vaccine mandate after a federal district court in Ohio issued a temporary restraining order in mid-July. The order prevents Air Force authorities from disciplining any service members who are unvaccinated after having their religious exemption applications denied.

Plaintiffs in the case had contended that the class action suit would include more than 12,000 airmen.

According to data from the Air Force, as of July 11, more than 6,800 service members have been denied religious accommodation requests, while only 104 have been approved. Meanwhile, 834 members have been administratively separated by the branch.

Army Facing Personnel Shortfalls

The figures point to a low rate of permanent COVID-19 vaccine exemption approvals from the Army at a time when the service branch forecasts it will have significantly fewer troops than originally planned by the end of fiscal 2023.

Members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment deploy to Germany in Savannah, Ga., on March 2, 2022. (Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Army Gen. Joseph Martin, vice chief of staff for the Army, told a House military personnel panel on July 19 that the projection for the estimated total number of troops in the force by the end of the 2022 fiscal year, on Sept. 30, is 466,400a drop of 6,600 from the original target of 473,000.

He also said that the estimated number of troops for the end of 2023 fiscal year is 445,000 to 452,000, which is 24,000 to 31,000 troops less than the original target of 476,000.

Right now, what were experiencingthe why of what we think is going on right nowis weve got unprecedented challenges with both a post-COVID-19 environment and labor market, but also private competition with private companies that have changed their incentives over time, Martin said.

He said the Army can manage to handle personnel shortfalls in the short term, but it could have an impact on readiness if it persists.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), a member of the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees, took to Twitter on July 19 to advocate for the end of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the military, noting the drastic projected reductions in strength for the Army.

Army Reserve and Army National Guard reductions will be even worse. We must depoliticize the military and end the vaccine mandate, he said on Twitter.

Johnson in late June accused the Biden administration of having destroyed the Armys readiness by creating an unnecessary recruiting and retention shortfall, and trying to make up the difference by lowering other crucial education and fitness standards.
US Marine in Custody After Stabbing Death of Wife in Hawaii

HONOLULUAn active-duty U.S. Marine accused in the stabbing death of his wife is in custody and facing a second-degree murder charge.

The Honolulu Police Department said Saturday that Bryant Tejeda-Castillo was being held on $1 million bail.

Police say he was captured shortly after the Wednesday killing of 27-year-old Dana Alotaibi along a freeway. Police say he was taken to the Queens Medical Center in Honolulu with what one witness said were several self-inflicted wounds.

Alotaibis friends said she was pregnant, but police said they are awaiting autopsy results.

A police spokesman on Saturday said he didnt know if Tejeda-Castillo remained at the hospital or had been transferred elsewhere. Tejeda-Castillo was arrested on a warrant of second-degree murder.

Alotaibis mother, Natalia Cespedes, told Hawaii News Now that her daughter faced abuse from her husband and was able to get the militarys version of a restraining order against Tejeda-Castillo, who was stationed on the island of Oahu.

Cespedes said she believes her daughter would still be alive if military officials had acted on her daughters requests for help.

Probably because shes a woman they dont care, or she looked like crazy, they dont care, Cespedes said.

In a statement, the U.S. Marine Corps said it was aware of the situation.

We can confirm that the Marine suspects command was engaged with both him and the victim, and were responsive to those allegations and concerns that the command was made aware of, it said. Due to the ongoing nature of the criminal investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further on this topic.

Witnesses who stopped to help after the stabbing described as a horrific scene.

I ran there and told him to let her go, George Schmidt told Hawaii News Now. I just seen blood all over her, she was full of blood.

He said he saw the suspect wound himself.
When she returned to Vietnam after 25 years of separation from her biological family, Emma Kiener was incredulous she could find her sister in just a day.

Standing in front of a French restaurant in downtown HCMC, Emma Kiener, 25, looks quite nervous. The Frenchwoman is waiting for her biological sister, Tran Thi Thanh Loan, 35, to come to have dinner with her adoptive parents.

It was the third time Emma Kiener and Loan would be meeting since they first met on July 13, But the first time Loan would be meeting Anna and Daniel, a DutchFrench couple who adopted Emma 25 years ago in Vietnam and took her to France. They do not want to reveal their surname/s.

"This will be the moment of my life," Emma Kiener says.

The meeting begins with warm hugs that Anna, 64, and Daniel, 72, give Loan. The language barrier prevents them from expressing their feelings at this emotional moment, but the tears in their eyes say it all.

(From L) Anna, Loan, Loans son-Hung, Emma Kiener, and Daniel at a French restaurant in downtown HCMC on July 19, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Huong Ly

Anna keeps taking photos of Loan and Emma Kiener side by side holding each others hands.

"It is a miracle, isnt it? It is so incredible!" she says.

A week earlier Emma Kiener found Loan after a quarter century of being separated. It happened a day after she created online posts on Facebook, asking for help to find her biological family in Vietnam.

Anna asks Loan in English: "How did you know about Emmas post?"

Loan replies in Vietnamese: "At that time I was surfing the Internet and accidentally saw her post on the Nguoi Thu Duc Facebook page. I read the post five or six times to make sure it was real. I did not even imagine in my dreams I would find my half-sister one day."

On July 11, three days after coming to Vietnam for the first time, Emma Kiener sought help on social media to find her birth mother, Truong Thi Thanh, and biological sister, whose name she did not know.

Truong Thi Thanh Hanh, her Vietnamese name, was born on October 5, 1996, and left by her mother at Tu Du Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in HCMC.

She was sent to Tam Binh Orphanage in HCMC on October 22, and adopted by Anna and Daniel a few months later.

Emma Kiener wrote her story on several online forums and it quickly went viral with thousands of reactions and hundreds of shares within a day.

To her great surprise, on July 12 she received messages from Loan.

Loan in fact bombarded Emma Kiener with messages on Zalo and Messenger, commented on her posts, and sent her phone messages.

Emma Kiener says: "I was like What? How? How can it come so soon? How is this possible?. I felt overwhelmed and could not sleep that night."

Loan, after reading the post, called her boyfriend and cried. "I said to him I think I have found my sister."

Everything Emma Kiener wrote, including the address of her biological mothers old house and the age of her sister was a match.

Loan says: "Her Vietnamese name is Truong Thi Thanh Hanh, and my mothers name is Truong Thi Thanh. My mother told me I have a half-sister about that age. It made me believe 80 percent she was the one."

The next day the two women decided to meet. The elder sister showed Emma Kiener photos of their mother and burst into tears. She soon realized they had many similarities.

Loan says Emma Kiener resembles her and their mother. "Her nose looks exactly like our mothers and her hands look like mine."

However, they were still doubtful and so got a DNA test done the next day. A few days later they got the results, which confirmed they were half-sisters born to the same mother.

Emma Kiener says before the dinner that she had not been really sleeping or eating for a week. "I feel now very weak. I feel very emotional. But I have not cried since the beginning of this process. I think my way of expressing is by not eating."

For Loan, it still feels surreal. "Im happy, but I still cant believe it is true."

Anna says "Loan could have missed that post, but she read it. It is a gift from heaven."

When questions were answered

At the dinner Loan is unable hold back her tears every time she talks about her mother, and says Thanh had had a miserable life.

Before she died of liver, heart and thyroid diseases at the age of 58 in 2015, she was making ends meet by selling lottery tickets on the street in HCMC.

After Loans father passed away, Thanh decided to move in with Emma Kieners birth father but then he left. As a single mother she could not afford to raise another daughter and so left her newborn child at the hospital in 1996.

"It was an act of love because she thought about her daughters future," Anna tells Loan to console her.

Emma Kiener has never felt angry at Thanh or blamed her for the abandonment.

"I knew if she did such a thing, it would have had a reason. If she did not want me or desire me, she would not have given me her name. I know she loved me."

For her, the truth is not the happiest one but now she has answers for what she calls "an identity crisis" that had haunted her over the years.

Asked about her life in France, Emma Kiener says every day she gets asked, "Where are you from?" She replies she is French but was born in Vietnam, but people are never satisfied with the answer.

Anna and Daniel have never concealed the fact that Emma was not their biological child. They told her about how she was adopted, but the story of her Vietnamese roots remained unknown.

Emma Kiener says: "The fact of not knowing where you are from is difficult on a daily basis. When you grow up for 25 years with a big piece of your story missing, it will always be a kind of hole in your life."

Filling that hole was her motivation to come back to Vietnam with her adoptive parents.

Anna says: "Finding the truth is also important to us, so we decide to go with her. But it is more important for her to know her roots because it is her history."

Before finding Anna, Loan always used to worry about her sister and fear for her fate. But now she is relieved and happy for both her mother and sister.

Loan (R) and Emma Kiener at their first meeting on July 13, 2022. Photo courtesy of Tran Thi Thanh Loan

"Because not only she is not angry with her birth mother and came back to Vietnam to look for her, but has also got a good life thanks to Anna and Daniel."

She plans to take her sister the next day to a temple in HCMC where Thanhs remains are preserved.

In August, Emma Kiener and her friend will travel to the north and then leave for Canada in September to work.

"But I will come back to visit you," she promises Loan in English.

"For me, the sense of belonging and connection to somewhere begins with the language. Now I have a real reason to learn Vietnamese."
Anthropological collections on display in Pod 4 (designed to house oversized objects) at the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center (MSC), located in Suitland, Maryland. Anthropology collections staff present. Panoramic image #7 of 7 at 26mm focal length.

Whatever Happened to Anthropology?

Commentary

Once a field of serious academic research and study, anthropology has devolved into a virtue-signaling celebration of identity politics.

The original goal of evidence-based understanding of mankind, its evolution, society, language, and culture, has long since been jettisoned in favor of advocacy for preferred populations and their particular sectoral interests.

This devolution was launched at the behest of the flood of feminist anthropologists in the 1960s. The first group to make identity grievance central to their anthropology, feminists adopted a modified version of the simplistic Marxist class conflict model of society in which struggling female victims were viciously oppressed and exploited by the patriarchy.

The goal of feminists was to show through their research and teaching that women deserved both pity and celebration, while men deserved condemnation. But not just that: At the same time the parallel goal of feminists, like the goal of Marxists, was to change the worldin their case, so as to benefit females even, or in the view of many, preferably, at the expense of men.

Feminist anthropology was paralleled by Marxist anthropology, which followed a more orthodox class conflict model of heartless capitalists and oppressed workers. Fewer in numbers than the feminists, the Marxists reinforced in anthropology the class conflict model of society, as well as the push for change, and advocacy for their preferred victims: the proletariat. The class conflict model of society as well as the advocacy and push for change were adopted by gay activists, race activists, and most recently by transgender activists.

With the subsequent wave of Marxism, feminism, critical theory, and postmodernism, the scientific approach in anthropology was overtaken by ideology, victimology, subjectivity, and nihilism. Attempts at disciplining these waves, such as Marvin Harriss Cultural Materialism: The Struggle for a Science of Culture, were dismissed even by other Marxists as crude Marxism and scientistic.

This was all a revolutionary change. Prior to the feminist revolution in anthropology, most anthropologists were guided by a scientific model of research, striving for objective knowledge.

The founders of modern British social anthropology aimed to make the field scientific, as expressed in their book titles, such as A.R. Radcliffe-Browns A Natural Science of Society (1948) and Bronislaw Malinowskis A Scientific Theory of Culture (1944). There was an emphasis on research methodology, particularly comparative analysis, as set out in S.F. Nadels The Foundations of Social Anthropology (1951).

Radcliffe-Brown characterizes social anthropology as a subdivision of comparative sociology. In contrast, American cultural anthropology was founded by Franz Boas, who saw the field not as a scientific quest, but rather as a form of cultural history and as an objective inquiry without advocacy and change trappings.

Along with the politicization of anthropology in the second half of the 20th century came a theoretical transformation. Anthropology finally took leave of the scientific approach and the striving for objectivity under the influence of one of my teachers, Clifford Geertz, who introduced interpretive anthropology or symbolic anthropology in his influential work The Interpretation of Cultures (1973). He argues that what we call our data are really our own constructions of other peoples constructions of what they and their compatriots are up to, and what generality it contrives to achieve grows out of the delicacy of its distinctions, not the sweep of its abstractions.

One of Geertzs last books is titled After the Fact (1995), which is meant not only in a historical sense, but also in an epistemological one. In this work, he says, It is necessary, then, to be satisfied with swirls, confluxions, and inconstant connections; clouds collecting, clouds dispersing. Knowledge has dissipated into wisps of fog.

Geertzs sophisticated theorizing gave respectability to the shift to epistemological relativism, postmodern subjectivity, and, inadvertently, radical politicization.

Cultural anthropology today has devolved into a congeries of political ideologies and victim advocacies, from indigenous activism to anti-male feminism, trans, fetish, and pedophile advocacy, race-baiting, Palestinianism, postcolonial anti-Western condemnation, and the socialist jihad against capitalism. Its as good an example of academic decadence as could be imagined.

The latest travesty that makes a mockery of anthropology as an academic discipline is the demand that archaeologists not sex the remains of ancient humans. The reason offered is that we dont know what sex these ancients identified as, and sexing them on the basis of their gender assigned at birth would be offensive to trans-Neanderthals and nonbinary ancient hunters.

For example, as Eric Utter reports, Canadian Masters degree candidate Emma Palladino recently tweeted: You might know the argument that the archaeologists who find your bones one day will assign you the same gender as you had at birth, so regardless of whether you transition, you cant escape your assigned sex.

This effort has been institutionalized in the Trans Doe Task Force, which states on its website that current standards in forensic human identification do a disservice to people who do not clearly fit the gender binary. It goes on to say that professionals in forensics-adjacent fields and media can implement harm reduction strategies in their own work as well as assist the Trans Doe Task Force in our mission to advocate for and appropriately identify the unknown dead in our community.

Anyway, you cant really tell males and females apart; according to associate professor Jennifer Raff of the University of Kansas, there is no neat division between physically or genetically male or female individuals.

Huh? Thats it? Biology and biological anthropology are canceled?

But wait, theres more. As reported by professor Jonathan Turley: Professors Elizabeth DiGangi of Binghamton University and Jonathan Bethard of the University of South Florida have also challenged the use of racial classifications in a study, objecting that [a]ncestry estimation contributes to white supremacy. The authors write that we use critical race theory to interrogate the approaches utilized to estimate ancestry to include a critique of the continued use of morphoscopic traits, and we assert that the practice of ancestry estimation contributes to white supremacy. The professors refer to the practice as dangerous. Denying race among the ancients, the professors still feel at ease in classifying their fellow countrymen as Black Americans and whites, and in advocating for the former and against the latter.

The devolution of anthropology into woke fanaticism pleases the young radicals but leaves senior faculty who remember anthropology as a serious field of inquiry disillusioned and disappointed. University of CaliforniaLos Angeles professor of anthropology Joseph Manson took early retirement rather than continue to try to work in the woke decadence of his department and university.

Manson explains on his blog that mainstream U.S. higher education is morally and intellectually corrupt, beyond the possibility of self-repair, and therefore no longer a worthwhile setting in which to spend my time and effort.

This is a fair assessment of anthropology and universities generally today.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Its all part of the script of The Great Reset  just look at who invested a half-billion dollars into this major online grocery retailer as government prepares to radically restrict livestock farming and meat production.

Gates claims he intends to lease the farmland to farmers. Viewed from the perspective of The Great Reset, it would then appear Gates may be engaged in the same kind of wealth-shift scheme as BlackRock and other investment groups that are buying up single-family homes and turning them into rentals. The end goal is to eliminate all private ownership and turn the population into serfs

At the same time the Dutch government is preparing to radically restrict livestock farming and meat production, Gates is gobbling up farmland back home. Despite land prices being at a record high, Gates purchased a 2,100-acre potato farm in North Dakota in June 2022, bringing the total land share held by the Gates Red River Trust above 270,000 acres

The newly assigned Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy, Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink, is married to Piet van der Wal, who together with his brother are heavily invested in the major online grocery retailer Picnic. In September 2021, Bill Gates invested an estimated half-billion dollars into Picnic, thereby becoming one of its lead investors. Gates involvement has raised questions about government corruption

According to Dutch Parliament member Thierry Baudet, the government is following the script of The Great Reset, which requires weakening the country, making it more dependent on food imports, and diluting nationalism by taking in more immigrants. To make room for immigrant housing, they need to take land from the farmers

In early June 2022, the government of The Netherlands announced it would cut the size of livestock herds in the country by 30% to meet European Union nitrogen and ammonia pollution rules

In early June 2022, the government of The Netherlands announced it would cut the size of livestock herds in the country by 30% to meet European Union nitrogen and ammonia pollution rules.1,2 As a result of this green policy, many farmers will be driven out of business3 and they have gathered in protest across the country.

This is important because many may not realize that even though The Netherlands is a small country, its the second-largest exporter of agriculture in the world, after the United States.4 As with current energy shortages, the forced reductions in farming and food production are said to be an unavoidable part of the Green Agenda to improve air, soil and water quality.5

In a public statement about the new emissions targets, the Dutch government even admitted that The honest message  is that not all farmers can continue their business.6 Those who do continue will have to come up with creative solutions to meet the new emissions restrictions.

A Clear Case of Corruption?

The restrictions on nitrogen for livestock farmers have befuddled many. Why would government restrict farming at a time when food shortages and famine loom on the horizon worldwide? Some claim to have discovered conflicts of interest within the Dutch government that can help explain this irrational move.7

The newly assigned Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Policy (who created the nitrogen regulations and is responsible for overseeing the cuts to farming), Christianne van der Wal-Zeggelink, is married to Piet van der Wal, who together with his brother, Bouke van der Wal, own a massive supermarket chain called Boni.

As noted by The Conservative Treehouse,8 when Dutch farmers sell product to Boni they are directly funding the wealth of the government minister who seeks to destroy their livelihoods.

The van der Wal family is also heavily invested in a major online grocery retailer called Picnic. Picnic buys food at wholesale prices directly from Boni, which minimizes its operational costs. Picnic basically functions as a home delivery service for Boni.

In September 2021, Bill Gates entered the Dutch enterprise. He invested an estimated half-billion dollars into Picnic, thereby becoming one of its lead investors.9 Not surprisingly, Picnic focuses on selling the fake food that Gates is invested in and promotes, imitation beef in particular.

The CEO of Picnic, Michiel Muller, a Dutch climate change activist, has also publicly vowed to change the entire food system to be in line with sustainable goals,10 which falls right in line with Gates agenda.

The strong recommendation to replace beef with fake meat was made in Gates book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need, released in February 2021.11 In an interview with MIT Technology Review, he also suggested that people could learn to like fake meat and, if resistance continues, regulations may be needed to force the switch.12

According to The Countersignal,13 many participating in the ongoing farmers protests in Holland have openly stated they believe Gates may be partly responsible for pushing additional climate laws. Curiously, July 10, 2022, a large Picnic delivery facility in Almelo, Holland, burned to the ground under mysterious circumstances.14,15,16

Why Get Rid of Farmers Amid Rising Food Insecurity?

The attempt to rid The Netherlands of livestock farmers really only makes sense if seen from the globalists point of view, with an eye on The Great Reset, the Green New Deal, Agenda 2030 and related Sustainable Development Goals.

According to Dutch Parliament member Thierry Baudet, the Dutch government is following the script of The Great Reset, which requires weakening the country, making it more dependent on food imports, and diluting nationalism by taking in more immigrants. To make room for immigrant housing, they need to take land from the farmers.

Indeed, according to Dutch Parliament member Thierry Baudet (video above), thats really what the nitrogen restrictions are all about. The Dutch government is following the script of The Great Reset, he says, which requires weakening the country, making it less independent and more dependent on food imports.

The Great Reset script also calls for diluting nationalism and weakening borders by taking in more immigrants, and to make room for immigrant housing, they need to take land from the farmers. So, the new nitrogen rules are basically a precursor to a land grab. They intend to put farmers out of business so they can take their land and stack it full of low-income, government-assistance apartment buildings.

Aside from that, farmers also pose a threat to the technocratic elitists because they dont need to rely on government for basics such as food and shelter, and they can allow those who buy their food to maintain their independence as well.

The globalists plan is to eliminate access to as much real food as possible, and replace natural foods with patented foodstuffs so that the population becomes entirely dependent on them for survival. At that point, they are easily controlled. Eliminating independent food producers  farmers  is therefore a key to the globalist cabals eventual success.

Gates Gobbles Up Farmland While Pushing Fake Foods

At the same time the Dutch government is preparing to radically restrict livestock farming and meat production  likely with Gates blessing, if not due to his influence  Gates is gobbling up farmland back home.

Despite land prices being at a record-high, Gates purchased a 2,100-acre potato farm in North Dakota in June 2022, bringing the total land share held by the Gates Red River Trust above 270,000 acres  up from about 242,000 acres in mid-September 2021.

The following map, from AgWeb,17 shows the distribution of his land holdings prior to his North Dakota acquisition. As you can see, the vast majority is farmland.

Gates Plan: Turn Farmers Into Modern Serfs

However, as reported by AgWeb at the end of June 2022, Gates didnt get a warm welcome:18

North Dakota hosts corporate farming laws that barres [sic] corporations and limited liability companies from owning and leasing farms and ranches. With the Gatess new $13.5 million farmland purchase, North Dakotans  including the attorney general  are concerned the sale violates the states law. The North Dakota attorney generals office sent a letter to the Red River Trust on Tuesday, alerting the trustee of the North Dakota land law.

Our office needs to confirm how your company uses this land and whether this use meets any of the statutory exceptions, such as the business purpose exception, wrote Drew Wrigley, North Dakota attorney general.

MoneyWise19 followed up on the story, reporting that by July 5, 2022, Gates had secured legal approval for his farm purchase  a decision that has raised the ire of many North Dakotans who dont believe Gates has good intentions.

According to MoneyWise, The anti-corporate farming law does allow individual trusts to own farmland if it is leased to farmers  and thats what Gates firm plans to do. Viewed from the perspective of The Great Reset, it appears Gates may be engaged in the same kind of subversive wealth-shift scheme as BlackRock and other investment groups that are buying up single-family homes.

They buy them, often sight-unseen and at above-market prices, with the intent of turning them into rentals. This too is part and parcel of The Great Reset and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The intent is to eliminate all private ownership and turn the population into modern serfs. Serf is a term that describes people who are required to work for the lord who owns the land they live on, or who are otherwise underpaid, overworked or exploited in some way.

Thatll be all of us, one day, if the world doesnt wake up and refuse to go along with the globalist cabals Great Reset plans. The plight of the Dutch farmers is just the beginning.

Originally published

Sources and References
President Joe Biden meets virtually with his economic team at the White House in Washington on July 22, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

White House Provides Update on Bidens Condition After COVID-19 Diagnosis

The White Houses COVID-19 czar said Sunday that President Joe Biden is improving three days after he tested positive for COVID-19.

Biden was feeling much, much better on Saturday night and Sunday morning, COVID-19 coordinator Ashish Jha told CBS News Face the Nation.

I checked in with his team late last night. He was feeling well. He had a good day yesterday. Hes got  an upper respiratory infection and hes doing just fine. We havent gotten any updates this morning, but throughout the night he was feeling much, much better, he told CBS, adding that Biden contracted the Omicron BA.5 subvariant.

A day before testing positive, Biden traveled on Air Force One for a climate-related speech in Massachusetts. But Jha said Sunday that no close contacts of the 79-year-old president tested positive for the virus.

The White House has attempted to highlight Bidens alleged ability to work through his illness. On Thursday it released a video of him reassuring Americans he was doing fine, and on Friday he participated in virtual meetings with White House staff.

Dr. Kevin OConnor, the White House physician, said Biden took Paxlovid, an antiviral treatment manufactured by Pfizer, and was also taking Tylenol. Several weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert saying Paxlovid could lead to so-called COVID rebound, or a return of COVID-19 symptoms after testing negative.

On Saturday, OConnor said in a letter (pdf) that Biden was suffering from a sore throat, loose cough, body aches, and a runny nose. Biden, who has received four total COVID-19 vaccine doses, had a normal pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and respiratory rate, according to the letter.

Its not clear exactly where Biden contracted the virus, and White House officials have provided no update. Other than the trip to Massachusetts, the president recently returned from a trip to the Middle East and held public events before that trip in which he had close personal interactions with scores of people.

During Sundays interview with CBS, Jha also said that more Americans should wear masks and promoted COVID-19 vaccines, although a growing number of studies are increasingly casting doubt on the efficacy of both protocols.

Jha added that the White House would continue to provide updates on Bidens condition or if he has long-term symptoms.

Obviously if he has persistent symptoms, obviously if any of them interfere with his ability to carry out his duties, we will disclose that early and often with the American people, he said, adding, The presidents been doing well and were going to expect that hes going to continue to do so.
A health care worker prepares to administer a vaccine to a person for the prevention of monkeypox in the Pride Center in Wilton Manors, Florida, on July 12, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

WHO Admits Everyone Who Gets Monkeypox Vaccine Part of Clinical Trial to Collect Data

A top World Health Organization (WHO) official conceded that everyone who gets a monkeypox vaccine is essentially part of a clinical trial to collect information on whether the shot is effective.

The comments came as the agencys director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, overruled a WHO advisory panel and declared monkeypox a global health emergency, which is the agencys highest level alert. The last time the WHO issued such an emergency was in early 2020 when it made the same declaration for COVID-19.

Tim Nguyen, the head of the WHOs infectious hazards preparedness agency, said the monkeypox vaccines efficacy isnt known because it hasnt been used on a large scale before.

I would like to underline one thing that is very important to WHO. We do have uncertainty around the effectiveness of these vaccines because they havent been used in this context and in this scale before, Nguyen said Saturday.

Nguyen then said that when these vaccines are being delivered, that they are delivered in the context of clinical trial studies and prospectively collecting this data to increase our understanding of the effectiveness of these vaccines.

Cases

So far this year, there have been more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox in more than 75 countries, and five deaths in Africa. The viral disease has been spreading chiefly in homosexual men in the recent outbreak outside Africa where it is endemic.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Geneva, Switzerland, on July 3, 2020. (Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via Reuters)

In declaring the emergency, Tedros noted that for the moment this is an outbreak that is concentrated among homosexuals and especially those with multiple sexual partners. Before 2022, the virus was primarily relegated to western and central Africa, where the disease is endemic.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration has licensed two vaccines for monkeypox: ACAM2000, known as Imvamune or Imvanex, and JYNNEOS.

Many of the U.S. monkeypox cases are located in New York City, according to officials. The citys health agency said that it obtained more JYNNEOS vaccines.

The NY Health Department announced plans for its next allocation of the JYNNEOS vaccine, the New York City Health Department said in a statement on July 21. Approximately 26,000 additional doses were delivered to New York City as part of Phase 2b from the federal government and state, and will be distributed via clinics, mass vaccination sites and community-based referrals. Individuals will be able to book appointments for July 24 through August 13.

Europe, meanwhile, is the epicenter of the monkeypox epidemic, officials have said. Tedros said Saturday that WHOs assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high.

But last week, the CDC confirmed its first cases in children in two separate states. Its not clear how the children contracted the virus.
Rohingya refugees watch ICJ proceedings at a restaurant in a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Dec. 12, 2019. (Allison Joyce/Getty Images)

World Court Dismisses Burmas Objections in Rohingya Genocide Case

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 22 rejected all of Burmas preliminary objections to a case alleging that the military-ruled nation committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority.

The Gambia filed the case in November 2019, alleging that Burma, also known as Myanmar, committed genocidal acts against the minority to destroy the Rohingya group in whole or in part.

The Burmese government raised four preliminary objections to challenge the courts jurisdiction and the admissibility of the application, stating that The Gambia had no standing to bring the case to the ICJ.

The court unanimously rejected three of Burmas objections (pdf) and one objection by a 151 majority. ICJ President Joan Donoghue said the court has jurisdiction over the case and that The Gambias application was admissible.

The court concludes that The Gambia, as a state party to the Genocide Convention, has the standing to invoke the responsibility of Myanmar for the alleged breaches of its obligations under Articles I, III, IV, and V of the Convention, the court stated.

The ICJ stated that all states that signed the 1948 Genocide Convention have a common interest to ensure the prevention, suppression, and punishment of genocide.

The court, rejecting Burmas preliminary objections, could allow the case to proceed with the merits hearing.

Tun Khin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, welcomed the courts decision and said it provided the opportunity to challenge the Burmese militarys impunity.

The objections raised by Burma were nothing but a blatant delaying tactic, and we are pleased that this landmark genocide trial can now finally begin in earnest, Khin said in a statement, calling on the UK government to join the case.

Elaine Pearson, acting Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that the courts decision opens the door toward an overdue reckoning with the Myanmar militarys murderous campaign against the Rohingya population.

Widespread and Systematic

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declared in March that the Burmese military had committed genocide against the Rohingya in a widespread and systematic manner, saying there was clear evidence of intent to destroy the minority group in whole or in part.

In response, Burmas military junta rejected Blinkens declaration and claimed that it was politically motivated, accusing the United States of interfering with the internal affairs of a sovereign state.

The Rohingya have been denied citizenship in the country since a Burmese citizenship law was enacted in 1982. The United Nations stated that more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh because of a military clampdown in 2017.

The same military junta ousted an elected civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, sparking widespread anti-coup protests in Burma, which resulted in the deaths of 1,600 people, according to the U.N.
The message here from the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is for Nigeria to end its arbitrary arrest, punitive detention, and illegal trial of Kanu, which could lead to the Nigerian government being held accountable by reporting Nigeria to the Human Rights Council.

President Muhammadu Buhari do not be carried away or influenced by the usual editorial twisting by some Nigerian newspapers that a particular piece of information did not come directly from this or that, and for your information, the UN's former Commission on Human Rights established the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with Resolution 1991/42. The Working Groups mandate was most recently extended by Human Rights Council resolution 42/22 of September 26, 2019, for another three-year period.

The United Nations Human Rights Councils Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate individual cases of arbitrary detention, and situations where country conditions have prompted more widespread occurrences of arbitrary detention, such as Nigeria.

I still remember in 2020, the overall head of the UN under which the UNHRC comes under, the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres continues to call on nations to act on human rights.

I still remember how in 2018, when President Trump removed America from the U.N. Human Rights Council, a man known for his weak likeness for human rights, but President Biden and his administration have since rejoined the Human Rights Council.

Nigeria is a Member State of the United Nations (UN) and has human rights obligations at both the regional and universal levels.

The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is being tried on charges of treason by the Federal Government of Nigeria in a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.

President Buhari should know that the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Kanu, is now a matter of interest in United Nations circles.

President Buhari, the United Nations Human Rights Councils Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, has called on the Nigerian government to, "immediately release Kanu unconditionally" and reimburse him with adequate compensation for the arbitrary violation of his fundamental human rights.

President Buhari, the UN Human Rights Council Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, has indicted both the Nigerian and Kenyan governments for the illegitimate apprehension, detention, extraordinary rendition, torture, and continued detention of Kanu without due process.

Professor Mike Ozekhome, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Kanu's lead counsel, has repeatedly urged you, as President of Nigeria, to consider a political solution to the Nigeria stated treasonable felony case against Kanu. This plea is especially valid as you have psychologically and ethically stained this court case when, in an interview with Channels Television early this year, you stated that "If there is one institution I wouldnt like to interfere with, it is the judiciary. Only in the same interview did you say, "But what I wonder is that when Kanu was in Europe abusing this administration and mentioning too many things, I never thought he really wanted to voluntarily come to defend himself." "So, we are allowing him to defend himself in our system, not to abuse us from Europe as if he was not a Nigerian." For those who are saying we should release him, no, we cannot release him. " "But if you go to a foreign country and keep on sending incorrect economic and security problems against your country, thinking that you never have to account for what you have been doing, let him account for what he has been doing."

Also in the interview, you said, "There is a possibility of a political solution." If he behaves himself... "

In June 2021, in a briefing by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, he said the fugitive Nnamdi Kanu was back in Nigeria to face trial but did not state how he was secured to Nigeria legally. Malami did not give details of where Kanu was arrested or the diplomatic alliancethat may have been involved in the operation. But Ozekhome said Kanu's abduction and rendition to Nigeria without extradition proceedings or hearing in Kenya is a clear violation of Article 12(4) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

President Buhari Kanu was taken in via secrecy. His Nigerian and American lawyers were not officially informed of his illegal abduction from Kenya.

Regarding Kanu, a British-Nigerian citizen, the United Kingdom media said, "The abduction of a person from a foreign country with the aim of rendition to justice is illegal under international law."

Kanu later told his lawyers that was tortured, maltreated, and mercilessly beaten, after spending eightor so days in illegal custody in Nigeria before Nigerians held about his forced return to Nigeria.

Bruce Fein, the American counsel for Kanu, has filed a petition against Nigerias government to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Mr. President, you are being accused of targeting Kanu as an Ibo man in the light of Feins report that this was part of "a widespread and systematic attack by the Fulani-controlled Federal Government of Nigeria, against the Biafran civilian population in the southeast."

Justice Binta Nyako the presiding judge once stated that the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), where Kanu is detained, is not a five-star hotel where Kanu can enjoy all the amenities he desires, and she however, advised the SSS to treat Kanu as a human being with rights.

In fact, Kanu should not be under the State Security Services (SSS) custody but in a correctional center as a pre-trial detainee where the Nelson Mandela Rules in regard to protecting the rights of persons in detention and prohibiting indefinite or prolonged solitary confinement apply.

Kanu was allegedly abused in the Department of State Services detention, according to his lawyers, by not being allowed to practice his faith, take a bath, change his clothes, or eat properly. He was even denied access to his reading glasses, which the court ordered released to him.

Just last month, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) expressed discontent with the refusal of the presiding judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja division, Justice Nyako, to grant bail to Kanu.

The President recently said while attending a bilateral meeting with the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, that he Kanu should "justify all the uncomplimentary things said against Nigeria while he was in Britain."

Buhari continues to interfere in a legal case like Kanu's. The judge, Justice Nyako, according to normal democratic principles, should have informed the government and Buhari in particular, that interfering in a criminal prosecution in court before the public is a further abuse of Kanus right to a fair and uncontaminated trial, and should have protected his right to a fair trial.

As a result of the politicization of human rights and the dehumanization of Kanus legal rights, the case now has disastrous effects on the judiciary. As such, the entire case should be dismissed with prejudice by the judge, which means the case is settled and cannot be reopened in the future.

The Buhari administration must learn to be accountable to legal and ethical standards, and the Nigerian judicial system must learn to protect all citizens' human rights.

As soon as possible, President Buhari and his administration need to comply with the UN Human Rights Council working group assertions regarding Kanus right to life and liberty, and freedom from torture, and to do otherwise could result in charges of serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian rights.

President Buhari, on a moral note, remember that human rights abuses, including political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, as well as prejudice, might be common in a military regime, but in the current Nigeria, which is generally a democracy, human rights and democratic governance are critical components, and that is what the UN Human Rights working group on the issue of human rights is demanding of Nigeria about Kanu.

President Buhari, even if the views of the Working Group are not direct views of the United Nations, and may not be legally binding on Nigeria, just do the right thing as their concerns will result in appropriately operating Nigerias criminal justice system.

President Buhari, as a man who wishes to return to cattle farming in the coming months, do not allow yourself to be caught in an international criminal court regarding Kanus torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, and the likes of head of SSS Yusuf Bichi, AGF Malami, and Justice Nyako might equally be affected. Sir, the demand is to "immediately release" Kanu, "unconditionally" and pay him acceptable compensation for the arbitrary violation of his fundamental human rights. Just do it So Kanu can return to his adopted home in the United Kingdom. You have nothing to lose. Allah bless you.

John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria to a father who served in the Nigeria police for 37 years, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult and child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional, and Career Development. He is a former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings In 2011, he introduced State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. He is currently a Virtual Behavioral Leadership Professor at ISCOM University, Republic of Benin. Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, and Openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 200 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.

Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]


The Attention of Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development, FENRAD, a pro-democracy and environmental rights advocacy group was recently drawn to the news making the rounds concerning the withdrawal of accreditation from Abia State Polytechnic, Aba. This is a sad and worrisome news considering that the National Board for Technical Education, NBTE gave as a reason for the deaccreditation the issue of thirty months outstanding salaries owed staff of the polytechnic by the state government led by Govenor Okezie Ikpeazu, Ph.D.

With this, students of the polytechnic will be confined to their homes just like those in the state's university had been in the last six months following ASUU strike; and tertiary education in the state, this way, is facing a huge setback. The painful part of it all is that nobody knows how long it will take for the accreditation to be restored. Again, this, FENRAD says, represents a huge disservice to struggling and starving parents and guardians of students of the polytechnic, especially those who had just paid the tuition of their children and wards for the current session before this recent development. Worse is, it is a big minus, and also blow, to the state as students of the said polytechnic are not only those from Abia but also those from outside the Southeast.

FENRAD recalls that in his latest cabinet reshuffle and rejig exercise, Governor Ikpeazu, known by some of his admirers as "scholar in government," had split the state ministry of education into two; one ministry to oversight basic education (held by Ukwu Rocks), the other post-basic education (held by Barr. Chijioke Mark). Ordinarily, one would think that by expanding his cabinet beyond the size of the local councils (17) in the state, and for creating two cabinet portfolios for the eduction sector, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu really would be bringing to an end all the challenges faced by the education sector which sadly remains one of the most underfunded sectors every budget cycle. Contrary to this expectation, Abians are treated to this sad development of deaccreditation shortly after strike action by secondary school teachers over issue of non-payment of salaries resulted in Abia junior secondary students starting their Junior WAEC examination behind others in the federation. The meaning is that these two ministries have failed Abians, considering that the basic education ministry was to take care of education from primary to junior secondary level and post-basic education ministry from senior secondary to tertiary level. Why are teachers being owed at the both levels under the two ministries?

While some were wont to ask why NBTE would withdraw accreditation from Abia State Polytechnic, it is also necessary that these concerned Abians study the release from NBTE wherein the Board said it went the extra mile writing the governor over issue of non-payment of salaries which affect the Board's quality assurance visits and performance and competence rating mechanisms. The questions are: how did the governor engage the Board? Were there memos ordering the post-basic education ministry to open a channel of communication with the Board or to look into grey areas of salary arrears by interfacing with state ministry of finance through inter-ministerial engagement? What did the ministry of finance do differently to address this ugly development?

FENRAD regrets that late last year Abia State University Teaching Hospital complained of a 22-month salary arrears owed them and would later embark on a strike last year's November. Recently, after Nigeria Medical Association's (NMA's) 62nd Annual General Conference of June this year (2023), the Association ordered Abia resident doctors to embark on indefinite strike action with other states briefed to show solidarity. How many Abians can travel abroad on medical grounds or to other states in any health emergency situation should state healthcare sector collapse? It is our believe that the state doesn't have funds to cover travel expenses of her citizens for medical tourism in the face of dwindling revenues.

To think this is affecting the state university's teaching hospital is to say that issue of outstanding salary arrears is now affecting two key sectors - health and education combinedly. FENRAD is aware that some of the challenges were inherited by the Ikpeazu-led administration but wishes the governor Godspeed in tackling and surmounting these challenges. After all, has not that government failed already which cannot tackle education and healthcare squarely?

Governor Ikpeazu has always made known his "five pillars of development" among which education is a plank for a sustainable growth plan to put Abia at the path of recovery and self-reliance. With this development (deaccreditation), the meaning is that students of the polytechnic will no longer be mobilised for NYSC, may suffer serious problems in the competitive and shrinking Nigeria's labour market even as they are already by this same development disqualified from Industrial Training Fund and programmes (no longer likely to be hired by firms for the purpose of industrial attachment)!

This is heart-rending, to say the least

FENRAD, lastly, calls on Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to show and exemplify the designation of "scholar in government" by intervening to save tertiatry education in the state from further disgrace. We are aware that he is a listening governor, a man who has education as part of his five pillar programmes for development in the state. Failure to do this might indeed send the message that the governor, who recently was seen in pictures celebrating a fellow governor's son's graduation from a UK-based university, is indifferent to the educational needs of his state; and that perhaps the success story of Abia State regarding WAEC and JAMB breakthroughs has more connection with private schools, not the public or state-owned ones. We do not want this to form the assessment/perception of the governor or that of the state under his watch.

Abians, who voted the governor on the basis of his educational qualification as a Ph.D in 2015 and retained him in 2019 would want to know why and how exactly salary arrears owed polytechnic staff reached that scale even after numerous bailout and other intervention funds have been sourced from federal purse in the recent past. Thirty months without pay means the government has not paid her workers for two and half years; a picture that depicts disregard to international labour laws and conventions, even to God's instruction and other biblical injunctions that they that worked be paid.

We trust the Governor to rise to the occasion as Abia is indeed "God's own" beyond appellation.

While the government has come out to say it paid over 7 billion in subvention funds to the polytechnic since 2015, it is pertinent to remind the state that even though it is accepted that the polytechnic is autonomous, this does not yank them off entirely from state government and its numerous agencies. Again, the said 7 billion if true might not have meet current monetary needs of the school in the last two and half years. FENRAD calls on the Abia State House of Assembly, the seventh assembly, to interrogate this as issue of salary arrears deserves urgent legislative intervention.

Time to act as "a scholar in government" is now!

Signed:

Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor

Executive Director FENRAD

Barr. Akande Femisi

Head Corporate Accountability and Human Rights Enforcement

Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy & Development (FENRAD Nigeria

Tel;/WhatsApp 08033383708,07062949232,

Email; [email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]


United Nigeria Airlines Limited will this October accept the first batch of engineering students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, on internship at its engineering department.

This is sequel to the signing, and exchange, of the final documents and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between United Nigeria Airlines represented by its Chairman, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo and NAU represented by its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Charles Esimone, in Abuja, Friday.

According to the agreement, United Nigeria will take in between 10 to 20 fourth year engineering students of NAU on an internship at the engineering department of United Nigeria Airlines.

The lucky students will be taken through the rudiments of aircraft engineering by a team of aircraft engineers at the company and the internship shall be for the entire duration of the second semester.

It will be recalled that Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines had in October 2021, while speaking at a ceremony at the university in Awka, promised to unveil a series of schemes to help the university boost human capital development for the country.

According to Prof. Okonkwo, beside the internship scholarships offer, he will also facilitate the introduction of a Russian language department at the university as well as an academic exchange programme between UNIZIK and Russian universities on the platform of the Nigeria-Russia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NRCCI), which he heads as President.

Prof. Okonkwo further promised to facilitate poultry production at the university in conjunction with his foundation, Pro-Value Humanity Foundation.

Agreements to these effects were also signed and sealed between both parties with the Director of Administration at United Nigeria, Mr. Linus Awute, and a member of the council of the university, Prof. Meshach Umenweke, in attendance.

According to the agreement, United Nigeria would provide professional assistance to the students of the faculty of engineering of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) which will be facilitated through the use of industrial training and work experience to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of academic, administrative services and activities for the students.

United Nigeria Airlines Limited will, at the end of each internship session, issue industrial training clearance forms to the deserving students while the university shall supervise the students as well as select deserving students deriving from their academic performance records.

Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu

Head, Corporation Communication


Elko Convention & Visitors Authority meets at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 26, in the Elko Conference Centers Ruby Mountain Room. The board will consider filling a position on the marketing committee. There are three candidates for consideration: Carrie Massie, General Manager of Home2 Suites; Gina Cortez, General Manager of the TownePlace Suites by Marriott; and Michelli Leedy, General Manager of the Holiday Inn Express and Suites. The board will also discuss a $213,000 retainer and master service agreement with Reno-based Noble Studios for the ECVAs new website, and a $42,000 media marketing campaign contract with Sparklight Advertising.

--

Elko City Council meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at Elko City Hall. The council will receive formal notice of intent to retire from City Manager Curtis Calder. The council will also review the positions job description and recruiting process. The council will also conduct a public hearing on the possible sale of 5.88 acres of City-owned land on the north side of North Fifth Street between Rocky Road and Rolling Hills Drive.

--

Elko County School Board meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, in the board room at 850 Elm St. The board will discuss the districts class size reduction plan application, five-year capital improvement plan, and a contract with Qualtrics LLC for employee engagement advisement and survey management services for retention purposes.

--

Spring Creek Association Board of Directors meets at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at 401 Fairway Blvd. for a strategic planning workshop hosted by the University Center for Economic Development from UNR. No formal action will be taken.

--

Spring Creek Association Board of Directors meets at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 27, at 401 Fairway Blvd. The board is scheduled to nominate a director to serve as board chairman; review animal control efforts in conjunction with the Elko County Sheriffs Office; discuss golf course concessionaire The Klub; review an events concession lease agreement with Sweet Shop; and fill a vacancy on the Committee of Architecture.

--

Elko Redevelopment Advisory Council meets at 4 p.m. Thursday, July 28. The panel will consider making a recommendation to the Redevelopment Agency regarding the development of a fire suppression and ADA assistance grant program.
Four state executives of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, have reportedly died in a motor accident which occured in Niger State.

Mamman Damisa, the party chairman in the state who confirmed the incident to newsmen on Sunday, said accident occurred along Lambata/Bida road when they were returning from the unveiling of the party's vice presidential candidate.

Damisa said that the party lost two Local Government party chairmen, one youth leader, and a driver in the accident.

We lost two of our local government party chairmen, one youth leader, and a driver when the accident occurred, he said.

The chairman gave the names of the deceased as Alhaji Mohammed Ibrahim, the chairman of Agaie, and Baba Usman, the chairman of Katcha.

He also stated that some local government party chairmen also sustained varying degrees of injuries in the accident.

Some of our members also got injured in the accident and they include the party Chairmen of Gbako, Lapai and Edati local government areas, Damisa said.
NIAMEY. 23 Jul 2022: The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa)  brainchild of Industrialist, philanthropist and founder of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, has awarded a three million US Dollars development initiative to Niger Republic from its ASR Africa Fund for Social Development & Renewal. This donation was announced when President Mohamed Bazoum of Niger Republic hosted the Chairman of BUA Group and ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu, at the State House in Niamey over the weekend.

Speaking at the reception hosted in his honour, Abdul Samad Rabiu thanked President Bazoum of Niger Republic for the warmth, hospitality, and honour accorded him in Niamey. He also announced that his private philanthropy, ASR Africa, had selected Niger Republic as a recipient of a 2022 National Development Grant to the tune of 3 million dollars which will be drawn from the ASR Africa Fund for Social Development and Renewal, and channeled towards interventions in the areas of health, education, or social development that the government of Niger Republic will identify for implementation.

In his response, President Bazoum thanked Rabiu for the gesture and stressed the importance of pan-African cooperation in various areas from business to infrastructure development, social development and economy. He further added that partnerships in business and development such as this, are critical in building an economically prosperous Africa for the future. President Bazoum later hosted a state dinner in honour of Abdul Samad Rabiu which was attended by the Nigerien Prime Minister and other senior members of Government.

ABOUT ASR AFRICA

The brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting health, Education and Social Development within Africa.

For more information visit asrafrica.org or email info[at]asrafrica[dot]org.
The House of Representatives has summoned the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, and the Minister of Power over plan to sell five power plants belonging to the three tiers of government.

The summon was also extended to the director general of the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE) and the managing directors of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company.

This was contained in letters addressed to the agencies on Sunday by the chairman, House Committee on Finance, James Faleke.

The power plants include Benin Generation Company Ltd, Calabar Generation Company Ltd, Geregu Generation Company Ltd, Olorunsogo Generation Company Ltd and Omotoso Generation Company Ltd. proposed by the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE).

The lawmakers said the process for the sale was unconstitutional.

Faleke further stated that it was also a disservice to the nations development and sharing equity among the three tiers of government.

The House of Representatives has observed with grave concern the proposed sale of the five National Integrated Power Plants (NIPP), a part of the letter read.

He said this was without due regard to constitutional principles and economic policy that informed the establishment of the power plants.

Considering the critical role your agency is playing in the sustainable energy sector in the country, you are requested to stop all further processes regarding this transaction.

You are to submit the following information for the committees determination of the way forward, the letter read.

Mr Faleke said the committee was demanding from the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company a breakdown of the capacity and monthly income of all the power plants.

He added that full disclosure of all the power plants that had taken or paid agreements and electricity consumed and not consumed from inception should be included.
Belgian rafter still missing in Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI: A search continued on Saturday (July 23) for a Belgian man who fell from an inflatable raft into the Taeng River during heavy rain while on a whitewater rafting trip with three friends on Friday.



By Bangkok Post

Sunday 24 July 2022, 09:54AM

Searchers examine the rapids of the Taeng River for signs of a Belgian man who fell from an inflatable raft during a whitewater rafting trip in Mae Taeng district of Chiang Mai on Friday. Photo: Panumet Tanraksa / Bangkok Post

UPDATE: Rescuers found the body of Mr Hinckxt on Sunday (July 24). See full story here. Chainarong Nantasai, the Mae Taeng district chief, was coordinating the search effort involving volunteers and divers at the site in tambon Kuedchang as they looked for Nicolas Hinckxt, 30, reports the Bangkok Post. The tourist and two friends boarded a Siam River Adventures inflatable boat to go whitewater rafting on the Taeng River on Friday. All wore life vests on board the boat operated by Panya Noibutr, 30. According to a preliminary inquiry, Mr Hinckxt fell from the boat after it struck a large rock in a stretch of rapids at Mueng Keud village at around 2pm. Still wearing his life vest, he was floating in the river but could not get back to the boat. When the boat was about 30 metres away, a rope was thrown into the river but he could not grab it and later went missing in the strong current. His life vest was found about 2 kilometres from the scene. Searchers worked into the night on Friday but were hampered by heavy rain and strong currents. Rescuers and divers resumed the search on Saturday. Police are investigating the incident.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mainly cloudy. Low 29C. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Mainly cloudy. Low 18C. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.


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EAST ALTON  The crowd for Joe's Pizza grand opening Friday was more people than anticipated and so many patrons there who didn't come for the RiverBend Growth Association ribbon cutting.

It was all about the pizza, pasta and salad.

"It's a great turnout, I'm so happy to see you all here," said co-owner Corey McMahan, who owns the franchise at 17 Eastgate Plaza, among three, with his wife, Kayla McMahan, of Edwardsville.

Corey McMahan moved to Edwardsville when he went to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He opened the Edwardsville store at age 25 in 2010.

Joe's Pizza has 18 locations in Illinois and the McMahans own three of them: East Alton, Edwardsville and Godfrey, which it's soon moving its Monticello Plaza location to a brand new build location, to be announced, Corey McMahan said.

Joe's Pizza also is served at various Riverbend/Metro East bars and in addition to relocating the Godfrey location with a new build, he's also working on a Mascoutah location.

"We are thrilled you're here and making this a destination," said Cris Tharp, D-Bethalto, state senator for the 56th district, who was there with his family.

Alton Mayor David Goins also was there.

"I'm happy to see Joe's Pizza come here and taking a regional approach. A rising tide raises all ships," Goins said.

At the ribbon cutting, Joe's Pizza provided a sampling of its original recipes, including its house salad, which is mozzarella, tomato, croutons, cucumber and red onion; parmesan bites, which are mini breadsticks fried and covered with garlic butter and parmesan, served with Joe's Pizza's famous pizza or spaghetti sauce.

Joe's Pizza has an extensive menu found at www.ilovejoespizza.com and the firm also caters. All information is available at its website. Its Alton hours are 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday, 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

"We started coming here shortly after they opened," said Lois Downs, of Wood River, who was dining with her husband, David Downs, and their friends Sherry and Donald Smith, of Godfrey.

"This space is inviting and more open," David Downs said. "We get pizza and salad, but our grandkids like all the dishes."

"We call here and they pick up the phone immediately," Lois Downs said. "We also get to-go."

The McMahans' first location was Edwardsville. Corey McMahan first started working at the original location in Olney, home of the white squirrels.

"Papa Joe started this in 1972 with his four sons," McMahan recalled. "I started working for them the day they opened."

Joe's Pizza opened in Effingham in 1999.

The McMahans' children are a predominate and vocal presence at their stores. They are Luka, 4, Louie, 6, and Lucy, 7.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. On July 18, "A Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Partnership in the field of energy between the European Union represented by the European Commission and the Republic of Azerbaijan" has been signed between Azerbaijan and the European Union.

President Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen signed the document.

"This agreement provides a timely opportunity for the EU to consolidate a new gas market for its energy security. This agreement will enable Azerbaijan to double its gas exports to the EU for the next five years, which in turn means less dependency on Russian gas for the EU," Director of the Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies, Pakistani political analyst Muhammad Asif Noor told Trend.

He said this agreement is significant in the backdrop of the situation in Ukraine as a result of which supplies of Russian energy resources to various European countries were almost halted.

Noor believes Azerbaijan and EU are committed to strengthening their cooperation in energy and other prospective areas.

"The President of the European Commission clearly stated that the agreement reflects the renewed commitment of the EU to drift away from Russian markets. This enables the significance of Azerbaijan in the geo-economic relations with the EU and Azerbaijan because it will allow Azerbaijan to double its outflow of gas towards the EU. It will cover an extra 4 billion cubic meters of gas but will increase to 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. It further means that the contract will not end in 2027 because energy demands in Europe are unlikely to go down," he said.

Noor said Azerbaijan is expected to become a major gas supplier to the EU, especially after the disruption of the supplies due to the situation in Ukraine.

"There is an expectation that its supplies to the EU will hit 20 billion cubic meters by 2027. Europe is not self-reliant in its energy needs despite massive investments in renewable energy projects. The scaling down of Russian supplies to states forced the EU to look for new markets. Azerbaijan is not only the next market but an already thriving market devoid of any implications from any regional or global power," the analyst explained.

He emphasized that this agreement is not the first one, as the sides have already signed an MoU in 2006 and Declaration on Southern Gas Corridor, a 3300-km long pipeline, signed in 2011.

"Given the current political environment around Europe, the stakes for Azerbaijan will increase in the energy security calculus of the EU. More Azerbaijan gas inflow to the EU will change the energy map of Europe. A reliable partner is something the EU values the most. In return, the EU may plan to invest in renewable projects such as wind and solar energy in Azerbaijan and regional markets. The potential of solar and wind power production in liberated lands of Azerbaijan is 9,200 MW, while the potential of wind energy in the Caspian region is 157 gigawatts," Noor said.

Furthermore, the analyst pointed out that the energy needs of the EU are very significant for growth and market stability, and it is only possible through uninterrupted supplies of energy.

"Any country will be important for the richest economic bloc in the world, which provides gas. Azerbaijan will be able to get modern technology, investments, and development in multiple sectors, including clean energy. In addition, it will pump billions of dollars into its economy in exchange for gas, adding revenue to its foreign exchange reserves. The EU is ready to invest in wind and solar energy projects in the Karabakh region," he concluded.
For decades people have referred to the Christian Right and the political influence that it has had on the Republican Party. Although tied often to the anti-abortion movement, to reduce its agenda to this single issue is a mistake. Its goal is no less than the replacement of Constitutional Law in favor of Biblical Law.

The idea of replacing or directing all law and other facets of society under a singular Christian focus is represented by a movement called Dominionism. It is sometimes referred to as Seven Mountain Dominionism because it seeks to control family, education, religion, media, entertainment, business and government with fundamentalist Christian ideas and doctrinal requirements.

At the root of this movement is the work of R.J. Rushdoony (1916-2001) who forwarded the idea of Christian Reconstructionism, providing his biblical rationale for political action throughout American society. His work began to embolden others to move from the pulpit to the public square and by the 1980s the movement had taken solid root within the Republican Party and was recognized by no less than Ronald Reagan.

Although the Catholic church has long experienced members who have sought influence on political discourse, called Catholic integralists, Dominionism is primarily a Protestant movement that has found common cause with Calvinists and Pentecostals and others. In its efforts to dissolve denominations under a singular effort, it has created the New Apostolic Reformation to coordinate and mobilize the Dominionism effort. It should not be surprising that Donald Trump sought their support in 2016 while running for President.

There is insufficient space in this column to describe all of the aspects of Dominionism and its ever increasing influence on American politics. Nor can one Protestant denomination be used as the basis for the fundamentalism of Dominionism as there exists schisms over ideas related to the Second Coming. But there are some core aspects that can be discerned.

Dominionism believes that the United States is and should be a Christian nation, without tolerance for other religions or faiths; that biblical law based on the Ten Commandments is the singular foundation for all law; and that the Constitution should be interpreted solely on that basis. Of importance, supporters believe that the United States should be a theocracy guided moreover by religious leaders rather than popularly elected leaders.

An example of this kind of government is seen in Iran with its ruling Ayatollah. And a dive into Dominionism beliefs demonstrates a disdain for democracy in favor of minority rule by Christian leaders. In sum, the Dominionism movement would replace your vote with their leaders interpretation of fundamentalist Christian doctrine applied to law and policy.

If this seems a bit far-fetched, the following politicians favor Dominionism at the core of their actions: Michelle Bachman, Ted Cruz, Sam Brownback, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee, and Sarah Palin. And, theres more right-wing politicians and preachers that are highly influenced by or at the center of Dominionism.

One area that Dominionism has been highly visible is in education. The explosion of home schooling and private Christian schools is evident. Hillsdale College has gained influence via the creation of Christian curricula being used as the basis for teaching in conservative states, while churning out teachers to indoctrinate students to Christian Nationalism on campuses throughout the Country.

Employing the guise of parental rights, this distinctly anti-gay effort is reducing educational vitality and effectiveness by whitewashing slavery, banning books, and redirecting teachers to speak only to accepted forms of Christian Nationalism. And those that oppose this heavy hand of Christian fundamentalism are accused of denying religious freedom to those who would impose their will on government, education, business and American life.

What we are witnessing from the United States Supreme Court is the coming of Dominionism made law. What pro-life persons often did not appreciate is that when a specific religious tenet becomes law, it opens the door to more and more theocratic decisions that threaten the foundations of democracy. Therefore, separation of church and state was and is the key to the continuation of our Countrys history as the worlds greatest democracy.

Understand what has been unleashed by the Christian Right and ask yourself whether you will vote to save democracy or let our Country fall into theocracy like Iran. Ask yourself whether those persons who would use their church as a political platform still deserve exemption from the payment of income taxes.

The United States does not need a Christian ayatollah, but the danger of this happening is more real than you have been led to believe.
A Massachusetts congressman is calling for changes in the way the Boston-area public transit system operates after a fire on a train prompted one passenger to jump into a river and others to scramble out of windows
Westerly, RI (02891)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low 62F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

J.C. writes: Deposit protection schemes are backed by the Government and are supposed to protect tenants from rogue landlords.

However, more than three months after leaving a property, I am still waiting to get my deposit back from the Deposit Protection Service in Bristol, which is run by Computershare Investor Services.

Safeguard: Deposit protection schemes are backed by the Government and are supposed to protect tenants from rogue landlords

Tony Hetherington replies: When you pressed the Deposit Protection Service to return the 1,425 you were owed, staff at the Bristol company claimed you had entered the wrong information on your request for the return of your money.

You have told me that you believe that instead of sending the money to your account with First Direct, they mistakenly tried to send it to First Direct's parent bank, HSBC. When you tried to trace the missing money, you found that the account DPS said it paid simply does not exist. And after lots of trying, DPS had been unable to find your money, leaving you seriously out of pocket.

At the heart of this lies DPS's claim that you gave them the wrong bank sort code number.

On the other hand, you say you would hardly know the sort code number from memory, so would have had your bank card in front of you when you typed in the details of where DPS should send your money.

What DPS has admitted is that when you rang up and asked about the delay in paying you, DPS staff told you it was up to you to contact your own bank and 'request they return the funds'  though, of course, your bank had never received the funds and knew nothing about the missing payment. DPS sent you 25 as an apology for this.

This was frustrating enough, but there was a glimmer of hope in an email from DPS which told you: 'The bank has replied and has completed a payment recovery form to retrieve the funds and send back to us. This can take up to 36 days.'

But this glimmer was extinguished five days later, when another email from DPS made no mention of it and told you that no further DPS errors had been found.

I asked officials at DPS to investigate, and they have insisted that you gave them a sort code which was not even one used by your own bank, so the payment went completely wrong.

They say that the bank which received the money accepted it but could not credit it to any account.

When you contacted DPS, it took almost three months to trace the money and recover it. You have now received 1,419, which is 6 short of what you expected, but you decided not to make a fuss about this.

You have told me: 'I will maintain until my last breath that if I am putting bank details in, I have the card in front of me. I might understand if there were digits reversed  but a completely wrong sort code for a completely different bank? In hindsight, I should have taken a screen shot.' Good advice!

Scottish Widows' silence over late mum's policy

Delay: Scottish Widows paid an extra 300 by way of an apology

I.M. writes: My mother passed away on March 16 and I started arranging her funeral. She held a life policy taken out in 1993 with an assured sum on death of 1,651.

On March 22, I filled in the Scottish Widows bereavement form online and emailed a copy of the death certificate.

I heard nothing, so I called them on April 8 and they got me to repeat all the information I submitted online.

Tony Hetherington replies: You have told me that when you still heard nothing, you called Scottish Widows again on May 4, and this time you were told to send the death certificate once more, but to a different email address, which you did. You also completed an online complaint form and received a letter dated May 10, saying someone would contact you, but nobody did.

I asked Scottish Widows to look into this, and a spokesperson told me: 'We are sorry for the service Mr M experienced on this occasion.' The policy payment has immediately been made to you, together with 16 interest and 300 as an apology.

I've put 40,000 into my Halifax account... but where is it now?

B.M. writes: I have a Halifax Investment Fund Managers account that I have been paying into for many years.

I estimate I have invested more than 40,000, but now I cannot get Halifax to give me any information about this.

Missing money: B.M. estimates he has invested more than 40,000, but now he cannot get Halifax to give him any information about this

Tony Hetherington replies: You had a meeting with an adviser at your Halifax branch some months ago. You asked about your investment, which you pay into every month, but the adviser replied that he had never heard of the scheme. Since then, you have written twice to the branch without receiving any reply.

I asked Halifax what had gone wrong, and a spokesperson admitted that branch staff should have been able to locate your investment account as you gave them enough information to do so. Halifax told me: 'We are sorry for the service Mr M experienced as we believe we could have handled it better.'

Halifax has now provided valuations showing that your investments are spread across a range of funds and are worth just over 122,000.

And Halifax has offered you 35 'as a gesture of goodwill' for failing to trace your investments or reply to your letters. I can't say that this is generous, but I am sure you are relieved to find that your money is safe and has grown over the years.

My wife's pension has been cancelled

T.T. writes: On April 7, we received our monthly bank statement and found my wife's pension had not been paid for five weeks.

We telephoned the Department for Work & Pensions, and in 55 minutes we made three calls and were passed to three different departments.

Cancelled: T.T. received his monthly bank statement and found his wife's pension had not been paid for five weeks

Tony Hetherington replies: When you called the first time, the DWP official told you  rather rudely, you say  that your wife had failed a security check. He told you to call a different department, but when you did this, you were told you really needed to call yet again and ask for a department dealing with changes of circumstances, even though your circumstances have not changed at all.

This time, you struck lucky. A helpful young man explained that the DWP had made an error and sent a letter to your wife at a wrong address. The letter had been returned to the DWP, so staff had cancelled your wife's pension.

When I looked into this further, I found that someone at the DWP had reversed the last two letters of your postcode. I suspect the rest of the address was auto-completed by the DWP computer, and this was enough to send the letter to your house number but in a completely different road.

Officials say that because they were unable to contact your wife or to confirm her address with the local authority, 'a temporary hold was placed on Mrs T's account as a precautionary measure'. Your wife's pension has now been reinstated and arrears paid.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Holidaymakers face being ripped off when parking their car at the airport this summer  adding to a catalogue of woes that already includes flight cancellations, delays, queues, lost luggage, strikes  and even melting runways.

Desperate to recoup heavy losses suffered during the coronavirus crisis, cash-strapped airport bosses are introducing new parking fees to pick our holiday pockets.

Charging for dropping off or picking up family or friends at an airport is just the latest cash cow. Another is to charge extra for parking spaces that have not been booked in advance.

Take-off: Airports are increasing charges for drop-offs at terminals

Even anyone who thinks they are being smart by booking ahead is getting stung by computer glitches that force them to pay twice and then claim a refund  as I recently found out when taking a flight from Luton airport (see box, below).

NO BARRIERS... BUT YOU HAVE TO PAY A FIVER TO PICK UP

In recent weeks, airports have been stealthily introducing new charges for dropping off friends or family  or picking them up.

At the start of this month, Heathrow began demanding 5 to drop off travellers at terminal four. Other Heathrow terminals have been charging the same amount since November.

The car driver can pre-pay  online or by phone  giving their car registration number and credit or debit card details. Or they have until 11.59pm the following day to pay.

There are no barrier controls so despite signs you may not know about the new fee until an 80 Parking Charge Notice lands on the doormat a few days later  after spy cameras have captured your car details. This penalty is reduced to 40 if payment is made within 14 days. For pick-up at Heathrow, you pay 5.30 for up to 30 minutes at a designated short-stay car park  11.40 for one hour.

Gatwick also demands 5 for dropping off.

Number plate-reading technology grabs details of your car, with no barriers to alert unsuspecting motorists.

You have until midnight the next day to pay via the internet or phone. What's more, people only have ten minutes to drop off  every minute beyond this costs an extra 1 up to 20 minutes with a 25 maximum charge for 30 minutes.

Failure to pay will incur a 100 Parking Charge Notice  reduced to 60 if you foot the bill within 14 days. The charge was introduced in March last year. Pick-up is 5 for 30 minutes at a short-stay car park.

Luton also wants 5 for parking ten minutes at drop-off  a charge set in January 2021  and 1 a minute thereafter. You pay at the barrier.

Since November 2020, Stansted has demanded 7 for picking up or dropping off outside the terminal  but you only have a 15- minute window. Stay any longer and you are stung with a 25 levy. Payment is done at gate barriers when leaving the airport area.

Manchester charges 5 for five minutes and 6 for ten minutes for terminal drop-offs  again, since November 2020  paid at a barrier gate. Exceed ten minutes and there's a 25 fee.

Birmingham offers a free drop-off for up to 20 minutes. There's a 20 fee for 50 minutes  and 5 per five minutes thereafter. These charges were set in March 2019. Also, it provides a 'premium' set-down service. This costs 3 for 15 minutes and is paid at the barrier.

Pick-up from a short-stay car park is 6.50 for an hour.

Fliers using Glasgow have since December 2020 been paying 4 at its pick-up and drop-off point for less than ten minutes  before ramping up the cost. For 20 minutes waiting, it is 10 and for half an hour, 15.

Consumer campaigner Martyn James says these charges are not just wrong  but unfair. He says: 'The airports are raking in profits from a service that has traditionally always been free.

'It is deeply unfair that airports are being allowed to treat passengers like cash cows.

'This particularly penalises the vulnerable, such as the elderly and disabled who need close access to airport terminals.'

EXTRA CHARGE FOR JUST TURNING UP TO PARK

Driving to an airport without booking car parking can be an expensive mistake. Heathrow demands 77.10 for 24 hours if you just turn up at its short-stay car park  it can be 73.20 if you book in advance online.

Gatwick charges 45 a day for turning up on the day to its short-stay car park, but may charge 36 if parking has been pre-booked.

Luton charges 67.50 for its short-stay terminal one or two car parks on the day  but may charge 58.99 and 53.99 respectively if pre-booked. Stansted can charge 62 for 24 hours in a short-stay car park  it can be 60 if pre-booked.

The fee in Manchester for short stay is 58 but in advance can be 55.

At Birmingham, you pay 49 a day if you simply drive up on the day. Glasgow wants 36 to park in the official car park for a day as a motorist who drives up on spec.

It is possible at all airports to cut parking charges by more than two thirds if you book weeks rather than days ahead.

And if away for a week or more, a long-stay car park works out much cheaper  even if it means taking a shuttle bus to the terminal rather than walking. For this, give yourself 30 minutes extra time for waiting for the bus and then it taking you to the terminal.

For example, at Stansted a pre-booked short-stay car park slot might cost 60 a day.

While long stay  a 15-minute bus ride away  might also initially start at 60 a day, the charge reduces if you stay for a week.

Pre-book a week and you can pay 130 in short stay and 106 long stay. Other online discounts are also occasionally made available.

OTHER WAYS TO CUT CAR PARK CHARGES

Official airport car parks might seem convenient  but you could save money by using a 'meet-and-greet' service instead.

Comparison websites such as Parking4Less and Airport Parking Shop offer a guide to operators which typically charge half the price of short and long-stay car parks.

The idea is that you drive to the airport and hand your car key to an attendant at an agreed drop-off point. You then walk into the terminal while they take your vehicle to a secure car park a few miles away.

On return, you call the car park firm after picking up your luggage and an attendant returns with your vehicle to an agreed point  and you drive home.

The further ahead you book, the cheaper the stay should be. But be extremely careful if you choose to use this service.

It is an unregulated market where cowboys have been known to take vehicles for an unauthorised spin or park cars on the side of a street.

So if you do take the plunge check reviews and opt for operators that use a police-approved safe parking service, identified by a 'Park Mark' logo.

Another option is to use a website such as Park On My Drive or Your Driving Space where you might find homeowners in the area where you are flying from willing to rent out a space on their driveway.

You can then get a lift from them or take a taxi to the nearby airport terminal.

If you have an early morning flight and must drive a long way to the airport, hotel parking might prove better value  allowing you to stay at the hotel the night before you travel and keep your car there for a small fee as you head off on holiday.

Chains offering this service include Holiday Inn, Travelodge, Ibis, Hilton and Sofitel.
Defence giant BAE Systems is on the brink of appointing a new heavy-hitting female chair to succeed City grandee Sir Roger Carr.

An announcement could come as soon as this week when the company unveils its half-year results. Assuming there are no hitches, it will be the first time that the company has had a woman leader.

It will also mean there is a female chair at three of Britain's top defence firms, which were until recently a masculine preserve. Anita Frew took up the post at Rolls-Royce last summer and Ruth Cairnie stepped into the role at Babcock in July 2019.

The incoming chair at BAE, who is going through the final stages of security vetting, is understood to be a seasoned player with experience of large and complex industry at an international level.

Because of the sensitivity of BAE's defence work, including the Tempest jet fighter aircraft, the Government insists that either the chairman or chief executive must be a UK national.

It also means the identity of the new chair remains for now a closely guarded secret. This leaves the field clear for the chair to be a citizen of the US or another friendly nation, as Charles Woodburn, the CEO, is British. Sir Roger, one of the UK's most distinguished business figures, joined the BAE board in 2013 and became chairman the following year.

The veteran industrialist joined shortly after a disastrous attempt by the company to merge with European aerospace giant EADS, and he succeeded in stabilising the business.

He is stepping down next May, by which time he will have served the maximum nine-year term approved under corporate governance guidelines.

The company is believed to have looked at internal and external candidates.

Existing female directors on the main BAE plc board include Dr Jane Griffiths, who had a long career at Johnson & Johnson, former Boeing executive Nicole Piasecki, US insurance executive Crystal Ashby and Dame Elizabeth Corley, a former chief executive of Allianz Global Investors.

Women on BAE's US board include Kelly Ayotte, a former US Senator, legal eagle Alice Eldridge, government relations guru Shelly O'Neill Stoneman and Gina Haspel, the first female head of the CIA.

Shares in BAE have risen by more than 40 per cent in the past year, despite gloom on the markets, making it one of the best performers in the FTSE100 index.

Analysts forecast the company will ring up sales of around 10.4billion in the first half of this year and underlying earnings before interest and tax of just over 1billion.

Defence stocks have come into favour due to the Ukraine war which has reopened a debate over whether so-called 'ethical funds' should continue to blacklist arms manufacturers.

BAE has been beefing up its board and last month hired the UK's former top civil servant Lord Mark Sedwill, who was Cabinet Secretary and National Security Adviser, as an independent director. He will take up his post in November.
'Cheek': Mark Hartigan was forced to resign

Insurer LV faces a fresh revolt after it refused to rule out another bonus for its disgraced boss.

The mutual organisation, which is trying to repair relations with members after a torrid nine months, this week revealed that boss Mark Hartigan was finally on his way out.

The former Army colonel lost the confidence of thousands of LV customers following his push for a deal with private equity. The customers ultimately voted down the controversial sale.

That did not stop Hartigan scooping a 511,000 bonus  dubbed a 'reward for failure' by MPs and campaigners  on top of his 435,000 salary in 2021.

Now LV has declined to rule out handing him another bonus for the current financial year.

LV's policyholders are threatening to rebel at the firm's annual meeting, when they will be asked to approve last year's pay report.

One LV member, 75-year-old Donald Hare, said of Hartigan: 'He's got a cheek. I would vote against him getting that amount [of pay]. I think he's ripped all the members off. He's taking us all for a ride.'

Hartigan's previous bonus was awarded in a year which saw LV spend more than 30million of members' money on the attempt to sell itself to private equity firm Bain Capital last year.

He resigned in the face of a no-confidence vote after more than 1,000 LV members wrote to The Mail on Sunday and our sister paper the Daily Mail saying they no longer supported him. Hartigan plans to stay on in the post until a successor is found. An LV spokesman said he would continue to be paid in full.

Clarissa Johnson, a retired lecturer, said: 'I'm not happy about the way bonuses have been paid.'

She added that it was 'disappointing' that LV would not disclose whether it would offer Hartigan another reward for this year.

Johnson added: 'We still haven't had any explanation for what happened which marries up with what we have learned about the deal. I don't feel the whole thing is over yet.' The 179-year-old firm  founded as Liverpool Victoria to help the city's poor pay for a decent burial  has long prided itself on being a mutual. But LV's 1.2million members were urged by Hartigan and then-chairman Alan Cook to approve a takeover by Bain.

This would have meant LV losing its treasured mutual status, so it would no longer be owned by its customers and would instead be run for the benefit of a profit-hungry investor.

Hartigan and Cook claimed LV desperately needed cash to modernise. They claimed that Bain was the only buyer willing to put up the money.

But then it emerged that Hartigan could receive a hefty financial windfall and potentially a stake in the company.

It was later discovered that Royal London, a fellow mutual, had made a similar offer for LV and had even offered to keep the firm's member-owned structure, but it was turned away.

Eventually LV's customers voted the Bain deal down in December. The business, now overseen by new chairman Simon Moore, has not yet revealed when it will hold this year's annual meeting, but it is expected in the autumn.

The vote on the remuneration report will not be binding  so Hartigan cannot be forced to give the cash back.

Hare added: 'It's a mutual. Surely if the majority of members vote against the pay then the directors should not be giving it out.'
Thames Water boss Sarah Bentley will be handed a total of 727,000 in two one-off payments  within days of being blasted by the Environment Agency for the firm's record on pollution.

Most of the payment forms part of a 3.1million 'golden hello' for signing on as chief executive at the UK's largest water supplier. It is in addition to her eye-watering annual pay and bonuses last year, which rose to 2million, new documents show.

The agency earlier this month slammed water companies for their record on pollution and sewage discharges  branding 2021 as 'the worst we have seen for years'.

Splashing out: Thames Water chief executive Sarah Bentley, and how we have covered the excesses of the sector

Thames Water, which serves 15million people, was named as one of the worst performers. Alongside Anglian, Wessex and Yorkshire Water, the company was given only two stars out of five  which means it requires 'significant improvement'.

Bentley's pay was the highest given to a Thames Water boss since 2015.

The Mail on Sunday has run a series of investigations about the finances of water companies and the salaries they pay. In January, we revealed that three firms  Thames, Southern and Yorkshire  paid no corporation tax last year.

Earlier this month, this newspaper revealed that Severn Trent, United Utilities and Pennon handed their chief executives 9million this year despite coming under fire over sewage pollution and executive bonuses. That took the total paid to chief executives running the trio of firms to more than 50million since 2015.

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, said: 'It's utterly shameful that water bosses are taking home such gigantic pay packets and gifting themselves obscene bonuses, while their companies lay siege to our natural environment by polluting our water supply and dumping raw sewage in our waterways.'

Lucas, who is also on Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee, said: 'Our environment shouldn't be paying the price for water bosses' dereliction of duty.'

The damning report from the Environment Agency slated the water sector's 'shocking' performance on pollution. The Government agency said it wanted chief executives and board members whose companies are responsible for the worst offences to face time in jail.

UK water firms are facing mounting public fury over the dumping of raw sewage into Britain's waterways. The number of serious incidents rose to 62 last year  the highest total since 2013. More than half were committed by Thames, Southern and Anglian Water.

The report added: 'Over the years the public has seen water company executives and investors rewarded handsomely while the environment pays the price. The water companies are behaving like this for a simple reason: because they can. We intend to make it too painful for them to continue as they are.'

Emma Howard Boyd, chair of the agency, added: 'Fines currently handed down by the courts often amount to less than a chief executive's salary. Investors should no longer see England's water monopolies as a one-way bet.'

Today, The Mail on Sunday demands that:

Bosses of companies with poor environmental records should have their bonuses withheld and their pay cut;

Fines for pollution must be increased significantly;

The ultimate sanction for failure to maintain environmental standards and repeated pollution must include prison sentences;

The Government must force companies to invest more in facilities to cut sewage pollution;

Whitehall must force foreign owners to use cash to improve environmental standards rather than loading firms with more debt;

Ministers must put an end to infrastructure companies using debt to wipe out tax obligations.

Campaigner and former rock star Feargal Sharkey described financial rewards handed to water bosses as 'simply reinforcing the idea that it pays to pollute'.

Sharkey, who is chairman of the oldest angling club in England, the Amwell Magna Fishery, in Hertfordshire, said: 'At a time when everybody has been squeezed, it is an obscenity and an insult that those gross and exaggerated bonuses are being directly funded from bill payers' money.'

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said in May that higher earners should 'think and reflect' before seeking big rewards, a warning that continues to go ignored. Thames Water agreed to pay Bentley, who has five children, a 3.1million 'golden hello' to compensate her for share options and other payments lost upon leaving Severn Trent.

The final instalment of 548,780 will be paid to her this month. At the same time she is due 178,000 'in respect of Thames Water performance conditions for the period of April 2020 to March 2022'.

Thames Water said: 'Protecting the environment is fundamental to what we do and we recognise our performance in preventing pollutions is still not good enough.

'We're committed to turning this around and our shareholders have recently approved an additional 2billion into the business so we can improve outcomes for customers, leakage and river health.

'We're focused on implementing our Pollution Incident Reduction Plan to deliver these changes and ensuring our sewage and water treatments sites meet the high standards set by our regulators.

'We recently launched our river health commitments which include a 50 per cent reduction in the total annual duration of spills across London and the Thames Valley by 2030, and within that an 80 per cent reduction in sensitive catchments.

'This is a key part of our River Health Action Plan to radically improve our position in order to protect and improve the environment, as we strive to eliminate all incidents in the future.'
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. The next meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission will be held in Tashkent in early August, Trend reports.

On 24 July, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made a phone call to President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The President of Azerbaijan once again thanked for the hospitality shown to him and the members of delegation during the state visit and invited the President of Uzbekistan to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. The invitation was accepted with gratitude.

The heads of state noted with satisfaction that all agreements reached during the visit of the President of Azerbaijan are being implemented. They emphasized that despite the fact that a month has passed since the visit, an agreement was reached regarding the expansion of cooperation as part of reciprocal visits of heads of relevant state bodies related to trade, industry, energy, agriculture, and transport.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Joint Intergovernmental Commission and trilateral meetings of the ministers of foreign affairs, economy and transport of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Turkiye will be held in Tashkent in early August.
Investors at FTSE 100 telecoms giant Vodafone have been urged to vote against its chief executive's pay at this week's annual meeting.

Nick Read has been handed 4.1million, up from 3.5million a year earlier. His annual pay has been boosted by a 1.45million bonus and share awards worth 1.5million.

Shareholder adviser PIRC said the reward package was 'not acceptable' and urged investors to vote against the firm's pay policy.

Tough talk: Shareholder adviser PIRC said the reward package was 'not acceptable' and urged investors to vote against the firm's pay policy

It said Read's remuneration over the last five years has not been aligned with shareholder returns after the stock price declined 45 per cent in the period.

Luke Hildyard, director at the High Pay Centre, said the package was 'very hard' to justify. Read is under pressure to improve Vodafone's share price after Europe's largest activist investor Cevian Capital emerged with a stake in the group earlier this year.

Two institutional shareholder advisers, ISS and Glass Lewis, have recommended investors vote in favour of Read's pay.

Vodafone said: 'Last year's remuneration report was approved by nearly 98 per cent of shareholders. We are confident that at our AGM on Tuesday we will see similar levels of support.'
Three of Britain's biggest banks are forecast to deliver robust profits when they publish half-year results this week, despite the downturn.

Data from Lloyds, Barclays and NatWest will be scrutinised for effects of the household squeeze.

Weak consumer confidence could dent demand for credit and there are signs the housing market is starting to slow.

Robust profits?: Data from Lloyds, Barclays and NatWest will be scrutinised for effects of the household squeeze

But lenders' profits tend to be boosted as rates rise since they can make more money from borrowers.

Gary Greenwood, an analyst at Shore Capital, also said a 'huge spike' in charges from bad loans was not expected because banks, since the financial crisis, have become more averse to risky lending.

At Barclays, there could be further fallout from a blunder in the US. It has already revealed it sold billions of dollars more in structured products than it was allowed.

It has taken a 450million hit so far as it buys back the securities. But a recent report suggested volatility in US stock markets would cost it even more.
Tory donor Lord Cruddas is facing a revolt at CMC Markets after a shareholder adviser urged investors to sack its chairman amid a row over diversity.

ISS has called for James Richards to be ousted at the stock trading firm's annual general meeting on Thursday over a failure to ensure there were enough women on its board of directors.

Clare Salmon, one of CMC's non-executive directors, is due to step down at the meeting meaning female representation on the board will drop to only 25 per cent.

Under fire: Tory donor Lord Cruddas is facing a revolt at CMC Markets

This is below the 33 per cent target set for FTSE 350 firms by the Hampton-Alexander review, which suggested gender diversity be seen as a key corporate governance issue.

ISS said Richards, as chairman of the company's nomination committee, had a responsibility to ensure the board 'promotes gender diversity in line with emerging good practice', the Sunday Telegraph reported.
A British satellite maker backed by the taxpayer is set to be snapped up by a French firm in a blow to the UK's space race efforts.

OneWeb, which currently operates a network of more than 400 satellites, was saved from bankruptcy by Boris Johnson's government in 2020, leaving taxpayers with a 17 per cent stake in the firm.

But the company is now in talks to be taken over by Paris-based Eutelsat with a deal expected to be announced in the coming days, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

Off course: OneWeb was saved from bankruptcy by Boris Johnson's government in 2020, leaving taxpayers with a 17 per cent stake in the firm

If the deal goes ahead, the firm is expected to be listed on the French stock market although a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange could be planned at a later date.

Eutelsat, which already controls around a quarter of OneWeb, is 20 per cent-owned by the French state, sparking fears the company's operations could be shipped over to France if a takeover is agreed.

Another 5 per cent stake in Eutelsat is held by China Investment Corp, Beijing's sovereign wealth fund, meaning OneWeb would be part-owned by one of the West's strategic rivals.

Sources have described the deal as a 'French coup' that could reduce the UK's influence on the project.
A community abandoned by the last bank in town is being thrown a lifeline  with hopes it will get a shared banking hub after The Mail on Sunday highlighted its plight.

Just over a week ago, we visited Forres on the Moray Firth on the day that Bank of Scotland pulled out of the 12,000-strong town  shutting its door for the last time on July 11.

Conservative Moray MP Douglas Ross told us at the time that the closure 'beggars belief' as it was a lifeline for the community, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.

Disappearing act: We visited Forres on the Moray Firth on the day that Bank of Scotland pulled out of the 12,000-strong town

But following a plea to the Access to Cash Action Group  chaired by cash campaigner Natalie Ceeney  and support from The Mail on Sunday, there is now hope that a banking hub will be provided for the town next year.

Ross says: 'Banks have shown a completely tone deaf attitude when it comes to meeting the needs of loyal customers and it is a disgrace we now have no bank in Forres  but a shared banking hub is a solution where customers get the one-to-one service they need. We are now vigorously discussing how this could be introduced.'

Shared hubs are heralded as a solution where banks have abandoned a community  allowing the five main high street banks to share one outlet and offer basic banking to their customers.

The banks  NatWest, Santander, Lloyds (which owns Bank of Scotland), HSBC and Barclays  have staff visit on a specific day of the week to provide any face-to-face help, such as in arranging a mortgage or personal loan.

So far only two shared banking hubs have opened in Rochford, Essex, and Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire.

Ten others are to open in Acton, West London; Brixham, Devon; Carnoustie, Angus; Knaresborough, North Yorkshire; Syston, Leicestershire; Buckingham, Buckinghamshire: Cottingham, East Yorkshire; Troon, South Ayrshire; Looe, Cornwall; and Welshpool, Powys.

Ceeney says: 'Not everyone wants to do everything digitally. Face-to-face support for cash access, deposits and other banking are essential for many. We are committed to delivering the support needed in Forres.'

Banks are currently pulling out of the high street at a record rate  fearing proposed Government legislation could soon stop them fleeing so easily. More than 500 branches are expected to shut this year.

The Mail on Sunday has long campaigned for laws to protect access to cash and banking services. Some 5.4million people rely on cash for their day-to-day budgeting.
Iran's Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan Seyyed Abbas Mousavi on Sunday afternoon met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and gave him a report on the latest developments in bilateral ties between Tehran and Baku, Trend reports citing Iranian Foreign Ministry.

In the meeting, Amirabdollahian pointed to the importance of ties with neighbouring countries, especially Muslim nations, and underlined Irans determination to expand relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan in all areas. He also gave Mousavi all necessary instructions.
As the heat of summer stretches out in every direction, Juliana Chauca, who just finished up her sophomore year at Ossining High School, is spending a lot of time pouring over schoolwork. But for Chauca, it doesnt feel like work. Shes too engaged. Sometimes, she even gets lost in it.

Chauca is the researcher behind the Hudson Valley Firefly Project, which is investigating whether firefly populations are impacted by the presence of humans. Do things like using artificial light, mowing the lawn and using pesticides make fireflies more scarce? To find out, Chauca has embarked on a multiyear research project that relies on community science to gather data.

In the project, participants are asked to spend four nights over two months, two each month, in their yard observing how many fireflies they see and taking note of the conditions of that yard. Was it recently mowed? Is there artificial light visible? Chaucas hypothesis is that the less managed the land, and the more remote it is, the more fireflies will be there.

Courtesy of Juliana Chauca

Chauca is conducting the research as part of the Ossining Science Research Program, founded by science teacher Angelo Piccirillo in 1998. It offers students the opportunity to earn college credit while completing extensive scientific research projects in subject areas of their choosing. Since the programs inception, its grown from three students to over a hundred.

These are students who want to take ownership over what theyre learning about and do something different, said Valerie Holmes, one of the teacher advisors for the program. Its not for everyone  I dont think this program serves a student who is struggling academically. This is for students who want to go above and beyond and do something different.

Chauca was drawn to fireflies as a subject matter for her research because shes always been fascinated by the concept of bioluminescence. I find it fascinating that living things can create their own light, she said.

Chauca found that while fireflies bioluminescent properties have been studied in various ways (how they can be used to locate tumors in cancer patients, for instance), fireflies havent been studied a great deal on their own. Thats actually about us, not about them, said Chauca. She wanted to learn about the fireflies themselves. Theres a real lack of data overall.

As part of the project, Chauca was tasked with finding a scientist working in the field to serve as a mentor. She ended up partnering with Kelly Ridenhour at the University of Georgia. In the process of finding Ridenhour, Chauca talked to a lot of scientists working in fields related to the research she wanted to do.

They all know her, said Holmes. They all know her project. Its pretty awesome.

Chauca has learned a lot about fireflies in the course of her research. There are 2,000 firefly species worldwide, 30 to 50 of which live in New York state. Shes also learned that fireflies use their light to communicate with each other and some will predatorily send out a message to trick a different firefly species into approaching it.

Each pattern (of flashing) is species-specific, Chauca said, noting that it is typically put out as a display put on by males hoping to breed. If the females are interested, they respond and flash back, and then they keep doing that, getting closer and closer to each other until they find each other and reproduce.

Even in the early data, shes been surprised with the findings. In her own yard, she sees 20 or so fireflies at a time. Some of her participants see hundreds. When she begins to analyze data next month, shell be looking for conditions that may link those experiences of a couple of dozen versus a couple of hundred. What exists, or has been introduced, in the environments those fireflies are in that could be impacting numbers?

This summer constitutes the first year of Chaucas research. Next year, shell conduct a similar data-gathering community endeavor. The following year, shell quantify that data and write a 20-page paper, which shell use to enter into consideration for the Science Talent Search, a major science competition sponsored by Regeneron.

Courtesy of Juliana Chauca

Holmes notes that the application process for the competition is no small feat  it involves a formal research paper and the application, including the paper, is between 50 and 120 pages long. She says that research is real, valuable work.

The work theyre doing is real, said Holmes. The work Juliana is collecting is real data that she could potentially publish and other scientists could benefit from the work shes doing. Its so gratifying. I think to pigeonhole kids as sort of passive learners, that theyre just memorizing vocabulary  thats not what education should be. Weve shifted things here, and Juliana is a scientist, by all means. She is conducting the role of a scientist.

Chauca isnt sure whether she will ultimately pursue a science career, but if she does she thinks she would pursue biology or something with animals. But she is already aware of how the research shes doing is impacting her growth in a positive way. Shes gotten more used to interfacing with the public and even gave a public speech about her research, something she was nervous to do.

Holmes has been heartened to watch Chauca grow through the research process. Kids can accomplish anything, said Holmes. You just have to give them the right support.

Those who are interested in following along with Chaucas research can do so on Twitter by following @hvfireflies. In addition, Chauca says that although the main research months were June and July, its not too late to get involved as a participant. Fill out the participation form to find out more.
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ALBANY  The Capital Region wilted under a sweltering combination of record-breaking heat and humidity Sunday, forcing weather-weary residents to seek the relief of air conditioning, pools and lakes as the mercury hit 90s degrees for the sixth straight day.

The heatwave was being felt across the Northeast and prompted meteorologists to warn that the combination of heat and humidity could cause illness. The Associated Press reported at least one heat-related death, in New York City, was being blamed on the stretch of oppressive heat.

In Albany, the temperature rose to 97 degrees by mid-afternoon, following the same temperature trajectory into the 90s seen every day since Tuesday. Meteorologists were unable to immediately say how recently the region was hit with so many consecutives days in the 90s. It was the highest temperature ever recorded on July 24.

To get consecutive days above 90 degrees, thats certainly less common, said Michael Main, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Albany, especially the mid-to-upper-90s.

A heat advisory was expected to remain in effect in the Capital Region until 8 p.m. Sunday. People were urged to drink plenty of fluids, wear light clothing and remain in the shade or indoors as much as possible.

A cold front was expected to sweep across parts of the Northeast and New England late Sunday and early Monday, bringing with it the threat of potentially severe thunderstorms but also the sweet relief of cooler temperatures expected to rise no higher in Albany than the mid-to-high 80s during the beginning of the week. The potential for the most severe storms Sunday was forecast across a stretch of upstate from Buffalo to Utica.

Theres a chance some of the storms could be strong or severe in the Capital Region, Main said.

As of 7 p.m., National Grid was dealing with several hundred power outages around Albany area and several thousand in western and central New York.

New York Power Outage Tracker

Saturday's temperature set an all-time record for the hottest July 23 on record, topping by 1 degree the previous records reached on that day in 1933, 1952, and 1955, according to the National Weather Service in Albany.

Here's the high temperatures for the previous five days:

Tuesday: 92

Wednesday: 97

Thursday: 96

Friday: 93

Saturday: 97

Monday's high temperature is expected to reach the low-to-mid 80s.

A number of local spray pads and pools had extended hours Sunday. Some locations are also opened cooling centers for people seeking relief from the heat.

The AP reported that in a stretch of the U.S. from the Pacific Northwest to the southern Great Plains to the heavily populated I-95 corridor, more than 85 million Americans woke up Sunday to excessive heat warnings or heat advisories, according to the weather service. The weather service warned of extremely oppressive conditions from Washington to Boston.

Philadelphia was expected to hit 100 degrees and officials in that city extended a heat health emergency through Sunday. Workers were sent to check on homeless people and knock on the doors of other vulnerable residents.

New York City medical examiners confirmed Sunday that a person had died of heat-related causes but didnt say when or where. The person had heart disease and emphysema, which contributed to the death, the medical examiners office said.

With the city expected to approach its record high of 97 degrees (36 Celsius) for Sundays date, organizers of the New York City Triathlon shortened the distances that athletes had to run and bike. The bicycle leg was cut in half to 20 kilometers (12.4 miles). This weekends Boston Triathlon, meanwhile, was put off until Aug. 20-21.

The Washington Post reported the extreme heat expected to continue through early this week for at least parts of the country is another warning sign that climate change is increasingly imperiling a time traditionally associated with summer vacations.

Scientists say temperatures are rising, wildfires are becoming more severe and droughts are becoming more common, the Post reported, describing the situation as a striking change from what was experienced by previous generations.

Wildfires burned thousands of acres in California this month and about 6,000 people were evacuated while "explosive fire behavior" made it difficult for crews to suppress fires that had burned 14,000 acres near Yosemite National Park, the newspaper reported.

Former Vice President Al Gore, appearing Sunday on ABC Newss This Week With George Stephanopoulos, said scientists have predicted such extraordinary weather events for decades.

And the fact that they were dead right, maybe a little conservative even in their projections, should cause us to pay more careful attention to what theyre warning us about now, said Gore, a longtime environmentalist who for years has sounded the alarm about climate change.

Pete DeMola contributed to this article.
This fall, Columbia-Greene Community College will join the ranks of local colleges preparing students for jobs in the cannabis industry.

The college will offer two microcredentials. One set of three classes will teach students to sell cannabis at a dispensary. The other will focus on growing cannabis. All six courses are entirely online and are $639 each. Students must be at least 21 years old.

Columbia-Greene is part of a consortium of four local community colleges offering different classes related to cannabis.

Fulton Montgomery Community College already offers in-person cultivation and manufacturing certificates.

Schenectady County Community College and SUNY Adirondack are also developing programs, and the four colleges are working together with $1 million from the state to support the new classes.

Columbia-Greene is the only one of the four to offer classes for positions related to selling cannabis.

Classes to become a budtender are important because its not like other retail jobs, said Associate Professor Maya Greene, the colleges cannabis program advisor.

Cannabis is a very different product, she said.

Many laws limit what a salesperson can do and say. You cannot promise an effect, she said. We are all going to have different effects.

Unlike wineries, you also cant do tastings.

What they can do is talk about how the flower, how the bud has this percent of CBD, this percent of THC, she said. They can talk about the terpene profile  terpenes are what give the flavor and smell.

Budtenders also need to be ready to explain the basics to new customers. When a new market opens, many people try cannabis for the first time, she said.

You need to be an informed person to talk to customers about the product, she said.

The teacher for the retail-related classes trains budtenders in Massachusetts.

She has the inside insight: whats allowed and isnt allowed. Of course she needs to tailor that to the New York side. New York has slightly different laws, Greene said.

Usually, businesses train their employees. But Greene suspects there will be a deluge of job applications when dispensaries are allowed to open. Those who already have training may get the jobs.

Their resumes will jump to the top of the stack, she said.

Microcredentials often have a final, hands-on capstone project. Thats a little difficult with a legally restricted product. When dispensaries open, students may be sent to do secret shopper assessments as part of their coursework in retail sales, Greene said.

For the cultivation microcredential, the college is setting up internships.

One company near the college has a provisional growing license and is excited to work with students, she said.

They must have certain GPA, be 21, pass a background check, she said. It could be a really great opportunity for that person to get their foot in the door.

The cultivation program, which will be offered in the spring, will cover a variety of roles, including growers, extractors, edibles chefs, trimmers and harvesters. Its intended for both those who have a farming and manufacturing background and want to switch to cannabis, and those who are new to agriculture.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 24. The captain of the aircraft operating Buta Airways flight J2-9235 on the Baku-Astrakhan route decided to return to the departure airport due to a sharp deterioration in weather conditions (poor visibility) near the airport in Astrakhan, Trend reports citing the press service of Buta Airways.

The plane successfully landed at Heydar Aliyev International Airport at 17:40.

Passengers of this flight will fly to Astrakhan after the weather conditions improve in the city.
After a year of dithering, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin has declined to support President Joe Biden's climate initiatives, all but dooming any action during this Congress. This week, the temperature reached 107 degrees Fahrenheit in Dallas and Tulsa, and an all-time record of 104 degrees in London and Paris. Wildfires are burning in 18 western states, including over 2 million acres in Alaska and over 1 million in New Mexico, and wildfires are burning in 25 countries in Europe. If we don't take action on climate change now, the future will be even worse.

As Manchin is putting his income from fossil fuel investments (CNN reports $536,000 in 2021 alone) ahead of the future of our planet and the human race, it is critical that the individual states act and act now.
Every year, 8,000 Americans on the nation's organ transplant waiting lists die before receiving the organs they need. And, yet, the U.S. government does not compel anyone to donate organs, blood, bone marrow or other body parts against their will. Even after death, the government does not allow medical practitioners to harvest a person's organs without their explicit written consent, no matter how many lives could be saved. Why? Because, as a nation, we have agreed that the principle of bodily autonomy is so sacred that it is inappropriate for the government to commandeer people's bodies against their will  even to save another person's life.

Or rather, we agree with that principle when it applies to men.

Thanks to the Republican-dominated U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe vs. Wade, which for the last 50 years has protected women's bodily autonomy and equal rights, the majority of women in this country can now be forced to carry pregnancies against their will. In at least eight states, even women and children who are victims of rape and incest are now forced to carry their rapists' children to term.

I believe that life is precious and sacred. That is why I support policies that actually reduce abortion, such as universal health care, paid parental leave, and affordable childcare. Decades of national and international research demonstrate that these kinds of policies reduce abortion. Criminalizing women and doctors does not.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies global abortion rates and policies, there is virtually no difference in abortion rates

between countries that have total abortion bans and countries with safe, legal abortion. As one example in the United States, Colorado, which has among the most permissive abortion laws in the country, achieved a 50 percent decline in statewide abortion rates after they implemented a policy making long-term contraception freely available to low-income women.

Low-income women are significantly more likely to seek abortions than wealthy women. In the United States since 1973, the biggest drop in abortion rates occurred during the presidency of Barack Obama  a 22.7 percent decrease  in large part thanks to the Affordable Care Act (aka "Obamacare"), which required insurers to cover contraception with no copay, and which provided insurance to an additional 35 million Americans. In contrast, abortion rates increased 8 percent during the presidency of Donald Trump, whose

economic policies favoring the rich and corporations and attacking the social safety net have exacerbated income inequality and left poor women with even fewer resources to cope with an unexpected pregnancy.

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 criminalization of abortion also causes horrific unintended consequences. Abortion bans increase maternal mortality rates as much as 24 percent, according to peer-reviewed research from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Savita Halappanavar was the victim of such laws. Living in Ireland at a time when the country had a restrictive anti-abortion "heartbeat" law similar to many on the books in the United States today, Savita was 17 weeks pregnant when she began to miscarry. Her doctors knew that the fetus would not survive, but because it continued to have a heartbeat, they refused to perform an abortion, afraid of being prosecuted and losing their licenses. After several hours of excruciating pain, Savita developed sepsis and died of a heart attack. Her death was completely avoidable, had she been able to receive the medical care she needed. Stories like this happen somewhere in the world every day. Now, again, they will happen in the United States.

It is wholly inappropriate for "big government" to control individuals' major medical decisions. Of course, to exist peacefully in society, we all abide by laws, some of which we may disagree with. Wearing a mask in the grocery store during a pandemic may be uncomfortable, but it is a minor inconvenience that saved lives. Being required to wear a seatbelt while driving is another government control that is both lifesaving and minor. Pregnancy and childbirth are among the most major, life-changing decisions a woman can face  and they should be her decisions and hers alone.

Krisy Gashler lives in Delhi.
Even in a time of vicious political partisanship, our nation shows fitful signs that politicians on both sides of the aisle can come together to actually protect people.

It takes us far too long to get there, at too high a cost. Consider the literal as well as figurative blood and tears shed in places like Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas, that finally moved the U.S. House and Senate to pass even a watered-down gun control measure earlier this summer.

Last week, there were two developments that fit this model. The one that shows the most momentum is a bill that would protect same-sex couples from having their marriages rendered null and void in the event that the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority decides to invalidate the 2015 Obergefell decision, which made marriage equality the law of the land. Although the court has no current plans to do that, Justice Clarence Thomas called for that reconsideration in his concurring opinion in the recent Hobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and yanked away the right to abortion in dozens of states.

The Respect for Marriage Act, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of Manhattan, would also shore up protections for interracial marriages, something else that is protected at the federal level by little more than a Supreme Court decision. The House bill passed with 47 Republican votes. The only member of New York's delegation to vote against it was upstate's Claudia Tenney, who called the measure an attempt to score "cheap political points." Tenney voted against marriage equality when she was in the state Assembly, but now says it should be protected by the courts  but apparently not by her.

The bill will have to rack up 10 Republican votes in the Senate to make it filibuster-proof. A CNN nose-count found four GOP senators willing to support the measure so far, with a lot of undecideds and even more silence.

And then there's last week's announcement from a bipartisan group of senators, led by Susan Collins of Maine and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, that its members have hammered out a framework for reforms to the Electoral Count Act of 1887. Among their list of proposed changes are raising the number of House and Senate members needed in order to challenge a state's slate of electors, and making it clear who's responsible for submitting the electoral counts to Congress (in most states, the governor). The reforms would also make it crystal clear that the vice president's role in the final count is purely ministerial.

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 crisis not being put to waste in this bipartisan project, of course, centers on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when President Donald J. Trump and his acolytes staged their last-ditch effort to overturn an election by sabotaging the electoral count through fake electors and a pressure campaign waged against former Vice President Mike Pence.

Once again, it is to the nation's detriment that it takes something as convulsive as that to achieve bipartisan consensus  but these days we'll take what we can get while demanding more.

So two cheers for bipartisanship. We'll hold the third in reserve until these measures make it to the president's desk.
Robin Sparkles, a 5-year-old New York-bred mare, made every pole a winning one in winning the 11th running of the $200,000, Grade III Caress Stakes. The Bruce Brown trainee defeated eight rivals in taking the 5 1/2-furlong sprint over a firm Mellon Turf Course in 1 minute, 1.98 seconds.

Despite having won eight races in 15 starts and finishing in third place in last years Caress and Smart 'N Fancy at the Spa, the bettors sent Michael Schraders color bearer to the post at odds of 21-1. The exotic wagers were greatly inflated when Live Oak Plantations Souper Saver finished a head behind Robin Sparkles at odds of 8-1 and Lady Edith was another half-length back in third at 15-1. Miss J McKay placed fourth at 6-1.

With nearly three-quarters of a million dollars in the exacta pool, a $1 ticket on Robin Sparkles and Souper Saver paid $221.50. A fifty-cent trifecta paid $934 while the superfecta paid $1,160.25 for each dime wagered.

After the race, jockey Javier Castellano explained his strategy, saying, She only likes to go to the lead. I tried to slow down the pace the best I could. I like the way she finished.

Trainer Bruce Brown, who was celebrating his first win of the Saratoga season, said his pre-race chat with Castellano went something like Lets try to get her out there. She doesnt like to be held too tight  just loose rein and nurse her around there. Those tactics gave his mare the win and earned the rider a double for the day.

Rivals to meet again

Archrivals Malathaat and Clairier will square off again in the $200,000, Grade II Shuvee Stakes, Saratogas Sunday feature. Clairiere was the victor the last time they met when she got her head in front at the wire in Belmonts Grade I Ogden Phipps Stakes last month.

Malathaat, who races for the Shadwell breeding and racing organization, will be wearing some new equipment when she comes out for the mile and a furlong race for fillies and mares. Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said earlier in the week the daughter of the famed stallion Curlin will race in blinkers. She seemed to lose focus in both her starts this year. So, we breezed her in blinkers and we think we got the desired effect, he said.

Saratoga fans will remember Malathaats win in last years Grade I Alabama Stakes on her way to being voted 3-year-old filly champion.

Really good was ... really good

Really Good lived to his name in the Saturday opener when he galloped home to a 1 1/2-length win in a $100,000 maiden race for 2-year-olds. His debut win was trainer Mike Makers fourth victory on the eighth day of the 40-day Saratoga meeting. Luis Saezs winning ride was his 10th at the Spa this season.

Velazquez wins a pair

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez scored a riding double when he took the third race aboard Union Lake and then came right back astride Jane Mast to help her win her maiden race. The back-to-back wins gave the jockey his fourth and fifth wins of the meet.

Rarify raring to go

Were ready to go. That was trainer Wesley Wards assessment of Rarify, 2-year-old filly by Triple Crown winner Justify who is slated for her debut Sunday afternoon. Ward, a Kentucky-based horseman who is renowned for his sprinters, said What really impresses me is her stride. All of her breezes have been perfect."

Irad Ortiz took the riding call. He will break Rarify from post No. 7 in an eight-filly field.
12-year-old behind the wheel dies in Maryland parkway crash

A 12-year-old girl has died after the car she was driving ran off the road and struck a tree in Maryland
For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Bristol Herald Courier.
After more than a decade and a half . . . Our readers are FINALLY starting to understand how things work around here . . .

To wit . . .

CHECK THIS EPIC BLIND ITEM REPORT CALLING OUT ALLEGEDLY AMAZING FORGIVENESS BESTOWED UPON KANSAS CITY WORKERS!!!

To keep us all out of court and from getting smacked in the head . . . There are NO NAMES attached but the gossipy deets regarding a taxpayer funded institution deserve just a bit of consideration.

Caveat . . . Don't get it twisted . . . This post isn't an attack on the FD given that most KCMO stations are worse than a sewing circle and our hero first responders love this kinda hot talk more than anybody else.



Now, here's the word . . .



The Kansas City Can't Get Fired Department

The only way you can be fired from KCFD is if you don't show up to work and KCFD employees have become unfireable. Here are some examples.



KCFD Firefighter that ran a red light and killed 3 civilians on P19 allowed to return to work.



KCFD Firefighter keeps job after felony drug charges at Lake of the Ozarks.



KCFD Firefighter keeps job after pleading guilty to felony assault charges from brutally beating his female neighbor.



KCFD Firefighter/Paramedic returns to work after assaulting homeless man with his laptop who spit on him in Truman ER.



KCFD Firefighter returns to work after serving time in prison for federal drug charges in Utah



KCFD Captain allowed to keep job after having multiple DWI charges and license revoked.



Thank you KCFD, Local 42 and the city of KCMO for guaranteeing that KCFD employees can never be fired.

######################



Speaking of and to better serve the public trust with valuable info . . .

THE KCFD IS NOW HIRING!!!



In fact, they need people desperately . . . And not just their cousins and family members for a change.



Clearly there's job security even if tragic downsides like substance abuse and a MORE THAN LIKELY chance of divorce seem to come with the territory.

You decide . . .
KCPD quickly responds to reports of another fatal shooting on Saturday night.



Again, unofficially, this is the 89th homicide so far this year compared to only 85 at this time last year  The second highest total in Kansas City history.

Here's more on the story . . .

Homicide 1900 block of Kansas

Tonight just after 10 PM, officers were dispatched on a shooting in the 1900 block of Kansas. Upon arrival they found an adult male inside of a residence who had been shot and was unresponsive. EMS responded and pronounced him deceased. We do not have any suspect information and are asking for the publics help.



Detectives and crime scene personnel have responded to the scene and are actively canvassing for witnesses and processing the scene for evidence. If you have any information please call the Homicide unit at 234-5043. If you wish to remain anonymous you can call the TIPS hotline at 474-TIPS, with up to a $25,000 reward for an arrest in this case.

###########



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Kansas City police investigate third homicide in five hours Saturday KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Police in Kansas City are investigating the city's third homicide on Saturday. A deadly shooting happened shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday night in the 1900 block of Kansas Ave. There's no information about the victim at this time. This is a developing story.

Police in Kansas City investigate homicide east of downtown KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police in Kansas City, Missouri, investigated the city's third homicide Saturday night east of downtown. A KCPD spokesperson said officers were requested just after 10 p.m. to 1900 Kansas Avenue on a shooting. Officers who arrived located a man inside the house suffering from injuries from a shooting.

Developing . . .
During the official visit of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to Saudi Arabia he and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held bilateral talks, the Telegram channel of the Akorda press service Bort N1 says, Trend reports citing Kazinform.

While greeting the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, President Tokayev extended gratitude for the invitation and hospitality and pointed out the special meaning of the visit as it was the first time he visited Saudi Arabia in the capacity of the Head of State.

The President emphasized that Saudi Arabia is one of the leading strategic partners of Kazakhstan as it was one of the first countries to recognize its independence.

He went on to praise the high level of Kazakhstan-Saudi Arabian bilateral relations and expressed hope that they will strengthen further.

During the bilateral talks the sides touched upon the issues of trade and economic and investment cooperation. It was noted that Kazakhstan stands ready to offer Saudi Arabias investors special conditions and a wide spectrum of preferences in various spheres of mutual interest.

Nur-Sultan and Riyadh reiterated their intention to increase mutual trade turnover and the governments of the two nations are expected to step up work in that direction.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia said his country and Kazakhstan have vast opportunities in terms of further development of bilateral ties. The Business Council uniting the business circles of Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, according to him, can play an important role in that respect. Mohammed bin Salman revealed that the investment roundtable set to be held as part of President Tokayevs official visit will bring together the largest companies of the Kingdom. In his words, in the current circumstances joint work on a number of projects that will be coordinated by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia will come to the fore.

The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia also said the Saudi Arabian companies are interested in investing in Kazakhstans agricultural sector which is gaining paramount importance amid the global food crisis.

President Tokayev invited the Crown Prince to pay the reciprocal state visit to Kazakhstan. For his part, Mohammed bin Salman gladly accepted the invitation and said he is ready to visit Kazakhstan to discuss specific results of the agreements reached
The United States has strongly condemned Russias missile strike on the port of Odesa, following the signing of the agreement to allow Ukrainian grain exports.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a post on Twitter, Ukrinform reports.

The United States strongly condemns Russias attack on the port of Odesa today. It undermines the effort to bring food to the hungry and the credibility of Russias commitments to the deal finalized yesterday to allow Ukrainian exports, the report reads.

As reported, on July 23, the Russian forces struck the Odesa Commercial Sea Port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two missiles were shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces. Two other missiles hit the ports infrastructure facilities.

On July 22, following the quadrilateral meeting of Ukraine, Turkey, the UN and Russia in Istanbul an agreement was signed to allow exports of grain and other foodstuffs from the ports of Ukraine.

The agreement was signed by Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov on behalf of Ukraine, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on behalf of the UN, and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar on behalf of Turkey.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu signed the agreement in the same format on behalf of Russia.

According to the agreements signed in Istanbul, it is planned to transport Ukrainian grain for export through the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Pivdennyi and Chornomorsk. The resumption of agricultural exports from Ukrainian ports can bring $1 billion in foreign currency revenue every month.

iy
Ukraine has achieved such large-scale support that Russia will not be able to oppose it.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has stated this in a nightly video address, Ukrinform reports.

In particular, Zelensky said that the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took place in Kyiv.

According to the Head of State, this year the Summit brought together more participants. It united Kyiv with Warsaw, Brussels, London, Washington, united top politicians, public figures of other countries and Ukrainian soldiers, representatives of business, sports, media,

Zelensky stressed that that in the modern world it is impossible to get by only with the usual classic diplomacy, as soft power and the sincere desire of different societies are needed to the state, which is fighting for its independence.

And from this point of view, it has become very successful today. The initiative of the First Lady of Ukraine in two years actually became a traditional format  unique for the world community. Everyone recognizes the potential of soft power. But only Ukraine managed to direct its indomitability, its potential into concrete diplomatic practice. And in general, in these almost five months, we have achieved such large-scale and diplomatic support for Ukraine that Russia will not be able to oppose it, Zelensky said.

As reported, at the initiative of First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen took place in Kyiv on July 23. The main topics were the post-war future of Ukraine and the world.

iy
The border areas of Sumy and Chernihiv regions, northern Ukraine, continue to be shelled from Russias territory. In total, 15 strikes from mortars and about 20 strikes from tube artillery were recorded.

On July 23, the enemy inflicted fire damage using aircraft, tube artillery, mortars, and grenade launchers. Krasnopillia, Myropillia, Khotin, Mykolaivka, Bilopillia, and Shalyhine communities of Sumy region, as well as the Novhorod-Siversk community of Chernihiv region came under enemy fire, the State Border Guard Service posted on Facebook.

In addition, the enemy, using self-propelled guns, inflicted fire damage on the territories of Bilopillia and Krasnopillia communities. The fire came from the Russian localities of Tiotkino and Dronovka, a total of fifty explosions were recorded.

In the afternoon, the invaders used self-propelled guns again to fire on the territory of Bilopillia community. Two dozen explosions rang out in two localities of the community. The fire came from the Russian Tiotkino. As a result of the attack, one civilian was killed, an agricultural enterprise was damaged, and agricultural machinery was destroyed.

Photo credit: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

ol
The program of the second day of the official visit of Kazakhstan's President to Saudi Arabia was opened with an investment roundtable with representatives of Saudi business circles, Kazinform has learned from the Akorda press service, Trend reports.

The key topic of the meeting was the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the areas of investment, economy, trade and finance.

Welcoming the participants of the event, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that important agreements to expand trade, economic and investment cooperation were reached during his meeting the day before with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

The President noted the similarity of views of our countries on the future of economic development.

The Saudi Vision-2030 and our Strategy Kazakhstan-2050 both envisage national progress through the diversification of the economy, reduction of dependence on primary commodities, investment in human capital and ultimately joining the group of most advanced nations, the Head of State said.

He then informed the Saudi businesspeople in detail about the economic successes of Kazakhstan.

Over the years of independence, Kazakhstans GDP has shown a 17-fold growth. Today, Kazakhstans economy is larger than the economies of all the other Central Asian countries combined. Kazakhstan accounts for almost 60% of trade turnover in Central Asia. International reserves of our country stand at 90 billion dollars and are the highest per capita reserves in the Commonwealth of Independent States. International investors have injected more than 380 billion dollars in the countrys economy. This accounts for 70% of the total investment inflow to the Central Asian region, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized.

The Head of State said that with the support of Saudi Arabia in Kazakhstan, a number of important projects have been implemented in the fields of education, health, culture and infrastructure, amounting to more than 120 million dollars. However, according to the leader of Kazakhstan, this amount does not reflect the potential of the bilateral cooperation.

In this regard, he outlined the most promising areas for expanding cooperation, starting with bilateral trade.

Based on our analysis, Kazakhstan can offer more than 100 processed goods types worth about 400 million dollars a year in industries such as machinery, iron and steel production, as well as food processing and agriculture, the President said.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev considers the diversification and expansion of transit-transport and logistics opportunities to be the second important direction, including the Trans-Caspian corridor, connecting China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

In his opinion, there is also significant potential for cooperation in the real sector of the economy.

Kazakhstan ranks first globally in tungsten reserves, second in uranium and chromium ore, and in the top 5 in manganese, silver, zinc, lead. These reserves are waiting for their exploration and development. Given our proximity to the booming Chinese and South Asian markets, this presents a truly excellent investment opportunity. Today we can offer more than 60 deposits of precious and non-ferrous metals for exploration and development, the Head of State said.

Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia have plans to develop the petrochemical industry, nuclear energy, the production of green hydrogen, and other areas, including space exploration.

We are pleased to see the Kingdoms desire to drive forward its space programme as part of Saudi Vision 2030. The two countries have the relevant legal framework for cooperation on research and peaceful use of the outer space. Kazakhstan also has extensive experience and resources for the development of the aerospace industry. Our companies are ready to engage with state and private companies of Saudi Arabia in these areas, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev suggested.

The President also elaborated on the potential of the domestic agricultural sector.

Kazakhstan ranks second in the world in terms of arable land per capita and fifth in terms of pasture resources (180 million hectares). Our country is among the 10 largest producers of wheat and flour. We are ready to become one of the stable, long-term suppliers of high-quality wheat, flour and oilseeds to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

There are great opportunities for cooperation in the tourism sector. In particular, the President invited the Saudi businesspeople to take a very close look at Kazakhstan's tourism and recreational projects.

In addition, the President reminded that Kazakhstan has created a modern institutional environment for investors.

I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm Kazakhstan's commitment to enhance and extend bilateral cooperation with Saudi Arabia. The leaders of major Saudi companies that have achieved great success around the world are here today. I invite you all to Kazakhstan to work together for mutual benefit, the President of Kazakhstan concluded.

The Minister of Investments of Saudi Arabia Khalid Al-Falih, Chairman of the Board of Samruk-Kazyna JSC Almassadam Satkaliyev, Chairman of the Board of National Managing Holding Baiterek JSC Kanat Sharlapayev, Chairman of the Board of Directors of SABIC Khalid Hashim Al-Dabbagh, General Director of MA'ADEN Robert Wilt, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ACWA Power Mohammad Abunayyan spoke during the round table.

The forum was also attended by CEOs of major Saudi companies Ajlan & Bros Holding Group, SALIC, Saudi National Bank, Alhokair Group, FlyNas, Savola Group, SPIMACO, National Technology Group (NTG), Kingdom Holding, Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Al Rajhi International for Investment, Al Muhaidib Group, Jamjoom Pharma, Tabuk Agriculture Development and CEOs of several dozen other companies representing almost all sectors of Saudi Arabia's economy.
The Ukrainian military is grateful to the Pentagon for the latest $270 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine.

Thats according to the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces, Ukrinform reports.

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced $270 million in additional security assistance for Ukraine. This includes President Bidens announcement of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $175 million, as well as $95 million in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds, the statement reads, referring to Acting Pentagon Press Secretary Todd Breasseale.

The Presidential Drawdown is the sixteenth such drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine that the Joe Biden Administration has authorized since August 2021. Capabilities in this package include additional quantities of weapons systems and equipment that Ukrainians have been using so effectively on the battlefield to defend their country.

The package includes four additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and additional ammunition for HIMARS; four Command Post Vehicles; 36,000 rounds of 105mm ammunition; additional anti-armor weapons, spare parts, and other equipment.

Under USAI, the DoD will also provide Ukraine with up to 580 Phoenix Ghost Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems.

Unlike Presidential Drawdown, USAI is an authority under which the United States procures capabilities from industry rather than delivering equipment that is drawn down from DoD stocks. This announcement represents the beginning of a contracting process to provide additional capabilities to Ukraine's Armed Forces.

The United States has now committed approximately $8.2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration. The United States continues to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its evolving battlefield requirements.
HIMARS has forced the Kremlin to once again revise its territorial plans for Ukraine, and sanctions in Russia are gradually bringing it closer to sovereignty.

The Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security has collected the main fakes and narratives of the Russian propaganda of July 20.

Why Lavrov is extending the geography of the war Why Putin ordered sovereignty How Russian innovations will affect the global order Who is next in line for denazification

Why Lavrov is extending the geography of the war

On July 20, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov, who should theoretically be making maximum efforts for a diplomatic resolution of the Russian-Ukrainian war, added fuel to the fire.

He has been a supporter of the war throughout its duration. But the fact that he was the one to officially announce the change of the geographic tasks of the special operation shows that he is now the mouthpiece of the imperial expansion.

Now, instead of the administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, Russias appetites are extending towards Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts and a number of other territories. If Western countries supply long-range weapons to Ukraine, they will be pushed back even further, threatens Lavrov.

IN REALITY, this hardly comes as a surprise to anyone. Another question is what prompted Moscow to change its rhetoric so dramatically from we are not going to occupy all of Ukraine to expanding geography?

The answer is simple: Ukrainians resilience and their support by the West. Particularly, with the help of long-range weapons, which Russians cannot handle. That is why the new geography included the Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts, which did not give any grounds to believe that they wanted to be part of the Russian world. But their accession will allow Putin to apply the so-called Russian defence doctrine to them as well, intimidating Ukraine and the world with the use of nuclear weapons.

He is now highly concerned about the use of the HIMARS MLRS (despite the regular fakes on their destruction en masse), whose supply will continue, according to US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

Given that the second-best army of the world only advanced by 117 km as of July 4 and has not made any substantial progress since, Russia is in for more geographic discoveries in Ukraine.

One of the discoveries is that Putins great army cannot advance by 15 km to its next target, Siversk. They are currently unable to storm Bakhmut, not to mention Sloviansk or Kramatorsk. How the Russian army is going to advance across the front line which is as long as the distance between Warsaw and Barcelona is unclear, seemingly even to the most creative Russian propagandists.

Why Putin ordered sovereignty

On the same day of Lavrovs great geographical discoveries, Putin himself spoke out. At the Strong Ideas for a New Time forum, Russias president stated that the freedom of Russias national development ensures its sovereignty. Its most important component is a nationally thinking and nationally oriented civil society.

It is rather unclear what civil society means in the context of the concentration camp into which Putin has turned Russia. The main thing is that the society shouldnt realize that his attempts to turn the whole world into the Russian world have failed, making the entire country into a pariah.

This is, of course, the fault of the West, which, accuses Putin, can no longer offer a model for the future.

IN REALITY, theft of Mariupol metal, Kherson crops, Melitopol cherries and pigs in Zaporizhia oblast from regular people hardly seems like a model for the future, but that seems to be Putins idea of how things should work.

He has effectively admitted his defeat. The narrative of sovereignty in the Kremlins rhetoric has been coming up more and more frequently in recent weeks. And it makes sense. The war goes on. The sanctions are putting pressure on Russia. Europe is not begging Gasprom on its knees. The only point of reference for survival is Iran. Erdogan humiliates his Russian counterpart by making him wait, on-camera. Lukashenko is asking for more money to make up for the default.

What is left for Putin to do? On July 20, he became the head of the supervisory board of the Russian pioneer movement and then tasked the son of Security Council Secretary Patrushev, previously appointed the minister of agriculture, with replacing chemical Coca-Cola into a national drink from bay willow. Did the dictator want this? Of course not.

This is what he said back on January 27, 2021, speaking at the economic forum in Davos: Russia and Europe must be together. We have to forgo the phobias of the past. If we can rise above them, a positive stage in our relations awaits us.

Just one year after these words, Putin sent his tanks to invade Ukraine, irrevocably breaking up Russias relations with Europe. But naturally, Putin is having a hard time admitting this. Thats where the narrative about Russias spiritual and technical sovereignty comes from. And it seems that its not going anywhere for a while.

How Russian innovations will affect the global order

Against this backdrop, Putins words about the new innovative economy, modern technologies on the basis of Russian competitiveness on the world market are reminiscent of Khrushchevs slogan we will catch up with, and surpass, America. In this pursuit of the loathed America, Putin is trying to put together its other haters, such as North Korea or Iran.

IN REALITY, the difference between those haters and Russia is that, first, they are used to living under sanctions (North Korea even seems to like it), and second, neither Pyongyang, nor Tehran, unlike Moscow, cries about its exclusive role in the change of the global order. In order to change the world, Moscow needs to offer something more innovative than May 9 and gas with oil.

For now, even before the sanctions kicked in, the situation looked like this:

innovative business in the Russian Federation died out at an average rate of more than a thousand companies per year;

over four years, the number of innovative companies in Russia dropped by 22%;

 of the processing sector in Russia has no contact with science or with developers of new tech solutions;

almost 30% of all advanced technologies used in production in the Russian Federation were purchased abroad, and the costs of these technologies increased 12 times over the past 20 years;

the share of innovative goods and services in Russia is only 6.1% against 27.9% in Spain, 27.3% in the UK, 19% in Germany, 18% in Austria.

It is probably up to mental health professionals to tell what kind of new world order, based on Russias innovative technological sovereignty, Putin has in mind now that he is further restricted by sanctions. The same goes for speaker of the Federation Council Matviyenko, who was sincerely surprised to learn that Russia does not even produce its own nails.

Who is next in line for denazification

Russia will not just take anyone into its new world. There will be a strict selection among countries and their leaders. Russia often makes erroneous judgments (look at Trump!), but never learns from these mistakes.

We can remember Putins insistence that Germany, with or without Merkel, is not going anywhere, that Italy was Russian under Berlusconi and would remain such, that Zeman would handle everything in the Czech Republic, that Austria may be neutral, but Kneisl was their man, etc.

IN REALITY, the bloodier the war in Ukraine becomes, the fewer people are ready to work with Putin. So, Russia is forced to make a list of potential enemies for future denazification.

Detector Media carried out an in-depth study of this, analyzing over 65,000 publications on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Telegram.

Key findings:

The historically hated Anglo-Saxons (now led by Biden and Sunak/Truss) still strive to conquer the world.

Russia, represented by Naryshkin and other officials, regularly reports a threat for Ukraine from Poland.

Looking for the next victim has become one of the favourite subjects for Russian propagandists. The options include Kazakhstan, Poland, Baltic countries, and Finland.

Accordingly they are targeting the leaders of these and other countries, from weakling Macron to traitor Tokayev.

And this is not a draft, this has already been firmly decided. At least, until they (as Russian propaganda convinces itself) admit their mistakes. Or until their countries change through a procedure called fair elections  something rather mysterious for Russians.

Putin does not believe that foreign policy in these countries will remain largely unchanged regardless of the name of the person in power. He just cannot comprehend something like this. That is why he regularly invests in Le Pen in France or in Salvini in Italy.

With this approach, Russia is indeed going to have quite a few geographic discoveries. It is already preparing for this. Kiselyov has already started commenting on the future map of the space currently called the Russian Federation. It contains the Republic of Siberia, the North Caucasian Federation, and even the republic of Russia. But it is much smaller than Putin and Lavrov envision in their sick imagination.

The Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security
The Day of Ukrainian Statehood on July 28 will assert the connection of many generations of the Ukrainian people.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in his nightly video address, Ukrinform reports.

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

An important, symbolic week begins tomorrow. The week when we will first celebrate the Day of Ukrainian Statehood on July 28. For the first time.

Celebrate at the time of such a brutal war - in the sixth month of it. After eight years of war in Donbas. But we will celebrate. Despite all. Because Ukrainians cannot be broken.

The Day of Ukrainian Statehood will assert the connection of Ukrainians living now with many generations of our people. The state-building experience of Ukrainians, our culture, our identity, Ukrainian character are more than a thousand years old.

Now, in many exploits of our warriors, in the wisdom of our people in battles, even simply in the conversations of ordinary Ukrainians about what is happening, we can see, we can hear and understand examples of the same characters but hundreds of years ago. We can see examples of the same bravery, the same attitude to life, and most importantly, the attitude towards Ukraine and the enemy.

Only those who do not know the truth of history and do not feel its meaning could decide to attack us. After all that our people have gone through, after all that we have learned over the centuries. Ukrainians will never give up their independence. And they will not break from the inside as has happened more than once. Not this time!

Preserving unity now, working together for the victory is the most important national task that we all will definitely fulfill.

And therefore, we will be able to do what previous generations could not do before. This applies to our defense in this war for independence, to our course towards a united Europe, towards full membership in the EU, and our ability to become one of the most modern states in the world.

There is no one now who would doubt this. There are only those who argue about how to achieve this. It will happen. This is a sign of faith in Ukraine - not only our own faith.

Even the occupiers admit that we will win. We hear it in their conversations  all the time, in what they tell their loved ones when they contact them.

Therefore, we do not slow down and, as every day for five months, we are doing everything to inflict the greatest possible losses on the enemy and to gather as much support as possible for Ukraine.

This week there will be important visits of partners, there will be important negotiations, and most importantly, there will be the further advancement of Ukrainian positions. At the front, in diplomacy, in the economy.

I am grateful to everyone who defends our country!

And I wish all of us, all Ukrainians, a fruitful new week.

Glory to Ukraine!
The European Union will continue to finance the European Neighbourhood cross border programmes, which were disrupted by the Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

The relevant statement was released on the website of the European Commission, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The brutal and unjustified Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought many cross-border projects to an abrupt halt and severely challenged the implementation of the programmes. Yet, those programmes are crucial for providing support to EU neighbouring regions, as well as to the Ukrainian and Moldovan population. With this proposal, we introduce new flexibilities, which will allow many of these projects to continue despite the challenging circumstances. This will benefit Ukrainians and Moldovans  and their EU partners as well, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira told.

In particular, the European Commission will 100% co-finance the cross-border programmes with Ukraine and Moldova, which are crucial to support local schools, hospitals, social care and institutions. Projects with Ukraine and Moldova addressing migratory challenges would also be retroactively eligible from February 24, 2022, the day of the Russian invasion.

Finally, cross-border cooperation projects with Russia and Belarus that were disrupted following the suspension, can now only be implemented on the EU Member States side.

The proposal concerns 13 cross-border and two transnational cooperation programmes between nine Member States, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova on the one hand, and Russia and Belarus on the other.

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After the Russian missile attack on Odesa on July 23, Defense Minister of Turkiye Hulusi Akar had a conversation with Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov and Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov. According to Akar, he also had a phone call with Russia on this issue.

"The Russians told us that they had nothing to do with this attack and that they were studying this issue very carefully and in detail. The fact that such an incident happened immediately after the conclusion of the grain exports agreement raised our concerns," Akar said, Anadolu news agency reports.

As noted, Turkiye will continue to fulfill its obligations under the agreement signed on July 22 in Istanbul.

"We are concerned about this [missile strike]. However, we continue to fulfill our obligations under the agreement reached in Istanbul," Akar added.

Today, Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, confirmed that the missile attack had been launched by Russia.

As reported, on July 23, the enemy attacked the Odesa Sea Trade Port with Kalibr cruise missiles. Two missiles were shot down by the anti-aircraft defense forces, two more hit the port's infrastructure facilities. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the missile attack on Odesa port. U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink called the missile attack on the Odesa port less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to allow shipments of agricultural exports "outrageous" and urged to hold Russia to account.

On July 22, the agreement on exports of grain and other foodstuffs from the Ukrainian ports was signed following a quadripartite meeting in Istanbul between Ukraine, Turkey, the United Nations, and Russia.

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The United States is seriously considering the issue of declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism.

"As for declaring Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, we are considering this issue, it requires careful analysis in accordance with American laws. In the meantime, we hold Russia to account for its actions and we continue to do so," U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink told RFE/RL in an interview.

The Ambassador noted that, together with partners and allies from around the world, the United States had imposed an unprecedented amount and depth of sanctions and would continue to do so in the future. She emphasized that Russia had been cut off from financing by international financial institutions, prevented from using frozen funds of the central bank to repay its debt.

"We use all available means that would be used for a country that is such a sponsor. However, we also consider a declaration seriously. And we will continue to hold Russia to account in accordance with our legislation," the American diplomat emphasized.

As reported, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, supported Ukraine's appeal to Congress to recognize Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and called Putin a coward.

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Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba calls on the world to recognize Russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide.

The minister expressed this opinion in his op-ed for Der Spiegel, Ukrinform reports with reference to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

In particular, Kuleba underscores that the Russian leadership, officials, and public figures have long been laying the ideological basis for genocide. Among other things, he draws attention to last year's article by Russian president Vladimir Putin "On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians" in which the leader of the aggressor country once again stated that Ukrainians and Russians are "one people", and "modern Ukraine is a complete product of the Soviet era", while "true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia".

The minister emphasizes that the Russian leader has never hidden his intentions, thinking that the existence of Ukraine as a state is a mistake that needs to be corrected, and Ukrainians are, in fact, Russians, so they will either agree to be "one people" with the Russians or be subject to destruction

Also, Kuleba notes, direct public incitement to genocide is also contained in a number of articles of the Russian state media outlets, posts of high-ranking Russian officials on social networks, or in their statements on TV. Thus, on February 26, Ria Novosti Russian state news agency published an article saying that Ukraine would cease to exist as a result of Russia's "military special operation", and its author claimed that Putin had assumed "historical responsibility" by deciding "not to entrust ultimate solution for the Ukrainian issue to future generations."

"During the following month, Russian military units stationed near Kyiv, particularly in Buch, committed terrible atrocities. On April 5, Deputy Head of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel: "...the essence of Ukrainianness, fueled by anti-Russian poison and lies about its identity, is a big fake..." In his frankly genocidal statement, Medvedev claims that Ukrainian identity does not exist and has never existed," Kuleba noted.

In his opinion, all these articles, posts on social networks, and statements that appeared during the fighting in Ukraine incited Russian soldiers to commit crimes against Ukrainians only because they belong to the Ukrainian national group.

He points out that this is evidenced by the mass murders in the captured territories, in particular in Buch and other towns, where the executioners  the Russian military  conducted house searches according to FSB's lists to find and execute the most active local Ukrainian figures, activists, volunteers, former military personnel, their relatives and friends. Putin subsequently responded to compelling evidence of mass genocidal atrocities committed by his army by rewarding the units involved in those massacres, being a direct indication that the crimes were not isolated incidents, Kuleba emphasizes.

The minister also draws attention to the fact that since the invasion, Russia, according to its own official statements, has taken at least 1.9 million people from Ukraine, including more than 307,000 children, by force or with threats of force and is now changings the legislation to speed up the adoption of children from Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine and ensure their further upbringing as members of the Russian national group, losing the Ukrainian identity. "These are clear acts of genocide in accordance with Article II(e) of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide," the foreign minister stresses.

Kuleba adds that over the centuries, Russian elites have cultivated notions of Russian superiority and exceptionalism, as well as chauvinism, false messianism, and toxic masculinity, which has led to a consistent policy of hatred towards other groups. Thus, inside the country, the regime persecutes Jehovah's Witnesses, the LGBT community, and political dissidents and opposition figures. Outside the country, this overall policy of hatred and chauvinism has acquired a genocidal character with regard to Ukrainians as a national group.

"This led to a real encouragement to exterminate members of the Ukrainian national group in the course of armed aggression. Ukrainians are offered a choice: to give up their Ukrainian identity or to be annihilated," the minister says.

Summing up, he concludes that the actions of the Russian Federation and its officials, armed forces, and mass media against Ukrainians are genocide, and the world cannot keep silent about it. Kuleba also notes that Ukraine, together with international partners, lawyers, and experts, gathers all the necessary evidence to hold Russia, the Russian leadership, and the military to account for their war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression.

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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will help Ukrainians who were forced to cross out of the country due to the war, unleashed by Russia, in protecting their rights, but sees the return of all compatriots as its ultimate goal.

This was stated by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba, who spoke at the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, held in Kyiv on Saturday, July 23, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We are doing everything to protect the rights of Ukrainians. The only thing we won't do is encourage them to stay abroad forever. We want Ukrainians to return home," said the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.

Kuleba thanked every nation that is currently helping Ukrainians.

"But our ultimate goal is to bring everyone home, especially the children," he emphasized.

In this context, the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that almost 2 million Ukrainian children remain out of the country.

As reported, the Second International Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen is being held in Kyiv. Spouses of foreign leaders, as well as celebrities, leading world experts and dignitaries were invited to participate in the event, which is being broadcast in more than 20 countries around the world.
The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) introduced the members of the newly-formed Strategic Advisory Council (SAC).

The SAC is comprised of four of the worlds most prominent retired military leaders, who have joined forces to provide support and advice to UWCs Unite with Ukraine campaign, the press service of the UWC informs.

The team consists of leaders with experience in warfare and strategic planning:

General Rick Hillier, Retired, Canadian Chief of Defense Staff, (SAC Chair)

General Wesley K. Clark, US Army Retired, Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Forces in Europe

General David H. Petraeus, US Army Retired, Commander of Coalition Forces in Iraq during the Surge, Commander of US Central Command, Commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, and former Director of the CIA

General Dick Lodewijk Berlijn, Retired, Chief of Defense of the Netherlands

The military experts have come together to support UWCs Unite With Ukraine platform which is raising funds around the world to procure equipment. Their preeminent expertise will guide SAC in procuring and delivering urgently-needed equipment to the frontlines.

The SAC set a goal of providing 100,000 Territorial Defense Force fighters with lifesaving protective gear, including helmets, body armor, ballistic eyewear, and medical kits.

In June, General Hillier visited Ukraine and met with Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, senior military advisers, high-ranking officers, and frontline service members.

ol
Pope Francis said he yearned to visit Ukraine, in his efforts to try and bring an end to a five-month-old war that he has repeatedly decried.

"I have a great desire to go to Kyiv," the pope said when asked about a possible future trip to Ukraine. He was speaking to journalists on the papal plane on his way from Rome to Canada, Reuters reports, according to Ukrinform.

In an interview earlier this month, the pontiff said he hoped to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv soon after his trip to Canada.

No pope has ever visited Moscow, it is noted. Pope Francis has repeatedly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine: last month he implicitly accused Russia of waging a cruel and senseless war of aggression. After the interview, the Kremlin said it had not had substantive contact with the Vatican regarding a potential visit while Ukraine renewed its invitation to the pontiff.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 29. Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help Tajikistan to attract more investors, Officer-in-Charge of the ADBs Tajikistan Resident Mission, Ms. Rhodora Concepcion told Trend.

According to her, the Bank will assist government-led structural reforms to transform Tajikistan into a more attractive destination for foreign and domestic private investors.

"ADB will support Tajikistan's agricultural production and natural resources management, improve urban services in Dushanbe and secondary cities, tap the tourism potential of the country, and develop roads to connect rural and urban areas with neighboring countries", she said.

Currently, ADB operations in Tajikistan pursue three strategic priorities:

- supporting structural reforms to enhance resource allocation and mobilization;

- improving labor productivity through human capital development;

- fostering better livelihoods through investment in a land-linked economy.

Notably, in September 2021, ADB and the government launched a new 5-year country partnership strategy for Tajikistan focusing on improving the quality of the countrys economic growth by supporting government efforts to increase productivity and mobilize private investments.
Amiran Gamkrelidze, the Head of the Georgian National Centre for Disease Control, on Sunday urged the public not to panic due to the newly reported international cases of the monkeypox, noting no domestic cases have been recorded over the past 21 days, Trend reports citing Agenda.ge.

The Georgian Public Broadcaster cited Gamkrelidze as saying countries were divided into four groups by the World Health Organisation for their situation with the virus, adding Georgia was in the first group with its result.

Gamkrelidze also said monkeypox was not as widespread as other respiratory diseases, but stressed the importance of readiness of the country for the virus, and added relevant information should be provided to the public, healthcare providers and high-risk individuals.

He also explained that the public health emergency of international concern, as declared by the WHO on Saturday, was not considered a pandemic, while noting increasing figures in 75 countries had made it necessary to strengthen supervision and diagnostics.
Israel has purchased 10,000 monkeypox vaccine doses and will start offering them once the first batch arrives later this week, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Lapid said that the first batch of some 5,000 vaccines is expected to arrive in the next few days.

"Upon the arrival of the vaccines, the Health Funds (Israeli public health organizations) will begin to vaccinate people at risk and relevant patients," Lapid said.

At least 105 cases have been recorded in Israel, Lapid said, adding that the PM's office and the Health Ministry are "following global information regarding the disease and are in touch with health authorities worldwide."

Israel signed a deal last Monday to purchase 10,000 doses of the vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic, a Danish pharmaceutical company, according to a statement issued by the Health Ministry.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global health emergency, the highest alert the agency can issue.
Beijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2022 ) :China launched on Sunday the second of three modules needed to complete its new space station, state media reported, the latest step in Beijing's ambitious space programme.

The uncrewed craft, named Wentian, was propelled by a Long March 5B rocket at 2:22 pm (0622 GMT) from the Wenchang launch centre on China's tropical island of Hainan.

Beijing launched the central module of its space station Tiangong -- which means "heavenly palace" -- in April 2021.

Almost 18 metres (60 feet) long and weighing 22 tons (48,500 Pounds), the new module has three sleeping areas and space for scientific experiments.

It will dock with the existing module in space, a challenging operation that experts said will require several high-precision manipulations and the use of a robotic arm.

"This is the first time China has docked such large vehicles together, which is a delicate operation," said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

He said until the next module arrives, the space station will have a "rather unusual L-shape" which will take a lot of power to keep stable.

"These are all technical challenges that the USSR pioneered with the Mir station in the late 1980s, but it's new to China," he told AFP.

"But it will result in a much more capable station with the space and power to carry out more scientific experiments."Wentian will also serve as a backup platform to control the space station in the event of a failure.

The third and final module is scheduled to dock in October, and Tiangong -- which should have a lifespan of at least 10 years -- is expected to become fully operational by the end of the year.
(@FahadShabbir)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2022 ) :The four-member delegation of Pakistan led by Federal Minister of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel has arrived in Washington D.C. to participate in the first-ever Pak-US Health Dialogue.

Ambassador Masood Khan and other officials of the Pakistan Embassy will be joining the delegation, says a fax message received here from Washington D.C. on Sunday.

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Health Services, the United States will be hosting the delegation at the US State Department on July 25, 2022.

Both sides will be carrying out discussions all day on a comprehensive agenda to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the health sector, he added.

He said that the Health Ministry officials and experts from Pakistan will also be participating virtually in different sessions.

The participants will be discussing important issues in the seven sessions of the health dialogue including establishing a Pakistani Center for Disease Control (CDC), global health security, childhood immunizations, COVID-19 engagement, regulatory engagements, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases.

The Health Dialogue is an example of the close ties between the United States and Pakistan and a befitting way to celebrate the important milestone of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between both countries. Solid progress is expected from the dialogue.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MULTAN, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Jul, 2022 ) :Regional Director Small Industries Corporation Ammara Manzoor Sunday said that Punjab Small Industries Corporation would establish Small Industrial Estate (SME) at 100 acres to promote small industry and create economic opportunities for unemployed persons.

She disclosed this while talking to President Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Khawaja Muhammad Hussain, here.

She observed that the department was in search of suitable site for Small Industrial Estate. She also sought assistance from Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry for search of proper site for the mega project.

President MCCI Khawaja Muhammad Hussain expressed pleasure and stated that MCCI would extend every possible cooperation. He stated that SME would expedite economic activities in the region. Muhammad Hussain informed that many projects had already been completed with cooperation of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry. On this occasion, Naveed Iqbal Chughtai, Mian Fazal Elahi, Mian Rashid Iqbal, Nadeem Ahmed Shiekh, Secretary General Muhammad Shafique and others businessmen were also present.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jul, 2022 ) :A soldier of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom while valiantly fighting terrorists in general area of Draban, Dera Ismail Khan (D.I. Khan).

A news release of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) issued here on Sunday said that there was an exchange of fire between the troops and the terrorists in D.

I. Khan district on July 23.

Lance Naik Mujeeb ur Rehman, 31-year-old resident of Lakki Marwat, during the intense gun battle fought gallantly and embraced martyrdom.

The army troops effectively engaged the terrorists' location and the sanitization was being carried out to rid the area of terrorists.
A Cairo criminal court referred on Tuesday the case of the judge accused of murdering his wife, TV presenter Shaimaa Gamal, and his alleged partner in crime to the grand mufti to inquire about the religious ruling.
Pope Francis travels on Sunday to Canada for his 37th Apostolic Journey where he will primarily meet with representatives of the indigenous peoples who live in Canada. On several occasions, his predecessor Pope John Paul II met with representatives of the indigenous peoples living in Canada, praising their culture, upholding their rights, and acknowledging that, the hour has come to bind up wounds, to heal all divisions.

Compiled by Sr. Bernadette M. Reis, fsp

Pope Francis is about to begin what he has described as a "penitential pilgrimage" to Canada. In the background, however, are two other visits of Pope Saint John Paul II in 1984 and 1987. He undertook his first Apostolic Journey to Canada in 1984, landing in Quebec on 9 September and returning to Rome from Ottawa on 20 September. During his twelve-day journey through Canada he met with representatives of indigenous peoples who live in Canada on a few occasions in which he manifested his respect and admiration for their culture and defended their rights.

The Church is your Church

On September 10, the day after his arrival in Canada, Pope John Paul met with a group of indigenous peoples and Inuit at the National Shrine of Saint Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, a centuries-old place of worship and pilgrimage in North America. Represented among those present were ten different national groups. Given the importance of their elders, indigenous peoples have a particularly strong devotion to Saint Anne, the grandmother of Jesus.

In the English portion of his address, Pope John Paul II spoke of the importance of reconciliation between peoples. If we truly believe that God created us in his image, he said, we shall be able to accept one another with our differences. He added that Jesus alone can break the chains of any form of selfishness. The most beautiful part of his speech explained the nature of the Church of Jesus Christyour Church. She is like those hiding places that your ancestors constructed all along the routes of their travels, so that no one might be caught without provisions. Then, speaking in English, French and in some of your own languages, Pope John Paul drew closerto express to you my fraternal affection.

The Church is the ASADJIGAN of God for you (Algonquin)

The Church is the SHESHEPETAN of God for you (Montagnais)

The Church is the SHISHITITAGN of God for you (Cree)

The Church is the TESHITITAGAN of God for you (Atikamek)

The Church is the IA-IEN-TA-IEN-TA-KWA of God for you (Mohawk)

The Church is the APATAGAT of God for you (Micmac)

Listen to the English portion of Pope John Pauls address at the National Shrine of St Anne de Beaupre, 10 September 1984

Christ is Himself Indian

Pope John Paul visited the Shrine of the Canadian Martyrs in Huronia, Canada on 15 September where he celebrated the Liturgy of the Word. This was his second meeting with representatives of the indigenous populations. A total of about 100,000 members of the faithful took part in the event in the square in front of the Shrine.

The Holy Fathers words evoked the history of the Jesuit mission Sainte-Marie among the Hurons. He recalled that the Martyrs Shrine was designated by one of his predecessors, Pope Urban VIII, in 1644 as a place of pilgrimage, the first of its kind in North America, and described it as a symbol of the unity of faith in a diversity of cultures.

Pope John Paul recalled the eight Jesuits who lived at the mission, saying, these missionaries laid down their lives, they looked forward to a day when the native people would enjoy full maturity and exercise leadership in their Church. St. Jean de Brebeuf dreamed of a Church fully Catholic and fully Huron as well. The Pope also evoked the memory of then-Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Joseph Chiwatenwa and his wife Aonneta, his brother Joseph and other family members who lived and witnessed to their faith in an heroic manner.

Speaking of the cultures of the indigenous peoples, Pope John Paul said, During her long history, the Church herself has been constantly enriched by the new traditions which are added to her life and legacy. And today we are grateful for the part that the native peoples play, not only in the multicultural fabric of Canadian society, but in the life of the Catholic Church. And he reminded his listeners that:

Not only is Christianity relevant to the Indian people, but Christ, in the members of His Body, is Himself Indian.

Listen to Pope John Pauls discourse at the Canadian Martyrs Shrine in Huronia, Canada, 15 September 1984

I proclaim your dignity and support your destiny

The original itinerary of Pope John Pauls apostolic journey to Canada in 1984 also included an event in Fort Simpson where he was scheduled to meet with members of the Assembly of First Nations, the Native Council of Canada, the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada and the Metis National Council. This would have been the third event on that apostolic journey in which the Pope met with the indigenous peoples of Canada. Due to inclement weather, he landed instead in Yellowknife. From there, he broadcast the message he had prepared for the occasion, in which he defends the rights of indigenous peoples.

To greet you, the Pope said, is to render respectful homage to the beginnings of human society in this vast region of North America. To greet you is to recall with reverence Gods plan and Providence as they have unfolded in your history and brought you to this day. To greet you in this portion of your land is to evoke the events of human living that have taken place on the scene of Gods original creation of majestic nature in these parts. At the same time, my coming among you looks back to your past in order to proclaim your dignity and support your destiny.

He then cited a document issued in 1537, entitled Pastorale officium, in which his predecessor, Pope Paul III proclaimed the rights of the native peoples of those times. He affirmed their dignity, defended their freedom, asserted that they could not be enslaved or deprived of their goods or ownership. But he also addressed the reality that, It is clear from the historical record that over the centuries your peoples have been repeatedly the victims of injustice by newcomers who, in their blindness, often saw all your culture as inferior.

The hour has come to bind up wounds, to heal all divisions. It is a time for forgiveness, for reconciliation, and for a commitment to building new relationships.

Today I want to proclaim that freedom which is required for a just and equitable measure of self-determination in your own lives as native peoples. In union with the whole Church, I proclaim all your rights - and their corresponding duties. And I also condemn physical, cultural and religious oppression, and all that would in any way deprive you or any group of what rightly belongs to you.

Listen to excerpts from Pope John Paul IIs Radio and Television Message to the indigenous peoples of Canada, 18 September 1984

This is indeed a decisive time in your history

At the end of his apostolic journey to the United States in September 1987, Pope John Paul II visited Fort Simpson in Canada on 20 September. It was almost exactly three years later to the day when he should have visited there in 1984 on his apostolic journey to Canada. Between seven and eight thousand people representing the indigenous peoples across Canada were present for the event, which included a ceremony in which he blessed the river, and all the worlds water, fire, air, and wind.

In his discourse, Pope John Paul repeated many concepts presented during his television and radio broadcast of 18 September 1984. He again affirmed their right to a just and equitable measure of self-government, along with a land base and adequate resources necessary for developing a viable economy for present and future generations.

Is that not the deepest hope of the Indian, Metis, and Inuit peoples of Canada? To be more.

Wanting to be more, Pope John Paul explained, is not to be sought solely in increased possession which is not the ultimate goal of nations or of individuals A people that would act in this way would thereby lose the best of its patrimony; in order to live, it would be sacrificing its reasons for living.

What would become of the life of the Indian, Inuit, and Metis peoples, the Pope continued, if they cease to promote the values of the human spirit which have sustained them for generations? If they no longer see the earth and its benefits as given to them in trust by the Creator? If the bonds of family life are weakened, and instability undermines their societies? If they were to adopt an alien way of thinking, in which people are considered according to what they have and not according to what they are?

The soul of the native peoples of Canada is hungry f or the Spirit of God, because it is hungry for justice, peace, love, goodness, fortitude, responsibility and human dignity (Cfr. John Paul II Redemptor Hominis, 18)."

This is indeed a decisive time in your history. It is essential that you be spiritually strong and clear-sighted as you build the future of your tribes and nations. Be assured that the Church will walk that path with you.

Listen to the words of Pope John Paul II to the indigenous peoples, Fort Simpson, Canada, 20 September 1987

Your way of life needs to be preserved and cherished

Following the blessing ceremony on the Fort Simpson Camp Ground, Pope John Paul II began the celebration of Holy Mass by speaking in one of the indigenous languages. Later, in his homily, the Pope praised the indigenous peoples relationship of trust with the Creator in which they see the beauty and the richness of the land as coming from His bountiful hand and as deserving wise use and conservation. He also praised other aspects of the cultures of the five nations present:

As native peoples, you are faced with a supreme test: that of promoting the religious, cultural, and social values that will uphold your human dignity and ensure your future well-being. Your sense of sharing, your understanding of human community rooted in the family, the highly valued relationships between your elders and your young people, your spiritual view of creation which calls for responsible care and protection of the environment - all of these traditional aspects of your way of life need to be preserved and cherished.
Pope Francis sends telegrams to heads of state during his flight to Canada, while flying over the various nations, offering his good wishes for unity and peace.

By Vatican News staff writer

Pope Francis has sent his customary greetings to heads of state of countries over which the papal plane to Canada is flying, offering them good wishes for unity and peace. During the flight to Canada, he sent messages to leaders in Italy, Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Iceland, and Denmark.

Italy

His first telegram message went to President Sergio Mattarella:

As I am about to make an apostolic journey to Canada, moved above all by a keen desire to meet the local indigenous peoples, I am pleased send you, Mr. President, my respectful greetings, which I accompany with fervent prayers for the good of the Italian people.

Switzerland

To President Ignazio Cassis of the Swiss Confederation, the Pope writes:

As I fly over Switzerland on my way to Canada, I send cordial greetings to your Excellency and your fellow citizens, together with my prayers that Almighty God will bless all of you with unity and peace.

France

To President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic:

As I travel to Canada, I send good wishes to your excellency and the people of France. Assuring all of you of my prayerful remembrance, I invoke upon the nation Almighty Gods blessings of serenity and joy.

United Kingdom

To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom:

As I fly over the United Kingdom en route to Canada, I send greetings of good wishes to your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family and all the people of the realm. I pray that Almighty God will bless you with his gifts of strength, joy and peace.

Iceland

To President Guni Thorlacius Johannesson of the Republic of Iceland:

I send greetings and good wishes to your Excellency and your fellow citizens as I fly over Iceland on my journey to Canada, together with prayers that God will bless all in the nation with his gifts of serenity and joy.

Denmark

To Her Majesty Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark

As my apostolic journey to Canada takes me over Greenland, I send greetings to your Majesty, together with the assurance of my prayers and good wishes for all the people of the territory.

Article updated at 17:09 on 24 July 2022
Police in Mecca say they have arrested a Saudi man who helped an Israeli-Jewish reporter sneak into Islam's holiest city, defying a rule that only Muslims can enter the area.

While Muslims of any nationality and background can enter Mecca, non-Muslims are not permitted because a very specific code of conduct and behavior is required of all people within its boundaries, including certain forms of modesty, ritual cleansing and prayers.

The public backlash over television reporter Gil Tamary's visit was immediate on social media, with Muslims and Saudis expressing their anger over his deception and apparent disregard for the sanctity of the site.

It comes as Saudi-Israeli ties have been quietly growing amid shared concerns over arch-enemy Iran. This incident is unlikely to dampen the relationship. Publicly, the kingdom insists its policy is that full ties can only happen when Palestinian statehood and rights are guaranteed.

The outcry appears to have prompted Saudi police late Friday to announce the arrest of the Saudi man who they say facilitated the entry of the journalist into Mecca in explicit violation of regulations prohibiting the entry of non-Muslims. The Saudi male national, whose identity was not revealed, was referred to prosecution and remains under arrest.

The veteran reporter for Channel 13 in Israel filmed himself in Mecca for a roughly 10-minute-long segment that aired on Monday in which he visited a key site on the hajj pilgrimage route where the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon some 1,400 years ago.

He made clear he knowingly had slipped into Mecca with a driver, saying he is speaking in Hebrew quietly so no one can hear him. He claimed to be the first Israeli Jew ever to enter the city. He did not identify himself as Israeli or Jewish to the driver during the recordings.

In the clip that aired, Tamary and his Saudi driver pass a highway turnoff that says non-Muslims cannot pass, and then pass under a huge Quran replica that is the main gateway to the city. "The dream came true," he says as they pass through Mecca and make their way to Mount Arafat.

After he climbs the mount, he says religious police are starting to ask questions and want to make sure he is a Muslim. They decide to leave.

Mecca is home to Islam's holiest shrine, the cube-shaped Kaaba, the metaphorical house of God located in the city's Grand Mosque. The shrine marks the point toward which observant Muslims worldwide pray five times a day. It is also the ultimate destination for the Muslim hajj and smaller umrah pilgrimage.

The reporter and Channel 13 responded on Twitter after the report aired. The news channel, in both Hebrew and Arabic, said Tamary's report was driven by "journalistic curiosity" and a desire to witness and see things firsthand. The popular Israeli channel apologized for any anger stoked by his visit, which occurred during President Joe Biden's trip to the nearby city of Jeddah. The Times of Israel quoted an unnamed source familiar with the matter saying Israeli government officials were satisfied with the statements issued by the channel and its reporter.

Police in Mecca said they also referred the journalist's actions to public prosecutors, though the Israeli national is no longer in the kingdom.

The Saudi statement did not identify the journalist, saying only he was non-Muslim and had U.S. citizenship, implying he'd entered the country using his American passport since the kingdom has no formal ties with Israel.

Police called on visitors to respect the country's laws, particularly when it comes to Mecca and Islam's holiest sites in the kingdom.
Al-Qaida's affiliate in Mali claimed responsibility Saturday for an attack on the country's main military base, which it said was a response to governmental collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

Friday's raid on the Kati base 15 kilometers outside the capital Bamako killed at least one soldier and represented the first time in Mali's decade-long insurgency that Islamist militants have hit a military camp so close to Bamako.

The raid, carried out using two car bombs, also wounded six people, while seven assailants were killed and eight arrested, Mali's military said.

The media unit for al-Qaida's local affiliate, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), said in a statement its Katiba Macina branch had carried out the attack, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist statements.

The Malian military had blamed Katiba Macina for the attack in a statement Friday.

The JNIM statement said a Malian fighter had detonated a car bomb at the base's gate and a fighter from Burkina Faso detonated another inside the base, allowing additional fighters to enter the camp.

It justified the attack by citing the presence in Mali of mercenaries from Russia's Wagner Group, which began supplying hundreds of fighters last year to support the Malian military and has since been accused by human rights groups and local residents of participating in massacres of civilians.

"We say to the Bamako government: if you have the right to hire mercenaries to kill the defenseless innocent people, then we have the right to destroy you and target you," it said.

The Russian government has acknowledged Wagner personnel are in Mali, but the Malian government has described them as instructors from the Russian military rather than private security contractors.

Wagner has no public representation and has not commented on the accusations of human rights violations.

In a separate statement on Saturday, JNIM also claimed responsibility for attacks in five central and southern Mali towns on Thursday, which the Malian military said had killed one soldier and wounded 15.
Myanmar's military regime is struggling to find new recruits after facing heavy casualties in the first year since the coup. Nationwide, young men are fleeing their homes, and country, rather than serve under a junta renowned for its "scorched earth" campaign against the civilian population. For VOA, Steve Sandford spoke to families affected by this push for "unofficial conscription" by the Burmese junta. Camera: Steve Sandford Produced by: Steve Sandford
The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

"The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region," said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the United States and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its "pacing threat" and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwan's chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of "grave concern," but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

China's joint chiefs of staff chairman, Gen. Li Zuocheng, told Milley in a call earlier this month that Beijing had "no room for compromise" on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must "cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

"This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons," Milley told reporters traveling with him. "They're trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region."

Milley's visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in China's backyard and counter China's growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an "alarming increase" in the number of unsafe intercepts by People's Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Also, U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a "statistically significant" increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an "equal proportion."

Milley, who met on Sunday with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defense Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

"We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively," Milley said, in order to ensure they can "meet whatever challenge that China poses."

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Milley, who spent the afternoon at Andika's military headquarters, was greeted with a massive billboard bearing his photo and name, a military parade and a large television screen that showed a video of his career.

At the end of the visit, Andika told reporters that Indonesia has found China to be more assertive and "a little bit aggressive" with naval vessels in connection with territorial disputes with his country.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an "Asian NATO." During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. "We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs," he said.
A Chinese court has ruled that an unmarried womans rights were not violated when a hospital refused to freeze her eggs because of her marital status.

In 2018, Teresa Xu, then 30, sought to have her eggs frozen at the Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital at Capital Medical University, a technique that would allow her to use her eggs at a later date to have children.

The hospital refused to grant Xu access to the procedure because she was single, and egg-freezing was reserved for married women with fertility issues.

Instead, Xu said, hospital staff encouraged her to have a baby, despite the problems single mothers often face from Chinese society and the government.

Xu had wanted the procedure so she could focus on her career.

The BBC reported that Xu had thought about going abroad for the procedure but discovered that it was too expensive.

In 2019, she sought help from the court.

Xu said she plans to appeal the courts ruling.

"There will definitely be a day [when] we will take back sovereignty over our own bodies," she said.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy plan next month to visit the Solomon Islands, where their fathers fought in World War Two and the United States is now in a modern-day battle for influence with strategic rival China.

Sherman and her delegation will commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal during her Aug. 6-8 visit, and meet with senior officials "to highlight the enduring relationship between the United States and Solomon Islands" and the opening of a U.S. embassy in the capital Honiara, a senior State Department official told Reuters on Sunday.

Sherman will be just the latest senior U.S. official to visit the Pacific region as Washington steps up efforts to push back against Chinese diplomatic inroads.

As well as Kennedy - whose father, assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy, took part in the Solomon Islands campaign as a patrol boat captain in World War II - Sherman's delegation will include Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Marine Corps commander for the Pacific, Lt. Gen. Stephen Rudder.

The State Department official said the visit would also be of personal interest to Sherman, whose father, Mal Sherman, was a Marine wounded at the Battle of Guadalcanal, which began between U.S. and allied and Japanese forces in August 1942.

The six-month battle marked the start of U.S.-led offensive operations in the Pacific, showing the strategic importance of the Solomons that endures today.

In Honiara, Sherman will deliver remarks at a U.S.-organized ceremony on Skyline Ridge, site of the U.S. Guadalcanal Memorial, as well as at a Solomon Islands-hosted memorial at Bloody Ridge. She also will attend additional memorial events organized by Solomon Islands and Japan, now a close U.S. ally.

"These events will recognize the service and sacrifice of those who fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal, including U.S. and Allied forces, the people of Solomon Islands, and the people of Japan," the official said.

China has been seeking to boost economic, military and police links with Pacific island nations hungry for foreign investment. Washington has stressed its historical ties to the Pacific, especially shared sacrifices during World War Two, and vowed to commit more resources.

Beijing's growing influence was highlighted by its security pact with the Solomon Islands this year, a move that fanned concerns in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

In February, Antony Blinken became the first U.S secretary of state to visit Fiji in 40 years. While there, he announced a plan to open an embassy in the Solomon Islands and called the Pacific "the region for the future."

At a four-day summit this month, Pacific island nations put the two superpowers courting them on notice, telling what are also the world's biggest carbon emitters to take more action on climate change, while pledging unity in the face of a growing geopolitical contest.

Leaders at the Fiji summit also bristled at a Chinese attempt to split some of the nations off into a trade and security agreement, while Washington pledged more financial and diplomatic engagement.
A manga series about a treasure-hunting pirate that has captivated millions of fans worldwide celebrates its 25th birthday as the final chapter of the bestselling saga reveals its secrets.

The last instalment of One Piece begins July 25 in Japanese weekly manga magazine Shonen Jump, published by Shueisha, following a one-month pause.

The series has racked up more than 100 volumes and smashed sales records since the first instalment appeared in 1997.

The story revolves around hero Luffy, who hunts for the coveted "One Piece" treasure alongside other pirates.

Author Eiichiro Oda, 47, landed a Guinness World Record for having the most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author -- with 490 million produced.

His success has made his creation's 25th birthday a global event, from the United States to France, the second-largest market for manga and Japanese animation.

The 100th volume of the series came out in France last year with 250,000 copies, a number rivalling works that have won the prestigious Prix Goncourt literature prize.

"I'm going to start showing all the secrets of this world that I've kept hidden," Oda said in a handwritten message posted on Twitter. "It will be fun. Please fasten your seatbelt!"

Chedli Ben Hassine, a content creator who specializes in pop culture, told AFP One Piece has become "not only one of the greatest manga series in the world, but one of the greatest cultural works, all sectors included.

"What makes this manga so special is above all the plot," said Ryuji Kochi, president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Toei Animation, the Japanese company that has produced the series since 1999.

The One Piece universe includes cultural and geographical references that give it a universal dimension, including ancient Egypt, Venice and medieval Japan.

Engaging characters and modern themes of breakneck industrialization, racism, slavery and geopolitical intrigues add to the appeal of the series.

"By proposing totally different universes, the author never bores the reader," Benoit Huot, head of manga at publishing company Glenat, told AFP. "You have a fresco, an epic, which lasts an extremely long time and where you can't say it goes round in circles."

Although the finale of One Piece promises plenty of twists and turns, the series has not reached a wider audience beyond Japanese comic fans like the global hits Star Wars and Harry Potter.

Japanese culture is far from matching the influence of Western creations backed by a large market and soft power that a cultural machinelike Hollywood can produce on an industrial scale, economist Julien Pillot told AFP.

Producers hope the upcoming release of a Netflix series adapted from the One Piece universe will help it conquer new territory, bringing the story to the global streaming platform's more than 200 million subscribers.

Pillot said Hollywood has historically struggled to adapt manga series to the big screen, including the aesthetic and commercial flop that was the adaptation of Dragon Ball.

"If Netflix managed to create a product of very high quality, which captures the unique spirit of One Piece, that would be a good start," he added.
Egypt's Foreign Minister and President-Designate of the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27) Sameh Shoukry asserted on Tuesday the importance of providing climate finance to developing countries, including island countries, to enable them to fulfil their commitments toward the climate.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in central Tunis on Saturday to demonstrate against a referendum to be held on Monday on a new constitution that they reject as illegal.

President Kais Saied published the draft constitution, giving himself far more powers, reducing the role of the parliament and judiciary, and removing most checks on his power, less than a month ago.

The referendum is the latest move in what his foes call a march to one-man rule since he moved against the elected parliament a year ago, replacing the government and moving to rule by decree in what critics call a coup.

"Shut down the coup!" "Stop autocratic rule!" shouted the protesters on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, the main street in central Tunis.

"The Tunisian people will deal a major blow to Saied on the day of the illegal referendum and will prove to him that it is not interested in his populist path," said Nejib Chebbi, the head of the anti-referendum coalition.

Saturday's protest was organized by the coalition, which includes activist group Citizens Against the Coup and Ennahda, an Islamist party that was the biggest in the dissolved parliament.

A large number of police stood along the avenue but there were no initial signs of violence.

During a separate protest on Friday evening by civil society groups and smaller political parties, police used sticks and pepper spray to disperse demonstrators, arresting several of them.

Divisions among the political parties and civil society organizations criticizing Saied's moves has made it harder for the opposition to form a clear stance against him and mobilize street protests.

Saied's moves against the parliament last July came after years of political paralysis and economic stagnation and appeared to have widespread support.

However, there has been little sign of public enthusiasm for his referendum, with only limited numbers of people attending rallies to support it.

Many Tunisians, when asked about the political turmoil, point instead to a looming economic crisis as the most urgent issue facing the country.
The soft chimes of the traditional Shan gongs emanating from a Burmese temple in northern Thailand is a reminder of the thousands of Myanmar migrants who have fled conflict in their homeland in past decades, seeking a better life.

For ethnic Shan mother Nang Horm, the musical performance is a brief respite from the onslaught by Myanmar troops on their own people, that has left family and friends under a blanket of fear, since the February 2021 military coup.

And now, the Burmese army is targeting new recruits.

If someone had a son in their house, he would have to become a soldier, [it] doesnt matter if you have more than one, all of them will have to become soldiers, the 32-year-old explains, as she clings to her 5-year-old daughter, her parents standing nearby.

But if you wont allow it, youll have to pay them money and give them free rice, the mother adds, providing information that she has received first-hand, from her relatives still living in Myanmar.

Horm is referring to the recent forced enlistment of young men in Myanmars southern Shan state by a regional militia, operating under the Pa-O National Organization, whose leaders are seen to be aligned with the Burmese forces.

But the problem is nationwide.

In the past 18 months, since the coup, the Burmese army has faced increased resistance and casualties from the opposition peoples defense forces or PDF, the armed wing of the National Unity Government, Myanmars elected ministry in exile.

Many pro-junta militia groups are forcing male villagers of fighting age, usually between 18 and 45 years old, to enlist or face heavy fines and donate rice and other food supplies.

Those actions have added to an already difficult harvest season, for farmers and their families affected by labor shortages connected to the ongoing conflict and the COVID pandemic.

People are scared that theyll be forced to join the army and the war thats been going on, explains Saengmuang Mangkorn, a board secretary at the Migrant Assistance Program, a grassroots organization providing humanitarian assistance to stranded and vulnerable migrants.

All of these issues have affected the farmers, and ultimately forces them to leave their home, Mangkorn added from his office in the Chiang Mai province, an area where many of the migrants reside.

Myanmars agriculture sector normally employs about 70% of the labor force but the increased internal displacement that now stands at nearly a million people includes many working-age males who are risking arrest crossing the border rather than serve under the despised Junta.

For some migrant farm laborers, like Kham Duan, who has been based in Thailand since 2019, plans of returning home to see his family have been put on hold due to the risk of forced army enlistment.

My friend who is living south of Taunggyi [the capital of Shan state] said that he was forced to join the Burmese army earlier this year but he managed to escape, says the 32-year-old, speaking at a work camp near Chiang Mai.

Duan is keeping busy between his job as a rice planter, construction worker and a new added task of helping his relatives and friends from Myanmar relocate to Thailand.

Its not difficult to understand the growing resentment and fear for the Burmese army if one has access to the internet.

Online images, showing the atrocities committed by the army and seen by many as a tool to instill fear, have only added to the outrage of the civilians toward the junta.

No one is safe.

We sometimes hear the news that the Burmese soldiers are coming in to kidnap people and force them to be the soldiers, explains a young male arrival from Sagaing region, who spoke to VOA at a safe house near the Thai-Myanmar border.

All the boys in our village are gone, they all left, adds the 27-year-old exile.

Sagaing region is one of the most heavily hit areas of the country and he says that a lot of villages get burned down and some villages have bomb attacks from the planes.

Satellite images from the San Francisco-based earth-imaging company Planet Labs and the U.S space agency NASA, confirm reports that the military is using widespread arson in attacks in central Sagaing region where there is armed opposition to the junta, according to Reuters.

Before arriving in Thailand, the village chief in this exiles home community warned residents that the young, strong men were most at risk of being recruited.

The chief recommended that those who were concerned, should leave the area, adding that those who choose to stay, must abide by an 8:00 curfew to preserve their safety, he explained.

With estimates earlier this year, of more than 16,000 Burmese security officers who have already defected, there are traces of hope in the crowd of mostly Shan migrants attending the recent Buddhist ceremony in Thailand, including Nang Horm.

I pray for all the families to be happy and pray that my country will come back to normal and become peaceful again like the other countries, she said.
Iraq has filed a complaint to the U.N. Security Council, requesting an urgent session to discuss a deadly artillery attack this week that Baghdad blames on Turkey, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Wednesday's attack on the district of Zakho in Iraq's northern, semi-autonomous Kurdish region killed nine Iraqi tourists, including a child, and wounded 20.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Sahaf said the ministry also recalled Iraq's charge d'affaires from Ankara. Iraq's parliament held a session Saturday on the attack, with lawmakers deciding to form a committee to investigate further.

Turkey, which has several bases in northern Iraq and often conducts cross-border military operations there, says it's targeting militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The group, declared a terrorist organization by Turkey and the West, has for decades waged an insurgency against the government in Ankara and maintains hideouts in Iraq's mountainous north.

And though Iraqi civilians, mostly local villagers, have been killed in past Turkish attacks, Wednesday marked the first time that tourists visiting the north from elsewhere in Iraq were killed.

Ankara has denied it was behind Wednesday's attack. Iraqi media reported that the Security Council session was due next Tuesday.

The recent escalation threatens to further erode ties between the two neighboring countries at a time when Iraq relies heavily on Turkish trade and negotiations are underway on water-sharing of the Tigris and Euphrates river basin.

Following the attack, angry Iraqis who took to the streets in protest and Baghdad summoned Turkey's ambassador to Iraq, handing over a "strongly worded" protest note, according to the foreign ministry.
Israeli forces on an arrest mission killed two Palestinians in the West Bank Sunday and wounded several other people.

The Palestinian Red Crescent identified the two victims as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22.

Local officials said the Palestinians were killed in a house in Nablus.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the suspects had been wanted for a series of shootings.

We wont sit and wait for Israeli citizens to be harmed, Lapid told his Cabinet.

"We strongly condemn this crime, and we hold the occupation responsibility for its repercussions," Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, posted on Twitter.

No Israeli forces were wounded in the fighting, according to media reports.

In recent months, Israeli forces have often raided the West Bank in order to force Palestinians to stop their attacks on Israelis.

Several of those raids have turned deadly.
Chinas state media report that 10 people were killed and seven others injured Saturday after a collapse at a coal mine site in the northwestern province of Gansu.

CCTV said people were moving around the site in Baiyin city Saturday morning "when a mountainside collapse occurred."

The rescue operation has been terminated, according to CCTV, and an investigation into the cause of the collapse is under way.

Mining accidents are common in China where regulation and safety measures are often lax.

China is heavily dependent on coal for a good deal of its electricity.
A Russian decision to shut down an agency that processes the immigration of Jews to Israel would be a "serious event" impacting bilateral ties, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Sunday.

A Moscow court said last week that the Justice Ministry had requested the "dissolution" of the Jewish Agency because of unspecified legal violations and set a hearing for July 28.

Some experts interpreted that as a warning shot from the Kremlin towards Lapid, who has taken a tougher rhetorical line over the Ukraine conflict than Israel's former premier Naftali Bennett, who stepped aside on July 1.

Lapid told a meeting of senior officials Sunday that "closing the Jewish Agency offices would be a serious event that would affect relations," a government statement said.

He also ordered that a "legal delegation be prepared to depart for Moscow as soon as the Russian approval for talks is received and to make every effort to exhaust the legal dialogue," on top of diplomatic efforts to ease the dispute.

The Jewish Agency, established in 1929, played a key role in the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

It began working in Russia in 1989, two years before the end of the Soviet Union, after which hundreds of thousands of Jews from all over the USSR left for Israel.

More than a million Israeli citizens today are originally from the Soviet Union.

Closing the agency's Russian branch would not stop Russian Jews from moving to Israel  only a full Russian border closure could achieve that  but it could slow down the process.

Immediately following the February 24 invasion of Ukraine, Lapid as foreign minister accused Russia of violating the "world order", while Bennett stressed Israel's strong relations with both sides, withheld direct criticism of the invasion and subsequently tried to play a role of mediator between Kyiv and Moscow.

Lapid has renewed his criticism of Russia since becoming prime minister but has still tried to walk a cautious line in order to preserve ties with Moscow, which are seen as crucial to preserving Israel's ability to carry out air strikes in Syria where Russian forces are present.
Congresswoman Liz Cheney, one of the leaders of the investigation into the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last year, said Sunday that Donald Trump engaged in the most serious misconduct of any U.S. president in history by inciting the mayhem and then refusing for more than three hours to call off the rioters.

Trump is broadly hinting at another run for the White House in 2024 but Cheney, the vice chairperson of the congressional investigative committee, told CNNs State of the Union show on Sunday there is no doubt in my mind hes unfit for elected office and should never be close to the Oval Office again.

Cheney, a vocal Trump critic, unleashed her latest broadside against her fellow Republican days after witnesses told the House of Representatives panel that Trump ignored entreaties from White House aides, Republican congressional supporters, conservative television commentators and family members to call off about 2,000 Trump-supporting rioters last year as they tried to keep Congress from certifying that Democrat Joe Biden had defeated him in the 2020 election.

Trump has often assailed the committee investigating his role in fomenting the riot by urging his supporters to march to the Capitol and fight like hell. He has called the nine-member panel the "Unselect Committee of political Thugs and Hacks."

Trump has criticized several of his former aides for turning against him and testifying about what they saw in the White House on the day of the riot as he watched it unfold on television while sitting in the dining room next to his office.

Trump told a political rally in Arizona on Friday night, If I announced that I was not going to run any longer for political office, the persecution of Donald Trump would immediately stop. Theyre coming after me because Im standing up for you.

The rioters rampaged into the U.S. Capitol, vandalized the building, scuffled with police and sent lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence fleeing for their safety. In the midst of the insurrection, Trump derided Pence for not having the courage to block certification of the Electoral College vote showing Biden had won.

Trump never inquired about the well-being of his second-in-command even as some of the rioters chanted, Hang Mike Pence! and erected a gallows within eyesight of the Capitol. The committee said some of Pences security detail called their loved ones to say goodbye for fear they may not make it out of the Capitol alive as the rioters came perilously close to the vice president.

Trump had privately and publicly demanded that Pence send the election results back to the states Trump narrowly lost so new electors favoring the 45th president could replace the official ones favoring Biden. Constitutional experts say that would have been illegal.

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.

Last Thursdays hearing was the eighth over the last two months, with the committee promising to hold more public sessions in September.

Cheney said the committee is still seeking testimony from Steve Bannon, a one-time Trump aide who was convicted Friday of contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with the panels subpoena to testify. Shortly before his trial last week, Bannon said he was now willing to testify but no appearance has been scheduled.

I think its clear Steve Bannon has information the committee needs, Cheney said.

She cited his commentary days ahead of the November 2020 election that Trump would declare victory the night of the election no matter the vote count at the time, which indeed Trump did. In the early hours after polls closed, Trump was ahead in the vote count but days later lost the election as mail-in ballots heavily favoring Biden were counted.

Cheney also noted that Bannon predicted on January 5, 2021, that all hell is going to break loose tomorrow, leaving the investigative panel to wonder exactly what Bannon knew beforehand about the riot at the Capitol and from whom.

She said the committee is in negotiations to hear testimony from Virginia [Ginni] Thomas, a conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who worked with Trump aides to overturn the Biden victory.

Cheney said the committee hopes Ginni Thomas will come in voluntarily, but will consider issuing a subpoena if she does not.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday told his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi that reviving the landmark 2015 deal on Tehran's nuclear capabilities was "still possible" but must happen "as soon as possible.

Macron also "expressed his disappointment" at the absence of progress after the suspension of talks in Vienna and underlined the need for Iran to return to the accord and implement its nuclear commitments, according to a French presidency statement.

The French leader's telephone call with Raisi comes as negotiations in Vienna between Iran and world powers including the United States have stalled since March.

The 2015 deal aimed to prevent Iran from developing the capability to acquire an atomic bomb in exchange for lifting sanctions that have hobbled its economy.

But former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the accord in 2018 and reimposed sanctions, leading Tehran to begin rolling back on its commitments.

In June, Qatar hosted indirect talks between the United States and Iran in a bid to restart the diplomatic efforts in Vienna, but discussions were interrupted after two days without a breakthrough.

The Iranian presidency said Raisi "condemned the unconstructive positions and actions of the United States and European countries" during his two-hour conversation with Macron on Saturday.

Last week, an Iranian official said Tehran had the technical capacity to make a nuclear bomb but clarified that it had not decided to make any.

The Iranian foreign ministry said there was "no change" in its nuclear policy, referring to an Islamic ruling that forbids "arms of mass destruction.

Macron also "reiterated his deep concern" about four French citizens "arbitrarily held" in Iran during his call with Raisi.

They include Benjamin Briere, sentenced to more than eight years in jail for spying, and French Iranian researcher Fariba Adelkhah, who received a five-year prison term in May 2020 for endangering national security.

The two other detainees are trade unionists held since May 11 and accused of threatening Iranian security.
A gunman opened fire on university campus in the Philippine capital region on Sunday, killing a former town mayor and two others in a brazen attack ahead of a graduation ceremony, police said.

The suspect was armed with two pistols and was captured in a car he commandeered trying to escape the Ateneo de Manila University in suburban Quezon City, police said. He was blocked by witnesses and authorities outside the university gates.

The sprawling university was put under lockdown and the graduation rite at the law school on campus was canceled, police said.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who was supposed to be a speaker at the ceremony, was advised to turn back en route to the event, officials said.

Newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to have the attack swiftly investigated and those behind the killings brought to justice. He is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at the House of Representatives on Monday also in Quezon city, where police and other law enforcers had imposed a gun ban and heightened security before the shooting.

"We are shocked and saddened by the events at the Ateneo graduation today," Marcos Jr. said. "We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded and those whose scars from this experience will run deep."

Those killed in the attack included Rosita Furigay, a former mayor of Lamitan town in southern Basilan province, her aide and a university guard. Furigay's daughter, who was supposed to attend the graduation, was wounded and taken to a hospital, a police report said.

A picture from scene showed one of the victims sprawled on the ground near a bouquet of flowers.

Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack, but Quezon City police chief Brig. Gen. Remus Medina said the suspect, apparently a medical doctor, had a long-running feud with Furigay.
Fighting between rival militias in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, which tailed off late Friday, have left a confusing political situation as two rival governments continue to lock horns, and political leaders flex their muscles to control more territory and determine who is more powerful.



Libyan media claimed that a militia loyal to outgoing Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh gained ground in the fighting over a rival militia, which supports the ruling presidential council in Tripoli. It was not immediately clear what ignited the fighting that claimed more than a dozen civilian casualties.



The three-man presidential council ordered a Libyan army unit, the 444 Brigade, to deploy in parts of Tripoli after the fighting subsided. It remains to be seen which political force now has the upper hand. Burned out vehicles could be spotted on several streets and some residential dwellings also appeared damaged.



Fighting erupted just as Libya began to step up oil production following a stoppage earlier this year. The new head of the Libyan National Oil Company indicated at a press conference Friday the country was now producing 650,000 barrels of oil per day. VOA could not independently confirm the figure.



The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) called for an investigation into what prompted the clashes in Tripoli and insisted there be justice for victims and their families. U.N. Special envoy Stephanie Williams was shown meeting with Presidential Council leader Khaled al Meshri.



Libya analyst Aya Burweila tells VOA there are moves afoot between the Dbeibeh government and Libya's National Army (LNA)which controls the largest portion of the country"to unify armed groups in the West of the country with the national army."



Burweila went on to say that militias in Tripoli have refused to integrate with the national army since 2012, with the security situation deteriorating markedly in 2014, when "nominally Islamist militias invaded Tripoli from Misrata." The Libyan National Army, she notes, "launched a failed offensive in 2019 to remove the militias that had become ensconced in the capital.



Libya analyst Faraj Zeidan told Arab media that the "main reason for the fighting was differences between the presidential council and outgoing National Unity Prime Minister Dbeibeh."



Dbeibeh, he said, "is trying to weaken the forces supporting the presidential council."



"Fighting," he asserts, "will ultimately get worse, because the militias that control the situation on the ground are more powerful than the logic of the state."



Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV reported late Saturday that fresh fighting has erupted between rival militias in the coastal city of Misrata. VOA could not independently confirm the report.
A fire erupted Tuesday at a church in Upper Egypt's governorate of Minya due to an electrical short circuit, with no causalities reported, according to the Ministry of Interior.
Pope Francis arrived Sunday in Canada, where he is expected to personally apologize to Indigenous survivors of abuse committed over a span of decades at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics landed at Edmonton's international airport shortly after 11 a.m. local time (1700 GMT).

He was welcomed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, the country's first Indigenous governor general, as well as Indigenous leaders in an airport ceremony that began with drums and chanting.

Afterward Francis received welcome gifts from Indigenous leaders, shaking or kissing their hands and making conversation with each before the short ceremony ended.

During the 10-hour flight from Rome, Francis told journalists traveling with him that "we must be aware that this is a penitential journey."

The 85-year-old pontiff's Canada visit is primarily to apologize to survivors for the church's role in the scandal that a national truth and reconciliation commission has called "cultural genocide."

From the late 1800s to the 1990s, Canada's government sent about 150,000 First Nations, Metis and Inuit children into 139 residential schools run by the church, where they were cut off from their families, language and culture.

Many were physically and sexually abused by headmasters and teachers.

Thousands of children are believed to have died of disease, malnutrition or neglect.

Since May 2021, more than 1,300 unmarked graves have been discovered at the sites of the former schools.

A delegation of Indigenous peoples traveled to the Vatican in April and met the pope, a precursor to Francis' six-day trip, after which he formally apologized.

But doing so again on Canadian soil will be of huge significance for survivors and their families, for whom the land of their ancestors is of particular importance.

The flight was the longest since 2019 for the pope, who has been suffering from knee pain that has forced him to use a cane or wheelchair in recent outings.

The pope was in a wheelchair Sunday and used a lifting platform to board the plane in Rome and was also in a wheelchair on the tarmac in Edmonton, an AFP correspondent accompanying him said.

After resting Sunday, the pope will travel Monday to the community of Maskwacis, about 100 kilometers south of Edmonton, and address a crowd expected to number 15,000 and include former students from across the country.

"I would like a lot of people to come," said Charlotte Roan, 44, interviewed by AFP in June. The member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation said she wanted people to come "to hear that it wasn't made up."

Others see the pope's visit as too little too late, including Linda McGilvery with the Saddle Lake Cree Nation near Saint Paul, about 200 kilometers east of Edmonton.

"I wouldn't go out of my way to see him," said the 68-year-old. "For me it's kind of too late, because a lot of the people suffered, and the priests and the nuns have now passed on."

McGilvery spent eight years of her childhood in one of the schools, from age 6 to 13.

"Being in the residential school I lost a lot of my culture, my ancestry. That's many years of loss," she told AFP.

After a mass in Edmonton on Tuesday, Francis will head northwest to an important pilgrimage site, the Lac Sainte Anne.

Following a July 27-29 visit to Quebec City, he will end his trip in Iqaluit, capital of the northern territory of Nunavut and home to the largest Inuit population in Canada.

There he will meet with former residential school students, before returning to Italy.

In total, Francis is expected to deliver four speeches and four homilies, all in Spanish.

Francis is the second pope to visit Canada, after John Paul II, who visited three times (1984, 1987 and 2002).
International human rights groups Saturday urged Sri Lanka's new president to immediately order security forces to cease use of force against protesters after troops and police cleared their main camp following months of demonstrations over the country's economic meltdown.

A day after President Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in, hundreds of armed troops raided a protest camp outside the president's office in the early hours of Friday, attacking demonstrators with batons. Human Rights Watch said the action "sends a dangerous message to the Sri Lankan people that the new government intends to act through brute force rather than the rule of law."

Two journalists and two lawyers were also attacked by soldiers in the crackdown. Security forces arrested 11 people, including protesters and lawyers.

"Urgently needed measures to address the economic needs of Sri Lankans demand a government that respects fundamental rights," Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Sri Lanka's international partners should send the message loud and clear that they can't support an administration that tramples on the rights of its people."

Also condemning the attack, Amnesty International said "it is shameful that the new government resorted to such violent tactics within hours of coming to power."

"The protesters have a right to demonstrate peacefully. Excessive use of force, intimidation and unlawful arrests seem to be an endlessly repetitive pattern in which the Sri Lankan authorities respond to dissent and peaceful assembly," said Kyle Ward, the group's deputy secretary general.

Wickremesinghe, who previously served as prime minister six times, was sworn in as president a week after his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country. Rajapaksa later resigned while exiled in Singapore.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months to demand their top leaders step down to take responsibility for the economic chaos that has left the nation's 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials, including medicine, fuel and food. While the protesters have focused on the Rajapaksa's family, Wickremesinghe also has drawn their ire as a perceived Rajapaksa surrogate.

Armed troops and police arrived in trucks and buses on Friday to clear the main protest camp the capital, Colombo, even though protesters had announced they would vacate the site voluntarily.

Sri Lanka's opposition, the United Nations, and the U.S. have denounced the government's heavy-handed tactics.

Despite heightened security outside the president's office, protesters have vowed to continue until Wickremesinghe resigns.

On Friday, he appointed as prime minister a Rajapaksa ally, Dinesh Gunawardena.

Wickremesinghe on Monday declared a state of emergency as acting president in a bid to quell the protests. Just hours after he was sworn in, he issued a notice calling on the armed forces to maintain law and order  clearing the way for the move against the protest camp.

The protesters accuse Rajapaksa and his powerful family of siphoning money from government coffers and of hastening the country's collapse by mismanaging the economy. The family has denied the corruption allegations, but the former president acknowledged that some of his policies contributed to Sri Lanka's crisis.

The political turmoil has threatened efforts to seek rescue from the International Monetary Fund. Still, earlier this week, Wickremesinghe said bailout talks were nearing a conclusion.

The head of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, told the Japanese financial magazine Nikkei Asia this week that the IMF hopes for a deal "as quickly as possible."
A spokesperson for Russias Foreign Ministry said Sunday that Russian missiles destroyed military infrastructure Saturday in the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa, a site that is vital for the exportation of Ukrainian grain.

Maria Zakharova posted on her Telegram account "Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odessa, with a high-precision strike."

Russia earlier had denied any involvement in the Saturday strike that came a day after Russia and Ukraine had signed agreements allowing Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain out of its Black Sea port.

It was not immediately clear what caused the reversal of facts from a Russian official.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russia for jeopardizing the deal.

Zelenskyy said late Saturday in his daily address, Today's Russian missile attack on Odesa, on our port, is a cynical one, and it was also a blow to the political positions of Russia itself. If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue ... with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening. Today's Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a similar sentiment in a statement, issued late Saturday.

This attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to yesterdays deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets, the top U.S. diplomat said. Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis and must stop its aggression and fully implement the deal to which it has agreed.

For 12 hours we dared to hope for relief of the global hunger crisis from shipments of Ukrainian grain, David Miliband, CEO and president of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement, also issued late Saturday.

We have said it before; the war in Ukraine is a tragedy for Ukraine but also a global disaster for those in greatest need. This latest twist is as cruel as it is dangerous.

Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not caused significant damage, and a government minister said preparations continued to restart grain exports from the country's Black Sea ports, according to Reuters.

The strikes drew strong condemnation.

Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement delivered by spokesperson Farhan Haq.

These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe. Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative."

U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink called the strike "outrageous."

The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account," she posted on Twitter.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russias actions reprehensible.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements  demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he said.

Zelenskyy said the strike on Odesa demonstrates that Moscow will find ways not to implement the grain deal.

This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram.

Ongoing fighting

Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian missile attack on an airfield and a railway facility in central Ukraine on Saturday killed three people and wounded at least 13, according to local officials.

Britains Defense Ministry said early Saturday that in the previous 48 hours, heavy fighting had been taking place as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson oblast, west of the Dnipro River.

In the statement posted to Twitter, the ministry said, Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the natural barrier of the Ingulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro. Simultaneously, the supply lines of the Russian force west of the Dnipro are increasingly at risk.
The U.S. Congress may be on the cusp of passing legislation that would codify recognition of same-sex marriages under federal law, solidifying the right of LGBTQ couples to wed seven years after the Supreme Court ruled that such unions must be given legal recognition across the United States.

The House of Representatives, on July 19, passed the Respect for Marriage Act, 267-157, with 47 Republicans adding their support to the unanimous House Democrats. The bill is now before the Senate, which could vote on it as soon as next week.

The bill would need backing from at least 10 Republicans to pass, in addition to all of the bodys Democrats. So far, five GOP senators have said they will support the bill, and several others have said they are open to doing so.

Sen. John Thune of North Dakota, the third-ranking member of the Senates Republican leadership, told CNN, "As you saw there was pretty good bipartisan support in the House  and I expect there'd probably be the same thing you'd see in the Senate."

If it passes, it would go to President Joe Biden, who has signaled that he would sign it into law.

The Respect for Marriage Act would repeal the 26-year-old Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which explicitly denied federal recognition of same-sex marriages. It would require that all states recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states, and it would create additional federal protections for such unions.

Supreme Courts role

DOMA, which became law in 1996, defined marriage as being between one man and one woman, and made it legal for individual states to refuse to recognize the validity of same-sex marriages performed in other states. It also codified non-recognition of same-sex marriages at the federal level, meaning that same-sex couples were not eligible for many of the benefits available to heterosexual couples, including Social Security survivors benefits, joint filing of tax returns, and more.

The law was effectively nullified by the Supreme Court in two decisions, United States v. Windsor in 2013, and Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015. However, changes to the composition of the court, giving conservatives a strong majority in recent years, have sparked concern in the LGBTQ community about the permanence of those rulings.

Those concerns were sharpened last month when the court ruled in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health. The case overturned the courts own ruling in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that found women had a right to an abortion.

In his opinion concurring with the decision, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas described the Obergefell decision as demonstrably erroneous and said that the court should revisit it, along with several other of the courts precedents.

Ruling created urgency

LGBTQ rights organizations told VOA that the Supreme Courts ruling in the Dobbs case set off immediate alarm bells, creating concern that their right to marry might be in danger.

It signaled to the LGBTQ community that marriage equality could be next to see a rollback in rights, and I think you're seeing a reflection of that urgency, Rich Ferraro, chief communications officer for GLAAD, told VOA. Formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD is a media monitoring organization that defends LGBTQ rights.

We've only had marriage equality for a few years, and the entire community was up in arms reading [Thomas's ruling], Ferraro said. We know what it's like to be discriminated against. It was in the very immediate past that we didn't have marriage.

Were certainly disappointed that Justice Thomas pointed at the Obergefell marriage decision as well as other Supreme Court precedents to  encourage challenges to those laws and potentially overturn them, David Stacy, government affairs director for the Human Rights Campaign, told VOA. The Respect for Marriage Act would help protect marriage equality, and in particular, federal benefits for same sex married couples, no matter what the Supreme Court might do in the future.

Prospects in Senate

Before it can become law, the Respect for Marriage act must clear the 100-member Senate, which is divided 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. The Democrats, who control the Senate only by virtue of a tie-breaking vote cast by Vice President Kamala Harris, are expected to support the bill unanimously.

However, Republican resistance is expected and GOP senators will likely take advantage of a procedural rule known as the filibuster, meaning that Democrats will not be able to advance the legislation without 60 votes.

The Respect for Marriage Acts strong bipartisan vote in the House has raised hopes among advocates of the bill that a sufficient number of Republican senators will vote to overcome the filibuster. As of Friday, five Republicans had indicated their support, and a number of others have expressed openness to the possibility of voting in favor.

I think we have a really good chance of seeing bipartisan support for this bill, Kierra Johnson, the executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, told VOA. Public support is high for marriage equality, and to not take the opportunity to codify this right now would fly in the face of where most people in this country are.

Some resistance

However, a number of Republicans have expressed reservations, and some outright hostility, to the bill.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, for example, referred to the legislation as a stupid waste of time. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said that he continues to support the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

Sen. Jim Inhofe, of Oklahoma, who voted in favor of DOMA in 1996, said that his position has not changed. My views on marriage have not changed and I would not support codifying same-sex marriage into law, he told CNN.

Meanwhile, conservative advocacy groups are pressuring Republican senators who expressed disappointment with the Supreme Courts Obergefell ruling in 2015 not to change course and support the Respect for Marriage Act.

Whats changed? Not the significance of marriage or the Constitution. Not the Republican Partys platform, the Washington-based Family Research Council said in a tweet Friday. Real leaders dont vote out of fear or political calculus.

Generational shifts

More broadly, though, attitudes toward same-sex marriage have undergone a tremendous shift in the United States in recent decades. In 1996, when DOMA was passed, the Gallup polling firm found that only 27% of Americans supported same-sex marriage. Last month, Gallup found support had risen to a record-high 71%.

Attitudes among U.S. elected officials, particularly Democrats, have also changed significantly. The explicitly discriminatory DOMA was passed with support from large majorities of both Republicans and Democrats. It was signed by Democratic President Bill Clinton.

Among current House Democrats, there are 24 members who were in office in 1996 and voted in favor of DOMA. On Tuesday, all of them voted to repeal it.

As a senator in 1996, President Biden also voted in favor of DOMA. On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was urging the Senate to pass the bill repealing it, saying, He is a proud champion of the right for people to marry whom they love and is grateful to see bipartisan support for that right.
Maverick's next wingman could be a drone.

In the movies, fighter pilots are depicted as highly trained military aviators with the skills and experience to defeat adversaries in thrilling aerial dogfights.



New technologies, though, are set to redefine what it means to be a "Top Gun," as algorithms, data and machines take on a bigger role in the cockpit  changes hinted at in "Top Gun: Maverick."



"A lot of people talk about, you know, the way of the future, possibly taking the pilot out of the aircraft," said 1st Lt. Walker Gall, an F-35 pilot with the U.S. 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in England. "That's definitely not something that any of us look forward to."



"I'd like to keep my job as long as possible, but I mean, it's hard to argue with newer and newer technology," he said. "And if that's the way of the future, that's what it is. But I'm just here to enjoy it while I can."



The future for fighter pilots was on display this week at the Farnborough International Airshow near London, one of the world's biggest aviation, defense and aerospace expos.



Defense contractors outlined how artificial intelligence and other technologies will be used in the newest warplanes as global military delegations browsed mockups of missiles, drones and fighter jets. At stake are many billions of dollars as countries update military fleets or pump up defense procurement budgets amid rising geopolitical tensions.



The original "Top Gun" movie released in 1986 follows Tom Cruise's hot-shot Navy pilot, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, through fighter weapons training school. In the sequel, an aging Maverick, now a test pilot, learns the top secret hypersonic plane he's working on is being canceled so the funding can be used for a pilotless drone program.



It's a debate that's been playing out for years in the real world. Drones have been used extensively in the war between Russia and Ukraine and other modern conflicts, raising the question of just how much need there is for human pilots to fly expensive fighter jets and other aircraft  or whether unmanned aerial vehicles could do the job.



At the Farnborough show, experts said the future of air warfare is likely to be manned and unmanned aircraft working together.

One day, fighter pilots will "have a drone aircraft that's flying as a loyal wingman" under their control, said Jon Norman, a vice president at Raytheon Technologies Corp.'s missile and defense business.



Norman, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot, said he used to complain about drones controlled from the ground that got in his way when he was flying fighter jets.



The latest communications systems let fighters, drones and other aircraft talk to each other, he said.



Technology has already removed the need for a second person to sit in the backseat to work the radar  a role portrayed in the original "Top Gun" movie by the character Goose.



It will continue to play a bigger role in the cockpit, Raytheon executives said. Artificial intelligence will analyze reams of data from sensors placed on planes, drones, the ground or missiles flying through the air to give pilots in the sky and commanders back at headquarters a better sense of the battlefield.



In future battles, AI might allow a pilot to send an armed drone close to an enemy position "and have them just fire at will," Norman added.



But it's too soon to write an epitaph for the pilot.



"If we had had this conversation 20 years ago, almost everyone was certain that some (drones) would be serving in a combat aircraft replacement role. That simply hasn't happened," said Richard Aboulafia, managing director at consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory.



Nowadays, he said, drones mainly support manned military aircraft, which "allows them to get out there with a greater combat aircraft punch."



There was speculation that the F-35 fighter, which went into operation in 2015, would be the last manned fighter jet, said Gareth Jennings, aviation editor at defense intelligence provider Janes. "But no one says that anymore."

The F-35, built by Lockheed Martin Corp., is a stealthy fighter part of today's generation of warplanes. There is a next generation of fighter jets in the concept stages offering even more high-tech advances, including potentially pilotless versions, but they won't arrive before the next decade at the earliest.



Gall, who recently graduated from fighter pilot training school, said the F-35 is easy to fly and that technology would likely make its successors even easier. But he stressed that the fighter pilot's role would remain intense.



Even if that role isn't going away anytime soon, the Pentagon is working on transforming it.



The Air Combat Evolution program, run by the Pentagon's DARPA research agency, is working on incorporating artificial intelligence into warfighting, including designing a plane that can fly itself in a dogfight.



The program has already carried out a live simulation of air combat, pitting a virtual plane piloted by an AI agent against a human pilot. If all goes well, researchers plan to carry out a live dogfight with AI-enabled planes by 2024.



Experts, though, are skeptical pilots will be eliminated from the cockpit in the near future.



"I don't think we'll be at the stage of not needing fighter pilots for a few decades yet," said Jennings, the aviation editor. "Unmanned technology and the public willingness to accept not having a human in the loop are just not there, and won't be for at least another 30 years or so."
Russia acknowledged Sunday that it launched a missile strike on the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odesa after agreeing late last week that Ukrainian grain could again be exported from the city.

"Kalibr missiles destroyed military infrastructure in the port of Odesa, with a high-precision strike," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova posted on her Telegram account.

Russia earlier had denied any involvement in the Saturday strike that came a day after Russia and Ukraine had signed agreements allowing Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain out of its Black Sea port.

It was not immediately clear why Russian reversed its claim and acknowledged the missile strike.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russia for jeopardizing the grain deal.

In his daily address late Saturday, Zelenskyy said the attack on Odesa, on our port, is a cynical one, and it was also a blow to the political positions of Russia itself. If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue ... with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening. Today's Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a similar sentiment in a statement issued late Saturday.

This attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to [Fridays] deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets, the top U.S. diplomat said. Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis and must stop its aggression and fully implement the deal to which it has agreed.

David Miliband, chief executive of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement, For 12 hours we dared to hope for relief of the global hunger crisis from shipments of Ukrainian grain. We have said it before; the war in Ukraine is a tragedy for Ukraine but also a global disaster for those in greatest need. This latest twist is as cruel as it is dangerous.

Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not caused significant damage, and a government minister said preparations are continuing to restart grain exports from the country's Black Sea ports, according to Reuters.



The strikes drew strong condemnation from other world officials.



Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement.

These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe. Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative, Guterres said.

U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink called the strike "outrageous," while European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russias actions reprehensible.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements  demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he said.

Zelenskyy said the strike on Odesa proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it."



Ongoing fighting



Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian missile attack on an airfield and a railway facility in central Ukraine Saturday killed three people and wounded at least 13, according to local officials.

Britains Defense Ministry said early Saturday that in the previous 48 hours, heavy fighting had been taking place as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson oblast, west of the Dnipro River.



In the statement posted to Twitter, the ministry said, Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the natural barrier of the Ingulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro. Simultaneously, the supply lines of the Russian force west of the Dnipro are increasingly at risk.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy blasted Russia jeopardizing a deal that both Russia and Ukraine signed to allow Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain out of its Black Sea ports. The deal was signed by both nations Friday, but on Saturday, Russia launched a missile attack on the port of Odesa.

Zelenskyy said late Saturday in his daily address, Today's Russian missile attack on Odesa, on our port, is a cynical one, and it was also a blow to the political positions of Russia itself. If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue ... with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening. Today's Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed a similar sentiment in a statement, issued late Saturday.

This attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to yesterdays deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets, the top U.S. diplomat said. Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis and must stop its aggression and fully implement the deal to which it has agreed.

For 12 hours we dared to hope for relief of the global hunger crisis from shipments of Ukrainian grain, David Miliband, CEO and president of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement, also issued late Saturday.

We have said it before; the war in Ukraine is a tragedy for Ukraine but also a global disaster for those in greatest need. This latest twist is as cruel as it is dangerous.

Turkey said Russia has denied any involvement in missile strikes Saturday on Odesa.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Defense Minister Hulusai Akar said in a statement. The fact that such an incident took place right after the agreement we made yesterday really worried us.

Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne quoted the Ukrainian military as saying the missiles had not caused significant damage, and a government minister said preparations continued to restart grain exports from the country's Black Sea ports, according to Reuters.

The strikes drew strong condemnation.

Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement delivered by spokesperson Farhan Haq.

These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe. Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.

U.S. Ambassador to Kyiv Bridget Brink called the strike "outrageous."

The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account," she posted on Twitter.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russias actions reprehensible.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of Istanbul agreements  demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he said.

Zelenskyy said the strike on Odesa demonstrates that Moscow will find ways not to implement the grain deal.

"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," Zelenskyy said in a video posted on Telegram.

A Russian Defense Ministry statement Saturday outlining progress in the war made no mention of any strike on Odesa.

However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova reposted the U.N. condemnation and said, "It is awful that UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres does not 'unequivocally' condemn also the Kyiv regime's killing of children in Donbas."

Ongoing fighting

Elsewhere in Ukraine, a Russian missile attack on an airfield and a railway facility in central Ukraine on Saturday killed three people and wounded at least 13, according to local officials.

Britains Defense Ministry said early Saturday that in the previous 48 hours, heavy fighting had been taking place as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive against Russian forces in Kherson oblast, west of the Dnipro River.

In the statement posted to Twitter, the ministry said, Russia is likely attempting to slow the Ukrainian attack using artillery fire along the natural barrier of the Ingulets River, a tributary of the Dnipro. Simultaneously, the supply lines of the Russian force west of the Dnipro are increasingly at risk.
LONDON (AP)  The expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an extraordinary situation that qualifies as a global emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, a declaration that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.

A global emergency is WHOs highest level of alert but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision on calling monkeypox a global emergency despite a lack of consensus among experts on the U.N. health agency's emergency committee, saying he acted as a tiebreaker. It was the first time a U.N. health agency chief has unilaterally made such a decision without an expert recommendation.

We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, Tedros said. I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views."

WHOs emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, said the director-general declared monkeypox a global emergency to ensure that the world takes the current outbreaks seriously.

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

Last month, WHOs expert committee said the monkeypox outbreak did not yet amount to an international emergency, but the panel convened this week to reevaluate the situation.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries since about May. To date, monkeypox deaths have only been reported in Africa, where a more dangerous version of the virus is spreading, mainly in Nigeria and Congo.

In Africa, monkeypox mainly spreads to people by infected wild animals like rodents in limited outbreaks that typically have not crossed borders. In Europe, North America and elsewhere, however, monkeypox is spreading among people with no links to animals or recent travel to Africa.

WHOs top monkeypox expert, Dr. Rosamund Lewis, said this week that 99% of all the monkeypox cases beyond Africa were in men and that of those, 98% involved men who have sex with men. Experts suspect the monkeypox outbreaks in Europe and North America were spread via sex at two raves in Belgium and Spain.

Although I am declaring a public health emergency of international concern for the moment, this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners," Tedros said. "That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies.

Britain recently downgraded its assessment of monkeypox after seeing no signs of widespread transmission beyond men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men and noting the disease does not spread easily or cause severe illness.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was supportive of WHO's emergency declaration and hoped it would galvanize international action to stamp out the outbreaks. The U.S. has reported more than 2,800 monkeypox cases and sent more than 370,000 vaccine doses to U.S. states reporting cases.

Some experts had questioned whether such a declaration would help, arguing the disease isnt severe enough to warrant the attention and that rich countries battling monkeypox already have the funds to do so. Most people recover without needing medical attention, although the lesions may be painful.

Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Southampton University, said WHOs emergency declaration could help donors like the World Bank make funds available to stop the outbreaks both in the West and in Africa.

In the U.S., some experts have speculated whether monkeypox might be on the verge of becoming an entrenched sexually transmitted disease in the country, like gonorrhea, herpes and HIV.

The bottom line is weve seen a shift in the epidemiology of monkeypox where theres now widespread, unexpected transmission, said Dr. Albert Ko, a professor of public health and epidemiology at Yale University. There are some genetic mutations in the virus that suggest why that may be happening, but we do need a globally-coordinated response to get it under control."

Ko called for testing to be immediately scaled up, saying there are significant gaps in surveillance.

The cases we are seeing are just the tip of the iceberg, he said. The window has probably closed for us to quickly stop the outbreaks in Europe and the U.S., but its not too late to stop monkeypox from causing huge damage to poorer countries without the resources to handle it.

WHO's Tedros called for the world to act together in solidarity regarding the distribution of treatments, tests and vaccines. for monkeypox. The U.N. agency has previously said it's working to create a vaccine-sharing mechanism for the most-affected countries, but offered few details of how it might work. Unlike the numerous companies that made COVID-19 vaccines, there is only one maker for the vaccine used against monkeypox, Denmark's Bavarian Nordic.

Dr. Placide Mbala, a virologist who directs the global health department at Congos Institute of National Biomedical Research, said he hoped any global efforts to stop monkeypox would be equitable. Although countries including Britain, Canada, Germany and the U.S. have ordered millions of monkeypox vaccine doses, none have gone to Africa.

The solution needs to be global, Mbala said, adding that any vaccines sent to Africa would be used to target those at highest risk, like hunters in rural areas.

Vaccination in the West might help stop the outbreak there, but there will still be cases in Africa, he said. Unless the problem is solved here, the risk to the rest of the world will remain.

___

Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.
An African American family has been returned the deed for a seaside property taken from them by local officials nearly a century ago. Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles on what may be the first case of its kind in the United States.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi affirmed on Friday Egypts keenness to deepen the extended strategic partnership with France as a vital pillar to preserve security and stability in the Middle East, East Mediterranean, and Africa.

The Egyptain president made the remarks in a meeting with his French President Emmanuel Macron at the start of his official visit to Paris.

During the meeting, El-Sisi affirmed to Macron Egypts keenness to maximise coordination and consultations with France on the various political, security, and economic issues of mutual concern during the coming period, Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said.

El-Sisi and Macron addressed means of boosting bilateral relations between the two countries on all levels and discussed a host of regional and international issues.

This was the first one-on-one meeting between the two presidents since Macron was reelected in April.

El-Sisi's visit to France comes as part of a European tour by the president that included Germany and Serbia.

During the meeting, Macron hailed the historic Egyptian-French ties, reaffirming Frances commitment to support the path of strong bilateral relations with Egypt in various fields.

The French president also hailed El-Sisis efforts in preserving regional peace and security.

Palestinian issue

The two leaders discussed a number of regional issues, including developments on the Palestinian issue and means of reviving the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

El-Sisi affirmed to Macron Egypts unwavering stance on the need to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict that ensures the rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of their independent state in accordace with relevant international resolutions.

The French president praised Egyptian mediating between Palestinians and Israelis and also Egyptian efforts in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Macron also affirmed Frances keenness to continue coordination with Egypt on these issues.





Regional files

The two leaders also discussed other developments in the East Mediterranean region as well as crises in Libya, Syria, and Lebanon.

El-Sisi stressed to Macron that these crises can only be resolved through political solutions in a way that preserves the unity and integrity of their lands and safeguards their national institutions.

A political solution to these crises should also provide a security basis for combating terrorist organisations and circumventing their infiltration between countries in the region, El-Sisi srtressed.

Macron affirmed Frances aspiration to intensify joint coordination with Egypt on issues pertinent to the Middle East in light of Egypts political weight in its regional surrounding.

Egypt and France have seen eye-to-eye on a number of regional issues, including the need for a political solution to the conflict in Libya through the holding of elections and the departure of all foreign forces from the country.

Russia-Ukraine crisis

El-Sisi reiterated to Macron Egypts stance on the importance of leaving the door open for dialogue and diplomatic solutions for the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

El-Sisi and Macron concurred that the current situation arising from the crisis requires all international actors to be responsible for finding practical solutions and mechanisms that mitigate the impacts of the crisis on the most affected countries.

The two leaders also discussed ways to overcome the difficult economic challenges arising from the Russian-Ukrainian war, especially its negative impact on food and energy security, and also on global markets.

Coordination on COP27

El-Sisi briefed Macron on Egypt's most to-date efforts to host the 2022 United Nations Climate Change conference (COP27) in the Red Sea city of Sharm El-Sheikh in November.

He also briefed the French president on endeavours to coordinate international efforts in order to achieve tangible progress on combatting climate change and ensure that the conference yield positive results.

Over the past months, Egypt has been keen to coordinate with international partners, including France, on COP27, in order to build on the success achieved by COP26 in Glasgow and ensure that climate pledges are turned into action within the framework of the Paris Agreement on climate.





French-Egyptian economic cooperation

Before meeting Macron, the Egyptian president met with Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire to discuss economic cooperation between the two countries.

El-Sisi and Le Maire agreed on the need to boost French development projects and investments in Egypt, especially in the renewable energy field.

This comes amid the country's ongoing plans to become a regional energy hub given its recent massive natural gas discoveries as well as it plans to transition towards a green economy.

Egypt and France are members of East Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF) - a regional block that seeks to unblock the full potential of the Eastern Mediterranean gas basin.

Earlier in week, President El-Sisi affirmed in a joint press conference with Gernman Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin Egypts full readiness to lay the foundations of a firm partnership with Germany on energy, whether by exporting natural gas to Germany and the European Union or establishing anextended partnership.





French investments, wheat imports

France has 4.6 billion in investments in infrastructure projects in Egypt, including the provision of 800 million in government loans, 1 billion from the French Development Agency, and 2 billion in bank loans guaranteed by the French state.

Trade between Egypt and France amounted to $1.83 billion in 2021.

There are 168 French companies operating in Egypt, employing tens of thousands of workers.

In recent months, Egypt and France have also intensified their economic coordination to mitigate the impact of the Ukraine war.

In June, Egypt, which relied heavily on Russia and Ukraine imported wheat, imported 63,000 tons of wheat from France as part of the country's efforts to diversify its wheat sources.

In May, Egypt and France signed an agreement to manufacture 55 air-conditioned trains for Cairo Metro Line One and provide maintenance work for them for eight years.

Frances Alstom Co. will implement the project, which will cost 776.9 million, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement.

In June 2021, Egypt and France also signed 1.7 billion worth of deals to fund projects in the fields of transport, housing, electricity, education and wholesale markets.

In military cooperation, the armed forces of both countries have held numerous joint drills in recent years to raise combat readiness.

French arms sales to Egypt increased by 44 percent between 2016 and 2020, compared to the period between 2011 and 2015.

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Elements, Bloombergs daily energy and commodities newsletter, is coming soon. Sign up here. Russia is going to keep creating uncertainty over shipments of oil, gas and agricultural commodities onto world markets. It has nothing to lose and lots to gain. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight So dont get complacent about recent developments that might suggest President Vladimir Putin is walking back from disrupting energy, food and fertilizer flows. He isnt.

In the past couple of weeks, a Russian court threw out the 30-day suspension of shipments through the Caspian Pipeline Consortiums conduit that carries mostly Kazakhstani crude to an export terminal on Russias Black Sea coast. The suspension, which I wrote about, would have removed as much as 45 million barrels of crude from global supplies, with a value of more than $4.5 billion. But the fine imposed on the company in place of the suspension was a mere 200,000 rubles, equivalent to $3,200.

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The successful appeal was undoubtedly a victory for the pipeline company and a relief for European refiners. But for the government of Kazakhstan and the foreign oil companies operating there, the threat of future disruption hasnt gone away.

Flows through the CPC system have already been interrupted twice since Russian troops invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. In late March, the terminal was partially shut for a month after a storm reportedly damaged two of the three loading buoys. Then in mid-June, loadings were again suspended from two moorings for a survey of the surrounding water area, which led to the discovery of a number of World War II mines. A skeptic might have expected mine removal to have been a priority when the buoys were first installed.

Of even greater concern for European nations, the Kremlins hand has been firmly in control of Russias gas flows. For most of last year, deliveries were running at about 400 million cubic meters a day. That abruptly fell by about 25% as winter approached, with flows slashed on the Yamal-Europe pipeline through Poland. They dropped again in January, when volumes sent via Ukraine were also severely curtailed. By June, total pipeline gas flows from Russia to Europe were down to about 40% of normal levels, dropping below 20% in the past two weeks, with the Nord Stream pipeline halted for annual maintenance.

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Fears that the line directly linking Russia to Germany wouldnt restart once the work was finished have been allayed  for now. Shipments along the route resumed on July 21, but President Putin was quick to warn that they could fall again within days unless a turbine sent to Canada for servicing is returned before one of the others on the line is taken out of service.

The threat of disruptions to gas flows remains very real.

And then theres the deal to allow shipments of grain from Ukraines Black Sea ports. While any agreement to restore these vital exports is to be welcomed, be under no illusion that they cant be halted again at any time. Theft of Ukrainian grain by Russia is well documented, so too is the wanton destruction of crops in the fields.

Russias apparent steps back from the brink in all three of these areas should be treated with caution. Just because the weapons havent been used this time, doesnt mean they wont appear later.

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Just like the nuclear missiles Putin and his henchmen keep threatening to use, much of the leverage gained by Russias ability to cut off food and energy exports lies in the uncertainty created by the possibility of their use, rather than in their actual employment. Once used, though devastating, the threat has gone. By holding them in reserve, the pressure can be maintained almost indefinitely.

Expect Russia to keep threatening oil, gas and agricultural flows as winter approaches, even if it doesnt curtail them.

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 Struggling to Stay Cool? So Is the Generator Powering Your Aircon: David Fickling

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This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Julian Lee is an oil strategist for Bloomberg First Word. Previously, he was a senior analyst at the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

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Dictators are rarely funny. Even ones who cultivate bare-chested, bear-hugging personas and have a penchant for extra-long tables. In more than 20 years of watching Russian President Vladimir Putin, I cant recall him laughing spontaneously, or cracking a joke  certainly not a memorable one. Perhaps because theres nothing amusing about repression, violence or war waged on a peaceful neighbor.

And yet, its no accident that a misfit with a crop top, an oval head and a foul mouth, the irreverent Masyanya, has become an irritant for the Kremlin. In the first post-invasion online episode of the cartoon in March, she travels to Moscow to encourage Putin to fall on his sword. In another, she attempts to explain the invasion and post-Soviet history to her children and ends up with tied-up, fake-blood-spattered, dismembered toys. In the latest, viewed more than 4 million times, China invades Russia to cleanse the country of fascism, reclaiming territory, claiming Russian culture doesnt exist and the language is just garbled Ukrainian  a parallel lost on no one.

At a time when reality ceases to make sense, whispered jokes, satire and ridicule fill the gaps. In the best tradition of dark Soviet anekdoty, gallows humor is a coping mechanism, one that allows millions of Russians to deal with the cognitive dissonance of everyday life. But humor also has the power to highlight the tragic absurdity of Putins regime and of his war of conquest in Ukraine, making it far harder to ignore, even in a country where propaganda is overwhelming. It has the power to enable quiet resistance and, just maybe, to keep defiance alive. No wonder regulators stepped in after Masyanyas March episode, demanding its removal.

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Laughter and caricature are effective political weapons  consider the number of comedians who have risen to prominence in politics. Ukraines Volodymyr Zelenskiy famously starred in a television comedy as a history teacher who unexpectedly ends up winning a presidential election, before going on to do so in real life. Icelandic standup Jon Gnarr ran for mayor in Reykjavik after the financial crisis, partly tongue-in-cheek, and won. Italian comedian Beppe Grillo led a populist movement and in Britain, where joke parties have long been a fixture, Boris Johnson has made a career out of a buffoonish image. Just because something is funny, as Gnarr put it after his victory, doesnt mean it isnt serious.

Even Moscow has tried humor in its official memes, with decidedly mixed success.

Can comedy change minds in an autocracy? Thats less clear, especially when its produced outside the country, and largely preaches to the converted.

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Theres certainly a rich Soviet tradition of laughing at the system, which both Russia and Ukraine draw from. While there was officially sanctioned jibing  with magazines like Krokodil, which targeted capitalism and approved foes  there were countless kitchen-table jokes in dark times (sometimes made at steep cost), and even more in the chaos of perestroika and Mikhail Gorbachevs infamous anti-alcohol campaign. One favorite, listed in declassified CIA papers, had a worker standing in a liquor line, then despairing and heading off to shoot Gorbachev. The man then returns a little while later. Did you get him?, the others ask. No, he replies. The line there is even longer than this one.

But those gags were rarely challenging to the political construct, and instead helped it endure. They acted as a pressure valve, like ancient Romes saturnalia or medieval carnivals, not fuel for rebellion. Thats the spirit in many of the old Soviet jokes repurposed for the current day, though its harder to poke fun at a hollow system that believes in nothing. In one old-school Twitter favorite, a man stands at the Polish border: Nationality? Russian. Occupation? Oh no, just visiting.

If it were to come, the greater challenge would emerge from satire and caricature, when used to draw out the absurdity of the current calamity  and to force viewers or readers to confront the brutality of the regime. Which is where Masyanyas illustrator, Oleg Kuvaev, comes in.

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For English-speaking audiences, Masyanya is often compared to the characters in South Park and similar adult cartoons. Shes perhaps more similar in spirit to Argentine cartoonist Maitenas disheveled figures in Mujeres Alteradas  certainly before the war when subjects were exclusively apolitical  or to Mafalda, a comic-strip schoolgirl whose outward innocence helped her creator Quino tackle issues silenced by the dictatorship. I dont think my cartoons are the sort that make people laugh their heads off, he once said. I tend to use a scalpel rather than tickle the ribs.

So, too, with Masyanya, now tinged with pain. Her partner bitterly points out in the first post-invasion snippet that apolitical people like her  the cartoon, two decades old, has never really waded into politics before  are part of the reason for Russias problems, enabling Putin. They both struggle to explain the situation to the children. Its an all-out war, like the 1940s, he says to her at one point. Except apparently now were the fascists.

Israel-based Kuvaev explains the episode on China invading Russia was born of frustration, and of his inability to comprehend peoples acceptance. The point was not to criticize Beijing, but to bring out the incongruity and the tragedy, though he ultimately decided against killing his cartoon family. What distinguishes humans from animals is empathy, compassion and understanding but sometimes empathy is blunted, Masyanya says in an epilogue. So now you are watching this.

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Theres certainly a perceived threat there. Jokes empower the powerless. Long before Masyanya was a challenge, the Kremlin silenced the independent channel that among other things aired Kukly, Russias version of satirical puppet show Spitting Image, with its brutal depiction of Putin as an evil infant gnome. Without that autocrats thin skin, he might be far more dangerous, points out Mirco Gopfert, a professor of social and cultural anthropology at Goethe University, Frankfurt, who has written on humor in non-democratic systems. Happily, one cannot imagine Putin as the sort of man to make a joke, for example, out of being kept waiting, alone and fidgeting, for Turkeys president.

Masyanya will no doubt be watched mostly by liberals and those already opposing the war. Its hard to think of a regime toppled by comedy  even Charlie Chaplin couldnt do it. But theres always weakness in those too inflexible to laugh.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

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 How to Be a Modern Autocrat: Clara Ferreira Marques

 Boris Johnson Is the Master of Political Cheer: Martin Ivens

 Hard Lessons From 100 Days of the Ukraine War: Leonid Bershidsky

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Clara Ferreira Marques is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and editorial board member covering foreign affairs and climate. Previously, she worked for Reuters in Hong Kong, Singapore, India, the U.K., Italy and Russia.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Japan is on the cusp of two big decisions: extent to which it can expand its defense capabilities and where to find the money to pay for it. The belligerent region Japan inhabits requires more resources devoted to national security, regardless of the ambivalence voters have historically felt toward a more assertive military.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida must reconcile competing strategic, electoral and budget priorities. In his favor are important shifts in Japans internal politics. Issues related to defense and diplomacy that were no-go zones a generation ago are now freely aired by politicians. The late Shinzo Abe was as much a reflection of the transformation as its driver.

Is the economy ready for a steep defense bill and how does the nation buttress its armed services with a contracting population? I spoke with Sheila A. Smith, senior fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of several books on Japanese diplomacy and politics. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

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Daniel Moss: How has Japans strategic posture changed in past two decades? Did Abe instigate that or merely channel it?

Sheila A. Smith: He was always hawkish and wanted Japan to be more self-reliant. There are several pieces that came together during his time in office. One was the rise of China, which is a very significant shift in the balance of power. Japans complex relationship with its own past is baked into that, along with differences in the political systems of the two countries. So Japan had to rethink its approach. It also has to contend with a more assertive Russia and North Korea.

Abe is often portrayed as right-winger. Im not sure thats the right way to understand him. He was on the conservative side of interpreting Japans post-war experience, deeply uncomfortable with the US-written constitution and didnt think Japan should always have to apologize. From 2012 until he stepped down in 2020, you saw a man who was coming to terms with his aspiration to lead and, critically, a Japan that is confronting a world that is changing. There was an intersection.

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DM: To what extent has the ruling Liberal Democratic Party changed? Center-right parties globally have become more right-wing and nationalist.

SS: The conservative right in many democracies has also become populist, less establishment. That is the difference with the LDP. The party has become more conservative in recent years without embracing the populist bit. You see now, after Abe, a fairly large swathe of people in the LDP who want a stronger military, want to lift defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product. They dont support nuclear weapons, but want to be able to reach out and touch an adversary with conventional weapons as a means of deterrence.

These used to be very right-wing views. Not anymore. You have generational change, a leadership in the LDP that is much more assertive about bringing up what used to be taboo. That reflects a region where everyone is demonstrating military capabilities and inviting questions about whether self-restraint is the best way for Japan to protect itself.

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DM: I still meet people who think Japan has no military to speak of and that everything has been outsourced to the US. In substance, how big a player in the defense industry is Japan?

SS: Traditionally, Japans leaders hadnt seen the global defense industry as a place where Japanese companies ought to play. There were restrictions adopted in the 1950s that said Japan shouldnt sell weapons. Abe opened that up. During the Abe era they were encouraged and urged to participate in the arms market. Could they be significant? Well see. For Japanese industrial companies, defense is only a small part of their operations. But now they are expected to be out and about and showing what they can do. I dont think executives are fully on board. They feel theres a lot of reputational risk with their brand being too associated with the military.

More broadly, its not true that Japan has delegated everything to the US. Credible estimates of defense spending and investment tend to show Japan, depending on what the yen is doing, consistently in the top 10. Not that different from, say, France or the UK. Japan is around the same as the NATO allies.

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DM: The government has begun a comprehensive review of Japans defense strategy. Why is that important and what are the likely outcomes?

SS: A new national security strategy document is going to be issued. The first leader to issue was Shinzo Abe, in 2013. So this will be only the second statement by Japan, ever. Its significant this is all together in one place, not just bombs and bullets. Its about what Japan needs to do to achieve its interests in the world and how to proceed? In 2013, the language on China was pretty benign compared with what I think we will see in the next one. Russia will be near the top of concerns after the Ukraine invasion. North Korea continues to be a problem, given its missiles and the ability to launch them undetected.

There will also be a cabinet decision in December on the next 10-year defense plan. This is where we will see how serious Kishida is about defense. Within the 10-year plan will be a five-year plan on how much Japan spends and on what. The other issue that needs to be handled deftly is that of counterstrike capability.

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DM: Japan is one of the most indebted economies. How does all this get financed?

SS: I dont know how they pay for it. Debt servicing is somewhere near 23% of Japans budget. Social security is about a third. The budget doesnt have a lot of latitude. Im not convinced about 2% of GDP, but lets use that as a reference point. Last year, Japan spent about 1.3% of GDP on defense. You get to 2%, you are basically doubling it. Thats big.

Kishida may back off a specific number and instead talk about substantial spending over a period of time. We will have watch his maneuvering. He will have to show that spending goes up in a way that is demonstrable. He promised Joe Biden. So where does that come from? It is zero sum. Its not like Japans economy is about to really take off.

DM: Article 9 of Japans constitution renounces war as a sovereign right and a means to settle disputes. It also says that to accomplish that aim, forces wont be maintained. Is the constitution misunderstood?

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SS: People have this idea that Article 9 means Japan cant do anything, which isnt correct. There needs to be some kind of self-defense. How much is necessary? That is the political elasticity and where Abe tried to push the envelope. If we read the parliamentary deliberations in the early 1950s when Japan was creating the self-defense force, they never used the word nuclear, but they do talk about modern weapons, which was code for nuclear. They arent banned, if needed for self-defense. That is where interpretations come in.

That aside, there is an acutely sensitive antennae among the Japanese public that pays great attention when weapons systems are discussed. Even in the conventional strike debate, the public reaction is going to be very interesting. You may have some people who say China has missiles, North Korea has missiles and so does Russia, so we need them, too. But there will be a lot of people who say this takes us way beyond where we are ready to go and increases the chances of war. We shouldnt dismiss the balancing act required here.

DM: Japan has huge demographic challenges. How do you reconcile a shrinking population and limited appetite for immigration with boosting the military?

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SS: There is the fiscal burden of an aging population, which gets us back to the tug and pull on the budget. Pension reform in the name of higher military spending is a tough sell. So you will see more automation, you will see more emphasis on women serving. You are just now starting to see women take on command positions. There will be more robotics. That is where the opening to the international arms market will happen, the use of Japans technological ability to get economies of scale. There will be much more emphasis on battle drones, undersea drones, surveillance and reconnaissance. There are recruitment problems. Big challenges, demographically. That has implications for how quickly Japan can deploy.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Kishida Must Achieve Abes Great Unrealized Dream: Gearoid Reidy

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 Abes Great Policy Legacy Starts to Look Careworn: Daniel Moss

 Abes Biggest Legacy Is Military, Not Economic: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Daniel Moss is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asian economies. Previously, he was executive editor of Bloomberg News for economics.

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The global eradication of smallpox more than 40 years ago was one of the greatest achievements in public-health history, vanquishing a cause of death, blindness and disfigurement that had plagued humanity for at least 3,000 years. But, on the downside, it also led to the end of a global vaccination program that provided protection against other pox viruses. That includes monkeypox, which has been spilling over from its animal hosts to infect humans in West and Central Africa with increasing frequency since the 1970s. Now monkeypox has sparked unprecedented outbreaks in Europe, the US and elsewhere, demonstrating again how readily an infectious agent that emerges in one region can mushroom into a global emergency.

1. Whats monkeypox?

Monkeypox is a misnomer resulting from the fact that it was first discovered at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen in 1958, when outbreaks of a pox-like disease occurred in monkeys kept for research. While monkeys are susceptible to it, just like humans are, they arent the source. The virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which includes the variola virus, the cause of smallpox; the vaccinia virus, which is used in the smallpox vaccine; and cowpox virus. Monkeypox is less contagious than smallpox and the symptoms are generally milder. About 30% of smallpox patients died, while the fatality rate for monkeypox in recent years is around 3% to 6%, according to the World Health Organization.

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2. What does monkeypox do?

After an incubation period of usually one to two weeks, the disease typically starts with fever, muscle aches, fatigue and other flu-like symptoms. Unlike smallpox, monkeypox also causes swelling of the lymph nodes. Within a few days of fever onset, patients develop a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body. The lesions grow into fluid-containing pustules that form a scab. If a lesion forms on the eye, it can cause blindness. The illness typically lasts two to four weeks, according to the WHO. The person is infectious from the time symptoms start until the scabs fall off and the sores heal. Mortality is higher among children and young adults, while people whose immune system is compromised are especially at risk of severe disease. Pregnancy also carries a high risk of severe congenital infection, pregnancy loss, and maternal morbidity and mortality.

3. How is it transmitted?

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Monkeypox doesnt usually spread easily between people. Close contact with the virus from an infected animal, human or contaminated object is the main pathway. Most reported cases in the 2022 outbreaks have been linked to skin-to-skin contact with someone infected with this virus, such as during sex. The pathogen enters the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract or the mucous membranes in the eyes, nose, mouth, rectum and anus. Clubs, raves, saunas, sex parties and other activities where there is close contact with many people may also increase the risk of exposure, especially if people are wearing less clothing. Tests on patient saliva, rectal swabs, semen, urine and fecal samples found traces of the virus that could indicate the infectious potential of these bodily fluids and their potential role in disease transmission by close physical contact during sexual activity, a study from Spain found. Transmission from mother-to-unborn baby has also been documented. It can also happen indirectly through contact with contaminated clothing or linens. Common household disinfectants can kill it.

4. Whats unusual this time?

There have been multiple chains of human-to-human transmission occurring, including in sexual networks.

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 Cases dont involve recent travel to places in Africa where the disease is endemic.

 Although anyone can get monkeypox, most cases occur in men. In endemic areas of Africa, it was thought that was related to hunting practices, whereas in the current outbreak, most individuals are men aged 21 to 40 years who have sex with men, people with multiple sexual partners, or people who practice condomless sex. Close skin-to-skin contact during sex is the primary mode of transmission in such cases.

 Flu-like symptoms havent always preceded the rash, and some patients first sought medical care for lesions in the genital and perianal region.

 In some cases, the lesions are mostly located at these sites, making them hard to distinguish from syphilis, herpes simplex virus, shingles and other more common infections, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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5. How fast is it spreading?

From just a handful of cases in Europe in early May, more than 16,000 cases, mostly in men, were reported across dozens of countries by late July, according to data collated by global.health. The WHO said five fatal cases have been reported, all in Africa. Monkeypox has probably been circulating undetected in Europe since at least April. In the US, caseloads tripled in July, with the virus reported in more than 40 states. Preliminary research estimates that among cases who identify as men who have sex with men, the virus has a reproduction number greater than 1, which means more than one new infection is estimated to stem from a single case. A UK study found anonymous sex has proved to be a barrier to effective contact tracing, with only 28% of men able to provide the names of all recent sexual contacts. Data from outbreaks in Canada, Spain, Portugal, and the UK suggest venues where men have sex with multiple partners are helping to drive spread.

6. How is it treated?

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The illness is usually mild and most patients will recover within a few weeks; treatment is mainly aimed at relieving symptoms. The CDC says smallpox vaccine, antivirals, and vaccinia immune globulin can be used to treat monkeypox as well as control it. Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, was approved by the European Medical Association for monkeypox in 2022, but isnt yet widely available, according to the WHO. In the US, its available through the Strategic National Stockpile, though some physicians have said lengthy delays for test results and the very daunting task of completing the necessary paperwork have frustrated efforts to prescribe the medication for infected patients. The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) also lists cidofovir as an antiviral that can be used.

7. What about prevention?

Limiting spread will require a comprehensive, international vaccination strategy and adequate supplies, public health experts Michael Osterholm and Bruce Gellin wrote in a July 19 editorial in the journal Science. Vaccination against smallpox can be used for both pre- and post-exposure and is as much as 85% effective in preventing monkeypox, according to the UK health agency, which is offering the Imvanex smallpox vaccine from Bavarian Nordic A/S to close contacts. Its a newer vaccine based on non-replicating versions of the vaccinia virus thats sold as Jynneos in the US and Imamune in Canada. Supply is limited, according to Osterholm and Gellin, who said more research is needed to determine whether intradermal, as opposed to intramuscular, administration and other dose-sparing approaches can provide adequate immune protection. Bavarian Nordic will provide the US with almost 7 million doses of Jynneos by mid-2023, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, which said on July 15 that more than 300,000 shots had been made available to states and jurisdictions since late May. (Bavarian Nordic said July 18 that it also has signed supply contracts with other, unspecified countries.) Immunization requires two injections administered four weeks apart. Otherwise, the main way to prevent infection is by isolating patients with the infection, monitoring their contacts, and ensuring health staff wear appropriate personal protective equipment.

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8. Is monkeypox a pandemic threat?

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a so-called public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC (pronounced fake), on July 23. The step will empower the agency to invoke new measures to curb the viruss spread. He last declared a PHEIC in January 2020, during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tedros said monkeypox is concentrated among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, especially those who have had multiple, recent sexual partners. That fact means the contagion can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups, he said. Meanwhile, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in mid-July that the window for controlling the US outbreak has probably closed and that only a small fraction of the cases in the country have been reported, with infections now occurring across the broader population. In the Netherlands, doctors reported a case in a boy under 10 with an immune impairment. Unable to identify how he was infected, they speculate that the virus may be present in the general population and that respiratory transmission may have played a role.

9. Do all infections cause disease?

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Possibly not. Retrospective testing of 224 clinical samples collected in May for sexually transmitted infection screening found evidence of asymptomatic monkeypox infection in three men. The finding, by researchers at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, Belgium, was reported in a study released July 5 before it was peer-reviewed and published. Asymptomatic carriership was previously thought to play a negligible role in the spread of orthopoxviruses, the authors said. The existence of asymptomatic infections indicates that the virus might be transmitted to close contacts in the absence of symptoms, which suggests that identifying and isolating only symptomatic patients wont be enough to contain the outbreak, and that vaccinating high-risk individuals is needed. Interestingly, one of the asymptomatic men in the study predated the first detected symptomatic case in Belgium by several days, wasnt linked to other known cases and hadnt traveled abroad or attended any mass gatherings. The authors said that might suggest that the virus circulated in Belgium before the outbreak was detected.

10. Where does monkeypox come from?

The reservoir host or main carrier of monkeypox disease hasnt yet been identified, although rodents are suspected of playing a part in transmission. It was first diagnosed in humans in 1970 in Congo in a 9-year-old boy. Since then, most cases in humans have occurred in rain forest areas of West and Central Africa. In 2003, the first outbreak outside of Africa occurred in the US and was linked to animals imported from Ghana to Texas, which then infected pet prairie dogs. Dozens of cases were recorded in that outbreak.

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11. Has the moneypox virus mutated?

The monkeypox virus might be undergoing adaptive changes to make it better suited to the human host. Analysis of the genetic sequence of the virus collected from patients in Europe indicates that the current outbreak in non-endemic countries is caused by a strain that likely diverged from the monkeypox virus that sparked a 2018-19 Nigerian outbreak, according to a June 24 study in Nature Medicine. The authors, from Portugals National Institute of Health in Lisbon, identified some 50 genetic changes or differences compared with the original strain, including several mutations the authors associate with increased transmissibility. The changes are roughly 6-to-12 times more than scientists would expect based on the observed evolution of orthopoxviruses, they said. The strain belongs to the West African clade, or branch on the evolutionary tree, that usually has a case-fatality rate of less than 1%. (That compares with 10% for a second clade called Congo Basin, which appears on the US governments bioterrorism agent list as having the potential to pose a severe threat.)

(Updates number of cases in section 5, emergency declaration and pediatric case in section 8.)

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Chinas real estate crisis continues to spiral as some would-be home owners refuse to pay mortgages because cash-strapped developers have yet to finish their properties. The wildcat boycotts spread at one point in mid-July to over 300 housing projects in about 90 cities, with loans up to 2 trillion yuan ($295 billion) under threat. That has prompted the authorities to respond with promises of stricter regulation of presales -- a popular way to buy a home or apartment in China, in which buyers have to start repaying their loans even on projects that are still under construction. The boycotts are politically sensitive in a year when the ruling Communist Party wants stability ahead of an all-important gathering later this year where President Xi Jinping is expected to get anointed for a third term. They also pose a risk to the broader housing market by keeping potential buyers on the sidelines.

1. How much does real estate matter to Chinas economy?

A lot: Construction and property sales have been the biggest engines of economic growth since Xi came to office a decade ago. Home prices skyrocketed  surging sixfold over the past 15 years  as an emerging middle class flocked to property as one of the few safe investments available. The boom led to speculative buying as new homes were pre-sold by property developers who turned more and more to international investors for funds. So when Chinese officials ratcheted up steps to reduce the risk of a bubble and temper the inequality that unaffordable housing can create, it touched off a cash-flow crisis that has sent some major developers into default. A sales slump that began during the pandemic was deepened by aggressive measures to contain Covid-19. So far, the states intervention has held off a disorderly collapse of the property market that could undermine the financial system and jolt the world economy too.

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2. What fueled the real estate boom?

In 1998, when China created a nationwide housing market after tightly restricting private sales for decades, only a third of its people lived in towns and cities. Now almost two-thirds do, increasing the urban population by 480 million. The property sector also expanded rapidly, while struggling to keep up. Boom cities such as Shenzhen became less affordable based on price-to-income ratios than London or New York, frustrating a generation of would-be buyers. Local and regional authorities, which rely on sales of public land for a hefty chunk of their revenue, encouraged more development, which also helped meet the central governments ambitious annual targets for economic growth, which often hit double digits. Debt piled up as builders rushed to meet demand. Annual sales of dollar-denominated offshore bonds -- meaning those sold mainly to foreign investors -- surged from $675 million in 2009 to $64.7 billion in 2020, leading to a swelling interest burden. Developers had some $207 billion in dollar-denominated bonds outstanding as of late last year, accounting for about one-quarter of the total from all Chinese borrowers. Additional, opaque liabilities make it hard to assess true credit risks.

3. What did the government do?

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It has for years tried to defuse the debt bomb amid fears an explosion could set off a disastrous financial meltdown. In mid-2020, it began to squeeze new financing to real estate developers to try to reduce the threat, and asked banks to slow the pace of mortgage lending. New borrowing metrics introduced for developers proved to be a game changer. Called the three red lines by state-run media, they aimed to reduce reckless borrowing by setting thresholds for a developers liabilities, debt and cash holdings. Annual borrowing would be capped based on how many parameters were met.

4. What happened to the developers?

Those that didnt have enough cash on hand to cover their liabilities found themselves in a bind. At least 18 defaulted on offshore bonds after the crackdown began. China Evergrande Group, once the countrys biggest developer, was labeled a defaulter for the first time in December after it missed payments on several bonds. The establishment of a risk management committee dominated by provincial officials was quickly announced for the firm to stave off a complete collapse. (Bondholders still were left wondering how much they would collect once the dust settles.) Others, including Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. and Sunac China Holdings Ltd., followed. Fears of further contagion have reverberated throughout the industry and the wider economy, hammering domestic growth, weakening consumer confidence and roiling global markets that have long assumed Chinas real estate titans would be bailed out by the government.

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5. Where does this leave the industry?

In a deep slump. Combined sales at the top 100 developers halved in the first four months of this year compared with last. Property loan growth slowed to the weakest pace in over two decades at the end of March. Construction fell 14% in 2021 from the previous year, the biggest fall in six years. All this matters a lot because in China, the real estate sector accounts for almost a quarter of gross domestic product, when nonresidential construction, building materials and related activity such as real estate services are included.

6. How bad could it get?

Across China millions of square feet of unfinished apartments have been left to gather dust as a result of developers facing cash-flow problems -- economists at Nomura International HK Ltd estimated in mid-July that Chinese developers have delivered only about 60% of the homes they presold from 2013 to 2020. The mortgage protests hit just as the market was showing signs of stabilizing, with sales picking up June. The chairman of one of the biggest developers said the market had bottomed out. A full-bore crisis could leave millions more homebuyers who put up money in advance in limbo. (Buyer protections commonly used abroad, such as escrow accounts and installment payments, have tended to be weak.) Home prices began to fall last September for the first time in six years. Fire sales would further pummel the market, squeezing other developers and rippling through related industries and suppliers. The risk of popular unrest -- more than 70% of urban Chinas wealth is stored in housing -- would rise, unsettling the government. A historic selloff in offshore bonds would spread to the much larger domestic credit market, spreading from lower-rated property companies to stronger peers and banks. Global investors would sell even more.

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7. How serious are the mortgage protests?

While they affect only a sliver of the lenders combined mortgage portfolios, the speed at which the protests grew took many by surprise. (Tracking the extent grew more difficult after China began censoring crowd-sourced online tallies in mid-July.) Financial regulators responded by urging banks to boost lending to builders to help finish the projects, and a grace period on payments for some homebuyers was said to be under consideration. In a scenario analysis released July 22, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated between 1.8% and 6.5% of Chinas total mortgages could be exposed.

8. Is there a way out?

The government has tweaked some rules to try to stabilize the situation. For example the central bank stepped up its support for several distressed developers and banks were instructed to ensure growth in both residential mortgages and loans to developers in some areas. Above all, avoiding a Lehman moment  when the failure of the US bank in 2008 sent shock waves through global markets  is a priority ahead of this years Communist Party congress, where Xi is expected to be handed a third term. That political necessity most likely means the government will try to contain the crisis, at least for the near term.

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Biden's symptoms continue to improve Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight President Biden, who tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, continues to experience mild symptoms that are improving, the White House said Sunday. His physician, Kevin OConnor, wrote in a letter that the presidents pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature all remain normal, and he doesnt have any shortness of breath.

His predominant symptom now is sore throat, OConnor wrote, adding that it was an indication that his body is clearing the virus.

The president has taken the antiviral Paxlovid for three days and will continue treatment, OConnor said. He is also taking Tylenol and using an albuterol inhaler a few times a day for cough.

The President is responding to therapy as expected, OConnor wrote in his latest letter.

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 Laura Reiley and Dan Diamond

Wildfire explodes beyond 14,000 acres

Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate because of a wildfire burning thousands of acres near Yosemite National Park and challenging firefighters.

The Oak Fire began Friday afternoon and on Sunday afternoon had burned more than 14,200 acres outside Yosemite, according to Cal Fire.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also providing resources to suppress the fire, Newsom said.

Cal Fire spokeswoman Natasha Fouts said about 6,000 people had been evacuated from the area as of Saturday morning. She revised that number in an interview with The Washington Post on Sunday, saying that about 3,000 people were under evacuation orders and that nearly 2,000 were being warned that they may need to leave soon.

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The wildfire had destroyed 10 structures and damaged five as of Sunday, according to the agencys website. None of the Oak Fire had been contained Sunday.

Justin Macomb, a Cal Fire operations section chief, said in an operational update Sunday morning that firefighters are trying to contain the blazes spread in residential areas.

Earlier this month, a wildfire in Yosemite threatened hundreds of giant sequoias in Mariposa Grove, the parks largest grove.

 Praveena Somasundaram

2 killed and 5 injured in shooting at park

Two people were killed after gunfire erupted Sunday afternoon in a Los Angeles park, authorities said.

Initial reports indicated that the shooting took place at the baseball diamond at Peck Park in the citys San Pedro neighborhood, according to officials.

We dont know how many shooters we have at this point, Los Angeles Police Department Capt. Kelly Muniz said. Muniz said the shooting was a dispute between two parties. Weapons were recovered at the scene, police said.

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In total, seven people were taken to hospitals, said Erik Scott, public information officer for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Police said the shooting occurred about 3:50 p.m. local time.

The LAPD declared a citywide tactical alert because so many officers had been deployed to the scene. Officer Luis Garcia said the park had been closed, and police had directed people to head back to their cars and leave the area.

 Los Angeles Times

White House says U.S. can contain monkeypox

Monkeypox can be contained in the United States, with the goal of eventually eliminating the illness as testing and vaccinations ramp up, the White Houses coronavirus response coordinator said Sunday.

Ashish Jha repeated that, with more than 2,000 cases nationwide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is weighing whether to declare monkeypox a public health emergency. The head of the World Health Organization declared the global outbreak a public health emergency of international concern Saturday.

Monkeypox can be contained, absolutely, through testing and vaccines, Jha told CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday.

 Bloomberg News

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This account, in previously unreported detail, shines new light on the road to war and the military campaign in Ukraine, drawn from in-depth interviews with dozens of senior U.S., Ukrainian, European and NATO officials.

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"It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesa's port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the U.N. and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement,'' Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said. "In case of non-fulfillment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.''

Nikolenko described the missile strike on the 150th day of Russia's war in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putin's "spit in the face of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach agreement.''

Guterres' office issued a statement saying the U.N. chief "unequivocally condemns'' the strikes.

"Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets,'' the statement said. "These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe. Full implementation by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.''

During a Friday signing ceremony in Istanbul, Guterres hailed the deals to open Ukraine's ports in Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny to commercial food exports as "a beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.''

The agreements were intended to clear the way for the shipment of millions of tons of Ukrainian grain and some Russian exports of grain and fertilizer held up by the war. Ukraine is one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia's invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports halted shipments.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press showed the deals called for a U.N.-led joint coordination center in Istanbul where officials from Ukraine, Russia, Turkey would oversee the scheduling and searches of cargo ships.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that the agreements offered "a chance to prevent a global catastrophe - a famine that could lead to political chaos in many countries of the world, in particular in the countries that help us.''

The head of Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, said on Twitter that the Odesa strike coming so soon after the endorsement of the Black Sea ports deal illustrated "the Russian diplomatic dichotomy.''

Along with the strike on Odesa, Russia's military fired a barrage of missiles Saturday at an airfield and a railway facility in central Ukraine, killing at least three people, while Ukrainian forces launched rocket strikes on river crossings in a Russian-occupied southern region.

The attacks on key infrastructure marked new attempts by the warring parties to tip the scales of the grinding conflict in their favor.

In Ukraine's central Kirovohradska region, 13 Russian missiles struck an airfield and a railway facility. Gov. Andriy Raikovych said that at least one serviceman and two guards were killed. The regional administration reported the strikes near the city of Kirovohrad, wounded another 13 people.

In the southern Kherson region, which Russian troops seized early in the invasion, Ukrainian forces preparing for a potential counteroffensive fired rockets at Dnieper River crossings to try to disrupt supplies to the Russians.

Despite the progress on that front, fighting raged unabated in eastern Ukraine's industrial heartland of the Donbas, where Russian forces tried to make new gains in the face of stiff Ukrainian resistance.

Russian troops also have faced Ukrainian counterattacks but largely held their ground in the Kherson region just north of the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014.

Earlier this week, the Ukrainians bombarded the Antonivskyi Bridge across the Dnieper River using the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russia-appointed regional administration in Kherson, said.

Stremousov told Russian state news agency Tass that the only other crossing of the Dnieper, the dam of the Kakhovka hydroelectric plant, also came under attack from rockets launched with the weapons supplied by Washington but wasn't damaged.

HIMARS, which fires GPS-guided rockets at targets 80 kilometers (50 miles) away, a distance that puts it out of reach of most Russian artillery systems, has significantly bolstered the Ukrainian strike capability.

In addition, Ukrainian forces shelled an automobile bridge across the Inhulets River in the village of Darivka, Stremousov told Tass. He said the bridge just east of the regional capital of Kherson sustained seven hits but remained open to traffic.

Stremousov saod that unlike the Antonivskyi Bridge, the small bridge in Darivka has no strategic value.

Since April, the Kremlin has concentrated on capturing the Donbas, a mostly Russian-speaking region of eastern Ukraine where pro-Russia separatists have proclaimed independence.

However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized Wednesday that Moscow plans to retain control of other areas its forces occupy during the war.
The maps Eddie Mabo drew of his home in the Torres Strait which helped overturn the concept of terra nullius in 1992 have been immortalised in bronze by his daughter. Gail Mabos stunning sculpture, which combines a map with a creation story, is a finalist in Australias richest Indigenous art awards, the 2022 Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA).

The artwork, Tagai, is named after the warrior in the sky who is part of an Islander creation story. This is also the name of the constellation used to navigate throughout the Torres Strait Islands. A significant part of Islander culture, stars are used to determine the timing of rituals associated with planting, harvesting and hunting.

Gail Mabos latest work, Tagai, is a finalist in the 2022 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards. Credit:Mark Sherwood

When you visit the region, Mabo says, you would be given a similar map made of bamboo and seashells to guide you between islands.

Her artwork was created to continue her fathers legacy and to honour his memory. When I first saw [the work], I cried, she says. It was because I changed from using bamboo to this next medium [of bronze]; hopefully I can inspire other girls to step up and do something on a grander scale. For me, its the matriarchal line, it is that history passed on through me, it is a talking point, it will empower others to think they can do that.
And, adds Rings, the discipline of dance gave them a thick skin. They knew they had to work for it. If the mainstream wouldnt employ them, they would forge their own path. We had a different fire, and a different way, she says. The decades to come would see triumph and tragedy. In 1991, Page took the helm of Bangarra Dance Theatre, where he has been artistic director for 30 years. Anu would become a star of Australian music. Rings joined Bangarra in 1993, fresh out of college where Page had taught her, becoming one of the countrys leading choreographers both in and out of the company. SandSong by Bangarra Dance Company. Credit:Dan Boud She often tells the story of how Page, this visionary storyteller, was casting for a prototype of Bangarras acclaimed, iconic Ochres and didnt give her a part. It just made me want more, she says. Page adds: I made her work for it. Now Rings is about to take over from Page as Bangarra artistic director.

Lawford, meanwhile, became one of the outstanding actresses of a generation, in countless stage roles as well as films Rabbit-Proof Fence, Bran Nue Dae and Last Cab to Darwin. She was an important cultural consultant and artistic collaborator for Bangarra; her spirit and stories inspired several of their shows. And she was a cultural adviser, she chaired boards, she exhausted herself speaking both Language and English. She was a bridge, says Page. She was getting pulled, says Rings. And then in 2019 she was lost, aged 52, dying from complications after an asthma attack in Edinburgh, a city that had embraced her. The shine in Pages and Rings eyes is the one reserved for a dear friend and stupendous talent. Sadness at her death, yes, and joy in her life. Page knows this feeling too well, having lost his brothers and collaborators Russell and David.

And so Page and Rings have created a show together for Bangarra called SandSong about, for and from Lawford, her people and her Country, in the Great Sandy Desert that slices into Australias heart from the north-west. Bangarra dancers Rika Hamaguchi and Baden Hitchcock. Bangarras latest performance Sandsong was created in consultation with Wangkajunga/Walmajarri Elders from the Kimberley and Great Sandy desert. Credit:Rhett Wyman/SMH [They] were displaced, and they faced incredible challenges, says Rings. Child removal, being used as forced labour ... their survival, their resilience, how they stand today, and this young generation who are proud living testament of this culture. Its a beautiful story that was shared with us through Ningali, who wanted us to do this work. During rehearsals Page and Rings kept wondering what she would have thought of it. And they found old recordings, from years ago, when Lawford would travel the world then come back to record little voices and Language with David Page. It was almost like she led us there, says Page. Throughout the process she was with us all the way. Shes probably with us now. Shes going, What are you doing in my city of Melbourne?

Loading Page and Rings remember visiting Lawford here. She would take them to her favourite restaurants and markets, where everyone would greet her by name. Wherever she went she found a family, they say. Her legacy is she told everybody elses story, says Rings. We wanted the opportunity to tell her story. Often people are reflective of Country. And [Lawfords] Country is dramatic. Its powerful, its old and its ancient and its dynamic. They come from the Great Sandy Desert, one of the most inhospitable places in the world. And you get these seasons, wet season, bang, dry season. Its always challenging, its character building. And that was their Ningali. As a child she would dance in the wind, perform in the elements, tell stories.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Del Kathryn Barton is sitting in her studio in Sydneys Paddington, surrounded by works she is preparing for an upcoming exhibition in Los Angeles. At her feet lies Frederick, her wriggly 21-week-old puppy, who is snoring in the sun. The studio is where the Archibald Prize-winning artist likes to retreat. Its in the neighbourhood where she has lived for 20 years and its where she has set her debut feature film, Blaze. Its a gut-knotting story about the aftermath of a sexual assault witnessed by a 12-year-old girl called Blaze. At the centre of the film is an astounding performance by Julia Savage, who turned 13 during the six-week shoot in 2020, and a 200-kilogram dragon called Zephyr, who is covered in Swarovski crystals, glitter, feathers and fabric. In terms of difficulty, its a reverse somersault in the pike position. What was she thinking? Clearly, I was not, she says, letting out a hearty laugh. Barton laughs loudly and a lot, whether thats through the nervousness of talking about the emotional upheaval of the film or through sheer relief shes pulled it off, Im not sure. Its probably both. Julia Savage stars as Blaze in artist Del Kathryn Bartons first feature film. Blaze is an intensely personal story for the 49-year-old. Not only because it is very recognisably her work (the colour palette that swings between deep blues and hot pinks, the big eyes on the animated version of Blaze, the giant moon, the six-breasted dragon), but because it is informed, in part, by the experiences of Barton and her co-writer, Huna Amweero.

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My story is both the trauma of the witness and the trauma of being a victim, says Barton, who is careful to emphasise Blaze is a mash-up of many experiences, including cases researched for the story. But also it was an experience with someone else thats close to me. And she doesnt want to tell that story. So, its complicated in that way. She pauses to gather her thoughts. Firstly, Ill say, Im very strong, Ive done decades of inner work, she continues. I definitely felt ready to tell the story. But I hadnt predicted how triggered I would be unexpectedly at different times. So, thats been really hard, actually. [The trauma] never leaves you. Even that line at the end, when [the therapist] Blossom tells Blaze that she is not broken, was a hugely cathartic moment when we were writing it, shooting it and editing it. Ive sat with that for a long time since then, and almost come back to a place of saying, Im broken. Like, Im actually f---ing broken. I struggle with the word survivor but, for want of a better word, its been quite empowering for me just to own that as well. Because otherwise, youre almost putting on another bravado. Blaze is Bartons third film after two shorts, The Nightingale and the Rose and RED. Its a film she says is not for everyone. But the thing is, it should be. It should be for anyone who thinks sexual assault doesnt happen in their neighbourhood or for any parent who is trying to help guide their child through a life-altering event or emotions that are too big to contain. It is challenging, but it is filled with courage and the power of believing in your inner strength.

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What was really important to me, was to tell this story in the world that I inhabit, says Barton. On one level, it was an aesthetic choice. I feel international audiences have a very limited exposure to, and therefore understanding, of the very varied landscapes here in Australia. So, for me, Paddington had real cinematic appeal. Its a place that I know very well. But most importantly, I feel far too often, and unjustly so, that these stories of domestic violence, sexual violence are sort of relegated to lower socio-economic suburbia. Thats a real fallacy and it creates this compartmentalised perception of this problem. Barton was galvanised to write the film after hearing a radio report that one woman in Australia is killed every week by her current or former partner. She felt strongly these stories were not being told on screen by women but also saw the opportunity to tell a story of a young womans loss of innocence and transition into adulthood. Barton on the set of Blaze with Julia Savage. Enter Samantha Jennings, who through her company Causeway Films had already produced Jennifer Kents award-winning films The Babadook and The Nightingale. She had this idea of a young girl, sort of on the cusp of womanhood, who witnesses something quite shocking and violent, says Jennings of Barton. And what that does to her transition into womanhood and how she could find her own way through [that experience] using her own inner imagination and inner voice. I found it really exciting, the idea of tackling often quite heartbreaking subject matter, but tackling that in a way that was beautiful and celebratory, and embracing the idea that people, and particularly young people, can find their own way of healing.

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Finding a young actor who could hold the centre of such a confronting story, and who could match Simon Baker, who is devastating as Blazes father, and Yael Stone, who plays the victim Hannah, was not easy. However, Barton and Jennings were floored by the emotional maturity Savage brought to her audition and the role. At the risk of sounding like a full-blown hippie, she was just such a gift from the universe for this, says Barton. For Savage, the audition over Zoom gave her a glimpse of her future: she could see the early stages of Zephyr, the giant glittering dragon puppet, behind Barton. I got my NeverEnding Story moment, laughs Savage, who is now 14. To have the opportunity to be best friends with a dragon puppet, that is not what you go to work to do. But Im so grateful to be able to go to work and do that, like that is insane. Julia Savage plays a young girl whose dragon helps her deal with trauma. Credit:Tanja Bruckner I get chills thinking about it. Obviously, its an inanimate object, but when you hang out with a dragon, mostly every day of shooting, you get a sense of it being so real. And being able to just learn every crystal and every type of fabric on that dragon was just amazing.

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Operated by five puppeteers, Zephyr is covered in a skin sewn over eight months by Barton and three assistants. He had his origins in a monumental work called Sing Blood-Wings Sing that Barton created for a 2017 survey at the National Gallery of Victoria. For that, Barton was inspired by her enduring love of the 1963 Peter, Paul and Mary song Puff the Magic Dragon.It deeply informed the narrative on a very simplistic level, says Barton. The idea that as we transition from childhood into adulthood, lets just make sure that our inner dragons dont retreat into their caves. Does Barton have her own inner dragon? Definitely, she says. I am my own Zephyr. Bartons painting Sing Blood-Wings Sing, which is part of the inspiration for Blaze. Credit:Courtesy of the artist When Savage auditioned, she had read the whole script and was aware of the heavy storyline. She worked with an intimacy co-ordinator on some scenes, and had her mother on hand throughout the shoot. Even the adult crew was given the ability to opt out of some scenes if they found the subject too confronting that day. Just taking it from scene to scene, moment to moment and being able to just do it one step one day at a time was really helpful, says Savage. Because there was a lot going on. One of the most moving parts of the film is the bond Blaze shares with her father, who is left bewildered at his inability to fix things for his daughter. That close relationship carried off-screen, too, with Baker providing much-needed reassurance to Savage.

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Moscow has denied carrying out any attack on the Ukrainian port of Odessa, the Turkish defence minister said Saturday, a day after Moscow and Kyiv penned a deal to resume grain exports.

"The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and they were looking into the issue very closely," Hulusi Akar said, but Russia has yet to officially comment.

Russia and Ukraine signed agreements in Istanbul on Friday brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and UN chief Antonio Guterres.

But Akar also said the incident "really makes us concerned" in comments to state news agency Anadolu.

"We will continue to fulfil our responsibilities under the agreement we reached yesterday," he added.

Up to 25 million tonnes of wheat and other grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports by Russian warships and landmines Kyiv has laid to avert a feared amphibious assault.

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So, can you live on $28,000 a year? Thats the real question here. And its a question to which very few people know the answer because, when you boil it down, how much you need to save for retirement depends entirely on how much you want to spend in retirement. If you want overseas trips, a fancy car, golf club membership and regular trips to the theatre, then yes, you could be close to needing the comfortable annual income standard the super industry suggests. Having tracked my own spending for the past two years, I know I incur annual living costs of about $88,000. However, knock out my mortgage ($31,000) and private school fees ($11,000) and Im already bang on the super industrys standard for a comfortable retirement.

For context, Im a high-income earner who spends about $6000 a year on holidays and pays about $4000 a year for gym membership. Suggesting this is the retirement standard of living that would be appropriate for most Australians sounds a bit ridiculous to me. If I were to cut out overseas holidays, eating out, gym fees and stop driving to work, Im fairly confident I could get myself somewhere closer to the industrys modest standard. And thats comforting, indeed. Learning how to live on less is definitely the most empowering thing you can do when it comes to setting yourself up for retirement. Dont forget that once youre retired, youll have more time to cook meals at home and less need to spend money to offset the stresses of work. Also, keep in mind the principal assumption behind all these retirement estimates: that people own their own homes by retirement. Anyone still renting in retirement faces higher ongoing housing costs, and will likely find the governments rental assistance woefully inadequate to cover them. Sidenote: The crucial role of homeownership is also overlooked in all retirement adequacy calculations in another important way. That massive asset youve spent your working life contributing towards owning outright can also be an important source of income in retirement, either via a privately offered reverse-mortgage product or the governments own Pension Loans Scheme, which is a variant of that.

Who says the kids need to get all the savings you ploughed into purchasing your home when you die? And then theres always the option to keep working one day a week in retirement and earn up to $7800 a year without affecting your age pension. Of course, every Millennial knows the age pension wont exist when they come to retire  and every Millennial is wrong on this. The federal government has no incentive to put matters straight, as every dollar Millennials save in super will take pressure off its age-care budget. Its also a myth that you must be aiming for complete self-sufficiency in retirement. In reality, most retirees today receive either a part or full age pension. Its the magical phase of life where being reliant on the state is suddenly socially acceptable. Indeed, many Australians will actually receive a pay rise in retirement when they move onto the full age pension, most notably JobSeeker recipients who are now expected to live on about $16,000 a year.

A final thing to note is that there are important disincentives in the age pension system that mean you could, in fact, be penalised for saving too hard during your working life. As your private savings in super rise over certain thresholds  about $250,000 for singles today  your eligibility for the age pension is reduced at quite a steep rate. Loading As Money Magazine points out each year, there is a sweet spot at about $250,000 of super savings for singles, beyond which you can actually end up on a lower income in retirement because the withdrawal of the age pension is not quite offset by the increase in income from your private super savings. So, how much do you need to save for retirement? The simple answer is: it depends. But for most people, I suspect its also a lot less than you think.
In recent weeks, the market operator has been forced to stage a series of dramatic interventions to stave off winter blackouts. Meanwhile, consumers, already under the pump from cost of living pressures, are facing higher energy bills. How on earth did it come to this? Talk to energy market analysts and state and federal governments, and theyll tell you there is no single reason. Australias fleet of coal-fired power stations are being plagued by maintenance issues. Credit:Jessica Shapiro Its been an unusually cold winter on the east coast, pushing up demand for energy for heating. Australias ageing fleet of coal-fired power plants is starting to break down, placing additional pressure on gas to fill the void. Victorias gas fields in the Bass Strait are beginning to run low and power generation from wind and solar has, at times, fallen short this winter.

All the while, global spot prices have been soaring, with Europe shunning Russian gas imports in response to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Normally, gas is supposed to step up to meet peaks in power demand. The advantage of a gas turbine is that it can be switched on at short notice, unlike a coal-fired plant, which can take days to crank up. But Professor Bruce Mountain, director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre, said gas was increasingly been used as an inefficient source of base-load power. Bruce Mountain, director of the Victoria Energy Policy Centre. Credit:Wayne Taylor Gas has been forced into the market and its being used to produce a great deal more electricity than it normally does, Mountain said this week. Demand for gas has been so strong that Lochard Energys massive Iona gas storage facility, located in Victorias south-east near Port Campbell, has been emptying at an alarming rate. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) was last week forced to step in, warning low pressure at the facility could jeopardise the effective operation of the east coast market.

The problem is gas-dependent Victoria is currently the only state in which a $40-per-gigajoule price cap on gas remains in place to tamp down on high wholesale prices. The cap, which was triggered automatically at the end of May under Australias gas market rules, prompted NSW and Queensland to get more of their gas from the Iona facility, which is the largest independent provider of storage services to the east coast gas market. Lochard Energys Iona underground gas storage plant in Victoria is being drained to dangerously low levels. That prompted AEMO to trigger the so-called gas supply guarantee, allowing it to order Queensland suppliers to send more gas to NSW to free up gas for Victorian power generation. That intervention came just weeks after AEMO made the unprecedented decision to briefly suspend the whole east coast electricity market to avoid winter blackouts.

Australia has enough gas, for now. But clearly, the energy supply network is a mess. Loading Victorias Energy Minister Lily DAmbrosio said it was clear additional immediate measures were needed to head off a supply crisis, including giving AEMO even more muscle to set guaranteed minimum gas storage levels at key national storage facilities such as Iona. That would act as a sort of proxy curb on exports, forcing gas producers to store more of the resource locally rather than cashing in on soaring world demand. But DAmbrosio is well aware this would only represent a Band-Aid solution.

Longer term, Victoria and other jurisdictions want a domestic gas reservation policy, which would force gas producers to set aside a proportion of LNG production for domestic use, helping to keep a lid on prices. Such a reserve has been in place in Western Australia since 2006, with 15 per cent of gas produced in the state kept for domestic use. The issue will come to a head at an August 15 meeting of state and federal energy ministers. Lily DAmbrosio, Victorian Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change, wants a domestic gas reservation policy. Credit:Elke Meitzel Alan Carpenter, the former WA premier responsible for the 2006 policy, told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last month that it was unfathomable that the model had not been copied in other parts of the country. But for many gas producers, the situation is not so simple. They say it can take years to release returns on investments.
Health officials in Victoria and NSW are issuing directives to limit epidural kit usage to obstetric patients only amid a worldwide shortage that has hit Australias hospitals.

A spokesperson for the national Therapeutic Goods Administration told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald the organisation received an international alert on July 18 about temporary supply issues affecting particular brands of epidural kits in overseas markets.

Epidurals may be limited for birthing mothers in the midst of a global shortage. Credit:Generic

Epidural and spinal kits are widely used to treat pain in childbirth, but also outside of obstetrics for pain relief during or after a number of surgical procedures.

The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists confirmed it was aware of restrictions being put in place in both Victoria and NSW.
The building industry watchdogs powers will be wound back to the bare legal minimum within days, as the Albanese government pushes ahead with plans to scrap the regulator entirely.

Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke announced on Sunday that building code regulation changes will come into effect from Tuesday, before he introduces legislation later in 2022 to abolish the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Industrial Relations Minister Tony Burke said building code regulation changes will come into effect from Tuesday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

As of Tuesday, the ABCC, in its powers, will be pulled back to the bare legal minimum, he told ABCs Insiders.

A lot of what its been doing can appropriately be done by another regulator.
Russian missiles hit Ukraine's port of Odessa Saturday, in what Kyiv called a "spit in the face" of a day-old deal between the warring sides to resume cereal exports blocked by the conflict.

The Ukrainian military said its air defences had shot down two cruise missiles but two more hit the port, threatening the landmark agreement hammered out over months of negotiations aimed at relieving a global food crisis.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman said the strike was "a spit in the face" by Russian leader Vladimir Putin against the deal brokered by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and United Nations chief Antonio Guterres.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed the strikes on Odessa showed Moscow could not keep its promises.

"This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," he said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the presidency.

Odessa is one of three export hubs designated in the agreement and Ukrainian officials said grain was being stored in the port at the time of the strike although the food stocks did not appear to have been hit.

Guterres -- who presided over the signing ceremony on Friday -- "unequivocally" condemned the attack, his deputy spokesman said, and urged all sides stick to the deal.

"These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people in need around the globe," he said.

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell directly blamed Russia for the strikes.

"Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of (the) Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he said.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the attack was "absolutely appalling" and "completely unwarranted".

There was no official comment from Moscow but Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Russia had denied carrying out the attack.

"The Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with this attack and they were looking into the issue very closely," Akar said in comments to state news agency Anadolu.

"We will continue to fulfil our responsibilities under the agreement we reached yesterday," he added.

Regional governor Maksym Marchenko said the strikes left people injured and damaged port infrastructure in Odessa, without specifying the number or severity of the injuries.

- 20 million tonnes of wheat -

The first major accord between the countries since the February invasion of Ukraine aims to ease the "acute hunger" that the United Nations says faces an additional 47 million people because of the war.

Hostility between Moscow and Kyiv spilled over into Friday's signing ceremony in Istanbul -- delayed briefly by disputes about the display of flags around the table and Ukraine's refusal to put its name on the same document as the Russians.

Ukraine had entered the ceremony by bluntly warning it would conduct "an immediate military response" should Russia violate the accord and attack its ships or stage an incursion around its ports.

The two sides eventually inked separate but identical agreements in the presence of Guterres and Erdogan at Istanbul's lavish Dolmabahce Palace.

Guterres then hailed the agreement as "a beacon of hope".

Zelensky said just after the deal was signed that responsibility for enforcing it fell to the United Nations, which along with Turkey is a co-guarantor of the agreement.

The deal includes points on running Ukrainian grain ships along safe corridors that avoid known mines in the Black Sea.

Huge quantities of wheat and other grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports by Russian warships and the mines Kyiv laid to avert a feared amphibious assault.

Zelensky said that around 20 million tonnes of produce from last year's harvest and the current crop would be exported under the agreement, estimating the value of Ukraine's grain stocks at around $10 billion.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Kremlin state media he expected the deal to start working "in the next few days" although diplomats expect grain to only start fully flowing by mid-August.

Strikes on central Ukraine

The ornate halls of Istanbul's Dolmabahce Palace felt far removed from east Ukraine's Donbas war zone, where Saturday was another day of relentless shelling across the front.

Russia is trying to fight deeper into the eastern Donetsk region after securing full control of neighbouring Lugansk.

The US State Department on Saturday said that two Americans had died in the area, without saying whether the pair were in the country for combat purposes.

Russian missile strikes on railway infrastructure and a military airfield in the central area of Kirovograd on Saturday also killed at least three people and wounded 16 more, regional governor Andriy Raikovych said.

At least one of the dead was a serviceman, he said earlier, in a rare admission of a military casualty in a conflict in which military deaths have been closely guarded by both sides.

Russia also pursued an artillery campaign over Ukraine's second city, Kharkiv, with attacks wounding one woman, the presidency said.

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Today

Partly cloudy, dry, and comfortable.

Tonight

Partly cloudy, dry, and comfortable.

Tomorrow

A mix of clouds and sunshine and comfortably warm. Just the slight chance of a spotty afternoon shower, with the best chance from the Lehigh Valley on north.
PALMER TWP., Pa.  Don Debacco was surprised with a gun salute from the American Legion in Palmer Township, Northampton County, on Saturday.

He served in Europe during the Battle of the Bulge and helped liberate a concentration camp.

Debacco is a Purple Heart recipient.

The Army tank gunner was injured during combat with German tanks.

"My driver and I were both knocked out in the tank, and a friend of ours  actually in our five tanks we were together," Debacco recalled. "The one guy came over and pulled my buddy out and me. And in the meantime, the rest of the German tanks were either hit or gone."

Debacco said he was touched by the surprise salute to his military service.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  Pope Francis began a historic visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Churchs efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.

Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta, airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who is Canadas first Indigenous governor general.

The gesture set the tone of what Francis has said is a penitential pilgrimage to atone for the role of Catholic missionaries in the forced assimilation of generations of Native children  a visit that has stirred mixed emotions across Canada as survivors and their families cope with the trauma of their losses and receive a long-sought papal apology.

Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to pray at a cemetery and apologize.

Francis exited the back of his plane with the help of an ambulift, given his strained knee ligaments have forced him to use a wheelchair. The simple welcome ceremony took place in airport hangar, where Indigenous drums and chanting broke the silence. As Trudeau and Simon sat beside Francis, a succession of Indigenous leaders and elders greeted the pope and exchanged gifts. At one point, Francis kissed the hand of residential school survivor Elder Alma Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nations as she was introduced to him.

Right now, many of our people are skeptical and they are hurt, said Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, who greeted the pope. Yet he expressed hope that with the papal apology, We could begin our journey of healing .. and change the way things have been for our people for many, many years.

Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the residential schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of Indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, one of the countrys most prominent Indigenous leaders, said several members of her family attended residential schools, including a sister who died at one in Ontario. She described it as an institution of assimilation and genocide.

During her fight to Alberta, I was just so overcome with emotion and there were different times on the plane where I really had to stop myself from breaking into a deep sob, she said. I realized that I am an intergenerational trauma survivor and there are so many people like me.

Francis week-long trip  which will take him to Edmonton; Quebec City and finally Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the far north  follows meetings he held in the spring at the Vatican with delegations from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Those meetings culminated with a historic April 1 apology for the deplorable abuses committed by some Catholic missionaries in residential schools.

The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse were rampant in the state-funded Christian schools that operated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes, Native languages and cultures and assimilate them into Canadas Christian society.

Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology over the residential schools in 2008. As part of a lawsuit settlement involving the government, churches and approximately 90,000 surviving students, Canada paid reparations that amounted to billions of dollars being transferred to Indigenous communities. Canadas Catholic Church says its dioceses and religious orders have provided more than $50 million in cash and in-kind contributions, and hope to add $30 million more over the next five years.

Canadas Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 had called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil, but it was only after the 2021 discovery of the possible remains of around 200 children at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia that the Vatican mobilized to comply with the request.

I honestly believe that if it wasnt for the discovery ... and all the spotlight that was placed on the Oblates or the Catholic Church as well, I dont think any of this would have happened, said Raymond Frogner, head archivist at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Frogner just returned from Rome where he spent five days at the headquarters of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 of the 139 Christian-run residential schools, the most of any Catholic order. After the graves were discovered, the Oblates finally offered complete transparency and accountability and allowed him into its headquarters to research the names of alleged sex abusers from a single school in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan, he said.

The Inuit community, for its part, is seeking Vatican assistance to extradite a single Oblate priest, the Rev. Joannes Rivoire, who ministered to Inuit communities until he left in the 1990s and returned to France. Canadian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 1998 on accusations of several counts of sexual abuse, but it has never been served.

Inuit leader Natan Obed personally asked Francis for the Vaticans help in extraditing Rivoire, telling The Associated Press in March that it was one specific thing the Vatican could do to bring healing to his many victims.

Asked about the request, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said last week that he had no information on the case.

At a news conference Saturday in Edmonton, organizers said they will do all they can to enable school survivors to attend the papal events, particularly for the Maskwacis apology and the Tuesday gathering at Lac Ste. Anne, long a popular pilgrimage site for Indigenous Catholics.

Both are in rural areas, and organizers are arranging shuttle transport from various park-and-ride lots. They noted that many survivors are now elderly and frail and may need accessible vehicle transport, diabetic-friendly snacks and other services.

The Rev. Cristino Bouvette, national liturgical coordinator for the papal visit, who is partly of Indigenous heritage, said he hopes the visit is healing for those who have borne a wound, a cross that they have suffered with, in some cases for generations.

Bouvette, a priest in the Diocese of Calgary, said the papal liturgical events will have strong Indigenous representation  including prominent roles for Indigenous clergy and the use of Native languages, music and motifs on liturgical vestments.

Bouvette said hes doing this work in honor of his kokum, the Cree word for grandmother, who spent 12 years at a residential school in Edmonton. She could have probably never imagined those many years later that her grandson would be involved in this work.

Gillies reported from Toronto.

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.
Egypt's Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) seeks to double non-traditional financing to reach EGP 820 billion by 2026 from EGP 370 billion in 2021 and about EGP 159 billion in 2017, the authority said in a statement on Saturday.

The FRA said it finalised receiving and discussing a number of proposals for the second stage of its 2022-2026 comprehensive strategy for non-financial activities.

The second stage of the strategy is a roadmap for the coming four years that aims to make the FRA one of the pioneering financial monitoring authorities with regional and international impact.

The authority underlined the importance of promoting partnership and cooperation with various market players in order to realise stability in non-financial activities.

The second stage of the strategy prioritises five axes, namely: promoting financial technology use, accelerating digital transformation and realising financial inclusion, bolstering sustainability levels and risk management, building an effective early warning system, improving the legal environment and stepping up financial culture and capacity building development.

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MONTREAL  Tourists were among those lining up to get monkeypox vaccines in Montreal on Saturday, as the World Health Organization declared the virus a global health emergency.

Brian Maci was one of several New Yorkers who was waiting to get the shot at an outdoor walk-in clinic in the citys Gay Village.

Maci, who was already in Montreal on vacation, said he was prompted to get the vaccine in Canada after trying unsuccessfully to book an appointment back home. Brian Maci, from New York, receives a monkeypox vaccine at an outdoor walk-in clinic in Montreal, Saturday, July 23, 2022. Tourists are among those lining up to get monkeypox vaccines in Montreal, as the World Health Organization declares the virus a global health emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Its like concert tickets, he said of the process in New York.

He said he went online right when appointments opened up at 6 p.m., only to have to constantly refresh a stalled app and eventually be told no appointments were available.

Later, at a drag show, he heard an announcement that vaccines were available in Montreal, including for tourists.

They mentioned that this was here and its the best thing ever because the community is reaching out, and I can get it without having to deal with the U.S, he said.

Another vacationing couple from New York told a similar story about trying to book a vaccine appointment back home.

I was kicked out of the system maybe five or six times and eventually there were no more appointments, and no telling when more appointments would be released, said Brad, a 36-year-old who did not want to give his last name.

We were able to come here and get a walk-in vaccine and its amazing, an incredible service, he said.

Montreal is offering vaccination against the disease to all men who have sex with men, as well as to people who have been exposed to monkeypox.

On Saturday, about a dozen health care workers sat under pink and blue tents on Ste-Catherine street, providing information to people who stopped by to inquire about the vaccine.

Men were asked for their health cards or, in the case of tourists, for a piece of ID, and sat under the tents or perched on a nearby wall waiting for their turn.

McGill University infectious diseases specialist Michael Libman said opening up the vaccine to tourists makes perfect sense and is the right thing to do to stop the disease from spreading.

The big problem is not local spread, but people moving the disease from place to place, he said in a phone interview.

The World Health Organization announced Saturday that monkeypox now qualifies as a global emergency, noting it has spread to more than 70 countries.

A global emergency is the organizations highest level of alert, but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision on calling monkeypox a global emergency despite a lack of consensus among experts on the U.N. health agencys emergency committee, saying he acted as a tiebreaker. It was the first time a U.N. health agency chief has unilaterally made such a decision without an expert recommendation.

We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, he said. I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views.

Although monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades, it was not known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May, when authorities detected dozens of epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

There were 681 confirmed cases of monkeypox across five provinces in Canada as of Saturday, including 331 in Quebec, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Case numbers have doubled since July 1, the agency said, noting its also logged the first diagnosis involving a female and the first infections in the province of Saskatchewan during the same time period.

Since the beginning of the outbreak, the Government of Canadas top priority has been protecting the health of all Canadians, read a statement issued after the WHOs declaration. The Government acknowledges the WHOs determination and will continue its work with provinces and territories as it has since the start of the monkeypox outbreak. ***

The Quebec government said Friday in an email that monkeypox in the province is relatively contained despite numbers that continue to creep upward.

The province said it did not keep numbers on how many of the 13,000 vaccines administered so far went to tourists from outside the province.

In general, we recommend that people get vaccinated in their province or region of origin so that the vaccine has time to be effective before their visit to Quebec or Montreal, the Health Department wrote.

Libman said the WHOs declaration of a global emergency constitutes a call to action that countries need to contain it.

He says that for now, the disease is mainly being transmitted among a small segment of the population  men who report intimate contact with men  which makes it controllable as long as health officials act quickly.

But he notes anyone can get monkeypox, which is spread through prolonged close contact via respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids, or through contaminated clothes or bedding.

That means if it isnt brought under control, it will inevitably spread to other groups, including households, he said.

Most of the men lining up in Montreal said they werent overly worried about getting monkeypox, or about the WHO announcement.

For me its more about prevention, but you never know, said Mario Thouin, a resident of Drummondville, Que.

Twenty-three year old Isaiah Hagerman, on the other hand, said hed already been mulling getting vaccinated, but the WHO announcement gave him the push he needed.

If somebody gave me a pamphlet maybe a week ago, I probably would have walked past this, he said.

Maci, for his part, said he felt uplifted by the warm welcome he received in Montreal as well as the community effort to protect people.

(Monkeypox) doesnt scare me because of this, he said, gesturing at the pink and blue tents. New York is stressful.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2022.

 With files from The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP)  Soon after taking office, President Joe Biden went to State Department headquarters to tell the rest of the world that the United States could be counted on again after four years of Donald Trumps bull-in-the-china-shop foreign policy.

America is back, Biden said, in what has become a mantra.

But keeping his promises on the international stage has proved much more difficult than Biden might have expected. Domestic politics have routinely been a roadblock when it comes to taking action on climate change, taxes and pandemic relief, undermining hopes that Biden could swiftly restore the U.S. to its unquestioned role as a global leader. FILE - President Joe Biden leaves after speaking about Intel's announcement to invest in an Ohio chip making facility, at the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House Campus in Washington, Jan. 21, 2022. Biden is having trouble fulfilling his promises to the rest of the world because of political challenges at home. Although he's made pledges or reached deals on climate change, taxes and pandemic relief, legislation for all of those issues has stalled on Capitol Hill. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

The result is an administration straining to maintain its credibility abroad while Biden fights a rearguard action on Capitol Hill. Its simply more difficult to press other countries to do more to address challenges that span borders when hes struggling to deliver on those same issues at home.

Every new thing takes a little bit of the luster off, and contributes to a sense of a struggling president, said Michael OHanlon, the Brookings Institution director of research for foreign policy.

Biden has earned respect for marshaling an international response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the U.S. has shipped more coronavirus vaccines around the world than any other country.

Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said Biden has restored our alliances, including our essential partnership with Europe, built new platforms and institutions in some of the most relevant regions of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, and shown leadership on the issues that matter the most.

But his foreign policy record is much more mixed when he needs to secure support in Congress.

Although he has secured close to $54 billion in military and financial assistance for Ukraine  something Watson described as a historic amount delivered with unprecedented speed  Republicans remain uniformly opposed to many of his initiatives, and Biden has been hobbled because of disagreements among Democrats.

The latest problem has been the breakdown of on-and-off negotiations with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who pulled his support for a potential compromise on legislation to address climate change and create a global minimum tax.

On both issues, Biden had already made pledges or reached an international agreement, but the U.S. commitment is now in doubt.

The global minimum tax is aimed at making it harder for companies to dodge taxes by moving from country to country in search of lower rates. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen played a leading role in negotiating the deal among 130 countries.

Reaching this consensus wasnt easy, Biden said when the agreement was announced just over a year ago. It took American vision, as well as a commitment to closely cooperate with our partners around the world. Its a testament to how leadership rooted in our values can deliver important progress for families everywhere.

He acknowledged that building on this agreement will also require us to take action here at home  and now it looks like that action may not happen.

Biden wanted Congress to pass a proposal that would allow the U.S. to impose extra taxes on companies that arent paying at least 15%, either domestically or abroad.

But Manchin objected to tax changes in the legislation thats currently under consideration,

Administration officials said they are not giving up on a plan that they said would level the playing field for U.S. businesses, decrease incentives to move jobs offshore and close loopholes that corporations have used to shift profits overseas.

Its too important for our economic strength and competitiveness to not finalize this agreement, and well continue to look at every avenue possible to get it done, said Michael Kikukawa, a Treasury Department spokesman.

But pushing ahead with the original deal will likely prove difficult at this point, said Chye-Ching Huang, executive director of the Tax Law Center at the New York University School of Law.

Its no doubt that this reduces the momentum, she said.

She added: There is a strong possibility that the major trading partners do this without the U.S. but the path forward is rockier.

Manchin has also been an obstacle for Bidens climate change plans, a reflection of his outsize influence at a time when Democrats hold the narrowest of margins in the Senate.

A few months after taking office, Biden hosted a virtual conference with other world leaders, and he announced that he would increase the countrys target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The decision was welcomed by scientists and politicians who worry that enough isnt being done to prevent the planet from warming to dangerous levels, and Biden has spoken of fighting climate change with the power of our example.

Bidens ability to meet his pledge, however, has been undermined twice recently. First the conservative majority on the Supreme Court limited the administrations powers to regulate emissions, and then Manchin said he wouldnt support new spending to support clean energy projects.

John Kerry, Bidens global climate envoy, said earlier this month that the administrations struggles could slow the pace of other countries emissions cuts.

Theyll make their own analysis that will conceivably have an impact at what they decide to do or not, he said.

Biden is trying to demonstrate that hell push forward on his own, without legislation, and hes considering declaring a state of emergency that would allow him to shift more resources toward climate initiatives.

But his powers are limited, and hitting the target may prove difficult, if not impossible.

Nathaniel Keohane, president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, said the clock is ticking until the next United Nations summit on climate change, which is scheduled for Egypt in November.

Unless the administration is able to demonstrate progress before then, it will hamstring the U.S. ability to continue to push more from other countries, Keohane said. It would deeply undermine U.S. credibility on climate.

He added, More rhetoric is not going to satisfy the need at this point.

Biden has also struggled to convince Congress to provide him with more funding to deal with the pandemic.

When Dr. Ashish Jha, who leads the administrations coronavirus task force, appeared in the White House briefing room for the first time in April, he emphasized that worldwide vaccinations were needed to prevent new variants from emerging.

If were going to fight a global pandemic, we have to have a global approach, he said. That means we need funding to ensure that were getting shots in arms around the world.

Biden originally wanted $22.5 billion. Lawmakers reduced the proposal to $15.6 billion, but even that was jettisoned from a $1.5 trillion government spending plan that the president signed in March.

Efforts to resuscitate the proposal have not been successful.

The debacle over getting new money in the pipeline has really set us back, said J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Global Health Policy Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Theres paralysis and uncertainty.

Morrison emphasized that the United States has played a very serious and honorable leadership role with its donations of vaccines and its work with the World Bank to set up a new fund to prepare for future pandemics.

But without new legislation, Morrison said, more robust plans to support vaccination campaigns in other countries are on hold.

Were in a difficult spot right now, he said.
The people in these photos are of interest and may be able to provide police with information about these offences. These images are released for identification purposes only. The subjects may or may not be responsible for the crimes indicated.

If you are able to identify someone pictured, contact Winnipeg Crime Stoppers at 786-TIPS (786-8477), text @ TIP170 & (your message) to CRIMES (274637) or leave a secure tip on line @ www.winnipegcrimestoppers.com
While Winonas Little Warriors Drumline is larger and more popular than it was when it started in 2019, a few things still stay the same:

Little Warriors founder Andre Bailey still happily leads the drumline, and plays an instrumental role in the childrens lives in an uncle role, he says.

The members still fill the East End Recreation Center with beats twice a week, but now they have actual drums to use for their drumline  no longer beating on buckets on the ground. Bailey and his wife were able to provide the upgrade in equipment.

And the group still gives young boys and girls the opportunity to do something fun together that they can take pride in, while also focusing on their education and other important aspects of their lives.

Three years after the drumlines creation, Winonas Little Warriors are more prominent than ever in the community.

The area children who participate  along with Bailey  can be spotted at events throughout the year, including in parades, at riverboat dockings, and more.

Bailey said the drumline has about 24 performances planned for 2022.

They dont need to be seen, though, to have their presence known, as they perform at these events with loud drums and other instruments, showcasing their talents as they impress crowds with their organized beats.

And, the participants in the drumline love it.

Jackson Mullen, 12, shared jokingly that from being a part of the drumline, I have a lot of new things I can do. I can really flex on people.

A teenage member of the drumline, Eugene Johnson, 15, said that before joining, I used to stay in the house a lot. Now Ive got something to do over the summer.

Johnson, who participated in a drumline previously in St. Paul, said that hes learned an important lesson from being a part of the Little Warriors:(Bailey) taught me to never give up.

Bailey is thrilled with how the drumline has progressed over the past three years.

Everythings elevated. God has truly been blessing us, Bailey said. Its amazing how far weve come.

Today, there are about 90 children, ranging in age from 3 to 18 years old, who want to participate in the drumline, Bailey said. There are some limitations though, as the drumline only has 25 drums.

For all who participate, though, Bailey said, this is a family and they know that. They identify with that.

He said that even though the group is very multicultural, there are no separations.

Thats what makes it beautiful to me, Bailey said.

The drumline is focused on helping the children.

Bailey said the group teaches members how to love and focus, while giving them the structure of family.

Bailey said that participating in the group helps youth build their self-esteem.

All of the children are doing well in school, he said, and if they need any help in academics, Baileys wife and others help step up to tutor them with their school work.

Bailey said that the kids are more than willing to share about any troubles that they have in life with them, like if their grades start to slip or if they are experiencing bullying.

Bailey will step up in those situations to help them figure out the situation and improve it.

The community has opened their arms to the Little Warriors and Bailey, by donating uniforms and some funds, while also cheering them on excitedly at events.

(Community members) love us, because we are theirs, Bailey said. Winona needs this.

In the future, Bailey hopes to continue providing this opportunity to local children and, maybe one day, open a building thats just for the Little Warriors.

Anyone interested in supporting the group can stop by the East End Recreation Center to make a donation or go to the groups GoFundMe page.
The intense Saturday storms may have cut the entire event short, but the Shakespeare show at Mirror Lake State Park went on.

Summit Players Theatre, a Milwaukee-based theatre company, performed another one of its 23 summer renditions of Much Ado About Nothing, a William Shakespeare play that was free to all attending guests. The show lasted approximately 75 minutes and, while the storms likely limited the attendance, about 20 people showed up to watch the performance.

The actors are really good at finding the humor and joy in the show, despite any location that were at, said Sarah Zapiain, the companys tour manager. We were a little bummed that we didnt get to perform (at the parks amphitheater), but the rain shelter location that we have is lovely and the actors got to have a little more of an intimate time.

Much Ado About Nothing Gallery A gallery of photos from Summit Players Theatre's July 23 "Much Ado About Nothing" performance at Mirror Lake State Park is below.

A.J. Magoon, the companys executive director, said in a release announcing the Mirror Lake performance that Much Ado About Nothing is hilarious and heartfelt, and this version is perfect for audiences of all kinds.

This is the companys seventh summer of performing in Wisconsin state parks. The company began its tours in 2015, with a hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The performers engaged the small audience at various times throughout the performance, with company education director Caroline Norton holding instructional signs, as well as performers directing spectators to stand and sit to enhance the show.

I think its our favorite part and one of the key things we try and include in all the shows, Norton said of audience engagement. One, because it keeps everybody engaged, but it also is just fun. It makes you feel like you are part of the storytelling.

An educational theatre workshop was scheduled prior to the show, but the storms prevented the company from holding the event. The show was moved from Mirror Lakes outdoor amphitheater to a park canopy shelter nearby and was delayed roughly 15 minutes because of an extended watch for lightning.

A lot of times, when the actors come from the sides, they use the poles (of the shelter), Zapiain said of performance improvisations due to the weather. They kind of leaned on them or used that as an extra thing. Theres a couple deliveries that were slightly different, because when they are sitting on the trunk down here, they are so close to that front row.

Ogunde Snelling Jr., one of the Summit Players actors who portrayed Don Pedro in the performance, also did some audience directing along with his main role. He described the difference between playing his role in an amphitheater and in the park shelter.

At certain times, the core tempo with Don Pedro, he gets excitable very easily, said Snelling. When it comes to love, he gets very loud and very excited. Today, it was really keeping that alive, but also not having it be too performy because of the distance difference and the volume difference.

In collaboration with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the company is doing the shows to bring Shakespeare to state residents while getting them accustomed to the parks.

On Sunday, the group brought the show to Roche-a-Cri State Park in Adams County for a matinee act.
Columbus Area Historical Society

1972

The Columbus City Council voted to purchase property from Robert Murdock for a planned expansion of the existing fire station.

Nancy Behl was selected as Miss Columbus 72 with first and second runner-ups, Kristen Poser and Beth Gavinski.

1982

An area of more than 482 acres on the northeast side of Columbus was approved as the citys first Tax Incremental Finance District by the Columbus City Planning Commission. Revenues generated to finance the district would come from an increased tax base and the sale of land within the district.

Construction work on the Green Bay Packers new indoor practice facility by Midstate Metal Building Systems, Inc.224 Commercial Drive, Columbus, began July 14 following a ground breaking ceremony. The structure will be 240 feet long, 230 feet wide and 65 feet high.

1992

Meister Motors, Inc. recently underwent construction and additions to their building. According to Kim Meister, owner, the last time the company made any additions was in 1985. Meister Motors has been in Columbus since 1957.

The Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile made its first ever appearance at the Columbus Fourth of July Parade.

2002

Jason Tiedeman was one of five people from Wisconsin that qualified for the National High School Finals Rodeo held in New Mexico. Tiedeman competed in the saddle bronco riding competition. Tiedeman won the completion at the state finals in Richland Center to qualify for nationals.

Residents of Dix Street and surrounding blocks were up in arms over the proposed assessments for improvement to the street. The project included storm sewers, paving the roadway, curb and gutter, and sidewalks. Sidewalks were not a popular item with residents living along the street.

Follow us on Facebook at Columbus, WI Area Historical Society, or email museumcahs@gmail.com. The Columbus WI Area Historical Society is looking for a new home for its museum. If anyone has ideas on where to locate, contact Peter Kaland, society president.
BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday sent a congratulatory message to his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, on Egypt's 70th national day.

In the message, Xi said that in recent years, Egypt has steadfastly followed the path of independence, made vigorous progress in national development, and played an important role in regional and global affairs.

Noting that he and Sisi both attended the High-Level Dialogue on Global Development held recently, Xi said they have pushed for fruitful results of the event, and sent a strong message of the times for common development and prosperity.

Stressing that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Egypt relations, Xi said that he is ready to work with Sisi to firmly support each other, advance the joint construction of the Belt and Road, conduct cooperation on the implementation of the Global Development Initiative, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and firmly march towards the goal of building the China-Egypt community with a shared future in the new era, so as to bring benefits to the two countries and their people.

(Source: Xinhua)
Russia's top diplomat reassured Egyptian leaders Sunday that their orders for Russian grain would be met as he began a tour of African countries dependent on imports for their food supply.

"We confirmed the commitment of Russian exporters of cereal products to meet their orders in full," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after talks with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.

"President Vladimir Putin stressed this during a recent telephone call with Egyptian President (Abdel-Fattah) El-Sisi."

Before the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Egypt relied for its 80 percent of wheat imports on Russia and Ukraine.

Lavrov, who is in Cairo as part of an African tour, held talks on a host of regional and international issues, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, with Shoukry at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters.

The top Russian diplomat said the sanctions, including those related to customs fees, harm food supply chains around the world and therefore "restrict our relations with Africa."

Russia, Lavrov said, has signed the Istanbul agreement that aims to remove obstacles that hinder the movement of ships from Black Sea ports.

On Friday, Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement brokered by Turkey and the United Nations to help relieve a global food crisis caused by blocked Black Sea grain exports.

Between 20 million and 25 million tons of grain have been blocked in Ukrainian ports since Russian troops invaded in February, as Ukraine has laid naval mines to prevent an amphibious invasion of its coast, according to AP.

The deal provides for the creation of safe corridors for grain exports from three Ukrainian ports, and also seeks to facilitate Russian grain exports by removing them from the scope of Western sanctions.

During the press conference, the Russian foreign minister said that Russia is not opposed to the resumption of talks with Kyiv on issues other than food security, charging that Kyiv insists on a military victory.

The FM also stated Russia has reiterated that its grain exporters are committed to their contract commitments, but some Western countries were seeking to postpone the issue of exporting Russian grain.

Russia hoped that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will succeed in resolving the problem of sanctions, which hinder grain exports from Russia, Lavrov said.

He also accused the US of attempting to unilaterally impose world hegemony, while adding that Russia is primarily concerned with providing legal rights for the Russian peoples in that region as well as ensuring security.

Egyptian FM Shoukry reiterated the importance of reaching a diplomatic solution to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis in a way that spares the region the resulting issues related to energy and food security.

Shoukry said the Ukrainian crisis has affected Egypt, especially in terms of food and energy security.

The war has negatively affected the world economy, driving up oil and gas prices to unprecedented levels, with African countries being among those most affected.

Lavrov said Egypt understands what is happening in Ukraine, including the motives of the West, and it is a proponent of an early settlement that would take into consideration the legitimate interests of all parties.

Lavrov also said that his country is planning to hold a Russian-African summit by mid-2023 to increase cooperation, with the agenda of the event to be determined later.

He also said that cooperation between Egypt and Russia has improved in light of the strategic partnership signed between both countries during the Sochi Summit in 2019.

There is a consensus between Egypt and Russia on many regional issues, he added, expressing his country's desire to boost trade exchange rates with Egypt over the near future.

He also highlighted joint projects between both countries, including the El-Dabaa nuclear power plant, the first of its kind in Egypt, which saw construction on its first reactor begin Wednesday.

He also underlined the ongoing negotiations between both country's governments concerning the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

He noted that trade exchange between Egypt and Russia stands at $4 billion, around five percent more than previous years.

For his part, Shoukry, praised the deep relations between both countries at all levels.

The top Russian diplomats visit to Cairo is the first leg of his five-day African tour, which will include Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

During a meeting earlier in the day, President El-Sisi reiterated to Lavrov the importance of prioritising dialogue and diplomatic solutions to settle the Russian-Ukrainian war, voicing Egypts support for all endeavours that would speed up the political settlement of the crisis.

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In July 2022 Ghana confirmed its first two cases of the deadly Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. The Conversation Africas Wale Fatade and Usifo Omozokpea asked virologist Oyewale Tomori about its origin and how people can protect themselves against the disease.

Related World Health Organization declares Marburg outbreak in Ghana

What Is The Marburg Virus And Where Did It Come From?

Marburg virus causes the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever. The virus, which belongs to the same family as the Ebola virus, causes severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans with an average case fatality rate of around 50%.

It has varied between 24% to 88% in different outbreaks depending on virus strain and case management.

It was first reported in 1967 in a town called Marburg in Germany and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). There were simultaneous outbreaks in both cities. It came from monkeys imported from Uganda for laboratory studies in Marburg.

The laboratory staff got infected as a result of working with materials (blood, tissues and cells) of the monkeys. Of 31 cases associated with these outbreaks, seven people died.

After the initial outbreaks, other cases have been reported in different parts of the world. Most were in Africa  Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and more recently in Guinea and Ghana.

Serological studies have also revealed evidence of past Marburg virus infection in Nigeria.

While the host, or reservoir, of the virus is not conclusively identified, the virus has been associated with fruit bats. In 2008, two independent cases were reported in travellers who had visited a cave inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies in Uganda.

How Is It Spread?

It is spread through contact with materials (fluids, blood, tissues and cells) of an infected host or reservoir. In the case of the monkeys from Uganda imported into Marburg, laboratory staff obviously got infected through contact with the tissues and the blood of the monkeys.

There can also be human-to-human transmission via direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials. This includes materials like bedding, and clothing contaminated with these fluids.

But theres a great deal we dont know. For example, whether contact with bat droppings in caves can cause infections in people.

What Are The Symptoms? And How Bad Can They Be?

After an incubation period of between 2 to 21 days, there is a sudden onset of the disease marked by fever, chills, headache, and myalgia.

Around the fifth day after the onset of symptoms, maculopapular rash, most prominent on the trunk (chest, back, stomach), may appear.

Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea may appear. Symptoms become increasingly severe and can include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, severe weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive hemorrhaging, and multi-organ dysfunction.

The mortality is around 50%, and could be as high as 88% or as low as 20%.

This tells us its quite a severe infection. The two people infected in Ghana both died.

Can It Be Treated?

Not really, but early supportive care with rehydration, and symptomatic treatment, improves survival.

What Can People Do To Protect Themselves?

Avoid exposure to the virus as much as possible, and protect against discharges from infected people.

Also, because of the similarities in the symptoms of many hemorrhagic fever diseases, especially during the early stages, there is a need for reliable laboratory confirmation of a case of Marburg virus infection.

And once that is done, as with Ebola, the person must immediately be isolated and avoid contact with other people.

What Should Be Done To Ensure The Virus Doesnt Spread?

There is no holiday from disease outbreaks. That means as a country, surveillance cannot take a break or a holiday.

Given that there have been cases in Ghana, its time to be on the alert. Proper screening is called for. Arrivals from Ghana and other West African countries must be checked at the ports of entry.

Unfortunately, it doesnt appear as if anybody is thinking of that now. The attitude seems to be: oh, there are only two cases in Ghana.

But I think its the best time to be on the alert at the ports of entry, especially for people from countries where cases are reported. Studies done in Nigeria in the the 1980s and more recently in the 1990s provide evidence of possible previous infections with Marburg virus, or a related virus, in certain Nigerian populations.

This leads me to believe that the virus is probably more widespread than we think it is. We need an improvement in diagnosis which can help us do the detection as quickly, and as efficiently as possible.

On top of this, countries need to improve their disease surveillance and laboratory diagnosis to enhance and improve the capacity for a more definitive diagnosis of viral hemorrhagic fever infections.

* This story was published in the Conversation

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed the results of his latest visit to Paris in a telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, the Egyptian presidency announced.

The Egyptian president met his counterpart on Friday in Paris where they held talks about a range of issues including strategic bilateral relations and the latest regional and international issues of mutual concern including Palestinian issue, Libya and Syria as well as the Russian-Ukrainian issue.

The telephone call between El-Sisi and Macron comes before the latter starts his African tour, the first in his new presidential term. The tour will start with Cameroon followed by Benin then Guinea-Bissau.

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A Mansoura criminal court called for airing the execution of Mohamed Adel, the student who was sentenced to death for stabbing and slaughtering his university colleague Nayera Ashraf.

Doing so would help deter such crimes in the future, especially as Egypt has suffered a rash of violent crimes recently, the court said in its verdict issued earlier this month, which was released to the public on Sunday.

On 6 July, the court issued its death penalty verdict against Mohamed Adel, a 21-year-old student at the Faculty of Arts Mansoura University, for stabbing Ashraf to death outside the university campus on 20 June.

The verdict, which is not yet final and can be appealed, came following approval by Egypts Grand Mufti Shawky Alam, as per Egyptian penal code.

The preliminary court session sentenced Adel to death on 28 June, in a historically short trial just days following Ashrafs death, as the incident rocket the country after going viral on social media and sparked wide outrage across the Middle East.

During the trial, the prosecution presented to the court 25 eyewitnesses, including students and university guards who witnessed the stabbing.

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 she rejected his marriage proposal.

The prosecution also stated that Nayera's family had previously filed several complaints at local police stations against the accused.

Footage from surveillance cameras around the university were introduced as an evidence, showing the defendant stabbing the victim multiple times and slitting her throat.

The defendants well-known lawyer Farid El-Deeb, who was the lead defence lawyer for late ex-President Hosni Mubarak, has previously said we still have 60 days to challenge death sentence against Adel.

Adel confessed to the crime, with his defense lawyer arguing for a lesser sentence on the grounds that it did not meet the bar for intentional murder.

According to the court referral, the defendant intended to kill the victim on her final day of exams in the academic year to guarantee that she would be on the premises of the university.

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President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reiterated on Sunday the importance of prioritising dialogue and diplomatic solutions to settle the Russian-Ukrainian War, voicing Egypts support for all endeavours that would speed up the political settlement of the crisis.

El-Sisi made his remarks during a meeting with Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov at Cairos Ittihadiya Presidential Palace.

The president stressed to Lavrov Egypts readiness to support the dialogue and diplomatic path via its international contacts with all active forces, whether through a bilateral or multilateral framework, a statement by Presidential Spokesperson Bassam Rady said following the meeting.

During the meeting, Lavrov briefed the Egyptian president on the latest developments of the crisis in Ukraine and the latest Russian steps at the international level to manage the issue, the statement added.

Recently, Egypt  in coordination with the Arab League  formed a Ukrainian Crisis Liaison Group that held meetings with Russian and Ukrainian officials with the aim of achieving a diplomatic solution to end the war.

Consequently, Lavrov conveyed to El-Sisi a message of appreciation from Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Egyptian initiative to form the liaison group.

Furthermore, the meeting tackled a host of bilateral issues within the framework of the cooperative ties that bind Egypt and Russia, especially in the fields of grain and food supply, as well as the oil and gas sector in light of the current crisis, Rady added.

The meeting also tackled means of boosting bilateral ties within the framework of the strategic partnership between Egypt and Russia through the ongoing joint development projects.

Additionally, El-Sisi praised the level of cooperation between Cairo and Moscow, especially through Russias projects in Egypt, including the El-Dabaa Project  Egypts first nuclear power plant to generate electricity  and the Russian Industrial Zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

Lavrov, who landed in Cairo on Saturday night, was also received by his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry on Sunday at the ministrys headquarters, where they held talks in the presence of delegations from the two countries.

According to a short statement by Ahmed Hafez, the spokesperson for the Egyptian foreign ministry, they covered topics of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Russia and exchanged visions on a number of regional and international matters.

In a phone-in with TV Channel ON E, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Hossam Zaki said on Saturday that Lavrovs visit to Egypt would enhance Arab-Russian relations.

He added that the visit comes amid the adjournment of the Arab-Russian Forum, which was supposed to be held in the past period, however, it was postponed due to the recent events in Ukraine.

The Russian top diplomats visit to Cairo is the first leg of his five-day African tour, which include Ethiopia, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to Russias state-run RT.

The Russian-Ukrainian War has negatively affected the world economy, driving up oil and gas prices to unprecedented levels, with African countries being among those most affected.

In an article posted on the Russian Foreign Ministrys website, Lavrov dismissed the wests accusations that Russia is responsible for the global food crisis as another attempt to shift blame to others.

Referring to some African countries political stances, Lavrov hailed what he called the independent path these nations took when they refrained from joining the west in sanctioning Russia.

We know that our African colleagues do not approve of the undisguised attempts of the US and their European satellites to gain the upper hand and to impose a unipolar world order on the international community, he wrote in the article, which also was published in four African newspapers, according to AP.

Lavrovs visit to Cairo comes less than two weeks after US President Joe Bidens Middle East tour.

The Russian top diplomats tour also coincides with the regional tour of US Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa (SEHOA) Mike Hammer to Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE.

The visit is meant to address the long-standing issue caused by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), according to a statement by the US Department of State on Saturday.

Hammer is set to land in Cairo on Sunday before heading to the UAE and Ethiopia.

The envoys visit aims to provide US support towards forging a diplomatic resolution to issues caused by the GERD in order to achieve the interests of all parties and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous region, the statement pointed out.

Negotiations between downstream countries Egypt and Sudan and upstream Ethiopia have been frozen since April 2021, with all attempts to revive the talks since then ending in failure.

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Martha Stewart is seen leaving Carolina Herrera fashion show during New York Fashion Week on September 09, 2019 in New York City. Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Coyotes killed six of Martha Stewart's peacocks on Saturday.

Earlier this year, Stewart's four dogs killed her cat after thinking it was a squirrel.

Stewart frequently shares images of her dogs, cats, and horses roaming her farm in Bedford, New York.

Coyotes killed six of Martha Stewart's pet peacocks "in broad daylight" on Saturday.

Stewart shared the sad news in an Instagram post that depicts one of the peacocks, Blue Boy, showing off his beautiful feathers.

The video was accompanied by the song "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye. Stewart said she wasn't sure how the music uploaded but "when Blue Boy was alive it would have been perfectly appropriate."

In the post, she asked her followers if they had "any solutions for getting rid of six large and aggressive coyotes who have expensive taste when it comes to poultry?"

Stewart frequently shares images of her dogs, cats, and horses roaming around her farm in Bedford, New York. Last year, Stewart tweeted she had 21 peacocks on her property. The lifestyle expert and author said she will no longer allow the peafowl out of their yard and will be installing wire fencing.

This isn't the first time Stewart's pets have met a grisly death.

While promoting her new podcast earlier this year, Stewart told Insider that her cat, Princess Peony, was killed by her four dogs  chow chows Emperor Han and Empress Qin, and French bulldogs Bete Noire and Creme Brulee  after being locked out of the house.

"That's why the dogs thought she was a squirrel," she added.



The six coyotes remain at large.

Read the original article on Insider
An active-duty Marine has been charged with second-degree murder after allegedly stabbing his pregnant wife to death on an interstate highway in Hawaii.

Hawaii News Now reported Friday that police arrested Bryant Tejeda-Castillo in the fatal stabbing of 27-year-old Dana Alotaibi, a Virginia resident. His bail was set at $1 million.

Alotaibis mother, Natalia Cespedes, told the news outlet that Tejeda-Castillo was abusing her daughter, who repeatedly asked military officials for help. Cespedes said if Alotaibi received the help, she would still be alive.

Friends of Alotaibi told Hawaii News Now that Alotaibi and Tejeda-Castillo were married for three years but recently separated. They said she was 13 weeks pregnant with her current boyfriend.

Alotaibi posted a video on YouTube in January in which she said her husband had verbally and physically abused her and put his hands on her at least 30 times. She said each time she reported the abuse to his superiors in the military, they did not do anything.

She said Tejeda-Castillo had choked her to the point of losing consciousness four or five times.

Cespedes said Alotaibi was able to get a no-contact order against her husband, but she is upset that no one did more. She said she will travel from Virginia to Honolulu on Saturday to bring her daughter home.

I feel like nobody wants to help, nobody wants to say nothing, she said. Probably if I go there, they will help.

An arrest log from the Honolulu Police Department states that Tejeda-Castillo, 29, was arrested on Wednesday evening.

The Honolulu Police Department and Marines did not immediately return requests for comment from The Hill.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
City officials say Bexleys participation in a new solar-energy cooperative program administered by the city of Columbus can reduce costs for Bexley residents who purchase solar panels.

Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler announced July 12 that Bexley will join Columbus and Solar United Neighbors of Ohio to provide group bulk purchasing for solar energy and installation.

This program is powerful because its one prong among many prongs to help us confront, tackle and solve a climate crisis thats impacting us throughout the world, in a very local, very community-based way, Kessler said.

The cooperative program is the result of years of work by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission and Solar United Neighbors, a nationwide network of communities and organizations to make solar energy more accessible to residents and businesses, Kessler said.

SUNs central Ohio branch, Solar United Neighbors of Ohio, has launched the Columbus Area Solar Co-Op. The initiative aims to bring Franklin County and surrounding area homeowners together into a group known as a co-op, and to provide support through each stage of the process of installing solar panels and related equipment, said Elizabeth Ellman, Bexleys sustainability programs coordinator.

Theres going to be residents participating from all over the Columbus area, and theyre going to go to bid as a collective group, so they'll be able to access competitive pricing, she said.

Ellman said Columbus and Solar United Neighbors of Ohio are administering the Columbus Area Solar Co-Op, and Bexley is simply a member.

Solar energy is part of a larger strategy that Columbus is employing to increase energy efficiency and promote environmental sustainability in the region, said Emmanuel Remy, chair of Columbus City Councils environmental committee.

Columbus also announced joining the co-op July 12.

Transitioning to clean, renewable energy  specifically solar  is a huge strategy for our Columbus and central Ohio community to reach its climate goals, he said. As we saw with the recent heatwave and power outages in June, combating climate change and having access to clean, reliable, local energy sources is critical and provides community and energy grid resilience.

Story continues

Residents can sign up to receive assistance with solar panel installation by visiting Solarunitedneighbors.org.

More information about the Columbus Area Solar Co-Op is available at tinyurl.com/4ccfxy8p. For information about solar energy in Bexley, visit bexley.org/solar.

editorial@thisweeknews.com

@ThisWeekNews

This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Bexley joins Columbus solar energy cooperative
A Colorado man who was previously charged with the murder of his still-missing wife has reportedly pleaded guilty to casting a presidential ballot for Donald Trump under her name during the 2020 election.

Barry Morphew admitted that he cast the illegal mail-in ballot for his wife, Suzanne Morphew, following her mysterious disappearance because I wanted Trump to win, The Denver Post reported, citing an arrest warrant.

I just thought give him another vote. I figured all these other guys are cheating, he reportedly told an FBI agent about his decision, which he said he didnt think was illegal.

He pleaded guilty on Thursday to one count of forgery, a felony, and was sentenced to one year of supervised probation.

Barry Morphew was sentenced Thursday after admitting to casting a presidential ballot for his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who has been missing since May of 2020. (Photo: Chaffee County Sheriff's Office)

Barry Morphew was sentenced Thursday after admitting to casting a presidential ballot for his wife, Suzanne Morphew, who has been missing since May of 2020. (Photo: Chaffee County Sheriff's Office)

Morphew cast the ballot for his wife about five months after she was reported missing after going for a bike ride near her home in Salida, Colorado, in May of 2020.

Prosecutors charged him with first-degree murder last year in her disappearance, accusing him of killing her after discovering that she was involved in an extramarital affair. All charges were dropped against him in April, however, after prosecutors were sanctioned by a judge for violating discovery rules. The district attorney can refile the same charges against him in the future as the case was dismissed without prejudice, The Denver Post reported at the time.

The body of Suzanne Morphew, who shares two children with her husband, has not been found.

An attorney for Barry Morphew told The New York Times that he cast the ballot for his wife innocently, believing that when he became the legal guardian for her after she went missing that he was entitled to represent her in voting as well.

He believed that because he could sign legal documents for her, that the ballot, similarly, was under his authority, said his attorney, Iris Eytan. So he was following her wishes. He did not sign her name. He signed his name on the witness line. So he didnt, in any way, intend to deceive the clerk of the court.

Story continues

Eytan added that Morphew continues to maintain his innocence in his wifes disappearance and that he wishes authorities would focus on finding her rather than prosecuting him for voter fraud.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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Erik ten Hag told Manchester Uniteds players their lack of focus was unacceptable after blowing a two-goal lead against Aston Villa in the final match of their pre-season tour of Australia and Thailand.

The curtain came down on the four-game series on a sodden, patchy pitch in Perth, where the Red Devils managed to produce a promising first-half performance in challenging conditions.

Jadon Sancho volleyed home his third goal of the tour at the end of a fine United team move to open the scoring in a first half that ended with Marcus Rashfords strike deflecting in off Matty Cash.

But just like Januarys meeting between these sides in the Premier League, Steven Gerrards Villa roared back to secure a 2-2 draw as Leon Baileys fine solo goal was added to by Calum Chambers stoppage-time header.

In our team it was clear there was a dip, United boss Ten Hag said. First half really good. I think we controlled the game, good football, good change of play.

We had a lot of movement behind the defending line, made great goals and 2-0 up at half-time. Then a drop of focus. It can be that the guys are tired but its never an excuse.

They have to perform and it is what we didnt do in the second half. But the first half really good.

It was the focus. I dont want to make excuses about the pitch or weather. No matter what we have to perform.

Asked if the late leveller may be good for the players as it underlines that one slight drop in focus can be costly, Ten Hag said: That is what we just said in the dressing room.

A drop of focus is unacceptable but to the season Im happy because now I can tell them it cannot happen.

You have to get out of the dressing room and you have to get back to your game plan, get back in your focus and you have to get back to your performance and that is what we didnt do.

Story continues

Ten Hag said he needs to watch Chambers leveller back to see if De Gea was at fault at the end of a tour that started with the Dutchman focusing on mistakes in a 4-0 win against Liverpool in Bangkok.

Football is a sport of mistakes and we have to decrease the mistakes, he said. (Thats) clear.

We will and I have seen a lot of progress in these two weeks. Also again in the first half, I saw really good football, really controlling and dominating the game.

But we have to learn from (what happened in) the second half. Its not possible that you give 2-0 up.

One of the main positives of the pre-season tour has been Anthony Martials performances.

The France international appeared to have played his last game for United when he went out on loan to Sevilla in January, but he has started every game on tour and scored three goals.

I think in general our front men, our forward players did well, Ten Hag said when asked about Martial.

They were really well connected, I think that was really a weapon. I think it is really difficult to defend. We have a lot of movement, we have skills and they can finish.
File photo: First lady Jill Biden in the Rose Garden of the White House on 17 May in Washington, DC (Getty)

First lady Jill Biden did not bat an eyelid after she was jeered by some bystanders during a visit to Connecticut last week.

Your husband is the worst president we have ever had. You owe us gas money, one man shouted at Dr Biden when she was entering the Arethusa Farms ice cream shop in New Haven.

Flanked by her security personnel, Dr Biden smiled at the group, which consisted of at least seven people, and said: Thank you! Thank you for your support, thank you! She then walked away.

A second heckler can be heard saying: you suck!

Visuals of the incident show the first lady pausing after she hears the jeers instead of simply ignoring it and walking away. Her response to those heckling her and criticising president Joe Biden also prompted some chuckles from those around her.

Sharing photos from Dr Bidens visit, Arethusa Farms took to Instagram and said the company was extremely honoured and humbled by the first ladys visit.

"Your husband is the worst President we ever had, you OWE us gas money"



Jill Biden: THANK YOU pic.twitter.com/PV3VieDsJX  PatrioticBabe  (@PatrioticBabe_) July 21, 2022

Dr Biden was in Connecticut on Wednesday with education secretary Miguel Cardona and Connecticut governor Ned Lamont for the national summer learning tour for children who have suffered learning loss.

Governor Lamont also shared photos of Dr Bidens visit and said: Discovered today that FLOTUS and I share two common loves: teaching kids and ice cream.

Dr Bidens visit came a day before the White House confirmed that her husband had tested positive for Covid-19 after returning from a four-day trip to the Middle East.

Two weeks earlier, Mr Biden was also interrupted by the father of a Parkland shooting victim during a White House event celebrating the passage of a bipartisan gun safety bill.

Story continues

Manual Oliver, who lost his son Joaquin in the mass school shooting in 2018, stood up during the presidents speech on 11 July.

Despite the naysayers, we can make meaningful progress on dealing with gun violence, Mr Biden said during his speech on Monday.

We have to do more than that! Mr Oliver shouted as Mr Biden spoke about the new measures.

Let me finish my comments, Mr Biden first said, but then added: Let him talk, let him talk.

Footage from the event showed that Mr Oliver was then asked to leave the area.
Margot Robbie is making an appearance in the series finale of long-running Australian soap Neighbours.

The official Twitter account for the show revealed the news ahead of its series finale, which will air later this week. The show wrapped filming in June after 37 years on the air.

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Early in her career, Robbie portrayed teen Donna on Neighbours from 2008-11.

Robbie reportedly filmed her appearance from Los Angeles. She will join other famous alumni in returning for the series end, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Natalie Imbruglia and more.

The show, which premiered in 1985, centers on a group of people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne. It holds the record as Australias longest-running drama.

The show also aired for years in the United Kingdom. When the U.K.s Channel 5 decided to drop the show, production company Fremantle was unable to find a new network partner, and the show was forced to end its run.

Since appearing on Neighbors, Robbie has gone on to Hollywood success, earning Oscar noms for her performances in I, Tonya and Bombshell. The actress and producers upcoming credits include a live-action Barbie movie with Ryan Gosling.

Surprise!  You didnt think we were done did you?! Were thrilled to share that Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem, Kym Valentine and Carla Bonner will all make an appearance in our finale!  #CelebratingNeighbours pic.twitter.com/KjzoLDKvx6  Neighbours (@NeighboursTV) July 23, 2022

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Click here to read the full article.
Two recent controversies are exposing the way the political ground is shifting around Latino voters.

The change isnt yet catastrophic for Democrats. But its giving them cause for alarm.

In short, expectations that Latino voters would be a solid Democratic bloc in perpetuity, buoying the partys fortunes as the nation becomes ever more diverse, have been dashed.

Although Latinos still lean heavily Democratic overall, Republicans have made significant inroads.

This is the backdrop against which the two recent furors played out.

Earlier this month, first lady Jill Biden apologized after comparing Latinos with breakfast tacos during a speech to an advocacy group in San Antonio.

Though Biden was supposedly trying to demonstrate her knowledge of the diversity of the Latino community, her terminology was clumsy at best. She didnt help her cause by mangling the pronunciation of bodegas.

Republicans made sure her gaffe would not be easily forgotten, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tweeting sardonically that personally, Im a chorizo, egg & cheese followed by three taco emojis.

More seriously, Cruz asserted during his podcast that Democrats look down on minorities. He added:

The fact that this White House wrote this into a speechI think it is indicative of just how badly Biden and the Democrats are doing with Hispanics nationally  and I think we are going to see a real sea-change in this election.

The first ladys spokesman duly issued an apology, saying that her words had been intended only to convey pure admiration and love for the Latino community.

The gaffe was a head-scratcher even inside the White House, not least because the first lady has a number of Latinos among her senior staff.

Then another row erupted that was less high-profile, but just as telling.

In Texas, a blogger who had received money from the campaign of Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) attacked the recently elected Rep. Mayra Flores (R-Texas) in racist terms.

Story continues

NBC News reported that the blog had referred to Flores as Miss Frijoles no fewer than 21 times in less than a month, right after Gonzalezs campaign had cut it a check for $1200.

Flores, a 36-year-old, staunchly conservative Latina, won a special election last month in Texass 34th District. In doing so, she became the first Mexican-born congresswoman ever.

Redistricting has nudged Gonzalez, who represents an adjacent area, to contest the 34th district in November, setting up a relatively rare incumbent-versus-incumbent race.

The congresswoman accused the Gonzalez campaign of running racist ads against me while the congressmans campaign manager told NBC that of course he was against referring to her in derogatory terms.

The Biden and Flores issues may not have enduring impact, but they have roiled waters that were already unsettled.

They are not huge, determining factors, said Chuck Rocha, a Democratic operative who served as a senior adviser on Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) 2020 presidential campaign. But do they make my job as a Democratic operative harder? Sure. Should we think about where we advertise more, or about our speech more? Sure.

Daniel Garza, the president and founder of the conservative Libre Initiative, said the Flores row was especially potent.

Bidens tacos comment, he said, felt well-intentioned but awkward.

But the part about Miss Frijoles? That was intentional, that was deliberate, that was meant to demean and debase. And by using ugly stereotypes, that brought back feelings of otherness and that you are treated as something different than fully American. Thats why the blowback was so intense.

This all comes at a time when the Latino vote appears to be in flux.

Wind the clock back six years, and then-candidate Donald Trump was predicted to do dismally with Latino voters.

He had, after all, launched his campaign with the accusation that Mexico was sending rapists across the southern border. The core of his migration policy was his famous promise to Build the Wall!

Yet, in the end, Trump did better with Latino voters in 2016 than a far more conventional GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, had done four years prior. In 2020, Trump improved his share of the vote again in almost four-fifths of the nations 100 most Latino counties.

Democrats were chagrined not just by Trumps performance but by disappointing performances for their party generally with Latinos, especially in South Florida and Texass Rio Grande Valley.

An in-depth report by Democratic firm Equis late last year acknowledged that the pandemic and the economy had played a part.

The report found that Trump and the GOPs greater resistance to COVID-related lockdowns played well with Hispanics who are, as a whole, less likely than white non-Hispanics to have jobs that can be performed from home.

But it also suggested that Democrats had been hurt by the suggestion they had gone too far left, toward socialism, and were too lax on border security.

The socialism attacks were said to be especially effective with communities that have a collective memory of fleeing hard-left regimes, notably Floridas Cuban Americans, but also Nicaraguan and Venezuelan Americans.

The border issue was said to have resonated particularly strongly in south Texas where Tejanos  Hispanic people who have lived in the same area for generations, in some case dating back to when the region was part of Mexico  are not themselves immigrants.

Democrats being Democrats, the reports findings were themselves controversial.

Rocha pushes back against the idea that the socialist label is a millstone, pointing to Sanderss strong performance with Latinos in the 2020 Democratic primary as a rebuttal.

Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi argued that the idea of a major realignment among Hispanic voters was being exaggerated.

In Novembers midterms, Amandi insisted, Democrats are going to win the Latino vote and win it overwhelmingly. The question is, do Democrats have the abilityto replicate the historical support levels they had with Latino voters in 2012 and 2018.

Yet even Amandi noted that the nature of the Latino community  fast-growing, disproportionately young and internally diverse  left no room for complacency for those courting its political support.

It is a vote that is in a constant state of renewal, he said. Democrats cannot afford to take their foot off the accelerator because at every election there are lots of new voters, and they dont have those long-held perceptions of the party brand.

The problem is the Biden and Flores rows arent about taking a foot off the accelerator.

Theyre about grinding the gears and lurching into reverse at a time when Democrats can ill afford such errors.

The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Customers continued to dine indoors at That One Place, a restaurant in Port Orchard that has continued to allow indoor dining despite an order of restraint and fines being placed on the business for defying Governor Inslee's COVID-19 guidelines.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected since initial publication. The restaurant's owner stated he is selling That One Place, not closing the business.

That One Place restaurant in Port Orchard will be sold, according to its owner, after a legal battle between the owner and the State of Washington over violations to orders prohibiting indoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That One Place was assessed $132,000 in fines by the state's Department of Labor and Industries for the violations, a citation that was affirmed by the Board of Industrial Appeals Judge Jeffrey A. Friedman on July 6 after the restaurant in May appealed the findings. L&I had assessed That One Place, owned by Richard "Craig" Kenady, a $12,000 fine for each of the 11 violations that occurred by providing indoor dining between the dates of Jan. 6 and Jan. 18, 2021.

After a lot of prayer and discussion Ev and I have decided to sell our restaurant and our house and move to our property in Arkansas. We have felt led to move from this state for a few years. But now that our case against Washington is over, and our attorneys say we dont stand a chance in appeal, we feel now is the best time ever to go, Kenady wrote Thursday in a post to the restaurant's Facebook page, where Kenady has commented on the legal proceedings previously.

I have had 2 interviews with an awesome non-profit that works with prison inmates and feel led to make this move. We will miss everyone in Washington, especially our employees. We will not allow someone to purchase That One Place, unless they contract to continue doing the community work we have been so fortunate to be able to do for the last 12 years. This is so hard, but exciting at the same time. We love you all. We will continue with our appeal, we dont care if we continue to lose, someday it will be held outside of Washington!

Gov. Jay Inslee ordered emergency ban on indoor dining at the pandemic's onset in 2020. All indoor dining was prohibited during Phase 1 of the governor's Roadmap to Recovery plan, before outdoor dining was permitted with certain restrictions. Restaurants were also allowed to provide take out service but the ban on indoor dining was extended through January 2021, when That One Place was cited by L&I.

Story continues

As referenced in his Facebook post, That One Place was offered 20 days from the July 6 decision to appeal for a review of the decision and order. That One Place has received an extension to file an appeal, which is due by August 25. If That One Place doesnt meet the deadline to appeal, or its petition fails after being heard by the three-member Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals, the order becomes final and no further appeal can be made.

Though the Facebook post announced the possible sale of That One Place, the L&I spokesperson said the business would likely remain on the hook for the penalties incurred.

The fines are against the business, said Lorraine. Generally, if they reopen under substantially similar ownership we may have some arguments regarding collections that there was merely a superficial name change.

A Chehalis restaurant, Spiffy's Restaurant and Bakery, accrued fines from L&I of more than $400,000 for similarly refusing to close indoor service, and closed last summer.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: That One Place in Port Orchard will be sold after battle over COVID rules
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks as the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol holds a hearing in Washington, DC, on July 21, 2022. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said he believes the Jan. 6 panel has proven a criminal case against Trump.

He "certainly has criminal exposure," Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the panel, said Friday.

The committee can send a criminal referral to the DOJ.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans sitting on the Jan. 6 committee tasked with investigating the Capitol riot, said the panel has proven a criminal case against former President Donald Trump.

"I think, taken in totality, this represents the greatest effort to overturn the will of the people, to conspire against the will of the people, and to conspire against American democracy that we've ever had, frankly since the Civil War," he said Friday during an interview with CNN. "I think we've proven that."

The House select committee tasked with investigating events leading up to and in the aftermath of the Capitol riot has been gathering evidence, including some that legal experts say could mean that Trump has broken at least five federal laws, such as conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and defrauding the United States.

Speaking with reporters after Thursday's hearing, Kinzinger said he couldn't make a prosecutorial judgment, because the committee wouldn't be able to legally prosecute Trump. But its members can inform the Justice Department of possible criminal conduct, as Insider's John Dorman previously reported.

But Trump "certainly has criminal exposure," Kinzinger told reporters.

"I certainly think if you look at what we presented tonight, and then all these hearings, that cannot be acceptable from the president of the United States," he said.

Former Justice Department officials who served in Republican administrations said last week that the Jan. 6 committee has uncovered sufficient evidence for the unprecedented prosecution of a former president. And former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner said he believes Trump will be indicted for his role in last year's insurrection.

Story continues

The Capitol riot left five people, including one police officer, dead. Members of the Proud Boys, which is classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, were also present.

Organizers were emboldened by former President Donald Trump's urges to protest the results of the 2020 election with him, despite Joe Biden's election victory. While members of Congress were meeting inside the Capitol to certify the results and verify Biden's electoral win, Trump supporters organized an attempted coup and stormed the Capitol.

After the riot, insurrectionists scrambled to delete photos and social-media posts proving their participation in the Capitol riot. Some broke their cellphones, scrubbed their social media accounts, and tried to wipe hard drives that might contain photos and other proof of their involvement.

But others boasted of their involvement, making it easier for the FBI to identify and later bring charges against them. So far, more than 882 people have been charged in connection with the insurrection, according to Insider's database.

Read the original article on Business Insider
SAG-AFTRAs national board has approved a resolution to create a path to membership for intimacy coordinators, who serve as advocates and liaisons between performers and productions when nudity and intimate scenes are being filmed.

The role of intimacy coordinators greatly improves safety and well-being on sets and in productions requiring intimate scenes, said Fran Drescher, the unions president. Their value is immeasurable and the National Board is committed to bringing intimacy coordinators into the SAG-AFTRA family and ensuring they have the kind of benefits and protections other members already enjoy.

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Intimacy coordinators, many of whom already are SAG-AFTRA members, have become an essential on-set resource for cast and crew alike, said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the unions national executive director. This decision furthers our mission of making on-set safety an industrywide standard and priority, and welcomes other talented, dedicated workers to join us.

In June, the union announced the publication of an intimacy coordinator registry and pre-registry, which serve as a resource to help producers identify qualified and experienced intimacy coordinators.

In her presidents report, Drescher spoke on voting rights and womens rights, saying that Everyone has the right to have their concerns raised and considered. In a democracy, you may not like the outcome of a particular vote, but as Americans it is your duty to protect and defend the process by which outcomes are determined.

A press release about the meeting posted on the SAG-AFTRA website doesnt mention the contentious and two-hour long debate that Drescher got into with members of the board about the vaccination mandate in the industrys Covid-19 protocols.

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Drescher also spoke out against the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling it blatant sexism.

She also gave an update on Green Council, an initiative she has been leading to encourage more environmentally-friendly practices in the industry. Drescher reported that she has been meeting with allied organizations and will soon announce the members of the full coalition. They are planning for a launch event in September or October 2022.

She also updated the board on new creative elements she is spearheading for the SAG-AFTRA magazine and an effort to encourage members to create an online profile at sagaftra.org and register for electronic union communications.

In his report, Crabtree-Ireland noted that the joint unions Return to Work Agreement with the AMPTP has been extended through Sept. 30, and that the provisions of the agreement successfully allowed the industry to return to work while protecting the health and safety of cast and crew.

Secretary-Treasurer Joely Fisher and Chief Financial Officer Arianna Ozzanto presented results for the fiscal year 2022. The year ended with a healthy surplus, beating both revenue and expense targets, the union said.

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Click here to read the full article.
Survivors of a migrant boat that capsized perch on the overturned vessel off the coast of New Providence island (via REUTERS)

A boat carrying Haitian migrants has capsized off the coast of The Bahamas, killing 16.

A further 21 migrants - including 17 men and four women - were rescued roughly seven miles from the island of New Providence on Sunday, according to immigration minister Keith Bell.

We mourn lives lost of those seeking a better way of life, Mr Bell told Reuters.

Those here with families and friends in Haiti, encourage your loved ones not to risk their lives.

Such tragic incidents have become increasingly common amid a growing wave of sea migration to the US.

The Bahamas is a frequent transit route for Haitian migrants seeking to reach the United States as they flee poverty and rising gang violence.

Just days ago, the US Coast Guard discovered a boat carrying at least 150 migrants near the Florida island of Boca Chita.

Video of the small wooden boat - which had become stuck in the sand - showed passengers crammed together with little to no room to move.

The origin of that boat was not immediately clear.

Reuters contributed to this report
WASHINGTON  House hearings about what led to the Capitol attack and what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, provided a series of stunning revelations, but the Justice Department must still decide whether to charge former President Donald Trump or his top aides with crimes related to the attack.

A federal judge suggested Trump and one of his personal lawyers more likely than not broke the law with a scheme to overturn the 2020 election. Lawmakers investigating the attack have called for charges against Trump.

But legal experts say there are few clues of an aggressive federal investigation of Trump  and there are hurdles to pursuing charges for even the seemingly most obvious cases.

Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney who is now a law professor at the University of Michigan, said the committee heard overwhelming evidence that Trump was notified repeatedly he lost the election. The evidence also said he pressured Vice President Mike Pence and state officials to overturn the results, knew the mob was armed when he urged supporters to go to the Capitol and failed to take action for hours during the attack, she said.

Jan. 6 and the Secret Service: Criminal probe of Secret Service texts a 'big deal' as agency draws Jan. 6 committee scrutiny

McQuade said a "strong case" is possible for conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct Congress from counting Electoral College votes. But she said the presentation has been one-sided and prosecutors would have to anticipate how Trump and his aides would fight the accusations.

Just because DOJ can file charges does not mean it should file charges, McQuade said. It should weigh factors such as deterring future crimes, which she called particularly strong in this case."

Here, there are significant drawbacks to criminal charges, such as creating the appearance of a political motivation by DOJ, which could lead to civil unrest or even civil war," she said.

As the Jan. 6 committee completed eight hearings in June and July with explosive revelations, the panel reached an agreement to provide evidence the Justice Department requested. But after charging more than 850 people who were mostly on Capitol grounds for the riot, there have been few public clues such as search warrants and subpoenas issued to organizers behind the event or administration officials.

Story continues

Ive become increasingly skeptical that the Justice Department has mounted an aggressive investigation into Trumps criminal liability, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor now at Thompson Coburn LLP. If they did make a decision, it would be in their interest to make that decision as soon as possible. But there is no public indication they are close to making that decision.

What did Trump do on Jan. 6?: A breakdown of the 187 minutes Trump was out of view on Jan. 6 as aides urged him to act

Inciting Jan. 6 riot could be strongest charge, legal experts say

Former President Donald Trump points to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a rally Friday in Prescott, Arizona.

One of the best prospects for prosecution, legal experts say, would be a charge of inciting a riot or inciting an insurrection because the facts arent in dispute, just the law.

Trump invited protesters to Washington in a tweet Dec. 19, 2020, with the phrase will be wild! During a speech Jan. 6, 2021, near the White House, Trump argued the election was stolen and he urged the crowd to fight for him by marching on the Capitol.

We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore, Trump said.

But he also said: "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."

Jan. 6 committee hits pause. Here's what's next: Jan. 6 committee promises more hearings this fall. What we know (and don't) about what happens next

One revelation at the hearings was from Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to Trump and White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, who said Trump was warned before his speech Jan. 6 that people nearby were carrying rifles and pistols.

Without any dispute that Trump gave a fiery speech and members of his audience went to the Capitol where they violently attacked people, Mariotti said, the legal question is whether the speech was protected under the First Amendment by a president speaking about matters of public concern.

I think the Justice Department would be somewhere in the ballpark of being able to charge the former president based on what is known publicly, Mariotti added.

Trump's legal advisers could cloud conspiracy charges

Another potential charge is conspiracy to obstruct Congress. Trump pressured Pence to single-handedly reject electors from states Joe Biden won to flip the election.

But Trump could say he was listening to his personal lawyers, Rudy Giuliani, a former U.S. attorney and New York mayor; John Eastman, a former clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and former dean of Chapman University law school; and Jeffrey Clark, a former assistant attorney general.

Trump considered making Clark attorney general after he drafted an unsent letter to officials in contested states urging them to send alternate electors to Congress. Eastman developed the strategy unmoored from legal precedent for Pence to reject official electors.

Catch up on every Jan. 6 hearing in one read: Pressure campaigns, predictable violence: What we learned from all eight Jan. 6 hearings

It is difficult to assess the likelihood of criminal charges, McQuade said. Based on what we have seen through the committee, it seems to me that a strong case can be made to prove conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.

Federal authorities searched Clarks home and seized Eastmans cellphone. But if they were charged, that could help Trump, because prosecutors would need to prove Trump knew what he was doing was wrong.

The presence of those lawyers could actually complicate a case against Trump because those lawyers of course were giving Trump advice, Mariotti said. When you explain it that way, it doesnt sound nearly as sinister.

Trump issued a statement Thursday repeating his baseless claim of election fraud and insisting Pence could have rejected state electors. Pence told Trump there was nothing he could do  it was etched in stone, Trump said. But Trump questioned why lawmakers are working to update the Electoral Vote Act if there was nothing the vice president could do.

This was a major event, because everybody ganged up and said that Mike had no choice, he could not send the slates back to the States (which is all I suggested he do) for possible retabulation and correction based on largescale Voter Fraud and Irregularities, the statement said.

Trump behind the scenes: Trump ignored a script and went 'off the cuff' to tell Jan. 6 rioters 'We love you'

Trump's call to Georgia a 'word salad,' expert says

Trumps call Jan. 2, 2021, to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is another possible target for charges. Trump asked him to "find" votes he needed to flip the state from Biden.

"So look, all I want to do is this: I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have, Trump told Raffensperger, according to a recording of the call.

Trump also said that officials werent doing enough to investigate fraud and that the election was stolen, which could be used in his defense. Trump described the call as perfect and campaigned to defeat Raffensperger.

Based solely on what we know publicly, I think the call is more of a word salad than you might think at first glance, Mariotti said. Its not clear to me that that call on its own would be sufficient to establish a case.

Local authorities could act faster than federal investigators. Fani Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Georgia, convened a grand jury to investigate the call.

I would predict Fulton County is much more likely to act than the Justice Department, Mariotti said. However, I dont necessarily think that means they have the strongest charges.

Secret Service agents' fears on Jan. 6: Secret Service agents feared for their lives during Capitol attack, made goodbye phone calls

Jan. 6 committee warns against witness tampering

Witness tampering is another potential charge.

Trump called an unnamed witness, later identified as a White House support staffer, after Hutchinsons blistering testimony, according to the committees vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

The staffer didnt take the call and told a lawyer, who notified the committee. The panel reported the attempted contact to the Justice Department, which declined comment.

At a previous hearing, Cheney warned that unnamed people contacted witnesses about their testimony, referenced being loyal and said Trump does read transcripts.

Let me say one more time, we will take any attempt to influence a witness testimony very seriously, Cheney said at a hearing July 12.

Patrick Cotter, a former federal prosecutor who pursued organized crime figures such as John Gotti, said someone getting a call from Trump could feel uncomfortable. But he said that without the call going through or having a message relayed, it does not come close to being substantive evidence of an effort to influence a potential witness.

Ketchup, regrets, blood and anger: A guide to the Jan. 6 hearings' witnesses and testimony

Lawmakers, judge call Trump's actions 'illegal'

As the Justice Department mulls possible charges, lawmakers and good-government advocacy groups called for criminal charges against Trump and his advisers.

"Everything I hear from the January 6 committee hearings shows all the puzzle pieces put together. No more gaps," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chair of the Progressive Caucus, said in a tweet. "All of it points to the urgent need for DOJ to prosecute Donald Trump. If he is not held accountable, there will be enormous consequences to our democracy."

The investigative committee filed a court document March 3 saying there was a good-faith basis to conclude Trump and members of his campaign "engaged in a criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States.

What the president wanted the vice president to do was not just wrong, it was illegal and unconstitutional, Cheney said at a June 16 hearing.

U.S. District Judge David Carter ruled in March, in a civil case providing Eastman's emails to the committee, that Trump and Eastman more likely than not acted unlawfully in the Pence scheme by trying to defraud the United States and obstruct Congress. But Trump didnt participate in the case, and Carters ruling fell short of the beyond a reasonable doubt threshold required for a criminal conviction.

Steve Bannon guilty: Donald Trump ally found guilty of contempt for defying Jan. 6 committee subpoena

The illegality of the plan was obvious, Carter wrote. Based on the evidence, the Court finds it more likely than not that President Trump corruptly attempted to obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.

Legal experts said a key element required in the charges Carter cited would be proving Trump knew he was acting unlawfully. The committee played never-before-seen outtakes Thursday from a speech Trump delivered Jan. 7, 2021, that showed him refusing to say the election was over.

"I don't want to say the election is over," Trump said. "I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election is over, OK?"

Norm Eisen, a lawyer who staffed the first House impeachment of Trump, said the committee revealed Trump's culpability by showing he knew he lost the election and still tried to overturn it.

I think that Trump and his co-conspirators face substantial risk, first state charges and then federal ones," Eisen said, referring to the Georgia investigation.

Investigation into Secret Service texts: Watchdog launches criminal inquiry into deleted Secret Service text messages

Garland says nothing prevents investigating Trump

Attorney General Merrick Garland said on the anniversary of the attack that he would pursue the investigation consistent with where the facts and the law lead. But as Trump and congressional Republicans blast the congressional inquiry as partisan, the Justice Department must weigh whether prosecutions  if pursued  would appear political.

Garland caused a stir with a May 25 memo reminding prosecutors to remain neutral and impartial during this election year. Garland referred to a memo Feb. 5, 2020, from then-Attorney General Bill Barr that said no investigation may be opened of a declared candidate for president or senior advisers.

Garland said Wednesday that nothing prevented him from investigating Trump.

No person is above the law in this country, Garland said. I cant say it any more clearly than that. There is nothing in the principles of prosecution and any other factors which prevent us from investigating anyone  anyone  who is criminally responsible for an attempt to undo a democratic election.

Takeaways from last hearing: Trump glued to TV, Secret Service fears, Cheney forecasts 'dam' break: Takeaways from the Jan. 6 hearing

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., left, opens a public hearing before the House committee to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol on July 12, 2022 in Washington, D.C. At left is committee vice-chair Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

Legal experts say attorneys general of both parties have issued similar memos for years to avoid interfering in politics.

"The boss should not get surprised by media reports that a candidate for president is under investigation," said McQuade, who called the memo "not concerning at all."

A previous flashpoint came in 2016, when then-FBI Director James Comey announced he was reopening an investigation into Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's email days before the election, which she argued could have tipped the results.

Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney and Democratic U.S. senator, said getting approval is standard practice for high-level investigations such as those concerning Cabinet officials or governors.

That is standard practice, folks, if youre talking about a high government official, Jones said in video tweeted in reaction to Garlands memo. I dont think this is going to stop the Department of Justice from conducting any investigations that are currently ongoing that are the result of what happened before, during and after what happened Jan. 6.

Jan. 6 analysis: This time, it wasn't what he did. It was what he wouldn't do as a mob attacked the Capitol

Trump not charged in Mueller probe

The Justice Department already declined to charge Trump based on revelations during special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Mueller's report identified several episodes of potential obstruction of justice, including Trump firing Comey, ordering then-White House counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller and urging associates to pressure his attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions, to halt Muellers inquiry.

But Mueller said he made no decision on whether to charge Trump because of a department policy that discourages charging a sitting president. The department hasnt charged Trump since he left office.

A video of former Trump chief strategist Steven Bannon talking about the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, is played at the House hearing on July 12, 2022.

Different outcomes: DOJ charged Bannon, Navarro with contempt, but not Meadows, Scavino

The Justice Department illustrated its discretion in charging former Trump aides based on recommendations from the House of Representatives. The department charged two former aides with contempt for defying the committee's subpoenas and declined to charge two others.

The department charged Steve Bannon, a Trump political strategist, and former Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro with contempt. Bannon was convicted Friday, and Navarro's trial is scheduled for November.

But Matthew Graves, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, announced June 3 that he wouldnt charge Meadows or deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino with contempt for defying their subpoenas.

Both men claimed executive privilege in refusing to testify  as did Bannon and Navarro  but Graves didnt explain why charges werent pursued.

About that Oval Office meeting: Inside the 'unhinged' Oval Office meeting that divided Trump's orbit before the Jan. 6 attack

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jan 6 hearings show Trump didn't act. But is it enough to charge him?
Bindi Irwin is welcoming age 24 with a heart full of gratitude. On July 23 (July 24 in Australia), Irwin posted a series of photos of her birthday extravaganza and, between that and the caption, get ready to well up with emotions. Bindi posted the photos with the caption starting, 24  The last year has been filled with enormous growth, unpredictable/challenging times, and above all, love beyond my wildest dreams. Without them realizing, my sweet family has given me the greatest gifts this year through their extraordinary actions each and every day.

She then thanked people individually, starting with her in-laws, saying: My in-laws, the gift of no distance standing in the way of family bonds.

More from SheKnows

The young mama showed her gratitude to her mother Terri Irwin, and brother Robert Irwin. My mum, the gift of perseverance, strength, and a shoulder to lean on. My brother, the gift of enthusiasm for life and remembering not to sweat the little things.

Bindi ended the caption by thanking her husband Chandler Powell, and her daughter Grace Warrior. My husband, the gift of steadfast support and infinite kindness. My darling daughter, the gift of finding beauty in all things and running towards happiness (and bubbles, which are the same thing to her) with an open heart, she said. Im grateful for another trip around the sun and another year to do my best making a difference in this world. Thank you to everyone who is part of my journey. Im tremendously thankful for you.

Click here to read the full article.

In the photos, we see snapshots of their recent family hike, and everyone looks so happy. In the first two photos, we see Bindi, Powell, and Grace smiling on top of a hill. Grace looks so happy as she tries to steal some of her mamas yummy cake and then giggles as the three of them are posing.

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Then we get a super-sweet pic of Bindi, Terri, and Robert, followed by a mother-daughter snapshot of Bindi and Grace. Next is a photo were sure will be hung in the Irwin home: a scenic shot of Bindi and Powell looking so in love. We end the slideshow with a few more loving family pics (with an ever-so-expressive Grace Warrior making her proud mama laugh!)

Born on July 24, 1998, Bindi is the elder child of Terri and Steve Irwin, with them welcoming her little brother Robert soon after in 2003. Within the past few years, Bindi both married her longtime partner Powell at the Australia Zoo, and exactly a year later, they welcomed Grace.

Happy Birthday, Bindi!

Before you go, click here to see celebrity kids who are all grown up.



Kaia Gerber and Presley Gerber

Launch Gallery: Bindi Irwin's Most Adorable Mom Milestones

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MUNCIE, Ind.  The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld a Muncie man's convictions  and 15-year prison term  stemming from a 2020 road rage incident.

A Delaware Circuit Court 2 jury in November 2021 found Billy Ray Barker Jr., 49, guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, criminal recklessness and criminal mischief.

The Muncie man had been accused of firing gunshots at a vehicle  containing both adults and children  near Memorial Drive and Madison Street.

At the time of the 2020 incident, Barker was on parole. He also was forbidden from possessing firearms as a result of his criminal record, including a 1993 conviction for voluntary manslaughter that stemmed from a fatal shooting.

More:Ex-Portland police officer found guilty of child solicitation

In an appeal, Barker suggested prosecutors had failed to present evidence that warranted his convictions, and also said the 15-year sentence imposed by Judge Kimberly Dowling was too harsh.

In a 3-0 decision last week, the state appeals court rejected those suggestions.

In the ruling, Judge Patricia Riley wrote that after considering "the nature and gravity" of the convictions, "we cannot say that Barker's (total) 15-year sentence was so severe and entirely out of proportion ... to shock public sentiment and violate the judgement of reasonable people."

Barker's probation was revoked in his voluntary manslaughter case.

Now held in the Pendleton Correctional Facility, Barker has a projected release date in August 2043, according to a state Department of Correction website.

STAY INFORMED AND SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Subscribe today using the link at the top of this page.

Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Court upholds Muncie man's conviction, 15-year term in gunfire case
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (L) and Senate Majority Leader Emeritus Bob Hertzberg applaud as California governor Gavin Newsom address a news conference where he signed SB 1327 into law on July 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. David McNew/Getty Images

In Texas, Senate Bill 8 lets people sue anyone who performs or aids in an abortion.

Newsom's bill is similar but allows Californians to sue those who make or distribute illegal assault weapons.

Gun dealers who sell firearms to those who are under 21 can also be sued.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a gun control bill on Friday that mimicked Texas' anti-abortion law allowing state residents to sue anyone who assists a pregnant person in obtaining an abortion.

Senate Bill 1327 will allow Californians to take legal action against those who make, sell, transport, or distribute illegal assault weapons such as .50 caliber rifles and ghost guns, or for damages of at least $10,000 per weapon.

In February, a Sacramento father used a ghost gun  a gun without a serial number  to kill his three daughters and then himself.

According to the bill, the same damages can also be applied to gun dealers who illegally sell firearms to those who are under 21 years old.

At the press conference, Newsom said the legislation was modeled after Texas' Senate Bill 8, which awards $10,000 to any private citizen who outs those that perform or aid in an abortion.

"We are taking action here today," Newsom said.

The announcement was made at Santa Monica College, where five people were killed in a 2013 shooting.

While Newsom was flanked by lawmakers and gun reform activists who support the measure, including Moms Demand Action, the legislation has its detractors.

In May, the American Civil Liberties Union criticized the bill in a letter, saying "replicating the reprehensible Texas model only serves to legitimize and promote it, as evidenced by the copycat measures already enacted in some states, with many more pending around the country."

Last month, Newsom announced $156 million in gun violence prevention grants through the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program.

Newsom's office and the National Rifle Association did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Kate Moss opened up about what emboldened her to testify on behalf of ex-boyfriend Johnny Depp during his highly publicized defamation trial against Amber Heard.

The British supermodel, who is notoriously private and rarely gives public interviews, testified as a rebuttal witness on behalf of Depp back in May to deny rumors that he shoved her down a flight of stairs. During a recent interview with BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, Moss said she felt compelled to speak the truth when asked why she participated in the trial.

She referenced her fashion designer friend John Galliano, the former Dior designer found guilty of anti-Semitic abuse in 2011 after he hurled public insults at a bar in Paris, when asked about Depp and Heard's trial. "I believe in the truth, and I believe in fairness and justice," Moss said. "I know that John Galliano is not a bad person. He had an alcohol problem and people turn."

Model Kate Moss is sworn in via video link at the Fairfax County Circuit Courthouse in Fairfax, Virginia, on May 25, 2022.

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Kate Moss testifies in Johnny Depp's defamation trial against Amber Heard

"People aren't themselves when they drink, and they say things that they would never say if they were sober," she continued, adding, "I know the truth about Johnny. I know he never kicked me down the stairs. I had to say that truth."

Heard accused Depp of physical, verbal, and sexual assault during the course of the trial, telling jurors that her ex-husband often became volatile while under the influence of alcohol and drugs. During her testimony, she insinuated that Depp once pushed Moss down a flight of stairs while recounting the first time she struck Depp, citing self defense.

"I just instantly think of Kate Moss and the stairs, and I swung at him," Heard testified. "In all my relationships to date, I hadn't [delivered] a blow. For the first time, I hit him square in the face." The reference paved the way for Moss to be called as a witness. In a video deposition, Moss, who dated Depp between 1994 and 1998, testified that Depp "never pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs."

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Johnny Depp and Kate Moss during "Don Juan De Marco" Beverly Hills Premiere at The Academy in Beverly Hills, California, United States.

Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Johnny Depp and Kate Moss circa the 1990s

The incident in question occurred while the two vacationed in Jamaica: "We were leaving the room, and Johnny left the room before I did," Moss testified. "There had been a rainstorm. As I left the room, I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back and I screamed because I didn't know what happened to me and I was in pain. He came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention."

A jury in Fairfax County, Va., ruled in June that Heard intentionally and maliciously defamed Depp when she wrote her 2018 Washington Post op-ed detailing her experiences as a domestic violence survivor. Depp was awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (the judge later reduced the punitive damages to Virginia's statutory cap of $350,000). Heard earned a small countersuit victory of $2 million in compensatory damages.

Heard's team filed a motion to appeal the verdict last week. "We believe the court made errors that prevented a just and fair verdict consistent with the First Amendment," a spokesperson for the actress said. "We are therefore appealing the verdict. While we realize today's filing will ignite the Twitter bonfires, there are steps we need to take to ensure both fairness and justice."

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President Biden vowed to expand cyber cooperation with Israel and Saudi Arabia on his trip to the Middle East last week, a move experts see as a direct response to the rising digital threat from Iran.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia signed bilateral agreements to strengthen their cybersecurity partnership and share information related to cyber threats and malicious actors, while Israel and the U.S. pledged to ramp up collaboration to combat cyber crime.

In both cases, we have to acknowledge that Iran is the primary driver of a lot of what happened during Bidens trip, and this extends to cyber space as well, said Jason Blessing, a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Blessing said the common enemy of Iran provides a window for the U.S. to forge stronger alliances between the two Middle Eastern countries, which have been in secretive talks to possibly establish official relations.

I would say the number one geostrategic priority [for the U.S.] is getting both countries on the same page when it comes to Iran, Blessing said.

And Iran is a formidable foe in cyberspace.

Though not yet at the level of Israel, Iran has proven capable of launching all types of cyberattacks, ranging from website defacement and distributed denial-of-service attacks to ransomware and cyber espionage.

In June, the FBI said it thwarted a cyberattack last summer that was intended to disrupt the network of the Boston Childrens Hospital. FBI Director Christopher Wray blamed Iranian-backed hackers for the attempted attack, calling it one of the most despicable cyberattacks hes ever seen.

Iran has also been accused of carrying out cyber espionage operations against Western media. A report published last week by cybersecurity firm Proofpoint details how state-sponsored hackers from several countries, including Iran, have regularly spied on U.S.-based journalists to gain access to sensitive information.

In Iran specifically, researchers uncovered that hackers impersonated journalists to gain access to their networks and reach out to sources that have expertise in Middle Eastern foreign policy.

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Last year, Proofpoint researchers discovered that an Iranian hacking group targeted two dozen senior medical professionals in the U.S. and Israel with phishing emails in an attempt to obtain personal account credentials.

Israel, in response to the rising Iran threat, announced in June that it plans to build a cyber dome, a national defense system intended to fight against digital attacks.

Iran has become our dominant rival in cyber, the head of Israels National Cyber Directorate, Gaby Portnoy, said during a conference in Tel Aviv. We see them, we know how they work, and we are there.

Portnoy added that Israel cannot fight cyber aggression alone, adding that his country needs to engage with various partners at home and abroad, including the private sector and academia.

James Lewis, a senior vice president and director with the strategic technologies program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the Saudis cyber capabilities are not as sophisticated as Israel and Iran.

The Saudis have been working on improving their [cyber] capabilities for a long time but the rate of progress has been slow, Lewis said. If you look at the Middle East, Israel and Iran are the leading cyber powers.

Still, building up cyber cooperation in the region is part of a broader U.S. strategy to counter Iran.

The U.S. is promoting alliances around the world and cyber is a crucial part of those alliances, Lewis said. Iran is one of the leading cyber threats  so coming up with ways to push back on Iran is in the interest of all three.

However, both Israel or Saudi Arabia bring baggage into the cyber agreements.

Blessing of the American Enterprise Institute said the Saudis are likely to use cyber as a domestic surveillance tool to spy on dissidents, human rights activists, journalists and political opponents. And Israels NSO Group has been a leading provider of invasive surveillance tools used by governments like Saudi Arabia to do just that.

Blessing said he was disappointed that Biden didnt mention the use of spyware during his trip, particularly given Israels global role as main developers and distributor of the malicious software.

The fact that spyware was not on the agenda shows that the administration doesnt have a positive agenda for asserting U.S. interests and values into the digital space, Blessing said.

U.S.-based defense contractor L3Harris reportedly ended its bid to buy hacking tools from NSO Group last week, following concerns raised by the Biden administration last month that the acquisition of the spyware would pose a serious counterintelligence and security risk to U.S. personnel and systems.

The concerns also prompted the Department of Commerce in November to add NSO Group to its entity list, blacklisting the Israeli company and limiting its ability to use U.S. technology.

Yet the issue was not publicly mentioned when Biden visited last week, despite the U.S. saying that human rights are central to its foreign policy.

To the administration, spyware seems less of a priority than any initiatives to counter Iranian influence and political presence, Blessing said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Multiple wildfires raged across the U.S. Saturday, causing deaths, destruction and thousands of forced evacuations.

A wildfire near Yosemite National Park in California continued to grow Saturday, destroying at least 10 structures and causing mandatory evacuations for at least 6,000 people. In Idaho, two pilots in a firefighting helicopter died after crashing during a blaze in a rural area near the Montana border.

Thomas Hayes, 41, of Post Falls, Idaho, and Jared Bird, 36, of Anchorage, Alaska, were identified as the pilots. Their helicopter crashed in the Salmon River at about 4:45 p.m. Thursday, Mary Cernicek, spokesperson with the Salmon-Challis National Forest, told USA TODAY.

Both pilots were transported to a nearby hospital, where they died from their injuries, according to a Lemhi County Sheriff's Office incident report.

Meanwhile, wildfires also burned across Europe. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated in France as firefighters battled wildfires that ripped through over 78 square miles in the country's wine region of Bordeaux, authorities said. The blaze comes as huge swaths of Europe have been charred by wildfires this week amid an extreme heat wave.

HEAT WAVE FORECAST: Dangerous heat will continue all weekend across the US

Pilots die while battling Moose Fire

The two pilots who died in the crash were contracted to help fight the Moose Fire, Cernicek said.

More than 700 firefighters were battling the blaze Saturday as it burned about 21 miles north of Salmon, Idaho, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

A red flag warning was issued Saturday as high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds threatened to worsen the fire, which had spread to over 45 square miles as of Saturday evening.

HEAT WAVE IN EUROPE: 'National emergency' in UK as historic temps forecast and wildfires rage

Nine helicopters were supporting ground crews with water bucket drops Friday, according to an incident report from the center.

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Cernicek said the National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the cause of the crash.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little ordered that all U.S. and State of Idaho flags be flown at half-staff Friday in honor of the two pilots killed in the helicopter crash.

NEW MEXICO CRASH: 4 dead after New Mexico sheriff's helicopter crashes while helping battle wildfires

Yosemite wildfire prompts evacuations, damages structures

A wildfire that erupted Friday is spreading quickly, growing into one of California's largest wildfires of the year. The Oak Fire, which started southwest of Yosemite, prompted evacuations and damaged at least 10 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park. The Oak Fire has burned through nearly 15 square miles and was 0% contained Saturday evening, Cal Fire said.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest. Lushmeadows, a subdivision of about 1,700 residents in the Sierra Nevada foothill area, was among those under mandatory evacuation orders.

Flames engulf a chair inside a burning home as the Oak Fire burns in Mariposa County, Calif., on Saturday, July 23, 2022.

Firefighters make progress on previous Yosemite blaze

The Oak Fire raged as firefighters made significant progress against the Washburn Fire, which burned from Yosemite National Park into the Sierra National Forest, threatening Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias.

The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Saturday afternoon after it burned almost 7.6 square miles. After starting July 7, the fire forced the southern entrance of Yosemite to shutter and led to the evacuation hundreds of people in the community of Wawona.

GIANT SEQUOIAS THREATENED: Thick wildfire smoke hangs over Yosemite; flames reached notable giant sequoia grove

The U.S. Forest Service also announced Friday plans to take emergency action to save giant sequoias threatened by increasingly intense wildfires exacerbated by climate change and aggressive fire suppression methods. The plan will speed up projects to clear dense forest underbrush that has fanned raging fires near the world's largest trees.

Contributing: The Associated Press

Contact News Now Reporter Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter at @christinetfern.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oak Fire expands in California; 2 pilots die amid Idaho Moose Fire
Anthony Bruce, second from right, a great-great grandson of Charles and Willa Bruce, holds up the title deed of the oceanfront property known as Bruce's Beach during a dedication ceremony in Manhattan Beach, California on July 20, 2022. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

Bruce's Beach in California was formally returned to the Black descendants it was seized from in 1924.

Charles and Willa Bruce ran a resort for Black families until their land was seized by the city via eminent domain.

The Bruce family plans to lease their newly-returned land back to the city for $413,000 a year.

A California beachfront property called Bruce's Beach was returned to the Black family that it was stolen from nearly a century ago.

The deed for the property in Manhattan Beach was presented to members of the Bruce family, who are descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce, who bought the property in 1912 and turned it into a resort for Black families, The New York Times reported.

"On one hand, it's the answer to our prayers," said Anthony Bruce, one of Charles and Willa's great-great-grandsons, per the Times. "It's the relief that we've been waiting for. But on the other hand, it's a reminder of the terrible and tragic events that took place before this happened."

Charles and Willa Bruce were the subjects of racist harassment by their white neighbors, and at one point, the Klu Klux Klan attempted to burn the property down, according to USA Today. In 1924, the property was seized via eminent domain by the Manhattan Beach Board of Trustees, who wanted to build a park on the land.

"It is well documented that this move was a racially motivated attempt to drive out the successful Black business and its patrons," said the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in a motion returning the property to the Bruce family, according to the Times.

The city of Manhattan Beach paid Charles and Willa Bruce $14,500 for their property at the time they seized it, according to the Times. In a ceremony on July 20, 2022, Charles and Willa's great-great grandsons accepted the title for the property, which they plan to lease back to Los Angeles County for $413,000 a year.

According to the Times, the Bruce family's lawyer, George Fatheree III, said he believes this was the first time the government returned stolen land to a Black family.

"I believe that this should be the beginning," Anthony Bruce said, per the Times. "Let this be the drop that creates the ripple that creates the wave that creates the tsunami that covers the country."

Read the original article on Insider
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China's Xinjiang province on Saturday warned of more flash floods and mudslides and risks to agriculture as heatwaves swept across the region, accelerating the pace of glacial melt and posing hazards for its cotton production.

China has been baked by above-normal summer heat since June, with some meteorologists blaming climate change. The excessively hot weather has driven up demand for electricity to cool homes, offices and factories. In agricultural regions, drought has been a concern.

Xinjiang's latest heatwaves have been particularly long lasting and widespread, Chen Chunyan, chief expert at the Xinjiang Meteorological Observatory, told state media.

She said the extreme weather in the south and east of the region, more than twice the size of France, has already lasted for about 10 days.

Xinjiang's meteorological bureau renewed its red alert for the region - the highest in a three-tier heat warning system - on Saturday, forecasting temperatures in Kashgar, Hotan, Aksu, and Bazhou could exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) over the next 24 hours.

"Continued high temperature has accelerated glacial melting in mountainous areas, and caused natural disasters such as flash floods, mudslides, and landslides in many places," Chen said.

The China Meteorological Administration said a day earlier that the glacial melting in Xinjiang poses a high risk of dam failure on a tributary of the Aksu River near China's border with Kyrgyzstan.

Mostly known for its deserts, Xinjiang is also home to long mountain ranges along its borders, including the Tian Shan mountains, the Pamirs, the Kunlun mountains and the Karakoram, which have become increasingly popular for Chinese tourists amid COVID-19 restrictions on international travel.

Temperatures in the oasis city of Turpan hit 45.8C at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT).

Such heatwaves could also impact crops, especially cotton, Chen said.

Xinjiang accounts for production of about 20% of the world's cotton, a water-thirsty crop.

Story continues

The latest round of extreme temperatures has affected some 20 provinces. As of 5 p.m., 84 red alerts were in force across China, mostly in Xinjiang and the manufacturing provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian.

Temperatures in the city of Taizhou, in Zhejiang, hit an all-time high of 43C on Saturday.

"The hot and sunny weather is expected to continue tomorrow (Sunday) and the day after," state media quoted Taizhou's meteorological bureau as saying.

(Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sam Holmes)
Thousands of Cubans joined last year's rare anti-government protests

When thousands of Cubans took to the streets a year ago, the only person to lose their life was killed in La Guinera, a poor and predominantly black neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital, Havana.

Diubis Laurencio Tejeda, a young black man, was shot by police during the unprecedented anti-government uprising.

After riot police quashed the nationwide protests, around 100 of the 700 people to receive prison sentences also came from the same impoverished area. Many residents, particularly relatives of those who were convicted, believe the state made an example of La Guinera to deter future demonstrations.

"Here in La Guinera, there wasn't any vandalism," says Elizabeth Leon Martinez, showing mobile phone footage from outside her house which she says backs up her version of events - that the police stormed into the neighbourhood, arresting people at random.

"No-one destroyed patrol cars or broke up stores. Here, there was a response to the police who threw stones and fired shots. All those kids did was run," she says.

Among the hundreds picked up that day were three of her children. At their subsequent trial, they received between six and eight years for sedition - inciting people to rebel against the state.

"Everything [in the trial] was so false. There were 22 kids being tried at the same time. It was like a show, a montage, like theatre. I'm still traumatised by what I saw there," Elizabeth says. "Justice in Cuba doesn't work."

Elizabeth's home in La Guinera is like many others; built from plastic sheeting, corrugated iron, breezeblocks and wood

Living conditions in La Guinera are some of the most precarious in Havana. Many residents live in what is known in Cuba as casas de llega y pon - homes built from plastic sheeting, corrugated iron, breezeblocks, wood or whatever is at hand.

Elizabeth lives in one such place, her barefoot grandchildren playing amid scrap metal and rubbish. Already struggling, she must now survive with three fewer incomes to the household as well as looking after their children.

Furthermore, as prison food is near-inedible in Cuba, she must bring each one a food parcel every week to live on behind bars.

Story continues

"Filling one bag is tough at the moment," she says of the widespread food shortages and rising inflation, "filling three is almost impossible".

"All those kids did was run... I'm still traumatised by what I saw [in court]", Source: Elizabeth Leon Martinez, Source description: Mother whose three children were jailed, Image:

The government says many of those who protested last July had been incited to by anti-Castro voices from Washington and Florida. The state claims the jail sentences meted out, which were as long as 25 years in some cases, were proportionate to the supposed crimes.

But international human rights groups and the relatives from La Guinera strongly disagree.

Wilber Aguilar is under such scrutiny from Cuban state security, we had to meet in a park on the other side of Havana.

His son, Walnier Luis, has learning difficulties. Yet in what Wilber says was a sham trial, in which only government witnesses were allowed to testify, his son's condition was not taken into account. Walnier was given 12 years behind bars.

"He was convicted of sedition," says Wilber, incredulous. "How can you imagine that a young black man from La Guinera who barely graduated the ninth grade at a special school could be guilty of sedition? It's all just one big lie."

As we drove around the unpaved roads of La Guinera, I met more family members of convicted young people. Mostly mothers, all of them spoke in low-profile locations to avoid the attention of the authorities.

Mothers whose children were convicted and jailed over the July 2021 protests

In each case, they told a similar story: their children had been picked up at random for either peacefully protesting or just filming the event with their phones.

Migdalia Gutierrez says her son did not even attend the protest, but was mistakenly identified, convicted and then sentenced to 20 years solely on the basis of a grainy photograph of the day.

Catholic youth leader Leonardo Fernandez, who lives in the coastal town of Alamar, was also arrested last July for protesting outside the state-run television channel. But he received just six months of house arrest and is convinced the families of La Guinera, whom he supports with donations, were treated more harshly than most.

"It's sad to see 20-year prison terms being handed down to 19-year-old kids. There are cases in which the sentences exceed the length of the convicted person's life. It's a human tragedy, and one which the international community needs to sit up and take notice of."

In other nations, the families might have been able to create a formal 11 July mothers' group, but in Cuba's tightly controlled police state, such non-sanctioned organisations are illegal.

"We've tried to organise but they always stop us," Migdalia says. "We were going to have a meeting of the affected mothers but somehow the state security found out and visited us one by one."

"We don't belong to any group," she insists, fighting back tears, "we're just fighting for our children's freedom."
Elaine Harris Spearman

As voters, it is incumbent upon us to be concerned about everything at every level that affects our voting rights, as well as our voting power. The trickle-down theory is alive and well. What happens on the federal level trickles down through the state level and, ultimately, to the local level.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case on Oct. 4 that is a consolidation of federal lawsuits challenging Alabamas congressional district map as racially discriminatory. The plaintiffs won at the district level and have filed briefs with the Supreme Court.

The map in question is similar to the court-ordered map used in 1992 that resulted in a majority Black district, District 7. Prior to that, Alabama had an all-white Congressional delegation from 1877 to 1992. You count the years.

The question to be considered is whether the states map violates Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting procedures that discriminate on the basis of race.

No matter where you stand politically, Alabamas congressional representation should not look like the states delegation looks in 2022.

Just so that you will know, Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote the opinion granting the stay that Alabama requested so the map could be used in this years congressional races. He wrote, The stay order is not a ruling on the merits, but instead simply stays the District Court's injunction pending a ruling on the merits.

We shall stay tuned.

Vice President Kamala Harris is front and center in the quest to reinvigorate the Democratic Party. According to a recent article, she appears to be channeling her no-nonsense mother. Her mother would respond to complaints about unfairness with So what are you going to do about it?

A Washington Post article gave four messaging strategies to Democrats from Vice President Harris: 1) She is putting the Supreme Court on the ballot as a threat to equality and democracy; 2) She is calling out Republicans for what they are: extremist; 3) She is expressing contempt for Republicans ludicrous defense of easy access to semiautomatic weapons; and 4) She is redirecting Democrats to productive action.

Story continues

Perhaps the state Democratic Party will listen and take heed since the party is to select a new chairman. The State Executive Committee newly elected during the May primary will meet Aug. 13 in Birmingham.

Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, has said that he will not seek another term. England has been chair since November 2019. According to a recent article, the Alabama Democratic Conference will develop a slate of candidates for chair and other officer slots for the Aug. 13 meeting.

Joe Reed, the head of the influential Black political organization, said, The candidates will be white and Black candidates, and that the party needs to be rebuilt after four years of division.

Actions taken at the organizational meeting Aug. 13 have the possibility of having great impact going forward. Perhaps plans can be formulated for vetting of candidates seeking office. The time is past for prospective candidates personally deciding that they are the most suitable for the position being sought.

The current Democratic gubernatorial candidate is lackluster and has shown herself to be out of touch and out of time. Her religious-based musings on Facebook are unintelligible. You decide. She is quoted as saying Roe v. Wade has become a burden that I cant bear.

As all of the federal and state actions wend their way to the local level, the candidates are marshaling their forces in whatever way that they can.

One mayoral candidate posted a picture of a note that he wrote and a picture of a check that he had received. It was illuminating. Campaign donations received, and those that are returned, tell you what a candidate will and will not allow to blur his or her vision in office. It illustrates an old adage, Follow the money.

Voters in Gadsden are continually exposed to information about who or what groups have funded recent campaigns. Large sums of money given to a candidate are given with purpose, motive and intent. Voters must pay attention.

Candidates need to focus on running for office on their own merit. Spreading untruths on an opposing candidate does not increase voter support. It really exposes the spreaders lack of merit and, most importantly, lack of character and ethics.

Candidates for office should offer the best that they have to voters. It would be prudent to remember Haman, a very proud man in the Book of Esther. Be aware that he was hanged on the very gallows that he built for another.

Elaine Harris Spearman, Esq., a Gadsden native, is an attorney and is the retired legal advisor to the comptroller of the City of St. Louis. The opinions reflected are her own.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Voters need to be concerned about voting power
Firefighters battle a blaze near Yosemite on 22 July 2022 (AP)

An explosive and fast-moving California wildfire has challenged firefighters combatting a blaze that has grown to more than 10 square miles (26.5 kilometers) since it sparked on Friday afternoon, burning more than 6,500 acres and forcing evacuations near Yosemite National Park.

An update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection on Saturday describes the Oak Fire as extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching as the blaze reaches the Sierra National Forest.

Emergency personnel are working to safely evacuate people and are actively engaged in protecting structures. Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters, according to Cal Fire.

The fire  the largest among the states active wildfires  destroyed at least 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged at least five others as of Saturday morning. More than 6,555 acres burned by Saturday morning, with more than 400 fire personnel, 45 fire engines and four helicopters deployed to battle the blaze.

Several road closures include a portion of Highway 140, partially blocking access to Yosemite National Park.

The fire began Friday in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Midpines, roughly nine miles northeast from Mariposa, the seat of Mariposa County.

This video shows the devastation caused by the Oak Fire in Mariposa County in just a few hours. If you look closely, you can see fire crews working dangerously close to the flames, fighting to save lives and homes. Latest here:https://t.co/sR8XyYkZt9 pic.twitter.com/TEiYRAhzkj  ABC30 Fresno (@ABC30) July 23, 2022

It marks the third wildfire in the county in two weeks.

It is unclear what sparked the fire. Fire officials have reported that a combustible combination of intense heat, dry vegetation and intense drought have fuelled wildfire blazes that are difficult to get under control.

Story continues

An aerial view of the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park shows smoke from the blaze above Yosemite Valley, California. (via REUTERS)

The states second-largest active wildfire, the Washburn Fire, has burned near the southern point of Yosemite for more than two weeks, burning nearly 5,000 acres, though officials report that it is 79 per cent contained.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.

The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest.

That fire broke out on 7 July near Yosemite and forced the closure of the parks southern entrance and the evacuation of the town of Wawona as it threatened hundreds of giant sequoias.
An illustration of monkeypox virus particles. San Bernardino County Department of Public Health officials announced Friday the arrival of its first confirmed positive case of Monkeypox, a man in Fontana.

San Bernardino County Department of Public Health officials announced Friday the arrival of the first confirmed positive case of monkeypox.

The single case of the viral disease occurred in a man in Fontana who recently traveled out of state.

In California, more than 400 cases of monkeypox have been reported over the past several weeks, with the first case being reported in May of this year, SBC health officials said.

Related: Rising reports of monkeypox cases in US and around the world raise concern

Most people who become infected with monkeypox experience only mild symptoms that resolve on their own after two to four weeks, said SBC Health Officer Dr. Sequeira in a written statement. The risk of contracting monkeypox is low for the general public.

Monkeypox spreads primarily through contact with infectious sores, scabs, or body fluids due to close personal contact.

Pediatric cases

The first two U.S. cases of monkeypox in children have been confirmed as part of a record outbreak of more than 2,800 infections nationwide, according to the Washington Post.

The pediatric cases detected this week in an infant, and a toddler are likely the result of household transmission, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky in a Washington Post Live interview on Friday.

The CDC and public health authorities are still investigating how the children became infected.

The two cases are unrelated and in different jurisdictions. The toddler is in California, and the infants case was confirmed while the family was traveling in Washington, D.C., but they are not residents of this country, the CDC reported.

Monkeypox prevention

Monkeypox can spread through touching materials used by a person with monkeypox that hasnt been cleaned, such as clothing and bedding. It can also spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, close, face-to-face contact.

SBC health officials suggest the following to prevent the spread of monkeypox.

Story continues

Talk to your sexual partner/s about any recent illness and being aware of new or unexplained sores or rashes on your body or your partners body, including on the genital areas.

Avoid close contact with people with symptoms like sores or rashes.

Practice good hand hygiene.

People who become infected should isolate themselves until their symptoms are improving or have gone away completely.

A rash should always be well-covered until completely healed.

Use appropriate personal protective equipment (like a mask, gown, and gloves) when caring for others with symptoms.

Avoid contact with infected materials contaminated with the virus.

Avoid contact with infected animals.

Contact your healthcare provider for further testing and evaluation if you have a new or unexplained rash or other symptoms. If you do not have a healthcare provider, visit a public health clinic near you.

Monkeypox vaccine

San Bernardino County is partnering with healthcare providers throughout the county to make the monkeypox vaccine more widely available.

Dr. Walensky said the governments response is growing stronger daily, and vaccine supplies will soon surge.

I think we still have an opportunity to contain this, Walensky told The Associated Press.

Two monkeypox vaccines (JYNNEOS and ACAM2000) are currently available in the U.S. via the Strategic National Stockpile, according to California Department of Public Health officials.

The federal government has allocated a limited number of JYNNEOS vaccine doses to Californians.

The CDPH is working with local health departments to make these doses available to protect against monkeypox.

JYNNEOS is licensed for adults 18 years and over. It is administered as a two-dose injection series in the upper arm at least four weeks apart.

On July 19, California sent a letter to the CDCP outlining a request for additional vaccine doses.

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Sign up for our newsletters by clicking on this link.

If you are not a subscriber, click here to sign up now to get everything you need to know about local news, education, politics, things to do, restaurants and more.

To learn more about monkeypox, visit wp.sbcounty.gov/dph/monkeypox or call the Communicable Disease Section at 800-722-4794.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Fontana man is first confirmed case of monkeypox in San Bernardino County
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

Scholz was likely referring to the effects of a gas shortage imposed by Russia, which in June reduced flow through the Nord Stream-1 pipeline by 60%, and in July, cut off supplies entirely - ostensibly due to a technical maintenance issue, which had since been resolved.

The German leader also rejected a Russian proposal to commission the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline for the full-scale restoration of gas supplies to Germany.

Read also: Germany could nationalize part of Nord Stream 2 pipeline

"The throughput capacity of the Nord Stream 1, Yamal, and through Ukraine gas pipelines is sufficient for Russia to meet its supply obligations," the chancellor stated.

He highlighted that there is no embargo on the supply of Russian gas, and the technical reasons for the decrease in supply were put forward only by Moscow.

He also mentioned the repair of the Siemens turbine, which is necessary for the full functioning of the Nord Stream-1 pipeline, and called the Kremlin's statements that the gas supply was cut for technical reasons unconvincing.

Read also: Why Europe has to reassess the role of Nord Stream 1, and how this should be done

"[Things] will not get more reliable than today, Scholz said.



One cannot count on something if the contract is not fulfilled, although it has already been signed five times.



He made it clear that Berlin can no longer rely on Russia, saying that Germany would adapt and play it safe when it came to Russian promises.

Read also: Europe must not give in to Putins energy blackmail

"Technically, it would never be a problem to fulfill all supplier obligations that lie with Russia," the chancellor concluded.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Moldova's prime minister said in an interview that aired Sunday that her nation fears an invasion by Russia in the wake of its invasion of their mutual neighbor Ukraine.

"We are worried, of course," Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." "This is a risk, it's a hypothetical scenario for now, but if the military actions move further into the southwestern part of Ukraine and toward Odesa, then of course, we are very worried."

Moldova, which shares a border with Ukraine, became an independent state when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, but it has never been able to fully remove itself from Russia's sphere of influence, nor build a vital economy on its own. The World Factbook of the CIA says, "Despite recent progress, Moldova remains one of the poorest countries in Europe."

Gavrilita, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government who took office in August 2021, said her country is not the only one that has reason to be concerned about the invasion launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February.

"This is a very difficult position not just for Moldova but for any small country, any country that relies on the rules-based international order," she said. "If a country can start an annexation war without any regard for, you know, international law, then in this sense nobody is safe, and I think that a lot of countries are worried."

The prime minister noted Moldova's "troubled history in a complicated region" of the world, something that continues to this day. Zakaria pointed out that the current war has damaged Moldova's economy.

"Indeed," Gavrilita said. "Moldova is the most affected country after Ukraine economically from this war. We saw already very high inflation. The inflation in June was at 32 percent."

But the prime minister told Zakaria her people have weathered the crisis nobly, noting that her country has willingly absorbed large number of refugees, regardless of the cost.

"We have seen, for example, in polls that even after receiving a very large number of refugees, 85 percent of Moldovans say that they would receive more refugees and 50 percent say, unconditionally, for whatever time. So this makes me very optimistic about the wisdom of my people," she said.
NEW YORK  Eric Alvarez felt something was off as he waited in a taxi outside a nearby Bronx halfway house. His fiancee, Eva Cardoza, was taking hours to come out on that June 2021 day from a home confinement check-in. She had tested positive for marijuana.

He went home alone. She was taken into custody and was eventually sent back to Danbury prison, the federal low-security camp in Connecticut where she had served nine years of a 15-year prison sentence for drug offenses before being granted home confinement to help cap the spread of coronavirus in May 2020.

More than a year later, Cardoza remains at Danbury, her lawyers said. Marijuana consumption for adults 21 and older is legal in New York.

Cardoza and two other women are at the center of federal lawsuits saying that people released from prison because of COVID-19 are now being sent back over minor infractions, such as not picking up a call from staffers overseeing their home confinement.

Eric Alvarez with his family outside their home in Walden, N.Y. on June 21, 2022.

The lawsuits come as the Bureau of Prisons is facing scrutiny for reincarcerating people in home confinement over minor offenses, even as the agency has increasingly relied on the program to help reduce recidivism and prison populations.

"We're trying to change the conversation around mass incarceration and trying to limit our overuse of prisons, so why are you sending people back to prison for a minor infraction when they have families that they're taking care of?" said Marisol Orihuela, a lawyer for the three women and a law professor at Yale Law School in Connecticut. "When they have a job and they're furthering their education?"

The women in the lawsuits said they were not given due process before being returned back to prison. Lawyers in the three federal lawsuits said the court should have a transparent, constitutional process for the return of people who have home confinement infractions.

Story continues

Cardoza's absence has left a gap: an ailing partner with debilitating disabilities, a home filled with several stepchildren and a 15-year-old daughter reeling from a sexual assault.

"What they did to us, it turned our life upside down," Alvarez said.

Before she was taken back to prison, reentry officials initially told Cardoza they had recommended that around 40 days taken off of her sentence for good behavior be added back to her home confinement sentence. Cardoza's lawyers contend the officials didn't recommend reimprisonment.

The second woman was also sent back to prison for a marijuana violation, while the third woman was reimprisoned for several minor infractions, including visiting an AT&T store without permission from the reentry staffers. She said she needed to fix her phone to keep in contact with officials and that she had gotten verbal approval for the stop.

The other women were eventually released after time in prison, while Cardoza remains incarcerated.

Thousands of prisoners sent home during COVID-19

During the pandemic, Cardoza was one of more than 43,000 people nationwide who were released from prison to home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic. The BOP website said around 50,000 people incarcerated at its facilities had recovered from coronavirus and around 300 had died.

The massive CARES ACT granted then-Attorney General Bill Barr the option to broaden the use of the home confinement program, which had previously only been allowed to be used at the very end of a person's sentence.

Barr opted to allow thousands of people to receive home confinement much earlier, shaving off years from a person's sentence in some cases.

At the conclusion of the national pandemic emergency period, the formerly incarcerated group would've been imprisoned, according to a legal opinion that came out during the Trump administration.

Eric Alvarez with his family outside their home in Walden, NY on June 21, 2022.

In December, the Biden administration's Justice Department reversed the decision, allowing those people to stay home.

Last year, more than 3,000 people were released to CARES ACT home confinement, according to a records request put in by the Prison Policy Initiative, a nonpartisan public think tank.

Those who were released to home confinement were told they must follow specific rules. They have to keep reentry professionals  specialists who are often working for companies contracted by the BOP  updated on their whereabouts. They often wear electronic monitoring and receive special permission to visit stores or other locations. They can go to work or school.

But if someone on home confinement was found to have an infraction, such as missing a check-in or a failed drug test, they could be returned to prison.

The Bureau of Prisons told USA TODAY that 407 people had their home confinement revoked. Of those, 212 were returned because of misconduct in violation of program rules, such as alcohol use and drug use; 69 were returned after an escape, such as an unauthorized absence from custody; and 11 were for new criminal conduct and other violations.

An aerial view captures the Danbury Connecticut Federal Correctional Institute Sept. 24, 2004.

The Bureau of Prison's Inmate Discipline Program requires several steps before returning a person in home confinement to prison, including a disciplinary hearing, written notice of the allegations and the ability to present evidence.

The BOP told USA TODAY its Administrative Remedy Program allows people to have "any issue related to their incarceration formally reviewed by high-level" officials.

But lawyers involved in the lawsuits said their clients did not have hearings, written notice or the ability to present evidence. They said their pleas for review were ignored and noted that the cumbersome, monthslong process can lead to collateral damage, such as a child going back into foster care while the parent is in prison.

James Felman, former chair of the criminal justice section of the American Bar Association, said the reality is that a person in BOP custody is not given the same rights as somebody who is arrested and accused of a crime.

We typically think you have to have some kind of a hearing and you have to have due process. That's not the case here, said Felman, a criminal defense lawyer in Tampa, Florida. He has no direct involvement with the three federal lawsuits.

Felman said he has heard of other cases in which a person on home confinement because of COVID-19 has been remanded back to prison for similarly minor infractions as described in the lawsuits.

One day theyre out on home confinement, and then the next step is they just come and pick them up and take them away and they're given very little explanation, even at the time, as to what they've done wrong, Felman said.

Erica Zunkel, associate director of the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, said the accusations raised in the lawsuits do not seem to meet BOP procedures on how to deal with violations of home confinement. She noted other similar cases, such as the reimprisonment of Gwen Levi, a woman in her 70s who was reincarcerated after missing phone calls while she was at a computer class. After her case stirred a significant outcry, a federal judge decided to grant her compassionate release in July 2021.

It just doesn't seem to comport with justice and fairness and there seems to be a large degree of arbitrariness to how these things are happening and people and families are really, really paying the price for that, she said.

Kevin Ring, president of criminal justice advocacy organization FAMM, said anyone on home confinement should be careful to follow the required rules. But he said consequences should match the violation and people shouldn't face years of imprisonment for missing a call. He also wants to see more explicit rules on how infractions are handled.

"People are not meant to be on monitors for years and years," he said. "You're going to screw up, even if you don't want to."

Marc Levin, chief policy counsel at the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank, said its mindboggling that the federal system is still resorting to this sort of punishment. He noted many states, such as Texas, Alabama and Arkansas, have more lenient systems for state prisoners on parole, including a parole system where the punishment for violating any requirements might be an increase in supervised home confinement, not a return to prison.

And before the person is reimprisoned, he said, there is typically a hearing before a judge.

Returned to prison for minor infractions

The federal lawsuits focus on three women. One of them, Nordia Tompkins was released on home confinement in June 2020 after nearly four years at Danbury prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. After being released, Tompkins, of Sullivan County, New York, spent a year on home confinement reconnecting with her daughters, furthering her education and preparing for a future career in cosmetology, according to her lawsuit and prison officials.

A string of violations sent her back to prison and her then-12-year-old daughter back to foster care.

In May 2021, Tompkins received a violation after reentry staff could not reach her by telephone while she was on an approved pass to be at school.

The following month, an electronic monitor showed her to be at an unauthorized address for about an hour and 15 minutes. That same month, an unauthorized stop to get her phone repaired at an AT&T store sent her back to prison, according to court documents.

Tompkins said reentry staff had authorized her to get her phone repaired  something she needed to have to keep in contact with officials.

"Upon my release, I did everything I set out to do," Tompkins said in a letter dated June 28, 2021. "I got my daughter out of foster care back into my care, I got a job and I reenrolled in school."

She added, "Up until now I have worked so hard to settle back into society the right way."

At a hearing, Tompkins was given a proposed punishment of a loss of around 15 days of good time credit. The document did not mention, her lawyers said, revocation of her home confinement but thats just what happened.

U.S. Marshals took Tomkins into custody and she was later reimprisoned. Her lawyers said Tompkins received no written notice of the BOPs decision to revoke her home confinement and imprisonment.

Prisoners at the Bolivar County Correctional Facility in Cleveland, Miss., receive a COVID-19 vaccination administered by medical workers with Delta Health Center.

BOP officials motioned to dismiss her case, saying, "She proved herself incapable of complying with the conditions of community custody through her repeated misconduct."

After the lawsuit was filed, Tompkins was sent to a halfway house, where she receives passes for work, but can't gain custody of her younger daughter.

The third lawsuit involves Virginia Lallave, a mother of two who had gotten a job and was taking care of her father on dialysis treatment after being sentenced to nearly four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was reincarcerated for a positive marijuana test in February, more than a year after she was released to home confinement in June 2020.

Lallaves lawyers asked that she be returned to home confinement while awaiting disciplinary hearings and a toxicology report. The BOP did not respond before taking her back to prison, her lawsuit stated.

Lallave did receive written notice that she could lose around 40 days of good time credits for the violation. She was not given notice that prison time was a consideration.

A federal judge ordered the release of Lallave pending adjudication of her case. Still, her lawyers said Lallave continues to be supervised by the private prison contractor and regularly is woken up in the middle of the night with required check-in phone calls or texts.

This month, a judge dropped the case after the BOP released her and decided that it would not incarcerate her further for the marijuana test, her lawyers said. But, the judge declined to weigh in on the due process concerns in the case.

The BOP said it could not comment on the three cases.

"For privacy, safety and security reasons, the BOP does not discuss whether a particular inmate is the subject of allegations, investigations or sanctions in prison, nor do we comment on the conditions of confinement for any individual or group of inmates," it said in a statement.

Sarah French Russell, a lawyer in the three lawsuits and a law professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law in Connecticut, said the three women have appealed through the administrative system and the "BOP has not even answered them."

"The BOP's citation to the administrative remedy system is yet another attempt to avoid accountability for its conduct in ripping our clients away from their families and jobs without a fair hearing," said Russell, also director of the school's legal clinic.

The BOP said in court documents that if an incarcerated person doesn't receive a response within the allotted time period, that person may "consider the absence of a response to be a denial at that level."

A daughter missing her mother

In the meantime, Cardoza's seizures and other medical conditions have worsened since she has been back behind bars.

At home, her presence is acutely missed, according to Alvarez, her fiance. In the year that she had been home, Cardoza had established herself as the maternal figure in a house that included children ranging from 11 to 15, along with Alvarez's 26-year-old son, who has special needs.

Eric Alvarez and his family outside their home in Walden, N.Y., on June 21, 2022.

The family said Cardoza was the one to cook meals, clean and help the children with homework. Meanwhile, she cared for Alvarez, who has an enlarged heart and other medical conditions that have placed him on disability for the past two decades, court documents said. His ailments often make it difficult for him to get out of bed.

Cardoza's absence is perhaps most felt by her 15-year-old daughter. She was 3 when her mother was incarcerated and went to live with her grandmother. After her mother's release from prison, they had reestablished a strong bond.

"It really stresses me out because I cry at night. And it's just, like, I always want to walk into my stepdad's room, hoping that my moms there. But she's never there," the daughter said.

During her mother's recent stint in prison, the girl said she was sexually assaulted by her godfather. USA TODAY does not typically name children who are the victims of sexual violence.

As hard as he tries, Alvarez said it is difficult for him to comfort the daughter in her moments of desperation. Once a good student, she struggles to keep focus in class. At nighttime, she has night terrors. She fears older men.

Although she is in therapy, the teen said she knows what she really needs: her mother.

"She would give me that comfort and that mother hug that every child would want in their whole entire life," she said.

She does get the opportunity to talk with her mother. In those moments, she said her mother seeks to soothe her, saying, "I'm going to be home pretty soon."

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith covers race and history for USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter @T_Cusaac.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: They were released from prison because of COVID-19 but got sent back.
Weather Alert

...HEAT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM WEDNESDAY TO 11 PM PDT FRIDAY... * WHAT...Temperatures up to 102 expected. * WHERE...In Washington, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Washington, Simcoe Highlands, Kittitas Valley and Yakima Valley. In Oregon, Eastern Columbia River Gorge of Oregon. * WHEN...From 11 AM Wednesday to 11 PM PDT Friday. * 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. &&
The US government pledged $50 million (EGP 947 million) to support Egypts food security as well as the smallholder farmers in the country to help offset the severe global consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US embassy in Cairo said on Sunday.

According to US embassy in Cairo, US President Biden made the pledge during his bilateral meeting with President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi in Jeddah on the sidelines of the GCC+3 summit.

The embassy added that this pledge is subject to congressional approval.

Building on more than 40 years of partnership and over $1.4 billion in US assistance to Egypts agricultural sector, the US government stands in solidarity with the people of Egypt at this crucial moment, as Russias brutal war of aggression against Ukraine threatens the prosperity and livelihoods of Egyptians, US Charge d Affairs Nicole Shampaine said, noting the depth of the US support to the Egyptian agricultural sector.

Criticising Russia for invading Ukraine, the US embassy in Cairo said that Putins invasion of Ukraine has blocked Black Sea ports and disrupted agricultural supply chains.

Russia has also destroyed grain storage facilities in Ukraine and prevented Ukrainian farmers from working their fields by attacking their communities and their land, the US embassy in Cairo said, adding that this has resulted in higher food prices and rising food insecurity globally.

The US embassy said that to address these consequences, the US is providing funding to more than 47 countries and regional organisations, including Egypt, to save lives through emergency interventions that will mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger and malnutrition due to the rising price of food, fertiliser and fuel.

The US government has provided technical assistance to more than 500,000 Egyptian smallholder farmers, improving their farm management techniques and access to financial services, the US embassys statement read.

In the past 20 years, the US governments global hunger and food security initiative and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have helped Egypt increase its agricultural export revenue by 1,500 percent, the US embassy continued.

The $50 million pledge comes after the European Union (EU) announced that they had allocated 100 million in immediate relief to encourage investments in Egypt's agricultural sector and secure the country's food needs during the global grain crisis.

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Indian carriers have been going through highly-turbulent times in the recent past. Many aircrafts of IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Air India have reported technical snags mid-air and had to be diverted to make emergency landings as a precautionary measure. Aviation consultant and former chief of Vayudoot, Harsh Vardhan, agreed that aircraft have been witnessing technical snag-related incidents. But what exactly is the problem?

Poor financials of the airlines, broken supply chain and lack of technical efficiency in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are some of the major reasons behind the rising number of instances involving technical glitches in planes, feel aviation safety and industry experts.

"Aircraft were lying idle during the Covid period of nearly two years. Many airlines resorted to cost cutting and retrenchment was part of it. Now, after a sudden surge in demand, a large number of aircraft have been deployed whereas many airlines have not recruited enough manpower to handle the pressure. The new staff is there at many places, but they need to be synchronised with the system and require reorientation," Vardhan said.

Also read: Air travel to become expensive? Airline ticket prices to soar as fuel costs increase

About the financial stress most of the airlines are going through, Vardhan said that most Indian airlines have been running into losses since 2008. "The cost of operation is high in India. Aviation fuel rates are on the higher side. Cash flow and liquidity have been major issues, particularly during the Covid period of two years. There are suppliers of spare parts who cater to the maintenance-related demands of aircraft.

"In many airlines, suppliers of spares have not been paid completely due to poor financial conditions some airlines are going through and as a result, the supply chain has been disturbed. All these things have an impact on the day-to-day maintenance of aircraft," he added.

Speaking about the role of aviation regulator DGCA, Vardhan said that it lacks technical competence. "Regulatory body DGCA does not have much technical competence. They are mostly dependent on the airlines for regular monitoring of aircraft," he said.

However, Vardhan agreed that many of the malfunction is also due to weather and such type of occurrences are taking place across airlines all over the world. "Oversight and deployment of the fleet are crucial at this stage," he said. Aviation safety experts also pointed towards the same.

Also read: Aviation scare: Nine mid-air incidents since July 5 in Indian skies, raises aircraft safety concerns

Aviation safety consultant Captain Mohan Ranganathan said, "The string of incidents occurring of late is because airlines are fudging maintenance procedures due to lack of finance, shortage of trained manpower, and fatigue issues of staff not being taken care of."

Ranganathan also pointed out that the failure of DGCA to enforce safety regulations, conduct financial audits, and covering up accidents and serious incidents as minor incidents are some other reasons.

"One cannot let things ride thinking nothing has happened hence we are safe," he added. Jitender Bhargava, former executive director of Air India, said that given the current situation, it is very difficult to reach the breakeven position for many airlines in the country.

"In India, every airline wants to fill its seats and in that process, they keep the fare lower. Covid has impacted the health of the sector badly. The rate of aviation fuel has been on the higher side. All these things have impacted the financials of the airlines," Bhargava said.

(With inputs from IANS)

Live TV
New Delhi: Hollywood actor Charlie Cox`s iteration of Daredevil is officially returning as `Daredevil: Born Again`, a new series coming to Disney+ with an 18-episode first season in 2024.

According to Deadline, Cox will be joined on the show by Vincent D`Onofrio, who reprised his role in recent Marvel series as mob boss Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin.The announcement of Daredevil`s return was made Saturday at Comic-Con`s Hall H by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige.

This new series centered on Cox`s character had been awaited by die-hard fans since Netflix`s `Daredevil` was canceled in 2018 after three seasons.Rumors about a Daredevil series revival started following the appearance of Daredevil (Cox) in `Spider-Man: No Way Home` and main antagonist Kingpin (Vincent D`Onofrio) in the Disney+ series `Hawkeye`.

Daredevil is an attorney by day and crimefighter by night otherwise known by the name Matt Murdock. Cox will additionally reprise the role as part of the cast of Disney+`s upcoming series `Echo`, slated for next year, while voicing him in the new animated series `Spider-Man: Freshman Year`.

He has also made an appearance as Daredevil in a `She-Hulk: Attorney at Law` trailer unveiled on Saturday in San Diego, though his casting in that show hadn`t previously been announced, as per Deadline.
Maharashtra: After PM Modi and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath poster controversy, another similar row seems to be emerging after a hoarding put up by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers congratulating President-elect Droupadi Murmu was found torn on Sunday in Vasai city in Maharashtra. This has prompted a police case in the matter and an FIR has already been registered, PTI reported. The complaint was filed by the BJP activists after the hoarding with the picture of Murmu was found damaged.

On the complaint lodged by activists of BJP, a case was registered at the Manikpur police station at Vasai in the Palghar district under section 427 (Mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against unidentified persons, an official said.

The hoarding with the picture of Murmu was found damaged, he said. Agitated BJP workers pulled down the damaged hoarding on Sunday night and demanded strict action against the culprits.

No arrests have been made in the matter so far

PM Modi, CM Yogi poster controversy

This comes not too long after a sanitation worker in Uttar Pradesh was sacked after he carried posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the dumpster along with other waste.

His termination triggered a wide social media outrage and many argued that an employee should not be punished for discharging his duties.

The sanitation worker was later reinstated. Following the backlash, Municipal Commissioner, Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam, Anunaya Jha said that after taking note of demands raised by the worker and his family, he was taken back on duty with a warning.
New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh on Sunday (July 24, 2022) shared a video of political leaders greeting outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind at the farewell ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament. In the video, Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be seen standing and looking the other way, while other Members of Parliament including Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcome President Kovind with folded hands.

Sanjay Singh posted this video and questioned PM Modi over it. He wrote, "Such an insult. Very Sorry Sir. These people are like this, your term is over, now they will not even look at you."

Take a look at the Twitter post here:

Soon after this, a war of words erupted between the BJP and AAP today, in which BJP hit back at Sanjay Singh over sharing an edited clip of PM Narendra Modi.

BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya hit back at AAP leader and fact-checked the video posted by him. Sharing the full version of the clip, which shows PM Modi welcoming President Kovind with folded hands before all other leaders, Malviya on Twitter wrote, "Fake news peddler Sanjay Singh at it again. Whose (from Kejriwal to Sisodia) lies are caught every day, and habit of tolerating humiliation, how do you know the way people are respected?"

Take a look at the longer version of video here:
AP ECET 2022: Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK) has released the AP ECET 2022 answer key today, July 24. Candidates can check the direct link to download AP ECET answer key 2022 at cets.apsche.ap.gov.in. No credentials are required to download AP ECET answer key pdf from the official website. Along with the answer key, the authorities have also released the AP ECET 2022 question paper pdf. Candidates can calculate their expected marks using the AP ECET answer key and response sheet. ALSO READ: CISCE 12th Result 2022, Girls outshine boys.

Applicants will be able to raise objections in the answer key till July 26. Know steps to download AP ECET answer key 2022 from below.

AP ECET 2022: Here is how you can download AP ECET Answer Key 2022

- Visit AP ECET official website - cets.apsche.ap.gov.in/ECET 2022

- Click on the AP ECET 2022 answer key link

- The answer key of AP ECET will be displayed on the screen in pdf format.

- Download and take a printout of the answer key of AP ECET for future reference.

The authorities have also allowed students to raise objections against the AP ECET 2022 answer key. To raise objections, candidates have to visit the official website and click on the AP ECET 2022 answer key challenge link. The authorities will release the final AP ECET answer key 2022 after considering all the challenges. Also, the AP ECET 2022 result will be prepared based on the final answer key only. ALSO READ: MHT CET admit card 2022 RELEASED
CBSE Result 2022: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) declared the class 10th, 12th results on 22 July 2022. CBSE will now provide the candidates with the option of obtaining photocopies of term 2 answer copies, verify marks scored in CBSE result 2022 and re-evaluate answers. The application process will be online. While the application for CBSE result 2022 verification of marks will be from July 26 to 28, the registration for obtaining photocopies will be between August 8 and August 9. The CBSE Class 10, 12 revaluation application, can, however, be done between August 13 and August 14.

CBSE 10th 12th result was declared on July 22, and the CBSE result 2022 was made available on the official website, cbseresults.nic.in. CBSE informed that the changes in marks after the re-evaluation will be reflected in the mark sheets and certificates when such students surrender their mark sheets and certificates to the board, as the board will issue new mark sheets and certificates reflecting the changes. ALSO READ: CISCE 12th Result 2022, Girls outshine boys, check pass percentage here

CBSE class 10 and 12 rechecking: Here is how you can apply for Re-evaluation

- Students can visit the official CBSE website cbse.gov.in

- Go to the main webpage and click on the link School Request Submission For Resolution (Srsr) (Term-I Exam Result-2022)

- Now click on School Login

- Enter the credentials to access your school page

- Once you logged in, schools can request CBSE Result Revaluation for Term 1 Results 2022

- Submit the request and wait for the resolution post Term 2 results.

For students of both Class 10 and 12, the charge for verification is Rs 500 and the cost of re-evaluation per question is Rs 100. For obtaining the photocopy of the CBSE answer book, Class 10 students are required to pay Rs 500, while Class 12 students are required to pay Rs 700.

The pass percentage in CBSE result 2022 has been recorded as 94.40 per cent for CBSE Class 10 result and 92.71 per cent for Class 12.

Only those candidates who apply for CBSE result 2022 verification of marks online will be eligible to apply for obtaining photocopy of answer books in those subjects, CBSE in a statement said.

CBSE while announcing the verification, revaluation dates, also said that decrease of even one mark shall be affected and result of revaluation will be final and no appeal or review against the re-evaluation would be entertained.
New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday (July 24, 2022) alleged that the Centre tried to hijack an event of the Delhi government at the Asola Wildlife Sanctuary by replacing posters put up by the Delhi government with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the venue last night.

Environment Minister Gopal Rai said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was supposed to attend the event but has now decided not to participate in it. Rai alleged the Delhi Police acted on the directions of the prime minister's office.

"Last night, the Delhi Police reached the venue of the event and took control of the area. They forcibly put up banners carrying pictures of PM Modi... The banners belonging to the AAP government were torn off," Rai alleged at a press conference. The Delhi Police warned people not to touch banners carrying pictures of PM Modi, Gopal Rai claimed.

Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal were supposed to attend the event and all preparations had been made, he said.

"An event of the Kejriwal government has been turned into a political event of PM Modi. The Delhi chief minister and I have now decided not to participate in the programme," he said.

Rai said the incident showed that PM Modi is afraid of Kejriwal. "Attempts are being made to malign our government. Satyendar Jain was arrested on frivolous charges. Now a conspiracy is being hatched to arrest Deputy Chief Minister (Manish Sisodia). The CM had to go to Singapore but the file was stalled," he said.

"The police are supposed to ensure the safety and security of people and not put up banners of PM Modi," he said.

(With agency inputs)
The feud between Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal escalated after the latter skipped a pre-decided combined programme on Sunday. The LG said that he expects the Chief Minister to be present in future events "to give a message" that they "want to work together" for the city`s development.A pre-decided combined programme of tree plantation drive at Asola Bhatti mines was organised, which was skipped by the Chief Minister. The Delhi government sources said that the government programme was turned into a political BJP programme, because of which Kejriwal decided not to attend the event. This comes days after Kejriwal skipped the weekly meeting called by the LG on Friday citing ill-health. However, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the LG had also skipped one of the meetings on July 8.

"Delhi Police forcefully took over the stage of Van Mohatsav before the programme. It is a Delhi government event, the CM and LG were to attend jointly. Posters showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi were put up and the government programme was turned into a political BJP programme. This is the reason Delhi CM and ministers decided not to attend the event," said the AAP.However, the Delhi LG said that he wanted Kejriwal to attend the event, adding that all should work together for this tree plantation drive."I wanted CM Arvind Kejriwal to attend this event but due to some reasons, he could not.

This is a programme where all of us should work together. I expect him to be present in future events to give a message that we want to work together for Delhi`s development," LG Saxena said during his address. Earlier in the day, the sources said, "After absenting from the scheduled weekly meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday, citing ill health, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday again skipped a pre-decided combined programme of tree plantation at Asola Bhatti mines in the national capital gain due to ill health".

The said programme of tree plantation corresponding with the `Van Mahotsav`, was to be undertaken jointly by the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister.A mutual decision in this regard had been taken on July 4, 2022. A total of 1,00,000 trees are planted as a part of the programme, and the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister were to launch the same together. "One is left to wonder if recommending a CBI inquiry into an apparently illegal excise policy is taking the focus of the CM away from Delhi`s environmental concerns," said LG sources.
New Delhi: Following the arrest of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said that 'everyone in Bengal knew about this scam' and demanded the agencies to nab the culprits soon. "Everyone in Bengal knew about this (scam). After the court`s intervention, investigation agencies started acting upon it. We want culprits to be punished," West Bengal Congress chief AR Chowdhury said to ANI on Saturday.

Bengal SSC scam: TMC accuses BJP of political vendetta

In view of these developments, Trinamool Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using probe agencies for political vendetta. The party also said that it will take action against the minister if he is proven guilty. Chatterjee and his aide were arrested on Saturday in a case linked to the alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state. The arrest comes hours after Rs 20 crore was recovered from minister`s aide Arpita Mukherjee.

"We are closely watching the situation and we have all faith in the judiciary. After the judiciary gives its verdict, we will be able to make a decision. The All India Trinamool Congress will not tolerate any malpractice in the party or government. After the judiciary comes out with its verdict, then only the Trinamool Congress will act. We believe the BJP is behind the play. Whoever has switched to BJP has been untouched and whoever has stayed back is being harassed," Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim said.

Who is Partha Chatterjee and why was he arrested?

Chatterjee, 69, who presently holds the industry and state parliamentary affairs portfolios of the Mamata Banerjee government, was the education minister from 2014 to 2021, during which the alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment occurred.

He was arrested by the ED after around 26 hours of grilling at his residence since Friday morning in connection with its probe into the alleged school jobs scam. The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam. On July 21, Chowdhury called West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee a 'political fraudster, and a political liar to the infinity'.

Chowdhury was commenting on the TMC`s decision to not back the Opposition`s Vice Presidential candidate Margaret Alva alleging that the party was not consulted on her candidature. "Mamata Banerjee is the most fraudulent/duplicitous politician in India. Political liar to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee. Political fraudster to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee...political imposter to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee. Mark my words," Chowdhury said.

Live TV
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the League of Arab States Council that Russia and Arab states are planning to organise a six-way Arab-Russian Cooperation forum as soon as possible.

The forum has convened five times before, said Lavrov on Sunday, who is currently visiting Cairo at a start of an African regional tour from 24-28 July.

In remarks in front of the Arab League (AL) Council, the top Russian diplomat greatly appreciated what he called "a balanced, just and responsible stance" of the leagues member states regarding the Ukrainian crisis.

The Russian foreign minister reviewed the latest developments in the Ukrainian-Russian crisis, saying that Moscow welcomes dialogue with friends in the Arab League and other parts of the world.

Russia has nothing to hide, Lavrov stated.

The West has neglected Moscow's legitimate concerns about its security starting with the expansion of NATO, which is getting closer to Russia's borders despite promises made to the Soviet Union before its dissolution, as well as mobilising former members of the Soviet Union, including Ukraine, to join the alliance, he added.

Kyiv has been provided with various weapons, with plans to establish some military bases in Ukraine to be used against Russia, Lavrov said.

No promises made to Russia have been fulfilled since 2014, he added.

The status of the Russian language in Ukraine was abolished and a declaration of intentions to eliminate the Russian presence in Ukraine was issued, he further added.

The Russian foreign minister affirmed the importance of adhering to the Minsk Agreement, which preserved Ukraine as a single state enjoying sovereignty and territorial integrity, with a special status granted to Donetsk and Luhansk.

The Minsk Agreement has been weakened for seven years, Lavrov said.

NATO was insistent on expansion regardless of the interests of Russia and other countries, he added.

Ukrainian bombing continued against the territories of Luhansk and Donetsk instead of giving them special status according to the Minsk Agreement, Lavrov told the Arab League Council.

The flow of arms to Ukraine continued, and we realised that the Minsk agreement would not be implemented. So, we had no other choice but to recognise the declaration of independence of Luhansk and Donetsk, sign cooperation agreements with them and provide them with military assistance to protect their peoples from any violations or attacks, he added.

The Ukrainian military operation against Luhansk and Donetsk developed in a very specific way, as Kyiv adopted several laws prohibiting the Russian language in education, media and daily life, as well as introducing administrative penalties for those who use it in any local office or shop, Lavrov said.

Russian culture is eroding in Ukraine just as it happened in Latvia, Estonia and other parts of the European Union, he added.

The Russian foreign minister said his country was determined to help the citizens of eastern Ukraine to be able to freely use their language and practice their culture, traditions and family values.

The Russian military operation in Ukraine continues, without closing the door to negotiations, he added.

During the military operation, Russian forces discovered dozens of laboratories where research and biological activities were being carried out with the aim of manufacturing a biological weapon, Lavrov said.

Russia has insisted on transparency in everything that America and its allies do in the field of military biological activities because they have hundreds of laboratories all over the world, including in Asia and South America, he added.

The Russian and Ukrainian peoples will continue to live together, and of course, Moscow will help the Ukrainian people get rid of the regime that is hostile to their own people and history, Lavrov said.

Reviving and reusing Hitler's criminal practices in the modern world will, of course, fail, he added.

Lavrov insisted that the Russian-Ukrainian crisis is not the only cause of the global food crisis.

Difficulties in the food market started with the coronavirus pandemic that put supply chains in trouble, and then Americans and Europeans printed trillions of dollars worth of currency to buy food, medicine and other goods, he added.

The Russian Navy announces on a daily basis that there are safe paths for the export of grain to other countries even before the recent agreement in Istanbul, he further added.

The world is at the beginning of dangerous changes in multilateral arrangements, Lavrov warned.

More countries are moving to use local currencies in trade exchange and depend on supply chains that have nothing to do with the US behavior, he added.

It will take a long time, but we are at the beginning of a new era that is moving towards true multilateralism and not the multilateralism that the West is trying to impose on the basis of the exceptional role of Western civilisation in the modern world, Lavrov said.

A multipolar democratic world will be forged, he added.

Lavrov affirmed his country's determination to boost its partnership and trade cooperation with the Arab League.

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New Delhi: Amid Congress's allegation against Union minister Smriti Irani's daughter Zoish Irani, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday (July 23, 2022) said an 18-year-old should not be demonised. "18-year-olds may not know the process is the punishment in acquiring licenses for running a restaurant in India, Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted without naming the Union minister.

Chaturvedis tweet comes while Smriti Irani asserted that her daughter is a first-year college student and does not run any bar. Smriti Irani did not only refute the allegations made by Congress but also dared the party leaders to prove its claim legally.

"I speak as a mother of a 19 year old & keeping my politics aside," Priyanka Chaturvedi tweeted.

Meanwhile, minutes after Shiv Sena MP came out in support of Iranis daughter, she was countered on social media and was asked by a user whether she would have said the same thing if the allegations were against an ordinary citizen. "My brother, who came from a totally not so privileged background had the same dream at 18, faced massive losses as well as mental health issues trying to make his dream come true in Mumbai. So yes, I do know where my concern comes from. So yes, please sit down, Shiv Sena MP replied to the user.

Earlier, on Saturday, Congress alleged that Smriti Irani's daughter is associated with an illegal bar in Goa. The minister challenged the Congress and said, "I will see you in the court of law and the court of people".

While replying to the allegations, Smriti Irani asked Congress where her daughter's name was mentioned in the notice. My daughter's fault is that her mother holds a press conference on the loot of 5,000 cr by Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Her fault is that her mother fought against Rahul Gandhi in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, she further said.
Monkeypox Outbreak: As the threat of Monkeypox outbreak continue to expand its horizon in India with the countrys fourth confirmed case being reported in Delhi, after Kerala, the Centre on Sunday said that a high-level review meeting on Monkeypox will be held by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) today afternoon. The review meeting was held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, reported ANI. The meeting comes as a 34-year-old male resident of Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of Monkeypox. A confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, said the Ministry.

According to the ministry, the man is presently being recovered at the designated isolation centre at Lok Nayak Hospital. The patient has no travel history.

"Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc are being carried out. A high-level review of the situation has been planned by DGHS at 3 pm today," added the Ministry.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has urged people not to panic and assured them that the government is monitoring the situation as the first confirmed case of Monkeypox was logged in the national capital.

How is Delhi govt preparing to handle the Monkeypox crisis

According to Kejriwal, separate isolation wards have been made at LNJP hospital for Monkeypox-infected patients.

"First case of Monkeypox detected in Delhi. The patient is stable and recovering. There`s no need to panic. The situation is under control. We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP. Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites," tweeted Arvind Kejriwal.

The first case of the Monkeypox virus originated in India on July 14 after a UAE traveller returned to Kerala. He has been admitted to Thiruvananthapuram medical college.India reported its second case of monkeypox in Kerala`s Kannur district on July 18.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Delhi has reported its first case of the monkeypox virus, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday (July 24, 2022). The 34-year-old patient, a resident of Delhi, is currently admitted to Lok Nayak Hospital and is recovering at the designated isolation centre of the hospital. The Union Health Ministry informed that a confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune.

"The close contacts of the case have been identified and are under quarantine as per the MoHFW guidelines. Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc are being carried out," the Ministry said in an official statement.

The Director General of Health Services (DGHS) is scheduled to hold a high-level review meeting today at 3 PM.

According to the latest reports, the man had recently returned from Himachal Pradesh and showed symptoms like fever and skin lesions.

This is now India's fourth case of the monkeypox disease. Earlier, Kerala had recorded three infections.

'Situation under control': Arvind Kejriwal after Delhi reports first monkeypox case

Meanwhile, speaking on the monkeypox case in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has said that there is "no need to panic" and that the "situation is under control".

"We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP. Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites," he said in a tweet.

The first case of Monkeypox was detected in Delhi. The patient is stable and recovering.



There's no need to panic. The situation is under control.



We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP. Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites.  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 24, 2022

This comes a day after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern. In a media briefing on Saturday, the WHO informed that more than 16,000 cases and five deaths have been reported so far from 75 countries. The global health body called on nations to work closely with communities of men who have sex with men and adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.

"We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations. For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

The WHO label - a "public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)" - is designed to trigger a coordinated international response and could unlock funding to collaborate on sharing vaccines and treatments.

"WHOs assessment is that the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally and in all regions, except in the European region where we assess the risk as high. There is also a clear risk of further international spread, although the risk of interference with international traffic remains low for the moment," Tedros added.

With the tools we have right now, we can stop #monkeypox transmission and bring this outbreak under control. Its essential that all countries work closely with affected communities to adopt measures that protect their health, human rights and dignity.pic.twitter.com/DqyvRtB8w2  Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 23, 2022

The WHO chief also said that, for the moment, this is an outbreak that is concentrated among men who have sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners.

"That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups," he said.

What is monkeypox?

Monkeypox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral zoonotic infection which can spread from animals to humans. It can also spread from person to person.

The disease is called monkeypox because it was first identified in colonies of monkeys kept for research in 1958. It was later detected in humans in 1970.

What are symptoms of monkeypox virus?

According to the World Health Organisation, monkeypox can cause a range of signs and symptoms. While some people have mild symptoms, others may develop more serious symptoms and need care in a health facility. The most common symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. This is followed or accompanied by the development of a rash which can last for two to three weeks.

The rash can be found on the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, eyes, mouth, throat, groin, and genital and/or anal regions of the body. The number of lesions can range from one to several thousand. Lesions begin flat, then fill with liquid before they crust over, dry up and fall off, with a fresh layer of skin forming underneath.

#Monkeypox is a viral disease that spreads through contact with an infected person. Learn how to prevent, identify and stay safe from it. pic.twitter.com/FmUqmaQPg7  Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) July 23, 2022

Symptoms typically last two to three weeks and usually go away on their own or with supportive care, such as medication for pain or fever. People remain infectious until all of the lesions have crusted over, the scabs fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed underneath.

Those at higher risk for severe disease or complications include people who are pregnant, children and persons that are immunocompromised.

How does monkeypox disease spread?

The monkeypox virus spreads from person to person through close contact with someone who has a monkeypox rash, including through face-to-face, skin-to-skin, mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. When an infectious person touches clothing, bedding, towels, objects, electronics and surfaces, someone else who touches these items can then become infected. It is also possible to become infected from breathing in skin flakes or virus from clothing, bedding or towels.

The virus can also spread through direct contact with the mouth, respiratory droplets and possibly through short-range aerosols.

#Monkeypox is a viral disease that spreads through contact with an infected person. Learn how to prevent, identify and stay safe from it. pic.twitter.com/XA95LLI2XA  Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) July 23, 2022

Monkeypox can also spread from someone who is pregnant to the fetus, after birth through skin-to-skin contact, or from a parent with monkeypox to an infant or child during close contact.

How can you protect yourself against monkeypox?

Reduce your risk of catching monkeypox by limiting close contact with people who have suspected or confirmed monkeypox, or with animals who could be infected.

Clean and disinfect environments that could have been contaminated with the monkeypox virus from someone who is infected regularly.

What's treatment for monkeypox?

People with monkeypox should follow the advice of their health care provider. Symptoms normally resolve on their own without the need for treatment, but if needed, medication for pain (analgesics) and fever (antipyretics) can be used to relieve some symptoms, according to WHO.

It is important for anyone with monkeypox to stay hydrated, eat well, and get enough sleep.

People infected with monkeypox should also avoid scratching their skin and take care of their rash by cleaning their hands before and after touching lesions and keeping skin dry and uncovered (unless they are unavoidably in a room with someone else, in which case they should cover it with clothing or a bandage until they are able to isolate again).

The rash can be kept clean with sterilised water or antiseptic. Saltwater rinses can be used for lesions in the mouth, and warm baths with baking soda and Epsom salts can help with lesions on the body. Lidocaine can be applied to oral and perianal lesions to relieve pain.

An antiviral that was developed to treat smallpox (tecovirimat) was approved in January 2022 by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of monkeypox.

Can children catch monkeypox?

Children can also get monkeypox if they have close contact with someone who has symptoms. There, however, have been a small number of kids with monkeypox in the current outbreak.
New Delhi: She opened her mouth against the 'corruption' of the Gandhi family. That's why the Congress is making 'false' allegations against her 18-year-old daughter by referring to the bar in Goa, claimed Union Minister Smriti Irani. She said, 'I will seek the answer (read truth) in the court of law."

Recently, the Congress has accused Smriti Irani's daughter of taking the liquor license of a restaurant in Goa in the name of a deceased person. It was alleged that the restaurant was run in the name of Smriti's daughter.

In response to the allegations, Smriti said, 'My daughter's fault is that her mother held a press conference about Sonia and Rahul Gandhi's Rs 5,000 crore loot. Her fault is that her mother contested Lok Sabha elections in 2014 and 2019 against Rahul Gandhi.' Also Smriti challenged Rahul to fight from Amethi in 2024. She had defeated Rahul in the last Lok Sabha polls.

Also Read: Smriti Irani's daughter running 'illegal' bar in Goa, PM Narendra Modi should sack her: Congress

Congress' accusation against Smriti Irani

Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that the police officer who showed the 'courage' to issue a notice to the restaurant was being targeted. It is claimed that the process of transferring him is going on. The Congress leader said, 'While your supporters are stuck in Lulu Mall-Hanuman Chalisa-Namaz circle, your children are studying abroad (which is a good thing, should be done) or doing illegal work under your patronage."

Meanwhile Smriti's daughter's lawyer claimed that his client does not have any restaurant with the same name as the restaurant being named. The notice claimed to be displayed was not found. He also claimed that false and defamatory posts are being made on social media to serve political interests against Smriti. The lawyer claimed that there is a conspiracy against his client because she is the daughter of the Union Minister.

Live TV
New Delhi: MNS President Raj Thackeray slammed AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi in regards to the Nupur Sharma comment row. He said that when Nupur Sharma's remarks were criticised, others were asked to apologise on her behalf. However, he said, when Owaisi spoke about Hindu gods in public speeches, others do not apologise. He also asked if the countries that had protested against the suspended BJP leader's remarks apologised for comments on Hindu gods.

In an interview with Zee 24 Taas, Raj Thackeray said in Marathi, "Nupur Sharma said what she had heard about Prophet Mohammad. When Owaisi talks about our gods here in public speeches, do others apologise? Did the countries which protested apologize?"

Also Read: Nupur Sharma Comment Row: Surat businessman gets death threats for uploading Nupur Sharma's pic; three arrested

He also said, "Owaisi has said whatever he wants about Hindu gods."

Nupur Sharma comment row: SC says 'no coercive action' should be taken against her

Supreme Court on July 19 issued notices to respondents and directed that "no coercive action" should be taken against her. Former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma is seeking a stay on her arrest in connection with the FIRs registered against her for her alleged hate remarks on Prophet Muhammad and Islam.

Sharma requests to club all FIRs against her

Sharma has sought direction to club all the FIRs registered against her across the country. She said that after the top court`s strong criticism of her, the fringe elements have renewed their threat to her life and also given rape threats.

Sharma has requested the apex court that since the first FIR against her was registered in Delhi, all FIRs at other places be clubbed with Delhi FIR. On July 1, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Sharma and said that she and "her loose tongue" has set the entire country on fire and she is singlehandedly responsible for what is happening in the country.

The FIRs are related to Sharma's statement on Prophet Muhammad during a TV news channel debate.

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New Delhi: Outgoing President of India Ram Nath Kovind will address the nation on Sunday on the eve of demitting office, the President`s Secretariat informed. The address will be broadcast from 19:00 hours on the entire national network of All India Radio (AIR) and telecast over all channels of Doordarshan. Droupadi Murmu was elected to be the next President of India on Friday after she comprehensively defeated the opposition`s presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha. She will take oath at the Central Hall of Parliament on Monday.

Murmu, 64, won by a thumping margin, garnering over 64 per cent valid votes. She will succeed Ram Nath Kovind to become the country`s 15th president.

Murmu will be the first person from a tribal background to take the office. Murmu is likely to take oath on July 25 with incumbent President Ram Nath Kovind`s tenure ending on July 24.

Murmu, a 64-year-old, also becomes just the second woman to take over the role.

Her candidature also created a divide in the opposition camp. The JMM party in Jharkhand extended support to her due to her tribal credentials. A few other tribal MPs and MLAs cutting across party lines also voted for her.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in congratulating Murmu and visited her residence in Delhi to wish her. "India scripts history. At a time when 1.3 billion Indians are marking Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a daughter of India hailing from a tribal community born in a remote part of eastern India has been elected our President. Congratulations to Smt Droupadi Murmu ji on this feat," he said on Twitter.

Murmu will be only the second woman to become President, after Pratibha Patil. Belonging to the Santhal tribe of Odisha, she hails from the Mayurbhanj region of the state. She started out as a teacher and then became a junior assistant in the irrigation department, before entering politics. She served as a minister in the BJD-BJP government in Odisha and held the fisheries, animal resource development, commerce and transport portfolios. Years later, she became the Governor of Jharkhand from 2015 to 2021, the first tribal woman to do so.

Sinha conceded defeat and congratulated Murmu for winning the election. In a statement, he said, "I hope - indeed, every Indian hopes - that as the 15th President of India she functions as the custodian of the Constitution without fear or favour. I join my fellow countrymen in extending best wishes to her.

"He said his contesting served two purposes, that of bringing the opposition parties on a common platform and of highlighting major issues like the "blatant and rampant weaponisation of ED, CBI, Income Tax and even the office of governor against opposition parties and their leaders".
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday (July 24, 2022) hit out at the central government over the Agnipath scheme. Rahul Gandhi stepped up his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and said that India's security and the future of youth are in danger because of the new experiment in the "PM's laboratory".

"60,000 soldiers retire every year, out of which only 3,000 are getting government jobs. What will be the future of thousands of Agniveers retiring on 4-year contracts? With this new experiment in the Prime Minister's laboratory, both the security of the country and the future of the youth are in danger," the Congress leader tweeted in Hindi.

 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 24, 2022

Meanwhile, the first-ever examination for the recruitment in Indian Air Force through the new `Agnipath` recruitment scheme began across the country today amid tight police security. This exam is being conducted in many parts of the country including Delhi, Kanpur and Patna. This exam is being conducted from July 24 to July 31 across the country.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces.

The Agnipath scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces.`Agnipath` is a pan India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors. The scheme provides an opportunity for youth to serve in the regular cadre of the armed forces.

All those recruited under the `Agnipath` scheme will be called `Agniveers`.`Agniveers` will be enrolled for a service duration of 4 years including the training period. After four years, only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre based on merit, willingness and medical fitness.The Agnipath scheme has been brought to strengthen India`s security.

The `Agniveers` will be given a good pay package and an exit retirement package after a service of four years. The first four years, served under a contract, are not likely to be taken into consideration for the fixation of the final pensionary benefits.

The other 75 per cent `Agniveers` will be demobilized, with an exit or "Seva Nidhi" package of Rs 11-12 lakh, partly funded by their monthly contributions, as well as skill certificates and bank loans for help in their second careers.

(With agency inputs)
New Delhi: The Presidential Election 2022 is over. But Yashwant Sinha, the recently defeated presidential candidate, is not returning to the Trinamool Congress. When asked about the matter today, he said, "I thought about this after the announcement of the results. Decided not to join any political party. I will be with the people even without joining a political party." Yashwant has indicated that he will be seen active again in the Rashtriya Manch created by him. From there he can 'speak for himself. Apart from this, decide whether to create another stage or not.

Yashwant joined Trinamool in March last year. He also became the National Vice President of the party. After rejecting three consecutive presidential bids, Yashwant was finalized by the opposition. He told the press conference that he was leaving Trinamool for 'greater reasons'. After he lost, speculations started in the political circles, about will Yashwant return to the TMC again Yashwant himself rejected that possibility today.

Despite not returning to his old party, Yashwant today expressed his gratitude to Trinamool and leader Mamata Banerjee. He said, "I got the most votes from Bengal. But I did not campaign there even once. Mamata told me that to focus more on other states, she would look into the West Bengal polls." Yashwant is angry about the role of JDS. He said, Both Deve Gowda and Kumaraswamy attended the presidential candidate selection meeting called by Mamata Banerjee. They talked about voting with the opposition. But in the end, why you did not vote for me, is not understandable!" Yashwant sees not only the tribal card but also the Central Investigation Agency's poker behind JMM's Hemant Soren standing by the BJP candidate instead of voting for him.

Yashwant said, "If Shiv Sena had not broken up and those who had spoken, would have voted (JMM and JDS) then my vote share would have reached 45 per cent. The votes I got, despite that, were more than any losing presidential candidate before." On the other hand, the Trinamool camp said that Mamata tried hard to bring the opposition parties under one umbrella in the presidential polls. Proof of this is the record number of votes cast in favour of Yashwant Sinha as a defeated candidate despite hundreds of oppositions.
New Delhi: The Delhi Police has busted a prostitution racket involving foreign women and arrested five people, officials said on Saturday. Those arrested have been identified as Mohammad Arup (34), Chande Sahini (30), Ali Sher Tilladaev (48), Jumayeva Aziza (37) and Meredob Ahmed (48), they said. Aziza and Ahmed are Turkmenistan nationals.

Based on a tip-off, a constable was sent as a decoy customer and agents were contacted. After finalising the deal, the decoy customer was sent to an address in Malviya Nagar, a senior police officer said. There, Arup and Sahni asked the decoy customer to choose from the 10 foreign women in front of him. Soon after, a raid was conducted and both the agents were nabbed.

All the foreigners were asked to produce their valid visa and passport for a stay in India, but they failed to produce any legal document, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vichitra Veer said.

Aziza and her husband Ahmed are kingpins of this racket.

Uzbek national Sher used to lure foreign women to India on the pretext of providing jobs and then handed over them to Aziza and her husband. The couple would force the foreigners into prostitution, police said.

The premise was taken on rent by an agent of Aziza who is still absconding, police said.

Certain passports, mobile phones and travel documents have been recovered, verification of which is still in progress. It is likely that more people are involved in this racket, police added.

Live TV
New Delhi: Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday (July 23, 2022) hit out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee's "close aide" Arpita Mukherjee was found with Rs 20 crore at her home. Pradhan regretted that "a mountain of currency notes" was discovered in a house in West Bengal, which is the land of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda, and termed the reported seizure of cash as a "matter of shame".

"A mountain of currency notes, to the tune of Rs 21 crore, has been found at someone's home. We must condemn the corrupt practice, which is shameful on the holy soil of Bengal, the land of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar and Swami Vivekananda, and also the divine land of worshippers of Saraswati, Goddess of learning. Strictest action needs to be taken against the perpetrators," Pradhan was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Chatterjee, the industry and state parliamentary affairs minister, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday in connection with its investigation into the alleged school jobs scam. The ED had on Friday carried out simultaneous raids at the houses of around a dozen people in connection with the probe into the alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment in the state and seized the accounted cash.

Chatterjee was the state education minister when the alleged school jobs scam took place.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, however, said the party had nothing to do with the "seizure of cash in someone's residence who is not associated with us".

Referring to the TMC spokesperson's comment, Pradhan said, "The party has stated that it is not associated with it (the discovery of cash). This reminds me of a Bengali phrase thakur ghore ke ami kala khaina (a guilty mind is always suspicious)."

'Everyone in Bengal knew about this': Congress on Partha Chatterjee's arrest

Following the arrest of Partha Chatterjee, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said that "everyone in Bengal knew about this scam" and demanded the agencies to nab the culprits soon.

"Everyone in Bengal knew about this (scam). After the court`s intervention, investigation agencies started acting upon it. We want culprits to be punished," the West Bengal Congress chief told ANI.

CPI(M) leader urges personalities to refuse awards from 'corrupt' TMC govt

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty urged Nobel laureate economist Abhijit Vinayak Bandyopadhyay and other eminent personalities to refuse awards from the West Bengal government when victims of the school jobs scam are suffering.

"At the onset of the crude financial scam perpetrated by the TMC, I, a Leftist commoner, would like to appeal to you to refuse the so-called Banga Bhusan and Banga Bibhusan award 2022, scheduled to be hosted on July 25," Chakraborty said.

Thousands of unemployed youths of the state have been victims of the scam, carried out by the ruling dispensation, he alleged.

"They have been toiling for justice over the last few years. I appeal to you to stand in solidarity with these victims, who for all these years have been ardent followers and fans of your creativity. May they get to see their icons stand in solidarity with them, at their hour of struggle," Chakraborty said in his appeal.

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Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait stated on Sunday that the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS) would be implemented in all Egyptian governorates within 10 years upon a presidential mandate to compress its 15-year planned timetable, a statement by the ministry said.

Providing comprehensive and integrated health care for all members of the Egyptian family is a dream that cannot be postponed, said Maait, who is also head of the General Authority for the UHIS.

This comes despite all the global economic crises resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Europe that have forced the whole world to rearrange spending priorities, the minister noted.

The UHIS will be implemented in the rest of its first phases governorates  Suez, Aswan, and South Sinai  before the end of the current FY2022/2023 after the experience has succeeded in Luxor and Port Said and expanded to Ismailia, Maait stated.

The six-phase healthcare scheme started experimentally in Port Said in early 2018 and later expanded to Luxor and Ismailia, with the lowest-income citizens being given priority in the programmes schedule. The capital, Cairo, was relegated to the final phase.

Over five million Egyptian citizens have been registered in the countrys UHIS in the governorates of the first phase, the cabinets Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) announced in December 2021.

While in April 2022, Acting Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar said that nearly 15.3 million people would be added to the countrys UHIS in 2022, including farmers, seasonal workers, taxi drivers, fishermen, quarry and construction workers, as well as transport and shipping workers.

The beneficiaries of the UHIS have the right to choose where they can receive the medical service from the approved authorities under the umbrella of the new insurance system, Maait noted.

The UHIS covers more than 3,000 diverse health services ranging from surgical intrusions, medical analysis, radiology scans, tumour treatments, organ transplantations, as well as prosthetic devices in accordance with the latest advancements in the medical field, according to the finance ministrys statement.

Moreover, Maait assured that for the needy families, the states public treasury would bear the financial burden of their sickness, along with the risks and psychological consequences.

CEO of the Universal Health Insurance Authority Hossam Sadek said that the UHIS is keen to provide a quick and instant response to the peoples complaints on its unified complaints platform.

Between November 2021 till July 2022, the UHIS received around 499 complaints, the statement cited Sadek as saying, with 187 complaints coming from Luxor, 279 from Port Said, as well as 33 general complaints. He assured that 99% of these complaints have been resolved.

We aim to provide the ability to reserve medical services in the new medical system by a phone application, which helps alleviate the process on citizens, said Maait.

The UHIS will be supported by state-of-the-art automation technologies as part of the Digital Egypt Strategy  a broader national plan targeting the digitisation of all government services countrywide  according to previous official remarks.

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Paithan: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday claimed that the Eknath Shinde-led government will soon collapse and Maharashtra will have mid-term elections. Speaking before a gathering of party workers here on the third day of his `Shiv Samvad Yatra', an outreach campaign, he also said the rebel Sena legislators betrayed his father, then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, when he was unwell.

Paithan is the Assembly constituency of Sena MLA and former minister Sandipan Bhumre who has joined the rebel Shiv Sena faction led by chief minister Shinde.

"Mark my words.. This government will soon collapse and Maharashtra will have to face mid-term polls," said Aaditya, a former minister himself.

Rubbishing Bhumre's claim that Sena ministers in the previous Sena-NCP-Congress government did not get funds, Aaditya Thackeray said Paithan region got the first scheme under the Marathwada water-grid project.

"Bhumre was given an Assembly ticket five times. When I thought of everything we have done for these people, tears came to my eyes. But this is not the time to cry, this is the time to fight," he said.

The state faced rain fury in the last fortnight and many lives were lost, but the government is being run by only two people (Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis), the Sena leader said.

He called the 40 rebel MLAs as "traitors" who conspired to split the Shiv Sena when his father was unwell and leading the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

Later in the day, Aaditya also spoke at a rally at Nevasa in Ahmednagar district where he praised Shankarrao Gadakh, a Sena ally and MLA of Krantikari Shetkari Paksh.

"If you have friends, they should be like Gadakh. Your own people (on the other hand) betray you and turn traitors," he said, speaking even as it rained heavily.

"Gadakh was firm on his decision to stay with Uddhav-ji and kept his commitment even after the government was toppled. While working in the government, Uddhav-ji's only mistake was that he couldn't indulge in politicking. He did not snoop on his MLAs and MPs. We will continue to commit this mistake, because if we can't trust Shiv Sena workers, who do we trust," he said.

Aaditya also said that the rebel Sena MLAs who have been "forced to revolt" were welcome to return to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party if they wished so.

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UPPSC 2022: The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission, UPPSC has released the Staff Nurse (Male) Main examination 2022 admit cards on the official website uppsc.up.nic.in. Candidates who have registered for the UPPSC Nursing exam can now download the admit card from the official website at uppsc.up.nic.in. The UPPSC Staff Nurse Main examination is scheduled to be conducted on August 4.

Here's how to download UPPSC 2022 admit Card for Nursing main Exam

Visit the official website uppsc.up.nic.in On the homepage, click on Admit Card :- CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ADMIT CARD FOR ADVT.NO.A-1/E-1/2022, STAFF NURSE (MALE)(MAINS) EXAM-2017 RE-ADVERTISEMENT YEAR-2022 Enter you registration details, DOB Submit, your UPPSC Nursing Admit Card will appear on the Check and download the admit card Keep the hard copy of the same for future reference.

The UPPSC Nursing Main exam will commence at 9:30 am and will be concluded at 12:30 noon on August 4, 2022. This recruitment drive is being conducted to fill up 558 posts of Staff Nurse (Male) in Medical Education and Training Deptt. UP and Medical and Health services Deptt, UP.

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New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday (July 22, 2022) congratulated Droupadi Murmu for becoming the 15th President of India and hoped for further development of the Russian-Indian political dialogue and productive cooperation in different areas under her leadership.

"We attach much importance to the relations of special privileged strategic partnership with India. I hope your activities as the head of state will promote the further development of the Russian-Indian political dialogue and productive cooperation in different areas for the benefit of our friendly nations and in the interests of stronger international stability and security," an official statement from the Indian Embassy in Russia said.

#Russian President Vladimir #Putin congratulated Draupadi Murmu on her election to the post of President of the Republic of #India https://t.co/Py8ZGE7TTV pic.twitter.com/fISXGAmNcr  Russia in India (@RusEmbIndia) July 23, 2022

Droupadi Murmu received 2,824 votes with a value of 6,76,803 and defeated opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha, who got 1,877 votes with a value of 3,80,177.

She will be the first member of the tribal community, and the second woman, to hold the top constitutional post in the country.

Born in a poor tribal family in a village of Mayurbhanj, a backward district in Odisha, Murmu was the first woman governor of Jharkhand and served in the post from 2015 to 2021.

She will be sworn in as India's 15th President on July 25 in the Central Hall of Parliament. Chief Justice of India NV Ramana will administer her the oath of office.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday (July 24, 2022) issued a heavy to very heavy rainfall warning for the next 2-3 days for several states. According to IMDs latest weather bulletin, The monsoon trough at mean sea level runs south of its normal position. It is likely to persist in the same location during the next 2-3 days. A cyclonic circulation lies over interior Odisha & adjoining Chhattisgarh in lower & middle tropospheric levels tilting southwestwards with height, the weather department added.

IMD also said that no significant change in maximum temperature very likely over the country during the next five days.

Check IMDs rainfall forecast here:

- Isolated heavy falls, thunderstorm and lightning is very likely over Konkan & Goa on 24; Gujarat Region on 24 and 25; Saurashtra and Kutch on 25; Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam during 24 to 28; and scattered to fairly widespread over ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra on 24 and over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on 26 & 27 July, 2022.

- Isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely on 24 and 25 and heavy rainfall during 26 to 28 July over Telangana.

- Isolated very heavy falls very likely over Saurashtra and Kutch on 24 July, 2022.

- Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with isolated heavy falls and thunderstorm/lightning is very likely over Jammu & Kashmir on 24; Himachal Pradesh & Uttarakhand during 24to 28 and scattered to fairly widespread rainfall over Punjab & Haryana-Chandigarh on 26; Uttar Pradesh on 27 and 28; West Rajasthan during 24 to 26 and over East Rajasthan during 24 to-27 July, 20.

- Fairly widespread/widespread rainfall & thunderstorm/lightning very likely over Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh during next 5 days. i) Isolated very heavy rainfall also very likely over West Madhya Pradesh on 24 July, 2022. ii)Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha & East Madhya Pradesh on 24 & 25 and over West Madhya Pradesh on 25 & 26 July, 2022.

- Widespread rainfall very likely over Odisha, Jharkhand and Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 24th; over West Bengal & Sikkim on 24 and 25 July and scattered to fairly widespread over Bihar during next 5 days. Isolated heavy rainfall very likely over Odisha on 24 & 25; Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim and Bihar on 27 &28 and Gangetic West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 24 July, 2022.

- Fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall with heavy falls very likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during next 5 days.

Meanwhile, heavy rains are likely to continue in several districts of Tamil Nadu. The regional meteorological centre (RMC) has issued a warning to 23 districts for today. Heavy rain is likely in Nilgiris, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Theni, Dindigul, Erode, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Tirupattur, Salem, Kallakurichi, Karur, Namakkal, Tiruchirapalli, Perambalur, Madurai, Sivaganga, Virudhunagar, Thenkasi, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli, and Kanniyakumari districts, a bulletin said.
New Delhi: President-elect Droupadi Murmu will take the oath of office and assume in duties of the office of president in the Central Hall of Parliament. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and members of the Council of Ministers, state Governors, Chief Ministers, Heads of Diplomatic Missions, Members of Parliament and principal civil and Military Officers of the government of India will assemble in the Central Hall for the ceremony on July 25.

President Ram Nath Kovind and President-elect Droupadi Murmu will arrive in the Central Hall in a ceremonial procession.

The President-elect will take the Oath of Office in the presence of the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, followed by a 21-gun salute.

The President will then deliver an address. At the conclusion of the ceremony, the President will leave for Rashtrapati Bhavan where an Inter-Services Guard of Honour will be given to her in the forecourt and courtesies will be extended to the outgoing President.

The National Democratic Alliance`s (NDA) presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu was officially declared the 15th President of the country after the conclusion of the counting of votes on Thursday.

The term of President Ram Nath Kovind comes to an end on Sunday. Murmu will be the first member of the tribal community and the second woman to hold the top constitutional post in the country.

Murmu was the first woman governor of Jharkhand and served in the post from 2015 to 2021.

Born in a poor tribal family in a village of Mayurbhanj, a backward district in Odisha, Droupadi Murmu completed her studies despite challenging circumstances. She taught at Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, Rairangpur. She has also served as a minister in Odisha.
Los Angeles: Angelina Jolie has won a legal battle against her former husband Brad Pitt in their war over the Chateau Miraval winery where they got married in 2014. As per Page Six, the pair took control of the renowned rose company in 2008 when they moved into the chateau that sits on its Provencal vineyard and Pitt has been toiling over the breathtaking buildings and grounds ever since.



But Jolie sold her stake to liquor giant Stoli -- setting in motion a Byzantine web of lawsuits in the US, France and Luxembourg between Pitt, Jolie, their respective businesses and various business partners.



And now Angelina`s legal team has subpoenaed documents from Pitt as well as his company and his business manager on July 22.



A judge in LA said that Pitt and his partners must fork them over to the opposing lawyers -- and said that they can't even hold off until they appeal the decision.



Sources close to the "Maleficent" star`s business operation told Page Six that Pitt's letting his anger over their vicious split get in the way of common business sense.



"Any rational human being would be happy for Stoli to [be a partner in their business.] They have top-notch marketing and distribution," the source said, noting that the firm offers huge opportunities for the business to grow."



He just can`t see past his hatred of Jolie," they continued.



Pitt and Jolie, who separated in 2016, have six children together.
New Delhi: Actor Kunal Kemmu lost his maternal grandmother.

Taking to Instagram, Kunal, on Sunday, penned an emotional note in the beloved memory of his "naani".

"I lost my naani today. We all called her Maaji. She truly earned that name in each one of our lives. She loved us all like a mother and worked so hard to make us all comfortable and happy every time we were in her company. I have such special and amazing memories of her telling me stories, feeding me, looking after me, buying me things that my parents wouldn`t allow sometimes and always telling me to believe in myself and not get bogged down by anything or anyone," he wrote.

Kunal described his naani as his biggest cheerleader. "My biggest cheerleader always. She lived a full life filled with happiness, joy, laughter, sadness, struggles and pains. She symbolises strength, compassion and love for me. Can`t remember if I ever saw her cry. Always saw her busy with something or the other. Creating things out of nothing and always making sure everyone was looked after and well fed specially me. I will always miss you Maaji," he added.

Kunal also dropped a picture in which his daughter Inaaya is seen sharing an adorable moment with `maaji`.

After learning about the unfortunate news, fans and members of the film industry paid their heartfelt condolences to Kunal.

"So sorry for your loss Kunal. Nothing more special than nani. I miss mine every day but I know she is forever looking down on me just the way maaji will upon you. May her soul rest in peace. Love and strength to you all," Sophie Choudry commented. "Sorry for your loss," Hazel Keech wrote.

Celebrities such as Karan Johar, Neha Dhupia, Vir Das, Shweta Bachchan and more reacted to the post.

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New Delhi: Apple iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 12 are selling with a big discount during Amazons Prime Day Sale. The last day of the Amazon Prime Day Sale is today (July 24). It means that customers now have limited hours to upgrade to the latest Apple smartphones.

Amazon Prime Day offer on iPhone 13

The price of the iPhone 13 during the Amazon Prime Day offer is Rs 64,900, down from its MRP of Rs 79,990. Usually, the smartphone is available on Amazon at Rs 66,900. Customers can save more on the iPhone 13 purchase by using card discounts and exchange offers. (ALSO READ: Gold price today, July 24: Yellow metal gets slightly expensive; check gold rate in your city)

The best-selling iPhone at the moment is the iPhone 13. The smartphone is powered by the A15 Bionic CPU and features so many first features, including a cinematic mode for video recordings. (ALSO READ: Good news for UP residents, Yogi govt does away with Rs 7 tariff slab, check new electricity rates)

Amazon Prime Day offer on iPhone 12

The 64GB and 128GB versions of the iPhone 12 are currently available for Rs 54,990 and Rs 59,999, respectively, on Amazon. However, customers can use bank offers to purchase the smartphone for as little as Rs 50,391. Buyers can avail of a 5% unlimited cashback on the purchase via ICICI Bank Amazon Credit Card.

Amazon Prime Day offer on iPhone 13 Pro

Normally selling for Rs 1,19,900, the iPhone 13 Pro's 128 GB variant is being discounted by Rs 14,000 during the ongoing Amazon Prime Day sale. As a result, the smartphone is available at Rs 1,05,900 instead. Customers can get additional card discounts and cashback to get the smartphone at even better rates.

For instance, customers can get up to Rs 15,200 discount on exchanging their old smartphone, and a little over Rs 5000 cashback with non-EMI purchases via Amazon ICICI Bank credit card. Combining the offered discount, exchange discount, and card cashback, customers can save up to Rs 34,200 on the purchase of the iPhone 13 Pro.
New Delhi: Tech giant Google is adding a new feature to its Meet app to allow users to livestream meetings to its streaming platform YouTube. According to the company, an admin can enable this by navigating to the meeting`s Activities panel and selecting "Live Streaming". Users can then select their channel to begin streaming the meeting they are holding, reports AndroidCentral.

Google explained that live streaming "is useful in situations where users want to present information to large audiences outside of their organisation, allowing them to pause and replay as needed, or view the presentation at a later time". (ALSO READ: Gold price today, July 24: Yellow metal gets slightly expensive; check gold rate in your city)

There is a channel approval process for live streaming on YouTube. Google warns users to let them know that their channel must be approved to livestream before they can do so through Google Meet. (ALSO READ: Indian investors richer by over Rs 9 lakh crore as Indian stocks make recovery)

Its help page explains that when host management is on, only the host and co-hosts can begin livestreaming the meeting. If that option is off, anyone attending the meeting can start livestreaming it. Google also provides a privacy option if someone is interested in livestreaming the meeting.

A feature such as live streaming a meeting seems like another way Google is looking to diversify and separate Meet from other platforms, the report said.

The new feature will be rolled out in stages. The first is "rapid release," with the feature rolling out to select domains within three days beginning on July 21.

The second will be for domains under a gradual "scheduled release" that may take up to 15 days beginning on July 25.
New Delhi: It's hard enough to handle a Covid-19 or Monkeypox infection so can you imagine suffering from both at the same time? This is the case of a US man named Mitcho Thompson who got infected with Monkeypox shortly after he tested positive for Covid-19. According to an NBC Bay Area report, the man noticed red lesions on his legs, back, arms and neck soon after contracting Covid-19.

He told NBC, "The doctor was very certain that I have monkeypox and that I had both. That was the question. Could I get them at the same time? And he said, 'Yes, yes, yes.'"

'Felt like a horrible flu': Man infected with Covid-19 and Monkeypox at the same time

While suffering from Covid-19 and monkeypox both, Thompson was miserable for weeks. He said he was unable to get out of bed and couldn't even drink water. Dr. Dean Winslow, professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at Stanford, as quoted by NBC Bay Area said it is indeed possible for someone to get Covid-19 and monkeypox at the same time.

Also Read: Monkeypox now a global emergency; here's all you need to know about viral disease

Monkeypox declared a global health emergency by WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency of international concern after more than 16,000 cases and five deaths were reported from 75 countries. The global health body called on nations to work closely with communities of men who have sex with men and adopt measures that protect the health, human rights and dignity of affected communities.

"We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations. For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Meanwhile, India saw a single-day rise of 21,411 Covid-19 infections, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to 4,38,68,476, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday.
The Ministry of Environment ordered the halting of all dredging activities along the shoreline of Marassi  home to an upscale gated community in the North Coast  where a planned marina project overlooking Sidi Abdel-Rahman Bay was recently launched, over complaints of causing shoreline recession and water turbidity.

The decision was announced on Saturday evening in response to several opposing voices to the project, including residents who argued that the construction work of the marina by the UAE Emaar Group caused a recession of the shoreline and muddled the clarity of the seawater in the coastal area adjacent to the community, which is owned by Emaar Group.

Saturdays statement also indicated that, in response to the complaints, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad formed an urgent committee to inspect the coastal areas of Marassi and its neighbouring communities  specifically Stella and The Diplomats.

After conducting a field inspection and testing the seawater for three consecutive days, the committee found above average levels of turbidity across all tested areas that were brought about by dredging activities in the area, the statement added.

Consequently, the ministry ordered the halting of all dredging activity at Marassi and has taken the necessary pledges not to resume any new work.

After halting the dredging, the committee found that the rates of turbidity concentrations gradually returned to their normal levels and that the quality of the seawater also improved.

The ministry then asserted that the environmental situation in the affected area is now safe for use by tourists and vacationers alike.

Furthermore, it said that it is coordinating with the Ministry Water Resources and Irrigation as well as officials from the affected communities to come up with an urgent solution for the receding shoreline.

The statement added that work is currently underway to prepare a report detailing both the causes and the befitting solutions for the problem, the statement noted.

Once concluded, the report will be submitted to the Higher Committee for Licensing at the irrigation ministry, which is the government body responsible for issuing licenses for any business along beaches in coordination with other relevant authorities.

The Higher Committee for Licensing is then expected to take the appropriate decision on the matter, the ministry added.

Egypt is currently pressing ahead with efforts to rehabilitate its shores and areas along bodies of water as part of its strategy to preserve these swathes of lands from the ramifications of climate change.

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Two people were killed and 12 injured Sunday by bombardment of a church as it was being inaugurated in Syria's central province of Hama, the official SANA news agency reported.

"A rocket fired by terrorist organisations targeted a religious gathering in the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah near Hama, killing two people and wounding 12," it said.

SANA said the attack came during a ceremony to inaugurate the Ayia Sofia church.

Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a vast network of sources on the ground, confirmed the attack.

Giving a toll of one civilian killed and several wounded, the Observatory said shelling or a drone attack by nearby rebel groups could be to blame.

Sunday's attack came two days after bombardment killed seven people including four children in the rebel-held Idlib region.

The Observatory said Friday's fatalities in the Jisr al-Shughur countryside of northern Syria were caused by Russian air strikes.

Around half of Idlib province as well as parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former franchise in Syria of Al-Qaeda.

Other rebel groups in the last pocket of armed opposition to the Damascus regime also remain active, with varying degrees of Turkish backing.

In March 2020, Russia and Turkey brokered a truce in Idlib and neighbouring areas that still holds, despite sporadic attacks from both sides, including Russian air strikes.

Syria's war began in 2011 and has killed nearly half a million people and forced around half of the country's pre-war population from their homes.

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The UN envoy for Yemen on Sunday condemned suspected rebel shelling of a residential neighborhood in the southwestern city of Taiz the previous day that killed at least one child and wounded 10.

Taiz, Yemen's third largest city and the capital of the province by the same name, has been under blockade since 2016, imposed by the Houthi rebels, who are waging war against the country's internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Houthis have rejected two UN proposals to end their blockade. A truce between the waring sides that initially took effect in April and was extended in June has called for the reopening of the roads around Taiz and elsewhere in Yemen.

According to Fathi al-Saqqaf, an eyewitness, a group of children were playing in an open area in Taiz's neighborhood of Zaid al-Moshki when the attack took place on Saturday. A house was also damaged in the shelling, the eyewitness said.

Moammar al-Iryani, information minister of the internationally recognized government, said one of the wounded children died on Sunday. He blamed the Houthis for the attack, which came amid UN efforts to have the truce extended again in August.

Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy, said he was ``especially alarmed`` by the attack.

``The killing and injuring of children is particularly reprehensible,'' he said. ``The people of Taiz have suffered immensely ... and they, too, need the truce to deliver for them in all its aspects.''

A spokesman for the Houthis did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Since April, both sides have traded accusations of violations of the truce but the cease-fire has mostly held, the first nationwide halt in fighting in the past six years of the conflict.

The war in Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished nation, erupted in 2014, when the Houthis descended from their northern enclave and took over the capital, Sanaa, forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try to restore the government to power.

The conflict has killed over 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians, and created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, pushing millions of Yemenis to the brink of famine.

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Sweden's charge d'affaires in Turkey was summoned at the weekend to explain the use of what Ankara alleges is "terrorist propaganda" in support of Kurdish militants, a diplomatic source said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Sweden and Finland of being havens for Kurdish militants, specifically from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which he has sought to crush, and for promoting "terrorism".

He has threatened to block the Nordic states' bid to join NATO unless they extradite dozens of alleged "terrorists" under a deal the three signed last month.

The Swedish foreign ministry said its diplomat had been called to a "meeting" in Ankara on Saturday, without elaborating.

Turkey's display of displeasure follows events in Sweden last week to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Kurdish uprising in northern Syria, which borders Turkey.

Turkey is threatening to launch a new military offensive against Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria, where he wants to establish a buffer zone 30 kilometres (20 miles) deep.

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The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top US military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with US and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

``The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region,'' said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles its efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its ``pacing threat`` and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this week in Sydney, Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The US remains Taiwan's chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of ``grave concern,'' but remains ambiguous on whether the US military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

China's top military officer, Gen. Li Zuocheng told Milley in a July 7 call that Beijing had ``no room for compromise'' on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must ``cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-US ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait.``

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

``This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons,'' Milley told reporters traveling with him. ``They're trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region.``

Milley's visit to Indonesia is the first by a US joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But US leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in China's backyard and counter China's growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with US and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an ``alarming increase`` in the number of unsafe intercepts by People's Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. And US ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a ``statistically significant'' increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an ``equal proportion.''

Milley, who will meet with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the US military involved and engaged in the region.

``We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively,`` Milley said, in order to ensure they can ``meet whatever challenge that China poses.''

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key US partner.

Earlier this year, the US approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the US and Indonesia.

China has condemned US efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an ``Asian NATO.'' During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. ``We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs,'' he said.

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By Trend

Turkiye will continue diplomatic efforts up to securing peace between Russia and Ukraine, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, Trend reports.

The head of state drew attention to the significance of the agreement on the grain corridor, signed the day before in Istanbul.

Erdogan noted that thanks to the sea transportation of Ukrainian grain, which will begin in the coming days, Turkiye will make an important contribution to eliminating the global food crisis.

The President further drew attention to the situation in the domestic economy, emphasizing that export supplies from the country are actively growing.

"According to the results of the first half of the year, Turkiye's export volume exceeded $126 billion, and we forecast to end the year at the level of $300 billion," Turkish president said.
Swedish Electrolux, a global manufacturer and supplier of electrical appliances with long presence in the Egyptian market, inked on Sunday an agreement with SolarizEgypt, the leading implementation and construction company in Egypt and the Middle East to develop a solar power plant at its factory.

The energy will be used to produce washing machines, refrigerators, Delta electric water heaters and stoves.

The company said that such a deal comes in line with the Egyptian governments efforts to encourage a clean energy transition and achieve long-term sustainable development.

The agreement includes two phases; the first phase will cover the installation of 1.5 megawatts, including one megawatt in the Delta factory, which manufactures refrigerators and washing machines, and 0.5 megawatts in the stoves factory.

Moreover, the company intends to install three more megawatts during the projects second phase, aligning with Electroluxs vision to achieve zero carbon emissions from its factories and sites by 2030.

This agreement complements our companys efforts in transitioning into a more sustainable facility. Thus, implementing solar power plants for clean and renewable energy is an appropriate solution to achieve our goal, said CEO of Electrolux Egypt Maysam El-Hennawy

The action will reduce the companys electricity consumption by around 17 percent, according to El-Hennawy.

Head of the Manufacturing Operations at Electrolux in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, Ashraf El-Bahwash noted that Electrolux seeks to work with its suppliers to implement the same target and to participate in all alternative energy projects, adding that the stoves factory is globally recognised for being a zero waste facility.

Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (COP27), the Egyptian government is encouraging the private sector to adopt clean energy.

In this respect, the government intends to double the share of green public investments from to 30 percent in the current FY2022/2023, up from 15 percent in FY2021/2022, and to reach 50 percent in the FY2024/2025, according to Ministry of Finance data.

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KYODO NEWS - Jul 24, 2022 - 13:17 | All, Japan

The Unification Church's links to Japanese lawmakers has emerged as a major political issue ahead of an extraordinary parliamentary session in the fall, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with opposition parties moving to probe such ties including within their own ranks.

Abe's assailant has said he held a grudge against the religious group because large donations his mother had made to it ruined his family, and he thought Abe was linked to the group, according to investigative sources.

The veteran lawmaker had sent a video message to a related group's gathering held in September, and the suspect said he watched it on the internet, the sources said.

The assassination of Japan's longest-serving prime minister has shed a fresh light on the church's involvement in politics, decades after the group founded by a staunch anti-communist, widely known for its mass weddings, drew scrutiny over its so-called spiritual sales, in which people were talked into buying jars and other items for exorbitant prices.

Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, also founded the International Federation for Victory over Communism, a political group, in Japan in 1968.

Many Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers are said to have connections with the church. It remains to be seen, however, what, if anything, the ruling party intends to do about the matter.

Some LDP lawmakers have begun disclosing their connections with the church, known formally as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

Yoshiyuki Inoue, an LDP upper house lawmaker who was just elected this month, has said he is an informal member of the church, but not a religious follower. Inoue was a political affairs secretary to Abe during his first stint as prime minister from 2006 to 2007.

In a statement to Kyodo News, Inoue said he became an informal member because the group approved of his legislative policies. He denied receiving or making donations, or paying membership fees, or being asked to do so.

Education minister Shinsuke Suematsu, also an LDP House of Councillors member, acknowledged Friday that two people from the church had bought tickets for his fundraising parties between 2020 and 2021. He denied doing favors for the church or getting help from it during election campaigns.

The opposition has begun efforts to investigate the scope of the links between the church and lawmakers.

The Japan Innovation Party plans to ask its lawmakers if they are connected and disclose its findings, following reports that one of its lawmakers had links to the church.

The Democratic Party for the People says it may need to take action if problems are uncovered internally. Its leader, Yuichiro Tamaki, has admitted receiving a donation from a former president of Sekai Nippo, a publication known to have close ties to the Unification Church.

The Japanese Communist Party on Thursday held the first meeting of an investigative team set up to look into lawmakers' links to the church. Akira Koike, head of its Secretariat, pledged to pursue the matter in parliament to uncover cases of "collusion."

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan will mainly look into the possible damage caused by the group and its activities.

Followers of the Unification Church have been arrested in Japan and received court orders in connection with money illegally obtained from people through the use of threats, including the citing of "ancestral karma."

The National Network of Lawyers Against Spiritual Sales (Japan) was established in 1987 to help victims of spiritual sales. According to the lawyers, such sales typically involve followers of the Unification Church who randomly approach people on the street and offer free fortune-telling without identifying themselves as members of the church. They later urge their targets to purchase expensive items, often seals, to "shake off bad karma" created by their ancestors.

The mother of Tetsuya Yamagami, accused of assassinating Abe, donated 100 million yen ($735,000) to the church. She said she was making donations "to comfort the spirits of family members," according to Yamagami's uncle.

It is unclear whether the LDP will follow the opposition parties and launch an internal investigation into links with the religious group, often identified as a "cult" in the United States and Europe.

"We must behave ourselves," Hakubun Shimomura, a joint acting chairman of Abe's party faction and former chairman of the LDP's Policy Research Council, told reporters with regard to the party's links to the church.

Former Defense Minister Tomomi Inada, an LDP lower house member, has said she made remarks at a gathering of a group related to the church in 2009, but denied receiving support from the church due to disagreements with it over the rights of sexual minorities.

Iwate Gov. Takuya Tasso recently criticized the LDP, saying the party and its lawmakers have received support during elections from groups related to the church.

"A specific religious group and its related groups have collected outrageous amounts of donations and are affecting election results and government policies," said Tasso, himself a former House of Representatives lawmaker, at a news conference on July 15.

There are similarities between proposals made by the anti-communist group launched by Moon and the political philosophy of Abe and other conservative members of the LDP. Both have pushed for revisions to the Constitution and boosting Japan's defense capabilities, and both oppose the legalization of same-sex marriage.

In the video message to the Universal Peace Federation, a nongovernmental group founded in New York in 2005 by Moon and his wife, Hak Ja Han Moon, the current leader of the church, Abe expressed his "respect" for Han Moon's efforts toward peaceful unification of the Korean Peninsula.

The slain former leader also said, "Be wary of movements that develop biased values as social revolutionary movements," likely referring to movements to legalize same-sex marriage.

Asked if the church had made political donations to the LDP, Tomihiro Tanaka, head of the church's Japan branch, told reporters on July 11 that "no money has moved from the LDP to this entity, or from this entity to the LDP."

Related coverage:

Abe shooter to undergo mental competence exam before indictment

Abe attacker tried to draw attention to church: analysts

Unification Church founder was close to Abe's grandfather: ex-chair
By Takamasa Hirokawa, KYODO NEWS - Jul 24, 2022 - 14:03 | Feature, All, Japan

From mirin to soy sauce, alcohol is an integral part of Japanese stocks, sauces and other products used to prepare dishes such as soba noodles or nikujaga meat and potato stew.

But that alcoholic component excludes many beyond Japan's shores from trying its cuisine, not least the world's estimated nearly 2 billion Muslims. Now, in a bid to make local specialty Sanuki udon available to more people, Kamada Soy Sauce Inc. in the country's western prefecture of Kagawa is preparing to apply for halal approval for a non-alcohol version of the noodle dish's stock.

The idea came from 28-year-old Arum Tiyas Suminar, an Indonesian woman who did her postgraduate studies at Kagawa University and is now employed at the soy sauce producer in Sakaide.

During her student days, Arum tried to sample a bowl of Sanuki udon at a local restaurant. But it was only when it arrived in front of her that she thought to ask if its soup stock had soy sauce or mirin, sweet cooking rice wine. When the server replied in the affirmative, she had to abandon the meal.

The disappointing experience would have reverberations in her professional life. After completing her postgraduate studies in 2019 and finding a job at Kamada Soy Sauce, Arum set about convincing her colleagues of halal products' importance to Muslim diners and took on the challenge of developing an alcohol-free soy-sauce stock.

The finished product, absent of both alcoholic content and animal-derived substances, uses a carefully balanced recipe of ingredients in place of mirin, too.

With a purified production line among halal certification's necessary conditions, the company, founded in 1789, uses specified cleaning products to rinse the manufacturing equipment with water six times.

Arum's boss in the manufacturing department, Toshinobu Naito, said of her perseverance, "She has a strong drive to pursue what she wants to. It's the best thing when someone like that does the job."

After a series of trial-and-error attempts, the finished product went on sale in 2020 as Muslim-friendly udon dashi soy sauce. Regarding plans in 2023 to get halal certification, Arum said, "Standards for what is halal vary by person, but if we have that seal of approval, then all Muslims can eat it without concern."

Ahead of the application, the company intends to ensure the product meets requirements in Indonesia, which boasts a population of over 200 million Muslims. The process will involve an online application, examination of documents, on-site inspections and a final judgment.

With the worldwide Muslim population expected to exceed 2 billion by 2030, the company sees potential global demand for its products. Even in Japan, more and more businesses are getting halal certification.

"If we can get approval, we'll be able to export to countries with many Muslims," Naito said. Certification will take money and time, but an unbowed Arum said, "In my life, there is no giving up."
Aerial photo taken on June 29, 2021 shows a section of the Beijing-Urumqi Expressway in Kazak Autonomous County of Barkol, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

URUMQI, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Song Jun, 45, had traveled across China a few days earlier from the southern coastal city of Shenzhen to Urumqi, the capital of westernmost China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Having been engaged in the international trade of agricultural commodities for 20 years, Song has been committed to facilitating cooperation between overseas source suppliers and Chinese food processors. This time, what attracted him was the market potential of Xinjiang's high-quality agricultural and forestry products.

In China, Xinjiang's fruits and agricultural products do not need to be advertised because of their high quality with low pollution. Song and his team want to scale up the application of low-temperature direct extraction technology in Xinjiang to extract products such as jujube, pomegranate, and cistanche into liquid. They also want to solve the problems of scattered lands and short planting seasons by using vehicle-mounted mobile factories.

He has also worked with Xinjiang's agriculture, forestry, and commerce departments to study how to turn agricultural products sold in sacks into high-value-added industrial products sold by grams.

Along with Song, more than 100 Chinese academics and entrepreneurs have made suggestions for Xinjiang's future economic development at a high-level forum over the week.

"Xinjiang has ushered in an important period of strategic opportunities for high-quality development," Bai Chunli, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said. "High-quality development" is a buzzword experts in different fields pay close attention to.

Qu Jian, vice dean of the Shenzhen-based China Development Institute, was one of the planners of Xinjiang's two state-level economic development zones 13 years ago. He said the same as the coastal areas, Xinjiang used to rely on robust investment in fixed assets and labor employment for growth.

Now, Xinjiang has entered the transition period of economic development, increasingly driven by scientific and technological progress, educational innovation, and institutional innovation, Qu said.

In the first half of this year, Xinjiang's GDP grew by 4.9 percent, ranking third among all provinces and autonomous regions in China. From 2012 to 2021, Xinjiang's GDP increased from 740 billion yuan (109.6 billion U.S. dollars) to 1.6 trillion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 7.5 percent.

Before the forum, more than 40 academicians from the CAS and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) did field research in Xinjiang for about a week on sectors including energy, the chemical industry, water resources, and the digital economy. With rich first-hand data and respective industrial experience, they submitted advisory reports.

Shao Xinyu, vice minister of science and technology, said the ministry would promote the high-quality development of various science and technology parks. It would also drive cotton and wind-energy innovation centers and accelerate the training of academic leaders and community-level agricultural science and technology personnel in Xinjiang.

"We encourage academicians to bring their research achievements and talents to Xinjiang. We support academicians in launching major projects and platforms in Xinjiang to conduct core research and tackle primary scientific and technological problems," said Li Xiaohong, president of the CAE.

How to carry out innovative international cooperation in Xinjiang, also known as the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, is another topic of interest for experts and scholars.

Experts have noticed that the China-Europe freight train service and cross-border cooperation zone achieved remarkable results. Xinjiang plays a significant role in Eurasian economic and trade logistics. Industrial upgrading in Xinjiang will also support the Belt and Road Initiative in the future.

In the first half of this year, 6,195 freight trains between China and Central Asia reached Kazakhstan by way of Xinjiang, a significant increase despite the pressure of the pandemic.

Xinjiang is rich in energy resources, with wind and solar energy reserves ranking first in China. In the context of China's promise to achieve carbon peak and neutrality, many experts mapped out realistic paths for Xinjiang to make clean and efficient use of coal, promote green and low-carbon technologies, and promote the renewable energy industry.

After the forum, Song, determined to start a business in Xinjiang, will go to the vast agricultural areas in southern Xinjiang with his team to land his project as soon as possible.

Many entrepreneurs like Song have attended the forum on-site or via webcast. For them, Xinjiang, a resource-rich region at the forefront of China's westward opening-up, could be a great place to invest in the future. 
PHNOM PENH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A Nigerian man, who has contracted monkeypox and fled Thailand recently, was found here in the capital of Cambodia on Saturday evening, a deputy governor said.

The 27-year-old man, identified as Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, was found at Phsar Deum Thkov area in the Chamkarmon district after a report from the Thai authority, said Koeut Chhe, deputy governor of the Phnom Penh Municipality.

"The Nigerian man was detained and sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital," he told Xinhua via telephone. "We have also deployed our police force at the hospital to monitor the man as he does not cooperate with health staff."

The Nigerian man was confirmed to be infected with monkeypox by the Thai health authority on Thursday.

The patient, who entered Thailand's southern tourist island of Phuket in October 2021 with no departure record, had been sick for more than a week, developing symptoms including fever, sore throat, coughing and rashes, and sought treatment at a local hospital as an outpatient last week.

According to the Phuket health authority, after the test result turned out to be positive, the patient refused to receive treatment, turned off his phone, did not contact the hospital and fled to Cambodia. 
ADDIS ABABA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Joint Security and Intelligence Task Force disclosed Saturday it had killed 153 suspected Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels accused of having committed a recent massacre.

The task force said in a press statement that another 900 suspected OLA rebels have been detained during a month-long security sweep from June 14 to July 14.

During this campaign, individual and group level firearms, a huge amount of bullets and bullets magazines, various military fatigue uniforms, as well as several vehicles have been seized from the OLA, the statement said.

According to the statement, the killed and arrested suspected OLA rebels were related to a massacre carried out last month on mainly ethnic Amhara farmers in Tole rural locality of Gimbi district, West Wollega zone of Ethiopia's Oromia region.

Ethiopian government officials and survivors have accused OLA fighters of carrying out the massacre, a charge the rebel group has denied.

The Ethiopian government has disclosed hundreds of people were killed in the massacre.

The OLA is a breakaway armed faction of an ex-rebel group Oromo Liberation Front (OLF). In May 2021, the Ethiopian parliament voted to designate the OLA as a terrorist group. 
RAMALLAH, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The United States is "fully responsible" for blocking any horizon to resume the stalled peace process in the Middle East, a senior Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) official said on Saturday.

Commenting on the Israeli escalation of settlement expansion in the West Bank, Ahmed Majdalani, a PLO executive committee member, said that the peace process with Israel "has entered a state of coma for several years."

"Israel seeks to address the conflict with the Palestinians through settlements and impose a fait accompli on the ground," Majdalani told "Voice of Palestine," a radio station based in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

He added that "the Israeli leadership is adopting a fixed strategic policy to undermine the two-state solution and the resumption of the peace process and peace talks."

He added that the United States "has always been complicit and even a partner with the Israeli occupation and has always provided political and diplomatic protection and sponsorship to Israel."

"Restoring Palestinian unity and ending the internal Palestinian division that has weakened the Palestinian position everywhere would give the Palestinian side strength to face the challenges in the Palestinian cause," Majdalani added.

Direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians stopped in 2014 following deep disputes on Israeli settlements and establishing a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders. 
Aerial photo taken on July 12, 2022 shows Logos Hope docked at the Valletta harbor in Valletta, Malta. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

VALLETTA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.

This is the mission of Logos Hope, a 132-meter-long ship that was placed into service in February 2009. It entered the Valletta harbor in Malta on July 12, where it is docked until the end of the month for bookworms of different ages to enjoy a world of books.

The crew members, from captains and chefs to those responsible for stacking the thousands of books on board, are all volunteers.

On offer are more than 5,000 titles of books, mostly in English, that cover a wide range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, languages and religion. College coursebooks on languages, mathematics, geography and history can also be found on board.

Although officially registered in Valletta, the vessel spends little time there, moving instead from port to port, so that the crew can share knowledge and help local communities, media relations officer Sebastian Moncayo told Xinhua during a tour of the vessel.

Having been a Logos Hope regular since 2019, with a short break to visit his family in his home country Ecuador, 34-year-old Moncayo loves his life on board, meeting people from other countries and cultures.

He recounted how the boat spent the last three months in Las Palmas in Spain where it was first open to the public and then moved to a dock in another part of Spain for its annual maintenance. Before that, the boat was in west Africa, docking in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia.

After Malta, the boat will sail to Albania and Montenegro in the fall, then may continue its tour further on to Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan in the winter.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, the crew was not allowed to disembark for 122 days, Moncayo said. The pandemic also slashed the boat's income, mostly derived from selling books they buy for a fraction of the market price from donors. An entrance fee of 1 euro (1.02 U.S. dollars) is applicable for visitors aged between 13 and 64.

While in their port of call, the crew usually disembarks to help the local communities through projects with NGOs. "We want to spread the message of how well different communities can live together," said Moncayo.

"It is the love of books and our fascination for meeting people from different cultures that bring us together. (Our) mission is to spread knowledge and hope, and to help (people), and this is what binds us together," he said.

The ship is operated as part of a non-profit organization, GBA Ships, based in Germany.

Avid reader Christine Ellul, 42, would not miss the opportunity to visit the book fair, and has been there twice so far.

"I went twice, once alone (to have) some peace and quiet and another time with my children," she told Xinhua. "I read at least one book every week and my children love reading, too."

She said the idea of the largest floating book fair was also enticing. "The kids enjoyed their time on the boat, speaking to the crew and playing games with them. We got off the boat with three bags of books," she added. 

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.(Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.(Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)




A medical worker injects a booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine for an 89-year-old citizen at Aoyuncun Subdistrict in Chaoyang District, Beijing, capital of China, July 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The COVID-19 vaccines produced by China are safe and effective, according to health officials and experts attending a press conference held by the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 on Saturday.

HIGH VACCINATION RATE

So far, 92.1 percent of the population from the 31 provincial-level regions and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccines, 89.7 percent are fully vaccinated, and 71.7 percent have received the booster, said Zeng Yixin, deputy director of the National Health Commission (NHC).

Among those aged 60 and above, 89.6 percent have received at least one dose, while the full vaccination rate and booster vaccination rate are 84.7 percent and 67.3 percent, respectively.

"All China's incumbent Party and state leaders have completed vaccination against the coronavirus with domestically developed vaccines," Zeng said.

It fully demonstrates that Chinese leaders attach great importance to COVID-19 prevention and control and have high trust in the vaccines produced by the country, Zeng added.

MULTIPLE TECHNICAL ROUTES

China is currently conducting monovalent and multivalent vaccine research and development against Omicron variants through multiple technical routes.

"Chinese vaccines still protect against severe illness and death caused by Omicron variants," Feng Zijian, executive vice president and secretary general of the Chinese Preventive Medicine Association, told the press conference.

The monovalent inactivated vaccines are undergoing clinical trials in the provinces of Zhejiang and Hunan as well as in Hong Kong.

The tetravalent recombinant protein vaccines have obtained approved documents for phase III clinical trials in the United Arab Emirates, and relevant studies have been carried out.

China is pushing forward its vaccine research and development against Omicron variants rapidly and steadily, said Feng.

NOT CAUSE OF LEUKEMIA AND DIABETES

The COVID-19 vaccines are safe, and the vaccination does not lead to leukemia or diabetes, said Wang Fusheng, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Wang said various vaccine substances are safe for humans and will not directly cause diseases. The reagents used in the production of vaccines have been strictly verified by competent institutions and meet related standards.

He noted that the inactivated vaccines, the most widely used in China, have sufficient safety guarantees and have been recognized by international organizations.

The COVID-19 vaccines neither affect growth and development nor lead to tumor metastasis and antibody-dependent enhancement, as some internet sources claimed, according to Wang.

Wang further noted that clinical monitoring and statistical data show that in the four years before and after COVID-19 outbreak, the number of visits and hospitalizations for diabetes and leukemia are virtually the same, with no significant changes.

HOMOLOGOUS AND HETEROGENEOUS BOOSTER

The protective effect against COVID-19 can significantly improve by either homologous vaccination (enhanced with vaccines from the same technical route) or heterogeneous vaccination (enhanced with vaccines from different approved technical ways), said Zheng Zhongwei, an official with the NHC who also heads a vaccine research and development working group under the State Council's inter-agency task force.

Zheng said the protective effect of both homologous and heterogeneous booster shots are quite remarkable in preventing infection, severe cases, and death.

Wang Junzhi, an expert from the vaccine research and development working group under the State Council's inter-agency task force, said that the data from animal tests and human clinical trials during vaccine research and development showed that China's COVID-19 vaccines meet the national standards in both safety and effectiveness. 
ISLAMABAD, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces killed three terrorists and arrested four others in military operations in the country's northwest tribal district of North Waziristan, said a military statement on Saturday.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said that security forces conducted two intelligence-based operations in North Waziristan district, a region bordering Afghanistan.

In the first operation, a high-value terrorist commander was apprehended in an injured condition along with three other terrorists, the ISPR said in the statement.

The ISPR said that three terrorists were killed in the second operation, adding that weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive devices were seized during the operations.

According to the military media wing, the terrorists had been actively involved in terrorist activities against security forces. 
By Trend

The agenda of bilateral and multilateral cooperation involving Georgia and Bulgaria, and prospects of further deepening the traditionally friendly relations between the states were discussed on Saturday in an introductory meeting between the Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili and Vesselin Valkanov, the Bulgarian Ambassador to the country, Trend reports citing Agenda.

The officials discussed existing trade and economic relations and highlighted Bulgarias steady presence among Georgias top 10 trade partner countries over the recent years, Georgias Foreign Ministry said.

The role of the Black Sea region in security and for cooperation in the fields of transport, communications and energy was also noted by the officials.

The sides stressed the importance of the support of Georgias partners to the countrys Euro-Atlantic aspirations, against the background of the changed security environment in the region and the challenges in the international agenda in the wake of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The officials also welcomed the European Council's decision on granting the European perspective to Georgia, and highlighted the countrys irreversible progress on its Euro-Atlantic integration path.

Darchiashvili congratulated the Bulgarian diplomat on his appointment and wished him success in his work in Georgia, while Valkanov reaffirmed Bulgarias unwavering support for Georgia's territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as its European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Nayef Saymoua, a 62-year-old farmer, smells ears of wheat in a wheat field in Syria's southern province of Sweida, July 2, 2022. Amid the tough economic situation in Syria, which was caused by the U.S. sanctions and the global food crisis, people are returning to farms to make a living and feed their families on their own without waiting for external aid.(Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

By Hummam Sheikh Ali

SWEIDA, Syria, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Amid the tough economic situation in Syria, which was caused by the U.S. sanctions and the global food crisis, people are returning to farms to make a living and feed their families on their own without waiting for external aid.

In Sweida province in southern Syria, Nayef Saymoua, a 62-year-old farmer, has planted his farmland with wheat to sell part of it and keep some for his family and relatives.

Wearing a cap and long boots, Saymoua told Xinhua how important it is for farmers to return to their lands because the situation in the country is making it hard for everyone to make a good living or even secure food amid the global food crisis.

Saymoua said the land preserves the dignity of its owner, noting that farmers are returning to the farming business now that the Syrian economy is stalemated as the result of the prolonged war and the suffocating U.S. sanctions.

"Without your land, you would be hungry, and that's why people are now getting back to their farmlands to work hard because we have no other choice," he said.

He stressed that people should start learning how to achieve self-reliance, saying that farmers should be the first to make that given the fact that they have farms on which they can plant everything they need.

"The situation is getting worse, and we can't but rely on ourselves," the sturdy farmer said.

The man said he had chosen this year to plant wheat due to the fact that major wheat-rich areas in Syria had fallen under the control of the U.S. forces and allied local militias.

"We are here doing our best to protect ourselves from the so-called global food crisis," he said.

Raouf Yahya Ezz El Din, another farmer, told Xinhua that nowadays there is reverse migration from cities to the countryside, as people are becoming more aware of the importance of farming.

He said that before the current crisis, people preferred to leave their villages, and head to the capital for making a better living but in light of the high prices, the flow has reversed. Instead of leaving for big cities, people are now returning to their towns and farmlands.

The 53-year-old farmer said the global food crisis has been a good lesson for the farmers to return to their farmlands.

He stressed that "the land is the honor and this land is giving us and making us rely on ourselves, not on other countries."

The United Nations said in February that Syria ranked first among the 10 most food-insecure countries in the world in 2022, with 12 million people suffering from limited or uncertain access to food, as the country's economy is "spiraling further downward."

In addition, the Russia-Ukraine conflict that broke out early this year has impacted the global wheat supply, creating a shortage of wheat supply for Syria, which last year imported 1.5 million tonnes of wheat, mainly from Russia. 

A farmer operates a harvester in a wheat field in Syria's southern province of Sweida, July 2, 2022. Amid the tough economic situation in Syria, which was caused by the U.S. sanctions and the global food crisis, people are returning to farms to make a living and feed their families on their own without waiting for external aid.(Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

Nayef Saymoua, a 62-year-old farmer, harvests wheat in a wheat field in Syria's southern province of Sweida, July 2, 2022. Amid the tough economic situation in Syria, which was caused by the U.S. sanctions and the global food crisis, people are returning to farms to make a living and feed their families on their own without waiting for external aid.(Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting incident Sunday afternoon on a university campus in Metro Manila, the Philippine police said.

The Metro Manila Development Authority confirmed that the shooting took place at 14:55 local time (0655 GMT) at the gate of Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, ahead of the law school's graduation ceremony.

Local media reported that former Lamitan mayor Rose Furigay, her bodyguard, and a school security guard who tried to stop the shooting were among the dead. The former mayor's daughter, who was supposed to graduate from the law school on Sunday, was injured.

The Philippine National Police said the shooter seized a car and attempted to escape, but was caught up by the police. The National Bureau of Investigation agents were also dispatched to the field "to investigate and extend assistance to the victims and school authority."

The campus is "currently on lockdown," said the university.

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said he was "shocked" over the incident and ordered law enforcement agencies "to thoroughly and swiftly investigate these killings and brought all involved to justice."

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon, which was canceled after the shooting incident.

Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back." 
MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has tested positive for COVID-19, her chief of staff Erwin Krishna Santos said on Sunday.

Santos said Arroyo, currently a member of the House of Representatives, tested positive in an antigen test on July 15 and "immediately underwent self-quarantine."

Santos added an RT-PCR test conducted Saturday showed that the 75-year-old politician is still COVID-19 positive.

"Therefore, the former head of state will not attend the first State of the Nation address of President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Monday," Santo said. 
BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to Bajram Begaj on assuming the office as Albanian president.

Xi pointed out that China and Albania enjoy profound traditional friendship, adding that in recent years, with the joint building of the Belt and Road and China-Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) cooperation as platforms, the two countries have enhanced political mutual trust, strengthened policy communication and promoted practical cooperation, making new progress in bilateral relations.

He noted that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Albania relations and is ready to work with President Begaj to deepen bilateral exchanges in all areas and consolidate the fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the two countries and their people. 
LOS ANGELES, July 23 (Xinhua) -- A fast-moving wildfire grew to 6,555 acres (about 26.5 square km) overnight near Yosemite National Park in the western U.S. state of California, prompting mandatory evacuation orders.

The wildfire, dubbed the Oak Fire, ignited Friday afternoon in central California's Mariposa County and was still zero contained as of Saturday morning, said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

It is about 50 km away from Yosemite Valley, near Yosemite National Park, one of the most popular national parks in the United States.

The blaze had destroyed at least 10 structures and damaged another five by Saturday morning, threatening 2,000 other structures, Cal Fire said.

"Fire activity is extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching. Emergency personnel are working to safely evacuate people and are actively engaged in protecting structures," said Cal Fire, noting that explosive fire behavior is challenging over 400 firefighters on the spot.

It is now "one of California's largest wildfires of the year," said the Los Angeles Times, the biggest newspaper on U.S. West Coast.

Some residents were forced to temporarily evacuate and some roads in the area, including one major highway to Yosemite, were closed.

"The fire has been coming towards us faster and faster," Wes Detamore, a resident of Mariposa Pines, was quoted as saying by KFSN-TV, a TV station in the nearby city of Fresno.

With the Oak Fire, the streak of relatively modest and non-destructive wildfires in California so far this season appears to be over, tweeted Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, adding that record vegetation dryness and less stable atmospheric conditions will likely favor plume-dominated behavior at times.

He estimated that the Oak Fire will very likely surpass 10,000 acres (around 40.46 square km) in less than 24 hours.

Another explosive wildfire, the Washburn Fire, has burned over 4,850 acres (19.6 square km) to date with 79 percent contained in over two weeks near Yosemite National Park.

The Washburn Fire has drawn national attention as hundreds of firefighters are battling the blaze to protect some of the world's oldest and largest trees in the park.

Much of the United States, from coast to coast, is being scorched by a heat wave this week. 
ANKARA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Turkiye's Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Swedish charges d'affaires in Ankara over the "terrorist propaganda" staged by the supporters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) during a protest on Thursday in the Swedish city of Gothenburg, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Ankara also conveyed its "strong reaction" to another demonstration held on the same day in Stockholm, the agency quoted anonymous Turkish diplomatic sources.

"In this context, our expectation that the perpetrators of the incident will be identified, necessary legal and judicial measures will be taken, and concrete steps will be taken in light of the commitments recorded in the tripartite memorandum have been emphasized," said the sources.

Finland and Sweden's NATO bid was initially blocked by Turkiye, which accused them of supporting anti-Turkiye groups as they rejected Ankara's extradition requests for suspects affiliated with the PKK and the Gulen Movement.

On June 28, Turkiye, Sweden and Finland agreed on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) before Ankara lifted its veto ahead of the NATO Madrid summit.

In the MoU, Finland and Sweden pledged to support Turkiye's fight against terrorism, and agreed to address Turkiye's "pending deportation or extradition requests of terror suspects expeditiously and thoroughly."

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the EU, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

The Gulen Movement is led by and named after the U.S.-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen. The Turkish government accuses the movement of masterminding the 2016 failed coup in which at least 250 people were killed. 
Aerial photo taken on July 12, 2022 shows Logos Hope docked at the Valletta harbor in Valletta, Malta. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

On offer are more than 5,000 titles of books, mostly in English, that cover a wide range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, languages and religion. College coursebooks on languages, mathematics, geography and history can also be found on board.

VALLETTA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- About 300 people from 60 countries are touring the world on board the largest-ever floating book fair to spread the joy of reading and bring hope and help to the needy.

This is the mission of Logos Hope, a 132-meter-long ship that was placed into service in February 2009. It entered the Valletta harbor in Malta on July 12, where it is docked until the end of the month for bookworms of different ages to enjoy a world of books.

The crew members, from captains and chefs to those responsible for stacking the thousands of books on board, are all volunteers.

On offer are more than 5,000 titles of books, mostly in English, that cover a wide range of subjects including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, languages and religion. College coursebooks on languages, mathematics, geography and history can also be found on board.

Although officially registered in Valletta, the vessel spends little time there, moving instead from port to port, so that the crew can share knowledge and help local communities, media relations officer Sebastian Moncayo told Xinhua during a tour of the vessel.

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

Having been a Logos Hope regular since 2019, with a short break to visit his family in his home country Ecuador, 34-year-old Moncayo loves his life on board, meeting people from other countries and cultures.

He recounted how the boat spent the last three months in Las Palmas in Spain where it was first open to the public and then moved to a dock in another part of Spain for its annual maintenance. Before that, the boat was in west Africa, docking in Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia.

After Malta, the boat will sail to Albania and Montenegro in the fall, then may continue its tour further on to Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan in the winter.

When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, the crew was not allowed to disembark for 122 days, Moncayo said. The pandemic also slashed the boat's income, mostly derived from selling books they buy for a fraction of the market price from donors. An entrance fee of 1 euro (1.02 U.S. dollars) is applicable for visitors aged between 13 and 64.

While in their port of call, the crew usually disembarks to help the local communities through projects with NGOs. "We want to spread the message of how well different communities can live together," said Moncayo.

"It is the love of books and our fascination for meeting people from different cultures that bring us together. (Our) mission is to spread knowledge and hope, and to help (people), and this is what binds us together," he said.

The ship is operated as part of a non-profit organization, GBA Ships, based in Germany.

People select books on board Logos Hope during a floating book fair in Valletta, Malta, July 14, 2022. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

Avid reader Christine Ellul, 42, would not miss the opportunity to visit the book fair, and has been there twice so far.

"I went twice, once alone (to have) some peace and quiet and another time with my children," she told Xinhua. "I read at least one book every week and my children love reading, too."

She said the idea of the largest floating book fair was also enticing. "The kids enjoyed their time on the boat, speaking to the crew and playing games with them. We got off the boat with three bags of books," she added. 
Artist Edward Kamugisha Ssajjabbi is seen working on a painting at his studio house in Kabale, Uganda, July 22, 2022. (Photo by Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua)

KAMPALA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- In one of the paintings, Edward Kamugisha Ssajjabbi tells a story of the Beijing Winter Olympics as the world combats the COVID-19 pandemic.

The art piece also shows three people pushing the coronavirus into fire as a scientist does research. It also shows a lamp, signaling light of life, and modern buildings portraying Beijing. The Great Wall of China features in the background.

This is one of Ssajjabbi canvas art pieces that portray the relation between China, Africa and the world.

Born in Kabale, a remote hilly southwestern district of Uganda, Ssajjabbi has through persistence used his talent to reach the international scene.

On the journey to the global scene, Ssajjabbi has faced several successes and hardships.

As a little boy, Ssajjabbi used to frequent his father's bar where a painter showcased his works.

"I admired the way he was doing them and loved to assist him like in case of picking items closer to him during the execution process. Later on when he had left, I started to frequent our bar with papers and pencils copying what he did," Ssajjabbi, who is also an academician, told Xinhua.

"This forced me to start discovering colors especially using sweet potatoes and bananas for white, smashing batteries for black and even using earth for different colors. This is how I found myself into art," he added.

Years on, Ssajjabbi has been able to study right from diploma level as a fine art teacher to now pursuing a doctorate degree in Design and Visual Culture.

"I have done several art exhibitions both sole and joint on local, national and international levels, which have continued ushering me into art and its benefits," he said.

Ssajjabbi not only teaches art at Kabale University in the southwestern part of the country but also does canvas painting for commercial purposes. He does not have a proper art studio but uses one of the rooms at his residence.

His paintings are mostly about tourism, life in rural Uganda and culture. Most of Ssajjabbi's clients are foreign tourists who throng the region to watch Mountain Gorillas.

VENTURE INTO CHINA

While Ssajjabbi has travelled the world because of art, his first venture into China was in 2019 when he was invited to attend the Eighth Beijing International Art Biennale.

The Beijing International Art Biennale, which has taken place since 2002, promotes global harmony through contemporary artwork exhibitions. More than 100 countries are represented at the Biennale, with more than 5,000 artists showcasing their visual artworks.

Early this year, Ssajjabbi attended the ninth edition of the Beijing International Art Biennale virtually.

He said the Biennale is important to African artists because they showcase their art together with artists from across the globe.

"There are many artists from different countries worldwide who take part in this Biennale and by doing this, African artists are exchanging their culture with the rest of the world through visual communication," he said.

"Africans will also increase their scope of understanding by sharing different approaches in execution processes of the art forms," he added.

Ssajjabbi argued that China is also understanding more of other countries' culture through visual communication.

He said because of the 2022 Biennale, he has been invited to China's Taiwan and Senegal in west Africa.

Back home, Ssajjabbi is sharing his China experience with his students at Kabale University.

Through art, one can appreciate and also inspire others to love their culture, said Ssajjabbi.

"Chinese have preserved their culture, which they are sharing with the rest of the world through art, therefore we need to benchmark and follow suit," he said.

Ssajjabbi argued that art is a key component in the development of a country.

"In almost every industry in a country, art is applied to promote development. In engineering, for fabrication to take place, one needs sketches and drawings as sources of inspiration, no known culture so far which exists without clothes and this is fashion and design," he noted.

"In hospitals, ceramics is used to produce bone part to replace broken ones and even there are teeth which are made of clay. Art is a precursor to development, there is no development without art," Ssajjabbi added.

Ssajjabbi is optimistic that within the next five years he will complete his doctorate degree in Design and Visual Culture. He hopes to use the knowledge generated to guide students at higher levels of education especially in research.

He said he will also use the knowledge acquired to improve his artworks especially paintings. 

File photo taken on May 8, 2018 shows an exhibited painting created by artist Edward Kamugisha Ssajjabbi during the 8th Beijing International Art Biennale. (Xinhua)
BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- China's national observatory on Sunday continued to issue an orange alert for high temperatures as intense heat waves linger in many regions of the country.

During daylight hours on Monday, parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang are expected to experience temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius, the National Meteorological Center said.

Temperatures in parts of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi and Xinjiang may surpass 40 degrees Celsius, the center said.

The center advised the public to avoid outdoor activities during high-temperature periods and suggested that workers exposed to high temperatures shorten continuous working hours.

China has a four-tier color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. 
BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Most of the capital goods monitored by the government saw lower prices in mid-July compared with early July, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Sunday.

Of the 50 major goods monitored by the government, including seamless steel tubes, gasoline, coal, fertilizer, and some agricultural products mainly used for processing, 42 saw their prices decline, while five posted higher prices.

Hog price rose 1.3 percent from early July to came in at 22.6 yuan (3.35 U.S. dollars) per kg.

The reading, released every 10 days, is based on a survey of nearly 2,000 wholesalers and distributors in 31 provincial-level regions. 
Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB), a leading bank in providing digital financial solutions in Bahrain, has partnered with the University of Bahrain in support of the Central Bank of Bahrains FinTech and Innovation initiative.

The initiative enables students seeking a Masters degree in Financial Technology (FinTech) with access to the digital lab, FinHub973, where they have been provided with the opportunity to apply their acquired skills and knowledge practically, as part of their graduation projects.

Through this collaboration, BisB aimed to develop the students knowledge on personal finance management in order to support their graduation projects by better acquainting them with the pillars and fundamentals of personal finance management.

CSR programme

Commenting on the occasion, Hassan Jarrar, Chief Executive Officer of BisB, said: This comes as part of our CSR programme, Jood, which focuses on innovation and education to equip students with the required skill set and knowledge, creating a future-ready workforce. We are proud to take part in mentoring these students and enabling their creativity as we familiarise them with personal finance management, which will help contribute to the completion of their graduation projects. We look forward to seeing these students become potential leaders in the sector and part of a strong and highly equipped workforce.

For his part, Hussain Fardan, a graduate student - majoring in Financial Technology at the University of Bahrain, said: The bank has contributed in enabling me to have all the information and skills needed to complete my graduation project under the supervision of a group of specialised employees, each according to his field.

Modern technology

The Central Bank of Bahrain recently announced its initiative to support graduation projects for FinTech students pursuing a Masters degree at the University of Bahrain. Students will be given the opportunity to experience the use of modern technology in the digital lab of the CBB FinHub973, which is powered by FinTech Galaxy.

The digital lab will help students put their skills to test and enable participating financial institutions to learn about innovative ideas for future generations.-- TradeArabia News Service
Photo taken on March 3, 2022, shows the view of the port of Odessa, Ukraine. (Xinhua/Wang Qing)

ANKARA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Russian officials had told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odessa, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.

"In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency.

"The fact that such an incident happened right after the agreement we made yesterday regarding the grain shipment worried us," he said.

Akar said he also had phone conversations with Ukrainian ministers and received information regarding the incident.

The Ukrainian military said that Russian missiles hit infrastructure in Odesa on Saturday. A missile hit one of the silos in Odesa and another fell in an area close to the silo.

The attack had not compromised the port's ability to load cargo and that grain exports could go on, according to Akar.

Turkiye has sent the two countries a message, in which it said it would like to see both sides continue their cooperation "calmly and patiently" under the agreement signed on Friday, the minister said.

Turkiye would continue to fulfil its responsibilities in the agreement, he stressed.

Russia and Ukraine are signing an agreement with Turkey and the United Nations on shipping Ukrainian grain, foodstuff, and fertilizer to international markets via the Black Sea in Istanbul, on July 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Shadati)

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkiye under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website.

A joint coordination center has started operating in accordance with the agreement to monitor implementation, the Turkish minister added.

According to a copy of the agreement released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be extended for another 120 days if neither party terminates it.

Ukraine is among the world's leading grain exporters, supplying more than 45 million tons annually to the global market, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. 
Bajram Begaj is seen at a parliament session during which he was elected president in Tirana, Albania, June 4, 2022. (Photo by Gent Onuzi/Xinhua)

In his first address in front of the lawmakers as the president, Begaj, 55, declared that he will support and respect both the government and opposition's work, calling for cooperation between political parties instead of conflict.



TIRANA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The newly-elected President of the Republic of Albania, Bajram Begaj, took oath here on Sunday at a swearing-in ceremony in the parliament.

In his first address in front of the lawmakers as the president, Begaj, 55, declared that he will support and respect both the government and opposition's work, calling for cooperation between political parties instead of conflict.

"I will carry out this mission above the parties. I will not remain neutral towards anyone who puts political interests above the nation's interest and I will support and insist on the cooperation between all political forces," Begaj added.

The president urged political parties to "get away from the politics of confrontation and replace it with the politics of dialogue."

"Unity is needed more than ever to ensure the vitality of our nation. Let us all together make our Albania even more beautiful, for it to be in the place where it belongs," Begaj noted.

Begaj was elected president on June 4. A total of 83 lawmakers participated in the voting that took place in the plenary session in the parliament, where Begaj received 78 votes in favor, while four lawmakers voted against and there was one abstention.

He was a major general (Maj. Gen) and held the post of the chief of general staff of the Albanian Armed Forces before the election as president of Albania, a post he is set to hold over the next five years. At his swearing-in ceremony, Begaj was accompanied by his wife Armanda Begaj and his two sons.

On Sunday morning, former President Ilir Meta posted on the social media his last message directed to the people as the president, a post he held for five years since July 2017.

"It was an extraordinary honor and privilege to serve for these five years as President of the Republic of Albania. I wish the best for our homeland and nation! I wish peace and prosperity for every Albanian family," Meta wrote. 
AMMAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday underlined the necessity to step up coordination between Jordan and Palestine, especially ahead of the UN General Assembly sessions in September, according to a royal statement.

The king made the remakes during a meeting with visiting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, where he underscored the kingdom's keenness to reaffirm the centrality of the Palestinian cause in the international community.

Reiterating Jordan's full support of the Palestinian issue, he stressed the importance of keeping the Palestinians involved in regional projects.

The king renewed Jordan's commitment to helping the Palestinians obtain their legitimate rights, saying Jordan will continue to safeguard the holy sites in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian president commended Jordan's efforts to create a political framework to resolve the Palestinian issue. 
KIGALI, July 24 (Xinhua) -- More than 2,400 delegates at a conservation conference in Rwanda Saturday adopted the Kigali Call to Action declaration, committing countries to greater public and private financial investment in nature conservation, protected and conserved areas.

The declaration was adopted at the closure of the inaugural Africa Protected Areas Congress (APAC) in Rwanda's capital city Kigali.

The declaration underlined several other priority actions to be undertaken in order to strengthen Africa's protected and conserved areas in a manner that is just, equitable and fair.

These include strengthening of the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, enhanced Pan-African collaboration, cooperation and partnership for protected and conserved area systems throughout the continent.

"We must put people at the center of conservation if we are to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves and move to actions," said Jeanne D'Arc Mujawamariya, Rwanda's Minister of Environment in her closing remarks.

The six-day event held under the theme "For People and Nature" drew participants from 52 African countries and beyond to address challenges and drive action for Africa's protected and conserved areas.

It was organized by Rwanda in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), an international conservation organization.

Bruno Oberle, the IUCN Director General said the inaugural congress highlighted that Africa's protected and conserved areas are vital for nature and biodiversity, but also for African peoples' livelihoods and cultures.

"It [congress] has formed an unprecedented and diverse coalition that includes governments and civil society stakeholders such as youth, indigenous peoples and local communities as well as protected area directors and rangers to strengthen protection and conservation," he said.

The congress further showed that the importance of conservation is non-negotiable, according to Kaddu Sebunya, the chief executive of AWF.

"Therefore, we call upon all African governments to actualize their commitments to safeguard nature and actively engage with all relevant stakeholders in the creation of A Pan-African Conservation Trust that honors the strong statements within The Kigali Call to Action. Let us get to work," he said. 
TRIPOLI, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The state-owned National Oil Corporation (NOC) of Libya on Saturday said that it plans to increase the daily oil production to 1.2 million barrels.

"The NOC is striving to increase production and bring it back to its normal rates of 1.2 million barrels per day in two weeks," NOC said in a statement.

NOC also said that the current daily oil production has increased from 560,000 to 860,000 barrels.

"The NOC and its companies achieved a relative increase in oil production, with current production reaching 860,000 barrels per day, while the pre-reopening production rate was 560,000 barrels per day," the statement said.

NOC recently announced the reopening of the country's oil fields and ports after nearly 3 months of closure by protesters.

In mid-April, many oil fields and ports in Libya were shut down by local protesters who demanded Prime Minister Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah hand over power to the government appointed by the parliament in March.

Oil and gas constitute a major source of Libya's revenue. However, the sector has suffered from armed conflicts and closures of oil fields and ports over the past years. 
ADDIS ABABA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia's security and intelligence joint task force said it has apprehended 454 suspects who were allegedly plotting foiled terror attacks in recent days in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.

The joint task force, in a statement released Saturday to Ethiopian state media outlets, said it was able to avert major security threat, including planned terrorist attacks in Addis Ababa as a result of coordinated operations that were carried out in recent days.

The joint security and intelligence task force brings together the National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS), Ethiopian National Defense Forces (ENDF), the Federal Police Commission and Information Network Security Administration (INSA).

The detained suspects were said to be affiliated with extremist groups of al-Shabab and the Islamic State (ISIS) as well as other local armed groups that were designated as terrorist organizations by the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives.

Earlier July, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told members of the Ethiopian parliament that dozens of terror suspects had been arrested in recent weeks in the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

The joint task force, commending the public for its valuable role in apprehending the terror suspects, further called on the public to cooperate with security forces to safeguard the city's peace and security. 
ADDIS ABABA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat hailed the grain export deal that Russia and Ukraine separately signed in Istanbul on Friday with Turkiye and the United Nations.

"The chairperson of the commission commends all the parties on this successful development," said a statement issued here late Friday evening.

The deal, officially called "the Black Sea Grain Initiative," was first signed by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and later by Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov with the other two sides.

The AU Commission chairperson also congratulated Senegalese President Macky Sall, the current chairman of the AU, for having called for the resumption of cereals from Russia and Ukraine to global markets.

Sall's visit to Russia and Ukraine last month is believed to have played a role in the eventual deal, said the chairperson.

Russia and Ukraine are breadbaskets of the world, producing almost one-third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil. Russia is also a top global exporter of fertilizers and the raw materials for its production. 
DAR ES SALAAM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities on Sunday launched the cultivation of 11,453 hectares of block farms for the youth in the country's central region of Dodoma.

Hussein Bashe, the Minister for Agriculture, the launch of the cultivation of 11,453 hectares of block farms is part of the implementation of a national agricultural program for the youth.

Bashe said the 11,453 hectares of block farms are located in Mlazo and Ndogoe villages in Chamwino district in the Dodoma region.

He said cultivation of the farms will go in tandem with the drilling of dams for irrigating the farms to be done by the National Irrigation Commission in collaboration with the Dodoma Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DUWASA).

Bashe said experts have already tested soil in the identified block farms for the youth to establish suitable crops in the farms.

Anthony Mavunde, the Deputy Minister for Agriculture, told parliament in June the government of Tanzania has allocated 20,000 hectares of land that will be used to engage the youth in agriculture.

The pilot program is intended to reduce unemployment facing most of the youth in the East African nation, said Mavunde. 
Internally displaced persons (IDPs) to be sent back to their home provinces are pictured in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 24, 2022. A total of 272 IDPs were sent back to their home provinces from the capital Kabul on Sunday, Deputy Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs Arsala Kharoti of the Afghan caretaker government said. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of 272 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were sent back to their home provinces from the capital Kabul on Sunday, Deputy Minister for Refugees and Repatriation Affairs Arsala Kharoti of the Afghan caretaker government said.

With the help provided under a coordinated program by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office and the Afghan Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation Affairs, the IDPs were sent back to their homes in Ghazni, Bamyan, Daikundi and Wardak provinces.

Each family was offered up to 200 U.S. dollars by the UNHCR for returning to their homes, according to the deputy minister.

"We are happy to return to our province as we see good security countrywide," Siddiqe, head of a five-member family from central Daikundi province told Xinhua.

Siddiqe left his hometown a few years ago to avoid conflicts there and had lived in a rental house for one year in Kabul. He said he is going home and resume working in agriculture and animal husbandry.

Mohammad Nasim, the breadwinner of a seven-member family, left his hometown two years ago. "In the past, it was war and insecurity in our province Ghazni. This was why we moved to Kabul, but here, we faced harsh economic problems," he said.

According to officials with the ministry for refugees and repatriation affairs, those returning their homes would get help from local aid agencies.

Up to 6,000 displaced families residing in Kabul have been reportedly sent back to their home provinces in recent months. 
MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A shooting incident occurred on a university campus in Metro Manila on Sunday afternoon, local media reported.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) confirmed that the shooting took place at 14:55 local time (0655 GMT) at the gate of Ateneo De Manila University in Quezon City. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the law school's graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon.

The campus is "currently on lockdown," the university said. The Philippine National Police are already on site to search for the active shooter.

Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back." 
French woman finds Vietnamese sister after 25 years

A young French woman has just found her Vietnamese family after 25 years thanks to support online.

Emma Kiener, 26, comes from Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. Her French parents have told her that they adopted her from Vietnam and shared lots of stories about Vietnam with her.









Emma Kiener (left) and her Vietnamese sister Tran Thi Thanh Loan





They also supported her when she said that she wanted to find her Vietnamese family members.



According to papers given by her adopted parents, Emma Kiener was registered as Truong Thi Thanh Hanh, born on October 5, 1996, at Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Her mother, whose name was Truong Thi Thanh, was noted as residing at 103 Thu Duc Town, Ho Chi Minh City, left her at the hospital right after birth. She was then sent to Tam Binh Orphanage and was adopted and brought to France on October 22 of the same year.



Through some social websites, Emma discovered a man named Do Hong Phuc, 27, in Ho Chi Minh City, who has helped find families for many Vietnamese people living abroad. She sent a message to Phuc in March asking for support. Phuc came to the address she gave but the area had changed. He also shared Emma's information on various social sites to seek support in the search.



Emma and her adopted parents arrived in Vietnam on July 10 with the hopes of finding her relatives. Phuc arrived at the airport and helped them as a guide.



On July 12, Emma shared her information on a Facebook status and just four hours later, she received a message from someone who said that Emma might be her younger sister.









The photos Emma shares on her Facebook

The owner of that Facebook account was Tran Thi Thanh Loan, 35, who lives in Thu Duc City. Loan said that all the information Emma gave coincided with the information about her family.



According to Loan, after her father died in 1996, her mother Truong Thi Thanh sent her to live with her grandparents and then remarried. She visited her sometimes and told her that she had given birth to a baby girl in late 1996 but had to leave the baby at the hospital due to financial difficulties. She earned her living by selling lotto tickets in Thu Duc and she died in November 2015.



Loan and Emma decided to take a DNA test on July 19 and the results showed that they were sisters. They were very happy to have found each other.



Talking about their mother, Loan said that she hoped that Emma would understand their mum's situation at that time.



"She gave birth to us and I know she loved us all," Loan said. "To me she was the best mum. She used to treat me well and she also shared how how much she suffered after having to leave her small baby at the hospital."



Loan also said that she was very happy to see that Emma had such wonderful adopted parents who had always loved her and created the best condition for her to look for her Vietnamese family.



Emma said that she felt sorry for her mother after hearing about her story.



"I'm sorry I didn't find her sooner," she said.



Emma's adopted parents also met with Loan's family and visited the pagoda which keeps the remains of her mother.









Emma and her adopted parents having a meal with her sister's family in HCM City

The adopted parents left Vietnam on July 22 while Emma will stay and go on a tour in the country with her sister.



"Now I've found the answer for my existence in this life," Emma wrote on her Facebook account. "I now know who I am and why I was abandoned. I'm feeling really relieved."
Thumbay Group, the UAE-based diversified international business conglomerate, has signed an MoU with Thumbay Pre University College under the BA Trust, India. This is to provide merit-based scholarships to the students of Thumbay PU College at the Gulf Medical University in the UAE.

The MoU was signed at Mangaluru by Dr Thumbay Moideen, Founder President, Thumbay Group UAE and B Abdul Salam, Managing Trustee of the BA Trust, India.

As per to the MoU, GMU will offer scholarships in varying percentages for the students of Thumbay Pre- University College who fulfil the Gulf Medical Universitys scholarship criteria. The agreement also envisions academic cooperation between both parties.

Various amenities

The Thumbay School was founded in 1988 by the late Dr Sri B Ahmed Haji Mohiuddin who hails from Thumbay and worked towards uplifting the Thumbay Community and has also established B A Group Thumbay and Many other Institutes in and around Thumbay. The school has various amenities with 1,500 both boys and girls perusing their schooling at Thumbay.

Commenting on the MoU, Dr Moideen said: It is my personal commitment with my late father to provide a few scholarships to the needy and meritorious students of the Thumbay Pre University College and also assure support to take the school to the next level to meet the educational needs of the next generation.-- TradeArabia News Service
LISBON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of 13 projects for the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) were signed in Lisbon on Saturday to receive funds from the European Union (EU) to overcome the post-pandemic economic crisis.

Today's projects were selected through the program "Mobilizing Agendas for Business Innovation" in the sectors of agri-food, biotechnology, and electric mobility.

According to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, Portugal will receive a total of 1.6 billion euros (1.63 billion U.S. dollars) from the EU for this program.

Still, there is a "possibility of adding another 2.3 billion euros" if Portugal uses loans from the EU, he said.

Costa said that the funds will be used to "structurally change the profile of the Portuguese economy", and create "high-technology exporting sectors."

In addition to the 13 projects financed today, there are still another 38 ones that have already been selected to receive European funds in the coming months. (1 euro = 1.02 U.S. dollars) 
LISBON, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The record-breaking heat wave that has gripped Portugal in recent days is the harbinger of climate change and the wildfires are mostly due to poor forest management, experts here agree.

According to geophysicist and environmental researcher Filipe Santos, the heat wave has ravaged Portugal more severely because it occurred "during a period of intense drought" and the "rainfalls in the past ten months have only been half of the normal for this time of year."

"Extreme droughts are becoming more common and serious not only in Europe's Mediterranean region but also across the world," he explained.

In addition to climate change, he said that in Portugal farming and forestry are not properly integrated due mostly to the population's migration to the country's coastal regions.

"Forests have lost their economic value. Some 20 percent of Portugal's land area is abandoned, no one knows who the owners are."

Atmospheric scientist Pedro Soares called attention to the significant decrease in rainfall in recent years.

"Climate analyses point to evapotranspiration (loss of water from the soil by evaporation and transpiration from leaves) and the marked decrease in rainfall as the main culprits behind global warming," he said.

The best way to minimize the negative effects is to adopt a "climate action policy and to intensify the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through the more serious implementation of the existing international agreements."

Each individual can contribute by opting for "more sustainable types of mobility and more efficient energy and food consumption," he added.

Helena Freitas, professor of biodiversity and ecology at the University of Coimbra, told Xinhua that much of Portugal's forests are disorganized. They are disconnected from society, which ended up being abandoned.

"Almost 80 percent of the country's population lives within 50 kilometers of the coast because there is no economy that generates value to keep people in rural areas in the interior," she said.

One way to utilize abandoned land would be to plant high-quality trees, according to Santos.

"It is necessary to value the contribution of forests to the water cycle," he said. "Trees keep water in the soil, prevent erosion and sequester carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, thereby reducing greenhouse gases and climate change." 
Ukraine's MFA says Russian attack on Odesa sea port "spit in the face of UN, Turkey" 24 July, 09:38 AM The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commented on the Russian attack on an Odesa Port (Photo:NV)

Russia's missile attack on the sea port of Odesa represents Russian dictator Vladimir Putins "spit in the face" of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleg Nikolenko said in a comment on July 23.

"The Russian missile is Vladimir Putin's spit in the face of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach an agreement, and to whom Ukraine is grateful," he said.

Read also: First Istanbul meeting on Ukrainian grain exports gives hope for resolution of stalemate

According to Nikolenko, "it took less than 24 hours for the Russian Federation to launch a missile attack on the port of Odesa to undermine the agreements and break the promises it made to the UN and Turkey in the document signed yesterday in Istanbul."

 

"Ukraine emphasizes the need for strict implementation of the agreements regarding the restoration of safe export of Ukrainian agricultural goods through the Black Sea from three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi," the official added.

Read also: First Istanbul meeting on Ukrainian grain exports gives hope for resolution of stalemate

Nikolenko also called on the United Nations and Turkey to ensure that Russia complies with its obligations within the framework of the safe functioning of the grain corridor.

"In case of failure to fulfill the agreement, Russia will bear full responsibility for the deepening of the global food crisis," he stressed.

Russia attacked Odesa sea port with Kalibr missiles on July 23, two of which hit infrastructure facilities. Another two missiles were shot down by air defense.

Ukraine signed an agreement on a partial blockade lift for the export of Ukrainian grain with Turkey and the United Nations on July 22. Russia signed a mirror agreement, though Russia and Ukraine did not directly come to an agreement.



According to the agreement, control over the ports will remain with the Ukrainian side, and no ships, except those that will ensure the export of grain and related products, will be able to enter the ports.

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Kathmandu, July 24

The government of Nepal is planning to mark 2023-2033 as the Visit Nepal Decade to promote tourism in the country.

If the plan materialises, it will help the government revive the tourism industry hit hard by the Covid crisis. The government had declared 2020 as Visit Nepal Year. However, it was called off owing to the pandemic.

Unveiling the tourism revival action plan in Kathmandu this morning, Tourism Minister Jeevan Ram Shrestha said his ministry would make an official announcement of the Visit Nepal Decade within the next three months.

Likewise, the minister said the government would run a hop-on-hop-off bus service in the Kathmandu valley targeting tourists.

The governing is also planning to promote nighttime tourism activities in the valley, according to him.
Another blue-chip recruit has been added to the list of visitors Billy Napier and the Florida Gators are expecting at the recruiting cookout on Saturday, July 30. Five-star edge rusher Samuel M'Pemba, and IMG Academy recruit, is set to make his third trip to the Swamp of the year, according to his social media.

MPemba named the Gators to his top seven earlier in July along with Alabama, Georgia, Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon and Tennessee. While hes yet to take any of his official visits, he has trips planned to Notre Dame (vs. Clemson), Georgia (vs. Auburn), Oregon (vs. Stanford) and Miami on a date thats yet to be determined.

He last visited for the spring game which gave him a taste of the new-look Gators. MPemba has noticed the differences between Napiers Gators and Mullens Gators, and the culture change has him considering the orange and blue for now. Florida needs to get that fifth and final official visit if it wants to make the next cut, so impressing MPemba over the weekend is crucial.

University of Florida next weekend #GoGators   Samuel MPemba (@SMPEMBA5) July 24, 2022

Georgia is considered the leader right now by the On3 recruiting prediction machine with a 76.9% chance to land the recruit. That prediction could be a product of recency bias though since that was the last trip he made before the dead period. Florida getting him back on campus as the quiet period starts should help them toward securing the official visit.

The 247Sports composite ranks MPemba No. 23 overall in the class of 2023 and No. 2 among edge rushers.

Related

Florida football misses out on big in-state 4-star offensive tackle Florida offensive lineman makes Rimington Trophy watch list Top-100 linebacker target moving back decision date Florida misses out on one of nation's top safety recruits to rival Gators to get this 5-star 2024 QB recruit on campus at end of July

Story continues

List

Dooley's Dozen: 12 reasons why Florida will be better than people think

List

Here are the July dates you need to know for Florida football recruiting

List

These 5 Gators earned preseason All-SEC honors from the media

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!
Welcome back to Chain Reaction.

Last week, we looked at a crossover episode for meme investing. This week, we're talking about Musk dumping tokens while holding onto others.

You can get this newsletter in your inbox every week by subscribing on TechCrunch's newsletter page.

Dumping favor

A weekly dispatch from the desk of TechCrunch crypto editor Lucas Matney:

Elon Musk shared that Tesla sold some Bitcoin this week. Well, to be fair they sold an awful lot of Bitcoin  tens of thousands of coins.

And while Tesla's announcement last year that they were buying Bitcoin sent prices to the moon, the disclosure Wednesday that they sold 75% of their Bitcoin reserves in Q2 didn't drastically impact the crypto market, which has been on a tear this week with BTC prices pumping and Ethereum shooting even higher (though still wildly below prices from a couple months ago).

At the end of the day, Tesla was one of the top corporate holders of Bitcoin and Elon Musk was, for a while at least, the currency's top billionaire hype man. His stock in crypto circles seems to be falling; crypto Twitter was broadly upset by the announcement with some noting that crypto holders should join those shorting the electric car maker's stock.

Hidden inside this disclosure that the company had offloaded nearly $1 billion worth of Bitcoin was a small admission from Musk that Tesla was holding onto Dogecoin and had not sold any of it. What was unclear from this statement is how much Dogecoin Tesla actually owns. Musk has written on Twitter that he owns it, and Tesla has accepted Dogecoin payments for merchandise on its site for months, but they haven't disclosed any buys of the cryptocurrency.

I tried to do some napkin math on how much Dogecoin the company may hold this week:

The company disclosed that it currently owns $218 million worth of digital assets after selling $963 million worth of Bitcoin. The bulk of that $218 million is likely its remaining Bitcoin. Tesla reportedly had around 42,000 Bitcoin heading into the second quarter, so after selling 75% of them, it should have had around 10,500 at the end of the quarter. Now, to determine exactly how much of that total holding is Bitcoin, wed have to know exactly when the snapshot was taken. It was assumedly taken sometime the last day of June when fiscal Q2 ended, so 1 Bitcoin would have been trading for between $18,750 and $20,300 throughout the day, which at 10,500 coins would mean that around $197 million to $213 million of its total digital assets would be in Bitcoin.

Story continues

Ultimately, Musk's assertion that Tesla was holding onto its Dogecoin was probably more about keeping in the good graces of that Twitter community that anything else, especially during a time when his Twitter dealings have taken some digs at his popularity among retail investors.

the latest pod

Chain Reaction has recapped plenty of negative news in the past month as token prices took a beating and web3 companies suffered as a result. The pain is far from over, but crypto prices did see a fairly substantial recovery this past week, with ETH up 45% week over week. Lucas and Anita talked about what might have driven the uptick, though they also had to talk through the much more unfortunate news of layoffs at OpenSea.

Both co-hosts were hard at work this past week on two separate feature articles that relate to current crypto news, so they unpacked those on the show. Anita talked about her piece on intensifying competition between crypto exchanges for the U.S. market (and which is most likely to win), while Lucas shared his thoughts on Yuga Labs highly hyped Otherside metaverse video game as one of its very first players.

Subscribe to Chain Reaction on Apple, Spotify or your alternative podcast platform of choice to keep up with us every week.a

follow the money

Where startup money is moving in the crypto world:

Cryptography developer tools startup Sunscreen raised $4.65 million in seed funding led by Polychain. Optic, an AI-based NFT authenticator, raised $11 million in a seed round led by Kleiner Perkins and Pantera. Zebedee raised $35 million in a Series B round led by Kingsway Capital to develop Bitcoin-based game payments. Blockchain cybersecurity startup Halborn raised a $90 million Series A led by Summit Partners. UnCaged Studios raised $24 million from investors including Griffin Gaming Partners and 6th Man Ventures to build crypto games. NFT brand loyalty platform Hang banked $16 million in new Series A funding led by crypto venture firm Paradigm. Peer-to-peer wallet messaging app Lines raised a $4 million seed round from investors including Elad Gil and Scalar Capital. Crypto corporate treasury company Meow closed a $22 Million Series A led by Tiger Global. Data infrastructure provider Empiric Network raised $7 million for its seed round from investors including Variant and Alameda Research. Web3 security auditor Secure3 raised a $5 million seed round led by Mirana Ventures.

the week in web3

A weekly window into the thoughts of web3 reporter Anita Ramaswamy:

More than a few times recently, Ive heard people in crypto say a bear market will separate the good companies from the bad ones. Former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton put it more directly at Bloombergs crypto summit on Tuesday, saying regulators should make responding to the garbage going on in web3 their first priority.

Clayton invoked the 2017 ICO boom when describing the aforementioned garbage, a time during which all sorts of rampant scammery and securities fraud was unfolding within crypto. I couldnt help but wonder  has crypto made any material progress since then in improving its reputation as a refuge for miscreants?

For U.S. lawmakers, the answer seems to be yes, perhaps because they are loathe to stifle whats proven to be a substantially large industry worth millions (or billions in a strong market) of dollars. So despite their sluggishness, they are finally coming around. Specifically, U.S. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand proposed a bipartisan crypto bill last month that has been on everyones lips. The pair made an appearance at the Bloomberg summit to share updates on the bills status since it was introduced. Gillibrand shared that while certain provisions look set to move forward, the entirety of the legislation is likely to be deferred to next year.

Still, there are two provisions in the bill Gillibrand predicted could garner consensus much sooner than the rest. The first is a set of rules for banks looking to issue stablecoins  its understandable that those are an area of particular concern for lawmakers after the Terra fiasco. The second is the portion of the bill that would make the CFTC the key regulatory authority overseeing crypto, which she said is currently being finalized in committee. Congress will be able to vote on that provision by the end of the year, she noted.

While U.S. lawmakers and regulators alike will probably always drag their feet in cracking down on crypto because they dont want to be seen as stifling innovation, the new bill seems to be moving right along, faster than many expected. Its not exactly a sudden 0 to 100 shift, but its very possible the U.S. is on the brink of a faster and more furious regulatory response than most in web3 could imagine just a few months ago when the markets were in better straits.

TC+ analysis

Here's some of this week's crypto analysis available on our subscription service TC+ from senior reporter Jacquelyn Melinek:

Regulators should address crypto garbage first, former SEC Chairman Clayton says

As the crypto industry continues to grow, regulators across the world are looking for operational and legal frameworks to guide their actions to more effectively monitor the industry. While theres a tremendous number of responsible players in the industry there are also irresponsible ones, former U.S. SEC chairman Jay Clayton said during the Bloomberg Crypto Summit conference on Tuesday. And regulators have to respond to the garbage first. Thats the job.

NFTs have the potential to become media companies, Rarible co-founder says

As NFTs work to retain mainstream attention, one founder predicts the digital asset sector will pivot in a new direction. I think NFT collections will evolve as media companies [into something] like Disney, Alex Salnikov, co-founder and head of product at NFT marketplace Rarible, said to TechCrunch. In recent months, major blue-chip NFT projects like Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Doodles propelled their collections beyond just images and into different sectors, which may be the beginning of whats in store for NFT expansion into the mainstream, Salnikov said.

Some venture investors are doubling down on crypto despite an unknown recovery timeline

The crypto markets might be red all over, but that isnt stopping many venture capitalists from investing in the space. People who entered the crypto market briefly  aka tourists  are already going home, Craig Burel, partner at crypto-focused firm Reciprocal Ventures, joked to TechCrunch. But a number of VC firms are looking at the space as a huge opportunity, even though there might not be measurable traction for a number of years.

MetaMask co-founder sees a developer-led future for its crypto wallet

Six years ago, MetaMask was founded and today its the largest non-custodial crypto wallet. But that wasnt always the plan, co-founder Dan Finlay told TechCrunch. We thought it was going to be a quick in-and-out thing. Aaron thought wed be working on it for a few weeks; I thought it would be a few months. It became clear pretty quickly that wasnt the case. Now, the team is testing out a hands-off approach to be less opinionated and get out of users way.

Thanks for reading and, again, you can get this newsletter in your inbox every week by subscribing on TechCrunch's newsletter page.
(Bloomberg) -- From Slovakia to Japan, top Hong Kong officials have fired off at least 500 letters blasting critical foreign media coverage, as the city wages a global battle to safeguard its reputation as a liberal financial hub.

Most Read from Bloomberg

At least 174 media outlets in almost 30 countries received missives from city leaders -- including its now chief executive, John Lee -- since China announced in May 2020 that it would impose a national security law on the former British colony. The correspondence, often written both in English and the publications native language, was uploaded to the Clarifications tab of the governments communications platform known as Brand Hong Kong.

About half of the letters, which responded to a mix of reports and editorials, hit back at criticism of Beijings sweeping security law, while roughly a third defended a mandate that only Communist Party loyalists can hold office in the city. Neighboring Asian nations got 42% of the complaints, led by Japan and South Korea, while business publications including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist got the most letters. Bloomberg received seven.

Hong Kong is facing a reputation crisis over President Xi Jinpings dismantling of democratic freedoms that helped differentiate the once-freewheeling financial hub from the mainland, and were guaranteed under Chinas 50-year handover agreement with Britain. Beijings security law has prompted authorities to shutter critical media outlets, ban events marking the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and jail dozens of opposition leaders.

Beyond curbing local dissent, city officials are spending time countering views published by organizations based thousands of miles away. Newly installed Commerce Secretary Algernon Yau said at a Legislative Council meeting last week that Hong Kongs 14 global trade offices had written about 1,000 letters in connection with the security law and electoral system overhaul to unspecified stakeholders over the past two years. Yau added that the government was pushing to bolster the citys image in Central Asia, Islamic countries and Africa.

Story continues

Hong Kongs government has been closely monitoring news reports and social platforms for false information about Hong Kong, a spokesperson for the citys Information Services Department said. The ISD is duty bound to make clarifications through various channels to curb the spread of rumors.

Lee, a former top security official who took power on July 1, has said he would dispatch ministers around the world in an effort to restore the citys global reputation. We shall make good use of our discourse power to tell a good Hong Kong story and tell the achievements and real truth about the success of Hong Kong, Lee said at his inauguration, echoing language used by Xi.

While opposition voices had been suppressed in Hong Kongs local media, international outlets were problematic for the government, according to Michael Davis, a professor of law and international affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University in India.

Press freedom either no longer exists or is hanging by a thread, said Davis, a former law professor at the University of Hong Kong. The only bright spot is that honest foreign coverage can still penetrate the city.

Hong Kongs crackdown on freedoms has eroded the citys reputation among many foreign governments. The US sanctioned senior city officials including Lee over the erosion of liberties, and rolled back preferential trading privileges. Two British judges this year withdrew from the citys Court of Final Appeal, with the UK government saying their roles risked legitimizing oppression. Municipal authorities in Brussels last month pulled ads celebrating Hong Kongs 25th anniversary of Chinese rule from the citys trams, after complaints about Beijings human rights record.

The letters often characterized foreign media coverage of such events as being a grossly biased misrepresentation of facts and accused them of making groundless allegations. One response to a Wall Street Journal editorial last December from Lee, who was then the citys No. 2 official, said the paper had reached new levels of nastiness while denying the arrest of journalists at now-defunct pro-democracy publications Stand News and Apple Daily showed a decline in press freedom.

Gilford Law, director general of Hong Kongs trade office in London, warned the Sunday Times in a December letter that inciting another person not to vote was a criminal offense under the citys Elections Ordinance, irrespective of whether the act took place abroad. An editorial in the newspaper said boycotting last years Legislative Council elections would be the only chance of democratic victory, after opposition activists were denied approval to run.

Hong Kongs press freedom ranking has plummeted since the security law clamped down on free speech. The city came 148 in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index, representing a fall of 68 places from last year. Twenty years ago, the city sat in 18th place. Thirteen journalists were in prison at the time of the May report, Reporters Without Borders said.

With local media outlets increasingly controlled by owners with direct links to Beijing, city politician Dominic Lee said the governments letters to foreign media outlets were an effort by top officials to fulfill Xis mandate to tell Chinas story well.

All of these different actors and the actions they taking are all part of the same coin to spread the truth about China and Hong Kong, said Dominic Lee, whose party is supportive of Beijing, like all others now with representation in the legislature. This message, he added, must be fired from all cylinders.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2022 Bloomberg L.P.
About 400 motorcycles rumbled slowly through the streets of Thibodaux on Saturday to give a final send-off to Ezekiel Harry, a 2-year-old boy from Houma whose body was found in a trash can earlier this month.

Several hundred people packed Moses Baptist Church on Canal Boulevard for Ezekiel's funeral to show their support and offer condolences to his family.

"Y'all are seeing the community come together as a whole and embrace the family and really give them the strength to endure this all throughout," said Michael Willis, a longtime friend of the family. "We've got plenty of tragedies going on in New Orleans, Thibodaux and throughout the United States of America, and this family is showing that they can come out, hold their head up and we're trying to tell the world, 'Hey, hold your head up.' "

A funeral procession for 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry that included an estimated 400 motorcycles rolls down Canal Boulevard in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022.

The Houma boy's body was found July 12 in a trash bin on Daspit Street, a short distance from the Houma Police Departments headquarters. The childs mother, Maya Jones, 28, and her boyfriend, Jermaine Robinson, 37, were booked on first-degree murder and other charges.

'That house is going to be haunted': Neighbors shocked over the loss of Ezekiel Harry

Locals say his life was short-lived, but what happened to Ezekiel will weigh on the hearts and souls of the community for years to come. The trash can where Ezekiel's body was found quickly became a memorial as people placed mementos for the boy, including stuffed animals and balloons. A vigil held in Houma's Courthouse Square three days after the boy's death attracted hundreds as elected officials, police and religious leaders tried to console the wider public.

Organizers of Saturday's procession said bikers came from throughout the area and as far as Texas to pay their respects to a boy whose tragic plight sent shockwaves through the community and beyond. They included local motorcycle clubs as well as units from area police agencies.

Story continues

Asked why the funeral and procession drew so many, Cedric Henry, founder of the Insane Hunters of New Orleans, said it was because of the ending.

Ezekiel Harry.

"It's gut-wrenching to see a kid tossed away in a trash can like that," Henry, 56, said.

"Not only was this child taken away from us, and the way he was taken from us was incorrigible," said Michael Fitch, 54, a member of the Houma-based Zydeco H.O.G. chapter. "I want the family to know we care for him and he was not a piece of garbage."

Could more have been done? Police criticized on Facebook, other social media after arrest in Ezekiel Harrys death

It took about 10 minutes for the entire funeral procession to wind a few blocks away to Sanders Street, where Ezekiel was laid to rest at Moses Cemetery No. 2.

A casket carrying 2-year-old Ezekiel Harry is carried out of Moses Baptist Church in Thibodaux on Saturday, July 23, 2022.

Inside the church, the family of Trey Harry, Ezekiel's father, was seated in the pews on one side, Jones' family on the other.

Elaine Simoneaux-Mickens, a longtime friend of Jones' mother, Jacqueline Jones, said it is important to support both sides of Ezekiel's family. She hopes the tragedy will also raise awareness that child abuse is real.

"And to a baby, two years of his life, he didn't have a chance to do anything, you know, not even throw his first football," she said. "It's just a hard pill to swallow."

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Hundreds of bikers escort Ezekiel Harry to his final resting place
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) departs after chairing the 8th public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  Before Sarah Matthews, a former deputy White House press secretary, even opened her mouth to testify Thursday before the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, the House Republican Conference attacked her on Twitter as a liar and a pawn of Democrats.

The group did not mention the man seated beside her, Matthew Pottinger, a former deputy national security adviser, who was also there to issue a scathing indictment of President Donald Trumps behavior on the day of the riot. Nor did Trump himself mention Pottinger when he lashed out hours later with a statement calling Matthews a fame-seeker who was clearly lying.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

The contrast highlighted how, in a series of revelatory hearings that have focused on issues of democracy, the rule of law and the peaceful transfer of power, another, less-discussed theme has emerged: the gender dynamics that have been a potent undercurrent.

In the course of exposing Trumps elaborate effort to overturn the 2020 election, the House select committee has relied on the accounts of several women who came forward to publicly tell their stories. Their statements, and the attacks that ensued, laid bare how women often still pay a higher price than men for speaking up.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., vice chair of the panel  who herself has suffered heavy consequences for her insistence on publicly condemning Trumps conduct  has been explicit about the role of gender in the proceedings. She has positioned herself as the champion of the women who have agreed to testify in public, comparing them favorably with the many men who have refused to do so.

At the committees prime-time hearing Thursday, Cheney wore a white jacket, the color of the womens suffrage movement. She invoked Margaret Thatcher, the first female prime minister of Britain, and the fight by American women to secure the right to vote as she described the women who had publicly appeared during the panels investigation as an inspiration to American women and American girls.

Story continues

She was referring to Matthews as well as Cassidy Hutchinson, another White House aide who appeared at one of the committees hearings; Caroline Edwards, a Capitol Police officer who testified about how she was assaulted by the rioters, sustained a concussion and continued to fight them off; and Wandrea Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman, election workers from Georgia who told the panel about how they endured harassment and death threats after Trump named them in a false conspiracy theory about voter fraud.

The result has been that as the committee unfurls the story of the Jan. 6 attack  playing footage of a mostly male crowd laying waste to the Capitol in Trumps name, with the president looking on supportively from the West Wing  many of the witnesses who have emerged most prominently have been women, with Cheney as their defender.

It is a notable strategy by Cheney, a tough and hawkish conservative who throughout her career has worked to avoid being viewed through the lens of gender.

It comes as the Republican Party has labored to diversify and expand its appeal among female voters, a group that polls showed was a weak spot for Trump in 2020 and has only drifted from him since. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that 6 in 10 women believed Trumps actions after the 2020 election threatened democracy, while men were almost evenly split, with 48% holding that view and 45% saying he was just exercising his rights.

Cheney was the highest-ranking Republican woman on Capitol Hill last year when she broke with her party after the riot and called out Trump and his election lies, voting to impeach him for incitement of insurrection. Within months, she had been ousted as the No. 3 Republican in the House, and she is now at risk of losing her seat in Wyoming as she faces a challenging primary election next month against a Trump-endorsed opponent.

It was difficult not to hear some parallels when Cheney described on Thursday how Hutchinson, the 26-year-old former White House aide who became a critical public witness, knowingly exposed herself to harsh criticism from former colleagues. Cheney said that Hutchinson knew all along that she would be attacked by President Trump and by the 50-, 60- and 70-year-old men who hide themselves behind executive privilege.

But like our witnesses today, she has courage and she did it anyway, she added.

After Hutchinsons testimony, Trump dismissed her in an interview with Newsmax as this girl who was making up stories. Shes got serious problems; let me put it that way, he said. Mental problems.

Amanda Carpenter, a former adviser to Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said it was notable to see a conservative woman drawing attention to the gender dynamic.

I know how hard it is for these women under these circumstances, Carpenter said. I imagine it means a lot to the women being targeted. It means a lot to me just watching it.

The Twitter attack by the House Republican Conference on Matthews, who works as a House Republican aide, was quickly deleted. But Trumps targeting of her and Hutchinson was in line with how the former president has often publicly treated women who challenge him, criticizing them in personal terms intended to call into question their credibility, sanity and self-worth.

Trumps allies like to describe him as an equal-opportunity counterpuncher who would attack anyone who crossed him. But over the years, he has singled out female antagonists with particular viciousness, including television personalities Mika Brzezinski and Megyn Kelly, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors. His allies, many of them seeking his approval, have mimicked his behavior.

In the case of Hutchinson, a person close to her said, stories have been shopped to Trump-friendly media outlets smearing her personally.

Garrett Ziegler, a junior aide in Trumps White House, went on a misogynistic rant during a livestream this past week after sitting for an interview with the Jan. 6 committee in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions. In the rant, he used sexist slurs against his former female colleagues who have cooperated with the inquiry.

Pat Cipollone, Bill Barr, Marc Short, theyre saying the same thing, yet you attack the young women, said former Rep. Barbara Comstock of Virginia, a Republican whom Trump in the past branded as a RINO loser, for Republican in name only.

Comstock was referring to the former White House counsel, the former attorney general and the former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence  all of whom gave closed-door testimony to the committee that painted Trump in an unflattering light.

This is a pattern, said Comstock, who is close to Cheney. The president does this, and this is intentional.

Some of the male witnesses have also suffered professional consequences and public rebukes for their candor. Rusty Bowers, the Arizona House speaker and a Republican, was censured by his states Republican Party after his emotional testimony before the Jan. 6 committee. Bowers, who is running for reelection, told NBC News that it would take a miracle for him to survive politically.

And Barr, who as attorney general directly told Trump that his claims of election fraud had no merit, echoed the sentiment about the realities of cooperation.

I get a lot of vitriol from the right, Barr said.

Yet while male witnesses have received some criticism from the right  in Cipollones case, Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted that he should grow a spine & go on record  the attacks have not been at the same volume or intensity, or of the same degree of personal nastiness, as those against Hutchinson in particular.

Trumps allies insist they have substantive concerns about what Hutchinson has told the committee. They have raised specific challenges on matters of fact in her testimony, homing in on a discrepancy between her account and that of Eric Herschmann, a former White House lawyer. Each has claimed authorship of a handwritten note displayed at one of the hearings that provided instructions for what the president could have told rioters Jan. 6.

There has also been an effort to undermine the veracity of some of the most explosive parts of Hutchinsons testimony. Secret Service officials, who spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity, disputed a scene that Hutchinson said she had been told about in which Trump was said to have grabbed a Secret Service agent and lunged for the steering wheel of the SUV he was riding in as he demanded to be driven to the Capitol on Jan. 6.

But the swiftness of the Twitter attack on Matthews was notable given that it came from her own colleagues. The Twitter account for the House Republican Conference that singled her out is run by two former Trump campaign aides.

Under the stewardship of Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who replaced Cheney as the No. 3 House Republican, the Twitter account has taken on an aggressive tone throughout the hearings  intended to please the proverbial audience of one.

 2022 The New York Times Company
Skipper Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake insists it is time to look to the future after Great Britains relay bronze.

The 28-year-old helped the 4x100m mens relay squad to third at the World Championships on Saturday.

Jona Efoloko, Zharnel Hughes, Mitchell-Blake and Reece Prescod finished behind Canada and the USA in 37.83 seconds in Eugene.

A new team helped banish some of the pain from last years Olympics when Hughes, Mitchell-Blake, Richard Kilty and CJ Ujah won silver, only to be stripped of their medal following Ujahs positive drugs test.

Mitchell-Blake said: Its fuel for the fire going forward. We cannot control the past, we can control the present and ultimately that dictates the future and thats what weve got to focus on.

There are no demons, were all blessed. We get a medal every year, its becoming normalised and under appreciated.

I feel relay medals are brushed under the rug due to our consistency on the mens and womens teams. When the medal tables come out there are always relay medals and we step up every year.

We all stepped up and we have shown over the years our quality consistently now. Everyone has shown they are capable of stepping in.

Ultimately the aim is to come away from the next world champs with a gold and go onto Paris. It is a stepping stone, we will get better and we have got to raise our game going forward.

Story continues

We will enjoy this moment together, appreciate the fact that we got a medal and refocus after this to the rest of the season.

Prescod ran just his second senior relay, after his debut in the heats, with Efoloko also drafted into the team for the first time.

I got asked to do a job for the team. It was my first relay and I wanted to deliver for the team. Im glad they trusted me and I was glad to be part of it. Its a whole new cycle now, said Prescod.

The relay squad claimed bronze at Hayward Field. (Martin Rickett/PA)

It came after the women finished sixth following an injury to Dina Asher-Smith at Hayward Field. The 26-year-old suffered what appeared to be a hamstring problem as she approached the final changeover with Daryll Neita .

Earlier, Jess Judd and Eilish McColgan finished 13th and 11th respectively in the 5,000m final, which was won by Ethiopias Gudaf Tsegay.

The womens 4x400m relay squad of Ama Pipi, Laviai Nielsen, Victoria Ohuruogu and Nicole Yeargin reached Sundays final by finishing second behind the USA in three minutes 23.92 seconds.

We have got such strength in the UK. I think we have eight girls under 52 seconds, so we have come and are representing our strongest team. Im really proud to be a part of this team, said Nielsen.

Earlier, Lorraine Ugen and Jazmin Sawyers reached the final of the long jump.

The British pair both posted 6.68m to finish in the top 12 of qualifying, despite not hitting the automatic mark of 6.75m.

Sawyers, who came eighth at last years Olympics in Tokyo, recorded a seasons best with Ugen finishing fifth in Group A on Saturday morning in Eugene.

Great Britains Jazmin Sawyers reached the world final. (Martin Rickett/PA)

They will now compete in Sundays final, the last day of competition in America.

Sawyers said: Im happy  the job in qualifying is to make it to the final. Theres definitely some technical things I can do better, but thats my first world final at my third try so Im really happy.

Cindy Sember qualified for the Sundays 100m hurdles semi-final after running 12.67 seconds in her heat.
Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh at Kingdom Centre, which has undergone an extensive $150 million renovation over the past 18 months, has unveiled the new Kingdom Suite the 48th and 50th floors of the hotel.



This penthouse suite is the most highly anticipated addition to Four Seasons magnificent portfolio of accommodations, and is known as the Hotels Signature Suite. The Kingdom Suite guarantees breath-taking views of the city, and offers an impressive 330 sq m of palatial space for the exclusive benefit of its guests.



Referencing the phases of the moon, which has also been expressed in other areas of the Hotel, the Kingdom Suite hosts an impressive contemporary ceiling pendant in its main living area. Colour tones of rust and soft blues delicately characterize the scheme and stand out in the neutral background. Elegant furnishings, in addition to the inclusion of curated Saudi objets dart through Alwaleed Philanthropies, and all the thoughtful Four Seasons touches, result in an outstanding enclave resonating with heritage, style and glamour.



Guests will surely feel like royalty with all the special features that the Kingdom Suite has to offer, including a 146-inch modular TV screen made of 16 Samsung LEDs, creating the perfect ambiance for guests to enjoy their favourite motion pictures.



A $45,000 Master Innovation turntable, handmade in Germany by Clearaudio electronics, is complemented by an eclectic selection of vinyl records. The rare collection has been carefully sourced by a special curator and includes mixed genres, from rock and roll to modern jazz, as well as iconic tunes from the 60s.



Some of the collections most prized pieces are the exceptionally rare 1978 Japanese 10-track LP, Last American Hero from Asbury Park, NJ by Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartneys McCartney III, original edition vinyl LP, limited to just 333 copies, offering a great deal of musical enjoyment to guests.



A dedicated butler service is also offered when booking the Kingdom Suite, offering personalized services to expedite guest requests and ensure superior levels of comfort and convenience.



The Kingdom Suite has been astutely designed to engage the senses of our guests and create visual narratives that they will remember long after they leave, said Guenter Gebhard, Senior General Manager at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh. Combined with well-thought amenities and intuitive Four Seasons service, our new Signature Suite offers guests the ultimate in luxury, the opportunity to take time to connect with loved ones and create timely experiences.  TradeArabia News Service
Try adding a shutdown ritual to the end of your day to make the division between work and home clearer, suggests Dan Pupius, CEO and founder of remote work software company Range.

I love working from home. Ive been doing it for the past 11 years and cannot imagine returning to an office five days a week again  ever. I get so much more done in so much less time not commuting, taking lunch breaks and being able to work any time day or night.

That last part, though? Yeah, thats a problem, too. And theres a good chance you have  or will soon  experience it as well.

A whopping 74% of U.S. companies say they currently offer  or plan to implement  a permanent hybrid work model. One reason behind this decision is that its true, you really do get even more work done, according to a two-year study by Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, who described his finding in a 2017 Ted Talk.

Post-COVID return to office: Some workers bring back reminders of home

Unfortunately, though, that added productivity comes at a cost, as 40% of remote workers say they have trouble unplugging after work hours. Left unchecked, work spills over into your personal life, and vice-versa. I know all too well about the burnout that comes from working too much.

Is there such a thing as work-life balance now that so many of us are working from home? A bevy of experts and happy WFH-ers say there is  especially with the help of the latest tech tools and expert tips below.

The new American commute

Instead of driving across town, your morning now consists of walking from your bedroom to wherever you dropped your laptop the night before. That morning commute you hated before was part of a morning ritual that can actually help you prepare for your day.

When office workers arrive at their jobs, they naturally have rituals, which ease them into the day, Dan Pupius, CEO and founder of remote work software company Range, typed over Slack. They dont immediately jump into their seats and start hammering away at their keyboard; They greet their co-workers, grab a coffee, gauge how people are feeling, and transition into a work frame of mind. When working from home, [try to] emulate that transition by mimicking those in-person habits online, instead of dropping straight into deep work.

Story continues

Pink sauce: Why everyone on TikTok is talking about mystery condiment

One tip I repeatedly hear from the work-from-home grapevine is to turn your do-it-all laptop or desktop into a work computer during the day. I recently made this switch too, and it totally works: Create a work profile in your favorite browser that holds all your online work apps and links to keep it separate from your casual browsing and YouTube binging.

In Chrome, click your profile icon in the upper right of the window and then select Add.

In Firefox, type about profiles into the browser URL field and click Create a New Profile.

In Microsoft Edge, select the profile icon on the right side of the toolbar and then Add Profile.

When I work, I open my work Chrome profile, and all my work tabs come up, but when it's time to play, I get my regular Chrome profile up, Ian Teoh, an account executive at Codeword who began working remotely two years ago, explains via email. It really helps me decompartmentalize even when I'm sitting at the same desk.

Limit distraction

Jolly turned a spare bedroom into her dedicated workspace and types away at a standing desk.

Now youre in the thick of it and need to get some work done, but regular life stuff keeps derailing things  like an Amazon delivery showing up at your door or a phone call from a friend that you dont have time to catch up with right this second. And dont even get me started on kids and pets!

Welcome to your new Facebook feed: These are the big changes you can expect

A huge benefit of home working is getting to spend more time with your loved ones, but this can also come with distractions if you are always available to chat or interact, says Anthony Martin, founder and CEO of Choice Mutual, which recently switched to a hybrid work-from-home model. Create a schedule so that the other people in your home know when to leave you to your work and when they can engage with you.

Ive gone so far as to put a hand-written sign on my office (aka, former spare bedroom now turned dedicated home office space) door, turned off my phone  and told my family that unless someone is bleeding profusely, they are not to interrupt me for any reason.

Apps to the rescue

If the RescueTime app sees you on a social media binge in the middle of your most productive time window, an alert tells you to get back to business.

Productivity apps can also be a big help when trying to remain on task, and no, I dont mean the remote work stalwarts like Trello or Asana, though those are great, too.

Whether youre a seasoned work-from-homer who needs a renewed sense of focus or a first-timer just trying to stay on task, RescueTime could give you the edge. Its an automatic time management and tracking app that lives on your desktop and walks you through your workday. It knows when youre working and using productivity apps like Slack and when youre distracted. For example, if the app sees you on a social media binge in the middle of your most productive time window, an alert tells you to get back to business.

The apps Lite mode is free and tracks time in websites and apps, but to get added features like distraction blocking, progress tracking and calendar integration, youll need the Premium version for $78/year (or $12/month, if billed monthly).

Get up, stand up

By now, youve heard that sitting is the new smoking, but beyond its potential health upsides, a change of posture can be a great way to boost focus.

Another genius way to keep your mind (and body) on task is to invest in an adjustable standing desk. By now, youve heard that sitting is the new smoking, but beyond its potential health upsides, a change of posture can be a great way to boost focus. Plus, if you make it a habit to work while standing but enjoy YouTube videos, social media, and other time-wasters only while sitting, it can help you draw a darker line between home and work without leaving the room.

We all know how important it is to stretch, stand up and move around throughout the workday, writes Dave Adams, vice president of marketing at BDI Furniture, via email. Standing desks are something a lot of us use to increase mental alertness and provide the necessary focus to be at our best throughout the day. Adams says hes also seen a spike in demand for home office furniture since the work-from-home boom began, pointing to the need for a more office-like environment at home.

Turn off and unplug

Back when desktop computers pumped out more heat than a clothes dryer and CRT monitors used as much power as a city block, office workers made it a habit to fully shut down their computers daily. It was a rule, sure, but it was also probably cathartic to push the button and watch your worries of the day disappear into a black screen.

These days, our computers sip power slowly and stay on for weeks or even months at a time. On top of that, for remote workers, the computer you work on might also be the same screen where you watch Netflix. So how do you get that same closure when working from your living room or home office?

Try adding a shutdown ritual to the end of your day to make the division between work and home clearer, Range's Pupius says. If you work from a laptop, move it away from your OOO living space, or leave your home office and take a walk around the block. Think of this process as though you are leaving work, akin to an evening commute.

To combat the always online fatigue, cutting the cord  even temporarily  and any excuse to get a breath of fresh air can do a world of good.

I think of my brain as a small child with trouble transitioning from one activity to another. I try to do something very different from work and tangible, especially right after quitting time, explains Dr. Robin Dickson, who left a clinic job to teach children online at Dr. Robins School. No computer time, Zoom socializing, or texting with friends for the first hour or so after I stop working. Instead, I need to change many aspects of what I'm doing. If I'm working inside, I'll go outside. I must demonstrate to my brain that it's not time to work anymore.

Got the Sunday scaries? These apps and devices can help you relax and fall asleep

If you just cant leave your smartphone or computer behind, then at least try a mindfulness app to help separate your work life from your home life.

One of my favorite habits for curating my work/life balance has been mindfulness meditation, Josh Snead, who works remotely as CEO of Rainwalk Pet Insurance, says over email. Apps like Calm or Headspace are excellent tools for this, and incorporating a few minutes of this after work really helps me change gears into home time like a commute might have done before.

Jennifer Jolly is an Emmy Award-winning consumer tech columnist. Email her at jj@techish.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JenniferJolly. The views and opinions expressed in this column are the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Work from home? Here's how to strike a healthier work/life balance.
Uber has officially accepted responsibility for hiding a 2016 data breach that exposed the data of 57 million passengers and drivers. On Friday, the company entered into a non-prosecution agreement with the US Department of Justice, reports Reuters. As part of the deal, Uber admitted it failed to inform the agency of the cyberattack. It also agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of former chief security officer Joe Sullivan who was fired by the company shortly after the incident came to light.

Uber did not immediately respond to Engadgets request for comment. The company first revealed the details of the data breach in 2017. Instead of sharing what it knew about the incident with the government and users, the company paid hackers $100,000 to the delete the information and stay quiet. None of this should have happened, and I will not make excuses for it, said Dara Khosrowshahi, Ubers then recently appointed CEO, at the time of the disclosure. While I cant erase the past, I can commit on behalf of every Uber employee that we will learn from our mistakes. In 2018, Uber paid $148 million to settle allegations by US state attorneys general the company was too slow to disclose the incident.

Correction 07/25 5:20 PM ET: A previous version of this article mistakenly said Uber reached a non-prosecution agreement with the Federal Trade Commission. We regret the error.
Riverview High School technical education teacher Deb Berman gets a selfie with 2019 graduates Cayden Perry, left, and Madison Scott before the school's commencement ceremony.

Editor's Note: This story has been corrected to say that only veterans, and not their spouses, are eligible for a new temporary certification program to teach without having a bachelor's degree. It clarifies the requirements for veterans to use the program.

SARASOTA  Sarasota County School District teachers and parents are expressing frustration and concern with the latest state rules allowing military veterans to teach in Florida classrooms despite not having earned a degree to instruct.

Envisioned as a potential solution to a statewide teacher shortage issue, the rules have education leaders here and elsewhere in Florida feeling as though Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is undermining the qualifications of classroom instructors.

Last week, the Florida Department of Education announced that military veterans could receive five-year vouchers to allow them to teach in the classroom without a teacher's degree. It's a move tied to $8.6 million the state announced would be used to expand career and workforce training opportunities for military veterans. Veterans' spouses would be eligible to have initial certification fees waived but not for the five-year vouchers.

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Barry Dubin, president of the Sarasota County Teachers Association (SCTA), said that he isnt surprised by the move in Tallahassee.

Its got nothing to do with education," Dubin said, adding that teachers "are caught in the middle of this culture war of this country, and this is central to that  if you object to it, you are anti-veteran, which is not true.

Dubin, who worked as a school psychologist in the district for three decades, says that the priority of school districts should be to educate students, but added that recent legislation continues to put strain on the profession.

Story continues

"There are other agencies that are out there to advocate for veterans and take care of them as they should, but its my job to look out for the students and those educating the students, he said.

You cant just throw a warm body in a classroom, thats not the answer.

The Florida Department of Education will offer veterans a "Military Veterans Certification Pathway" if they have a minimum of 60 college credits with a 2.5 GPA, and receive a passing score on the subject area examination for bachelors level subjects. Veterans must have a minimum of 48 months of military service completed with honorable/medical discharge. If hired by a school district, they have to have a teaching mentor. They will have five years to fulfill the requirements for a teaching certificate, which includes a bachelor's degree.

Support Our Schools, a vocal Sarasota-based education nonprofit that supports teachers, administrators, and the School Board to provide quality education, said the move is not a long-term solution to a teacher shortage problem. The organizations president Carol Lerner said the group is worried about the future of public education.

What they have done with their policies is frighten teachers away, Lerner said. We are very concerned about this  we see it as an attack and effort to dismantle the public education system.

Lerner, a retired educator, said many local teachers are calling the organization in tears over concerns about the legislation that affects the profession, and argued it helps explain why Florida school districts are looking to fill 9,500 vacant teaching positions for the coming school year.

Theyve worked hard, earned degrees, many teachers in this district have master's degrees. I know a lot of them feel undervalued and are leaving. Its concerning, its really dangerous when you start lowering standards, she said.

Carmen Ward, president of the Alachua County teachers union, concurred. "There are many people who have gone through many hoops and hurdles to obtain a proper teaching certificate," Ward said. "(Educators) are very dismayed that now someone with just a high school education can pass the test and can easily get a five-year temporary certificate."

A Ft. Clarke Middle School teacher holds a sign to gather his students for the start of the first day of school on Aug. 31. [Brad McClenny/The Gainesville Sun]

ACPS earns B grade: Alachua County Public Schools earns 'B' grade overall but sees drops at some schools

More: Alachua County school district to host job fairs to fill roles at elementary schools

On June 9, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that gave the approval for military members, both former and present, to teach. Reserve military members count, as well.

Sarasota County lists 69 vacancies for instructional positions and 30 for non-instructional. The Manatee district lists a total of 372 openings. Information was not available at deadline on whether any veterans had sought to fill instructional positions in the two districts.

Alachua School Board members expressed their distaste for the new law at a recent workshop where the details were presented.

"It's not that I'm against the service that veterans provide to our country," Tina Certain said. "I just think that to the education profession, we're lowering the bar on that and minimizing the criteria of what it takes to enter the profession."

Rob Hyatt, while expressing his frustration, appeared to be more optimistic.

"Unfortunately, we, like all other school districts, are experiencing a very real shortage," he said. "I think that this legislation is a reaction to the fact  I have confidence in our HR department to make the best out of this."

This story includes reporting from the Gainesville Sun and Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida schools: State invites veterans to teach without degrees
Youre going where? I got a lot of that when I mentioned to friends I was heading to Fargo this summer. Fargo, as in North Dakota, I repeated. But it didnt really connect till I said, As in Fargo, the movie.

Oh! That Fargo.

Yep, and while the tourism folks in that Fargo are used to reactions like my friends, they jumped on it, marketing their out-of-the-way area as: Fargo: North of Normal. And if that isnt good enough, they stuck a big yellow Stump Grinder out front of their visitor center. Remember the grinder in the comic horror film?

So I tagged along on a friends trip to one of Americas less-visited places, North Dakota, and I have to say, it was fun. I liked the people, who are a whole bunch closer to normal than Hollywood would like us to think.

Revealing vignette: When I left the quite good Fargo Air Museum at the citys airport, my Uber driver was a student at North Dakota State University, and on the way back downtown drove through the campus. It was lots bigger and nicer than Id imagined. Oh, he said, So youre from Virginia. JMU is a big rival of ours. Who wouldve guessed it, eh?

So, yes, as I continually rediscover, whether its in Outer Mongolia or West Fargo, it really is a pretty small world out there.

In over a weeks time, we saw a lot of Fargo and its joined-at-the-hip twin, Moorhead, Minnesota, which is just a short walk across a bridge over the legendary Red River. I mean, you wouldnt dream you are crossing into another state: You see the same people, accent and homes, but in two different states.

And I might as well put this out first: To me, the most interesting thing I found during this trip was not in Fargo. Our hotel was a block from City Hall, the library and a few other key buildings along the Red River.

On the other side of that narrow riverin Moorheadis a beautiful small park that features several unusual buildings. These are, together, the Hjemkomst Center. No misspelling. Many settlers here were Northern Europeans, and a lot of those were Norwegians. Hjemkomst means Welcome in Norwegian. And I wont even try to pronounce it.

This park has a fine county history museum in the basement. But the main attractions here are a full-size replica Viking longboat and a hand-built copy of a Viking church from around the year 900 AD.

Robert Asp, a retired high school counselor, became intrigued with boats of the Vikings in the 1980s, and after extensive research, set out to build one. A book should be written about this, but he spent years on the project, hoping to sail it to Norway when finished. Asp lived to finish his boat but died before he could take a voyage in it.

That challenge was left to four of his adult children, who trained a crew of 13 to take the 76-foot sail-and-oar-driven craft to Norway. It is a great story and a beautiful boat. If you get near Fargo, do not miss either the boat or the lovely small church, also crafted entirely from wood.

In my time there, I wont claim to have seen everything, but I saw enough to know a fine, well-run small city with people I liked and found easy and enjoyable to talk to.

Here are a few other random things I especially liked: An awesome doughnut shop with 73 varieties and super good coffee (Sandys); a small but well-designed zoo with otters, camels, wolves and more; an excellent public library with its own quite decent deli where you watch your sandwich being built.

And theres more. A good local art museum, canoe and kayak rentals on the Red River (but apparently only on weekendsboo) and trails galorepeople here like to walk and hike. There were also outdoor gatherings downtown near our (Radisson) hotel routinely, and a ton more cool stuff I was still learning about when we headed out on a three-day bus tour to see what the rest of North Dakota looks like.

The bus tour took us nearly all the way across the state to Montana, North Dakotas western neighbor. When youre in Medora, the map says its about 10 miles to the state line. So our trip took us from Minnesota to within a few miles of Montana.

I must mention the wonderful Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora. What a glorious place, with the Little Missouri River winding through beautiful canyons and grassy meadows, many of them with buffalo herds and other wildlife. The park is split into two separate tracts of land, one of them including Roosevelts Elkhorn Ranch lands on the river.

The then-future President left New York and moved to his Dakota property after the deaths of his wife, Alice, and his mother, Mittie, within 24 hours in 1884. While he did not remain long in the ranching business, returning to his old life in New York politics, Roosevelt often wrote warmly about life there and clearly had mixed feelings about it.

Today, the rough timber ranch buildings he had built have long gone, but the USDA has only fairly recently acquired the property where it was located.

It is, like much of the land around it, beautiful country, surely worth a good visit. And if you love camping and hiking, I cant imagine a better place to roam  in warm weather. This is not far from the Canadian border to the north, or the Montana line to the west, and winters here get seriously cold. In fact, an unusually severe winter and the loss of many of his cattle was a factor in Roosevelts giving up the Dakota property and heading back to New York to resume his political career.

Paul Sullivan of Spotsylvania County, a former Free LanceStar reporter, is a freelance writer. Email him at pbsullivan22@gmail.com.
WHEN a good friend asked me, What do you think about marijuana? I thought telling him its the best thing since sliced bread might reflect badly on my gravitas as a doctor. But he is battling cancer and was really asking my opinion about medical marijuana as treatment and not my personal likes.

Medical marijuana is a hot topic that this friends oncologist, Dr. Chris Vaughan, is exploring. He asked me to watch two episodes of Vaughans Cancer Shop Talk podcasts, available on Hematology Oncology Associates of Fredericksburgs website.

My friend told me he wanted something to manage the pain, anxiety and insomnia, and was interested in trying cannabis products, but was put off by the logistics of getting it.

I told him I wasnt well informed on the whole subject, but interested and happy to do a little researchthough it turned out he kind of jumped the gun.

Wired to Get High?

I know cannabis has a bunch of different cannabinoids that have different properties and are used to treat various symptoms. CBD, for example, has become popular and is available without a prescription because it doesnt contain that other wicked, cannabinol, THCthe ingredient that gets you high.

What has always intrigued me is why do our bodies have cannabinol receptors? Are we naturally wired to get high? To smoke weed?

The answer is, we have a whole endocannabinoid system, of both receptors and neurotransmitters involved in pain/mood/appetite control, cognition, memory and some function of the immune system. Exogenous cannabis just happens to work on the receptors.

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in medical cannabis, though a few products, like Marinol, have been used since the 80s for AIDS patients to treat anorexia, nausea and vomiting from chemotherapy. But approval of Marinol helped pave the way to legalize the use of other cannabis products.

Easing the Oversight

Accessibility of medical cannabis products has become easier since July 1, when the requirement to register with the Virginia Board of Pharmacy was dropped. Now, you just have to consult with an authorized physician, physicians assistant or nurse practitioner, either in person or by telemedicine. There are many options for this, including Dr. Vaughans office, or find one through the website of Virginia NORML. Once provided with a certificate you can go to a dispensary.

This should make life easier for the many patients who are unclear on the legal requirements, Vaughan told me. Though he notes, doctors often are not well informed either, not just on the legalities, but on the properties of medical cannabis. And some consider it a bit taboo, though there are many organizations pushing education for doctors and nurses.

Exotic Products

Even though I hadnt been a lot of help in informing this friend about the subject, he had already obtained a certificate and visited a dispensary by the time I got to talk to him again.

Since hes getting treated with radiation in Richmond, he decided to go to Green Leaf Dispensary, appropriately situated amongst the old Richmond tobacco warehouses he noteda warehouse itself, with a large production operation behind, and shop for sales up front (a list of other dispensaries can also be found through the NORML website). My ID and certificate were checked by security, then I was sent to talk to Rusty, he told me.

Currently, it seems the people in the dispensaries are some of the most informed about matching symptoms such as nausea, pain, insomnia, anxiety and inflammation with the alphabet soup of different cannabinoids (CBD, CBG, CBN, THC) or other components like terpenes. Or helping decide if the properties of sativa or indica will be best. Also, on advising whether dried flower, concentrates, oil-filled cartridges, tinctures, tablets or chews would be the right choice.

Though becoming a respectable medical product, the exotic names that Green Leafand other dispensariesgive their products, like Blackberry Kush III, Pure Vida, Rum Cake, Sour Ghost. Or the Love Affair, 3 Popcorn Buds, SuperMaxII or Wipe-Out vape products that my friend showed me he got at the dispensarywith something of the air of a kid in a candy storesuggest there is a bit of overlap, at least in the naming of the medical and the recreational products.

Hopefully not enough to unnerve the FDA and other powers that be, who are a bit antsy about authorizing products that are intoxicants as well as medicineswhich also includes opioids, amphetamine and cocaine.

Cannabis is very safe, and does not cause the same physical addiction. And, as pointed out by Dr. Vaughan, its use can decrease the need for more dangerous and addictive stuff, like opioids.

Now we just need to convince the whole of the medical profession there is real merit in medical cannabis, and patients arent just looking to get high, but want access to an ever increasing array of effective therapies.
Those working behind the bar of the riverfront restaurant served up an unusual combination of rolls and noodles at a class on treating trauma injuries.

Instructors handed out rolls of gauze and segments of pool noodles, then gave students vivid instructions on how to pack the fabric into a cut in the foam as if it were a bleeding wound that needed to be plugged.

Wipe the blood away and see where its coming out first and then ... pack it as full and as tight as you can get it, said Jessica King, a trauma services nurse at Mary Washington Hospital who brought the program called Stop the Bleed to the Fredericksburg area five years ago.

You can put anything in there, the shirt off your back if you have to, and after you pack it, put hand over hand like youre doing CPR, then push and hold yourself over the wound, she said. It gives you more support from your legs and back because it is a long time to hold the pressure.

King also adds quick take-away lines people will remember, such as telling them to keep the pressure on until a tourniquet or first responder becomes available. Think of the task as the work of a Crockpot, she said, as in Set it and forget it.

But dont check to see if the bleeding has slowed because that may break the clot thats forming. If you peek, you leak, she added.

King and dozens of other instructors from Fredericksburg-area emergency services departments volunteered time and skills last week for a Rock the Rescue session at Ricks on the River in Fairview Beach.

The bar and outdoor picnic tables, inside seating and nearby shoreline were turned into classrooms for more than 300 people who came out to the restaurant on the Potomac River in King George County despite the scorching heat.

Ricks owners, Ashley and Alex Thacker, offered up their venue for training sessions aimed at two vastly different audiences. Everything was free, even the barbecue dinner provided by the Thackers and served by their 30 workers, who also donated their time.

The majority of attendees learned how to keep blood from pumping out of someone injured in a car crash or chainsaw accident, after being thrown from a boat or dirt bike or even after walking into a glass door. Another 80 people from fire and rescue departments throughout the area were part of a simulated water rescue and were shuttled to and from the river in Fire Boat 1, a customized watercraft recently acquired by the King George Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services.

Ashley Thacker had reached out to King about a month ago, hoping to provide Stop the Bleed training for her employeesand the event morphed into something much larger. The women, along with trauma services and marketing departments at Mary Washington Health, and EMS coordinators and providers at the hospital and in the community, brought together rescuers and firefighters. They got the chance to talk to each other while they worked on their own training and to interact with the public.

Its awesome to see the turnout, just awesome to see the enthusiasm and support from Fairview Beach and King George County, Thacker said during the Wednesday night event. I think its mission accomplished.

HAPPENS AT HOME

When people think about victims bleeding, they often visualize mass shootings at schools, churches or other public placesand tragedies from recent months clearly were on the minds of those gathered at Ricks.

Preparing her own high-school age children for any emergency they may face was part of Ashley Thackers motivation. She echoed words of rescuers who feared it wasnt a matter of if but when something similar happened closer to home.

Its happening far too often now and the people you see on the news, the first thing they said is, I never thought it would happen in my community, said Angel Caldwell, a surgical nurse at Mary Washington Hospital.

She came to the training with her granddaughter and three daughters, grateful the Stop the Bleed classes are geared for children as young as age 5. They can spring into action and apply what theyve learned here, Caldwell said.

That was the goal of her 17-year-old daughter, also named Angel, a rising senior at King George High School. She wants to study nursing in college and welcomed the additional training.

I just want the experience of learning how to save lives, the teenager said. Its a good thing for somebody to learn. In some cases, bleeding can be more dangerous than not breathing.

Most of the traumatic bleeding incidents in the Fredericksburg area are everyday accidents and injuries, said Dr. Corey Wright, trauma medical director at MWHC.

Most trauma happens at home, in the woods, in the water and bleeding is usually the biggest reason why people die out in the community, he said.

Accidents are the leading cause of death among American young people, Wright said, and trauma, from accidents and injuries, suicides and homicides, is the fourth-highest cause of fatalities worldwide.

Local rescuers also see dialysis patients who, in the course of treatments that perform the work of their kidneys, have trouble with the shunts placed in their arms.

When those things fail and bleed, it is bleeding like you have never seen before, said Patricia Derr, a rescue officer with Fredericksburg and a Stop the Bleed instructor. That needs to be controlled right away.

IMMEDIATE RESPONDERS

In the five years since Nurse King has worked with others in trauma services to offer Stop the Bleed classes locally, she estimates thousands of people have been trained to know what to do at the scene, before ambulances arrive.

She wanted to empower the public to be an immediate responder while they wait on a first responder because people feel like they want to help, but they dont know how.

King saw for herself, 17 years ago, what can happen when people dont know how to respond. Her brother, then 21, accidentally shot himself with a handgun and blew four holestwo entry and two exit wounds in each leg.

King still gets emotional, recalling the way her brother almost died in my mothers arms because no one knew how to pack the wound or use a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. At last weeks training, her mother, Cindy Bowles of Staunton, described how she did everything the wrong way.

She didnt remove his clothing to see the extent of his wounds and thought hed been shot in one leg only. She clamped her hands around that leg, not realizing she should have tried to locate the source of bleeding and pack it with anything she could find to stop it.

After hed encouraged her to apply some kind of makeshift tourniquet, she twisted cords from his Play Station around his leg until he winced in painthen she stopped.

And thats the wrong thing to do, Bowles said. As I glanced to the side, I saw puddles and puddles and puddles of blood and I knew at that time that my baby was gonna die because I did not know what to do.

But her son lived, probably because he was in such great physical shape and because the first responder who arrived was a former medic in Iraq who knew how to treat gunshot wounds. Bowles lived with the guilt from not knowing what to do for yearsand still has residual post traumatic stress disorderbut said shes much more empowered after taking the Stop the Bleed class.

She knows what instructor Derr pointed out to other families during last weeks trainingthat the person on the scene needs to tighten the tourniquet on a leg or arm wound until the bleeding stops. Yes, it will hurt the patient, Derr said, but its better than dying, and the injured person can get pain medicine later, at a hospital.

Bowles said she hasnt needed to use the training, but she travels a lot in her work and likes feeling prepared for whatever she may encounter.

I can tell you I sleep better because I know now, if it happens, I got this, she said. I can at least hold on until these miracle workers arrive.

She was glad to see so many families in the audience and she encouraged parents to share emergency medical training with their children.

Dont leave them with the guilt of not knowing what to do in the case of an accident, she said.
At last, parents

of our youngest

patients can breathe a sigh of relief. Following the transformative success of the COVID-19 vaccine in adults, teens, and school-aged children, COVID-19 vaccination is now available to children six months to 4 years old. For many families in my Northern Virginia primary care pediatrics clinic, this news has been long-awaited, and the opportunity to vaccinate 6-month to 4-year-old children will be eagerly embraced.

Other families may not be so ready to sign up for the vaccine. Although 82% of teens and 47% of school-aged children in Virginia have already received their vaccine, I can understand the perspective of families who are concerned about the safety of this vaccination or who dont feel convinced of its need. Most people know many acquaintances who have been infected by COVID-19. For children, many of those testing positive have few or mild symptoms. It may be easy to assume, therefore, that COVID is a mild infection for children, and that they dont have a need for vaccination.

Working as I do in both primary care and in a large emergency room, I have a very different perspective on COVID-19. Severe disease may be less common for kids than adults, but it is hardly unheard of to pediatricians. During the Omicron surge of January 2022, during my emergency room shifts I was likely to care for more patients positive for COVID-19 than negative for itand each of those children, most of them previously healthy or with common conditions like asthma, was being admitted to the inpatient unit or intensive care unit due to the severity of their COVID-19. All the children I cared for were unvaccinated, and my experience mirrors what has been reported nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that of 5-11-year-old children hospitalized during the Omicron wave, 90% were unvaccinated, 30% had no underlying medical conditions, and 20% required ICU admission. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that during February 2022, COVID-19 was the fourth leading cause of death for people 5-24 years old.

For me, the terrible and unpredictable nature of COVID-19 is encapsulated in the experience of one of my patients, a healthy 9-year-old girl who tested positive for COVID in July 2021. She had an extremely mild case, swimming her fastest 50-meter backstroke the day she developed symptoms and making a swift recovery from her runny nose and cough. However, eight weeks later, she developed high fevers, jaundice, and chest pain, and was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit on specialized drugs to treat cardiogenic shock. She had developed Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), a well-described complication of COVID-19 infection. Thanks to the amazing care of her inpatient team, she made a full recovery. However, MIS-C can be deadly or can lead to long-term disability, and to date nearly 8,000 children in the United States have suffered this because of COVID. Fortunately, vaccination against COVID-19 has been shown to reduce the risk of MIS-C.

Long COVID-19 is another concern I have for otherwise healthy children infected with COVID. Some people with mild initial COVID-19 infection can have prolonged symptoms, including fatigue, poor concentration, respiratory problems, loss of sense of smell, cardiovascular problems and mood issues. Rates of long COVID-19 are still being determined, but the United Kingdoms Office for National Statistics reports that 12.9% of children 2 to 11 years of age still experienced symptoms five weeks after infection. The good news is that vaccination against COVID-19 does appear to protect against long COVID.

COVID-19 poses many risks to the health and well-being of children. Against these risks, we are fortunate to have a rigorously tested preventative treatment that has demonstrated its safety and efficacy across the spectrum of patients. Incredibly, to date 11.5 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered over the past two years worldwide. More than 16.4 million vaccines have been administered in Virginia alone, with nearly three-fourths of the population completely vaccinated in our state. This vaccination has taken place with unprecedented levels of safety monitoring to assess for short- and long-term side effects, and across the board the benefits of the vaccination are clear. Severe side effects are extremely rare from COVID-19 vaccination, and in every case the risks of immediate and long-term dangers from COVID-19 infection are far more likely and grave.

Parents want the best for their children. I know that every family I speak to has weighed and wrestled with the pros and cons of vaccination for their child. I only hope that I can be a voice to ensure they have the most accurate information about the risks of COVID-19 infection. As a pediatrician and as a parent, I view forgoing COVID-19 vaccination the same way that I would view allowing my child to ride in a car without a seatbelt: Why take the risk?

To find a vaccination opportunity near you for your child or yourself, visit the Vaccinate Virginia website at Vaccinate.Virginia.gov or call the Vaccinate Virginia call center at (877) VAX-IN-VA or (877) 829-4682, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kristen Johnson is a pediatrician with Advanced Pediatrics in Vienna and is the Northern Virginia delegate of the Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
CHICAGO  Elmwood-Murdock business students collected big achievements during their trip to one of the biggest cities in the nation this summer.

Elmwood-Murdock Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) members traveled to Chicago this month for the FBLA National Leadership Conference. Nineteen students qualified for national contests and 18 were able to participate in the conference.

Elmwood-Murdock FBLA Advisor Laura Rikli said she was thrilled to have a large number of Knights represent the school in Chicago. More than 12,000 FBLA students from 48 states and several U.S. territories and international chapters attended the conference. There were approximately 360 students, advisors and guests from Nebraska.

We had one of our most successful finishes at the state conference this spring, Rikli said. We havent had this many students (19) qualify for nationals in several years, so it was exciting to see all of their hard work pay off.

Rikli said the Knights were happy to attend educational sessions with business leaders and take part in competitive events. They also elected a national student officer team and were able to enjoy in-person conversations with students from across the country. Rikli said everyone learned many personal and professional lessons from the trip.

All of these students except for a handful of seniors had never experienced an in-person state or national conference during high school due to Covid cancelling these events the past two years, Rikli said. Most of them did not know what to expect from state or nationals. They didnt realize how tough the competition was or how many students are involved with FBLA statewide.

It was a big eye opener to them to see how important it is to start their projects early on and to put in the time to make their projects stand out from other chapters across the state.

Lexi Bacon, Bailey Frahm, Sela Rikli, Nate Lockman, Jaxson Spellman, Henry Coleman, Rylan Kastens, Riley Wilson, Sam Clements, Nate Rust, Haylee Josoff, Jordan Vogler, Cassidy Callaway, Ella Zierott, Tatum Backemeyer, Laney Frahm, Bri Ross and Madie Justesen competed in Chicago. Reid Fletcher qualified for two national events but was unable to compete due to a family emergency.

Bacon, Rikli and Bailey Frahm took part in the Partnership with Business Project category, Lockman participated in the Electronic Career Portfolio contest and Spellman competed in the Organizational Leadership event. Coleman joined Kastens for the Local Chapter Annual Business Report contest and Wilson for the E-Business contest.

Clements, Kastens and Rust participated in the Sales Presentation contest, and Zierott, Backemeyer and Laney Frahm appeared in the Community Service Project division. Justesen and Ross teamed up for the Website Design category, and Callaway competed in the Computer Applications contest at the conference.

Josoff, Vogler and Callaway highlighted Elmwood-Murdocks trip by advancing to the final round of the American Enterprise Project contest. The three Knights became one of only 12 teams to qualify for the finals. There were 100 teams that took part in the preliminaries of the event.

They were very excited when they found out they made finals, Rikli said. They were very confident with how well they did in their prelims, so they had a good feeling about making finals. Again, none of these three had ever been to an in-person state or national conference prior to this year, so they were very surprised to see how much competition there was and how many students there were.

Rikli said she was proud of Josoff, Vogler and Callaway for their hard work at the conference. The three Knights gave their initial presentation in front of judges before appearing in front of a larger audience in the finals. They had only done virtual contests until this year.

Prior to this year they had never had the experience of giving a presentation in front of live judges, so that was a first experience for them, Rikli said. At nationals, if you make finals, you also have to present in front of a crowd (approximately 30 to 40), so they had the added experience of presenting to more than just judges for their final round, which made them a little extra nervous!

Teams from California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Maryland, Illinois, Arkansas and Wisconsin finished in the top ten places of the American Enterprise Project contest. Elmwood-Murdock captured either 11th or 12th place in the national rankings, but judges did not let the Knights know which number they received.

Rikli said Elmwood-Murdock also enjoyed success from a chapter-wide standpoint. Students were recognized for their work throughout the 2021-22 school year.

The Elmwood-Murdock chapter also earned two prestigious national awards, Rikli said. These included Champion Chapter and the Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit.

Students who earned the Champion Chapter honor had to complete a series of membership engagement-focused challenges during the school year. Elmwood-Murdock members scored points by taking part in activities in Summer Starter, Shaping Success, Service Season and CTE Celebration categories.

The Gold Seal Chapter Award of Merit recognizes students who participate in state and national events. Elmwood-Murdock chapter members also had to promote FBLA activities in the community and speak with owners of local businesses to earn the award.
Gen. John W. Jay Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command, speaks as Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, listens in 2019, during a ceremony to mark establishment of the Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base.
An active-duty member of the U.S. Army was served and released by Colorado Springs police after accidentally shooting a friend while drunk ear
The Health Collaborative will begin a series of community meetings this week for a deeper dive into the recent Health Equity Report released earlier this year.

That report showed dismal health statistics in the Dan River Region, with racial disparities playing a role.

It found high rates of cancer, coronary heart disease and obesity in the region that includes Danville and Pittsylvania County in Southside Virginia as well as Caswell County, North Carolina. It also showed areas with high populations of minorities especially affected.

The collaborative represents a cross-sector group of individuals and organizations with a mission to improve the health and well-being of residents area.

Health impacts all of us and we all have a role to play in improving our communitys well-being, Maggie Richardson, the regional coordinator for The Health Collaborative, wrote in a statement. This is a great opportunity for community members to get involved and lead where they can make a difference.

The first sessions for residents and faith-based groups are planned from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday across three locations in the region: First Baptist Churchs Fellowship Hall at 871 Main St. in Danville; Pittsylvania County Schools office at 39 Bank St. in Chatham; and Caswell County Senior Center at 649 Firetower Road in Yanceyville, North Carolina.

The report covers a broad range of data and metrics including health outcomes, economic conditions, educational attainment, built environment, poverty and the distribution of opportunities, according to a news release.

The study was conducted by the University of North Carolina at Greensboros Center for Housing and Community Studies. Center director Stephen Sills, along with analysts Bruce Rich, Meredith DiMattina, Haiyang Su, and research scientist Kenneth Gruber prepared the report.

The meetings are designed to give participants a way to learn more from the findings and provide input that can help shape the priorities of The Health Collaborative, the release stated.

The meetings also are geared toward targeted audiences. For example, the Thursday gatherings are made for residents and faith-based groups. However, residents are invited to attend any meeting.

Dr. Kent Key, a public health researcher from Flint, Michigan, will give a presentation and facilitate discussion at the meetings. Key is nationally known for his work related to the Flint Water Crisis, the release stated. He will try to help participants understand how they can advance health equity in the region.

We are excited to work together on a plan that will move us all forward, Richardson said.

Too learn more or register, visit https://www.thehealthcollab.com/health-summit/health-equity-report-community-meetings.

The other meetings are:

From 3 to 6 p.m. Aug. 2 for health care providers and administration at the Pepsi Building at 661 Craghead St. in Danville; Pittsylvania County Schools office at 39 Bank St. in Chatham; and Gunn Memorial Library at 161 Main St., Yanceyville, North Carolina.

From 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 4 for local government staff and elected officials at the Pepsi Building at 661 Craghead St. in Danville; Pittsylvania County Schools office at 39 Bank St. in Chatham; and Caswell County Senior Center at 649 Firetower Road in Yanceyville, North Carolina.

From 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Aug. 11 for community-based organizations and nonprofits at First Baptist Church fellowship hall at 871 Main St. in Danville; Pittsylvania County Schools office at 39 Bank St. in Chatham; and Gunn Memorial Library at 161 Main St. in Yanceyville, North Carolina.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY  Sheriffs deputies arrested a man Saturday who poured gasoline over himself and held authorities in an afternoon standoff, firing a gun at the ground and threatening to shoot anyone who came close, according to a report by WGHP-Channel 8.

The sheriffs office closed N.C. 87 north of Eden while authorities negotiated with the man who stood in his front yard.

Authorities were eventually able to take the man into custody without incident at around 5 p.m., the television station reported.

On Tuesday, the sheriffs office had not yet released the mans name or address or disclosed details of his incarceration or scheduled court date.
BEAUFORT  The body of a North Carolina kayaker who was reported missing by family members was recovered on Thursday, a sheriff's office said.

James David Smith, 58, of Greensboro went into the water on Wednesday afternoon in Beaufort, the Carteret County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Smith last spoke with a family member at around 7 p.m., more than three hours after he put his kayak into the water, the sheriff's office said.

Family members became concerned when Smith hadn't returned by sunset. He had been vacationing with the family for the week, according to the sheriff's office, which said he was reported missing around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Smith's body was located by boaters who saw a man near the marsh next to an overturned kayak about 200 yards off the end of Bettie Path Road in the North River, the news release said.
Two million gallons of gasoline spewed from a crack in the wall of an underground pipeline near Huntersville in 2020, Colonial Pipeline Co. officials revealed in an updated estimate Friday.

Thats 800,000 gallons more than the companys previous estimate of the leak in Mecklenburg Countys Oehler Nature Preserve. The spill is the worst-ever in North Carolina, top state environmental health officials said.

Colonial announced the revised estimate two weeks after a Mecklenburg County judge approved a $5 million settlement of a state lawsuit over the spill. The order required Colonial Pipeline to release an updated spill estimate.

Crews have recovered 75% of the gasoline and will remain on site until the rest is drawn from recovery wells, Colonial officials said Friday.

Colonial Pipeline remains committed to working closely with N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, county and community leaders as recovery efforts move forward, according to a company statement Friday morning.

We deeply appreciate the patience of this community, and we will continue to work to earn back their trust through our actions on the ground, officials said in the statement.

Spill estimates keep rising

Two teenage ATV riders chanced upon and reported the leak in August 2020, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.

On Friday, Colonial officials told the Observer they have since pinpointed July 27, 2020, as the day of the spill. Crews stopped the leak once it was discovered on Aug. 14, officials said. The spill occurred at 14511 Huntersville-Concord Road, Huntersville town documents show.

The pipeline leaked 47,619 barrels of gasoline, or 2 million gallons, Colonial officials said Friday.

In September 2020, Michael Regan, then-secretary of NCDEQ, said 273,000 gallons of gasoline spilled on Aug. 14. The spill released amounts of benzene, toluene, xylene, ethylbenzene and possibly other petroleum chemicals that exceeded groundwater quality standards, Regan said.

Regan now heads the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The estimated amount rose to 1,119,982 gallons, Colonial Pipeline reported to regulators in January 2021, nearly 18 times greater than the 63,000 gallons that Mecklenburg County originally reported in August 2020.

$5 million settlement

On July 7, Mecklenburg County Superior Court judge Kimberly Best approved the settlement of the state lawsuit over the spill.

Colonial Pipeline will pay almost $5 million in penalties and take extensive steps to assess and repair the damage under the settlement.

The settlement requires Atlanta-based Colonial to pay a $4.5 million civil penalty plus $250,000 in investigative costs and other fines.

All terms of the order took effect July 7, according to NCDEQ.

In Fridays statement, company officials also said Colonials 385-plus subsurface monitoring and recovery wells are working as designed.

Impact on water supply

Data confirms the spill didnt spread from the general area of the pipeline crack, Colonial officials also said Friday. Ongoing testing since the spill confirms no impacts to water supply wells, according to the statement.

Since the spill, the company has spent more than $50 million improving its pipeline system, Colonial officials said.

The pipeline, the largest system of its kind in the United States, stretches 5,500 miles from Texas to New York and can carry up to 3 million barrels of fuel each day. It supplies almost half the gasoline consumed on the East Coast.
RCS Teachers of the Year

School-based Teachers of the Year for Rockingham County Schools have been elected by their fellow faculty members for the 2022-23 school year. Beginning teachers were nominated by their principals and mentors to compete for the title of RCSs Beginning Teacher of Excellence in 2022-2023.

The 2022-2023 School-Based Teachers of the Year from each school are:

Head Start: Kristy Ellison, Rockingham County Head Start

Elementary Schools: Kelly Toney, Bethany; Bethany Hudson, Central; Jessica Flynt, Dillard Academy; Jessica James, Douglass; Elicia E. Knight, Huntsville; Dawn Tuttle, Leaksville-Spray; Lauren Hill, Lincoln; Becca Isley, Monroeton; Sara Andrews, South End; Taylor French, Stoneville; Beth Washburn, Wentworth; and Sarah Canady, Williamsburg.

Middle schools: Brittany Evans, Holmes; Samuel Boerboom, Reidsville; Pam Porter, Rockingham County; and Dawn Crumpler, Western Rockingham

High schools: Ryan Stevens, McMichael; Nathan Hines, Morehead; George T. Murphy Jr., Reidsville; Taylor Apple, Rockingham County; and Anna Micciulla, Rockingham Early College.

Alternative School: Angela Boggs, Booker T. Washington Learning Center/SCORE

Teachers of the Year nominees are selected by their peers for the quality of their teaching, professional development, teaching philosophy and methods, community involvement and contributions to education. A central office administrator committee selects five finalists from the School-Based Teachers of the Year nominations list, one of whom will be chosen as RCS Teacher of the Year and will serve as a nominee for North Carolina Teacher of the Year.

The 2022-2023 Beginning Teacher of Excellence nominations are (not every school elected to nominate a Beginning Teacher of Excellence nomination): James Fain, Holmes Middle; Susana Martinez, Leaksville-Spray Elementary; Jakayla Clyburn, Morehead High; Justin Cunningham, Reidsville Middle; Debra Price, Reidsville High; Chelsie Ziglar, Rockingham Middle; and Chelsea Daniels-McGirt, South End Elementary.

Rockingham Blueway Guide unveiled

The Rockingham County Center for Economic Development, Small Business & Tourism and The Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority have announced the release of the new RoCo Blueway Branding which brings with it the new RoCo Blueway Guide.

The new blueway branding was put in place to give Rockingham Countys blueways their own distinct identity. The branding consists of a new RoCo Blueway logo, color scheme and taglines including Go with the RoCo flow and Rock the RoCo. After much research, a vintage industrial feel was chosen for the brandings overall theme to help capture and connect the logo and brand with Rockingham Countys mill and industrial history.

Blueways are navigable water trails based along rivers or lakes that include multi-activity recreation and nature-based tourism. Rockingham Countys blueways boast 88 miles and more than 4,500 acres of exciting water adventure and is made up by the Dan, Haw, Mayo and Smith Rivers as well as Belews Lake, Lake Hunt and Lake Reidsville.

The new RoCo Blueway Guide was developed to replace the previous Rockingham County Blueway Guide with a new branded look and layout. The guide now includes comprehensive safety guidelines and detailed trip summaries including clearer dam warnings, skill level recommendations and gives users an estimated travel time to ensure they are prepared. The new guide breaks each river and lake into easy to read and color coded sections and also lists local outfitter and accommodation information.

Copies of the guide are being distributed throughout the state and Triad region.

Locally, copies can be found at each river and lake access point, in governmental offices, Chambers of Commerce, hotels, shops, restaurants, and local breweries and wineries. To request a copy, call 336-342-8138. It is also available online at https://VisitRockinghamCountyNC.com/things-to-do/rivers-and-lakes/#/.
GREENSBORO  Three City Council members hope to retain their at-large seats as three other candidates challenge them in Tuesdays general municipal election.

The at-large seats are held by longtime incumbents Marikay Abuzuaiter and former mayor Yvonne Johnson, as well as Hugh Holston  who was appointed by the council in September 2021 to fill a seat vacated when at-large Councilwoman Michelle Kennedy resigned that August.

Challenging them are Tracy Furman, Katie Rossabi and Linda Wilson  all newcomers to the political arena.

In the May primary, 10 candidates were narrowed to six, with Johnson getting 24.98% of the vote and Abuzuaiter securing 16.39%. Then the numbers got a bit tighter by comparison: Furman, 10.25%; Holston, 10.04%; Rossabi, 9.82%; and Wilson, 9.56%, according to official primary results.

The 2021 Greensboro municipal election cycle was delayed because of redistricting from the 2020 census. Only people who live within Greensboros city limits can cast their votes in this election.

Marikay Abuzuaiter

Abuzuaiter, who has served on the council since 2011, encourages voters to consider her depth of experience, her community involvement and her love for assisting residents in all districts.

As restaurants struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, Abuzuaiter created the Greensboro Takeout page on Facebook in an effort to help locally owned independent restaurants survive difficult economic times.

If re-elected, I hope to continue serving the City of Greensboro and continue working hard on the initiatives I am so passionate about, she said in an email.

Those many initiatives range from supporting first-responders to often attending neighborhood association meetings across the city. To learn more about her campaign, visit votemarikay.com.

Tracy Furman

As a political newcomer, Furman wants to join the council to help creatively solve for solutions to a growing city. She is executive director of Triad Local First, a nonprofit that supports small independently owned businesses.

I think we need to find real, long term solutions to our disparities. One of those ways is through job creation, Furman said on her campaign website. I am a firm believer in the power of entrepreneurship and the jobs it brings.

Helping local businesses through the pandemic continues to be one of her priorities. If elected, other goals include addressing crime, affordable housing, better transportation services, beautification projects like parks, and protecting water quality and the environment.

Furman serves as a commissioner on the Minimum Housing Standards Commission and served as a member of the executive board for the Greensboro NAACP from 2018 to 2020. For details about her campaign, visit electtracyfurman.com.

Hugh Holston

Holston served as chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission before he was appointed to the Council last year. He wants to continue to serve in the at-large seat, focusing on what he describes as the Three Pillars for Progress: economic development, public safety and community engagement.

I am a problem solver, not a politician, Holston said on his campaign website. Over the years, I have established a track record of success building relationships, working in the community, and gaining invaluable local government experience to continue to support and benefit individuals and businesses in all of Greensboro.

Holston has spotlighted his service on a wide range of community boards, service to the city and his professional work with Lincoln Financial, AT&T and Wells Fargo. He has also emphasized his commitment to representing everyone and respecting the voices of others.

For more details about Holstons campaign and his vision of Go B.I.G.Believe in Greensboro, visit hughholston.com.

Yvonne Johnson

As the frontrunner after the May primary, Johnson said on her Facebook campaign page that those results assured her that residents have faith in my ability to continue serving the citizens of Greensboro in my efforts to make this the best city in the land.

Johnson began serving on the council in 1993 and has served as mayor pro tem since 2011. She was mayor between 2007 and 2009, and mayor pro tem between 1999 and 2005. She manages One Step Further, a nonprofit that offers youth justice and mediation programs.

Johnsons civic involvement includes a long list of achievements and participation on local boards, ranging from the Greensboro Housing Coalition to the Convention & Visitors Bureau.

For more details about Johnsons campaign, visit facebook.com/people/Yvonne-Johnson-City-Council-at-Large.

Katie Rossabi

For Rossabi, she hopes voters will embrace that shes a newcomer to politics and appreciate her experience in retail, sales and manufacturing.

I do not have a political background which I feel is an asset, Rossabi said on her website. I am here to work hard for the city of Greensboro  not build my political career. For me, the City Council role is about serving the citizens of Greensboro and working to build our city into what it can be.

Rossabi said she wants to increase pay and benefits for police officers, and support police reform by experienced law enforcement. She also wants to eliminate wasteful spending and to attract new businesses by ensuring the city is safe and clean.

For more details about Rossabi and her campaign, visit katie4gcc.com.

Linda Wilson

Wilson, another political newcomer, wants voters to consider the experience she brings from years serving as executive director of student health services at N.C. A&T, and most recently as co-director of community and business partnerships for Guilford County Schools.

Much of her volunteer service over the years includes agencies that focus on health and quality of life. Her priorities to improve life for Greensboro residents include promoting economic development, providing affordable housing, and improving public safety and security for all.

Putting whats best for Greensboro ahead of partisanship will be my priority in the City Council, she said on her website. I will push for continued investments in small and minority-owned businesses and will work to attract new companies to our city.

To learn more about Wilsons campaign, visit wilson4citycouncil.com.
KENLY  The Town Council emerged from a closed-door meeting Friday night, two days after its police chief, his four officers and two town clerks resigned, with little to say except they they will meet again next week.

The news of the mass resignations has brought media attention to the small Johnston County town of just over 2,000 people. About 50 residents gathered at Kenly Town Hall, huddled in small groups, talking among themselves as the Town Council members quietly took their seats in the small, brick building.

In a Facebook post last week, Josh Gibson, who has been police chief for the last two decades, said Jones has created an environment where I do not feel we can perform our duties and services to the community.

Gibson has said he would consider returning to the job if Jones left.

Denise Bennett, a native of Kenly, came to support new Town Manager Justine Jones. In resignation letters, the employees cited a hostile or stressful working environment, some blaming the manager.

Bennett said she doesnt believe Jones, who started in early June, has been given a chance to build relationships with people in the town yet.

One of my questions is, what happened between May and July? It takes time when you get a new boss, she said. We just want to make sure that the process is fair, and this ultimatum of her versus him as a police chief is not a good process.

Christel McGowan stood in front of Town Hall with a sign reading: Save Kenly, Fire Town Manager.

McGowan was hoping the Town Council would agree to side with the officers and remove Jones.

Theyve been here over 20 years. This woman comes in and I have a lot to say, but I cant, McGowan said. She sued Virginia, she sued South Carolina and I wouldnt doubt it if she sues us.

McGowan was referring to pending lawsuits between Jones and her previous employer in a South Carolina county for alleged gender and racial discrimination after she was fired in 2015.

We dont need to ... let everybody walk out because this woman has a hard time managing, and that I know for a fact, McGowan said.

Longtime resident Cynthia Kirby said the entire issue is racial. Jones is a Black woman, and the police officers who resigned are white men.

They dont want to be led by anybody Black; thats Kenly. Theyre always harassing Black people. Its racial, Kirby said. I hope this doesnt end in her quitting because thats not right. You cant judge anybody because they make you do your job.

Jones was hired out of 30 candidates in a national search.

She previously worked in local governments in Minnesota, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Residents Heather and Michael Johnson were also hoping for some kind of resolution Friday night. The two were in a meeting between Mayor Herbert Hales and some residents in a music hall across from Town Hall before the council meeting. The mayor told reporters they couldnt be in the meeting.

Heather Johnson said she felt the mayor answered peoples questions the best he could.

He was very upfront, and he said it like it was and said if I dont know, Ill do my best to find out, she said.

She said she isnt concerned about any safety issues that could come up with the officers resignations.

Kenly only has one officer on duty most of the time, so this is not anything new. As much as the police chief tries to have multiple officers, it hasnt been possible lately, Johnson said. Im hoping they can resolve this in a professional manner where whatever changes need to happen happen and we can walk away as a community and with no hard feelings, and with nobody dramatizing or with an agenda.

We just want to be safe in Kenly.

Sheriff Steve Bizzell has said the Johnston County Sheriffs Office will provide law enforcement protection for as long as the town needs.

Kenly could join a short list of municipalities in the state with defunct or disbanded law enforcement agencies.

Last year, the Davie County town of Mocksville voted to get rid of its police department.
We have taken down the Silent Sam Civil War monument on UNC-Chapel Hills campus and the statues of Confederate soldiers on many courthouse plazas.

But there are other monuments to the Civil War and slavery that cannot be removed  unfortunately.

In Scars on the Land: An Environmental History of Slavery in the American South, David Silkenat explains how, over a 200-year period, slavery made possible environmental disasters that cursed and continue to curse our region.

Silkenat says the slave owners in Americas South saw their landscape as disposable.

Using intensive farming methods made possible by slavery, Southern plantation owners wore out their farms. Rather than rehabilitating the land as they exploited it, they simply bought new land to replace what had been ruined.

Sometimes, the replacement land could be purchased nearby. Other times, the owners and slaves from worn-out plantations would move from North Carolina to fresh lands in Alabama or Mississippi, with the enslaved people walking all the way.

In Virginia, Thomas Jefferson noted in 1793 that he did not use manure to fertilize or replenish his worn-out tobacco fields because we can buy an acre of new land cheaper than we can manure an old acre.

Twenty years later Jefferson acknowledged that the intensive farming by his slaves had left his soils inert.

But the environmental damage associated with slavery was not limited to farmlands.

In North Carolina, for instance, intensive enslaved labor made possible the exploitation and destruction of the magnificent longleaf pine forests that covered our state. To secure the pitch and tar from the pine trees, enslaved labor tapped and scratched the surface, taking the blood the trees needed to sustain themselves, leaving only ghosts of once-magnificent forests.

Silkenat wrote, Intensive extraction conspired with environmental factors to expedite the forests destruction. Scarification caused by repeating chipping made the trees vulnerable to wood-boring insects such as the ips beetle, the turpentine bore and the black turpentine beetle. Stripped of their bark, the pine trees stood defenseless against these insects. A turpentine-borer epidemic in 1848-1849 along the Cape Fear River devastated the heart of North Carolinas longleaf pine.

Also, in North Carolina, the use of enslaved labor during the gold rush days before the Civil War made possible the extraction of gold but left a ruined landscape behind.

In South Carolina, the rice plantations that made that state wealthy before the Civil War required an enormous commitment of enslaved labor to dig and manage the canals and other waterways that provided the right conditions for the crop. Those canals and their upkeep, adjustment and repairs destroyed the natural environment and left the coastal lands permanently affected.

Similarly, along the Mississippi River, the construction of levees to protect farmlands from flooding required enslaved labor. Continuing maintenance and repair demanded a long-term commitment of enslaved labor. The adjustments to the normal ebb and flow of the river still make for the continuing disruption of the great rivers natural flow.

In cotton and tobacco fields, hardwood and pine forests, rice fields, goldmines, rivers and levees, slavery brought about even more damage to the environment. Although the author sets out many more examples of damage, he acknowledges that the environmental devastation chronicled in this book pales in comparison to the brutality of American slavery on human bodies and souls. Yet looking at slavery through an environmental lens reveals how the chattel principle poisoned everything it touched.
Sadly, the July 4 mass shooting at an Independence Day parade in Highland Park, Ill., brought the AR-15-style semi-automatic assault rifle, favored by mass shooters in America, back into the headlines.

Police allege 21-year-old Robert Crimo III used a legally obtained and registered Smith & Wesson M&P 15  built on the AR-15 platform design  and three 30-round magazines in the shooting that killed seven people and wounded 46 others.

Before the tally of dead and wounded in this latest tragedy had even been finalized, a barrage of internet memes, hot-take social media posts and pro-gun essays had again begun to circulate defending the AR-15 as not significantly different from guns like the Ruger Mini 14 and M1A. People who dont know about guns are afraid of the scary looking AR-15 because of their own ignorance, the argument goes, not because the rifle is significantly different or otherwise worthy of singling out for regulation.

Im familiar with these memes and these arguments because Ive seen them in my own family. Not from my father  a career Marine and veteran of multiple foreign wars. He somehow managed to raise two children wherever we happened to be stationed, on or off base, without ever feeling the need to keep a firearm in our home for defense or to carry one on his person, open or concealed. My relatives who have never served, never seen combat and who live in relatively safe and affluent suburban neighborhoods? They find their AR-15s essential.

In reality, the assertion the AR-15 is no different from other rifles betrays an ignorance of both weapon specs and the guns unique history. Ive fired various configurations of every rifle mentioned in this piece, including the M16, the fully automatic assault rifle adapted from the original AR-15 design for use by the U.S. military. There is a significant difference between AR-15s and less powerful weapons.

Today, a by-the-numbers history lesson on the origins of Americas rifle, from the battlefields where it first proved itself a superior killing machine, to the schools, grocery stores and holiday parades where it continues to fill body bags in staggering numbers:

1957

The year the U.S. Army approached ArmaLite to create a new and superior assault rifle.

Many fans of the AR-15 note that those who dont know much about guns incorrectly assume the weapon is an assault rifle because they mistakenly believe AR stands for assault rifle. It doesnt. It stands for ArmaLite.

While the alpha-numeric designation doesnt make it an assault rifle, ArmaLites chief engineer, the brilliant USMC veteran Euguene Stoner, did  at the behest of the U.S. Army. And he did a magnificent job of it.

How magnificent? The Army wanted a light rifle that would be an improvement over the M14 (from which the modern M1A descended), one capable of semi- and fully-automatic fire and capable of penetrating a steel helmet or standard body armor at 500 yards.

Stoner gave them all that and more in a scaled-down version of his AR-10.

Military testing repeatedly found the rifle more rugged, durable, easier to maintain, more accurate and versatile than the M1 rifle or M1 carbine and a host of the other rifles then in combat use.

1959

The year a rapturous Pentagon report on the AR-15 praised its light weight and significantly reduced recoil, leading to greater accuracy and effectiveness. The report determined a 5- to 7-man squad armed with the AR-15 would be as effective as a 10-man squad armed with the M14.

No significant difference? Tell it to the Pentagon.

But it would take a few years  and battle testing under some very specific conditions  before the military went all in on the new rifle.

1,000

The number of AR-15 rifles the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) procured for use by South Vietnamese troops and their U.S. special forces advisers in 1961. In a then-confidential report, ARPA explained that the AR-15 seemed the answer to one of its many early Vietnam conundrums. They needed an assault rifle that could be easily and effectively used by relatively inexperienced South Vietnamese fighters. With its compact design, lighter weight and ease of use, ARPA said, the AR-15 was ideal for the average Vietnamese soldier, who averaged about 5 feet in height and weighed in at about 90 pounds.

My brother-in-law, an avowed fan of the AR-15, recently told me that my 11-year-old nephew loves to shoot the rifle because it is easy and comfortable for him to shoot at his weight and stature. It is lighter and has less recoil, allowing him take to the weapon quickly and confidently and to shoot with it accurately in a very short period.

Yep, I said. Thats the idea.

The simplicity of the design also made it quicker to learn to assemble and disassemble, ARPA found, cutting training time for maintenance in half.

All these factors make the AR-15 platform, to this day, the choice of civilian mass shooters who are not military size or in military shape, who do not have military training but wish to quickly and easily kill the largest number of people.

For its purposes in Vietnam, ARPA concluded, the AR-15 was superior in virtually all respects to the M1 rifle, M1 and M2 carbines, Thompson submachine gun and Browning automatic rifle.

The CIA came to the same conclusion through its own testing, the report said.

But it wasnt just the rifles relative light weight, durability and simplicity that so impressed ARPA.

The report extolled the AR-15s phenomenal lethality in chilling detail, recounting firefights in which single shots appeared to explode the heads of enemies, shots to the arm removed them completely from the body. Shots that would have produced wounds with other rifles were kill shots with the AR-15.

All confirmed casualties inflicted by the AR-15, including extremity hits, were fatal, the report read.

No significant difference? Tell it to ARPA and the CIA.

1963

The year U.S. Army adopted the AR-15, which became the M16. The rifle became the U.S. militarys dominant assault rifle.

But those Vietnam era AR-15s and the later M16s were capable of fully automatic fire and boasted modifications. Todays mass-produced, unmodified AR-15s are semi-automatic rifles that are inherently less lethal and not even true assault rifles. Right?

There are, to be sure, serious differences between a stock civilian AR-15 and the M16 used by the U.S. military, including modifications like bayonets, under-barrel grenade launchers and shotguns. But perhaps the most hotly debated difference is automatic vs. semi-automatic fire and how big a difference this makes in lethality.

The U.S. Armys Field Manuals section on Advanced Rifle Marksmanship has a lot to say about semi-automatic vs. automatic fire, none of it favoring automatic fire. The manual calls semi-automatic fire devastatingly accurate, declaring it the most important firing technique during fast-moving, modern combat.

Far from praising the lethality and combat utility of automatic fire, the manual says the M16 should normally be used in its semi-automatic mode, disparaging fully automatic fire as inherently less accurate than semi-automatic fire.

The first full-automatic shot fired may be on target, but recoil and a high-cyclic rate of fire often combine to place subsequent rounds far from the desired point of impact, the manual says. Even controlled (three-round burst) automatic or burst fire may place only one round on the target. Because of these inaccuracies, it is difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of automatic or burst fire, and even more difficult to establish absolute guidelines for its use.

Fully automatic fire may be good for firing a large number of rounds as suppressive fire, the manual says, but not for hitting moving targets with accuracy and lethality in actual combat situations.

While none of this is likely to quell debates over the definition of assault rifle and whether the lack of automatic fire makes the modern, civilian AR-15 less deadly, it is clear the U.S. Army finds its semi-automatic capabilities superior.

1 in 5

The number of American gun owners who say they own an AR-15, according to a new NPR/Ipsos survey. That number includes a quarter of Republicans.

That would have horrified Eugene Stoner, according to his family.

In 2016, as Stoners gun took its place as the weapon of choice in American mass shootings, his family told NBC News he designed the gun for use by the military and never contemplated it being widely available to civilians.

Our father, Eugene Stoner, designed the AR-15 and subsequent M16 as a military weapon to give our soldiers an advantage over the AK-47, Stoners family said in a statement. He died long before any mass shootings occurred. But, we do think he would have been horrified and sickened as anyone, if not more by these events.

After many conversations with him, we feel his intent was that he designed it as a military rifle, Stoners family said. What has happened, good or bad, since his patents have expired is a result of our free market system. Currently, a more interesting question is Who now is benefiting from the manufacturing and sales of AR-15s, and for what uses?
One supposes that its at least conceivable there could be merit to the idea of moving the headquarters of the 16-campus UNC System from the place its always been  Chapel Hill  to the state capital in Raleigh.

Maybe.

But heres another obvious fact about such an ambitious plan: ramming it through without debate and without consulting the systems Board of Governors would be a brazen and indefensible act.

Thats precisely, however, what the Republican legislators who rule the General Assembly did recently.

As Policy Watch journalist Joe Killian reported, a special section in the new state budget adopted without public debate appropriates $15 million toward leasing space in Raleigh over the next four years. As Killian also reported: It also lays out plans and provides funding for a future $180 million downtown Education Campus to include the Department of Commerce, Department of Public Instruction, Community College System and UNC System offices.

The bill proposes building the new campus at 116 W. Jones St., where the states Department of Administration now resides. That department would be relocated to a newly proposed state executive headquarters.

Why now?

Now consider that the multi-million-dollar scheme was sprung at a time when the UNC System is struggling to hang on to underpaid faculty members and to keep tuition affordable; the move looks not just misguided and wasteful but downright outrageous and corrupt.

As Killian also reported: At current costs, that $15 million could fully fund a four-year college education  including in-state tuition, fees, books, room and board  for approximately 153 in-state students at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Even arch-conservative funder and Board of Governors member Art Pope has derided the plan as unnecessary and not properly vetted, saying, I certainly dont want to hear about a tuition increase when were spending $15 million unnecessarily.

Unfortunately, after a decade of mostly unchecked power, the UNC scheme is sadly indicative of how GOP legislative leaders roll these days.

Whether they are implementing policy changes (like the UNC move) that will alter the future of one of the states most important institutions, overhauling the states tax system, amending the state constitution, or merely handing out cash to politically connected nonprofits and businesses, in 2022, the General Assembly has abandoned almost any pretense of open debate and public input from experts.

Take the passage of the budget itself.

Take it or leave it

Though it was drafted behind closed doors and chock-full of items that had never been previously debated, because it was brought to lawmakers as a conference report  i.e., an iteration of a bill thats supposed to represent a compromise between earlier versions passed by the House and the Senate  the budget bill could not be amended. Instead, lawmakers were forced to cast a single, yes or no vote.

Proposals to remove individual controversial items  like the UNC move, the $15 million gift to the Atlantic Coast Conference, the latest expansion of the states costly and unaccountable school-voucher scheme, and the handing of big public dollars to crisis pregnancy centers (i.e., religion-based nonprofits masquerading as health care providers)  were not allowed under legislative rules.

One of the great ironies in all of this is that Republicans came to power at the start of the last decade promising to bring reform and transparency to the Legislative Building. Supposedly motivated by a desire to respond to the corruption symbolized by former Democratic House Speaker Jim Blacks bribery scandal GOP leaders promised a rebirth of honesty and efficiency and ascended to power touting a much-ballyhooed pledge to run government like a business.

That said, as we should have learned from the career of a certain former president, there are a lot of ways to run a business that do not involve honesty, transparency, efficiency or success.

As a long list of Donald Trump enterprises made painfully clear down through the years, business can also involve failing to pay contractors, discriminating against would-be customers because of their race, failing to disclose information to federal stock regulators, playing footsie with organized crime, misusing charitable donations, running a university that treats its students like marks, misusing funds donated for political campaigns, hiring countless shady characters, and lying about all of it.

Now add to this that almost two-thirds of American businesses ultimately fail within their first 10 years of operation and maybe the GOP pledge back in 2011 wasnt so off-base.

The bottom line: Republican legislators have now dominated the General Assembly for going on 12 years, but as the recent heavy-handed move of the UNC System makes clear yet again, they may be running government like a business, but, in this case, thats nothing to brag about.
The Montana Historical Society Research Center, as well as some galleries, will temporarily close in a few months in preparation for the 2025 opening of the Montana Heritage Center, museum officials said Friday.

The Homeland gallery, which examines life in Montanas past, already is partially shuttered as artifacts are inventoried and stored before their eventual inclusion into expanded exhibits in the new Heritage Center. Both the Homeland gallery and the adjacent exhibit Neither Empty Nor Unknown: Montana at the Time of Lewis and Clark, will close at the end of September.

However, the Charlie Russell gallery and the eclectic Portraits lobby exhibit will remain available to the public as long as the art is not affected by the upcoming construction improvements to the 70-year-old MHS building. The Russell artwork eventually will move into a gallery twice the size of its existing home, and new exhibits will replace the Who Speaks to You? Portraits from the Permanent Collection now on display.

Construction is underway for the new the $81 million heritage center. The new 66,000-square-foot addition will have expanded galleries, so visitors can see more of the art and artifacts held in trust by the Montana Historical Society. It also will include meeting rooms for up to 300 people and a public cafe.

As part of the project, the historical society's current 70-year-old building also will be renovated with new classrooms and expanded galleries and a research center.

The Museum Store at 225 N. Roberts St. remains open, as does the Original Governors Mansion at 304 N. Ewing St. Both are in Helena.

We apologize for any disruptions to visitors and appreciate the patience of both the public and staff while we go through these exciting yet difficult growing pains, MHS Director Molly Kruckenberg said. We encourage people to visit soon to enjoy the wide range of portraits on display, as well as the outstanding Russell artwork.

The Research Center is not slated to close until Jan. 1. Current hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m.

The closure is necessary to allow staff time to prepare the collections for the renovation work that will occur in 2023 and 2024 in our current space, said Roberta Gebhardt, the Research Center program manager. We hope that by giving early notice, we can accommodate researchers needs prior to the temporary but extended closure.

During the closure, any research using original, non-digital archives or library collections will not be possible. However, online resources will be available including historic newspapers and all collections found on the Montana Memory Project. Limited remote research services also will be available. See more at mhs.mt.gov.

The Research Center will reopen in early 2025. People with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the Research Center at mhslibrary@mt.gov or 406/444-2681. Online research materials are available at https://mhs.mt.gov/Research/OnlineCollections.
Even though Rylee Sommers-Flanagan traveled to Georgia, Scotland and California for school, she always knew she wanted to end up in her home  Montana.

Its the best place on earth, she said. I think Montana is politically unique. I think it is such an incredible place to live, to enjoy the access to public lands, to be part of a community. One of the things I love about Montana is how willing we are to show up for our neighbors.

Sommers-Flanagan is driven by a responsibility to contribute to her community where she can. And, with a love for solving problems, talking to people and working within existing systems to impact change, Sommers-Flanagan found her calling as a lawyer.

Just last year, she founded the Upper Seven Law Firm. The firm, which is nonpartisan, operates with a mission of holding those in power accountable.

Sommers-Flanagan said, especially under Montanas constitution, theres a lot of ways to use litigation and law to advance the public interest and serve people.

In its year as a firm, Upper Seven has looked at voting rights, access to justice issues and prison litigation, like discrimination and conditions of confinement  housing  of prisoners, Sommers-Flanagan said.

I hope that our work acts as a deterrent against the passage of unconstitutional laws, a bulwark against encroaching power grabs  both of those things meaning something similar, Sommers-Flanagan said. I also hope that it gives people models of how lawyers can be more proactive in litigating issues that might not be wildly lucrative, but that solve social problems concerned with social justice.

She said the experience of founding Upper Seven has been a roller coaster and really exciting. In the year its been operating, she said the firm has earned a 3-0 record, not losing a case yet. Sommers-Flanagan said picking off that many cases in such a short period, to her, means Upper Seven is filling a role that needed to be filled.

One thing that has been extremely gratifying in this last year is feeling like we are showing up and making a difference, Sommers-Flanagan said.
More than 3,000 members of the LGBTQ community and their allies celebrated in a sunny Last Chance Gulch in downtown Helena Saturday as Montana Pride hosted its annual parade and rally.

Montana Pride President Kev Hamm has been running the event since his organization took it over in 2014 and said tongue in cheek during an interview after the rally that this was the first year there were more people who came to watch the parade than march in it.

"I grew up in this town and never thought it would be like this," Hamm said. "It's been a really big week and celebration for our community."

The parade ran along Last Chance Gulch from the intersection with Neill Avenue to Anchor Park for the rally.

Attendees heard from speakers including Helena Mayor Wilmot Collins, City Commissioner Melinda Reed and state Rep. Mary Ann Dunwell, D-Helena.

Later in the afternoon, Montana Book Co. hosted Drag Story Hour. Three drag queens, Jackie of Missoula and Virgo and Julie from Great Falls, read stories of acceptance and inclusiveness to children and adults.

"This was excellent. It was a wonderful time," Virgo said.

She read "Prince & Knight: Tale of the Shadow King" by Daniel Haack, a story about a prince who falls in love with a knight.

Nearly 100 people packed the book store's second floor for the readings.

"It feels absolutely incredible," Julie said.

She read "The GayBCs," an LGBTQ-centric vocabulary book.

Both Virgo and Julie are part of a Great Falls trio of performers known as The Mister Sisters.

Jackie is also deaf and has a cochlear implant. They incorporated American Sign Language into their story.

The group puts on such events around the state, and Virgo said this was the first to include an ASL interpreter.

Jackie called the disability community a fantastic one.

"It made me who I am today. It made me a stronger, more resilient person," Jackie said.

Virgo said the group has wanted to incorporate an ASL interpreter and was happy it could happen this time. The main stage drag performance scheduled for Saturday night was also set to feature an interpreter for the first time.

"Our siblings in (the LGBTQ) community who are disabled can sometimes feel overlooked," Virgo said. "Visibility across the board is so important."

Jackie read "We Are the Water Protectors" by Carole Lindstrom, a children's book born out of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

When Hamm said he never thought Helena "would be like this" he was referring to not only the downtown business corridor awash in rainbows, but also the safety of the gay community event, which in years past might not have received the same warm reception.

Helena Police Department boasted a stout presence at the event, and Hamm said the police have long been "very responsive" to the community.

Protesters who the Montana Human Rights Network said have ties to white nationalist groups were present outside of Montana Book Co. for the event.

Lt. Randy Ranalli of the Helena Police Department said there was an increased presence around Montana Book Co. during the event and that no arrests were made. Ranalli said he was unaware of any extremist affiliations among the protesters.

The news of the protesters in attendance brought hundreds more Pride supporters who stood outside the book store while the event took place.

"I'll be honest, it can be a little scary sometimes, but when our allies come out, it's incredibly heartwarming," Virgo said.

Julie said those intending to spread such hate should know they only bring out more support for the gay community.

"We will always outnumber them," she said.

It was evident Saturday.

Micah Coburn of Bozeman said they made the trip to Helena with their partner and some friends. Coburn was among the many supporters in front of the book store.

"I love this. I love that there is a whole crowd of queers making sure nothing goes wrong," they said.

Helena resident John Crowley, who said he has attended just about every Helena Pride parade, was another.

Crowley said on a scale of one to 10, the importance of such a highly visible show of support and compassion is "about 200."

"It lets young queer kids know they're not alone, that they have friends and allies," he said.
DECATUR  The Decatur gunshot victim dropped off at Decatur Memorial Hospital early Sunday has died after surgeons lost their battle to save him.

Macon County Coroner Michael E. Day said in a news release that Tiebryis R. May, 22, was pronounced dead at 4:31 a.m. Sunday in the operating theater at Decatur Memorial Hospital.

Detective Sgt. Steve Carroll with the Decatur Police Department had earlier said May was dropped off at the hospital emergency room by private car around 3 a.m.

Carroll said a full investigation was underway but already running into some problems. "It doesnt look like were getting too much cooperation from whoever dropped him off," the detective said.

Carroll said the investigation was in its early stages and was continuing Sunday as police try to piece together the circumstances and the exact location of the crime scene.

The coroner said an autopsy will be conducted Monday and more information would be released once the results were in.
On the 129th anniversary of the birth of civil rights leader and Bristol native Charles Spurgeon Johnson we renew a call first made on this page in February of 2018 with a fresh sense of urgency.

As dirt is currently being moved to make way for the citys new $25 million elementary school near Van Pelt Elementary School, ideas about what to name the school are beginning to be tossed around by the School Board. Bristol, Virginia should name its new elementary school after the man commonly referred to as, Bristols most famous unknown son, Charles Spurgeon Johnson.

The prominent sociologist, pioneer in the field of race relations and the first black president of Nashvilles Fisk University would be an inspiring choice for the name of the new school.

As a person who overcame overwhelming odds to find success in a society designed with built-in obstacles to hold him back because of the color of his skin, Johnsons story of someone who dedicated his life to striving for equality provides an example for all.

To name the new elementary school after Johnson would be a way to continually tell his story and keep the legacy of his early struggles for civil rights at the forefront of our citys conscious.

Up until October of last year, there were no historical markers o recognition of Johnsons life in the city. A historical marker for Johnson and another for his father Charles Henry Johnson, a 42-year pastor of Lee Street Baptist Church, were placed in Cumberland Park last fall. It was a great step forward in recognizing the man many feel would have been as important in the civil rights movement as Martin Luther King Jr. had he not died at age 63 in 1956.

Johnson helped spark a set of ideas on racial equality that grew into the desegregation of schools in 1959 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Born in Bristol July 24 of 1893, Johnson grew up at 711 Moore St., a few blocks north of the railroad. He left the city as a teenager to attend high school in Richmond. He followed in his fathers footsteps graduating from Virginia Union.

Johnson was known for his struggle against racial injustice in Chicago and New York. At the time of his death, he was president of the historically Black Fisk University in Nashville.

By naming the new elementary school after Johnson, the city recognizes the legacy of a civil rights pioneer born and raised right here in Bristol, Virginia. As Johnson exemplified in his lifes work, the school name would recognize what has been accomplished so far while looking ahead to better race relations for future generations.

Charles Spurgeon Johnson Elementary School has a nice ring to it.
HICKORY  On Sunday July 17, Exodus Missionary Outreach United Church of Christ celebrated its 25th anniversary with special guests that included Hickory Mayor Hank Guess and Capt. Bryan Adams of the Hickory Police Department.

Adams spoke about the impact Exodus Homes has had on the Ridgeview neighborhood, reducing crime and making the community a better place to live overall. He also spoke at length about the impact Rev. Reggie Longcrier has had on his life, helping him and many other police officers become better people on and off the job.

Guess read a proclamation from the City of Hickory detailing the impact the church and United Way agency Exodus Homes have made in the city as a whole. Guess is a former police officer who recounted the incredible changes in the Ridgeview neighborhood from his own experience.

The proclamation detailed the history of the church and the supportive housing program, describing how both have worked together to stabilize the Hickory community by promoting equality for all people, addressing homelessness, enhancing workforce development, and reducing prison recidivism 65%.

Exodus Church founding senior pastor and Exodus Homes executive director the Rev. Reggie Longcrier was clearly moved by the accolades and said "God has always been the unseen power at work in our work and we give him all the glory."
Catawba Valley Community Colleges paramedic program partnered with Bandys Fire Department and Catawba Rescue Squad to provide a unique training experience earlier this month at historic Murrays Mill.

The paramedic program provides clinical times in a variety of areas; however, not all possible scenarios a paramedic might face can be covered. Thanks to the members of the fire department and rescue squad, the CVCC students were able to conquer some fears and be introduced to technical rescue situations that would present a challenge for patient care and provider safety.

Deputy Chief Brandon Drum provided a crew from the fire department to set up a variety of scenarios for students to participate in. This included an introduction to rope rescue, being placed in a harness and high-line rescue. Students were able to rappel down to patients and be lowered to patients.

With the high-line rescue, students faced a new challenge where they relied on a team of people to move them on a line, lowered to the ground and students would have to disconnect from their lines to care for the patient. The students also had the challenge of returning to the lowering point and reconnecting to their systems and raised back to their starting point. All of this was completed with multiple safety personnel in place to ensure accuracy.

This training would not be possible without the members of the Bandys Fire Department and Catawba Rescue Squad, Catawba Valley Community College paramedic instructors and department heads, and volunteers from the community.
But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one. (2 Thessalonians 3:3)

The Bible promises that times will get worse, all the way up to the end.

Its a crying shame, and you dont have to look very hard to prove that point. The tragic May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 students and two teachers dead. Why, there was even a shooting at a Little League ballgame in North Carolina last week!

These are life-and-death examples that the work of Satan cannot always be understood. The world struggles to find a solution, but the Bible says that lawlessness is a mystery and will only be brought to a stop by the second coming of Christ.

We are not alone with the discouragement that we feel regarding what we see going on in this country. Fifty-two years ago, a young Indiana songwriter was also discouraged. He was so upset by what he saw happening that it made him feel hopeless and depressed.

Many of you remember those times. Racial tension was tearing our country apart; the Vietnam Conflict was at its peak; and three American heroes  who wanted to see a different America  were all shot down in their prime. Why, I can still remember seeing Dion on television in 1968 singing, Abraham, Martin, and John, a song that eulogized the lives of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Bobby Kennedy, and praised them for the courage they showed.

Against that backdrop, this young, promising songwriter just couldnt bear the thought of bringing another child into this world. In fact, his wife, then pregnant with their third child, described how they both felt: Bill and I would talk about the circumstances of this world, and about this new discouragement, and wind up saying, If this world is like this now, what will it be like in 15 or 16 years for our baby? What will this child face? We were filled with fear and uncertainty.

That uncertainty turned to endless hope one spring afternoon when Bills father provided him with a modern-day parable. Bill had just paved a parking lot next to his office and there, in the middle of the newly paved lot, stood a tiny blade of green grass. His father showed him that lonely blade of grass, suggesting that it had a direct connection with the hope we have in Christ. His wife later said, It was confirming a truth that had been pushing its way to the surface of our souls: Life wins! Life wins!

Well, the rest is history. That young Indiana songwriter was none other than Bill Gaither. And it was after his father convinced him that hope is never lost for the Christian that he penned, Because He Lives, a reminder to us all that hope is never lost for Christians.

Life is difficult, and these are dark times in which we live. But we have a gift called salvation that provides light that will show us the way in spite of what may be going on in our world. In fact, Jesus himself said, I am the light of the world. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life. (John 8:12)

That light still shines, my friends. And Bill Gaithers chorus to Because He Lives is as true today as it ever was:

Because he lives,

I can face tomorrow

Because he lives,

All fear is gone;

Because I know

He holds the future,

And life is worth the living

Just because he lives.

Hold on to the promises of God and remember what the Apostle John told us: For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. (John 3:17)
Without obvious signs of contamination like the mold in this jam, consumers use expiration dates to decide whether to keep or throw away food. Ralf Geithe via iStock/Getty Images

Floridas outbreak of listeria has so far led to at least one death, 22 hospitalizations and an ice cream recall since January. Humans get sick with listeria infections, or listeriosis, from eating soil-contaminated food, undercooked meat or dairy products that are raw, or unpasteurized. Listeria can cause convulsions, coma, miscarriage and birth defects. And its the third leading cause of food poisoning deaths in the U.S.

Avoiding unseen food hazards is the reason people often check the dates on food packaging. And printed with the month and year is often one of a dizzying array of phrases: best by, use by, best if used before, best if used by, guaranteed fresh until, freeze by and even a born on label applied to some beer.

People think of them as expiration dates, or the date at which a food should go in the trash. But the dates have little to do with when food expires, or becomes less safe to eat. I am a microbiologist and public health researcher, and I have used molecular epidemiology to study the spread of bacteria in food. A more science-based product dating system could make it easier for people to differentiate foods they can safely eat from those that could be hazardous.

Costly confusion

The United States Department of Agriculture reports that in 2020 the average American household spent 12% of its income on food. But a lot of food is simply thrown away, despite being perfectly safe to eat. The USDA Economic Research Center reports that nearly 31% of all available food is never consumed. Historically high food prices make the problem of waste seem all the more alarming.

The current food labeling system may be to blame for much of the waste. The FDA reports consumer confusion around product dating labels is likely responsible for around 20% of the food wasted in the home, costing an estimated US$161 billion per year.

Its logical to believe that date labels are there for safety reasons, since the federal government enforces rules for including nutrition and ingredient information on food labels. Passed in 1938 and continuously modified since, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act requires food labels to inform consumers of nutrition and ingredients in packaged foods, including the amount of salt, sugar and fat it contains.

The dates on those food packages, however, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Rather, they come from food producers. And they may not be based on food safety science.

For example, a food producer may survey consumers in a focus group to pick a use by date that is six months after the product was produced because 60% of the focus group no longer liked the taste. Smaller manufacturers of a similar food might play copycat and put the same date on their product.

More interpretations

One industry group, the Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association, suggests that its members mark food best if used by to indicate how long the food is safe to eat, and use by to indicate when food becomes unsafe. But using these more nuanced marks is voluntary. And although the recommendation is motivated by a desire to cut down on food waste, it is not yet clear if this recommended change has had any impact.

A joint study by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and the National Resources Defense Council recommends the elimination of dates aimed at consumers, citing potential confusion and waste. Instead, the research suggests manufacturers and distributors use production or pack dates, along with sell-by dates, aimed at supermarkets and other retailers. The dates would indicate to retailers the amount of time a product will remain at high quality.

The FDA considers some products potentially hazardous foods if they have characteristics that allow microbes to flourish, like moisture and an abundance of nutrients that feed microbes. These foods include chicken, milk and sliced tomatoes, all of which have been linked to serious foodborne outbreaks. But there is currently no difference between the date labeling used on these foods and that used on more stable food items.

Expiration dates could be more meaningful if they were based on scientific studies of a foods rate of nutrient loss or microbial growth. Thomas Faull/iStock via Getty Images

Scientific formula

Infant formula is the only food product with a use by date that is both government regulated and scientifically determined. It is routinely lab tested for contamination. But infant formula also undergoes nutrition tests to determine how long it take the nutrients - particularly protein  to break down. To prevent malnutrition in babies, the use by date on baby formula indicates when its no longer nutritious.

Nutrients in foods are relatively easy to measure. The FDA already does this regularly. The agency issues warnings to food producers when the nutrient contents listed on their labels dont match what FDAs lab finds.

Microbial studies, like the ones we food safety researchers work on, are also a scientific approach to meaningful date labeling on foods. In our lab, a microbial study might involve leaving a perishable food out to spoil and measuring how much bacteria grows in it over time. Scientists also do another kind of microbial study by watching how long it takes microbes like listeria to grow to dangerous levels after intentionally adding the microbes to food to watch what they do, noting such details as growth in the amount of bacteria over time and [when theres enough to cause illness].

Consumers on their own

Determining the shelf life of food with scientific data on both its nutrition and its safety could drastically decrease waste and save money as food gets more expensive.

But in the absence of a uniform food dating system, consumers could rely on their eyes and noses, deciding to discard the fuzzy bread, green cheese or off-smelling bag of salad. People could also might pay close attention to the dates for more perishable foods, like cold cuts, in which microbes grow easily. They can also find guidance at FoodSafety.gov.

___

Jill Roberts does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

___
CHICAGO - Three people who were attending a funeral in Roseland were shot Saturday afternoon, police said.

About 2:30 p.m., police responded to a shooting near 108th and State streets where three people had been shot, the Chicago Police Department said in a media notification.

A 20-year-old man was shot in the abdomen, shoulder and leg, a 37-year-old man was shot in the upper right thigh and a 25-year-old man was shot in the upper right side of his back, police said. All three men were taken to a hospital in good condition, police said.

The men were standing outside when a gray sedan drove by and someone inside the car shot them, police said. No one is in custody and police continue to investigate.
CHICAGO - A proposed ordinance would prohibit CBD shops in Chicago from advertising themselves as dispensaries, in an attempt to distinguish them from state-licensed recreational cannabis shops.

Licensed marijuana companies see the proposal as a way to keep unregulated competitors from confusing customers. Members of the hemp CBD industry see the move as another example of big cannabis trying to harass them to protect their restricted market.

The measure by Ald. Brian Hopkins, 2nd, would also ban CBD shops from advertising with the image of a cannabis leaf or bud  as licensed dispensaries are forbidden to do  or a green cross.

Some of these unregulated retailers are trying to masquerade as legitimate dispensaries, Hopkins said. Its false and deceptive marketing, and it needs to stop.

Charles Wu, owner of hemp CBD grower and retailer prescribd in Bridgeview, said he doesnt generally use the word dispensary, but at least one product he sells from an outside supplier uses a leaf logo.

Though the Chicago ordinance would not affect his business directly, Wu feels its a sign of how the CBD industry as a whole is treated.

We feel its harassment, he said of the proposed law. Its basically large companies trying to maintain their monopolies.

The licensed cannabis market in Illinois is dominated by the owners of just 21 grower licenses. That causes high prices and limited supply, and helps perpetuates the illegal market.

The state also allows just 110 dispensaries, compared with hundreds of shops in other states with legal weed. On Friday, regulators released another 149 preliminary dispensary licenses, which are expected to open by next year. Licensed business have to pay high state fees and taxes and follow strict regulations, such as laboratory testing, of the type that CBD dealers generally do not face.

Before those state licenses were delayed by regulatory problems and litigation, federal and state lawmakers legalized growing hemp, defined as cannabis with less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient that gets users high.

The most popular product derived from hemp initially was CBD, which doesnt get users high. Its been proven to help treat children with severe seizures, and proponents make a host of other claims that it reduces inflammation and pain, which are still being researched.

Meanwhile, hemp processors have developed a string of other derivatives such as Delta-8 THC pr THC-O, which are said to get users high, with milder effects than conventional cannabis.

A proposed state law to regulate such cannabinoids went nowhere. With little publicity, the Illinois Department of Agriculture published a policy in March prohibiting producing such cannabinoids from hemp, but retailers generally have continued to sell it unabated.
The social responsibility index is perhaps the Lown Institutes highest-profile review of not-for-profit and nonprofit health care systems and hospitals.

The institutes focus is analyzing the socioeconomic impact of the systems and hospitals, particularly as it relates to the tax exemptions they receive compared with community benefits and the charity care they provide.

As tax-exempt nonprofits, Atrium Health, Cone Health, Novant Health Inc. and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, and their affiliated hospitals, enjoy wide tax benefits.

In exchange for providing community benefits, they qualify for exemptions on state and federal income taxes and city and county property taxes.

In many instances, the institute comes down on the side of the systems and hospitals community benefits falling short compared with their tax benefits.

Hospitals receive tens of billions in tax breaks for maintaining their nonprofit status, institute senior policy analyst Judith Garber said in a website posting.

Given the opportunity cost of these funds  which would go to local schools, state social assistance programs and other government initiatives  its important to ask How much are nonprofit hospitals giving back to communities?

Garber said that if you ask the hospital industry, they claim they give back far more than they receive in tax breaks.

The American Hospitals Association recently reported that nonprofit hospitals give back nine times what they receive in tax breaks.

However, Garber said the institutes research has determined that nonprofit hospitals spend $18 billion less than what they give in charity care and community investment.

How can these two estimates be so different?

The answer, according to Garber and Dr. Vikas Saini, the institutes president, is that the IRS allows hospitals to report several different categories of community benefit.

But, not all of these types of spending are equally meaningful for community health.

Garber and Saini said that most community members imagine free clinics, food pantries, diabetes and asthma prevention programs, and the like in defining community benefits.

In reality, the majority of community benefit spending that hospitals report is for items that have little effect on community health: Medicaid shortfall, health professions training and research.

The fact that nonprofit hospitals care for Medicaid patients, train residents and conduct research is undoubtedly a social good.

But to justify their tax exemption, the focus should be on programs that address specific community health needs, not on spending for the general good for which they are already being paid.

Systems counterpoint

Atrium, Baptist and Novant have defended their community benefit reports by emphasizing their Medicaid shortfall, health professions training and research expenses.

For example, Baptist reported June 8 that its community benefits spending reached a record $611.2 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2021, up $15 million from the previous report.

For Baptist, community benefits involve uncompensated care, charity care, plugging Medicaid and Medicare funding gaps, education, research and community-outreach efforts.

Novant does not provide a comparable annual community benefit report. The most recent report for the system was released in June 2019 and covered fiscal 2018.

According to the Novant-commissioned study by the Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy, the direct economic impact of the system on the Triad increased 20% over a three-year period to $1.8 billion.

Novant said its goal is to help communities and politicians at all levels better understand its overall economic influence.

Novant defines the Triad as including the Forsyth, Clemmons, Kernersville and Thomasville medical centers, Medical Park Hospital and doctors offices, outpatient facilities, and imaging centers in a 10-county area.

Economic impact was measured using data provided by Novant for net operating revenues, salaries, wages and benefits, and capital expenditures for construction at all N.C. facilities.

The study measured Novants economic impact in three categories: direct, indirect (primarily suppliers) and induced (defined as revenue, wages and jobs generated by industry-to-industry transactions, as well as employee and supplier spending on local goods and services).

Hot-button issue

Meanwhile, hospital management pay has been a hot-button issue, particularly as Forsyth and Baptist have cut or outsourced hundreds of jobs in response to regulatory changes.

Critics say hospital systems use their nonprofit status for tax advantages and public-relations purposes, while compensation committees have sought to justify corporate-level wages and benefits to top executives.

That includes providing incentive pay that approaches, if not exceeds, annual base salary compensation.

Some critics of paying not-for-profit executives more than $1 million in annual compensation challenge the notion of the skill level needed to run a health care system.

Baptist has previously said that the recruitment and retention of executives, who can meet the challenging requirements of the new healthcare, education, research and innovation environments while ensuring the continued success of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist as the regions economic driver, takes proven talents possessed by a small group of healthcare executives.

For the 2020 executive compensation report, the Novant Board of Trustees repeated previous language that executive compensation must be considered reasonable and within an acceptable range compared to similar organizations.

Compensation is designed to be competitive and to help recruit and retain leaders. Novant Health establishes executive base salaries in the same way it establishes compensation for all employees, by using market data and comparing to similar jobs.

Novant said the complexity of operating a 15-hospital network in four states is taken into consideration by the compensation consultant and the committee when establishing its peer group.

Folwell perspective

State Treasurer Dale Folwell repeatedly has called on state legislative leaders to hold hospitals accountable for how they treat the most vulnerable members of their communities.

Folwell has oversight authority over the N.C. State Health Plan, which has more than 570,000 participants that include current and retired state employees, teachers and legislators. It is North Carolinas largest purchaser of medical and pharmaceutical services.

Folwell has said that from an economic standpoint, I have always been opposed to these multibillion-dollar corporations run by multimillion-dollar executives disguising themselves as nonprofits.

They are money management/real estate investment firms that have made billions of dollars off the backs of sick people who dont want to be sick and are never told what their services actually cost.

The cartelization of health care in North Carolina into the hands of fewer hospitals has never been greater.

Folwell has called on state Attorney General Josh Stein and the U.S. Justice Department to start investigating the trade practices and cartel-like activities of these so-called not-for-profit organizations.

It appears that no one is holding hospitals accountable for the way they treat the poor, Folwell said.

Instead, North Carolina enables bad actors to pocket their tax breaks instead of paying them back to their communities. We must support the hospitals who do serve their communities and require the others to step up.

The NCHA said that we look forward to continuing to work with the state treasurer and others to discuss the true cost of providing health care in North Carolina, and how despite the billions it takes to provide high-level care, our hospitals and health systems continue to heavily invest in the communities they serve.
Q: I get a lot of calls every day that caller ID shows are coming from reputable local and national businesses. Is there any way to stop the calls?

D.W.

Answer: There is good news in the ongoing battle to stop unwanted phone calls.

On July 21, the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) Robocall Response Team announced it was ordering phone companies to block calls from entities that are trying to sell auto warranties.

We are not going to tolerate robocall scammers or those that help make their scams possible, FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. Consumers are out of patience and Im right there with them.

Scammers have the technology and ability to spoof phone numbers. The Federal Communications Commission defines number spoofing as a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity.

They can make it appear that the call is from a business or someone in the same area where you are located.

Many times the caller is located overseas making it very difficult to catch them.

Here are some tips from the FCC about what to do when you get a call that is likely a robocall or scammer:

*If you dont recognize the number, dont answer the phone.

*If you answer it and realize its a robocall or a scam, hang up immediately.

*If the caller tells you to push a button to stop the calls, dont do it, hang up.

*Never give any kind of personal information to an unknown caller.

*Never assume an unexpected call is legitimate. Hang up and call back using a number you can verify on a bill, a statement, or an official website.

*Be suspicious. Con artists can be very convincing: They may ask innocuous questions, or sound threatening, or sometimes seem too good to be true, the FCC said.

Scammers may pose as a law enforcement officer or a representative of such companies as Duke Energy, Amazon or AT&T and tell you youll be arrested for failing to show up for jury duty or you have an overdue payment. Sometimes, theyll claim that if you give them the numbers off a gift card or transfer money through electronic sites such as Bitcoin, the situation will be closed.

*Dont give them any money or information. Law enforcement will never demand immediate payment. Make sure you know who is on the other end of the call.

If they tell you that they are from a company you do business with, hang up and call that business using a number from their website or on correspondence youve gotten from them.

*Never give any personal information, including bank information, credit card information, or a Social Security number to an unknown caller. Hang up.

The Winston-Salem Police Department recommends the following:

*If you do somehow find yourself on the line with a suspected scammer, Get the callers name (or alleged name); get the number they called from and/or email address; and contact law enforcement authorities and file a police report.

*If you havent already, you can sign up for the Do Not Call Registry on the Federal Trade Commissions website, FTC.gov.

You can file a complaint with the FCC on its website, FCC.gov and to the FTC.
UNANIMOUS has promoted Jamie Riha to the marketing director of the Lincoln-based brand alignment and communications agency.

Riha joined the UNANIMOUS team in April of 2021 as a senior marketing consultant, initiating the teams efforts in research and brand alignment strategies. As a consultant, she has managed several accounts and led initiatives to develop strategic verbal identities for new and existing clients. She has created a team environment that is collaborative and creative.

Riha also seeks to create a supportive work environment at UNANIMOUS and continues to look for ways to recruit and retain top talent to expand their growing team.

As Riha takes on expanded responsibilities, she will lead all team initiatives and continue to spearhead and delegate marketing projects of all sizes and scopes. Riha holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a major in advertising. She spent nearly a decade in the Kansas City market promoting a wide range of national and global brands. She is currently seeking Google certifications in ads search advertising and Google Ads display advertising.

Jamie has been an exceptional member of the UNANIMOUS team! Her connection with clients and the expertise she brings to the many projects she manages has made a notable impact and generated impressive results. Her keen insights and professional mindset have been instrumental as our marketing team develops compelling brands and strategic marketing campaigns for our partners. Jamies organization, attention to detail, and overall tenacity make her the ideal person for the marketing director role. We are excited to promote her and look forward to her continued comradery and contributions to the team, shares Trent Wilcox, president of UNANIMOUS.

To learn more about UNANIMOUS or how to join their dynamic marketing team, contact us at BeUnanimous.com.

UNANIMOUS is a Lincoln, Nebraska, based agency that assists clients with branding, marketing, web design, and video production. With over 350 active clients across 15 states, the agency is known for its collaborative approach and prides itself on creating unanimous brand alignment for clients.
The Nebraska Supreme Court on Friday upheld a Lincoln man's felony drunk driving conviction saying the officer could, without a warrant, order a blood draw from him because he was unconscious and suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Law enforcement in Nebraska usually would need to get a warrant.

In a 32-page decision, Justice Stephanie Stacy said they have discussed, but not previously applied, an exception that allows blood to be drawn without a warrant in DUI cases.

"Here, the relevant facts are largely undisputed," she wrote.

At about 1 a.m. Feb. 25, 2020, a Lincoln police officer discovered Dustin L. Miller, then 30, lying in a ditch off Nebraska 2 near 40th Street, surrounded by debris from a rollover accident. Stacy said Miller smelled of alcohol, the wrecked vehicle smelled of alcohol, and an open can of beer was found among the debris.

He was in and out of consciousness at the scene and taken to the hospital for emergency care.

There, medical staff treating Miller told Officer Zachary Kliegl that Miller's injuries were serious, and he required immediate medical treatment, which could affect his blood alcohol level.

Believing Miller had been driving under the influence and that he didn't have enough time to get a warrant for a blood test, he directed medical staff to do it without one.

After he was found guilty at trial of DUI (fourth offense) and driving during revocation, Miller appealed, saying the judge shouldn't have let the results of the blood test go before the jury.

Deputy Lancaster County Public Defender Todd Molvar argued that searches without a warrant are per se unreasonable, subject only to a few specifically established and well-delineated exceptions.

The state relied exclusively on the exigent-circumstances exception.

Stacy said both sides cited U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

Schmerber v. California first addressed the issue in 1966, finding that blood draws were an intrusion into the body that ordinarily require a search warrant. But they found an involuntary, warrantless blood sample taken in the case was justified under the exigent-circumstances exception because the body's natural metabolic processes would destroy evidence of blood alcohol if the officers had to wait for a warrant.

In a 2013 case, Missouri v. McNeely, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the idea that metabolization, in itself, justified an exception to the need for a warrant for nonconsensual blood testing in all drunken driving cases, opting instead for a case-by-case assessment.

Most recently, in Mitchell v. Wisconsin in 2019, the country's highest court went further, saying the exigent-circumstances rule "almost always permits a blood test without a warrant. "

In the Nebraska case, Stacy said Miller's case presents a textbook example of exigent circumstances under Mitchell v. Wisconsin.

Millers unconsciousness was itself a medical emergency, the justice wrote.

"And his need for immediate medical treatment that could affect his blood alcohol level created a pressing need to perform the blood draw immediately," she said.

Stacy said the officer could have reasonably believed that he was confronted with an emergency "in which the delay necessary to obtain a warrant for a blood draw would not only postpone necessary medical treatment, but would also result in the threatened destruction of evidence."

And the court found the exigent-circumstances exception applied and affirmed the convictions and his six- to 11-year prison term.
As Constantine Syniy and his family settled into their new lives in Lincoln, the U.S. faced one of its biggest tragedies that in turn grew animosity toward immigrants.

Syniy and his family arrived to the U.S just six months before the 9/11 attacks. Back then, life was dramatically different for him and the hundreds of thousands of others who had come to pursue the American dream.

But despite growing hostility toward immigrants across the country in the years that followed, Syniy says Lincoln always remained welcoming of its immigrants.

He had gotten his first job within a week of living in Lincoln, and later opened his own business, All Pro Heating and Air Conditioning.

Having owned several businesses in Ukraine, Syniy always intended to open up a business or two in the U.S. But running a business in Ukraine was much different, so he needed some help getting acclimated.

His business' success, he says, wouldn't have been possible without organizations like Catholic Social Services and Lincoln Literacy. Those programs are the reason he stayed in Nebraska, he said.

Success stories like Syniy's are especially rewarding for people like Sandra Barrera, who works to help immigrants start their own businesses through Nebraska Extension.

"Many of them come here for a better life, but they know this country isn't always welcoming and fair to them," said Barrera, who is a bilingual Nebraska Extension educator.

Through Nebraska Extension's small business program, Barrera has helped immigrants start their journey to becoming a business owner, a dream for many as they often feel limited in work opportunities.

Entrepreneurship, she says, helps many immigrants gain a different sense of freedom.

That's exactly what it did for Nyabuoy Chan.

When Chan first arrived in the U.S. in 2004 from South Sudan with her then-husband, most of her work involved housekeeping.

Although being in the U.S. provided a more stable life, at home Chan felt she had no freedom because she was in an abusive relationship.

But in the 18 years since, Chan has worked as a caseworker for Catholic Social Services and has started her own business, Buay Cleaning Services.

With the help of Echo Collective, a Lincoln organization that helps refugee and immigrant women overcome barriers they face in rebuilding their lives in the U.S., Chan says she is able to show refugee and immigrant women that there are so many opportunities for them in the U.S.

Kelly Ross, executive director of Echo Collective, says she created her nonprofit after working as an English as a second language and citizenship instructor and realizing the disparities in opportunities for refugee and immigrant women.

Many women have benefited from the entrepreneurship courses they offer, she said.

Carmen Castillo, a former teacher from Mexico who immigrated to the U.S. in 2006, had already started her own business  RC Party Accents  before learning about Echo Collective.

But after working with Ross, she said her clientele has grown tremendously.

Ross says the refugee and immigrant women she works with often discover their own passions in the process of starting their businesses.

"When I ask the women, 'What is your dream?' many of them dont have an answer right away," Ross said. "A lot of these women have never had the space and privilege to be able to think of what theyre passionate about and their dreams."

Organizations like the Nebraska Extension small business program and Echo Collective help make Lincoln a welcoming environment and place where immigrant business owners can excel, according to those who have benefitted from those programs.

For immigrants across the country and state, being able to provide for their families is their biggest priority, Barrera says. But a feeling of limited opportunities can keep many from pursuing their own dreams.

"There's only so much they feel they can do, and we're wasting talents in the meatpacking plants," Barrera said.
Jan. 6 panel deepens probe to Trump Cabinet, awaits Thomas

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee plans to interview more former Cabinet secretaries and is prepared to subpoena conservative activist Virginia Ginni Thomas, whos married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as part of its investigation of the Capitol riot and Donald Trumps role. Lawmakers say they're deepening their inquiry after a series of hearings culminating in a prime-time session Thursday. There are plans to interview additional witnesses and reconvene in September to resume laying out the committee's findings to the public. Committee members hope to learn more about Ginni Thomas effort to keep Trump in office and the potential conflicts of interest for Clarence Thomas as a result on Jan. 6 cases that have come before the court.

Pope lands in Canada, set for apologies to Indigenous groups

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  Pope Francis has landed in Canada, beginning a historic visit to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools. The trip is a key step in the Catholic Churchs efforts to reconcile with Indigenous communities and help them heal from generations of trauma. Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who is Canadas first Indigenous governor general. On Monday, the pope is meeting with school survivors in Maskwacis, where he is expected to deliver an apology. Indigenous groups are seeking more, though, including access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home.

Russia says strike on Ukrainian port hit military targets

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian defense officials insist that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa hit only military targets. But the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault. Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S. That's according to Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia. Under the grain-shipment agreement obtained by The Associated Press, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative.

Crews protect homes as California fire burns near Yosemite

JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP)  A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park is burning out of control and has grown into one of Californias biggest blazes of the year. Thousands of residents were ordered to flee remote mountain communities. Some 2,000 firefighters are battling the Oak Fire, contending with steep terrain and hot weather. The blaze erupted Friday southwest of the park in Mariposa County. Cal Fire described explosive fire behavior on Saturday as flames made runs through bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades. By Sunday the blaze had consumed more than 22 square miles of forest land. The cause is under investigation.

Alex Jones' defamation trial finally set to begin in Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is set to face a defamation trial over his false comments that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre was a hoax. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in Austin, Texas. Courts have already found the Infowars host liable for his portrayal of the Newtown, Connecticut, shooting that killed 20 first graders and six educators as a hoax involving actors. At stake for Jones is another potentially major financial blow that could put his constellation of conspiracy peddling businesses into deeper jeopardy.

Milley: China more aggressive, dangerous to US, allies

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years. The top U.S. military officer made the comment during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia. Milley said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions. His comments came as the U.S. redoubles its efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region.

Semiconductor bill unites Sanders, the right  in opposition

WASHINGTON (AP)  A bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States has managed to do nearly the unthinkable  unite Sen. Bernie Sanders and the tea party. The bill making its way through the Senate is a top priority of the Biden administration. It would subsidize computer chip manufacturers through grants and tax breaks when they build or expand chip plants in the U.S. Supporters say the U.S. must join other nations courting the chip industry or risk losing a secure supply of semiconductors. But Sanders and a wide range of conservative lawmakers, think tanks and media outlets have a different take on the bill. They call the effort corporate welfare.

One thing voters agree on: Fresh voices needed in politics

NEW YORK (AP)  Political divides in the U.S. seem deeper than ever, but one of the few shared sentiments right now from voters of all stripes is the desire for something different. Democrats are contending with President Joe Bidens stalled domestic agenda. Republicans are contending with party leader and former President Donald Trump still focusing on his false claims of fraud in the 2020 election and the fallout from the House committee investigating the Capitol riot. The possibility that the 2024 presidential race could look like a rematch from 2020, with 79-year-old Biden facing 76-year-old Trump, has voters on both sides wondering if theres someone else who can carry their parties into the future.

Yellen downplays US recession risk as economic reports loom

WASHINGTON (AP)  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the U.S. economy is slowing but pointed to healthy hiring as proof that it is not yet in recession. Yellen spoke Sunday on NBCs Meet the Press just before a slew of economic reports will be released this week that will shed light on an economy currently besieged by rampant inflation and threatened by higher interest rates. The highest-profile report will likely be Thursday, when the Commerce Department will release its first estimate of the economys output in the April-June quarter. Some economists forecast it may show a contraction for the second quarter in a row.

Big Papi a big hit at his Baseball Hall of Fame induction

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP)  Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was inducted into the Hall of Fame as legions of fans cheered him. They chanted Papi! Papi! from the lawn outside the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, New York, and countless flags of his native Dominican Republic wafting in the breeze. Dressed in a blue suit with a red tie, Ortiz spoke from his heart, thanking all of those along the way that made his Hall of Famer journey possible. Six Era Committee selections also comprised in the Class of 2022  former Twins teammates Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva, the late Minnie Minoso, former Dodgers star and Mets manager Gil Hodges, and Black pioneers Buck ONeil and Bud Fowler.
OMAHA  The mother of a Nebraska man suspected of fatally shooting three people before turning the gun on himself in an Iowa state park Friday said her son gave no indication that anything was wrong prior to the shooting.

Authorities continued to investigate Saturday what transpired before the killing of Tyler Schmidt, 42, Sarah Schmidt, 42, and Lula Schmidt, 6, all of Cedar Falls, Iowa. All three were found dead at their campsite in Maquoketa Caves State Park on Friday morning, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.

The Schmidts 9-year-old son, Arlo, survived the attack and was safe, according to a statement issued by Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green on Facebook on Friday.

Law enforcement was called at 6:23 a.m. Friday for a reported shooting at the park campground, according to the Department of Public Safety. Officers discovered the bodies and eventually determined that one camper, Anthony Orlando Sherwin, 23, was unaccounted for.

After searching the area, law enforcement located Sherwins body. He appeared to have suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Department of Public Safety.

Sherwin was a La Vista resident.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safetys division of criminal investigation, told the Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the attack was still unknown.

We dont know what led up to this, what precipitated it, he said, adding that so far, the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.

Cecilia Sherwin, Anthony Sherwins mother, told the Omaha World-Herald in an email Saturday that the family refuses to believe the news.

Cecilia Sherwin said they were camping at the park Friday morning when she heard yelling and two gunshots. A young boy ran up to the Sherwins campsite yelling for help and told her that a man wearing black had shot his family, she said.

Cecilia Sherwin said her son was wearing green, not black, and no black clothing was found in the area. She also said they were legally traveling with a gun, which was located in a secure container.

We think (Anthony) might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety, Cecilia Sherwin said. We refuse to believe the news. We are deeply saddened as he had so much to live for and gave us no indication that anything was wrong.

A review of Nebraska criminal justice records found no signs that Sherwin had a criminal history. Cecilia Sherwin did not respond to an email seeking further comment.

Officials did not say if Anthony Sherwin had a firearm permit, the AP reported, noting that Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms virtually anywhere in the state. Officials provided no information about the firearm that was used to kill the Schmidts, the AP reported.

Autopsies on the Schmidts were expected to take place over the weekend, according to the Department of Public Safety, and those findings will be released to the public. The state medical examiner also was to perform an autopsy on Sherwin.

Green, the Cedar Falls mayor, said in his Facebook statement that the Schmidts were his neighbors. Sarah Schmidt was a Cedar Falls Public Library employee.

Details will be forthcoming about services and other memorials, and I will ensure the community knows about this, Green wrote. Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy.

A GoFundMe to support Arlo Schmidt had already received more than $81,000 in donations by 8 p.m. Saturday.

The Quad City Times contributed to this report.
The First National Bank of Lincoln was not the first national bank in Nebraska, being preceded by two in Omaha and one in Nebraska City, but it was the first in Lincoln, third in Nebraska and No. 1,798 in the United States.

The name lived on for more than a century and is still well remembered as one of the economic founders of the city.

The city of Lincoln was scarcely a year old when James Sweet of Nebraska City and his nephew, Nelson Brock, opened their private bank on the southwest corner of the Sweet Block on the northeast corner of 10th and O streets in June of 1868.

Private banks were often the first banks established, not incorporated entities but partnerships operating as specialized institutions, and reached their peak in numbers in the 1870s. Sweet & Brock quickly became the bank for Lincoln, Lancaster County and the state of Nebraska but closed in 1871 with the inception of the State National Bank of Lincoln.

After the 1960s, private banks became primarily associated with high net-worth individuals.

Amasa Cobb was born in Illinois in 1823, admitted to the Wisconsin State Bar in 1850 and moved to Lincoln in 1870, having been a justice of the peace, postmaster, district attorney, state senator, colonel in the Civil War and U.S. congressman before his arrival in the capital city.

In Lincoln, Cobb joined H.T.M. Marquette in a law partnership located in their two-story, brick building on the northwest corner of 10th and P streets. In 1870, Cobb and J.F. Sudduth set up a second private bank.

On Feb. 13, 1870, a meeting in their banking rooms included Cobb, later Lincolns mayor in 1875; E.E. Brown, mayor in 1872; Robert Silver, mayor in 1873 and 1876; and three others.

Cobb then traveled to Washington, where he was granted a federal charter by the Comptroller of the Currency, and the First National Bank opened for business that March.

A month later, deposits totaled $70,412, with capital stock listed at $35,000. In 1872, First National began planning a new, three-story building on the southeast corner of 10th and O. Bank assets had grown to $232,969.97.

In 1874, after the move to O Street, John Fitzgerald, Lincolns purported first millionaire and railroad contractor, became the president of First National while Sudduth continued as vice president.

After surviving the depression of 1873, the 1895 depression saw Lincolns population decrease for the first time. By the end of the year, it was becoming evident that a run on the bank was waiting in the wings and its failure was imminent.

First National immediately saw the Burlington Railroad, already a major depositor, as a savior. After first declining to increase deposits, the railroad responded, without president Charles Perkins' knowledge or permission, to allow Perkins name to be published as a member of the banks board of directors.

Perkins, at first incensed, quickly saw the banks possible failure as negatively affecting the city of Lincoln, Lancaster County, the state of Nebraska and their railroads own deposits and reacted by purchasing the bulk of the banks capital stock. The ploy worked perfectly and by 1900, the bank was considered completely healthy.

With the turn of the century, S.H. Burnham purchased Perkins stock and became the president of First National, which consolidated with American Exchange Bank, which had been formed by Lincoln wholesale grocer Isaac Raymond in 1885.

Further consolidations, all of which preserved the name First National, included the 1872 State National, 1882 Lincoln National and 1890 Columbia National.

First National Bank created First Savings Bank in 1911 at the same point in time it razed its 10th and O street headquarters, hiring architects Hyland & Green of Chicago to design a new eight-story building to be constructed by Seldon-Beck Co. of St. Louis.

Acquisitions continued, as First National Bank purchased City National in 1923, Central National in 1929 and Continental National in 1960. The latter brought a name change to First-Continental National Bank, but it dropped the word Continental as its new 20-story building was completed on the northwest corner of 13th and M streets in 1968.

First National Bank of Lincoln and Omaha National affiliated as FirsTier Bank NA in 1984. A list of First Nationals acquisitions published in 2012 noted that FirsTier Bank was inactive as of 1996-02-20. Merger without Assistance.

Two of First National Lincolns buildings still stand, as do a couple of bank buildings from institutions it absorbed over the years. Three different lists of Lincolns banks, all in 2022, show there are 101 branches of 22 banks in Lincoln, another shows 20 banks with 126 branches in the city, while a third indicated there are 118.

The only complete building currently standing on the entire block bounded by Ninth, 10th, P and Q streets is on the northwest corner of 10th and P, a bank  City Bank & Trust.
SINSINAWA  Father Samuel Mazzuchelli and Sister Quincy Howard are bounded by faith, separated by generations, but with similar callings.

It was Mazzuchelli who came to this region of southwestern Wisconsin to minister to the lead miners and their families, fur traders and Native Americans. He established nearly three dozen parish communities, erected more than 20 churches in the Tri-State area, and in 1847 formed a community of Dominican Sisters on one of the highest points in Grant County to help him carry on his mission of preaching and teaching.

Sister Howard, 47, had been a non-practicing Catholic for nearly 25 years but has returned to the faith not as a nurse or teacher but as an urban planner with a masters degree from the University of Texas in Austin. Now, five years after taking her vows, her skill set is in high demand in this rural enclave.

The Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, their numbers in decline for decades, are selling three massive buildings totaling more than 300,000 square feet of chapel, auditorium, office, dining and dormitory space. They hope to find a buyer aligned with the mission of the Dominican Sisters, since about 30 Sisters will continue to live and work here.

If no buyer is found, the buildings, two from 1964 and the other built in 1899, will be removed at considerable cost, something the Sisters are trying hard to avoid.

Spiritual search

Sister Howard  who on this day wore blue jeans, a sleeveless shirt, sunglasses and a silver cross around her neck  is part of a new generation of Sisters and among those helping to find alternate uses for part of this historic 450-acre property that has its own post office and ZIP code, wastewater treatment plant and a stone fort built in 1832 during the Black Hawk War.

I had been in a career search and a spiritual search, and the whole social justice aspect of Catholicism had not been on my radar, Sister Howard said as we toured the grounds last week. But I guess this is why Im here after all.

Her resume includes water resources conservation with the National Wildlife Federation, community development in Honduras with the Peace Corps and disaster relief and recovery in New Orleans, Galveston, Texas, and New York.

And now she can add an entry about helping plan the future for one of Wisconsins most historic religious sites.

It is beginning with the sale of the 94,600-square-foot Rotunda that has served as a landmark since 1964 and holds the Queen of the Rosary Chapel with dialogic seating for 500. A Casavant pipe organ consumes the balcony. The round, three-story building constructed into the side of the hill also holds two museums and a modern auditorium that can seat 500 people and a stage that would make any thespian drool.

Also being sold is the 162,000-square-foot Siena Gallery building, which holds a commercial kitchen, bakery, gift shop, art gallery and 102 dorm rooms. Next door is the St. Clara Convent building constructed in 1899, which has 86 rooms, 15 kitchenettes, a large screened porch and common areas. A wellness center with a therapy pool is on the market.

Just cant sustain it

We understand how beautiful it all is. We understand how significant it is. We just cant afford to keep it anymore, said Sister Toni Harris, Sinsinawas prioress since 2016, who also held the leadership position from 2000 to 2006. We just cant sustain it anymore.

The property is being marketed by Cushman & Wakefield Boerke, a real estate firm with offices in Madison and Milwaukee. Kevin Riordan, a real estate agent trying to find a suitable buyer, said the location, 8 miles from Dubuque, Iowa, and 10 miles from Galena, Illinois, combined with the views and buildings, has sparked interest. The land is not for sale, but possible uses for the buildings could include a health care or rehab facility, conference facility or retreat center. The Rotunda building with its chapel and auditorium could cater to musical events, while some land could be used by area growers for regenerative farming practices.

The isolation is somewhat of an advantage if youre looking to get away, Riordan said. I think the people that have reached out so far to us and the people we have reached out to are mission-aligned.

Father Mazzuchelli migrated from Italy in 1828, was ordained a priest in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1830, and was assigned as a missionary at Mackinac Island. He later served in Green Bay and southern Canada before finding his way to what is now southwestern Wisconsin.

This is where, beginning in 1838, he built churches in Prairie du Chien, Potosi, Shullsburg, Hazel Green and other communities. He purchased 800 acres in 1847 that included the mound and founded Sinsinawa Mound College, which operated until 1854. He started St. Clara Female Academy at Benton in 1852, which relocated to Sinsinawa in 1867. The mound also was home to St. Clara College beginning in 1901, before it moved in 1922 to River Forest, Illinois, where it is now Dominican University.

The presence in Madison received a considerable boost in 1881 when Gov. Cadwallader Washburn gave his Edgewood Villa and 55-acre wooded estate on the shore of Lake Wingra to the Dominican Sisters, who then moved St. Regina Academy in the citys Downtown to the new site. Two years later, after a tragic fire, the school was rebuilt and named Sacred Heart Academy, which was later separated into Edgewood High School and Edgewood Campus School.

In 1927, the Sisters opened Edgewood College for women with a two-year liberal arts curriculum, housed in the same building as the high school. A four-year degree program was added in 1940, and a year later the college moved into its own building. They also own Whitefish Bay Dominican High School near Milwaukee.

Chickens and cows

Back on the mound (the locals pronounce Sinsinawa sin-sin-ah-way but most pronounce it sin-sih-now-ah), the Sisters had a working farm that in the 1900s had 2,000 chickens, a dairy herd and growing congregation. At its peak in the 1950s, there were 1,900 Sisters. Not all lived on the mound campus, but the large numbers led to aggressive expansion in the early 1960s with the expectation that up to 100 women would join the congregation each year. But thats when numbers started to crash. Today, there are 295 Sisters, 110 of whom live on site. Only one or two Sisters enter the congregation each year. The average age of a Sister in the congregation is 84.

The Sisters have an annual budget of about $22 million, but conservative planning needs to continue to keep the operation viable, Harris said. There has been talk for 20 years of downsizing the campus, a process similar to trying to convince an elderly parent to move out of a house that is too big and difficult to maintain.

Its going to be very difficult for us. Obviously, well continue here but on a smaller scale, said Sister Harris, as she lunched on a small pile of spaghetti, a bowl of mixed beans and a glass of watermelon-flavored water in Sinsinawas main dining hall. Its like losing a big section of what has come to feel like home.

The Sisters plan to maintain a community presence at Sinsinawa into the foreseeable future, but most will move next year to an assisted-living center in Muskego. Workshops, retreats, conferences and other programs will continue, and the congregation is exploring options for maintaining the bakery, which makes loaves of bread and cinnamon rolls sold in the gift shop and at select locations in the area. The Academy Apartments will continue to serve as housing for senior citizens, and those needing skilled care will continue to reside at St. Dominic Villa, which the Sisters transferred to Marquardt Management Services and Southwest Health in 2020.

There are cemeteries here to maintain, where Sisters will continue to be buried for years to come. The property is home to prairie, restored oak savanna and 120 acres of farmland, most being rented by a local farmer, while smaller plots are being used by vegetable farmers. Theres a dairy barn and, from 4 to 7 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month through September, a farmers market.

The sweeping views that led Father Mazzuchelli to put roots down here remain.

Its heart-wrenching for me. I fell in love with the mound the first time I saw it, said Sister Priscilla Wood, director of the Office of Arts and Cultural Heritage at Sinsinawa.

What we have to do changes. Father Samuels life changed. He thought he was going to be a priest forever in Milan and never leave Italy and here he is. We need to free ourselves to let the new happen.
RACINE  Every year, the Racine Historical Society has something on display at the Racine County Fair. This year, the museums exhibit is especially fitting: a Racine-made automobile from a foundational Racine manufacturer that shuttered the same year of the first modern iteration of the Racine County Fair.

Two vehicles  one wagon, one automobile  from the collection of the Racine Heritage Museum will be displayed.

The automobile is a 1905 Runabout, also known as the Light Car, from The Mitchell Company.

According to the Historical Society, the Runabout had a modest nine horsepower and could reach 30 mph; the Model T Ford, launched in 1908, had 22 horsepower and could reach 40 mph.

The Mitchell Company was founded by Henry Mitchell, a native Scot who came to Racine as an adult in the 1830s after getting started as a wheelwright and wagon-builder back home.

He founded Mitchell Wagon Works, originally building wagons.

He died before the automobile age arrived. According to an Oct. 27, 1893, report from The Racine Daily Journal (a predecessor to The Journal Times), 1,500 people paid respects at his funeral. Not in many years has the death of one of our citizens caused such universal regret as has the demise of the late Henry Mitchell.

He was 83. All of his pallbearers were employees of the company, then known as Mitchell & Lewis Co.

In 1910, the business moved into 815 Eighth St.; that building is now the Mitchell Wagon Lofts, which opened in 2004 just southwest of Downtown Racine.

At peak production in 1910, the Mitchell Motor Car Company was capitalized at $10 million and employed over 2,000 people. 1910 was the turning point, according to research from Larry A. Goodwin at the Racine Heritage Museum. In the years to follow, two quick transitions in company leadership followed by slow sales sent the company plummeting. No one from the Mitchell company was even involved in the company for most of its final decade.

Christopher Paulson, Racine Heritage Museum executive director, said the company stopped manufacturing vehicles in 1922, although it officially filed for bankruptcy the following year.

Friday afternoon, four employees from Floyds Towing Inc. meticulously and slowly loaded the vehicles onto flatbed tow trucks to transport to the Racine County Fairgrounds, 19805 Durand Ave., Yorkville.

The exhibit on the main floor of the Racine Heritage Museum that had used the Runabout and the wagon in the coming months will be redone. It will soon feature materials honoring famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.

In photos: Stops along the Racine Underground Railroad Heritage Trail Site Map A pamphlet outlining the sites on the self-guided walking/driving tour of the Roots of Freedom Underground Railroad Heritage Trail has been av The Racine Heritage Museum. Racine has a rich abolitionist history and accounts of smuggling escaped slaves to safety. The Racine Heritage Museum was one of several organ Racine Heritage Museum marker This marker will be placed outside of the Racine Heritage Museum to note the contribution the museum has made to maintaining the history that  Location of Reverend Kinney's home Reverend Martin Kinney was the pastor of the Congregational Church and an ardent abolitionist who gave an anti-slavery speech the night Joshua Reverend Kinney's house marker Markers such as this one, designating the location of Rev. Martin Kinney's home on State Street, are to be part of the Racine Underground Rail The Racine Advocate The former location of the Racine Advocate whose editor, Charles Clement, spread the word about Glover's capture. Racine Advocate marker This marker will denote the location of the Racine Advocate. Cartwright's Blacksmith Shop This was the approximate location of Cartwright's Blacksmith Shop. Justinian Cartwright was born free in Kentucky and later moved to Racine wh Cartwright's Blacksmith Shop marker UR First Presbyterian Church
July 18-22

This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts.

Melvin T. Arthur, 3400 block of Northwestern Avenue, Racine, resisting an officer.

Joseph C. Balderas, 1900 block of Gilson Street, Racine, substantial battery, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Christine J. Barton, 900 block of Wisconsin Avenue, Racine, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Rodney O. Bratton, 1500 block of Park Avenue, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon, carrying a concealed weapon.

Raheem L. Bohannon, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, misdemeanor bail jumping, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Andrew R. Casper, 2000 block of Indiana Street, Racine, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), felony bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments).

Daniel S. Chenoweth, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, burglary or a building or dwelling, theft of movable property (between $10,000-$100,000), felony criminal damage to property, criminal damage to property, misdemeanor theft, attempt entry into a locked coin box, obstructing an officer, possession of THC.

John (aka Jamie Keller) M. Cihler, 1600 block of Illinois Street, Racine, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (2nd offense), operate motor vehicle while revoked, failure to install ignition interlock device.

Juan A. Figueroa, 1100 block of St. Patrick Street, Racine, misdemeanor battery, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct.

Jamauel A. Ford, 1800 block of Roosevelt Avenue, Racine, attempt robbery with use of force, disorderly conduct.

Chloe Marie Frost, 900 block of Langdon Court, Mount Pleasant, unauthorized use of an entitys identifying information or documents, theft (business setting between $2,500-$5,000).

Tarvis C. Gordon Jr., 1300 block of Center Street, Racine, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams), carrying a concealed weapon, obstructing an officer.

Steven M. Gramza, 2100 block of Clarence Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500), disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor theft (business setting).

Cynthia C. Granados, 1200 block of Blake Avenue, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon, neglecting a child (specified harm did not occur and child under 6 years of age), possession of THC, felony bail jumping.

Kelly Sue Harrison, 300 block of Monica Avenue, Burlington, failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked, misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jennifer Hernadez-Suazo, 2100 block of 16th Street, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), criminal damage to property (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Ashley G. Jackson, 1300 block of Arthur Avenue, Racine, criminal damage to property, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), possession of cocaine, obstructing an officer, failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Jerome M. Johnson, 1100 block of Reiley Court, Racine, attempt robbery with use of force, disorderly conduct.

Shereka Lanece Johnson, 1800 block of Grange Avenue, Racine, pointing a firearm at another, carrying a concealed weapon, disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon).

Makel Joiner, 1300 block of Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, obstructing an officer.

Kevin L. Jones, 1600 block of Flett Avenue, Racine, felony retail theft (intentionally take between $500-$5,000).

Lawrence Jones, 2700 block of Anthony Lane, Racine, misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon).

Jacob S. Krueger, 5000 block of Kingdom Court, Racine, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Leticia S. Lehman, 400 block of Emerson Street, Burlington, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, felony domestic abuse repeater, use of a dangerous weapon).

Shane T. Lozano, 1600 block of Russet Street, Racine, criminal trespass (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments).

Benjamin F. Malacara, 1000 block of English Street, Racine, possession of a controlled substance, possession of THC, possess/illegally obtained prescription, possession of a controlled substance.

Khion M. Martin, 1100 block of Grove Avenue, Racine, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams).

Tremayne D. Martin, 3500 block of 59th Street, Kenosha, attempt robbery with use of force, substantial battery, disorderly conduct.

Donnie J. Maynor, Panama City, Florida, possession of drug paraphernalia, felony bail jumping, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (4th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer).

Maquan D. McAllister, 3500 block of Spring Street, Mount Pleasant, battery by prisoners, substantial battery, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping.

Dessie J. Morris, 800 block of Park Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct.

Shannon L. Murguia, 1800 block of Erie Street, Racine, first degree reckless injury, obstructing an officer.

Jeffery Aaron Polcyn, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, retail theft (intentionally conceal less than or equal to $500), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Nico (aka Chezmun Kanzery McBearth) Q. Prince, 7200 block of Kinzie Avenue, Mount Pleasant, throw or discharge bodily fluids at public safety worker, carrying a concealed weapon, disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon), attempt robbery, misdemeanor battery, retail theft (intentionally conceal less than or equal to $500).

Paul (aka Joshua Pickard) Allen Puchter, 2900 block of Fleetwood Drive, Racine, first degree child sexual assault (sexual contact with a child under age 13), second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.

John H. Richmond Jr., 3700 block of 10th Avenue, Racine, burglary of a building or dwelling.

Josue R. Rodriguez, 2700 block of Washington Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), attempting to flee or elude an officer, violate a court order restricting operating privilege ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Erin M. Roy, 5800 block of Cambridge Circle, Mount Pleasant, obstructing an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Daniel W. Sabah, 2000 block of Wisconsin Street, Sturtevant, possession of a controlled substance (possession of a controlled substance on or near certain places), possess illegal article by inmate.

Jacob A. Sawisky, 700 block of Racine Street, Racine, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Keone N. Sims, 1100 block of Oakes Road, Mount Pleasant, misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments).

Deonta Snow, 3000 block of Douglas Avenue, Racine, obstructing an officer, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Andrew S. Uick, 4200 block of Maryland Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor bail jumping, disorderly conduct.

Andres (aka Dre) L. Williams, 1900 block of Slauson Avenue, Racine, obstructing an officer, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of THC.

Humberto Zuniga, 1200 block of Yout Street, Racine, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).
RACINE  A Racine man accused of attempted homicide charges is also facing armed robbery charges, along with two others.

Jamauel A. Ford, 23, of the 1800 block of Roosevelt Avenue, and Jerome M. Johnson, 20, of the 1100 block of Reiley Court, were charged with a felony count of attempt robbery with use of force and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

Ford is one of three people accused of shooting a 16-year-old March 20 on Albert Street in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, with Ford and two others allegedly shooting someone they incorrectly believed to have been a case of mistaken identity.

Tremayne D. Martin, 21, of the 3500 block of 59th Street, Kenosha, was charged with felony counts of attempt robbery with use of force and substantial battery and a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct.

According to a criminal complaint:

On July 4, officers were sent to Regency Mall at 5538 Durand Ave. for a fight.

When officers arrived, they did not locate anyone involved in the incident.

On Monday, a man spoke with the Kenosha Police Department and said he was assaulted and robbed during the July 4 incident at Regency Mall.

The next day, he told an investigator that he and his friend were at Regency Mall and said they seen us and we fought. He clarified that he saw men by the southeast entrance doors and that they had bad blood over a number of issues. The three men ran up on him and his friend, and that the one in the purple sweater assaulted him and knocked him unconscious. He knew this man as Maineski.

While he was unconscious, Maineski took his fanny pack and ran away with it. His friend was able to stop him and get it back. The other two men were Ford and Johnson.

An investigator was able to find Facebook Live video on the page of Maineski, later identified as Martin, showing the incident. It showed him, Ford and Johnson driving to Regency Mall because the two men were there.

In the video, Martin can be heard saying This (expletive) aint for play. This (expletive) aint for fun. This (expletive) is serious, and If I had a mask on, I still woulda killed yall.

Another video showed the man lying unconscious on the ground and Martin taking the fanny pack. The video zooms in on the man lying on the ground and a voice says Put his (expletive) to sleep!

Ford is also facing charges for attempted first-degree intentional homicide after what police called an attempted execution of a 16-year-old on March 20.

Martin was given a $15,000 cash bond, and both Ford and Johnson were given a $10,000 cash bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Friday. All three have a preliminary hearing on July 27 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.
RACINE  New technology used to listen for gunshots, aiming to allow faster responses to crime and for possible shootings to not go unreported, are expected to be set up in identified high-crime areas in the City of Racine. New license plate reader cameras are also going to be set up.

In a unanimous 12-0 decision Tuesday, the Common Council authorized Police Chief Maurice Robinson to execute and sign a services agreement to set up the listening devices in the city. The provider is Atlanta-based Flock Safety.

The startup and ongoing costs associated with the technology were not publicly available as of Tuesdays vote or provided by the city as of press time.

The license plate readers, Robinson hopes, could be used to more quickly identify stolen vehicles sometimes used as anonymous shooting platforms  i.e. cars that someone might use to carry out a shooting, then abandon with no evidence connecting the shooter to the vehicle or crime.

Of the new cameras, separate from surveillance cameras set up earlier this summer, Robinson said, There is no facial recognition. These are license plate readers only, and they have a level of intelligence and algorithm that also allows our investigators to look at specific characteristics of a vehicle; it helps to narrow that information down.

Robinson noted that 14-year-old Eugene Henderson died after being shot the night of May 13 during a vehicular shootout in a stolen car. Had the vehicle been found sooner, police could have intervened prior to the deadly shootout.

According to Flocks website: The Raven recognizes audio signatures typical of crimes in progress  like gunshots, screeching tires, and breaking glass  and consolidates that evidence with Falcon (video camera) ... data so you (police) can not only respond to the scene before 911 is called but stop the potential suspect vehicle before further harm is done.

In two formal written requests, prepared by Chief Robinson, the proposed technology was described in further detail: The Flock Safety Raven (audio listening technology) is the best tool to locate the scene of a gun-related crime, attend to victims, and find the objective evidence needed to catch criminals. It detects gunshots at an effective listening range of 1,500 feet and will be able to detect other audio events such as glass breaking, car crashes, street racing, and metal sawing.

Robinson said that the sound of metal sawing is associated with thefts of catalytic converters.

Flock Safety Raven fully integrates with the Flock Falcon Cameras to quickly go from a gunshot alert to a list of suspect vehicles entering and leaving the area in minutes, Robinsons request continued. Data from the Flock Falcon Camera will enhance the efficiency and solvability of criminal investigations, leading to increased clearance and more efficient use of investigative resources. The transition to the Flock Falcon Camera will increase effectiveness to investigate crimes, improve public safety and protect the community.

Despite eventually receiving unanimous support, there was some concern from the City Council prior to the allocation getting the OK.

What are we going to do implementation-wise to make sure that were not blindly using the tool to in a way that might create more inequality in our city? Alderman CJ Rouse, District 11, asked. What are our intentional efforts that are going to deviate from targeting people that are already targeted in our city?

Chief Robinson appeared in-person at the meeting and addressed the apprehension.

Our objective is to target and identify criminal activity by way of gunshots, Chief Robinson responded.

Alderman Henry Perez, a retired Miami police officer, said he believes Flock Raven listening devices and Flock Falcon cameras could help us bring and reign in some of the crime thats happening in the community.

Devices from Flock are used in and around other major American cities like St. Louis, Madison and Flint, Michigan. The audio technology is similar to the ShotSpotter devices already set up in Chicago and Milwaukee.

Elsewhere

There is controversy relating to what neighborhoods the recording devices are being placed in and if they could lead to more arrests unrelated to the crimes police are actively looking to identify.

Addressing concerns of potential overpolicing, Robinson argued that gunshots and violence in a neighborhood are more destabilizing than police presence: Our job is to mitigate that violence.

Courts have largely found the use of the technology is legal.

Last month, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld the conviction of a Milwaukee man who was arrested by officers responding to a report from ShotSpotter gunshot location technology, ruling that the officers had reasonable suspicion to stop him beyond just the gunshot technology.

The court ruled unanimously against Avan Rondell Nimmer, who was taken into police custody in 2019 after officers observed him walking about 100 feet from the site of a ShotSpotter report near his home in Milwaukee. Nimmer argued that officers had no reason to stop him, contending that ShotSpotter detects gunshots but doesnt identify shooters.

Reporting from Harm Venhuizen of the Associated Press and Adam Rogan of The Journal Times is included in this article.
TOWN OF NORWAY  Campaign finance reports are providing little new insight into the level of partisan influence in this years elections for Muskego-Norway School Board.

Three candidates in the April 5 election have filed exemptions from financial disclosures, and a fourth candidates spending breakdown shows no sign of partisan money.

Last years campaign for nonpartisan school board seats drew active support for some candidates from both Republican and Democratic organizations, as well as hundreds of dollars in donations from Republicans.

In this years campaign cycle, reports were due July 15 from each candidate. The candidates would either have to claim an exemption because they spent less than $2,000 or they must disclose details of how they raised and spent campaign funds.

Public school districts in Wisconsin are officially nonpartisan, which means that no party affiliations appear on school board ballots at election time.

School board members have not typically associated themselves with any political party, But partisan influence in recent years has crept into more school board campaigns, including in Muskego-Norway, a school district that draws about one-fourth of its students from northwestern Racine County.

Laurie Kontney, who last year accepted Republican Party money in a losing effort, this year was successful in her second attempt at winning a school board seat. Kontney filed an exemption indicating that she spent below the reporting threshold of $2,000 in the 2022 race.

Also filing exemptions with the school district were candidates Michael Jones and Cassandra Baus, both of whom came up short in their campaigns, including Baus as an incumbent.

Brett Hyde, another incumbent, who was elected along with Kontney, is the only candidate to file a report indicating that he spent more than $2,000. Hyde reported spending $3,765 in his campaign, mostly his own money plus donations from Baus.

None of the campaign finance records, released by the school district, shows any obvious sign of partisan donations in the 2022 school board election.

Kontney and Jones both received endorsements this year from Republican former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running for governor and has a primary election Aug. 9, as well as support from other Republican groups.

The Muskego-Norway School District is based in Waukesha County, but it crosses into northwestern Racine County and includes Lakeview Elementary School in Wind Lake.
It should be no surprise to anyone who has lived in the U.S. for more than a few years that what are considered rights can be changed. Our Constitution was written that way: to be amended, time and again.

Its been officially amended 27 times so far. That fact might actually anger some of the founding fathers. Thomas Jefferson wanted the Constitution to be scrapped and rewritten every two decades; the author of the Declaration never wanted the countrys founding documents to be treated as sacred. Twenty-seven amendments would be palsy in his eyes.

The laws of this country are incredibly malleable.

This became clear when the Supreme Court flipped Roe v. Wade.

Abortion was largely illegal before 1973, largely legal between 1973 and 2022, and up to the states since June 24, 2022.

Thats not the issue were weighing in on today.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas thinks the argument that the 14th Amendments right to privacy being used to legalize things like abortion and gay marriage is flimsy.

Section 1 of the amendment, which was passed after the Civil War in order to give rights to freed slaves, states: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

None of us are legal experts. We cannot speak to if that argument is flimsy or not. What we do know is that that argument has been used successfully to legalize abortion via Roe v. Wade and legalize interracial marriage via Loving v. Virginia, as well as to overturn racial segregation in education via Brown v. Board of Education.

With the recent Supreme Court decision, it has become clear that laws can easily and quickly change based on a courts decision.

The U.S. House passed the Respect For Marriage Act on Tuesday, July 19, to codify legal same-sex marriage nationwide, but it still has to go to the Senate.

Even with U.S. representatives taking action, state officials should take steps now to legalize same-sex marriage in Wisconsin as well.

Its generally viewed as amoral to cheat on your spouse or to be an absentee father. That doesnt mean it should be illegal.

In Wisconsin and in most of the country, a man can only marry the man he loves and a woman can only marry the woman she loves because of a single Supreme Court decision: Obergefell v. Hodges (2015).

The successful argument behind the Obergefell decision was based on the 14th Amendment. The argument is largely identical to the one that had been behind Roe v. Wade.

Like Roe, Obergefell is fragile.

Justice Thomas himself wrote in a court opinion that he wants the Supreme Court to reexamine Obergefell. Its unclear if the other conservative justices of the high court agree with Thomas.

In Wisconsin and throughout the country, conservatives argue for individual freedoms  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

If Wisconsin wants to be a land of freedom, the Legislature should act to allow people to marry who they choose.
1. Yes. The new high school has made it a must. Thousands of people are impacted..

2. Yes. Even if it means revising some budgets, these entities must move on the project.

3. No. Its been known for years that the road was a problem.. Why the urgency now?

4. No. If prioritizing the road means more taxes, forget it. The project will just have to wait.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say until school has been in session for a few months.

Vote

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KEARNEY  When Melissa and Marc Willis say they like living in southwest Kearney, theyre not kidding.

During their entire time in Kearney, theyve been drawn to the southwest.

A few years ago they put down roots near Kenwood Elementary School, and when it came time to move their young family, the Willises selected the Turkey Creek area  about as southwest as they could get  to build a place that really feels like home.

With so much space on the main level and still more where the two Willis kids reside over the garage, theres a reason the house feels roomy.

Per covenants of the Turkey Creek neighborhood, basements are not allowed because of the high water table, but that didnt prevent Melissa and Marc from stretching out the main floor.

Marc explains the traffic pattern as circular. As in most modern homes, the great room serves as the axis around which everything turns. The couple selected a floorplan that would suit their needs and then enlisted Craig Piester to refine it. Likewise, the Willises signed on Alissa Bush to fine tune the designs. The result is a modern farmhouse look and feel.

Theres comfort in abundance, and the craftsmanship and attention to detail that went into every facet of the build, furnishings and decor inspire pride of ownership.

The Willises know how to take pleasure in a home. On river property close to Shelton theyve built a cabin that really feeds Marcs outdoorsman spirit. If down by the river is the perfect place to get away from it all, the new home in southwest Kearney is the perfect place to come home for it all.

The Turkey Creek neighborhood is quiet and remote, the home is spacious and elegant, and on those evenings when a briefcase follows Marc home, theres a well-appointed home office where he can catch up on his work or even do a little business, like closing a sale for his employer, Morton Construction.

Melissas profession is criminal prosecutor for Buffalo County. Marc spends spare time building and operating storage buildings in Kearney and Grand Island and as a contractor. Currently hes building a neighborhood in Gibbon.

With so many contacts in the building trades, Marc was able to enlist many of the best with his Turkey Creek build. They included tilers Jerry McCaslin and Luke Mills. Marc and Melissa said it was fortunate to have Mills and McCaslin on board because Melissa included a variety of tile designs and materials in the design. Marc said Mills and McCaslin delivered expert installation.

In addition to tapping Alissa Bush for design work, Melissa brought on Cortney Moffett, The Painting Lady, to guarantee the wow factor.

The Willis family has lived in its new home for about 18 months, so only a few minor details remain to be finished. The couple still is hanging a few photos, but the interior is virtually complete.

Asked what they might have done differently, Melissa said she would like to talk with Marc about upgrading the back patio. She said wind-driven dust can filter into into the patio space.

Enclosing the patio might solve the sifting dirt issue, Melissa said, but Marc wants to talk things over.
The Hy-Vee supermarket chain plans to open its new La Crosse grocery store and its convenience store next to it in October, the company said in its application for permission to apply for a liquor license for the grocery store.

Hy-Vee, based in West Des Moines, Iowa, purchased the former Sears department store property at Valley View Mall in September 2020 for $2.4 million and is remodeling it into a supermarket. A Hy-Vee Fast and Fresh convenience store has been built nearby and will sell fuel and other convenience items.

The companys application for permission to apply for a liquor license for the grocery store will be considered by the La Crosse Common Councils Judiciary and Administration Committee at 6 p.m. Aug. 2 in the council chambers in City Hall. It will be considered by the common council on Aug. 11.

Hy-Vee plans to apply for liquor licenses for both the grocery store  which will have a restaurant  and for the convenience store. It does not need permission to apply for a liquor license for the convenience store.

Michele and Tucker Bills and Micheles sister, Cecilia Kirkland, opened Matsumoto Ramen House, a Japanese ramen restaurant, on July 5 at 106 N. Water St. in downtown Sparta.

Michele and her daughter, Renee Thacker, are head chefs at the restaurant, which specializes in various kinds of authentic Japanese ramen noodle dishes. Some of its biggest sellers are tonkotsu ramen, made with braised pork, creamy pork broth, egg, mushrooms, green onion and ginger; shoyu ramen, made with clear soy sauce broth, braised pork, egg, bamboo shoot and green onion; and fishcake.

The restaurant also sells sides such as gyoza, which are crisp dumplings with a choice of pork, chicken or vegetable filling; and edamame, which are boiled and salted immature soybeans in the pod. And it serves desserts such as mochi ice cream and melon bars, and beverages such as tea, specialty juices and soda pop. We will be serving Japanese beer in the near future, Michele Bills said.

The restaurant is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and for dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Its closed on Sunday.

The restaurants decor includes posters with Japanese scenes.

Michele and Cecilia are half Japanese, Michele said. Our father was stationed in Japan with the Navy when he met our Japanese mother, she said. We were raised in Japan for a while, then moved to the States. Matsumoto is their mothers maiden name, Michele said, explaining the restaurants name.

For more information, call the restaurant at 608-487-9888, or visit www.matsumotoramenhouse.com or Facebook or Instagram.

Melissa Thompson opened her Cozy Atmospheres by Mel home decorating and boutique business on June 6 at 1507 Caledonia St. in La Crosse. Its in the same building as Exclusively Yours Salon & Boutique.

Thompson had been operating her home decorating business for three years from her home, before moving it to the new location and opening her new boutique there as well. I worked in retail leadership roles for 25 years, she said. Decorating for people and having a boutique are passions of mine. I like to create cozy and warm spaces for people to come home to at the end of the day.

In her boutique, she said, I sell home furnishings such as furniture, window treatments, accessories, throw pillows, wall art and lamps.

The boutiques hours are 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, and 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. Appointments are available for home decorating.

For more information, call 608-792-6301 or visit Cozy Atmospheres Facebook or Instagram pages. Thompson plans to have a website soon.

Look for Milan Laser Hair Removal to open in the former B.A. Burrito Co. restaurant at 2928 Market Place, in a multi-tenant building near Walmart in Onalaska.

Remodeling is under way in the space, where B.A. Burrito closed in April 2018. An opening date for the Onalaska location wasnt available last week from Milan headquarters in Omaha, Neb.

Milan was founded in 2012 and says it is the nations largest laser hair removal provider, with more than 190 locations in 25 states.
As Viterbo Universitys new study abroad coordinator, Allie Mormann brings more than a little recent international experience to the table. During her studies at Viterbo, the spring 2022 graduate had two educational adventures abroad, in countries on opposite sides of the globe.

Interested in gallery work when she graduated from Central High School, Mormann started as an arts administration major before switching gears to business administration studies. A visit by the study abroad coordinator to her economics class got her thinking about getting some experience studying overseas.

While working a summer job in Viterbos IIT department (where her mother, Mary, has worked since 2009), Mormann checked in with the study abroad coordinator, setting things in motion for her first international adventure in Scotland.

Mormann had an affection for Scotland, in part from watching a lot of British television shows growing up, and she liked the idea of not having a major language barrier to overcome. I wanted something where I could communicate with people, and I wanted something that would transfer well to Viterbo, she said.

For six months, Mormann took classes at the University of Edinburgh Business School, including a printmaking class in which she created works of art on a press that dated to the 18th century using century-old type blocks.

While English was, of course, the dominant language in Scotland, Mormann said she encountered a great diversity of people from all over the world who spoke multiple languages. One of her roommates, for example, came from Chile.

After returning from Scotland, Mormann switched her major one more time, this time to marketing. With a keen interest in Korean arts and culture and an inspiration from her Scotland experience to become multilingual, Mormann set her sights on doing a marketing internship in South Korea.

She dove into studying Korean and caught on relatively quickly to the written version. Spoken Korean was a different story, in part because she didnt know anybody in La Crosse with whom she could practice her conversational skills.

In June 2021, Mormann began her two-month internship with Symbioliving TECH, a company based on the Yonsei University campus in Seoul, where she took classes in Korean culture and language. During the internship, she helped the company with an effort to promote youth awareness of universal design, which is is the design of buildings, products, or environments to make them accessible to all people, regardless of age, disability or other factors, including language.

One day, she was given notice that the next day she would have to give a presentation to members of a board of education  in Korean.

While her oral Korean language comprehension and reading had developed well, Mormann was still not quite fluent speaking Korean. She got through it thanks to having great team members, but it was nerve wracking.

My Korean was basically good enough to order food and talk to children, Mormann said with a laugh. I gained a lot of respect for all the exchange students who come to our country.

Now back at Viterbo after graduating in May, Mormann is working on her Master of Business Administration degree, which she hopes to complete in a year, on top of her work as study abroad coordinator.

The pandemic has curtailed international study in general. In the past year, Mormann was the only Viterbo student to study abroad on her own. Solo international study, of course, isnt the only option. Student groups went to Italy, Guatemala and the Galapagos Islands in the past year.

For the 2022-23 academic year Viterbo is planning faculty-led international trips to London, Austria, Belize, Guatemala, Spain, South Africa and Thailand.

And, Mormann noted, Viterbos Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which now is home to the study abroad program, is working on setting up service education trips to Peru to start in 2024.

Mormann is hopeful that conditions will be right in the coming years for Viterbo students to fan out around the globe and get the kind of great international experiences she gained.
Phu Yen holds potential to has UNESCO geopark: experts

Phu Yen boasts potential to build a geopark accredited by the UNESCO, said experts at a conference held in the south-central province on July 23 regarding international cooperation for the local development of a geopark and sustainable tourism.



They said the province possesses three main values to form a geopark - geological heritage, cultural heritage and biodiversity. Phu Yen is characterised by metamorphic rocks dating back about 2.5 billion to 542 million years ago; architectural works showing the Champa - Vietnam - Hoa - Europe cultural interference, coastal sand ecosystems, lagoons, and rich coral reefs.

At the event (Photo: VNA)



Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Dao My said that the authorities has determined the goal of building the Phu Yen geopark towards achieving the global-geopark accreditation by UNESCO in order to preserve and promote its heritage values and promote sustainable economic and social development.



Director of the Geology Museum Truong Quang Quy clarified that the proposed area for the establishment of the Phu Yen geopark covers 1,575 km2, including Tuy Hoa city, Song Cau town, Dong Hoa town, Tuy An district and parts of Phu Hoa and Son Hoa districts.



Dr. Bui Viet Hung from the European Research Institute affirmed that the building of a global geopark is a catalyst for sustainable tourism development.



Concluding the conference, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Tran Huu The said currently, Phu Yen is implementing its plan for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050, creating a favorable condition to make a detailed blueprint for the geopark project.
Dear Amy: Ive been married to my husband for 40 years.

I have always felt like something was missing.

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Every time I try to reach out and connect emotionally, he becomes angry and withdraws.

Frustrated with his distance and indifference, I recently said that I needed to know if he loved me enough to work with me on improving our relationship.

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He stated that he doesnt know if he loves me because he doesnt know how to feel love, because of the way he grew up.

He did grow up without a father. His mother had five kids and no education.

Her menial jobs kept her away from home and the kids had to fend for themselves. She was briefly married to an abusive man, but I dont know the extent of the abuse.

Knowing this explains why he has been distant and indifferent to me and our children all of these years.

My sons and I had nothing to do with the way he grew up, yet we are the ones who are being punished, with a father and husband who cannot feel or express love and connection.

I know that childhood trauma and neglect can greatly affect a person in adulthood, but isnt it possible to work through this to be a better partner and parent, if you want to be?

We went to joint counseling once several years ago, and that did not go well, so he is not willing to try again.

I have been in counseling by myself, but I never seem to get much out of it.

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I feel like my only choice at this point is to walk away from a 40-year marriage, and that makes me sad.

What do other women do when married to an empty shell of a man who is unwilling to be a better partner?

 Lonely Wife

Dear Lonely Wife: You know from your own experience that good parents create a sense of security, safety and well-being  so that their children can grow to be resilient, brave, and secure  even with their most challenging emotions. And love is the most challenging emotion of all.

Children who grew up with neglect and trauma protect themselves by forming a hard shell around their feelings. Its all about survival.

I wonder if you and your husband are aware of any ways he does try to show love. Maybe it is through work, supporting the family, or pride in you.

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You have spent 40 years trying to show your husband that it is safe to feel deep emotions that would render him vulnerable. He isnt able to get there, and is too afraid to try.

Some spouses in your situation cope by retreating into their own shell, co-existing in an angry standoff. Youre not willing to do that, and I think it is quite brave of you to lean into your own needs, diving into a different future.

I suggest that you explore a trial separation, and that you give therapy another try.

Got a question for Amy? Enter it here and well send it to her.

Dear Amy: I have enjoyed reading your column for years, and have mostly agreed with the advice you have given people.

I am wondering if you can help me out with an etiquette question.

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When attending a wake, the family of the deceased usually says, thank you for coming to the service as you go through the receiving line.

I am trying to come up with an appropriate response in return. Youre welcome or My pleasure really dont seem to be heartfelt.

They seem like a standard response for other situations that are less somber. Any suggestions?

 Trying to Say the Right Thing

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 Trying: First of all, showing up for people in this way is the most important thing of all. Words often fail in situations like this, but you could make eye contact and say, Im very sorry for your loss, I was so fond of Uncle James, or even, I dont really know what to say, but Im glad I came.

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.

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Dear Amy: You mistakenly wrote that if an officiant at a wedding is clergy, he would not be interested in attending a bachelor party.

Most of the clergy (me, too) in my church (Episcopal) would be fine going to such an event. I dont like being thought of as being against fun.

It is written that Jesus ate and drank with sinners. If he can have a good time with food, drink, and fellows, why shouldnt I?

 Fr. Steve Norcross, Portland, Oregon

Dear Fr. Steve: Nobody parties quite like the Episcopalians. Rock on!2022 Amy Dickinson.
An artist in Ghana has added six old airplanes to a community learning space in the village where he was born.

The artist, Ibrahim Mahama, bought the planes last year to add to an educational center he created called Red Clay Studio.

Mahama is an internationally recognized artist who grew up in Ghanas capital, Accra. But he returned to the northern village of Jenakpeng to build an art studio and community learning space.

The educational center is made up of several large buildings. It is designed to teach students about subjects like the physics of flying, computer science, history, engineering and more. The lessons are free.

Red Clay was built entirely with recycled and locally sourced materials. This is very much like Mahamas art. He made a name for himself by repurposing unwanted or waste materials into works of modern art.

The old planes were the latest addition to the centers educational offerings. They are meant to give students an up-close look at planes.

Mahama told Reuters news agency the community learning space is not so much about inspiring artists but producing thinkers.

If children grow up and they can think differently from what their predecessors were thinking, it is a step towards a certain kind of imminent change within our society, Mahama said.

Sixteen-year-old Abdul Latif Zakaria has been visiting Red Clay for years. On a recent visit, he experimented with drones that captured images of the surroundings, including the six airplanes.

Red Clay also serves as Mahamas base for his art business. His pieces can sell for thousands or even millions of dollars.

Zakarias father, Dennard, is employed to take care of Red Clay. He says the center provides children with the chance to explore subjects that would otherwise be closed off to them. He added that the experiences can build confidence and help children learn more about themselves and where they want to go in life.

Mahama said he believes the educational space can transform ideas and lives for those who visit. He added, In the future, it means that its going to make the entire country, or even the entire world, even a much better place.

Im Bryan Lynn.

Reuters reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

entire  adj. whole or complete

studio  n. a space where an artist or photographer works

inspire  v. to make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it

predecessor  n. the person who was in a job or position before

imminent  adj. happening very soon

drone  n. a self-piloted vehicle that flies in the air

confidence  n. a feeling of being sure in ones own abilities

transform  v. to change something completely, usually to improve it

____________________________________________________________

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Diana Vicezar of Paraguay is heading into her third year at Pitzer College in Claremont, California.

Early in the pandemic, Vicezar could not come to the United States. She spent her first year of college learning by video from the South American country.

During that time, Vicezar said she talked with over 100 international students studying in the U.S. She found out that many experienced difficulties while looking for internships or work. Besides visa restrictions, they said there was a lack of professional development resources at the schools.

Some did not know about the Optional Practical Training program or OPT. It is a U.S. government program that permits international students to stay in the U.S. for one more year after graduation and work in their field of study.

I have met with many students who didnt know about OPT or who didnt know how to write an American-style resume, who didnt know who to reach out to for help. And they have to go back to their countries because, you know, they didnt have enough time to work on their applications or do their research because it was too late.

That is when Vicezar started working on a website designed to help international students with internships and job hunting in the U.S.

After almost two years, Mapis was launched last February. The site is currently open to a small number of users. Vicezar said she hopes to make it available to all international students later this year. And she is building the website while working on an internship program at the technology company Meta.

Importance of networking

One professional who knows what it is like to be an international student is Eunkyu Lee who came from South Korea in the 1980s. He is now a professor and a leader of Syracuse Universitys business school.

Lee said many international students know that it will be harder for them to find jobs than American students if they want to stay in the U.S. As a result, they start learning about visa and work programs early on.

He said it is a good idea to join a networking group centered on international students such as Mapis, along with a more general service such as LinkedIn.

If you dont have that kind of network or mentoring, then the only resource you may have is just the official job posting which receives hundreds of resumes.  And there, it may be really difficult for international students to stand out.

Vicezar agreed that it is important for international students to hear from successful people who were once new to the U.S. It helps them feel more confident about their own abilities. In 2022, Mapis organized several online gatherings to connect students with those working in business, journalism and technology.

Importance of learning English

Vicezar told VOA that learning English changed her life. She said she would not be where she is today without a scholarship from the English Access Microscholarship Program in Paraguay.

I always say, you know, like, I was born again when I was 15, when I got this scholarship.  My whole life changed after that. Coming to the U.S. for college also opened other doors for me, like the internship I have right now and also creating Mapis. So, yeah, I always motivate people to study English.

Vicezar also attended the Education USA Academy at Temple University in Philadelphia one summer, where she lived and learned with Americans and other international students.

Beyond STEM, or subjects in science, technology, engineering and math, Vicezar wants Mapis to be a place where international students can learn about business, social programs and government.

In fact, Lee, the Syracuse professor, said community service projects are a great way for international students to expand their networks and learn to work with Americans.

It may not be directly related with their major or directly related with their internship or career opportunity they are pursuing. But kind of experiencing themselves that they can add value to the community around in the U.S. society, I think its a very important part to develop their own self-identity and confidence.

Vicezar agreed. After they go back to their countries, they usually make a big impact, she said.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English.

Write to us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. Quiz - International Student Launches Career Networking Site Mapis Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz _________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

internshipn. an opportunity for students to get work experience, often during college

stylen. the way in which something is done

resumen. a short document describing your education, work history and accomplishments you give to an employer

applicationn. a request to be considered for something such as admission to school or a job

networkn. a group of people who are connected to each other, often in the same work field

mentorn. an experienced person who can offer guidance and support

scholarshipn. money given to someone to pay for school or an educational experience

motivatev. to give someone energy or encouragement to do something

pursuev. the act of chasing or going after something

impactn. to make a difference or have an effect or change something

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Write your comment in the box.

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Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is a blue circle with D on it. It is free.

Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.
A recent study says illegal loggers have destroyed about 18,500 square kilometers of public forests over the past six years in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. But, the study says, the nation's Federal Police do not investigate the loss enough.

The wood cutting took place in state and federal forests that are unallocated. That means they are neither part of a national park nor are they considered native territories. Official data says the Brazilian Amazon has about 580,000 square kilometers of unallocated forest. That is an area almost the size of Ukraine.

The public forests have become a target for criminals who illegally seize land.

Igarape Institute, a Brazilian policy research group, released the study. The group researched 369 environmental crime operations carried out by the Federal Police in the Amazon between 2016 and 2021. Only two percent targeted people illegally seizing unallocated public lands. It also found that the Federal Police created only seven operations to investigate this large loss.

The Federal Police did not answer The Associated Presss request for comment about its work in the Amazon.

The report said the lack of enforcement likely comes from the weak legal protection of these areas. Environmentalists have long pressed the federal government to turn unallocated public forests into protected areas.

Brazil returned to democratic rule in 1985 after 20 years of military rule. Most of the democratic governments have expanded protected forests. Today about 47 percent of the Amazon is protected land, official data says. But President Jair Bolsonaro has said the country has too many protected areas and has slowed adding new protected land.

In 2016, about 2,240 square kilometers of unallocated public land were illegally harvested for wood. Last year, that area reportedly almost doubled. Over six years, the total amount of land with illegal harvesting activity reached 18,500 square kilometers. That information comes from the Amazon Environmental Research Institute which is linked to the World Bank.

Deforestation is increasingly taking place on unallocated lands. In 2016, unallocated land made up 31 percent of all illegally cut forest. Last year, the amount reached 36 percent.

The Brazilian nonprofit group Climate Observatory said that almost half of Brazils climate pollution comes from deforestation. The group said there is so much destruction that the eastern Amazon has, on average, stopped absorbing carbon gasses from the Earths atmosphere. Instead, a study published in 2021 in the journal Nature suggests it is now turning into a source of carbon gasses. Carbon gasses are blamed for trapping heat in the Earths atmosphere.

Igarape divides environmental crime in the Amazon into four major illegal activities: stealing of public land; illegal logging; illegal mining; and deforestation connected to agriculture and cattle raising.

The enforcement operations were spread over 846 places. Nearly half were in protected areas, like the Yanomami Indigenous Territory. The area has a heavier police presence but has still been invaded by thousands of illegal gold miners.

The Igarape study also pointed to a large ecosystem of crime, as the police operations took place in 24 of Brazil's 27 states including eight cities in neighboring countries.

Environmental crime stems from illicit economies that access consumer markets and financing outside the Amazon, the report said.

Im Dan Novak.

Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

logger n. a person who cuts down trees for the wood industry

absorb  v. to take something in (such as a liquid or gas) in a natural slow way

cattle  n. (pl.) a large farm animal used for milk and meat

ecosystem n. everything that exists in an environment

stem  v. to be caused by; to come from

access n. the ability to get or get into something

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Security experts say a popular Chinese-made automobile tracking device presents a serious risk of cyberattacks.

A cyberattack is an attack on or through a computer network.

The device, manufactured by Shenzen-based MiCODUS, is used by people worldwide to protect their vehicles from being stolen.

A report by the U.S.-based cybersecurity company BitSight has warned that the system has severe software vulnerabilities.

The issues could permit attackers to remotely hijack vehicles using the tracking device, security researchers said. This could give attackers the ability to cut off fuel or seize control of the vehicle while it is moving, BitSight said in its report.

The MV720 device costs less than $25, BitSight says. The researchers recently issued a press release that urges any users of the device to stop using it until a fix for the vulnerabilities becomes available.

BitSights report came as a U.S. government agency issued an official advisory that also described the devices vulnerabilities.

BitSight told The Associated Press it had tried since September to communicate with representatives of MiCODUS to discuss the security risks it had identified. It said those attempts were not successful. BitSight said the U.S. agency investigating the device, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), joined its efforts to communicate with MiCODUS in April.

The Associated Press emailed MiCODUS about the matter, but reported it did not receive an answer.

CISA said in a statement that it did not know about any active exploitation of the vulnerabilities.

GPS trackers are used worldwide to follow vehicle groupings, from trucks to school buses to military vehicles. The devices also act as security to prevent vehicles from getting lost or stolen.

In addition to collecting data on vehicle tracking, many devices are also equipped to examine other information about vehicle and driver actions. This information could include driver behavior and fuel usage. Many of the devices are able to control a vehicle's fuel or locking systems and more.

Using the MV720 device, BitSight said, a cyberattacker could remotely cut off the fuel line of a vehicle in motion. An attacker might also be able to see where a vehicle is in real-time for spying purposes, said BitSight researcher Pedro Umbelino.

One of the devices main vulnerabilities is that it comes with a default password that more than 90 percent of users do not change, BitSight found. It also discovered security weaknesses in software the web server uses to control the devices over the internet.

MiCODUS claims that about 1.5 million of the devices are being used by 420,000 customers.

BitSight said its research found that among the customers were a major energy company and an aerospace company and national militaries in South America and Eastern Europe. Others included a nuclear power plant operator and a national law enforcement agency in Western Europe. BitSight did not name any of the companies. Countries with the most users included Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Russia.

Richard Clarke is a former top U.S. cybersecurity official. He told the AP that while he does not believe the device was designed to be used maliciously by the Chinese government, that remains a possibility.

Clarke said the threat is real because Chinese companies are required by law to follow their governments orders. You just wonder, how often are we going to find these things that are infrastructure  where theres a potential for Chinese abuse  and the users dont know? Clarke said.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

__________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

track  v. to record the progress of development of something

vulnerable  adj. able to be hurt or at risk of being harmed

remotely adv. from a distance away

exploit v. to use or develop something for your own advantage

default adj. what usually exists if no changes are made

customer  n. someone who buys goods and services from a business

malicious  adj. meant to harm or upset someone

infrastructure  n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country or area

potential  n. a possibility when the necessary conditions exist

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Scientists from the U.S. and Canada say Arctic warming is reducing the food supply for polar bears. The animals are forced to look for food at waste sites. That is causing problems for both the bears and humans.

A report on the scientists findings recently appeared in the publication Oryx.

Polar bears normally hunt seals. But a warming climate is reducing the amount of sea ice. The bears need sea ice in order to move around and find seals.

With the usual food running low, the bears are coming off the ice and onto land. They get closer to areas where humans place waste, including bones from whale hunts and used food packages.

The bears often end up eating the food packaging when trying to get to the food inside. Since their bodies cannot break down the material, the bears can develop blockages that can result in sickness and even death.

In addition, people living close to the area where waste is collected sometimes shoot the bears because they fear the animals might hurt people.

Andrew Derocher is a biologist at the University of Alberta in Canada. He helped write the report. He said, Bears and garbage are a bad association. Derocher added that scientists have already seen black bears and brown bears eat food waste in other parts of the world. Now, he said, its an issue developing with polar bears.

The bears have been found at garbage collection places in Russia and in the American state of Alaska.

Scientists say the problem will only get worse for the bears as more humans move into their territory.

One area where the bears live is Nunavut, Canada. The human population there is expected to increase by over 40 percent by 2043.

As more humans move in, the waste becomes more of a problem because it is hard to manage in frozen lands. The ground is frozen, which means the garbage cannot be buried. It is costly to send the waste out on trucks. The scientists say more government money is needed to help the problem.

Derocher said meetings between people and bears are increasing already.

"It's surprising just how many places that never had polar bear problems are now having emerging issues," he said.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report from Reuters.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

packages  n. a wrapper or container that holds something

garbage  n. things that are no longer useful or wanted that have been thrown out

association  n. a connection or relationship between things or people

emerging  adj. newly created and becoming known or established

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Nearly 2 million Ukrainian refugees have been sent to Russia, both Ukrainian and Russian officials say.

Ukraine calls the transportation of its people forced transfers to enemy soil, which is considered a war crime. Russia calls the actions humanitarian evacuations of war victims who already speak Russian and are thankful for a new home.

The Associated Press (AP) investigated the stories of several people who were sent to Russia from Ukraine. AP found many refugees are forced to go to Russia. The news agency said they faced human rights abuses and their documents were taken. Many were left confused or lost about where they are.

The problems start with, what AP called, a poisoned choice: die in Ukraine or live in Russia. Those who leave go through a series of what are known as filtration points. There, treatment includes questioning and body searches. Officers pull people aside after which they might disappear.

Refugees told AP of an old woman who died in the cold and an evacuee who was beaten so severely that her back was covered in bruises.

Those who go through the filtrations are invited to live in Russia. They are often promised a payment of about $170 that they may or may not get. Sometimes their Ukrainian passports are taken away. The chance of Russian citizenship is offered instead. And sometimes, they are pressured to sign documents denouncing the Ukrainian government and military.

Those with no money or contacts in Russia can only go where they are sent, eastward, even to the very coldest and farthest areas of Russia. Some told AP that they saw many trains arrive over the weeks of the war with more than 1,000 Ukrainians who were sent as far away as Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. Those cities are on the Pacific coast, a 10-day train trip from western Ukraine.

The AP investigation also found signs of dissent within Russia to the government story that Ukrainians are being rescued from extremists.

Almost all the refugees the AP spoke to praised Russians who quietly helped them. Russians helped them escape, get back documents, find shelter, get transportation, and exchange Ukrainian money, the hryvnia, for Russian money, the ruble. They even helped the refugees move their belongings.

A purposeful plan

The AP said the transfer of hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine is part of a plan, found in Russian government documents.

An emergency mass order describes the distribution of 100,000 Ukrainians to some of the most distant and poorest areas of Russia. But the Ukrainians were not to be sent to the capital, Moscow.

Ukrainians are technically free to leave Russia. But many stay because they have nowhere to go, no money, no documents, or no way to travel across a country double the size of the United States. Some fear if they return, Ukraine will punish them for going to the enemy. That fear is strengthened by Russian officials.

Others speak Russian with family there and have ties that they feel are stronger even than their ties to Ukraine. One woman told AP that her husband was Russian and she felt more welcome in Russia.

Oleksandra Matviichuk is head of the Center for Civil Liberties in Ukraine. She said it is unclear why Russia is transferring Ukrainians. One goal might be to use the refugees in propaganda tools by pressuring them to speak out against Ukraine.

Matviichuk also said the transfer of local civilians from occupied territories clears the way for Russians to replace them with loyalists. She said this was the case in Crimea. And Russia may want Russian-speaking Ukrainians to populate its farthest areas with poor economies.

Identities in question

Ukrainian refugees in Russia sometimes lose their identities along with their homes.

Some leave their Ukrainian documents behind. Others have their Ukrainian passports taken by Russian officials. They are offered Russian citizenship or can be considered refugees. Many end up in an unclear state without documents.

Tatiana Moskalkova is a human rights activist in Russia. She said only 55,502 have received temporary asylum. The other Ukrainians have unclear legal standing in a country where they are often seen as the enemy.

Along with giving up their official documents, Ukrainian refugees are sometimes pressured to sign papers. The papers say the Ukrainian government or military is responsible for the war.

Tanya Lokshina is the writer of an upcoming Human Rights Watch (HRW) report on forced transfers of people. She said many evacuees do not realize they have the right to refuse to sign documents and the right to leave Russia.

HRW and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties documented several cases where Ukrainians were pressured into signing papers. They include documents that accuse Ukraines military of war crimes.

Lokshina said, When you are there and they have the power and youre basically in their hands, you dont know whats going to happen. She added, So many people sign just because they are afraid.

Im Gregory Stachel.

And Im Jill Robbins.

Lori Hinnant, Cara Anna, Vasilisa Stepanenko, and Sarah el Deeb reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

transfer  v. to move (someone or something) from one place to another

evacuate  v. to remove (someone) from a dangerous place

nightmare  n. a very bad or frightening experience or situation

confused  adj. unable to understand or think clearly

filter  v. to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted

bruise  n. a dark and painful area on your skin that is caused by an injury

dissent  n. public disagreement with an official opinion, decision, or set of beliefs

distribution  n. the way that something is divided or spread out

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Five men have been charged with aggravated battery and armed robbery in connection with an attack on the Chicago Transit Authoritys Red Line on the Near North Side early Friday, in which a CTA employee was stabbed, according to Chicago police.

The five men were arrested in the 1500 block of North Clybourn Avenue on Friday. They are accused of stabbing a 42-year-old man with a knife and a broken glass bottle on a Red Line train at the North/ Clybourn station at 2:03 a.m. after demanding his belongings, police said.

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Arrested were: Shawn Gullens, 20; Latoya Thomas, 22; Martinez Owens, 24; Larone Williams, 36; and Vernon Holman, 52. A sixth person who had been detained later was released without charges, according to police.

During the robbery, the victim reportedly took out a knife and fought back, stabbing three of the attackers. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in serious condition, police said.

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The Tribune reported Friday that paramedics also took a 52-year-old man to Stroger Hospital in serious condition with stab wounds to the neck, a 36-year-old man with cuts to his forearm went to Stroger in fair condition and a 24-year-old with stab wounds to the back was taken to Northwestern, where his condition stabilized.

All five were expected to appear before a judge Sunday.
In this courtroom sketch, from left, twin brothers Pedro and Margarito Flores, 33, of Chicago, appear before Chief U.S. District Judge Ruben Castillo at federal court in Chicago on Jan. 27, 2015. (Tom Gianni / AP)

On a winter evening a little over a decade ago, as their husbands were busy cooperating against the most wanted cartel boss in the world, Valerie Gaytan and Vivianna Lopez were driving around Chicagos North Side with more than $4 million in cash in their SUV.

The daughters of Chicago cops, Gaytan and Lopez had grown up in similar neighborhoods but on seemingly separate paths. Gaytan, street smart and tough, started running drugs as a teenager, spent time in prison, opened a successful beauty salon and was romantically linked to some of the citys top gang kingpins. Lopez, meanwhile, was raised in a tightknit, extended-family household, a high school cheerleader whod largely steered clear of gangs despite her gritty surroundings.

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This undated photo from a wanted poster released by the U.S. Marshals Service shows Pedro Flores, left, and his twin brother, Margarito Flores. The Flores twins cut deals to buy tons of narcotics from Joaquin "El Chapo Guzman, the head of Mexicos Sinaloa Cartel in the 2000s, and later cooperated with U.S. investigators. (U.S. Marshals Service)

But their futures were forever entwined when they married Chicago twins Pedro and Margarito Flores, who rose to the apex of the nations drug trafficking world before making the stunning decision in 2008 to surrender and help federal investigators build a case against their boss, Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin El Chapo Guzman.

With the twins cooperation heating up, Gaytan and Lopez were told in late 2010 they had to come clean. So one day they flew to Chicago and removed millions of dollars in their husbands drug proceeds from under the floorboards of a basement theater room in Gaytans suburban home, packed the bundles into large plastic storage bins and drove to see Margaritos lawyer at his office in Lincoln Park, according to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reports.

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They parked the Audi Q7 on West Belden Avenue with the $4.1 million inside. Because it was after bank hours, the stunned attorney wound up storing the vehicle in his garage overnight before depositing the money the next day at a bank near the airport. There it sat in escrow until the twins sentencing nearly five years later, when most of it was turned over to the government in forfeiture, court records show.

According to the wives 2017 tell-all book, Cartel Wives, turning in the cash was a crucial moment in their desire to start a new life  a realization that it meant getting rid of everything and that even though their husbands had risked their lives to get El Chapo on tape, they werent going to get a free pass.

But there was one problem, according to federal prosecutors: The $4.1 million wasnt everything. Not by a long shot.

Last year, Gaytan, 47, and Lopez, 42, were indicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago on money laundering charges alleging theyd hidden millions more of their husbands drug proceeds from the government over a 12-year period.

The women have argued they cannot be prosecuted for any of it because they were promised immunity by federal agents and the U.S. attorneys office as part of their husbands cooperation.

That claim has been hotly contested by prosecutors, and the bid to dismiss the charges is widely regarded as a legal long shot. Still, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly has scheduled an evidentiary hearing starting Monday at downtown Chicagos Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where the judge will try to get to the bottom of what  if any  promises were made.

The indictment alleged the cash, much of it still in small denominations, was hauled across the border in rental trucks, secretly recouped from the twins associates in the U.S., hidden in trap compartments in vehicles and stash houses, and buried under their older brothers home near Austin, Texas.

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Federal agents intercepted this package that was being mailed in September 2019 from the Elsdon post office on Chicago's Southwest Side to the home of Vivianna Lopez, wife of convicted drug trafficker Pedro Flores. Prosecutors say the bulge in the package was suspected drug proceeds. (U.S. District Court records)

According to the indictment, Gaytan and Lopez and a network of relatives later conspired to launder the money through currency exchanges, credit cards, money orders, gift cards and the U.S. mail.

They allegedly used the money to fund at least a sliver of the lifestyle theyd grown accustomed to when their husbands were on the top of the cartel heap, spending more than $165,000 on private school tuition for their children, $100,000 in international and domestic travel, $80,000 for Lopezs rent and $11,000 in child support.

Lopez also allegedly sent $5,000 of the laundered money to her husband in prison and spent another $31,000 on a laundry business she opened in Arizona after the family went into hiding, according to the indictment.

So far, two members of the alleged conspiracy have pleaded guilty: Armando Flores, 53, of Round Rock, Texas, the older brother of the twins, who helped them break into the drug business three decades ago; and Bianca Finnigan, 33, of Sycamore, Illinois, who is Lopezs sister.

The Elsdon post office, 4922 S. Kedzie Ave., Chicago, on July, 20, 2022. Many of the packages mentioned in the search and seizure warrant of drug proceeds were allegedly sent by Lopezs sister, Laura Lopez from the Elsdon post office. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Lopezs aunt, Laura Lopez, 59, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial.

The hearing Monday is expected to elicit public testimony for the first time from some of the key agents and prosecutors from the Flores investigation, which led to criminal charges against Guzman and many of his top henchmen in the Sinaloa cartel, but never resulted in a criminal trial.

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Questioning could be wide open and potentially filled with legal pitfalls, as Kennelly has seemingly not placed any restrictions in advance on what specific topics can be addressed.

Lopezs attorney has said she intends to call Pedro Flores to ask him to clarify his testimony at Chapos trial that his family had been immunized.

Flores, who would appear via video link, might assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, but if he chooses to answer questions, he could find himself in legal jeopardy trying to explain under oath his connection to the money that the wives were allegedly spending.

Adding to the intrigue, Pedro Flores attorney for the past 15 years, Robert L. Rascia, abruptly removed himself as his legal counsel earlier this month, and another attorney who was appointed by the court recently withdrew her appearance as well, court records show.

The hearing will also be without one key voice. The former lead prosecutor on the case, Thomas Shakeshaft, had been expected to testify about early negotiations with the twins over a potential deal that are at the heart of the issue of immunity.

Shakeshaft died last week after years of health issues, including chronic alcoholism that he blamed in part on the stress of the Flores investigation. He was 55.

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The spoils of crime

The wives story had long been on the periphery when it comes to the Flores twins, whose cooperation led to whats often called the biggest drug case ever in Chicago.

But like their husbands, Gaytan and Lopez had enjoyed the riches that drug trafficking had brought them  the villa in Mexico with a private zoo, the Bentleys, Jet Skis and jewelry. And like their husbands, they knew the cartels had surely marked them for death as turncoats.

Born five years apart, the wives wrote extensively about their backgrounds in their book, including the unlikeliest of scenarios: that the daughters of Chicago cops would go on to marry two of the biggest drug traffickers the city had ever seen.

There are other only in Chicago connections as well.

When she was in high school, Lopez, who lived in Little Village before her family moved to West Lawn, dated a young man she referred to in the book as Mark Jones, who became a Chicago cop himself and was later convicted of corruption.

The Tribune confirmed that Jones was actually Keith Herrera, a former officer with the elite Special Operations Section who pleaded guilty to robbing drug dealers at the direction of his friend and mentor, Officer Jerome Finnigan.

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Finnigan was sentenced in 2011 to 12 years in federal prison. His brother is married to Vivianna Lopezs sister and co-defendant, Bianca.

Writing under the pseudonym Mia, Lopez describes meeting the Flores twins through her childhood friend, recalling them as handsome and well-dressed. When the Flores family moved into Viviannas neighborhood, her friend wanted to introduce them.

Finally I was going to meet the legendary Flores twins, she wrote in the book. Peters handshake greeting and respectful demeanor struck her immediately, a big departure from the boys who would openly comment on her looks.

They saw each other socially and she even invited him to a party at her home, where she describes her police officer father cornering him and warning him to stay away from her daughter.

Ultimately, it was Peters near-death experience that brought them together for good. In the summer of 2003, Peter was kidnapped by a violent drug crew and held for ransom, which was paid by Flores brother. Upon release, Pete made a brief trip to Mexico to clear his head. When he returned, he sought out Lopez and told her how much he cared for her, she wrote.

Lopez said she knew then that she had to either cut off contact or accept her feelings.

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Life without him felt hollow, she wrote. I wanted to be with the drug dealer with the heart of gold. I loved Peter for all the goodness and kindness I saw inside him  and Id choose to let the rest slide.

Gaytan, meanwhile, admitted in the book that she started hanging out with gang bangers and drug dealers as a teenager in the rough-and-tumble Brighton Park neighborhood. She dropped out of the University of Illinois at Chicago to enroll in cosmetology school, she wrote.

Later, with the help of money earned through drug trafficking, she would open up one of the citys most popular salons, the Julian De Val Salon in the heart of Little Village, according to court records obtained by the Tribune.

By the time she was 21, Gaytan was dating a well-connected cocaine trafficker named Valentino Reveles, whom she married in 1997. A year later, Reveles was arrested on drug charges and she filed for divorce while he was in custody. Gatytan started dating Rudy Kato Rangel, the feared then-leader of the Latin Kings street gang.

According to court records, Reveles began cooperating with authorities and told them about Gaytans involvement in his drug trade, including coming along with him on transactions of multiple kilos of cocaine at a Dominicks grocery store parking lot and helping launder proceeds through structured bank deposits and money orders.

Reveles also told a federal grand jury that he took Gaytan on trips to Hawaii, Miami and Las Vegas, giving her $10,000 in cash to gamble at casinos and up to $5,000 at a time to just carry around, federal court records show.

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Gaytan was indicted on money laundering charges related to Reveles operation in December 2000. Her attorney later wrote in a court filing that investigators had approached her and tried to get her to cooperate against her new love interest, Rangel, but she refused.

By the time Gaytan pleaded guilty in 2001 and was sentenced to five months in prison, she had already married Rangel in a private civil ceremony, court records show.

She was still on home detention the next year when she asked the judge for permission to remove her ankle monitor for a wedding ceremony with Rangel at the Sofitel hotel on Chicagos Magnificent Mile on Nov. 23, 2002, which featured a dinner and dancing reception for 200 guests in the grand ballroom, according to a court filing.

A 2002 invitation for a renewal of wedding vows ceremony between Valerie Gaytan and Rudy "Kato" Rangel, the then-leader of the Latin Kings street gang, who was killed in a barbershop a year later. (U.S. District Court records)

It is the hope of the defendant to not have an electronic monitor on her ankle when she renews her wedding vow and hosts a wedding reception with her family and friends, her lawyer wrote. The judge granted the request.

Five months later, Rangel was murdered at a West Side barbershop in what authorities have said was a contract killing by a rival gang. It was at Rangels funeral that Margarito Flores, whom she knew from mutual acquaintances as Junior, approached her with sympathy and a romance began to kindle.

Junior and I didnt care about being around famous people and living that life, Gaytan wrote in Cartel Wives. When everyone would head out to the club, wed go to the grocery store, then head back to the hotel, chill out in our PJs, and eat cereal ... We just talked and laughed. It was the simple times that made us fall madly in love.

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Given immunity?

When U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo sentenced the twins to 14 years each in prison in January 2015, El Chapo was still months away from his astonishing tunnel escape from a high-security prison in Mexico. The judge warned the brothers that they and their relatives would be looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

Every time youre outside in a vehicle and you see a motorcycle come up behind you, youre going to be wondering if that is the motorcycle that is going to take your life, Castillo said.

The judge also went along with the deal calling for the twins to forfeit about $3.66 million in illicit proceeds, allowing the wives to keep $300,000 for living expenses while their husbands were in prison. But Castillo said he harbored no illusions that there was more money out there.

I think everyone in this city, everyone in this city thinks that you have money. Everyone, Castillo said. But were not going to do anything about that.

Three years later, after Chapos recapture and extradition to the U.S., the twins were still in protective custody when Pedro gave his long-awaited testimony at the Sinaloa bosss trial at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn.

In his direct testimony on Dec. 18, 2018, Flores acknowledged that hed told investigators about the role his immediate family played in collecting drug debts, but when asked whether his wife was ever charged, he answered, No, she was given immunity, according to court records.

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Later, on cross-examination, Pedro Flores was asked by Guzmans attorney whether Vivianna received prosecutorial immunity despite her alleged involvement in hiding drug proceeds.

Your wife never got charged with it, did she? the defense attorney asked. Flores answered, No. She received immunity.

The topic was not explored further by either side. Lopezs attorney, MiAngel Cody, wrote in a court filing in December that either Flores was lying under oath or the wives were indeed offered immunity, and the government cannot have it both ways.

While the government has repeatedly bolstered Mr. Flores as a truthful cooperator, its charges against Ms. Lopez implies the opposite, Cody wrote.

In response, prosecutors have said there is nothing in its records reflecting the wives ever had an immunity letter from their office or any reports from investigating agencies mentioning anything about an agreement to give them protection from prosecution.

Prosecutors also noted that, even if the wives had received immunity in the past, it would not have excused future criminal conduct as outlined in the indictment.

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A spokesman for the U.S. attorneys office declined to comment for this story. Cody and Gaytans attorney, Michael Clancy, also had no comment.

Stopped at JFK

As El Chapo was awaiting trial in New York, the Flores brothers wives were allegedly spending money at a breakneck pace, and the feds were paying attention.

On July 18, 2018, Gaytan and Lopez were returning from a trip to the exotic Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos when customs agents stopped them at JFK International Airport in New York, according to federal court records

Gaytan was carrying five cellphones, including two with Chicago area codes even though she was supposedly living in hiding out of state. But what really caught the attention of investigators was a seemingly innocuous sheet of notebook paper found in Lopezs belongings, prosecutors alleged.

A sheet of notebook paper with the logo "Sweet Ideas" was seized from Vivianna Lopez, wife of convicted drug trafficker Pedro Flores, at JFK International Airport in July 2018 as she and her sister-in-law, Valerie Gaytan, returned from an overseas trip. Prosecutors allege the notes were a "ledger" detailing drug proceeds that had been sent illicitly through the U.S. mail. (U.S. District Court records)

It was the sort of notebook found on many kitchen counters, with the label SWEET IDEAS at the top and thick lines for jotting down grocery lists or projects to do. The page found with Lopez, however, was filled with scrawled notes about packages.

2 package  20,000 Jan March, the note read, followed by another mention of four packages from October, November and December. 4 packages took package 1 + took 20 from package 2.

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Federal prosecutors alleged it was a straightforward drug-money ledger laying out a schedule for the disbursement of funds.

The stop at JFK was a key moment in an investigation into the wives spending that accelerated in 2018 when an informant reported that Gaytan had been using a travel agency near Armando Flores home to book lavish vacations to places like Dubai, Europe and Las Vegas, where they attended a Jennifer Lopez concert.

After they were booked, Armando Flores would arrive in a white pickup truck to deliver the cash payments, sometimes up to $30,000, to the travel agency. The money was often in wads that smelled funny and were rolled up haphazardly in rubber bands, the informant allegedly told investigators.

About a year after the JFK stop  on July 4, 2019, Vivianna Lopezs 39th birthday  border control agents at Chicagos OHare International Airport had another contact with the wives as they arrived from a flight from Europe, according to court records.

The wives had allegedly booked the trip to Rome and Greece for 10 to 12 people through the same Texas travel agency, court records show, and it had been paid for in cash.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

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asweeney@chicagotribune.com
Brown County is launching an independent medical examiners office, ending a partnership with the Dane County Medical Examiners Office, which has overseen the northeastern Wisconsin countys autopsies since 2016.

The Brown County Board of Supervisors voted July 20 to hire a full-time chief medical examiner and end an agreement with Dane County, which helped Brown County upgrade and professionalize its services in recent years.

The restructuring comes as Brown County prepares to open a $12 million complex, eliminating the need to transport bodies to Dane County.

It also follows an investigation two months ago in which 12 current and former employees told Wisconsin Watch that they regularly endured bullying, screaming and insults from two of their supervisors in the Dane County office: longtime Director of Operations Barry Irmen and Dr. Agnieszka Rogalska, the chief medical examiner. Both have denied the allegations.

The turmoil in the Dane County office was not a factor in Brown Countys plans to launch its own medical examiners office, Brown County deputy executive Jeff Flynt said, noting in an email that it had been a long term goal for many years.

Dane County has appointed a replacement for Irmen, whose office recently saw two additional high-level employees resign. Dr. Cristina Figueroa Soto, the offices chief of investigations since 2021, became director of operations on June 6, according to Greg Brockmeyer, Dane Countys director of administration, with Irmen staying on to offer training.

Dane County was serving Brown County under the parameters of a contract that recently expired, making it easier to end the relationship, said Keith Deneys, who chairs the Brown County Boards Public Safety Committee.

There became an opportunity for us to look at moving off on our own. Dane has been very helpful in getting our medical examiners office up and running to professional standards, Deneys said. There are no ill feelings, or anything that they have done, that would have driven us away.

Dr. Elizabeth A. Douglas will lead Brown Countys new medical examiners office, following nine years as an assistant professor of forensic pathology at Western Michigan Universitys medical school. The county sent her an offer letter on July 21, Flynt said.

Ending the cross-county partnership will slow the revenue flowing to the Dane County Medical Examiners Office. The office budgeted about $733,000 in revenue from the Brown County partnership for 2022  about 23% of its estimated revenue that year, according to records provided by the Dane County Department of Administration.

Other counties

Dane County may also stop or slow conducting autopsies for Door and Oconto counties under the restructuring, which currently pay Brown County roughly $100,000 each per year for medical examiner-related services  money that Brown passes through to Dane County, which provides those services.

Door and Oconto counties will likely draw services from Brown Countys new office, county administrators told Wisconsin Watch, although some collaboration with Dane County could still happen. Oconto County Administrator Erik Pritzl said he expects a smooth shift.

Its kind of an exciting time to see these services going to a true local, regional provision with Brown County taking the lead, he said.

Rock County, which pays Dane County about $362,000 per year for medical examiner services, has no plans to cut ties, Rock County Administrator Josh Smith wrote in an email.

We, as others, have followed the reporting about concerns expressed by staff from the Dane County Medical Examiners Office, and we have worked to promote a positive work environment in the Rock County office, Smith wrote. We have valued the improvements in expertise that Dane County has brought to the Rock County office since the contract began.

New leadership

Figueroa Soto is filling Irmens longtime role. Irmen served as operations director from 2011 until he retired in January 2022. Dane County re-hired him on a temporary, part-time basis in April amid a search for his permanent replacement. He and Rogalska, who rose to chief medical examiner in January after eight years as deputy chief medical examiner, deny allegations that they yelled or screamed at employees and drove some to leave the office.

Dane County has never had its full complement of five budgeted pathologists, which Irmen has attributed to a nationwide shortage of pathologists. Since 2013, five pathologists have started and left the Dane County Medical Examiners Office, along with dozens of other employees who exited positions within the same period of time, Wisconsin Watch reported in May. Wisconsin Watch could not independently verify the reasons for each departure.

Dane County has since accepted the resignations of the offices lead investigator and deputy director of operations, according to Brockmeyer.

With almost 3,000 employees Dane County sees turnover in every department. The Medical Examiners Office is no different in that regard, Brockmeyer said in an email.

Brockmeyer did not answer a question about whether these resignations or Brown Countys changes will impact an autopsy backlog that Dane County employees have described.

Figueroa Soto served in roles including deputy medical examiner in the Waukesha County Medical Examiners Office for more than five years before joining the Dane County Medical Examiners Office in August of 2020 and becoming chief of investigations in September 2021, according to her LinkedIn resume.

State Journal reporter Lucas Robinson contributed to this report.
The technology behind the July 16 switch to the 988 suicide and mental health crisis hotline was not all that revolutionary. It was more a matter of rebranding the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and rerouting calls to an easy-to-remember three-digit number, much like 911.

What happens after someone in need dials 988 will likely vary, however, even if the hotline is a step in the right direction.

Modeled after 911, the new Suicide & Crisis Hotline is designed to be a quick way for people in crisis to get connected to an existing network of more than 200 local crisis call centers around the country. People who call or text the number will be connected to a trained counselor at a crisis center closest to them. If a local crisis center is too busy to respond right away, the call gets routed to one of 16 backup centers nationwide.

Is the system leakproof? Not yet, as discovered through a 2021 study by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It found the former suicide hotline received 3.6 million calls, chats and texts in 2021, but was able to respond to just 85% of calls, 56% of texts and 30% of chats. With an 18-fold increase in federal dollars recently dedicated to the 988 system, it is predicted calls will double and more will get answered and routed before frustrated callers just hang up.

Thats when it gets trickier. One of the delayed outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic was more people becoming isolated from friends, family or just society in general, either aggravating existing mental health conditions or experiencing new anxiety or depression. Scientists have charted that phenomenon, as well as hospital administrators in Wisconsin and elsewhere.

Hospitals are seeing more emergency department visits for mental health issues after COVID-19 surges, particularly among young adults and racial minority groups, Modern Healthcare reported in March 2022. In Wisconsin, some hospitals have picked up the slack where county-run mental health facilities have fallen down.

For Dr. Robert Golden, a nationally known psychiatrist and dean of the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, the advent of 988 is welcome but no panacea.

I think 988 is an important, albeit relatively small, step in the right direction. Golden said. It will save lives, but its a Band-Aid. The greater challenge is building up the mental health infrastructure beyond crisis intervention. After youve talked someone down from the brink, they need an appointment to start (or restart) treatment, and across the country, we have a growing shortage of mental health professionals, especially for child and adolescent populations.

Much of society should care if mental-health treatment is increasingly less available, including business owners who worry about people wandering in off the street, harassing customers and employees or worse. Is the epidemic of mass shootings linked to untreated mental health conditions?

Writing recently in Psychology Today, Dr. Fablana Franco noted that 98% of mass shooters are men, usually young men, but added most such shooters dont meet the diagnostic requirements for mental illness. Theyre emotionally disturbed, of course, but that may be rooted in other causes  a pattern of rejection, childhood trauma, bullying or that hardest-to-define trait, just plain evil.

Whatever the clinical diagnosis, the outcomes also affect community policing. West Allis Police Chief Patrick Mitchell, a recent president of the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association, said a large share of trouble calls for most departments involve people in distress. In West Allis, he estimated, it would be about 25% of all calls.

If 988 can be well publicized, it will be a good thing, Mitchell said. But like so many other things in life, it will depend on whos on the other end answering the phone.

The 2022 report on The State of Mental Health in America confirmed that untreated symptoms, long a problem with many adults, only got worse during the pandemic for adults and youth alike. It also cited 988 taking effect as one factor to help narrow the gap.

Perhaps that new three-digit number, over time, will help law enforcement, health systems, businesses and ordinary people better cope with an often-unseen problem.
The final installment in Wisconsin author Patricia Skalkas David Cubiak Door County mystery series will be published later this month, bringing the seven-book mystery saga to a close.

Throughout the series, Cubiak, the main character and sheriff of Door County, has solved a litany of crimes and murders all while dealing with demons of his own. The final book brings his story full-circle while presenting readers with one last mystery set on the picturesque peninsula.

Skalka will discuss the book, Death Casts a Shadow, during an event at Mystery to Me later this month.

Q: Death Casts a Shadow is your seventh and final novel in the Dave Cubiak series. Was writing this book different knowing it was your last using these characters?

A: Ending the series was a bittersweet and difficult decision. Over the course of writing the books, Cubiak became very real to me, and I was always aware of the fact that I was saying goodbye to him. Even now, thinking about it, I wonder, Gosh, whats he doing? But it was time. Cubiaks journey was over. From the start I knew that the series was going to function on two levels  two story arcs. Each book would have a different murder or mystery to be solved, but the overriding story arc through the whole series was going to be Cubiaks journey of personal redemption. I also knew the last book would be set in winter. That just seemed appropriate.

Q: Could you give the readers a brief overview of what the character Cubiak has been struggling with throughout the series?

A: In this book, Cubiak returns to Chicago, the city where he grew up and where he tragically lost his first wife and daughter. Hes going there with his son, Joey. Its the first time theyve been there together and hes uncertain how much of his past to share. Ultimately, he takes Joey on a quick journey of his life that culminates at the scene of the fatal accident. Its a moment of truth. Up until then the boy, now 13, knew the basic facts about his fathers earlier life, but for the first time Cubiak shares the heartbreak of loss and his struggle to go on. Its a moment of real bonding between father and son. Joey, at some level, will understand that his father is entrusting him with intimate personal knowledge and what it is like to have to face the responsibility, guilt and pain of overwhelming loss. Cubiak has to trust that his son is mature enough to handle this.

Q: You talked about the two arcs, and in Death Casts a Shadow, Cubiak seems to be fighting a lot of his own demons  in addition to solving the murder. Did you intentionally write it that way?

A: Definitely. Each of the seven books in the series functions on two levels. One concerns the mystery plot  the who-done-it part of the story  and follows the steps that Cubiak takes to solve the puzzle and reveal the culprit or killer. The other follows his emotional journey through life. In the opening scene of Death Stalks Door County, the first book in the series, Cubiak feels that he has failed everyone and is overcome with despair and shame. In each book, he heals a bit more, and sometimes backslides. But in the final moments of Death Casts a Shadow, we see a man who is finally at peace with himself and with life.

Q: The other arc in the book  a character dies, or is murdered, while holding a Frederic Remington bronze statue. Why did you decide to feature this piece of art?

A: Ive always been fascinated by bronzes. I have no artistic talent, and the notion that a person can create something like that intrigues me. How do you make something so solid and tangible and make it look so delicate? Ive seen examples of the Remingtons at the Chicago Art Institute. Theyre fierce and fragile. In the story I needed to have something of value that this grandfather started to collect, and wondered what would appeal to someone who was sort of a robber baron. I wanted his collection to have a sort of masculine feel to it and thought the Remington bronzes fit the bill. I had to learn all about them. All I knew was that I liked them. What I was stunned to find out was how valuable they were.

Q: From the early chapters, this book examines the economic disparity in places like Door County by highlighting the woman who cleans houses. Why was it important to set up that parallel between house cleaner and wealthy estate owner?

A: Its a very real situation. Not just in Door County, but everywhere in the country. My family has a very modest cottage in Door County and we feel blessed and lucky to have that, but I see the disparity. The shortage of affordable housing is an ongoing problem. Its an issue in the high season when a lot of workers come from outside Door County. Where can they afford to live? Year-round residents also face these issues of affordable housing. If you look into the history of Door County, you discover that it was the frontier at one point. It wasnt the pretty, touristy, artsy haven or mecca that exists now. During those early rough and tumble years, fortunes were made and lost, and all was not always fair. The plot for Death Casts a Shadow develops from the seeds of revenge that were planted during that period.

Q: Now that your Dave Cubiak series is finished, whats next for you?

A: Right now Im taking a bit of a break and focusing on promoting this book. I actually have a couple of manuscripts that I wrote years back that I need to take a good, hard look at and decide if I want to revisit them. One is a mystery about two women whose lives were closely intertwined when they were growing up and what happens when their paths cross again. The other is a novella ... an inspirational Christmas story based on a conversation I had with my daughters when they were young girls ... the power of love between a mother and her 10-year-old daughter. I am also intrigued by the idea of writing a historical mystery.

Q: Are readers upset that Dave Cubiak is going away?

A: The messages Ive gotten have been Oh no! or So sad! Ive been encouraged to continue the series, but I think readers understand why it is ending. Im really grateful to all the booksellers who have supported me and continue to support me. Im really grateful to the readers, theyve really embraced Cubiak. He started out as a not-likable character, but they rooted for him. Many of them saw themselves in his struggles. Im really thankful in a sense that he was helpful to some people.
Public Health Madison and Dane County is partnering with Community Pharmacy to expand the reach of its free fentanyl testing strips. The partnership aims to decrease drug overdoses in Dane County.

Since fentanyl testing strips were de-criminalized in March, Public Health has begun offering them through its syringe services program at two locations on the South and East sides. Community Pharmacy, 130 S. Fair Oaks Ave., is the first satellite site the agency has partnered with.

Theres an exponential rise in deaths due to overdose and tied to the fentanyl supply, said Kathy Andrusz, with Public Heaths syringe services program. Test kits are essential for people who use drugs to help in their overdose prevention toolkit.

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which said 59% of opioid-related deaths in 2017 involved fentanyl. Those numbers are only rising.

The drug is to blame for many of those overdoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illegally manufactured fentanyl is often mixed with heroin or cocaine, often without a users knowledge, leading to overdose and death.

Public Health decided to partner with Community Pharmacy to ensure fentanyl testing strips and other harm-reduction techniques could reach more people. The pharmacy is able to distribute the strips in the evenings and on Saturdays when the department is closed, expanding access to people who might work during the day.

Health equity is really at the center of what we are doing these days, said PJ Chamberlain, a pharmacy technician at Community Pharmacy. Making sure that people have equal access and equitable resources is something were even working on with COVID testing. ... Working should not preclude you from these resources.

The pharmacys syringe services typically sees two to three visitors each day during the week and four to six visitors each Saturday, he added. Community Pharmacy began offering Public Healths syringe services program about nine months ago. It began distributing fentanyl strips June 23.

The pharmacy is looking to further expand support for people with addiction. Chamberlain is working on connecting the pharmacy with a grief support group and creating programming for International Overdose Awareness Day in late August.

I have a friend who passed away two years ago from an overdose, he said, so I think raising awareness is really important. At smaller independent pharmacies there is a focus on community where we can do this work. Thats what drew me to working here in the first place.

Community Pharmacy offers fentanyl strips, along with safer injection equipment, risk reduction information, sharps disposal boxes and free condoms. Public Health also provides those services at 2705 E. Washington Ave and 2300 S. Park St.

Community Pharmacy and Public Health also offer Narcan to minimize opioid overdoses, as well. The drug can reverse drug overdoses.

In June, Public Healths syringe services program distributed 571 fentanyl kits, or in about 30% of patient visits, Andrusz said.

Public Health is also working with human service agencies and the state Probation and Parole Division to distribute fentanyl testing strips directly to clients. Other organizations in the county, including Never Use Alone and Vivent Health, also offer harm-reduction tools like Narcan and fentanyl testing strips.

Andrusz said the department is working on making the strips even more accessible to the general public.

Were looking to increase staff and availability of time to do outreach to get more community partners, she said. The more people we reach, the more people we can save.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  Pope Francis began a fraught visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Churchs efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.

Francis flew from Rome to Edmonton, Alberta, where his welcoming party included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary May Simon, an Inuk who is Canadas first Indigenous governor general. Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to deliver an apology.

Aboard the papal plane, Francis told reporters this was a penitential voyage and he urged prayers in particular for elderly people and grandparents.

Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of Indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums.

This apology validates our experiences and creates an opportunity for the church to repair relationships with Indigenous peoples across the world, said Grand Chief George Arcand Jr., of the Confederacy of Treaty Six. But he stressed: It doesnt end here  there is a lot to be done. It is a beginning.

Get the rest of the story here:
Buried near the bottom of the Madison School Districts lengthy and jargon-filled behavior policy is a single sentence that apparently applies to cellphones: Use of any non-educationally required device, electronic or otherwise, that detracts from and/or disrupts learning of oneself, or others, is prohibited.

If that refers to texting on phones in class, the policy is not being enforced much  if at all  in the citys high schools. And some teachers dont seem to know it exists, or they fear they cant enforce it.

That needs to change with the start of classes this fall.

Cellphones in Madisons schools are such a major distraction for students and staff, Madison School Board member Laura Simkin said Wednesday. Elected in April, Simkin is wisely calling for clear standards and real enforcement. Other board members and Superintendent Carlton Jenkins should support this important priority.

Cellphones are a total distraction and lead to planned altercations in halls and drug deals in bathrooms, according to former Madison School Board President Barbara Arnold and former member Marj Passman.

Compare Madisons vague policy with Milwaukee Public Schools definitive rule: Students are prohibited from activating, using or displaying electronic communication devices such as cellphones ... while on school premises. If a students phone is visible in class, it will be confiscated, inventoried and stored in a secure location until the school administration holds a conference with the parent or adult student.

Now thats more like it.

Madison students already have Chromebooks to complete classroom assignments, research information and calculate data. They dont need to text their friends, watch videos or be glued to social media gossip when theyre supposed to be reading, crunching numbers or learning about American democracy.

Some Madison schools are trying to address this chronic problem. La Follette High School, for example, recently informed parents it is creating and will implement a universal cellphone plan for fall.

One major barrier to student learning is cellphones, La Follettes family newsletter July 11 stressed. Unfortunately, many Lancers are distracted by social media and videos during class time.

Parents may need to communicate with students about rides, activities and unexpected events before, between and after classes. But once the bell rings for lessons to begin, the phones need to vanish.

Any new policy needs emphatic and clear language so students understand and respect sensible limits. For starters, the Madison School District policy should actually include the word cellphone. The district should make sure teachers are empowered to take phones away if they see them in class. Only expressly permitted use of cellphones by school staff on rare occasions and for limited periods should be allowed.

For example, if a students Chromebook crashes, maybe they can have special permission to complete a lesson or two using their phone.

But even that seems generous and ripe for abuse. Many teens spend more than eight hours a day on their phones, according to Our Common Sense Census, sponsored in part by the Carnegie Corporation. Too much screen time can exacerbate anxiety and depression. The isolating pandemic only made this problem worse.

The message to students this fall should be consistent and backed by consequences: Put your phone away or your teacher will confiscate it.

Wisconsin State Journal editorial board The views expressed in the editorials are shaped by the board, independent of news coverage decisions elsewhere in the newspaper. STAFF MEMBERS KELLY LECKER, Executive editor SCOTT MILFRED, Editorial page editor PHIL HANDS, Editorial cartoonist COMMUNITY MEMBERS JANINE GESKE SUSAN SCHMITZ
A big "thank you" to all of our state's amazing election workers.

Election clerks, administrators and volunteers are critical to a functioning democracy. These election heroes have historically worked under the radar, doing their highly detailed, time-sensitive yet often thankless work of voter registration, voter education and vote counting. Unless youve been an election worker, you may not even know what they do.

Though the 2020 election was one of the fairest and most decisive in history, the election officials who ran it have been the target of death threats from extremists intent on overturning the election results. Because of this harassment, one in five election workers in a recent poll said they were likely to quit before the 2024 election. Several of my own friends -- former poll workers -- are bowing out of working the 2022 elections.

If our current election officials quit, they could be replaced by the same would-be authoritarians who wanted to ignore the will of the voters in the last election. I hope you will join me in offering your election officials support by serving as a poll worker, an election observer with the League of Women Voters, or helping through a letter of support and gratitude to your own municipal clerk.

Laura Gottlieb, Madison
Less than 24 hours after the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation into what he called an egregious breach. Since then? Pretty much silence. The Supreme Court wont say whether it's still investigating. The court also wont say whether the leaker has been identified or whether anyone has been disciplined. Or whether an outside law firm or the FBI has been called in. Or whether the court will ever offer an accounting of what transpired. Or whether it's taken steps to try to prevent a repeat. To these and other emailed questions, Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said by email: The Court has no comment.
Editors note: This story is the second in a two-part series on white nationalism and extremism in Idaho. Some photos of messages in the timeline contain offensive and derogatory language.

Extremists arrested en masse on June 11 in Idahos idyllic lakeside city of Coeur dAlene came from all over the country. The Patriot Fronts leader traveled from Texas, and followers joined from the Midwest, the Deep South, and across the border in Washington. Of all 31 people arrested that day, seeking to disrupt an LGBTQ pride celebration with a potentially violent riot, only two were Idaho residents.

Yet some locals had their own plans to protest.

The pride alliance of North Idaho expressed concern that the Panhandle Patriots Riding Club, a far-right group, intentionally scheduled its annual Gun dAlene rally downtown to coincide with its June 11 event at a local park. Facebook and Telegram posts reviewed by McClatchy from members of the Panhandle Patriots and other aligned groups featured calls for warfare and an operation order for militia to come armed wearing red. Two posts promoted the use of snipers against adults attending pride. Multiple groups were mobilized.

The range of acute threats to this relatively small city and mass arrest of such a large group, based on the luck of a tipster alerting police to men boarding a U-Haul that day in military formation, shook a community that has seen its historic share of extremists. We are not going back to the days of the Aryan Nations, said Coeur dAlenes mayor, Jim Hammond, after the arrests. We are past that.

But Idaho may be going in a more ominous direction. Counterterrorism experts and U.S. officials are watching the evolution of extremism in Idaho with alarm, as the state that has won hard-fought victories against entrenched but isolated extremist groups becomes a refuge for a broader range of far-right ideologies.

We are looking at a resurgence in this type of activity, whether it be white nationalism, white supremacy, anti-government rhetoric  a combination of them all, said Josh Hurwit, U.S. attorney in the District of Idaho. From a law enforcement perspective, were using all the tools that we have to monitor threats.

Devin Burghart, president and executive director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights (IREHR), said a new generation of extremists is settling in Idaho, which ranks among the top states in the nation for far-right activity.

Theyve now decided to make northern Idaho a home, Burghart said, and in essence, rekindle some of the same ideas that the Aryan Nations had 40 years ago, but instead put it in a much more palatable package  to take off the swastika armband and put on a suit and tie.

Regional and national civil rights groups are now calling on the Justice Department to increase its criminal prosecutions targeting white nationalist groups such as the Patriot Front and Panhandle Patriots, with four major organizations writing to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday urging new action.

We believe its past time for the Department of Justice to step up and launch a criminal investigation of this group, said Kate Bitz, program manager and trainer at Western States Center, referring to the Patriot Front. There have been minimal prosecutions.

But Idaho is not just facing a challenge from one or two organizations. The Southern Poverty Law Center has identified at least 19 hate and anti-government groups spanning a vast ideological spectrum actively operating in the state. Experts at the Western States Center told McClatchy and the Idaho Statesman there are more than two dozen. And individuals switch between groups frequently or join several at a time, challenging law enforcement and independent watchdogs to keep up.

It is a true mix of the spectrum of the hard-right  everything from the more explicitly racist groups involved in white nationalist activity, to groups aligning with the anti-government militia movement, said Rachel Carroll Rivas, lead senior research analyst for the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Across the country, of course, all those groups exist. But there tends to be a trend line one way or another. Idaho really is a microcosm of what the hard-right looks like in the United States.

U.S. officials have monitored instances of seasoned groups and provocateurs microtargeting regions of the country with extremist online content, including Idaho, specifically targeting its population due to its history as a haven for extremists, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security told McClatchy and the Statesman.

The targeted use of online content is not something that happens randomly, the senior official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Its being used in a very sophisticated way by threat actors to exacerbate the polarization and tribal nature of our public discourse, to rip apart those fractures of our society, with the intent to sow discord and promote violence, the official said.

There certainly seems to be an increased level of online activity from groups of people who are coalescing around anti-government ideological beliefs: conspiracy theories about the election, conspiracy theories about COVID-19, conspiracy theories about immigration, the official continued. Those are issues that have tended to resonate in certain parts of the country for generations. And now theyre being pumped out on steroids.

A different challenge

Richard Butlers decision to found the Aryan Nations in North Idaho in the 1970s fueled the states reputation as a hotbed for neo-Nazis and white supremacists. But it was locals like Tony Stewart who successfully uprooted the group back then.

Stewart has been a part of Idahos fight against extremism for 41 years. A co-founder of the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and now secretary of its board, he has seen what he described as the states cycles up and down of far-right threats.

We had our successes with both Republican and Democratic governors in the 1980s and 90s, Stewart said. But in those days, we had such unity within our state in combating the Aryan Nations, the Klan, and all that.

The Kootenai County Task Force rallied the Idaho Legislature to pass state laws against harassment  and bankrupted the Aryan Nations with a lawsuit.

The folks Ive spoken with in North Idaho on the front lines of this issue from a policy perspective, or a community organizing perspective  theyre ready to push back against this threat, Hurwit told McClatchy and the Statesman. Many have told me, Weve done this before, well do this again. Thats a cause for optimism.

But the ability of these organizations to secure political support across Idaho has waned.

Leading up to the states primary election in May, Janice McGeachin, Idahos lieutenant governor, hosted a voter rally in the Boise area and invited several national far-right figures to join, including former Fox News commentator Michelle Malkin, Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers and podcaster Stew Peters.

As armed members of right-wing groups, including the Proud Boys, crisscrossed the community park, a crowd of roughly 1,000 rallygoers listened intently as the cast of speakers took the stage. They ginned up support for McGeachin and other right-wing political candidates in attendance, while promoting conspiracies about COVID-19 and 2020 election fraud.

McGeachin went on to lose the Republican primary by more than 20 percentage points. Fellow right-wing candidates who also appeared lost their statewide races, too.

But others have proven more successful.

In recent elections in the north here, those who have advocated discrimination have really been very successful, Stewart said. These people who are very far-right, its not about violence  its about taking over political offices and targeting curriculum in schools and such. Its a different challenge.

New research from IREHR found that 24 Idaho state lawmakers have joined far-right Facebook groups, representing nearly a quarter of the state Legislature  more than any state in the nation but Alaska and Arkansas, Burghart said.

Most of these groups insist they are peaceful. But Thomas Rousseau formed the Patriot Front as an offshoot of a neo-Nazi organization after participating in the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that resulted in a womans death. Michael Viper Birdsong, head of Idahos Panhandle Patriots, was in Washington for the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and called the violence of that day a necessary evil.

In some ways, with the Aryan Nations, it was a much easier battle  they were a very clear and obvious threat, but they were contained, said Sophie Bjork-James, an assistant professor of anthropology at Vanderbilt University. There was one compound. They were very marginal. They were responsible for violence and harassment, and they were widely looked down upon by the majority of Idahoans, including the Legislature.

Today, theres a much broader part of the population that holds extremist ideas, and theyre in local government, Bjork-James said. Theyre in state government. Theyre organizing gun rallies.

Stoking conflict

After Diana Lachiondo, a fourth-generation Idahoan and a Democrat, won a seat on the Ada County Board of Commissioners in 2018, she was placed on a local health board where the most controversial issue at the time was septic tank approvals.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit.

During a virtual Central District Health board meeting at the end of 2020, as board members debated mask mandates and limits on public gatherings  and Idaho topped 1,700 COVID-19-related deaths  Lachiondo received a call from her 12-year-old son. Protesters were outside their home banging drums and blasting clips from Scarface. At least one had a gun.

I have chosen to back away from public life, for my mental health, Lachiondo said, tearing up as she recalled the episode in a video interview. There was a breaking point of  I have let my children down. My children are being affected and targeted because Im on this health board.

Protests were not limited to Lachiondos home. At least one other board member was targeted. A larger group tried to force their way into the Central Health District building, prompting Boises mayor, Lauren McLean, to call on the board to cancel its meeting.

The protests were organized by the Peoples Rights Network, a group founded by Ammon Bundy, an anti-government activist who led a 2016 standoff with federal law enforcement at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon. Bundy is now a candidate for Idaho governor.

We like to refer to it as a network, not necessarily an organization  its only as effective as people make it, said Casey Whelan, who became an Idaho state assistant for Peoples Rights in Coeur dAlene in 2020 and promoted a protest of the June 11 pride event. Its a tool if people want to use the network to notify their neighbor of any kind of government overreach.

An IREHR database published last fall found that Idaho had the highest number of members in the Peoples Rights Network per capita in the United States. Whelan said that more recent internal numbers indicate the group has over 5,000 members in Idaho alone.

Membership rolls in these groups are always more fluid than an email list would suggest. People often operate in more than one group, or move between various groups, said Rivas, of the Southern Poverty Law Center. But the emergence of COVID-19 restrictions undoubtedly led to an explosion of engagement.

Bundy and other leaders in Peoples Rights will occasionally put out calls to action that prompt protests such as the one outside of Lachiondos house. But while group leaders take credit for the size of its membership, Whelan said the mission of Peoples Rights to promote liberty precludes them from telling members how to conduct themselves.

Its been demonized quite a bit, he said of the group. Its not pretty all the time, and (members) will act depending on the situation maybe differently than someone else would. We dont advise people how to act.

That position allows groups like Peoples Rights to fuel political discord without taking responsibility for the consequences, experts said.

Theyre not violent in every scenario or in every situation  they have lots of things to point to where theyre engaging in what would otherwise be civil disobedience-like activity, Rivas said. But there are also plenty of examples where the message theyre putting out there is that theyre willing to engage in violence, not just in a moment of heat, but in planned confrontation with the government, whether it be federal or local.

Pamela Hemphill, a former member of Peoples Rights from Boise and one of those who protested outside of Lachiondos house, later attended the Jan. 6 riot in Washington and pleaded guilty to a federal charge of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building. A total of six Idaho residents faced federal charges in connection with the insurrection.

Publicly, Hemphill has since acknowledged we were wrong, and lamented how extreme the far-right had gone in America, before entering federal prison last week to serve a 60-day sentence.

I was with Ammon Bundy since the very first meeting of Peoples Rights, Hemphill told McClatchy. I left them, and I have my good reasons. Theyre far-right, and theyre not good for our country.

Lachiondo lost her bid for reelection in 2020 to Ryan Davidson, a Republican who the following year was investigated by Idahos attorney general for attempting to influence a judge in a case over Bundy trespassing at the Idaho Capitol. The attorney general found no criminal misconduct but suggested he get trained on how to properly communicate with the judiciary.

Other, more activist conservatives are slated to win elected office in November. Lawrence Wasden, Idahos attorney general for 20 years, declined to join Texas lawsuit to overturn President Joe Bidens win in swing states. He lost his reelection bid in the May primary to Raul Labrador, a former congressman who expressed skepticism over former President Donald Trumps loss  and accused Wasden of being absent or late to critical national fights.

Weve had Republican dominance in the state for 40 years, but the tenor of who is filling those seats has changed dramatically, Lachiondo said. We now have politicians in Idaho who are listening to these people.

Weve been the canary in the coal mine, she added.

Call for federal action

In May, the Western States Center sent a letter to Garland and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas alerting them to an ideological mix of groups  including the Panhandle Patriots  crossing state lines to harass migrants at the U.S. southern border.

The organization followed up with another letter on Monday  joined by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Anti-Defamation League, the North Idaho Pride Alliance, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and over a dozen other organizations  calling on the Justice Department to prosecute the Patriot Front and its members to the fullest extent of the law over its activity in Idaho.

While dozens of the groups members were arrested last month before they could act on plans to riot at a Pride event in Coeur dAlene, Idaho, more must be done to hold the group accountable and ensure they do not continue to intimidate historically marginalized communities, the groups wrote.

A White House official, providing background on condition of anonymity, said the Biden administration has increased its intelligence production on domestic extremist threats three-fold in the last year, creating smartphone apps for local law enforcement to quickly access unclassified counterterrorism reports and intelligence products.

The Boise Police Department is not using these apps, said Haley Williams, a spokeswoman for the department, but will continue to look into whether they are good tools and fits for our community. An official with the Ada County Sheriffs Office also said its agency does not formally use the apps. The FBIs field office in Salt Lake City declined to comment.

A spokesman for the Idaho State Police said that fusion centers, working as a conduit between state and federal law enforcement, have analysts processing homeland security intelligence on a near-daily basis to discover indicators of violent terrorist activity in Idaho.

DHS, the FBI and the National Counterterrorism Center recently updated a federal handbook for local police with guidance on how to spot threats of domestic violent extremism, and are providing additional training to U.S. attorneys on reporting potential cases.

In May 2021, DHS established an entirely new domestic terrorism branch to produce intelligence on potential threats. And the Treasury Department has made it a priority to identify groups and individuals who are financing domestic extremist promotion and plots.

In its latest national terrorism advisory bulletin, DHS warned that the country faces a heightened threat of extremist violence leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. The priority is to expand communication with local law enforcement agencies that often serve as the first line of defense, the White House official said.

In January, Mayorkas told McClatchy and the Statesman that evidence gathered through open-source intelligence shows that extremist groups are operating in all 50 states.

We have observed, of course, through our communications with local law enforcement, particular pockets of activity, in terms of physical activity, Mayorkas said. But you know, this is one of the challenges that social media presents. It knows no boundaries.

The senior DHS official said the department does not break down its threat picture by region.

But when I hear from our folks deployed around the country, its clear that there are certain narratives that resonate in some parts of the country more than others, the official said. And where theres a tradition of suspicion against the federal government, narratives that focus on government overreach and immigration as a ploy to undermine white superiority tend to resonate more, and inspire organizational activity as a result.

The primary terrorism threat facing the United States today, the official added, comes not from foreign terrorist networks or enemy states, but individuals and small groups of people, willing to carry out acts of violence motivated by extremist ideological beliefs.

Idaho  the fastest-growing state in the nation  remains as much a draw for these groups as ever, romantically portrayed by radical networks as a white Christian haven on the old American frontier.

Tradition matters a lot, Burghart said. They are drawn to the individualistic nature of the West, and constitutional interpretations that were long since left in the past.

These are the kind of frames theyre using, he added, to find that new generation.
OAKLEY  As artist Cloyd Bedke hung a donated watercolor collection of six streetscape paintings on Thursday at the local historical museum  he reflected on his life growing up in the small town.

The paintings belong here, Bedke said.

For Bedke, an Oakley native who now lives with his wife, Kathy Bedke, near San Diego, memories of days gone past flooded his mind.

I remember, on Saturday nights, there would be 50 to 70 people right there, he said as he pointed to a softly colored rendition of a building captured in a moment in time.

Bedke, 85, painted many of the works over the years when he returned to visit Oakley.

They call this hometown painting, he said.

He purposefully chose the week of the towns pioneer celebration to bring the collection to the Oakley Valley Historical Museum.

We only take Oakley-related items at the museum so these fit in perfectly, museum board member Marge Woodhouse said.

Bedke started his career in advertising and later owned his own advertising firm.

I worked for a Chicago ad agency and I would still be there if the weather wasnt worse than it is here at Goose Creek, Bedke said.

He later started his own agency in San Diego.

In 1996 he decided to pursue his passion for creating fine art.

Cloyd is so versatile, his sister-in-law Marty Bedke said, who stopped by the museum to say hello to him.

Hes worked in several mediums and the subjects include religious works to western themes.

The paintings of the people and places in Oakley reflect his roots, Kathy Bedke said.

He has done art shows all around the country and his art is all around the world, she said. He also has taught many classes and even has some of his art on puzzles.

Bedke grew up on an Oakley cattle ranch and began sketching the cowboys from the area at the age of 12 or 13.

My dad (Jesse Bedke) was a big encourager of my art, he said.

Bedke donated the collection because I want to pay something back, he said. Its all I have to give anymore. Its all I have, my time, skill and feeling.

His compensation comes when someone stands in front of one of his paintings and it makes them feel the way he did when he painted it.

Thats what an artist works for, he said, how it reads to people.
Sterling Big Bear, with the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi,, performs a song during a land acknowledgment program at the Indiana Dunes National Park visitor center in Chesterton on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Displays and a new trail on land surrounding the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, in northern Porter County, will honor Indianas original inhabitants and provide insight into the regions environment, organizers say.

A ceremony Thursday celebrated the Indigenous Cultural Trail, which will connect the history of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes with the ecology of the region.

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The trail will be a must-see attraction, said Lorelei Weimer, executive director of Indiana Dunes Tourism, the Porter County tourism agency.

The flags of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the Miami Nation of Oklahoma will fly outside the visitor center. The Miami Nations members are descendants of indigenous people forced off their land in Indiana by American settlers.

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Local history helps us understand and appreciate the people who were here, said Serena Ard, curator of the Westchester History Museum in Chesterton, but the history and the voices of the regions indigenous people have been a huge gap in that history.

I feel this trail is one of the best things, if not the best thing, to happen to our local history, Ard said during a program Thursday about the Indigenous Cultural Trail.

Representatives of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma present flags during a land acknowledgment program at the Indiana Dunes National Park visitor center in Chesterton on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

The visitor center sits on five acres of Porter County-owned land surrounded by 15 acres owned by the Indiana Dunes National Park, where a walking trail will be built through a prairie and a wooded area. The visitor center is operated by the national park and the tourism agency.

Christine Livingston, the tourism agencys assistant director, said in an email that the two organizations began working together about four years ago to plan a unique and meaningful experience to the hundreds of thousands of visitors and locals who go to the visitor center.

We got together, and all agreed that a trail with an Indigenous theme would be appropriate, she said. As soon as this was decided on, we invited the tribes to collaborate, and we began meeting regularly to shape our vision.

Although Livingston headed the trails organizing, a bout with COVID kept her from directly participating in Thursdays ceremony; she watched part of it from her car in the parking lot.

A plaque recognizing the traditional lands of the Potawatomi and Miami people sits on display during a program at the Indiana Dunes National Park visitor center on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Diane Hunter, tribal historical preservation officer for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, and Jennifer Kanine, natural resources director for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, were among those who participated in meetings to organize the trail and its displays.

We are a living people, Hunter said during Thursdays program. We are not a people of the past.

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The Miami Tribes origin story, she said, begins on the St. Joseph River between South Bend and Lake Michigan.

Conflict began when American settlers started moving into the territory after the American Revolution, when the British ceded the land to the Americans.

Because the Americans thought it was their land, they came onto the land, Hunter said.

Much of Indiana was still Miami territory when Indiana became a state, she said, but a series of treaties carved away the Miami land until 1846, when more than 300 Miami were forcibly moved out of Indiana  first to Kansas, then to Oklahoma.

Now, Hunter said, we are a sovereign nation with members around the country, including Indiana. Miami Nation Enterprises operates 12 businesses, plus two casinos, and the nations language and cultural heritage are being revitalized.

Miami Tribe of Oklahoma Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Diane Hunter displays a map of the traditional land of the Miami peoples during a land acknowledgment program at the Indiana Dunes National Park visitor center in Chesterton on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Kanine told how the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, which is headquartered in Michigan and also owns land in the South Bend region, discovered in 2017 that wild rice  called mnomen by the Potawatomi  was growing in Indiana Dunes National Park wetlands.

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We were very surprised by the amount of wild rice in the park, she said.

Wild rice is important to her people, she said, because when their ancestors moved to the area from the East they were told to find grain on the water.

Rice needs to grow in water, but most of the regions wetlands, especially those in the Kankakee River basin, had been drained by the early 1900s.

Scouting and surveys have found wild rice growing in the Miller Woods and Beverly Shores areas of the national park. A number of species in the park enjoy the rice, but storms and invasive species like cattails are among the forces threatening it.

Rice gathered at the national park by the Pokagon Band is planted there to help restore and enhance its areas, she said.

Indiana Dunes Tourism executive director Lorelei Weimer speaks during a land acknowledgment program at the Indiana Dunes National Park visitor center in Chesterton on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

The Indigenous Cultural Trail project is a collaboration between Indiana Dunes Tourism, the Porter County Community Foundation, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, the National Park Service, and the Field Museum in Chicago.

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The project will include signs around the visitor center and along the future trail to tell about the dunes regions ecology and the native people. Large paintings around the visitor center by graffiti artist Arcy (Ryan Christenson) depict native plant and animal species, such as a snapping turtle with mnomen.

As visitors arrived for Thursdays program, Arcy was completing his work on the depiction of a river otter with hibiscus plants.

Tim Zorn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  One of the four first responders killed in last weekend's New Mexico helicopter crash managed to call 911 before succumbing to his injuries, according to emergency dispatch recordings.

Its not clear which crash victim made the call Saturday evening to San Miguel County dispatchers, according to the recordings that were made public on Tuesday. The call sparked a frantic search for the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office helicopter in the hills near the northern New Mexico community of Las Vegas.

An unidentified dispatcher said over emergency frequencies that the person who calling said they saw dust when the helicopter hit the ground but no smoke or flames. The person also reported that gas was leaking from the aircraft, which was full of fuel because the crew had refueled before taking off for the trip home.

Searchers took more than 30 minutes to find the wreckage, their work complicated by nightfall and increasing difficulties that the initial survivor had in communicating, the dispatch records indicated.

Subject is in a lot of pain and disoriented, a dispatcher said at one point.

State police officers who arrived at the scene first initially reported there were two unresponsive patients and two who had died.

Authorities have said that the helicopter crew had wrapped up a firefighting mission and were returning home to Albuquerque when the crash happened. They had spent a few hours that afternoon dropping buckets of water on a wildfire burning on private land near Las Vegas.

The crew included Bernalillo County Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers, Deputy Michael Levison and Bernalillo County Fire Rescue Specialist Matthew King.

The National Transportation Safety Board said earlier this week that the helicopter came down at a high rate of speed, hitting the ground upright before toppling over. Aerial footage of the scene showed mangled wreckage among pinon and juniper trees.

Federal investigators are expected to release a preliminary report about the crash in a the coming weeks and the full investigation could last a year or more.
Until last month, someone with a felony record who obtained a gun was committing a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Now he or she is committing two federal crimes, each punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Contrary to what you may have read or heard, the story of how that happened is not an inspiring example of bipartisan cooperation to protect public safety. It is a dispiriting illustration of how the worst instincts of both major parties combine to produce policies that are neither just nor sensible.

Republicans like to look tough on crime but tend to be leery of gun control. Democrats, by contrast, are enthusiastic about gun control but tend to be leery of draconian criminal penalties that contribute to mass incarceration and have a disproportionate racial impact.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent and passed the House by a vote of 234 to 193, offered something to both sides. Republicans got tougher sentences; Democrats got more gun control; and both got to pretend they were doing something to prevent mass shootings.

Among other things, the law expands background-check requirements for gun buyers younger than 21, widens the categories of people who are not allowed to buy firearms and provides federal funding for states with red flag laws. Those provisions are unlikely to have a meaningful impact on mass shootings, but they will cancel the gun rights of adults based on juvenile records and subsidize state laws that suspend those rights without due process.

The law also doubles down on the longstanding prohibition of gun possession by people who have been convicted of crimes punishable by more than a year of incarceration. That rule applies no matter how old the conviction is and regardless of whether the crime involved violence.

Violating this gun ban previously was a felony with a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act raises the maximum sentence to 15 years and prescribes the same penalties for trafficking in firearms, which is defined broadly enough to include receipt of a gun by someone who is legally disqualified from owning one.

The latter provision covers not only people with felony records but also cannabis consumers, even if they live in states that have legalized marijuana, anyone who has ever been subjected to involuntary psychiatric treatment, whether or not he was deemed a threat to others, and other categories of people who have never done anything to indicate that they are dangerous. Since receiving a gun is a felony for them, it also qualifies as trafficking in firearms and can send them to prison for both offenses if they are caught.

In fiscal year 2021, according to a recent report from the U.S. Sentencing Commission, 89% of federal firearm offenses involved illegal possession, often without aggravating circumstances or a history of violence. Fifty-five percent of those defendants were African Americans, who account for about 14% of the U.S. population.

Even the American Civil Liberties Union, which thinks the right to keep and bear arms is a figment of the Supreme Courts imagination, recognizes that the categories of people that federal law currently prohibits from possessing or purchasing a gun are overbroad, not reasonably related to the states interest in public safety, and raise significant equal protection and due process concerns. As an appeals court judge, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett went even further, arguing that the wildly overinclusive gun ban for people with felony records violates the Second Amendment.

Undeterred by such criticism, Republicans who claim to support the Second Amendment voted not only to continue punishing people for exercising the rights it guarantees but to increase the penalties they face. So did Democrats, despite their avowed concern about excessively severe sentences and racial disparities.

This is what bipartisan compromise means for members of Congress: I will compromise my principles if you compromise yours.
CHARLESTON, SC  Inside the Allegiance Flag Companys facilities, it is hard not to notice that the employees making the flags reflect the beauty and diversity that has always been the promise and purpose of our country. They use their skills to make American flags in America, perfectly encapsulating the three young owners mission in starting this company.

In short, they set out to make a flag where every stitch, hem and thread would be made in the United States. And theyve done it.

Owners Katie and Wes Lyon and their childhood friend Max Berry said it was an idea that came from lots of late-night conversations. They wanted to be their own bosses, and they realized that most flags in big-box stores and local hardware stores are made in China  and not very well made, at that.

From the small flags you wave at parades to the ones that hang from telephone poles in small towns across the country to the ones you and your neighbors hang from your homes, there are 150 million American flags sold in the U.S. every year. Of that number, nearly $7 million of those sales go to other countries, in particular China, according to WalletHub.

That includes flags flown at the Capitol. This led a bipartisan group of senators to introduce a bill requiring that the federal government buy only American flags that are produced entirely on U.S. soil.

The federal government can currently purchase flags that contain 50% American-made materials, according to a press release from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va.

Manchin said in his release that in 2017, the U.S. imported 10 million American flags. All but 50,000 of those came from China. Other sponsors of the bill included Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rick Scott, R-Fla.

Wes Lyon said the origins of Allegiance Flag Company began at the University of South Carolina, where he met his wife, Katie. The two settled here after college. Berry came back into the picture while attending business school with Wes Lyon at the College of Charleston. I told Katie one day when I came home from class, I met this really cool guy that I really like a lot whos actually one of my favorite people in the class, Max Berry, he said. And shes like, Whoa, Max Berry? I went to middle school with him!

That serendipitous moment led to lots of long talks between the three of them about what they wanted to do with their lives and their careers. All three were searching for a greater purpose while pursuing that American dream of running their own business.

We all bought houses around the same time, and we live really close to each other, Berry said. And one of the first things that we did when we bought our houses was buy an American flag to hang off of our porch.

It was Wes Lyon who first noticed the shoddy quality of the flags. They just seemed poorly made, Berry said. Then there was just the general confusion about, what size did you need? How do you attach a flag to a flagpole in general? Is it a sleeve? Is it a grommet kind of thing? You dont know. And then, second of all, after we bought our flags  I know I bought mine on Amazon. I think Wes and Katie might have bought theirs at a big-box hardware store like Lowes. And it just seemed really cheap.

After tons of research, Katie Lyon said they soon discovered how many American flags in stores across the country were made in China. It was a bane to us because if there is one product that exists that deserves to be made in America, it is an American flag, she said.

Wes Lyon came up with the idea of trying to start an American flag company, although none of them knew anything about American flags. We didnt know any kind of details, Katie Lyon said. We certainly didnt know how to make American flags.

Eventually, all three left the safety net of their corporate jobs and chased their dream. It is the frontier ethos that has made America great for generations  one cannot find opportunity without risk.

Heck, it is still scary, Berry said. Were certainly more successful now than we were three years ago, but its still a roller coaster every day. The years work is not consistent in its flow: January is a very slow month in the flag business, while June and July are very busy months. There is no backup if they cant keep up in summer.

COVID-19 obviously posed a major challenge. People were stuck indoors, and while there were some stores who were open, they were only selling essential items, Katie Lyon said. American flags were actually taped off at that time. A lot of local mom and pop kind of stores, they were all closed.

As a consequence, e-commerce boomed at the same time that there was a push for American pride. I think in the beginning, a lot of the messaging was we were all in this together  people really were proud of flying the American flag, maybe some that had not purchased a flag in a while, she said. So, I think a lot of the stay-at-home orders, not able to purchase it at stores, huge patriotic push, and then while all that was going on in our country, we had really nailed things internally.

Wes Lyon explained that this happened at the same time they had figured out how to source and make the flags. We got the embroidery of our star fields figured out, we got our stitching figured out, we got sophisticated, and we were able to lower our price to something a little more digestible, he said.

It was then they finally figured out what their company was all about.

When we first launched Allegiance, were like, Were an American flag for everybody, she said. And we really didnt know what that meant. I think thats such a broad statement, and today we still are what we wanted to be in the beginning.

They went from a garage operation to the 25 employees you see working on these incredibly beautiful American flags when you walk in their doors today. They are all made by the seamstresses  true artisans who take pride in making flags that will adorn homes across America.

The American flag stands for something. Even in a divided nation, it means something to people on all sides of the aisle. We are all part of something bigger than ourselves individually and our political tribes. All the more for an American flag actually made in America.
The Ukrainian armys battlefield courage, backed by the Ukrainian peoples determination to resist Russias invasion, is without doubt the most significant global strategic surprise since 9/11s terror attacks.

As the war enters its sixth month, Ukraine continues to demonstrate a small nation with military aptitude, economic vigor and moral strength can thwart a 21st century great power. Read moral as meaning will, determination, morale and political commitment.

The planets most surprised individual must be Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. In late February, Putin believed his special operation combining commandos and heavy armored forces would quickly shatter the Ukrainian peoples will to resist. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would flee or be assassinated. Russia would annex Ukraine.

Vlads dream became a Russian nightmare with a body count. Ukraine resisted the February blitz. Russian commandos died, its tank columns stalled then burned.

Zelenskyy emerged as an inspiring leader and his country remains a fiercely united nation.

He intends to keep Ukraine united.

Today Russia and Ukraine fight a brutal war of attrition, with the military, economic and moral-political dimensions all critical.

On July 17 Zelenskyy attacked on a moral-political front. During a televised address, Zelenskyy fired two of his chief security advisers, prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova and domestic security chief Ivan Bakanov.

According to an AFP report, Zelenskyy informed the Ukrainian people that 650 cases of suspected treason and aiding and abetting Russia are under investigation. Some 60 cases involve Ukrainian officials who remain in Russian occupied territory and are working against our state... Such a great number of crimes against the foundations of national security, and the connections established between Ukrainian law enforcement officials and Russian special services, pose very serious questions to the relevant leaders (of agencies), Zelenskyy said.

I read connections as referring to the fact many older individuals in Ukraines security services attended Soviet-era KGB intelligence schools. They have Russian friends.

Why fire Venediktova and Bakanov? Zelenskyy didnt accuse them of treason, however he indicated they havent aggressively pursued traitors in sensitive security positions. Actions and any inaction of each official in the security sector and in law enforcement agencies will be evaluated, Zelenskyy said.

The New York Times later reported a Zelenskyy adviser said Venediktova and Bakanov had failed to remove collaborators from their agencies. Another official indicated Zelenskyy was particularly concerned with infiltration in Bakanovs domestic security agency, the SBU.

Ill wager there are Russians in sensitive Kremlin positions who oppose Putins war and have provided their Ukrainian friends with useful intelligence. Those tips may have helped Ukraine prepare for the Russian commando and airborne strikes in the wars early hours. Thats a guess.

The U.S. and other free nations are finally providing Ukraine with the ammunition, missile and artillery systems to counter Russias strategy of artillery obliteration.

But Ukraine still has the weaker hand. Zelenskyy has evidence Russian agents and Ukrainian traitors are undermining Ukraines military effectiveness and sapping its will the resist. Hes chosen to go outside of the security services and appeal to the Ukrainian people for support  asking for their trust, moral and political support.

Hes warning that where Russian tanks failed, internal subversion could succeed.
Former President Donald Trump dispensed with the usual handwringing usually on display when U.S. presidents have cozied up to Saudi Arabia. He purposefully began his first trip abroad in Riyadh.

The author of an executive order known as the Muslim ban even joined in during a ceremonial Saudi sword dance.

That was before the gruesome murder of Saudi journalist and Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi under the watch of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, or MBS as he is known by his initials.

As a candidate, President Joe Biden pledged to make the kingdom a pariah.

Biden also offered that he believed MBS ordered the hit on Khashoggi and pledged to make the kingdom pay the price for its human rights abuses.

Everyone knew that if he made it into the Oval Office, Biden would have to abandon that campaign rhetoric.

During his recent visit to Jeddah, Biden was left in the awkward position of having to sidle up to the pariah crown prince as he pressed the Saudis to pump more oil  a cheeky ask from the Democrat who shut down the Keystone XL pipeline.

And it says something about the quality of Bidens staff that the president thought it would look better if he skipped a handshake when MBS greeted him in favor of a fist bump.

I very rarely agree with Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif. But Schiff was on the money when he tweeted, If we ever needed a visual reminder of the continuing grip oil-rich autocrats have on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, we got it today. One fist bump is worth a thousand words.

Note to Schiff: More domestic oil production would result in less dependence on oil-rich nations.

I dont fault Biden for making nice with the Saudis; the kingdom has been a check on Tehrans scary ambitions, as well as a vital source of oil to international markets.

Besides, if Biden can shake hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping, despite Chinas human rights abuses against Uyghurs, he can shake hands with MBS.

I do fault Biden for pressing the Saudis to boost their oil production while discouraging oil production at home.

I do fault Biden for pushing a narrative that supports freezing out Saudi Arabia because of the murder of a journalist but overlooks Beijings atrocities. (Of course, murdering a journalist is a human rights abuse, but its not genocidal.)

I do fault Biden for declaring hed make the kingdom a pariah when he had to know that if he won the White House, hed walk back that pledge, and when he did, he would look even more craven and weak.

And so would the United States.
Many members of the extremist establishment have a new darling in Ron DeSantis. For example, the editor of the far-right National Review recently gushed that, second only to Trump, the Florida governor is the hottest thing in GOP politics: Ron DeSantis is the new Republican Party.

Interesting, because what characterizes Rons tenure (and prompts a collective swoon for him within the rightist hierarchy) is his strongman authoritarianism. Indeed, DeSantis puts the bull in bully, bellowing culture war hooey, demonizing immigrants, fabricating claims of voter fraud, promoting COVID-19 lies and so forth. Then he imperiously asserts government power to bully majority will, local communities, workers, the poor, Floridas environment, truth, fairness, honesty and democracy. Consider one of DeSantis autocratic moves that, curiously, thrilled many who once professed to be small-government conservatives. They are now cheering for him to go national with his reliance on Big Government Boss-ism to usurp the peoples democratic authority:

Like other Republican-run states, DeSantiss Florida keeps manufacturing ways to restrict voter participation, in particular blocking African Americans from the polls. In 2018, however, Floridians themselves rebuked the suppressors by approving a ballot measure to expand the electorate. A whopping 65% said YES to eliminating a vindictive lifelong ban on voting by ex-felons  people who had served their time. This long-overdue measure of simple justice (approved, in fact, by a much bigger margin of voters than DeSantis got that year) reenfranchised about 1.4 million former felons.

But wait  DeSantis had old Jim Crow up his sleeve! In 2019, he rammed a mean technical gotcha into state law, preventing former felons from voting until they pay in full all court fines (many arbitrarily and unfairly assessed years ago for things like marijuana possession). The fines can run thousands of dollars, so the new law priced a big percentage of these newly eligible voters out of democratic participation. Its nothing but a crude partisan poll tax to keep a select group of poor people from casting ballots.

The extreme ugliness within DeSantis has yet to be fully plumbed. Indeed, it keeps surging as his ego and presidential ambition combine and combust, spewing out evermore autocratic, abusive, self-aggrandizing schemes and scams. For example, Floridas supreme leader announced that he intends to form his own military force, a state army that would report only to him (bypassing the U.S. chain of command) to protect the state in case of emergencies. Whats an emergency? Hell decide.

To relax, DeSantis turns to a favorite hobby: Monitoring, scolding and proscribing Floridians free speech rights. Stifling a human reality that even young kids know, DeSantis has outlawed potentially comforting discussions in elementary schools about sexual orientation and gender identity that dont conform to Rons uptight Republican puritanism. His excellency has mandated that social studies textbooks not include (Get this!) any component of social justice. Nor can schools teach anything that would denigrate the Founding Fathers or examine institutional racism in America. Ron adamantly opposes what right-wingers call a woke society  he wants one thats asleep.

Sound asleep. DeSantis went wacky this year, inviting right-wing activists to review and help ban math textbooks. Yes, math! These screechers object that some real-life topics like race and wage disparities are being included in math problems  never mind that that might make math relevant to todays students. His cadre of reviewers also rejected elementary school math books, alleging that they promote socialist values such as encouraging kiddos to work together on problems and disagree respectfully. DeSantiss political censorship binge has nixed 42 math books for daring to incorporate prohibited topics.

All of this comes at taxpayer expense, of course, but most intolerable is the steady drip-drip-drip of power it drains from Americas democratic ideals and commitment to the common good. I cant say that DeSantis is the worst that the GOP will try to put in the White House in 2024, but he is a signpost of an increasingly assertive American fascism.
Christina Reed, who first encountered New College Institute when it was but the birth of an idea, is now heading the institution as interim executive director.

Reed, the institutions Assistant Director of Finance and Operations, came to NCI in January 2011. She was named interim director at the boards June meeting, effective July 1, replacing former interim director Karen Jackson.

Reed grew up in Patrick County. The 1996 graduate of Patrick County High School was a first generation college student when she attended Patrick Henry Community College.

I was actually going to Patrick & Henry Community College dead set on being a teacher, she said, until she did not like the classes.

Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, those classes were an earlier iteration to what NCI would end up offering: remote classes with instructors from another college. They were TeleTechNet classes through Old Dominion University: The instructor, who was at another location, taught over video transmitted to a classroom at PHCC.

They could not see you, but you could see the professor, she said. They forced you to participate because they wanted to know you were there and paying attention by asking a question through the microphone. It was not for me.

While those remote classes turned her off teaching, her learning about accounting switched her interest in a new direction. She ended up graduating from Averett University in 2000 in business administration with a focus on accounting.

While she was in college she worked at the former Patrick Henry Bank, now Carter Bank & Trust. As a note teller at its operations site, she provided loan department services such as verifying applications and calculating interest.

Next, she spent 2003 through 2010 as the controller for The Harvest Foundation, doing any aspect of the accounting for the foundation and working on the budget side of grants.

I was lucky and hired under the first executive director, Harry Cerino. He was amazing, she said. His view on everything, especially education, was so unique.

She visited the sites of groups to which Harvest had given grants. It was really humbling to be able to see what great work they were doing.  There were fun ones, and there were sad ones. It was really nice. It was really with the heart.

It was Cerino who asked, Why do we not have a university? Why is there not a place here locally that you can get a four-year degree?  and then went about to make that happen, she said.

Almost 20 years ago he started the process to get local support for a university, and then getting approval from the state, she said, and it morphed into what NCI first started as.

The commonwealth decided what the structure of NCI would be, she said: a three-fold purpose of offering college degrees, non-credit classes and workforce credentials. It would follow the format of higher education centers along the southern Virginia border: the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, the Roanoke Higher Education Center and the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville.

Dr. Leanna Blevins was NCIs first employee, soon joined by the first executive director, the late Dr. Barry Dorsey.

Dorsey focused mainly on degrees  bachelors and masters, she said. He started bringing in the partner institutions, established various types of degrees based on feedback received in the area.

When former Sen. William Wampler was NCIs executive director (2012-2015), she said, his vision was a new building to bring to uptown Martinsville, and he reviewed the code, making sure NCI offered workforce development programs in addition to the college partnerships. Those programs would qualify people for local jobs in fields such as welding, manufacturing and electrical.

Creating qualified workers to meet the workforce needs also was intended to bring potential companies here, she said. If we can skill up the workforce to meet that companys needs, maybe they would locate here.

Then Blevins was the executive director, from 2016 to 2019, and during her time the college board had a few focuses they wanted in growing, such as manufacturing and a possible engineering program.

Karen Jackson, who was interim director from 2019 through June, took the vision not just locally but throughout the commonwealth.  She really thought outside of the box.  If the need was local, great; if not, it was a need of the commonwealth.

Now that Reed is the interim director, I am just keeping everything moving forward, she said. That will include the development of a new broadband initiative to train people who will be installing broadband equipment, and potentially, lineman training.

NCI also now is heavily involved with a grant with Claude Moore Foundation, to provide training and support for health care professions, Reed said.

Working for NCI is more than just a job, Reed said. Its an opportunity to be involved to bring higher education opportunities locally that I did not have during those years she drove an hour every day to and from Averett.

The people that I got to work with have been the true highlights of her time at NCI, she said. When you work with someone closely they become not just your boss; they become your mentor. Ive had some great mentors through the years. Dr. Blevins was an amazing person, then Karen Jackson.

Seeing NCI move from a small building in uptown to its own new building, a massive effort, also has been rewarding, she said. It was Wamplers vision, and some were like, Theres no way you can make that in a year. William Wampler was like, Yes, I can.

Great things are poised to happen with NCI, Reed said: our board of directors is extremely engaged. The makeup and the expertise are phenomenal.

In the fall, the board will have a strategic retreat, during which they will address the vision or the next step for NCI, and with that is [what they are looking for in] the next executive director. My main focus is to assist the board with the executive director search.

The retreat will include the [New College] Foundation and hopefully community partners, she said.

Reed and her husband, Ricky Reed Jr., and their 9-year-old daughter, Temperance Tempi Reed, live in Ridgeway. Her stepson, Colin Martin, has just finished a term of service with the Old Guard in Arlington, where he still lives.

While Reed is an education administrator, she also is a student: She is studying for a masters degree in business administration at Liberty University, and has only four classes left before she completes it.
After living without local emergency medical care for over four years, residents in Patrick County are being told their hospital, closed since September 2017, will reopen by early next year.

At the same time, residents in Martinsville and Henry County are finding their healthcare offerings being curtailed or deferred elsewhere.

In April, Foresight Hospital and Health Systems with corporate offices in Chicago announced that it had purchased the former Pioneer Community Hospital property on Jeb Stuart Highway in Stuart.

The Patrick County online geographic information system still lists Patrick County Real Estate LLC as the owner of the 10 acre campus with a total assessed value of over $4.5 million, but Foresight CEO Sameer Suhail said in February his company had purchased the property for $2.1 million from Virginia Community Capital, the former hospitals creditor.

The plan is to have the emergency room wing back open by Jan. 31, said Patrick County Director of Economic Development Sean Adkins. Within the first week of putting up a help wanted sign they already have over 100 applications, and 65 to 70 of those are from nurses, one of the toughest employment obstacles out there right now.

A newsletter earlier this month from the Patrick County Chamber of Commerce announced that the hospital facility had been sold to a new healthcare provider, but much more work lies ahead in getting the facility up and running to provide services.

Ive been working with Foresight closely for months now and everything Ive seen gives me reason to feel optimistic, Adkins said. They are energetic and have a focused approach to this project. Im impressed.

Pioneer Health Services of Mississippi previously owned the hospital, but after the company declared bankruptcy the hospital in Stuart stopped serving the community.

The hospitals nearest to Patrick County are in Martinsville and Mount Airy, North Carolina, and Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-Salem) told the Bulletin during an April visit to Henry County that he had secured $600,000 in federal funding for a mobile medical unit for Patrick County.

The funds are on the way, said Adkins. We already have one unit in operation, and this is for a second unit.

While the mobile units do provide life-saving health care to the patients they serve and relief for first responders, they are not capable of offering the same level of care that a hospital does.

Reviving the hospital

In Virginia, a facility eventually loses its license to be a hospital if it remains closed long enough, and the building on Jeb Stuart Highway was on the brink of reaching expiration until a bill introduced by House of Delegates newcomer Wren Williams (R-Stuart) was passed by both chambers and signed into law by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on April 7, securing the use of the facility as an acute care and critical access hospital.

Since our Patrick County hospital closed in 2017, we continue to live day after day without a hospital or even a vital emergency room in our community, Williams stated in a release after Youngkin had signed the bill. In a health emergency, seconds matter and our nearest emergency room is over 30 minutes away in Martinsville. The transport time has also strained our EMS volunteers to their limits.

Our community desperately needs a local hospital and emergency room. Passing this bill is a huge step towards reopening our Patrick County hospital. It cuts through the red tape and makes it more attractive for a provider to come in and re-open our hospital and emergency room.

Healthy Patrick County, an advisory group established by the West Piedmont Health District in 2020, initially determined reopening the hospital would not be successful because the existing one would cost too much to repair and a new one would cost to much to build.

A study, funded with a $50,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission, concluded telehealth services should be implemented to relieve the strain, but the lack of broadband in the rural area raised questions about its feasibility.

Suhail did not respond to a request by the Bulletin for comment, but on its website, Foresight lists as its mission to provide high-quality health care services to underserved rural and urban communities, while changing the landscape of health care service delivery and accessibility.

This past week they came here and blitzed the community with meetings, talking face-to-face with the community, said Adkins. That closed building has been a sore thumb and a black eye for years and to finally take the for sale sign down and put banners up and with the work getting started, people can believe this is really happening.

Adkins said the meetings between Foresight officials and community stakeholders went a long way toward building the trust necessary to get everyone on board.

They plan to hold community meetings twice monthly, create an advisory board and an ethics board so everyone will have full faith in this, Adkins said. There was a clear emphasis that weve got to start with an emergency room, and they fully bought in.

Adkins said the initial plan is to open with five to 10 beds and expand critical care access eventually to 25 beds.

Maternity in Martinsville

While efforts are underway to retool the shuttered hospital in Patrick County, on May 2 Sovah Health discontinued its labor and delivery unit in Martinsville.

Dr. Makunda Abdul-Mbacke of Piedmont Womens Healthcare in Ridgeway met with Griffith at her office on April 12 to address her concerns of declining medical care offered in rural areas in general and specifically to women.

Mbacke said the hospital had sent notice on April 11 to all Sovah Health Employees, Physicians and Volunteers, saying We are working closely with impacted employees in our OB unit to assist them during this transition and it is our hope that all staff will apply and be placed in open positions at our Martinsville or Danville campuses.

Mbacke said that while the curtailment of services was unfortunate, the need had been declining for years as the population of the region Sovah serves continues to become older.

Mbacke explained that a viable delivery unit needs to deliver about 500 babies a year, and in the month before only two babies had been delivered at Sovah in Martinsville by a paid, temporary doctor.

Mbacke left Sovah Health-Martinsville last year, continuing to deliver the babies of her patients at UNC Rockingham Health Care in nearby Eden, N.C., but in May she discontinued offering her services there citing the income derived from the dwindling business wasnt enough to cover the cost of liability insurance.

I will still do annual exams, STD screening, birth control, and primary care and helping with menopause, Mbacke wrote the Bulletin on April 13 by email. We will have a special focus on cancer screening and prevention. I will still do ultrasounds and will be here to help with confirming and diagnosing newly pregnant patients, but after the confirmation they will need [to get] care elsewhere.

More Sovah concerns

Dr. Tom Berry, a retired Martinsville surgeon, closed his practice after serving in the medical field for over 45 years. He told the Bulletin that he was now concerned about the health of health care for the area.

In light of the recent news about our hospital here in Martinsville, I am very concerned, said Berry. OB services are shut down, hospital employees and physicians are leaving and Im worried the owners of the hospital are moving towards either phasing the hospital out completely or converting it to an outpatient facility.

Berry described what he is seeing as a recipe for disaster for the entire community.

I would urge the Harvest Foundation to initiate a process to re-acquire the hospital from its current owners, said Berry. I admit I have no idea if this is feasible, but I hope at least we can start a real conversation about this.

The Harvest Foundation was created by the sale of what is now Sovah Health-Martinsville in 2002. What originally was Memorial Hospital of Martinsville-Henry County was built with contributions from local residents and businesses, so the proceeds of the sale of the hospital were used to create a charitable foundation that would support the community.

Assets were transferred from Memorial Health System to Harvest Foundation on May 15, 2002, and in its first annual report at the end of that year, the Foundation showed assets totaling $167.7 million. In 2020, the most recent annual report available, those assets have grown to $242 million.

Berry said when he retired in 2010 he turned in his license to practice and although he has kept in touch with some physicians who became personal friends, his knowledge of current hospital practices were limited to what he sees and his past experience in the profession, and not due to any inside information.

The change to Sovah occurred after I got out, said Berry. It was LifePoint before I quit, but I never had any impression with LifePoint that they cared for anything other than short-term profits. I cant prove it, but with the shifting of services to Danville, theyve moved half of the lab work to Danville, and while they say its temporary I see no intention of them bringing it back.

Sovah Healths website describes itself as a member of LifePoint Health, a for-profit hospital network headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Berry said he decided to speak out in order to help create public awareness but has no particular confidence it would cause any change.

I am totally out of the political scene and I live in Franklin County, Berry said. But Ive never been satisfied with LifePoints relationships with its employees or the medical staff. Dr. Caren Aaron is leaving and Dr. [Jim] Isernia has left.

Confirmation of Aaron leaving had not been obtained by the Bulletin on Friday, but she is no longer listed on Sovahs directory of physicians and the location of her office on Hospital Drive only features Nurse Practitioner Lyndsey McAlexander as the provider for that location.

I think very strongly about our hospital. It provided my livelihood for 28 years, but weve got the Move to Martinsville campaign going and if we dont have a hospital its a hard sell.

Financials

The American Hospital Directory (AHD) provides data, statistics, and analytics about more than 7,000 hospitals nationwide.

The AHD lists Pioneer Community Hospital, formerly R.J. Reynolds Patrick County Memorial Hospital, as having closed on Sept. 20, 2017. Its last report showed $20.9 million in patient revenue, but a loss of $2.8 million with 25 beds and 326 discharges.

LifePoint reports their data for Martinsville and Danville combined and in its most recent report on June 8, 2017 showing 330 total beds, 11,571 discharges and $1.5 billion in patient revenue. Net income was $46.4 million over the combined Sovah campuses.

By comparison, AHD shows Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospitals latest report of Sept. 30 with 722 beds, 25,046 discharges, $4.5 billion in patients revenue and $329.2 million in net income.

Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has 886 beds and lists 39,025 discharges, $7.1 billion in patient revenue and $3.8 million in net income in its most recent report on Oct. 9, 2020.

Government involvement

Woody McCain is a retired educator and a board member of the local Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). He was also a patient of Dr. James Isernia who was unceremoniously fired by Sovah Health for alleged improprieties. Sovah filed its grievance with the state Medical Board and Isernia filed suit against Sovah for wrongful termination after the Board cleared him of the allegations.

Im wondering why our city and county leaders plus the Harvest Foundation and the Economic Development Corporation have not stepped up to the plate, wrote McCain on April 20 on a Facebook page for former patients and supporters of Isernia. Surely they care about our areas future, or do they?

Both City Council and the Henry County Board of Supervisors have sent letters to Sovah Health-Martinsville CEO Spencer Thomas asking for a dialogue to gain an understanding of the future intentions of the hospitals owner.

If a response to either of those letters has been made, neither the City nor the County has made it public.

But Thomas did respond to questions posed by the Bulletin in April.

Sovah Health continuously evaluates the services we provide across our health system to ensure we are operating as effectively as possible and that the care we provide is reflective of what our community needs, Thomas wrote. As part of this effort, we assessed our obstetrics care model and found that the demographics and needs of our community have changed and deliveries have declined by 60 percent at our Martinsville campus since 2015. Therefore, we are implementing temporary changes while we work to create a new delivery model for OB care between Sovahs two hospital campuses.

I am beginning to think that were really getting ready to go on life support; that our better times are behind us and that our options are rapidly diminishing, wrote McCain.

Said Berry: This thing of closing maternity is a pretty big deal. The whole thing of having to travel, of having to defer to someone else... Im very suspicious. Danville is bigger than Martinsville and my best guess is that its all about profit and number of procedures.
I was talking to James Hairston here at the Bulletin the other day. Hes the only one around here who schools me on the history of the area and some little nuance about how it all played out that I think I must have forgotten.

James has got me by a little over three years, so he comes by his reputation honestly and being that hes in charge of circulation puts him on eye level with you, the reader, a lot more than me.

I was by your house the other day, James said to me. You were out in the yard when I drove by.

Well why didnt you stop and say hello? I asked him.

Cause I had somewhere to go and I hadnt gotten there yet, said James.

We started comparing notes and I told him I grew up on Southside in Martinsville and lived there until I graduated high school in 1979. Then I left for college.

I lived on Southside for 19 years straight, but my wife and I have lived in the house were in for 24 years this year, I said to James.

My mind wandered to a time when I asked my mother why we went to the church we did.

Before you were born, I went to another church, but some of us decided we liked things a little differently, so we left and started this one, she told me.

My mother was a charter member of Calvary Christian Church and there wasnt a time she left the parking lot with me in the car that she didnt say, I sure would love to live in that house across the street someday. I think its the most beautiful house in the city.

In 1998 Patti and I were married and weve been making our life in that house across the street ever since.

Thinking of my mother made me think about how she suffered and died of cancer when I was in the eighth grade. Sallie Little, who lived across the street, started visiting my mother when she was bedridden and they made fast friends.

Sallie would come over in the afternoon and stay after dark. I would sit in the other room and listen to them laugh and talk and whisper.

Sallies husband was Harry and they had two daughters. One was a little older than me and the other was a little younger, so we never became neighborhood buddies the way I did with some of the other kids my age.

Still, the memories of Harry are strong... Volkswagen Beetles, an oversized canoe converted into a fishing boat, bee houses in the backyard and walking  oh, that man could walk.

I may have a poor memory here, but as I recall the story, Harry was out fishing by himself one time in his canoe and had a heart attack, sort of. The way it was told to me, he barely made it back, but when he recovered he started walking and just kept walking.

All totaled, its said that Harry walked more than 58,000 miles. Thats like walking across the United States and back, 10 times.

Harry was in the Korean War, he was a 4-H leader and Henry Countys Extension Agent for 30 years, and he was my trusted neighbor and friend for my entire childhood and young adulthood.

Harry Little passed away Friday, July 15, at the age of 89. His daughter, Susie, texted my wife and said to let me know.

He will be remembered as a kind and compassionate Southern gentleman, said Harrys obituary. That was him, alright. That was Harry Little.
Hardesty Farms operations manager Andy Hardesty feeds an apple to a cow on the pasture at the farm on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

A rooster can be heard crowing in the distance from the Hardesty family farm in Union Township.

The farm, established in 1899, received a Hoosier Homestead Centennial Award on April 1, 2000.

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The property, along Porter County Road 650 West, includes an old oak tree that used to serve as a hitch for horses when they were still used for farming.

The farm was founded by Curt Hardestys grandfather, Harmon Hardesty, and his son Andy hopes to take it over some day. At around 200 acres these days, the Hardesty family raises Angus beef cattle and grows corn, soybeans and hay.

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The future of the family farm is now in jeopardy because of plans to extend Willowcreek Road from its endpoint at County Road 700 North, Portages southern border, to U.S. 30. The first phase of the road will extend Willowcreek Road to Indiana 130 in Wheeler, with the second phase to U.S. 30 to follow.

Hardesty Farms, established in 1899, sits in the path of a planned road extension on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

The Hardesty farm lies in the path of the second phase, per route A-1, one of six proposed for the project and the preferred route for the project.

Basically it will divide the farm in half, said Curt Hardesty, sitting on his deck with his wife, Jean, and Andy.

He and his son said there was always talk about a road running north from U.S. 30.

Its always been figured it would be (Indiana) 149. No one dreamt it would come this way and down, Curt Hardesty said.

In recent weeks, red and green signs have popped up along Indiana 130 through Wheeler and on surrounding rural properties with slogans including Save Wheeler and Keep Willowcreek out of Wheeler! Residents also started an online petition, directed at Porter County elected and appointed officials, in an attempt to stop the road extension, and have a public Facebook page.

Union Township residents say the road extension, with a design speed of 55 mph, per the projects website, will disrupt their rural quality of life with the potential for high-speed traffic, ruin multi-generational farms including the Hardestys and destroy the small town feel of Wheeler, among other concerns.

Local officials and the project website, meanwhile, said the project, discussed for decades and part of the countys master plan, is a necessary north-south thoroughfare in west central Porter County, providing connectivity to major highways, alleviating traffic congestion on other roads, tackling drainage problems and providing for future development and road capacity.

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A lot of us feel like this road is being put in to benefit everybody but the people who live here, said Kyle Duarte, a lifelong Wheeler resident whos lived on County Road 650 West for the past 10 years.

A view looking west down State Road 130 in Wheeler on Friday, July 8, 2022. A proposed road extension of Willowcreek Avenue would pass through the town with a bridge to be built over the road. (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune)

Keeping it under wraps

American Structurepoint of Indianapolis held a meeting on the project on Sept. 30, 2020, at the county administration building. The meeting, according to information on the project website, was held in three sessions and offered a virtual option because of COVID-19 precautions in place at the time. A search of the calendar for public meetings on the Porter County website does not show a listing of the meeting and an internet search for media coverage of the event did not yield any results.

Some residents, including the Hardesty family, said they received notice via certified mail about the meeting while others did not.

A representative with American Structurepoint who serves as the contact person for the Willowcreek Road extension said the firm had no comment for this story.

Two years ago, Andy Hardesty noticed drones hovering overhead surveying the property and about a month later, saw a car parked near the family property with a picture taped to the window depicting one of the proposed routes of the road extension.

Not long after that, the family received a certified letter about the September meeting.

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Everything with American Structurepoint has been out of order. Im very upset with how theyve handled this whole thing. Its been very insensitive, Andy Hardesty said, adding the family didnt get any answers out of the meeting.

Additionally, said Jean Hardesty, the family received a packet from American Structurepoint the day before Easter about the road extensions route through the family farm.

That totally ruined our celebration because the conversation always went back to what was going to happen to the farm, she said.

Valparaiso resident Jean Hardesty speaks about efforts to divert a planned road extension that will cut through Hardesty Farm's property, on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Duarte, his partner Liz Bennett, and Deb Irvin, who moved to town four years ago from Schererville with her husband, said communication with officials has been scant at best. They have had some contact with American Structurepoint, with few answers, and received no response from county officials.

They have canvassed the community about the road project and found many people didnt know about it and hadnt been notified about the September 2020 meeting about the project. They have been part of the group that spearheaded the signs, online petition and Facebook page opposing the road extension.

Theyre trying to keep it under wraps, Bennett said, adding the road extension will destroy the town.

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No excuse for poor communication

Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North, said he has been in contact with Andy Hardesty and is arranging a meeting between himself, Hardesty and American Structurepoint to go over the familys concerns.

I think one of the problems we have here is that much of what weve done at this point had been started out during the COVID period, which limited public meetings, Biggs said. I apologize for that. It was simply unavoidable.

Also, he said much of the work so far  including looking at six routes, checking soil borings and considering feasibility for each proposed route  has been exploratory.

Still, Biggs said the road extension has been bandied about for decades, at least since he last served as commissioner in the late 1990s.

Its been extremely hard and I think a lot of elected officials didnt want to deal with it in the past because they knew it was going to be difficult, he said, including lining up funding.

According to documents on the Willowcreek Road project website, the estimated total cost of the preferred route in September 2020 was $27.88 million, giving it the second-lowest price tag of the six routes initially under consideration. An anticipated 80% of the cost will be paid for with federal funds, an official with American Structurepoint said during an online presentation that was part of the public meeting that month.

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Hardesty Farms owner Curt Hardesty speaks about his family's efforts to stop a planned road extension from dividing their farm on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Indiana 49 now serves as the only north-south thoroughfare from one end of the county to the other. Its north point ends at Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton and it continues south through the entire length of the county.

Other considered routes, including an extension of Indiana 149, werent feasible for an assortment of reasons. Extending that state highway, Biggs said, meant bridging over a large wetland as well as railroad tracks, making the project even more expensive and creating environmental challenges because of the wetlands.

Commissioners decided around three years ago that the project couldnt be set aside any longer and had become a necessity because of increased traffic, Biggs said. In addition to road connectivity, the project also is expected to solve long-standing drainage problems at Willowcreek Roads current endpoint with County Road 700 North.

He also noted the jobs and potential for further development that the road will bring, but he doesnt blame property owners for being upset. He said it breaks his heart to go into it knowing youre making a better life for Porter County but at the expense of a handful of people.

The project, Biggs added, is meant to be forward thinking to address the countys future growth and the traffic that will come with it.

It is no excuse for poor communication. The landowners deserve answers. They may not like the answers, but they deserve answers, he said.

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Wheeler residents Deb Irvin, left, and Liz Bennett discuss their opposition to extending Willowcreek Avenue south through the town. (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune)

I have no drawings

Union Township is already seeing an increase in traffic, Duarte said, including speeders. He asked at the September 2020 meeting about expansion of the road to four lanes in the future, since the full footprint, per the project website, includes a 100-foot-wide dedicated right-of-way.

People already fly back here, he said, adding theres only so much patrolling the Porter County Sheriffs Department can do.

The additional housing and development expected to come with the road extension also is a concern, Duarte added.

Other alternatives, including County Road 475 North/Sedley Road, already see high traffic and would be better suited for the road extension, according to Bennett.

Does the traffic really justify all of this? We have a hard time believing it does, she said. We didnt choose to live in Wheeler, Indiana, for the night life. Unfortunately its closing in around us. All we can do is make our voices known.

Mark Werno, chief of the Union Township Volunteer Fire Department, said that other than casual conversation with George Topoll, the Union Township trustee, he hasnt had any discussion with county officials or representatives from American Structurepoint about the implications of any chosen route for first responders.

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I have no drawings. I cant tell you whats the best, he said, adding all he has are lines drawn on a map and no indication of access to Willowcreek Road along the route. I dont know if anybody can fight this. All I know is when they come up with a plan, Im going to have Union Townships best interests at heart.

A plumber by trade, Werno said he works by blueprints and would like to see the same for the road extension.

I would like to see a blueprint and then well decide, Werno said.

A sign along County Road 650 West in Wheeler opposes the extension of Willowcreek Avenue through the town. (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune) (Michael Gard / Post-Tribune)

The route and funding

American Structurepoint has a contract with the county, approved during an April 23, 2019, commissioners meeting, for just over $1 million for completion of a road study, environmental study and engineering work for the first phase of the road. The county funded 20% of the contract, per the minutes from that meeting, and the Northern Indiana Regional Planning Commission covered the remaining 80% with federal funds.

During an April 19 commissioners meeting this year, the board approved another contract with American Structurepoint for more than $1.47 million, again with a 20/80 match from NIRPC, for engineering of the second phase of the road extension project, including bridges over Indiana 130 and two railroads, and a connecting road. The second phase runs from Indiana 130 to County Road 650 East, according to meeting minutes on the countys website.

The preferred route, according to the project website, will begin at U S 30, approximately 0.38 mile east of CR 725 W, continue north for approximately 1.45 miles before curving slightly northeast and continuing for approximately 0.85 mile where it will align with Jones Road. The alignment will continue along the current Jones Road alignment crossing over the Chicago, Fort Wayne and Eastern Railroad line (CFWER) and Norfolk Southern Railroad (NSR) tracks. The roadway then curves slightly east, away from the Jones Road alignment, and continues north until tying into the existing intersection of Willowcreek Road and CR 700 N.

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The route requires acquiring 55.2 acres of right-of-way; relocating two businesses in central Wheeler; impacts 44.6 acres of farmland; and impacts 0.35 acres of wetlands.

Alignment A-1 best addresses the purpose and need of the project while balancing the impacts in the project area, the website notes, adding that no residences need to be relocated and the wetlands impact was the least significant of the considered routes.

Because of the federal funds involved, the route has to be in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. The two-lane road also will have a multi-use path.

According to the project website, a public hearing will be held in the fall or winter of this year, with information about the meeting provided to local media and legal notice going out to affected property owners and those adjacent to the route.

What are they looking at here?

Portage Mayor Sue Lynch, who grew up in Wheeler, remembers her dad talking about the Willowcreek Road extension when she was very young, as a marker of how long the project has been up for discussion.

I believe that its probably going to be a long time coming because theres a lot of land acquisition, she said. The hope is it will just open up that area for more development and more access.

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While officials are touting the road extension as providing another connector to the Indiana Toll Road and Interstate 94, Lynch doesnt want to see semi-trucks coming through the city on Willowcreek Road, which already draws a lot of traffic as one of the citys main thoroughfares.

What are they looking at here? she said, noting semi-trucks having access to U.S. 30 when the work is complete. I think that will be very disastrous to Portage.

Lynch isnt opposed to the road extension but the city spent $4.5 million to rebuild Willowcreek Road and she doesnt want to see it become a truck route.

Were trying to build our downtown and that runs through the heart of it, she said of the intersection of Willowcreek Road and Central Avenue. Ive always been very specific that that is our business district and I dont want heavy truck traffic through there.

Cows gather in a pasture at Hardesty Farms, established in 1899, which sits in the path of a planned road extension on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

For Lynch, the prospect of much-needed drainage improvements south of County Road 700 North that will come with the road project is a necessity. She expects it would be many years before Willowcreek Road connects to U.S. 30 and also noted the alternate routes that have been considered over the years, including County Road 475 West/Sedley Road, which was determined not to be feasible because of land acquisition.

I want to see it correct the flooding problem because there is a massive flooding problem at Willowcreek and 700 North, she said, adding the goal would be for business development along the route.

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Hoping they picked the right route

Curt Hardesty recently turned 75 and other than being drafted to serve in the Vietnam War, has spent his entire life on the family farm, his son said.

Its the only place hes ever known. Its hard to have a conversation about it with him, Andy Hardesty said.

Curts parents died in the early 1970s, putting him in charge of the farm at an early age. He also was a maintenance supervisor for the National Park Service for 32 years.

Its what keeps him young so I dont want to jump in too soon, said Andy Hardesty, 34, who lives outside of Westville and is a railroad manager for a firm in Illinois.

The Hardestys said they are already picking up barrels full of trash from the side of the county roads that surround their property and they cant imagine what it will be like when the road extension is going through their property.

In his conversations with Biggs, the county commissioner, Andy Hardesty said he hopes officials picked the right route because 10 years from now, if they change their mind, the family cant get their farm back.

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Its probably been the longest two years of my life, trying to figure out what theyre going to do, he said.

Sometimes, things look good on paper, added Jean Hardesty.

Theres always winners and losers

While the road extension would mean loss of farmland for the Hardesty family and other farmers in the area, farmland in the U.S. has been relatively stable since the early 1970s, said Todd Kuethe, associate professor of agricultural economics and Schrader Chair of Farmland Economics at Purdue University-West Lafayette.

Thats because of technologys impact on farming, including irrigation, higher-yield crops and seeds that have an extended growing season in addition to being pest resistant.

The Dakotas, for example, have been a real growth, he said.

New roads can be economically beneficial for some farmers who have easier access to major highways, rail lines and the like for transporting their goods, Kuethe said. For the farm community, the Willowcreek Road extension could be mixed news with the loss of farmland but safer, more efficient and faster ways to get yields to market.

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Theres always winners and losers, he said, adding such projects dont uniformly help or hurt farmers in the same way they dont help or hurt other businesses. The inclusion of drainage infrastructure in the road project also could generate support from farmers, Kuethe said.

Some parts of the country talk about loss of agrarian heritage, Kuethe said, and the impact development has on historic farming, as well as the loss of auxiliary businesses that support those farms.

Many decisions made at the local level dont take the big picture into account, he added.

Its a really tricky business. I dont envy the people who have to have the town halls and discussions, he said.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com
University of Montana student Samantha May takes the teacher shortage in Montana personally.

She grew up on the Hi-Line in Joplin and experienced its impacts firsthand.

Music teachers churned through the school year after year. When the district hit a dead end for hiring replacements, they turned to community members to help keep the program alive. In high school science, she spent a semester learning online and the rest of the year with a long-term substitute who had no science background.

The inconsistency in science left long-term impacts on her education, she said, resulting in low test scores on science portions of standardized tests and other challenges as she navigated college courses.

Thats why shes taking matters into her own hands.

She wants to be the source of support and consistency in an area of the state that experiences high staff turnover and limited resources for mental health support.

May is currently a psychology student at UM and on track to become a school counselor on the Hi-Line after completing her master's degree.

If theres anything that I could do to play a part and go back to the Hi-Line and help these people, including myself, thats what I want to do, May said.

The teacher shortage in Montana is not a new issue; in fact, its generally been more challenging for rural school districts to attract and retain teachers.

Since the COVID pandemic however, many districts across the state are seeing fewer applicants for positions than ever before. It's not just the Hi-Line. Even larger districts closer to population centers feel the shortage, according to Adrea Lawrence, dean of the Phyllis J. Washington College of Education at UM.

In 1991, Montana identified educator shortages at the county level in biology and reading. By 2017, 10 more disciplines reported deficits; including art, career and technical education, English, math, music, school counselors, librarians, psychologists, science, social studies, special education and world languages, according to research by the Regional Educational Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Education.

The current landscape of Montanas teacher shortage matches a trend happening in states around the country since the COVID pandemic. In the past two years, state and local public education employment fell by nearly 5% overall, according to data from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Prior to the pandemic, one in six teachers said they were likely to leave their careers. After the 2020-2021 school year that increased to nearly one in four teachers. Many cited stress as the reason, a 2021 study by the RAND research corporation found.

Administrators, teachers and other education advocates agree that the needs of students shifted during the pandemic. As a result the roles and responsibilities of teachers often increased.

I think the pandemic changed it a little bit, said Dennis Parman, executive director of the Montana Rural Education Association. Nationally weve seen a lot of educators leave the profession and so that hurt because it creates a number of jobs that need to be filled. I also think that theres politically been a lot of negative commentary about public education.

Teacher pay

School districts have also struggled to maintain pay scales competitive with neighboring states.

The average starting salary for a teacher in Montana was $32,871 during the 2019-2020 school year, the lowest of any other state in the country and nearly $8,000 less than the national average, according to an analysis by the Learning Policy Institute. On average, Idaho starts its teachers at $38,015, North Dakota at $40,106 and Wyoming at $46,558.

Thats something that the university cant control. We have no purview over teacher compensation or around school climate and school culture, Lawrence said. We can help people be prepared to go in and play their role in creating a positive school culture.

The other issue feeding the national teacher shortage is the drastic drop of students who graduate from teacher preparation programs. Enrollment in teacher preparation programs in the United States fell from 725,000 during the 2009-2010 year to 441,439 in 2015-2016.

While the number of students in teacher preparation programs is falling nationally, many colleges of education located in Montana arent experiencing that trend and have remained fairly consistent in terms of their enrollment.

Numbers reflect that the colleges and universities in Montana are graduating enough new teachers each year to cover retirements, which is what happens in an ideal system, said Dr. Estee Aiken, the chair of the education division at the University of Montana Western in Dillon.

However, teacher preparation programs cannot keep up with the increasing demand as more teachers are leaving their careers prior to retirement.

Nontraditional paths

Typically, graduates from programs at Montana State University-Northern in Havre and University of Montana Western in Dillon see higher rates of their teaching candidates take jobs in Montana. These programs also are taking full advantage of grow-your-own-teacher initiatives made possible through the Legislature.

In an effort to make teaching degrees more accessible to those who already hold college degrees in other fields, Western launched an online certificate to support future teachers to gain their licenses. Many of these graduates go on to teach in rural schools in Montana, Aiken said.

Additionally, Western began offering its pre-kindergarten-3rd grade degree online as well, which allows those hired under emergency teaching licenses to earn the proper credentials to become licensed teachers.

Western surveyed their education graduates from the last three years and found that while 90% are still teaching, about two-thirds of them are teaching in Montana, according to Aiken.

Northern is also doing its part to make teaching a more accessible career for those on the Hi-Line. Recently, the college launched the Teachers with Promise Pathways program, which is a partnership between north-central Montana school district and Great Falls College-MSU that supports high school students on their way to becoming teachers.

It happens to start in the high schools, so its financial support, academic support and professional support, said Beth Durodoye, the dean of the college of arts, sciences and education at Northern.

Northern is the only college in the state to offer a traffic education endorsement (for driver's ed instructors) and has been doing so since 1994. The college also recently launched a three-year program that supports people teaching career and technical education classes in the state who are not currently licensed to do so, but are able to be in classrooms on temporary licenses. After completing the program, the graduates will be fully certified teachers.

Seeking new candidates

In Montana, the number of unlicensed teachers more than doubled, from 88 during the 2017-2018 school year to 185 in 2020, according to reporting by the Montana Free Press.

While programs in Havre and Dillon have typically offered more pathways to rural education, larger programs, like those at MSU in Bozeman, are also stepping up to the plate to combat the teacher shortage in rural schools.

Typically, teaching candidates from rural communities are more likely to teach in small schools. Now, MSU is making an effort to build teaching candidates into rural teachers by offering interested students more experiences in small schools while pursuing their degrees.

One thing that we noticed is that if we can get people multiple experiences, early, ongoing experiences in rural Montana, thats very helpful, said John Melick, the director of field placement and licensure at the college of education at MSU.

At MSU, those experiences begin as early as a students sophomore year by integrating their coursework with on-the-ground experience in schools, which in turn helps build networking relationships for future job opportunities.

Eventually, students in the rural practicum participate in a weeklong immersive experience where teaching candidates visit multiple rural communities and districts.

Its generally challenging for teaching candidates who dont personally have backgrounds in rural communities to see themselves teaching in small schools. The rural exposure program aims to shift that by providing multiple experiences for candidates to see themselves living and working in small communities.

Creating these opportunities early and ongoing, Melick said, "is what I think we maybe didnt envision the power was when we very first started this."
" " Tyson Foods just joined a long list of major companies mandating COVID-19 vaccines for all of its employees. Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

It's been 18 months since the coronavirus reached the United States. Vaccines rolled out across the country in December 2020 and are proving to be highly effective at preventing infection and reducing death. Yet to date, less than 50 percent (49.26 percent) of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.

Meanwhile new cases of COVID-19 are rising in all 50 states, especially in communities where vaccination rates are low. And nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. are among the unvaccinated, according to an analysis by The Associated Press.

Some experts in the health care industry are now pushing for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, especially among health care workers.

The possibility  and legality  of a federal vaccine mandate remains questionable. But on July 29, 2021, President Joe Biden made it clear in a news conference that life was going to get a lot more inconvenient for those who refused to get the COVID-19 shot.

Biden said the federal government would be putting into place broad new measures to quell rising-yet-preventable virus-related deaths by requiring all federal workers prove they are vaccinated against the virus. Those who don't must abide by new rules that include mandatory masking, weekly testing (at least) and social distancing, to name a few. Biden later encouraged local and state governments to sweeten the pot by offering $100 incentives to those who voluntarily get inoculated.

The news was bookended by announcements from several major U.S. corporations and healthcare facilities, including Walmart, Google and Tyson Foods, that have taken matters into their own hands and issued mandates or incentive programs for employees to get vaccinated, or else risk losing their jobs.

So can a company require its employees be vaccinated? What are your options if you still choose not to get the shot? And, if vaccines can curb the rising COVID-19 death rate, why are people resisting them?

" " All military and civilian Department of Defense personnel will now be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Pentagon announced it is working on adding the vaccine to the list of required inoculations for service members after President Joe Biden requested it. Nathan Howard/Getty Images

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Can Employers Require Employees to Get a COVID shot?

In a word, yes.

"Employers have an obligation under the Occupational Safety and Health Act to provide a workplace 'free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm' to employees," says Eve Klein, partner and chairperson of the Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group at Philadelphia-based law firm Duane Morris LLP. "As COVID-19 can cause death or serious injury, one of the best ways employers can stop the spread of the virus and protect employees, as well as clients and others they may service, is to require employees to be vaccinated."

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) hasn't formally encouraged employers to require workers be vaccinated. But on June 10, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor issued updated COVID-19 guidance that echoed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's position that non-health care employers may safely allow vaccinated workers to return to normal in workplace conditions, sans face masks and social distancing. But COVID-19 precautions must remain in place for unvaccinated workers. No vaccine mandates or recommendations were mentioned.

The U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) took a stronger position. On May 28, 2021, the federal agency charged with administering and enforcing civil rights against workplace discrimination issued a statement saying it had updated and expanded its technical assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic to include COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

The new guidance from EEOC says that employers can legally require employees get a COVID-19 vaccine before they re-enter a physical workplace if they follow requirements to provide alternative arrangements for employees who are either unable to get vaccinated due to medical reasons or have religious objections.

Employers can also offer incentives to employees who voluntarily confirm their vaccination status, though the EEOC said the gifts shouldn't be so great that employees feel pressured to do so.

One of the strongest voices behind vaccine mandates came July 26, 2021, when the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued an opinion (dated July 6, 2021) stating that the Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) status of COVID-19 vaccinations does not prevent public and private entities from imposing vaccine requirements.

That's not to say other federal, state, or local laws or regulations could stand in the way of an employer mandating vaccines or adopting any vaccine policy. But the OLC is considered the final word within the federal government when it comes to legal issues and, as such, its opinions carry significant weight with judges.

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Why Are People Resisting Vaccine Mandates?

Some opposition about the vaccine mandate is due to the approval status of the currently available vaccines. All three vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen  were approved under the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). This designation enables the agency to accelerate review of medical countermeasures, such as vaccines, and make them available during public health emergencies.

To date, no COVID-19 vaccines have received full FDA approval because to do so requires more time and data. All three vaccine makers have submitted, or are expected to submit, applications for full FDA approval. The FDA's official nod should come in the next several months, according to the journal Science, which is a publication of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

" " More than 150 employees at the Houston Methodist hospital in Texas were fired or resigned after failing to comply with orders to get a COVID-19 vaccination to continue working there. FRANCOIS PICARD/AFP via Getty Images

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Mandates Have Already Been Legally Challenged

At least one lawsuit filed by employees pushing back against an employer's vaccine mandate has fallen flat.

Houston Methodist hospital in Texas set a June 7, 2021, deadline for all 26,000 employees at its eight hospitals be vaccinated or risk suspension or termination. When the deadline came and went, the hospital system temporarily suspended more than 175 staffers without pay. A group of 117 employees filed a lawsuit against Houston Medical for "illegally requiring its employees be injected with an experimental vaccine as a condition of employment." The lawsuit accused the hospital of "forcing its employees to be human 'guinea pigs' as a condition for continued employment."

But a Texas judge ultimately sided with the hospital and tossed the lawsuit. "Methodist is trying to do their business of saving lives without giving them the COVID-19 virus," U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes wrote in a five-page decision. "It is a choice made to keep staff, patients and their families safe."

Regarding Jennifer Bridges, a nurse at Houston Methodist and the lead plaintiff in the case who claims she was fired for refusing the vaccine, Judge Hughes wrote, "Bridges can freely choose to accept or refuse a COVID-19 vaccine; however, if she refuses, she will simply need to work somewhere else."

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Can Employees Legally Refuse a Vaccine Mandate?

Klein says the only exceptions to employer vaccination mandates employees may rely on, other than working elsewhere, include:

Showing medical proof of a disability or pregnancy that prevents them from being vaccinated

Setting forth evidence of a sincerely held religious belief to the same effect

A collective bargaining agreement applicable to them prohibiting or requiring bargaining with the union regarding vaccine mandates

The list of agencies and corporations to hand down vaccine mandates is growing by the day:

As a way of side-stepping a vaccine mandate, some companies are dangling incentives to employees who demonstrate proof of vaccination such as cash bonuses, paid time off or other rewards.

Walmart offers $75 bonuses to employees.

Amazon gives workers an $80 bonus and new hires $100 bonuses.

Kroger provides a one-time payment of $100 to associates.

Amtrak pays employees an allowance equivalent to two hours of pay, plus excused time off and pay protection for up to 48 hours after vaccination.

" " Broadway in New York City will require audiences to be fully vaccinated and wear masks at all shows when theaters reopen in September. ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

Now That's Interesting On Aug. 3, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that anybody dining, going to the gym or visiting an indoor performance in the city will be required to provide proof of vaccination beginning the week of Sept. 13. It's the first major U.S. to mandate vaccines for indoor activities.
John D. J.D. Ketterman was recently selected for two huge honors in Exchange as he was named the North Carolina District Exchange Club Member of the Year, which he received at the June 25 N.C. District Convention in Fayetteville. Also on the national level he received this high honor at the July 13-16 National Exchange Convention held in Greenville, South Carolina.

On both occasions, Ketterman shared that he was shocked and at a loss for words but definitely appreciative of the awards.

I dont have the words to express, he said, it means a lot.

And being a part of Exchange means a lot to Ketterman, as well, as he shared that everyone should be in Exchange, which is all about trying to make our communities a better place to live.

Everything the Exchange Club stands for, giving back, taking care of our neighbors, the parenting center, community and veterans mean much to him, he added.

In addition to the honor received at the district convention, Ketterman was also inducted as the N.C. District President for the 2022-23 year.

Ketterman first joined Exchange in October 2014 and since that time has served in several capacities including club president-elect, club president, member of the board of directors, club secretary and as a club builder and mentor for the recently established Able & Ready Exchange Club.

One thing he shared that he was most proud of is the Able and Ready Club, and he added that they were a highlight of the convention.

They are so positive. They want to help. They come up with plans and they say no to nothing, he said.

In March 2021, Ketterman was the lead club builder of the Burns High School Excel Club and continues to serve as the clubs mentor. He has also served the Mooresville High School and Mooresville Middle School Excel clubs in the same capacity as well as mentoring the Pine Lake Prep Excel Club in the past. He designed and instituted the high school senior graduate Exchange cords with an attached Excel medal that the students love and wear proudly with their caps and gowns.

In addition to the youth program, Americanism, another of Exchanges areas of service, is particularly special to Ketterman, who has served in both the United States Air Force and the United States Navy.

It was noted that in 1972 he enlisted in the Air Force and served one tour in Southeast Asia and two years at Andrews AFB in Washington, D.C., as an aircraft flight engineer/crew chief. At the end of his service, he attended Purdue University where he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree. In 1981, he was accepted for Naval Officers Candidate School where he was commissioned as a line officer in the surface warfare community in October of that year.

Lt. Cmdr. Kettermans first assignment was for three years onboard the USS OCallahan based in San Diego, California. He then had a two-year tour as chief engineer on the USS Aries out of Key West, Florida. He also served on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, where his department was responsible for monitoring all non-nuclear maintenance and repairs to the ship before his retirement in 1999.

Additional areas of service that Ketterman has been involved with during his time in Exchange on the local level have included helping in all aspects of the clubs Field of Flags event which honors veterans, helping other members of the Evening Exchange Club as they work with the nonprofit organization, Sleep in Heavenly Peace, to build and deliver beds to children who do not one, volunteering for Tribute to the Troops, a nonprofit organization honoring the families of fallen soldiers, providing transportation for area veterans to help them get where they need to be for appointments, as well as distributing Exchange brochures, giving out flags to children, saluting police and firefighters, participating in both the Christmas and Veterans Day parades and helping with the clubs resource guide.

On the district level, Ketterman is currently serving as a trustee on the North Carolina District Foundation for the Prevention of Child Abuse and helping strengthen and support the CAP Centers in North Carolina.

He has served on the N.C. District Board of Directors as Division VI Director for the past several years serving six clubs in his division, visiting them quarterly, offering suggestions to help their clubs grow, gathering ideas to share with his other clubs and supporting their fundraisers.

Ketterman has three children and six grandchildren who reside in Indiana. He is a Real Estate agent with #1 Properties of Lake Norman, he volunteers each week at his church in Mooresville where he directs the parking for all members and participates in two mens Bible studies.

In addition to Ketterman, the local Exchange Club has had three National Exchangites of the Year including Paul Summerville, Cotton Ketchie and Beth Packard.

Another highlight of the National Convention in Greenville was the nomination of Vickie Ketchie to the National Exchange Court of Honor, another high honor in Exchange. She will be officially inducted in October.
Burke Countys two major law enforcement agencies shared their use of force statistics with The News Herald last week, along with discussing policies and trainings that help them achieve the rates.

Both the Burke County Sheriffs Office and the Morganton Department of Public Safety use force in less than a 10th of a percent of their calls, data shows.

To break that down a bit more, from Jan. 1 through Thursday, deputies with the sheriffs office have used force in 11 of their approximately 21,185 calls, said Sheriff Steve Whisenant.

Nine of those calls saw officers using physical techniques to wrangle a suspect into custody. One call saw a Taser deployed before a struggle ensued between the deputy and the suspect over the weapon, and on another call a deputy shot a man who fired a gun at him, information from the sheriff said.

At MDPS, officers have used force on seven of their approximately 18,105 calls this year, said Lt. Josiah Brown.

All but one of those calls saw officers using physical control techniques to gain compliance from a suspect, he said, while the other incident saw officers use a beanbag gun to shoot a knife out of a suspects hand.

Both departments have only used force against white people so far this year, according to data they provided.

Heres a closer look at what each of the departments instill in their officers when it comes to use of force, from basic law enforcement training to being sworn in as an officer.

BLET

When a person enrolls in basic law enforcement training, they go through extensive training on use of force to apprehend a suspect.

That happens during a 40-hour block of the BLET education called subject control arrest techniques, said MDPS Capt. Jason Whisnant, who also teaches in the Western Piedmont Community College BLET program.

Recruits are introduced to the constitutional  elements of law enforcement and the public when it comes to seizing a person for suspicion of a crime and how to apply physical force when the person becomes noncompliant with the arrest, Whisnant said.

Use of force for police officers is a fluid situation, and the amount of force varies from incident to incident, Whisnant said.

There arent hard and fast rules about what force an officer can and cant use. Instead, the officer must use force that is objectively reasonable, Whisnant said.

Thats a standard the U.S. Supreme Court established in its decision in 1989 in the case of Graham v. Connor. It stems from the Fourth Amendments reasonableness standard, which ensures citizens are free from unreasonable seizures.

Objective reasonableness isnt determined by hindsight, the Supreme Court ruled, but instead must be determined through the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene.

The calculus of reasonableness must embody allowance for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second judgements  in circumstances that are tense, uncertain, and rapidly evolving  about the amount of force that is necessary in a particular situation, the high court wrote in its decision.

Theres also no requirement for officers to start at a lower level of force and work their way up to more serious interventions. It could be dangerous for the officer and the public if that requirement were in place, Whisnant said.

It would produce tentativeness in the officer and that delay could inherently put that officers life at risk and the risk of others, he said.

BLET courses help law enforcement trainees learn how to apply that standard when theyre in the field, but their training shouldnt end once they graduate from the program.

What a recruit gets in BLET is a basic level of training, Whisnant said. The individual departments are tasked with further development, molding the officer into the agency expectations. Thats done through years of experience and hundreds of hours of additional training.

State-mandated oversight

North Carolina Senate Bill 300, which was signed into law last year, laid out several items to provide more oversight for law enforcement officers and better access for the public.

The bill made it a duty for law enforcement officers to report excessive force within 72 hours of an incident, requires defendants who are in custody to have their first appearance within 72 hours, and outlines trainings that are mandatory for all law enforcement agencies.

Those trainings include ethics, community policing, minority sensitivity, use of force, the duty to intervene and report and mental health for officers, along with juvenile justice issues and domestic violence cases.

The law also required law enforcement agencies to implement early warning systems that will catalog potential red flags like discharging a firearm, use of force, vehicle collisions and citizen complaints.

The law also made available a database through the North Carolina Criminal Justice and Training Standards Commission where the public can search for officers whose certification has been revoked or suspended. That database can be found at www.ncdoj.gov/officer-search.

Another prong of the bill requires officers to go through a psychological screening exam before they are certified or before performing any action that requires certification.

Read the entire bill at https://bit.ly/3Ovm6qz.

BCSO

The sheriff said trainings deputies undergo help contribute to their use of force outcomes.

Besides those outlined by state law, the sheriffs office also has required trainings on communication skills for de-escalation, equality in policing, opioid awareness and response, active shooter trainings, suicide prevention education and awareness and communication strategies when encountering deaf people or those who are hard of hearing, information from Whisenant showed.

Deputies also could sign up for optional trainings, which covered things like civil unrest planning and response, peer support training, impartial policing and basic hostage and crisis negotiations.

In addition to the training we provide, I believe our Sheriffs Offices core values of professionalism and integrity promote an environment of public trust, Whisenant said. Our deputies cover a significant number of square miles working alone. Their ability to deescalate situations while encouraging a positive interaction with our citizens leads to productive outcomes.

MDPS

At MDPS, officers get additional training in verbal conflict, and crisis intervention training. Whisnant and Brown said its a goal to have all officers certified in crisis intervention response.

Our training budget reflects our commitment to ensuring our officers are highly trained and well-performing, Whisnant said.

Whisnant and Brown said they consider the departments use of force incidents to be low, and wish they could be nonexistent, but thats not feasible.

You have people that have it in their mind either through impairing substances or what have you that theyre just not going to be compliant, Whisnant said. When that moment happens, our officers perform exceptionally well.

When force is used, a detail report is completed and submitted through a multi-level command review, Brown said.

If a person files a complaint against an officer, every complaint is taken seriously and goes through a similar review process. If the allegations against an officer were criminal, depending on the severity of the incident, the agency would ask for outside assistance in the investigation.

Brown said the department strives to make sure officers receive all the training they need to do their job professionally.

We emphasize de-escalation at every call, at every engagement, Whisnant said. Putting hands on people goes solidly into their Fourth Amendment rights, and it is our goal to deescalate that person first and not be physical as a default. When we exercise patience and communication skills with people, we are very successful in deescalating, and our numbers will reflect that.
The community will soon get a chance to weigh in on a future greenway that will connect some state institutions and apartments to downtown Morganton.

On Thursday, Aug. 4, the NC School of Science & Math will host a drop-in meeting at Goodwin Hall on its campus to share information about the proposed alignment (path) for the future Hunting Creek Greenway.

Interested community members are encouraged to drop in between 5:30 and 7 p.m. to view maps of the proposed alignment and watch a short presentation explaining the project scope and schedule, history of past planning efforts, and a preliminary analysis of the project study area.

The presentation will be continuously running throughout the evening, so those attending can drop into the meeting at any time between 5:30 and 7 p.m.

The Hunting Creek Greenway is an approximately 1.5-mile-long proposed trail that follows Hunting Creek through several state-owned properties, including Western Piedmont Community College, Broughton Hospital, the North Carolina School for the Deaf and the North Carolina School of Science and Math. Eventually, the trail segment will connect the properties to downtown Morganton, offering increased connectivity and walkability within the city.

The Hunting Creek Greenway is a great opportunity to connect several educational facilities and future residential and commercial redevelopment opportunities to downtown Morganton and its greater greenway system, said Tim Johnson, director of outdoor recreation planning for Destination by Design. By taking advantage of this state-owned public land, we can engage students, residents, and visitors to the area with a scenic opportunity to enjoy active outdoor living, while remaining safe and connected within the Morganton Greenway system.

Murphys Farm Apartments, a luxury apartment development, also is in the area.

Hometown Strong and the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources have engaged Destination by Design, an economic development and planning firm based in Boone, to lead the Hunting Creek Greenway project.

Hometown Strong, an initiative that creates a partnership between state agencies and local leaders to champion rural communities, helps leverage state and local resources, identifies ongoing projects and community needs, and implements focused plans to boost the economy, improve infrastructure and strengthen North Carolinas hometowns.

Local leaders for the project include representatives from Broughton Hospital, Western Piedmont Community College, NC School for the Deaf, NC School of Science and Math, city of Morganton, Burke County, NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources and NC Division of Parks and Recreation.

Representatives from Development by Design will be present at the Aug. 4 meeting and are eager to hear feedback and comments from the community
There are a myriad reasons members of the Butte-Silver Bow Hiking Club head for the hills most Saturdays.

Keeping in shape is one, pushing boundaries is another. Being amongst like-minded people is a plus, but the main reason these hikers gather  to further appreciate the multitude of landscapes showcased in southwest Montana.

Straight up, these folks arent in it for the glory, but for the sense of personal accomplishment and at hikes end, to bask in the beauty only Mother Nature could provide.

It also helps when they break out a little bit of the bubbly to celebrate another successful hike.

The hiking club has been in existence for more than 10 years, with most of the 50-plus members in their 50s and 60s. Age does not deter them. More often than not, an average hike runs about 6 or 7 miles, but some are much longer  12, 14 and 16 miles.

We dont go too fast, laughed Maureen Bowman. The younger ones have dropped out because were too slow.

Weather, for the most part, does not factor in. Hiking, for this group, is a year-round event. Summer, fall, winter or spring  it really doesnt matter. Thats right  these ladies and gents arent wusses. If theres too much snow on the ground, they don some snowshoes or cross-country skis and head on out to nearby trails in and around Thompson Park, Georgetown Lake, Lost Creek or Mount Haggin. Otherwise, they dress accordingly, depending on the elements, and start hiking.

During warm weather, the group will venture out farther. One Saturday will find them in the Lewis and Clark National Forest, the next weekend theyre headed to Goat Flats in the Pintler Wilderness. The Pioneer Mountain trails in Beaverhead County are another favorite.

There are some beautiful areas that we wouldnt have known existed, said Bowman. In the summer, you get to see a variety of wildflowers and when you reach the top, you get spectacular views of lakes and mountains.

Long-time member John Sandford, an avid outdoorsman, is glad to be a part of the group. He admits to being in his element hiking through the Montana mountains.

When you have others with you though, hiking is much more fun, he said.

Sandford is a firm believer that hiking is not only physically beneficial, but is necessary for your mental health. The breathtaking scenery is icing on the cake.

The views of the lakes are unbelievable, said Sandford, and the mountains are spectacular.

Bowman agrees. She loves to hike, but rarely went out on her own. Going solo was just not her thing. Being part of the group, though, has gotten her out a lot more.

She explained that the people in this particular hiking club are not destination hikers. Instead, once they reach the top, they like to appreciate the views by sitting back and taking it all in.

Along the way, we stop to take a lot of pictures, said Bowman.

For founding member, Therese Kunz, the hiking group helped her to reconnect with her hometown.

After many years, Kunz moved back to Butte about 10 years ago. Hiking, for her, became not only a fun endeavor, but it helped boost her confidence.

Its something I truly enjoy, said Kunz.

For the most part, the groups hikes have all been memorable and most have gone off without a hitch.

One hike, however, stands out as not only noteworthy, but scary, to boot.

On June 13, 2020, residents were warned that unusually high winds were headed toward Butte. Because this groups hike started around 9 a.m., they didnt get the warning and started their trek up Haystack Mountain just north of Butte.

Considered a pretty simple hike, the day was anything but.

It was pretty much smooth sailing as the group made the climb to the top. Once they reached their destination, at 8,819 feet, the group even spent some time admiring the views.

It was their descent that caused all the problems. About half-way down the mountain, the wind picked up considerably and instead of walking at a leisurely pace, they instead were dodging fallen trees and had to crawl under said trees to get down the mountain.

Once they finally reached the bottom, a tree was laying atop Sandfords truck. To make matters worse, the road was littered with fallen trees with no way out. That led to Forest Service workers, with their chain saws in tow, coming to their rescue.

That was one of our scariest hikes, said Sandford.

Five years ago, the hike to Warren Peak in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness was memorable as well. With an elevation of 10,463, its a long and difficult climb.

But, this group persevered and made it to the summit.

I could feel that one in my back and my knees, admitted Sandford.

A couple of weeks after this particular trek, a fire took out a large portion of the mountain.

All that lush scenery was gone, said Bowman.

Another unforgettable trek was the Hanging Valley in the Big Belt Mountains near Helena. This hike is not for the faint of heart, but these hikers were up to the challenge.

It was on my bucket list and I truly enjoyed it, said Kunz, but physically, I dont think I could do it again.

Her feelings are understandable.

Described as pretty steep and difficult, the trek from beginning to end, is more than 10 miles with some great views of Trout Creek Canyon.

Oddly enough, in all their years of hiking, neither a bear nor a mountain lion has crossed their paths.

According to Bowman, they take all the necessary precautions. In addition, the group talks a lot while out hiking and makes more than a bit of noise, so as not to startle any nearby wildlife.

Creatures of habit, this group always includes a full-moon winter hike which concludes with roasting hot dogs over a campfire, with smores for dessert and a nip or two of hot spiced wine to keep the chills away. During the summer, at least one hike ends with a celebratory picnic, condiments and all.

Another tradition is the Friday after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping for those Black Friday specials, they pick a trail to hike, which ends with some wine and cheese.

Thats our reward, laughed Bowman.

As far as the trio is concerned, the aches and pains that come with hiking are well worth it and they plan to keep trekking.

Through the years, we have met a lot of wonderful people, said Kunz.

Sandford and Bowman agree  including those within the group and the people they have met while out hiking.

In our group, everyone is so laid-back, explained Bowman, and we share the love of the land.

Anyone who is interested in hiking on a regular basis is welcome to join this particular club. If you care to join these weekend hikers, call Bowman at 406-599-5738.

The club always welcomes new members, said Sandford.
DEER LODGE  A large crowd of people of all ages enjoyed barbecued meats, brews, music, vendors and a cornhole tournament on a beautiful summer day in Deer Lodge. Organizers were thrilled that the 5th annual Cookin on the Clark Fork BBQ Cook-off and Brewfest was a huge success.

Grills and shade tents lined each side of Main Street where 13 barbecue contestants from near and far set up Friday evening to begin slow cooking approximately 1,000 lbs. of beef, pork and chicken. In addition to Deer Lodge competitors, cooks from Frenchtown, Anaconda, Three Forks and Las Vegas also competed for the title of best. They had the opportunity to enter any or all of six categories: hamburger, chicken, ribs, pork, brisket and open (any other item that was grilled). All entries were in a blind judging and scored individually by five judges.

The grand champion winners receiving the $1,000 prize and a custom made cutting board trophy were Last Best BBQ, John Stites and Frank Bryant of Three Forks.

Runner-up champions were the Deer Lodge Fire Department who received a $500 prize and cutting board trophy. The team included Brant Pierson, John White, David Martin, Jody Pfaff, Stephanie Martin, Tim Burnett, Steven Lunceford, Chuck Smith, George Mann and Andy Dreesen.

It was a tie for the Peoples Choice  Deer Lodge Fire Department and Jims Heavenly Meats who divided the $200 prize.

CATEGORY WINNERS

Hamburger: 1. Beer Belly BBQ, Deer Lodge; 2. Sassy Que, Deer Lodge.

Chicken: 1. Montana Kick Ass BBQ, Frenchtown; 2. Last Best BBQ, Three Forks.

Ribs: 1. Beer Belly BBQ, 2. Stumbling Steer, Las Vegas.

Pork: 1. Beer Belly; 2. Deer Lodge Fire Department

Brisket: 1. Last Best BBQ, 2. Deer Lodge Fire Department

Open (any other grilled item): 1. Deer Lodge Fire Department Bourbon -- peach and blueberry cobbler, 2. Last Best BBQ  pig dots.

Julie Jennings made the custom cutting boards and plaques for of each category winner.

Beer from 10 breweries was also enjoyed by many. The breweries featured by the Mount Powell Tap Room were Philipsburg Brewing, Butte Brewing, Smelter City Brewing, Anaconda, Bitterroot Brewing, Hamilton, Bayern Brewery, Missoula, Missouri River Brewery, East Helena, Copper Furrow Brewery, Helena, Cabinet Mountain Brewery, Libby, Ruby Valley Brewery, Sheridan and Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City.

People sat in the shade of downtown businesses or under tents enjoying music by John Montoya throughout the afternoon.

Fourteen teams competed in the Recreation Departments cornhole tournament put on by Sean Herrick and Taylor Bewley. Top winners were: First  Logan and MJ from Rock Creek, $200; Second  Sean and Bridget Herrick, $100; and third  Taylor Bewley, $50.

Saturday began with 50 runners participating in Hoofin it on the Ranch 3K, 5K and 10K races at the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site.

Co-chairman Terry Jennings had special thanks to Wade Johnson for a tremendous amount of planning and logistics and to the judges and the judging administrators (Shani Connors & Aubrey Boher) who gave up a big part of their day to make this a success.

We had a great crowd with a lot of laughs and good food. Thats just about as good as anyone can ask for in an event, Jennings said.
At least six separate fires started Saturday evening north of the Wye freeway intersection west of Missoula, according to Frenchtown Rural Fire Department.

The fires appeared to be igniting along railroad tracks in the hill slopes along Highway 93 northeast of the intersection with Interstate 90. Although several homes are threatened by the advancing fire, Frenchtown Fire officers said no evacuations had been ordered as of 8 p.m. Saturday.

At least one helicopter was delivering water drops to the fires, and single-engine air tanker planes were on request to assist in controlling the fire spread.

A Neptune Aviation BAe 146 was dropping retardant on the east side of the fire perimeter.

The fire was mainly in grass but heading toward patches of timber northeast of the truck station. Fire engines were deployed between the fire line and homes to the south.

Frenchtown crews requested backup help from Missoula Rural Fire, Arlee Fire, East Missoula Fire, Missoula County Sheriffs Office, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Lolo National Forest and the Flathead National Forest Hot Shots.
Montanas purple electoral history was a point of pride for Kal Munis, a political science professor at Utah Valley University who hails from Philipsburg.

It kept Montanas politics interesting, he said, and the state bucked national trends.

But Munis political landscape is not the same hue after the states 2020 election. Montanas purple changed. The state is now red. Deep red.

No Democrat who ran for statewide office in 2020 won their race. U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, who won re-election in 2018, is now the lone Democrat representing the party on the statewide level.

Republicans hold every other position, from the other U.S. Senate seat to Montanas state auditor. They also hold a substantial majority in the state Legislature.

The situation for Dems looks bleak  unless the party can somehow turn things around. Rob Saldin, a political scientist at the University of Montana, doesnt think thats an easy feat.

Im not convinced theres something that can be done, Saldin said.

According to Saldin, the Republican wins in 2020 were a result he expected. The state trended more and more red in recent years, he said.

As recently as 2012, Democrats were elected to statewide and federal offices, only losing the attorney general and U.S. representative races. But in 2016, Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock was the lone Democrat to emerge victorious.

While Saldin anticipated Republican wins in 2020, he was surprised to see formidable Democratic opponents defeated by large margins.

Only two races landed within 10 points. The narrowest win for Republicans was Elsie Arntzen, who won re-election to her position as superintendent of public instruction by 8 points against Democrat Melissa Romano. And Republican Sen. Steve Daines bested Bullock to retain his seat by a margin of 10 points.

Not to mention Republicans gained nine seats in the states House of Representatives in 2020, earning a two-thirds majority. They also gained a seat in the state Senate, and are only two seats shy of a supermajority there as well.

With Gov. Greg Gianforte at the states helm, in 2021 Montana had its first Republican-controlled Legislature with a Republican governor in 16 years.

But it wasnt always this way, according to Jeff Wiltse, a professor of Montana history at UM.

While Wiltse said the Republican Party controlled the state Legislature for much of the last century, Montanans typically elected Democrats at the statewide level.

Republicans controlled the state Legislature for 28 sessions total between 1889 to 2021, including the last six sessions. Thats compared to 15 sessions where Democrats held control in both the state House and Senate.

Wiltse said Montana sent Democrats to Congress consistently throughout that time. Statewide, Montanans elected Democrats like Pat Williams, Max Baucus, Mike Mansfield and Tester, even while Republican majorities held the Legislature.

Circumstances dictate politics

Wiltse said historically, national progressive waves likely benefited Montana Democrats.

There have been periods of time in Montanas history in which liberal and progressive political movements happening nationally have been represented and seen here in Montana, Wiltse said.

In other words, national movements helmed by Dems in D.C. had sway in Montana politics too.

For example, when busting up monopolies was the national trend in the early 1900s, Montana progressives surged in activity. The state had long been influenced by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The mining company dominated that industry in the state, and held sway over Montana politics.

Wiltse said the Anaconda Co. wooed state legislators in Helena with money and resources. And with the states representatives in its pocket, the Anaconda Co.'s reach in the policy world was extensive.

But in 1903, the company shut down its operations to protest unfair rulings coming out of the Silver Bow County District Court, Wiltse said. In the process, it put 15,000 miners in the state out of work.

Progressive reformers used the opportunity to pass an initiative and referendum amendment through the state Legislature that same year. It gave Montanans a tool to create laws themselves by petitioning for a position on the ballot.

These kinds of progressive efforts, according to Wiltse, also grew in strength during the Great Depression, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelts New Deal liberalism was sweeping the country; and again in the 1960s and early 1970s as the environmental movement gained traction nationally.

The 1960s and 70s also had a local issue at play: Montana Republicans advocated for a state sales tax. The tax was shot down by voters, with nearly 70% voting against it in 1971. But it created a backlash against Republicans, Wiltse said.

That gave Democrats control over the state Legislature in the early '70s, Wiltse said. Montanas new Constitution passed during those years.

Calls for the new Constitution, Wiltse said, were broadly supported. The end result is what he called a very liberal political document.

Still, the 1972 Constitution was approved unanimously by all 100 of the Constitutional Convention attendees.

Voters didnt approve it unanimously, however. The vote was along party lines, Wiltse said, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against. The Constitution passed by 2,532 votes  just over 1% of total voter turnout. It just celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

Loss of local issues

In Wiltses estimation, national progressive movements  in the 20th century at least  benefited the states Democrats. But, he said, that no longer seems to be the case.

Today, the larger progressive trends that have occurred nationally have played badly for the Montana Democrats, Wiltse said.

Saldin agreed. The nationalization of politics in 2020, Saldin said, led to Democratic defeats down the ballot.

Daniel Hopkins, a political science professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has studied nationalization for the better part of 13 years. He said the nationalization of political behavior  like who voters support  happens when people focus on national politics as opposed to whats happening in their own state or locality.

It can lead to a disconnect with needs on the local level versus the national level, Hopkins said. He added the increased nationalization since the 1990s weakened the Democratic Party while helping Republicans.

For them (the Democrats) to win power, they needed to be competitive in a broad range of places, and relied on an ability to have different (priorities) in different parts of the country, Hopkins said.

But thats not how things are anymore, Hopkins said. Wiltse said national issues like LGBTQ rights, Black Lives Matter and defunding the police likely caused struggles for Democratic candidates in Montana.

Munis, the political scientist from Philipsburg, said nationalization isnt the only issue Democrats are facing.

In 2020, there wasnt nearly as much split-ticket voting as weve seen in other Montana elections, Munis said.

Split-ticket voting happens when people vote for Democrat and Republican candidates on the same ballot. This, Munis said, accounted for the purple Montanas used to. He pointed to nationalization as a cause of less split-ticket voting in the state. In 2020, he said, more people voted for the same party the whole way down their ballots.

Not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic played a role. Montanas election turned out a record high number of voters in 2020, with 612,075 people casting ballots  over 81% turnout. Only 10 counties in the state held a traditional polling-place election, with the rest sending all voters a ballot in the mail and also offering some early in-person options, according to the Associated Press.

He added geographic polarization is at play too. Thats the idea that different communities are moving more toward one party over time.

Recently, Munis said, there's been a reddening of rural areas in Montana. And Munis said some working-class, urban areas turned red in 2020 too. Munis pointed to Cascade County, where Great Falls is located, as an example.

In 2018, Cascade County elected Tester by about 5 points, and four of its 10 state House reps were Democrats. But two years later, that same county voted for Daines by 12 points over Bullock. And not one Democratic House representative made it back to the state Legislature after the 2020 election.

What about balance?

But even though Montanas more red, Munis said it still remains important for Democrats to have a place in the states politics  and the reasons for this are two-fold.

First, Munis said it matters whether Dems have a sizable minority or a minuscule minority. Some Republicans in the state Legislature break party lines to vote with Democrats. So, having a sizable minority can act as a check for out-of-control policies, Munis said.

Having an additional four to five Democrats is the difference to stopping some of the craziest, far-right-wing bills, Munis said.

Second, Munis said the public  and voters  like it when they see politicians working together.

Gianforte said in a talk with the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center that he views bipartisanship as important. He said many of the successes from the 2021 Legislature were bipartisan efforts  from increasing teacher pay to passing the $25 million to the Heart Fund, which addresses mental health and addiction recovery.

I think good ideas come from Democrats, Republicans, Independents  they can come from anywhere, Gianforte said. He added he thinks the 2023 legislative session will have room for bipartisanship too.

For Democratic candidates, its effective to capitalize on bipartisanship and localize elections, Munis said.

Saldin agreed, saying the most effective Democratic candidates in Montana can carve out a brand for themselves thats distinct from national trends. In other words, personality matters.

It certainly did when it came to the troubled one term of former GOP Gov. Judy Martz. Democrat Brian Schweitzer followed, and his branding iron used for vetoes and ever-present dog were sometimes more discussed than what party he was in. His tenure kicked off 16 years of Democratic governors in Montana.

Saldin and Munis both said Tester does these things well too. Testers brand, Munis said, casts him as Mr. Montana  its in the way he dresses, and in what he champions, like taking on Big Ag. And his 2018 campaign hit on bipartisanship, emphasizing the number of bills Tester passed under former Republican President Donald Trump.

Even so, each of the senators races have been white-knuckle wins, according to Saldin. In 2006, he won by 3,562 votes  beating his Republican opponent by 0.9%. His elections in 2012 and 2018 were both larger margins, with Tester winning by more than 3 percentage points in those races.

These margins are much smaller than Daines 10 point win over Bullock in 2020.

Saldin said Democrats claim the 2020 election was different, with the pandemic preventing bread-and-butter election season activity for Democrats, which consists of door knocking and efforts to get out the vote. Still, he thinks the party has to be concerned for its future in Montana.

According to Saldin, it seems clear that Montanas going against its traditions of the last few decades. And Wiltse agrees.

The Democrat and Republican parties had statewide elected officials who were relatively moderate (before 2020), Wiltse said. The 2020 election suggests that that is probably in the process of changing.
When legislators meet in January for the 2023 session, well be walking in the door with well over a billion dollars in the bank. Not from new taxes or debt  this is money that hardworking Montanans have already paid in taxes but is just sitting idle. As the costs of basic necessities rise, its critical that we put that money to work to lower costs for working Montanans. There is plenty of grain in the grain bin, and its time to give that grain back to the people who put it there in the first place.

And we have a plan to do just that. We can put $1 billion to work right away to address the biggest crises that are hitting us in our wallets: the high cost of finding a home, rising property taxes, the lack of affordable child care, and the scarcity of mental health services. These are daunting challenges, but with bold solutions, we can overcome them.

In Missoula and Bozeman, working Montanans are living out of cars and RVs because they cant find an affordable place to live. In Kalispell, Helena, Billings, and many other communities across our state, rising housing costs are locking young Montanans out of homeownership and making it nearly impossible to find a place to rent. We know that the heart of this crisis is that demand for housing outpaces our housing supply. In 2019, Democrats passed a bill to put $15 million into building over 250 new apartments guaranteed to be affordable for working folks. We want to turbocharge this successful model by putting $500 million more into it and dramatically increase the supply of housing that Montanans looking to rent or own can afford.

But for many Montanans who are already lucky enough to own their home, skyrocketing property values are driving property taxes through the roof. We can tackle this problem with immediate relief through a one-time property tax refund targeted to working families, not millionaires. For the long run, we can protect Montanans from rising property taxes through a measure that keeps property taxes from exceeding a certain portion of folks income. In total, we can put $250 million back in Montanans pockets through property tax relief.

As housing takes up a bigger portion of our paychecks, child care is eating up another chunk of families budgets. Child care is a necessity, not a luxury, for working families, but it costs as much to put a kid in daycare as it does to send a kid to college. Meanwhile, child care spots are so scarce that were meeting less than half of the demand in our state. That means there are communities where families cannot even find providers, even if they could afford them. We want to invest $125 million in getting new providers up and running in child care deserts, helping child care workers earn a living wage, and reducing out-of-pocket costs for families by expanding existing child care scholarships.

Unfortunately, almost all Montanans have been touched by the impacts of our states mental health crisis. Montana has the 3rd highest suicide rate in the country, and one in five of our kids has seriously considered suicide. We took an ax to our community-based mental health infrastructure in 2017 and never built it back. We want to put $125 million towards rebuilding community- and school-based mental health treatment, including substance use treatment for those who need it. Folks need to be able to access care close to home where their friends and family are nearby to help them through their struggles.

Every Montanan should be able to afford to live where they work, but thats becoming harder and harder for folks to do. Montanans have already sent an extra billion dollars to Helena in the form of taxes, and we think it makes sense to put that money back in their pockets so they can liveand thrivein their own communities.

Make no mistakethis money wont be coming out of your paychecks; this money wont dip into our rainy day fund or our wildfire fund. The money to pay for these critical cost-cutting policies is sitting in a bank account in Helena. Youve already put it there. Now, its about time you got some of it back.
China has made achievements in raising the publics digital literacy and skills, with several digital-related indicators ranking among the worlds top, according to a research report released Saturday on the sideline of the fifth Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, Fujian province.

China's netizen population, the world's largest, reached 1.03 billion by the end of 2021, with more than 183 million netizens under the age of 18. It also ranks first in the world in terms of the number and the application scale of massive open online courses (MOOCs), according to the Development Research Report of Digital Literacy and Skills in China released at a sub-forum of the summit focusing on digital literacy and building digital villages.

By February 2022, China had more than 52,500 MOOCs with 370 million registered users. The report says that more than 330 million college and university students have received MOOC credits.

Chinadata.cn, offering online courses on digital-related subjects, was also launched at the summit.

It's noteworthy that efforts and progress have been made in raising digital skills among vulnerable groups.

"By the end of 2021, 173 websites and mobile applications had upgraded their facilities for the convenience of senior citizens," said Huang Peng, chief engineer of the National Industrial Information Security Development Research Center, who shared the data from the research report at the forum.

Various measures have been taken to promote information accessibility and encourage people with disabilities to engage in digital-related professions.

There's also a considerable number of women involved in the digital economy. For example, there are 23.58 million female online shop owners on Taobao.com, of which 3.92 million are from rural areas. About 62.3% of artificial intelligence trainers in Alipay are women, and the proportion is 72% among online customer service staff.

However, Huang said that China still faces challenges in cultivating high-level digital professionals and narrowing the gap between urban and rural residents in digital literacy and skills. She called for broad participation from the government, education institutions, industry organizations, and leading enterprises to pool strengths in the future.

Earlier at the summit, a month-long nationwide campaign was also launched to improve the digital literacy and skills of the general public. The campaign will help to enrich the supply of digital resources, expand digital application scenarios, and improve the talent cultivation system. It will also create a strong atmosphere in which society pays attention to and actively promotes digital literacy and skills, enabling more people to share the benefits of digital development.
Governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

WAWONA, Calif. (AP)  Gov. Gavin Newsom has proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County due to the effects of the fast-moving wildfire near Yosemite National Park. Thousands of people were ordered to flee the Oak Fire that exploded into one of California's largest wildfires of the year. Officials said the fire began Friday afternoon southwest of the park near Midpines in Mariposa County. By Saturday, it had grown to nearly 19 square miles. A Sierra National Forest spokesperson says evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living in the sparsely populated, rural area. Fire officials called the blaze explosive" and fueled by hot weather and dry vegetation.

UN health agency chief declares monkeypox a global emergency

LONDON (AP)  The chief of the World Health Organization says the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an extraordinary situation that qualifies as a global emergency. The head of the U.N. health agency made the decision to issue the declaration Saturday after WHOs expert committee didn't reach a consensus. Monkeypox has been established in parts of central and west Africa for decades. It wasn't known to spark large outbreaks beyond the continent or to spread widely among people until May. That's when authorities detected epidemics in Europe, North America and elsewhere. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 16,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in 74 countries.

Jan. 6 hearings traced an arc of 'carnage' wrought by Trump

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Jan. 6 congressional hearings have paused, at least for now, and Washington is taking stock of what was learned about the actions of Donald Trump and associates surrounding the Capitol attack. The Justice Department also watched with interest as each of the eight sessions revealed new information that could figure into a potential prosecution of the ex-president. The House committee exposed or fleshed out behind-the-scenes scheming that revealed the lengths Trump and his enablers wanted to go to keep him in power. Though the summer hearings are over, more are expected in the fall as inquiry gathers new evidence.

Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port despite grain deal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missiles have struck Ukraines Black Sea port of Odesa just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there. A Ukrainian spokesperson described Saturdays attack as a spit in the face to Turkey and the United Nations, which brokered the deal. The Ukrainian military says two Russian cruise missiles hit the ports infrastructure and Ukrainian air defenses brought down two others. Elsewhere, Russia fired missiles Saturday at an airfield and railway in central Ukraine, killing at least three people, while Ukraine launched rocket strikes on river crossings in a Russian-occupied region. Russian forces are blocking 1,200 vehicles carrying fleeing Ukrainians, and a local official says four people have died waiting in the high heat.

Parents, 6-year-old girl fatally shot in tent at Iowa park

A 9-year-old boy who was camping at an Iowa state park with his parents and 6-year-old sister survived a shooting that killed the rest of his family. The victims were found in their tent early Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, about 180 miles east of Des Moines. They were 42-year-old Tyler Schmidt, his wife, 42-year-old Sarah Schmidt, and their 6-year-old daughter, Lula. Sarah Schmidt's brother said the couple's 9-year-old son, Arlo, is safe. Investigators have provided no motive, but named the suspected gunman as 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, of La Vista, Nebraska. Sherwin's body was found at the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Supreme Court leak probe: So many questions, so few answers

WASHINGTON (AP)  Less than 24 hours after the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation into what he called an egregious breach. Since then? Pretty much silence. The Supreme Court wont say whether it's still investigating. The court also wont say whether the leaker has been identified or whether anyone has been disciplined. Or whether an outside law firm or the FBI has been called in. Or whether the court will ever offer an accounting of what transpired. Or whether it's taken steps to try to prevent a repeat. To these and other emailed questions, Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe said by email: The Court has no comment.

Investigators: Attacker 'did not know who' Zeldin was

A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a recent campaign rally told investigators hed been drinking that day and didnt know who the congressman was. David Jakubonis's remarks are summarized in a federal criminal complaint filed Saturday. Jakubonis appeared in court Saturday in Rochester to face a count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. Authorities say Jakubonis, an Iraq War veteran, told investigators he went onstage to ask the speaker if he was disrespecting veterans. Video shows Jakubonis raising his arm toward Zeldin as he holds a keychain. The two tussled to the ground and Zeldin suffered a minor scrape.

Doctor: Biden likely has highly contagious COVID-19 strain

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden likely has contracted a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly through the United States, and now has body aches and a sore throat since his positive test. That's according to an update from his doctor. The BA.5 variant is an offshoot of the omicron strain that emerged late last year. It's believed to be responsible for the vast majority of coronavirus cases in the country. Dr. Kevin OConnor writes in his latest update on Bidens condition that the results of the preliminary sequencing that indicated the BA.5 variant do not affect Bidens treatment plan in any way. Biden tested positive on Thursday. He's been isolating in the White House residence since then.

Marvel teases new Avengers movies, Black Panther' sequel

Marvel Studios returned to Comic-Con's Hall H for the first time in three years with a massive presentation and new information about phases five and six of the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Saturday presentation included first-looks at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and new information about Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will conclude with two Avengers movies: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars. The Guardians of the Galaxy will also come to an end in the midst of Phase 5 in May.

Has Florida Man finally met his match? Meet Florida Sheriff

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  Maybe Florida Man has finally met his match. Meet Florida Sheriff. On any given day one or more of the states 67 sheriffs step into the social media spotlight, taking on the common criminal in news conferences that often go viral. Take Bob Johnson in Florida's Panhandle who recently invited residents to gun safety classes so they could learn to more accurately shoot at suspected home invaders. Or Wayne Ivey who broadcasts a regular Wheel of Fugitive show over in Melbourne. Or Lee County's Carmine Marceno whose news conferences are often made-for-YouTube productions. Then, there's Polk County's Grady Judd who targets drug dealers, prostitution rings, gangs and human traffickers in his folksy Southern drawl.
Eskom employees are divided on the role that race-based transformation has played in the skills shortage that is hampering the utilitys ability to keep the lights on, Sunday Times reports.

The paper also reported that Eskom is struggling to staff all the shifts at its coal power stations due to a rapid loss of technical skills.

That has resulted in the remaining skilled workers having to clock excessive overtime and essential training being scrapped.

Eskom told the publication that 209 skilled staff from its generation division had resigned or retired in the past three months.

The utility lost 295 more employees at other divisions during the same period.

Combined, these employees had 12,160 years of related experience and 13,364 years of Eskom service.

The newspaper spoke to several Eskom insiders who explained that races role in the skills shortage was a dividing factor.

One said that the opinion of black and white employees differed, even at the executive level.

There is a feeling that when whites say there are no skills, they are talking about blacks who are now in charge of most of these power stations, the insider said.

The blacks feel that the whites only say this because they do not recognise their capacity.

Another source said Eskoms human resources division believed that the utility should not talk about how the skills shortage worsened load-shedding.

They feel such statements could anger some unions who would regard them as concessions that the utilitys past radical affirmative action and employment equity implementation had failed.

Eskom spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshanstsha said the utility had filled the majority of core and critical vacancies, and that HR drives recruitment according to internal processes.

Therefore, Eskom is unable to source essential skills from outside the company.

Vacancies have been filled with people who have the necessary academic qualifications. However, they possess much less practical experience than those they replaced.

Eskoms race requirements for employees and suppliers were under the spotlight again this week after public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan accepted trade union Solidaritys offer to provide a list of skilled workers to help fix Eskom.

That came after the union wrote to the minister, offering to help locate skilled and experienced engineering and technical staff.

Solidaritys letter was in response to Gordhans explanation during his 2022 Budget Speech that technical and engineering skills shortages contributed to Eskoms operational problems.

Solidarity has repeatedly offered to provide the list to the government and Eskom since 2019.

The union told MyBroadband it had amassed more than 1,100 names of people with engineering, technical, and general skills willing to help Eskom restore generation capacity.

It is now planning to appoint a panel to work the list down to around 100 candidates with the best skills and most extensive experience.

The union contends that Eskoms reckless race-based transformation programme was to blame for some of the operational issues the utility has been experiencing.

From 2000, they made exit packages available to skilled Eskom workers worth around R1.8 billion in todays terms, he said.

The loss of skills also resulted in a lack of institutional knowledge, and it was just too much, too fast.

Race-based procurement causes higher prices  Solidarity

A report from the Solidarity Research Institute (SRI) also found that black empowerment criteria for suppliers pushed up South Africas electricity prices by no less than 27%.

The SRI determined this figure by comparing Eskoms production costs with those of Indias biggest power utility, NTPC Limited. The latter is also heavily reliant on coal-fired generation.

According to the report, Eskom and NTPCs production costs were relatively similar up until 2011.

But in 2012, Eskoms costs per kWh were 42% higher than the NTPCs. Between 2012 and 2020, it would be 34% higher on average.

The SRI attributed this surge to the appointment of Malusi Gigaba as public enterprises minister and Zola Tsotsi as Eskom chairperson.

According to the SRI, Gigaba and Tsotsi were focused on aligning Eskoms goals with the governments, which the SRI said would have included black economic empowerment-related targets.
South Africans in the market to buy smartphones for under R500 have several options.

The World Inequality Database income comparison tool shows that 62% of South Africas population earns less than R5,000 per month.

Smartphones are the only way for many to access the Internet and communicate with their loved ones.

However, many South Africans cannot afford high-end flagship smartphones or monthly contracts of R500 and above.

We looked at the smartphones from some of South Africas most affordable online cellular shops  Pep Cellular, Mr Price Cellular, and Ackermans Connect.

Of the ten smartphones listed here, the Tecno Pop 2 Mini is the most affordable at R329. This gets you a 3G-capable device with a 4-inch display, 512MB RAM, 8GB storage and a 1500mAh battery.

South Africas mobile networks are not proponents of devices that dont have at least 4G support, as they would like to shut down their 3G and 2G networks.

Communications minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni also recently announced that South Africa will ban the importation and distribution of 2G devices by end-February 2023.

However, it is notable that there were no 4G devices available for under R500 from these stores.

Most of these smartphones run some version of Android Go, a stripped-down version of Googles mobile operating system designed for smartphones with 2GB RAM or less.

The Mobicell Rave has the most updated operating system on this list. It runs Android 11 Go, while most of the other devices run Android 8.1 Go.

Conversely, despite the Stylo 721 costing R499, it has the most outdated operating system on the list  Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

Itels AC13 is the only smartphone on this list with 16GB of storage, compared to 8GB for the rest.

Hisenses U605 has the highest resolution camera on the list, with a 5MP Front camera and a 2MP Rear camera.

The Vodacom Kicka 5 has the biggest battery at 1800mAh and the largest screen at 4.95 inches for R499.

It should be noted that some of these devices are locked to a specific mobile network service provider, which we have indicated in the specification table for each device.

Tecno Pop 2 Mini  R329 (Pep Cellular)

Tecno Pop 2 Mini Operating System Android 8.1 Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 512MB RAM Storage 8GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Single SIM, network locked to Vodacom

Hurricane Iris Plus  R349 (Pep Cellular)

Hurricane Iris Plus Operating System Android 8.1 Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 5MP Rear + 2MP Front RAM 1GB RAM Storage 8GB Battery 1400mAh SIM Dual-SIM, network locked to Cell C

Mobicel Star  R379 (Pep Cellular)

Mobicel Star Operating System Android 8.1 Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 512GB Storage 8GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Dual-SIM, network locked to Vodacom

Itel AC13  R399 (Pep Cellular)

Itel AC13 Operating System Android 10 Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 512MB Storage 16GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Single SIM, network locked to MTN

Stylo 721  R399 (Pep Cellular)

Stylo 721 Operating System Android 3.0 Honeycomb Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 1GB Storage 8GB Battery 1400mAh SIM Dual SIM

Mobicel Vibe Blue  R429 (Mr Price)

Mobicel Vibe Blue Operating System Android R Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 1GB Storage 8GB Battery 1550mAh SIM Dual SIM, network locked to MTN

Mobicel Rave  R449 (Pep Cellular)

Mobicel Rave Operating System Android 11 Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 512MB Storage 8GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Dual SIM, network locked to Cell C

Hisense U605  R499 (Pep Cellular)

Hisense U605 Operating System Android 8.1 Go Network Connectivity 2G, 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 5MP Rear + 2MP Front RAM 1GB Storage 8GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Dual SIM, network locked to Vodacom

Kicka 5  R499 (Ackermans Connect)

Kicka 5 Operating System Android Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4.95 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 512MB Storage 8GB Battery 1800mAh SIM Single SIM, network locked to Vodacom

Mobicel Vibe  R499 (Ackermans Connect)

Mobicel Vibe Operating System Android R Go Network Connectivity 3G Display size 4 inches Camera 2MP Rear + VGA Front RAM 1GB Storage 8GB Battery 1500mAh SIM Dual SIM, network locked to MTN

Now read: WhatsApp launches Android to iOS migration
A Solano County man has been arrested on suspicion of committing at least two unsolved murders over the last 40 years.

James Ray Gary, 76, of Fairfield was taken into custody last week. According to police, the arrest marked the culmination of decades of investigative work.

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.

In July 1980, police in Union City discovered the body of 46-year-old Latrelle Lindsay in her home on the 2400 block of Medallion Drive. The laboratory assistant in the biology department at Merritt College had blunt-force injuries and apparent bite marks on her arms. She had been sexually assaulted and asphyxiated. Union City police discovered the main switch on her home's electricity had been turned off and a screen on her bedroom window was ripped off.

Sixteen years later, Caltrans workers doing routine road maintenance on Interstate 780 near Spruce in Vallejo discovered a body tucked inside some bushes. It had been wrapped in plastic and was heavily decomposed. The body belonged to Winifred Douglas, 46, of Alameda County. She, too, had been asphyxiated and suffered blunt-force trauma to the head and neck.

For decades, there was no suspect in either seemingly unconnected case. Then, in 2003, Solano County Sheriff's Office investigators submitted evidence in the Douglas murder for DNA testing. A profile was obtained and run through CODIS, the FBI's national database. There were no matches.

In 2012, though, the sheriff's office learned they got a hit: DNA from a cold-case murder in Union City matched their suspect. For the first time, the murders of Lindsay and Douglas were linked.

This month, the Union City Police Department and Solano County Sheriff's Office were told, at long last, they had a match. According to the sheriff's office, the DNA in both cases matched Gary, whose DNA was obtained in connection with an alleged sexual assault in the North Bay.

Gary was taken into custody at his home near Beck Avenue and West Texas on Tuesday. He was booked into the Solano County Jail and charged with murder; the sheriff's office says he is likely to be charged next in Union City for Lindsay's murder.

Law enforcement is still conducting an active investigation. Anyone with information about either murder is asked to contact the Solano County Sheriff's Office at 707-784-7050 or Union City Police at 510-675-5227.

Gary is due in court in Fairfield on Thursday.
Updated at 10:22 a.m. Sunday  A three-car collision Saturday night in south Napa left a woman hospitalized with major injuries and a driver facing a potential felony drunken driving charge, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred at 10:10 p.m. on Highway 29 south of the Imola Avenue (Highway 121) interchange, where a 1988 Cadillac headed the wrong way struck two northbound cars, CHP said in a news release. A female passenger in the Cadillac, whose name was not immediately released, suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken by ambulance to Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

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.

The Cadillacs driver, 20-year-old Susan Burnham Jevarian of San Francisco, was wearing her seat belt but was thrown from the vehicle and suffered moderate injuries, CHP reported. A highway patrol helicopter flew her to Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center.

Napa County jail records indicated Jevarian was booked shortly after 3:45 a.m. Sunday on suspicion of causing injury by driving under the influence, a felony.

According to CHP, Jevarian was driving her Cadillac south in the northbound lanes when she approached a 2003 Toyota in the left lane and a 2021 Tesla in the right. The Cadillacs front right corner clipped the Toyotas front right corner, causing the Cadillac to spin clockwise into the Teslas path. The nose of the Tesla then struck the Cadillacs left rear, the highway patrol said.

A 56-year-old Napa man at the wheel of the Toyota suffered minor injuries and was taken to the Queen by an American Medical Response ambulance. Three people in the Tesla also sustained minor injuries, but were not hospitalized.

The crash triggered a lengthy closure of Highway 29 near Imola Avenue into the early morning hours of Sunday, with northbound traffic detoured onto Golden Gate Drive. A Nixle alert from the Napa County Sheriffs Office urged motorists to avoid the area for several hours after the wreck.
Is Western unity over Ukraine about to crack?

Which countries could survive nuclear war?

Surmalu re-inspection scheduled for November

In Lebanon, man who held hostages in bank released without charges

TerraPower of Bill Gates raises $750 million for projects in nuclear energy and medicine

China's 'Galaxy Fold clone' sold out in five minutes and became a bestseller

Germany plans to postpone closure of its last three nuclear power plants

Expert estimates environmental consequences of Yerevan explosion and gives advices

Switzerland signs agreement with Uzbekistan to return $131 million seized from Gulnara Karimova

Artsakh also declares mourning

Norway can no longer supply Germany with more gas

UN Secretary General to meet with Presidents of Ukraine and Turkey in Lviv

Ministry of Emergency Situations: There were about 4 tons of flammable substances in Surmalu

Russian Security Council says Kyiv threatens global nuclear security

Content of toxic substances in air after explosion in Yerevan has increased sharply

Scholz says Sweden and Finland's NATO accession process goes according to plan

Macron and Zelenskiy discuss situation over Zaporozhye nuclear power plant

Expert: Biden is not preparing Americans for what is to come

Armenian Prosecutor General's Office: Representatives of management and employees of Surmalu will be interrogated

Mourning declared in Armenia

Latvia will not extend residence permits previously issued to Russian citizens

NEWS.am BREAKING on Yerevan market explosion: 16 people killed

First Lady of US contracts COVID-19

Aghvan Hovsepyan undergoes surgery

Investigative Committee: More than 20 people questioned in case of Surmalu explosion in Yerevan

Head of Armenian HM visits victims of explosion on territory of Surmalu in Yerevan

Deputy PM of Singapore: US and China may slide into conflict

Director of Surmalu shopping center is in heavy psychological state and does not comment

Identity of another victim of Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan established

Two Armenian startups advance to EWC Global Finals (PHOTOS)

Patriarch Kirill expresses condolences in connection with Surmalu shopping mall explosion

Russia announces supply of second S-400 regiment to Turkey

Dollar, euro lose value in Armenia

Republican Party of Armenia calls for naming leader of united opposition

Yerevan market explosion death toll is 16 as of 3:30pm, Armenia emergency ministry says

Putin calls Pelosi's trip to Taiwan gamble

Russia embassy: Russian citizen considered missing in Yerevan market blast is alive and well

Gazprom: European gas price will exceed $4,000 per thousand cubic meters in winter

Yerevan subway operations resume

Yerevan market explosion: 6 people still considered missing

Former head of NSC: Bomb alerts have never been so systematic and periodic before

Armenia truckers temporarily block Goris-Sisian motorway

Georgia PM: Our thoughts and prayers are with families of those killed in Yerevan

Yerevan market blast: 14 of 16 casualties identified, official says

Georgia President: I stand with the people of Armenia

Bloomberg: Jump in gas prices sent European electricity prices to a new record

Armenia official: Pointless to say that Surmalu market was deliberately blown up

Japan embassy expresses condolences over Yerevan market explosion

No bombs found at 4 Yerevan subway stations, international airport

Armenia, Russia defense ministers hold talks

Shoigu says there is no need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Bomb threat at Yerevan international airport

Putin: Russia will ensure its national interests, protection of allies

US lifts F-35 flight ban

Armenian Red Cross Society: 140 people asked for psychological service, 110 othersfor first aid, in 3 days

14 of Yerevan market blast casualties are identified

Trump says after leaving Afghanistan, US left Taliban weapons worth $ 85 billion

India blocks Azerbaijan's participation in upcoming BRICS summit as a guest

Baku is concerned about safety of its diplomatic mission in London

Yerevan explosion: 13 of 16 dead are identified, emergency ministry spokesperson says

Iran responds to EU nuclear deal proposals

Yerevan market explosion: 17 people considered missing, Armenia official says

Yerevan explosion: 7 injured continue to receive hospital treatment

Day of mourning to be declared in Armenia

Newspaper: Unpunished crime gives birth to new, more catastrophic crime in Yerevan

Bomb threat made at Yerevan subway

Newspaper: Who is No. 1 accountable for Yerevan market tragedy?

Yerevan market explosion: Fire extinguishing no longer being carried out, emergency minister says

Yerevan market explosion death toll reaches 16

Armenia emergency minister: Rescuers removed young child, pregnant womans bodies from under rubble

Yerevan explosion death toll climbs to 15

Yerevan market explosion death toll reaches 10

Yerevan explosion: 5 of 6 assumed missing Iranians are in Georgia, Armenia emergency ministry spokesman says

Musk plans to build at least 1,000 starships to send groups of pioneers to Mars

Russian DM: Ukraine is preparing large-scale provocations near Zaporizhzhia NPP

Rescuers find another body from rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Deputy Minister: Tomorrow it will be known when we can finish rescue work near Surmalu shopping center

FBI and DHS say threat grows after search of Donald Trump's residence

Armenian Emergency Ministry updates list of citizens missing in Surmalu explosion: Six Iranian and one Russian citizen

Modi says they must transform India into developed country in next 25 years

Ministry of Emergency Situations denies information about pregnant woman and her son found

Myanmar Military Court hands down second sentence to Aung San Suu Kyi

Head of Emergency Ministry unable to confirm another survivor has been pulled out of rubble

German Chancellor: Visa ban for Russians must be discussed

Rescuers hear sounds under rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Emergencies Ministry: 22 people missing in Surmalu shopping center

Bloomberg: Recession risk in eurozone has reached highest level since November 2020

Investigation into explosion in Surmalu shopping center continues

Georgia's tourism revenues have exceeded pre-pandemic levels

French Embassy expresses condolences to families of Surmalu explosion victims

CSTO Secretary General sends condolences to Armenian Prime Minister over Surmalu trade center explosion

Hungary and Turkey plan to launch joint drone production

Russian-Armenian Humanitarian Response Center joins work to eliminate consequences of explosion in Surmalu

Tesla has produced more than 3 million cars since company was founded

Rescuers find another body under rubble of Surmalu shopping center

Ministry of Emergencies presents new list: 21 people are missing from Surmalu shopping center

Electricity bills in Germany will rise by another 480 euros year because of gas surcharge

12 injured in Surmalu shopping mall explosion remain in hospitals

Media: Russia signs contract with Iran to buy 1,000 drones

Armenian DM attends opening of Army 2022 exhibition at Patriot center near Moscow (PHOTOS)
Iraq has filed a complaint to the UN Security Council, requesting an urgent session to discuss a deadly artillery attack this week that Baghdad blames on Turkey, the Foreign Ministry said Saturday, AP reported.

Wednesdays attack on the district of Zakho in Iraqs northern, semi-autonomous Kurdish region killed nine Iraqi tourists, including a child, and wounded 20.

Turkey, which has several bases in northern Iraq and often conducts cross-border military operations there, says its targeting militants from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The group, declared a terrorist organization by Turkey and the West, has for decades waged an insurgency against the government in Ankara and maintains hideouts in Iraqs mountainous north.

And Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that Turkey has not officially apologized for this deadly attack.

He noted that PKK structures were not in the area at the time of the attack, and noted that the Iraqi government has submitted an official complaint in this regard to the UN Security Council.

Hussein added that Turkey is accountable for this incident, and emphasized that it has no right to enter Iraq.
Two Americans, a Canadian, and a Swedish citizen were killed this week when a Russian tank opened fire on them during an hourslong battle at the frontline in the eastern Donetsk region, their commander confirmed exclusively to POLITICO, the latter reported.

Ruslan Miroshnichenko, the foreign fighters commander, said Saturday that the Americans killed were Luke Skywalker Lucyszyn and Bryan Young. He said they were killed alongside Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois of Canada and Edvard Selander Patrignani of Sweden on July 18.

The men were part of a special operations force within the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Miroshnichenko said. Their unit has been based near Siversk, a town in eastern Donetsk region.

In an attempt to slow Russias advance, the foreign fighters were deployed to the village of Hryhorivka, two miles northwest of Siversk. There, Miroshnichenko said, the guys were tasked to take their firing positions and clear a ravine where Russian forces were working to cross a river.

They did it successfully. But at the end of the mission they were ambushed by Russian tanks, Miroshnichenko said.

On Friday, the US State Department spokesperson had confirmed the deaths of the two Americans, but had not named them.

The Canadian and Swedish governments could not immediately be reached for comment.
Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, addressed the 5th Digital China Summit via video on Saturday.

Noting that major progress has been made in building a "digital China" since the 18th CPC National Congress, Huang called for more efforts to make new breakthroughs in key and core technologies and open up new prospects in infrastructure development.

Huang stressed that digital industrialization and industrial digitization should be vigorously promoted. He also required efforts to build a digital economy with data as the key element, accelerate the development of digital government, new smart cities and digital villages, and improve the digital literacy and skills of the general public.

The two-day summit, co-sponsored by authorities including the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the government of east China's Fujian Province, is being held in the provincial capital of Fuzhou. It will conclude on Sunday.
The Russian government has expanded its list of unfriendly countries and territories to add the Bahamas, as well as Guernsey and the Isle of Man to it, according to the Russian Cabinet press service, RIA Novosti reported.

The government has expanded the list of foreign countries and regions that have committed unfriendly acts against Russia, Russian companies and citizens. An order has been signed for this purpose. The list [now] includes Guernsey and the Isle of Man, which support the sanctions imposed by the UK on Russia, Russian citizens and companies.

In addition, the list now includes the Bahamas, which prohibit transactions with the Bank of Russia, the Ministry of Defense of Russia, and a number of financial and credit organizations of the country.

It is emphasized that the document was approved for the implementation of the decree by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin On the interim procedure for the fulfillment of obligations to certain foreign creditors. Accordingly, citizens of the Russian Federation and companies, the state itself, regions and municipalities with foreign creditor obligations to foreign creditors from the aforesaid list of unfriendly countries will be able to pay them in Russian rubles.

To do this, the borrower may ask a Russian bank to create a special ruble account C in the name of the foreign creditor, and transfer it to him in ruble equivalent at the Central Bank exchange rate on the payment date. The provisional procedure applies to payments exceeding 10 million rubles (or a similar amount in currency equivalent) per month, it added.
Sundays Vardavar events in Gyumri were started at Theater Squareand with the washing of statues there, the Gyumri city hall informs.

Subsequently, the Vardavar celebration kicked off at Gyumri's Vardanants Square.

This Sunday, the Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Vardavar, the Feast of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.

This feast is the third of the five main holidays of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

This holiday is also known as Vardavar.

It is a popular custom during this holiday to sprinkle water on each other and release doves, which symbolize the biblical account of the great flood, the salvation of Noah's family from it, and his dove.

It is also customary to be decorated with flowers, which is an expression of great joy of seeing the glory of the Son of God.

The popular name Vardavar probably comes from the custom of pouring rosevard, in Armenianwater.

The Vardavar holiday is preceded by fasting. And the next daylike after all the other main holidays of the Armenian Apostolic Churchis the day of the remembrance of the dead, when a Divine Liturgy and a requiem service for the souls of the dead is served in all Armenian Apostolic Churches.

The truth that Jesus is the Son of God was confirmed by the Feast of the Transfiguration.
The "Armenia" Faction of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA) has accepted the invitation by the Artsakh NA speaker to visit Artsakh on September 2. Gegham Manukyan, an MP of the aforesaid opposition faction, wrote about this on Facebook.

"Many of us will be in Artsakh on September 2. BUT, it is very important that the NA political majority of Armenia accepts [Artsakh NA speaker] Artur Tovmasyan's invitation. () I wonder if the current president of the NA of Armenia will respond to the invitation by his colleague from Artsakh. (...).

The opposition MPs will go even without an invitation.

Will the authorities [of Armenia] accept the official invitation of Artsakh?

Time has started.

P.S. in one of the photos, on April 12, 2022, we the MPs of the RA NA Armenia Faction are waiting at the checkpoint in Aghavno village to be allowed to visit Artsakh," Manukyan added, in particular.

On Saturday, the President of Artsakh had addressedwith a messageto the lawmakers of Armenia and invited them all to Artsakh on September 2 to celebrate the Republic Day and hold joint discussions.
Moscow is ready to negotiate with Kiev on a broader range of issues; but the resumption of the negotiation process does not depend on the Russian side, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated, Interfax reports.

"As for the link of this agreement with other aspects of the situation in Ukraine, we [i.e., Russia] have no problem resuming negotiations on a broader range of issues; however, the matter does not depend on us," he said during a press conference in Cairo.

Lavrov noted that the Ukrainian authorities constantly say that there will be no negotiations until Ukraine defeats Russia on the battlefield. According to the Russian FM, the Ukrainians Western leadersLondon, Washington, Berlin, as well as many other EU and NATO member countriesagree with them on this matter.

"So the choice is theirs. However, the longer they demand from Ukraine to fight to the end, that much more people will die, and the current situation will be maintained that much longer, which is not beneficialfirst and foremostfor the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian state," said the Russian FM.

Lavrov is on a working visit to Egypt, after which he will visit Ethiopia, Uganda, and Congo.
YEREVAN.  Deputy Minister of Economy Arman Khojoyan presented to the Eurasian Economic Commission Armenia's demand in 2022 for certain agricultural products, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia informs.

As a result of the discussions, the members of the council of the Eurasian Economic Union approved the 2022 indicative supply and demand balances of separate agricultural products of Armenia.

According to respective projections, the amount of wheat consumption in Armenia will be 377 thousand tons in 2022. In order to ensure food security in the domestic market of Armenia, the necessary amount of these crops will be replenished by the end of the year on the account of the increase in supplies from Russiaand by up to 275 thousand tons.

The situation is similar in the case of barley and cornwith 43 thousand and 60 thousand tons, respectively.

The domestic demand for sunflower oil in Armenia in 2022 is predicted to be around 27 thousand tons. By the end of the year, the necessary amount of consumption of this oil will be fully provided by supplies from Russia.
Irans Intelligence Ministry on Saturday announced the arrest of a network of agents working for the Israeli spy agency, Mossad, Mehr reported.

On Saturday, the ministry issued a statement saying that Israels agents had been dispatched to Iran to carry out terrorist acts, but they all were identified and arrested before conducting any acts of sabotage.

According to Irans Intelligence Ministry, the members of this network were in contact with Mossad through oneof Irans neighboring countries and had entered Iran through the Kurdistan region.

The spies have been under training in an African country for months, and they intended to carry out acts of sabotage and terrorist activities in one of Iran's sensitive centers in Isfahan Province.

However, they were all arrested exactly when they had planted explosives in the target location.

According to the reports, the spy team had been closely monitored and observed by forces of Irans Intelligence Ministry before entering the country.

The ministry, in its statement, said that investigation and intelligence monitoring are ongoing regarding possible contacts with the arrested team inside and outside Iran.




You are here: China

China plans to launch Wentian, the first lab module of its space station, at around 2:00 p.m. Sunday, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

The Long March-5B Y3 rocket, carrying the Wentian module, is filled with propellant and ready for launch, said the CMSA.
A murder took place Sunday in Armavir Province of Armenia, shamshyan.com reported.

At around 6:30pm, the police received a call informing that a man from Gay village was stabbed at home and had died on the way to the Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin) city hospital.

It was found that the deceased was Gabriel M., 30, a resident of the aforesaid village.

Traces of blood were found in the aforementioned house, and traces of blood and a bloody knifeon the bed in the bedroom.

The police and investigators found out the identity of the murder suspect, who was the person who had called the police and informed them that there had been a stabbing in Gay village, but had not said that he was the stabber.

But after explanatory work by the police and investigators, the murder suspect turned himself in to the police.

It turned out that he is Levon M., the father of the murdered man.

A criminal proceeding has been launched, and Levon M. has been detained.

Also, the police found the car in which the victim was taken to the hospital.

Traces of blood were found also inside and outside this vehicle.
Grain will get to you, Russia's Lavrov tells Egypt

Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry after a joint news conference in Cairo. Photo: AP

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov offered reassurances over Russian grain supplies to Egypt during a visit to Cairo on Sunday, amid uncertainty over a deal to resume Ukrainian exports from the Black Sea.



Egypt is one of the world's top wheat importers and last year bought about 80 percent of those imports from Russia and Ukraine. Russia's February 24 attack on Ukraine disrupted shipments and sped up a rise in global commodity prices, delivering a financial shock to Egypt.



In its response to the war, Egypt has been torn between long-standing ties to Russia and its close relationship to Western powers that have sanctioned and sought to isolate Moscow.



Western embassies had lobbied Egypt and the Arab League ahead of Lavrov's visit, which included talks with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and representatives of the Arab League.



"We reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to meet all their commitments," Lavrov said in a press conference with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry.



"We discussed specific parameters of cooperation in this area, agreed on further contacts between the relevant ministries, and we have a common understanding of the causes of the grain crisis."



Since the start of the war, a blockade of Ukrainian ports by Russia's Black Sea fleet has trapped tens of millions of tonnes of grain, worsening global supply chain bottlenecks.



Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the United Nations signed a deal on Friday to restart Ukrainian wheat exports by sea, but a Russian strike on Odesa on Saturday put implementation of the agreement in doubt.



Lavrov is visiting Egypt at the start of a regional tour of African states. (Reuters)
Pope arrives in Canada for 'trip of penance'

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets Pope Francis at the airport in Edmonton. Photo: AP

Pope Francis landed in Canada on Sunday to kick off a five-day trip that will centre around his apology on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church for the abuse that indigenous children endured at mostly church-run residential schools.



"This is a trip of penance. Let's say that is its spirit," the pope told reporters in his traditional comments after his flight took off from Rome.



He touched down in Edmonton in the western province of Alberta, where he will visit a former residential school and meet with indigenous peoples on Monday. He is also visiting Quebec City and Iqaluit, the capital of the territory of Nunavut. He will depart on Friday.



Aboard the papal plane, the pope said he yearned to visit Ukraine in his efforts to try and bring an end to the five-month-old war that he has repeatedly decried.



"I have a great desire to go to Kyiv," the pope said when asked about a possible future trip to Ukraine.



In an exclusive interview earlier this month, the pontiff told Reuters that he hoped to be able to go to Moscow and Kyiv soon after his trip to Canada.



The first full day of his Canadian tour will be dedicated to indigenous peoples and the apology, with a Mass to be held in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Tuesday.



Between 1881 and 1996 more than 150,000 indigenous children were separated from their families and brought to residential schools. Many children were starved, beaten and sexually abused in a system that Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission called "cultural genocide."



While Canada's leaders have known about high numbers of children dying at the schools since 1907, the issue was thrust to the fore with the discovery of suspected unmarked graves at or near former residential school sites last year.



In response to pressure stemming from those discoveries, the pope apologized for the Catholic church's role in the schools earlier this year during a visit by indigenous delegates to the Vatican.



Now he is coming to apologize on Canadian soil. But survivors and indigenous leaders have said they want more.



Many have called for financial compensation, the return of indigenous artifacts, the release of school records, support for extraditing an accused abuser, and the rescinding of a 15th-century doctrine justifying colonial dispossession of indigenous people in the form of a papal bull, or edict. (Reuters)
The latest consistent rally in Indian stocks has made investors richer by over Rs 9 trillion in the week that ended on Friday. The all-India market capitalization rose from Rs 25,190,063.14 crore on July 15 to Rs 26,106,487.37 on Friday, Bombay Stock Exchange data showed. Indian equity markets recorded their best weekly performance during this week, supported by renewed buying, especially in banking and IT stocks as well as the return of foreign investments into the Indian markets after months. The Indian stocks have been rising for six sessions on a trot. The domestic equity market closed at its highest level in seven weeks, marking its best week since February 2021. Sensex and Nifty during the week rose around 3-4 per cent on a cumulative basis. IndusInd Bank, UltraTech Cement, Axis Bank, Grasim Industries, and Hindalco Industries were the top gainers for the week, while Dr. Reddy's Labs, HDFC life Insurance, NTPC, and Sun Pharma Industries were the top losers. Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) had been selling equities in the Indian markets for the past nine-to-ten months barring the latest buying due to various reasons, including tightening of monetary policy in advanced economies, and rising dollar and bond yields in the US. They have pulled out Rs 226,420 crore so far in 2022, NSDL data showed. In July so far, they were, however, the net buyer. Next week, the financial markets will react to the outcome of the US Fed's monetary policy meeting, besides the Q1 earnings of companies in India. Decent buying by foreign investors after a long time has turned positive sentiments for the near term. (ANI)
According to Deadline, Cox will be joined on the show by Vincent D'Onofrio, who reprised his role in recent Marvel series as mob boss Wilson Fisk aka Kingpin.

The announcement of Daredevil's return was made Saturday at Comic-Con's Hall H by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. This new series centered on Cox's character had been awaited by die-hard fans since Netflix's 'Daredevil' was canceled in 2018 after three seasons.

Rumors about a Daredevil series revival started following the appearance of Daredevil (Cox) in 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' and main antagonist Kingpin (Vincent D'Onofrio) in the Disney+ series 'Hawkeye'.

Daredevil is an attorney by day and crimefighter by night otherwise known by the name Matt Murdock. Cox will additionally reprise the role as part of the cast of Disney+'s upcoming series 'Echo', slated for next year, while voicing him in the new animated series 'Spider-Man: Freshman Year'.

He has also made an appearance as Daredevil in a 'She-Hulk: Attorney at Law' trailer unveiled on Saturday in San Diego, though his casting in that show hadn't previously been announced, as per Deadline. (ANI)
Actor Kunal Kemmu lost his maternal grandmother. Taking to Instagram, Kunal, on Sunday, penned an emotional note in the beloved memory of his "naani". I lost my naani today. We all called her Maaji. She truly earned that name in each one of our lives. She loved us all like a mother and worked so hard to make us all comfortable and happy every time we were in her company. I have such special and amazing memories of her telling me stories, feeding me, looking after me, buying me things that my parents wouldn't allow sometimes and always telling me to believe in myself and not get bogged down by anything or anyone," he wrote. Kunal described his naani as his biggest cheerleader. "My biggest cheerleader always. She lived a full life filled with happiness, joy, laughter, sadness, struggles and pains. She symbolises strength, compassion and love for me. Can't remember if I ever saw her cry. Always saw her busy with something or the other. Creating things out of nothing and always making sure everyone was looked after and well fed specially me. I will always miss you Maaji," he added. Kunal also dropped a picture in which his daughter Inaaya is seen sharing an adorable moment with 'maaji'. After learning about the unfortunate news, fans and members of the film industry paid their heartfelt condolences to Kunal. "So sorry for your loss Kunal. Nothing more special than nani. I miss mine everyday but I know she is forever looking down on me just the way maaji will upon you. May her soul rest in peace. Love and strength to you all," Sophie Choudry commented. "Sorry for your loss," Hazel Keech wrote. Celebrities such as Karan Johar, Neha Dhupia, Vir Das, Shweta Bachchan and more reacted to the post. (ANI)
Choreographer Bruno Tonioli, also a judge on 'Dancing with the Stars', has revealed why he decided to leave the British edition of the program after nearly 20 years. According to Deadline, the vivacious Italian has been a judge on 'Strictly Come Dancing' since its inception in 2004, but he was finding it more and more difficult to coordinate making shows on both sides of the Atlantic and shared how it was taking a toll on his health. In an interview with the UK's Daily Mail, Tonioli revealed he "just couldn't fly any more." He added that there was no animosity over his decision to stay with Dancing with the Stars, saying: "There is no animosity, it was a mutual decision with both of us saying, 'Listen, this is not going to work like it used to.' "I just couldn't do the flying any more. I don't know how I survived that schedule. To be honest, it's a miracle." Tonioli was frank about the physical cost he started to feel towards the end of his run on Strictly. He said, "There was a moment in the middle of a run when I blanked. "I did not know where I was or what I was doing. "It only lasted a second, then I saw the audience looking at me and it all came back to me." Tonioli's role on the British judging panel has been taken by Anton du Beke, a longtime dancer on the show. He first stepped in when lockdown prevented Tonioli returning from the US, and his full-time job has since been confirmed. The UK show will return in September. (ANI)
Pushpa star Rashmika Mandanda on Sunday shared a glimpse of me time on her social media account. Rashmika took to her Instagram handle and treated her fans with a radiant picture of herself. Taking to her Insta story, 'Bheeshma' actor shared a picture of herself relaxing in a bed. Rashmika was seen wearing a black t-shirt and kept her hair in a sleek ponytail. Her smile in the pictures made her fans go crazy. Along with the picture, the actor captioned, "Sometimes I get to do this in the middle of the day, and ahhhhhh this feels so noooiceee." And soon after she posts another picture with a caption. She wrote, "And the next minute this happens." In the picture, all her stuff lying over the suitcase as it depicts that she is packing her luggage for the new stop. Meanwhile, Rashmika's upcoming movie 'Sita Ramam' first look poster featuring her character Afree was released on the auspicious occasion of Eid-Al-Adha. Recently the cast and makers announced the news of the trailer for Dulquer Salmaan, Rashmika Mandanna and Mrunal Thakur-'Sita Ramam' will be unveiled on July 25.On Saturday, the cast took to Instagram and shared a fun video in which they are seen announcing the trailer's release date. Directed by Hanu Ragavapudi, the upcoming action romantic film also casts Mrunal Thakur and Sumanth Kumar in the lead roles.Soon after the first look posters of, the 'Bheeshma' actor were out, fans swamped the comment section with heart and fire emoticons.The story of Swapna Dutt's production film revolves around the characters of Dulquer and Mrunal, who play Ram and Sita, respectively. The romantic drama is against the backdrop of a war.'Sita Ramam' is being made simultaneously in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages.The film is slated to release on August 5, 2022, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam.The 'Kirik Party' actor will be also seen in the upcoming Bollywood flix Mission Majnu' alongside Sidharth Malhotra, 'Goodbye with Amitabh Bachchan and 'Animal' with Ranbir Kapoor. (ANI)
In the future, patients may have more treatment options thanks to the new method of tracking metastatic cancer cells that have been developed by researchers at the University of Central Florida. Dr Annette Khaled's research lab reported in the most recent issue of PLOS ONE that they used a protein complex called chaperonin as a new marker for cancer cells in the blood, which provides a clearer indication of cancer spread. UCF scientists were able to detect more cancer cells in the blood using the new marker, a procedure known as liquid biopsy, which could help patients with breast and lung cancer better monitor their disease. Cancer cells require a large number of proteins to survive and spread throughout the body. Proteins can fold into functional, three-dimensional shapes thanks to the chaperonin complex. Cancer cells cannot form without the complex proteins required. The chaperonin complex is found in all cells. Cancer cells, on the other hand, have much higher levels because, as Dr Khaled explains, "cancer cells are hungry for protein." Dr Khaled has identified the chaperonin complex as a significant indicator of cancer severity in recent years and has developed nanoparticle-based therapies to seek out and destroy the chaperonin complex in cancer cells. Cancer cells starve and die if this protein-folding mechanism is not present. "The more complex the chaperonin, the more advanced cancer," Dr Khaled explained. "We get a warning that the cancer is spreading when we use the chaperonin complex to detect cancer cells in the blood. Detecting cancer cells in blood using the chaperonin complex is a novel non-invasive diagnosis method." Cancer markers in the blood are commonly based on epithelial features in cells that line the surfaces of the body where cancers arise. However, such markers for detecting cancer cells in the blood are scarce "Dr Khaled elaborated, "and provide little information about cancer itself." "Cancer cells shed into the blood can come from any part of the tumour and only live for a few hours. Using a marker that identifies dangerous cancer cells circulating in the blood, such as the chaperonin complex, could alert doctors if a patient is relapsing or not responding to treatments. Dr Khaled is the Division of Cancer Research Director at the College of Medicine. Her research began with the use of blood and tissues from patients with metastatic breast cancer being treated at Orlando Health's UF Cancer Center to see if the chaperonin complex was better than traditional markers for identifying cancer cells in the blood. She then validated this idea using blood from lung cancer patients, discovering that using the chaperonin complex detected more lung cancer cells than standard liquid biopsy methods. (ANI)
 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message on Sunday to Bajram Begaj on assuming the office as Albanian president.

Xi pointed out that China and Albania enjoy profound traditional friendship, adding that in recent years, with the joint building of the Belt and Road and China-Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) cooperation as platforms, the two countries have enhanced political mutual trust, strengthened policy communication and promoted practical cooperation, making new progress in bilateral relations.

He noted that he attaches great importance to the development of China-Albania relations and is ready to work with President Begaj to deepen bilateral exchanges in all areas and consolidate the fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation for the benefit of the two countries and their people.
A major prostitution racket in the national capital, being run by a gang of human traffickers, has been busted by the Delhi Police's Crime Branch, and 10 foreign women rescued from their clutches, police said on Saturday. The police have alse arrested five people involved in the racket and they were identified as Mohd Arup (31), Chande Sahini alias Raju (30), Ali Sher Tilladaev (48), and Turkmen nationals Aziza Jumayeva and Meredob Ahmed. Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch, Vichitra Veer Singh said the accused people used to lure foreign women to work as sex workers and brought them from various regions of Uzbekistan to India and got them involved in prostitution. "On the receipt of secret information, a police constable was sent as decoy customer and another personnel was deputed as shadow witness and contact was made with agents by hiding the actual identity," he said. He said that on finalisation of deal on an agreed sum, the decoy customer was sent on an address in Malviya Nagar where agents, Arup and Sahni, produced 10 foreign woman to choose from for paid sex. Subsequently, the police conducted a raid and both the agents were nabbed from the spot. "All the foreigners were asked to produce their valid visa and passport for stay in India, but they failed to produce any," the official said. On sustained interrogation, it was revealed that Jumayeva and her husband Meredob Ahmed were kingpins of this racket. Another accused namely Ali Sher used to lure foreign woman on the pretext of providing good jobs in India and once they got here, he handed them over to the couple. According to the official, the said premises was taken on rent by an agent of Jumayeva and is still at large.The official said that a separate case has been registered in the Crime Branch police station for violation of Foreigners Act. --IANS uj/vd ( 330 Words) 2022-07-23-19:36:01 (IANS)
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said on Saturday that the media needs to introspect its role if wrong perceptions are being created. Thakur was speaking at a function on the occasion of National Broadcasting Day, which is celebrated every year on July 23 to mark the first-ever radio broadcast in India that went on air from the Bombay Station under the Indian Broadcasting Company in 1927. Sounding a cautious note to the media, Thakur said, "If somewhere a wrong perception is getting created about private media with utterances of 'media trails', we need to introspect about our functioning." Thakur also said that while some people had surmised that radio will face an existential crisis with the advent of television and subsequently internet, the medium has not only identified its audience, but also maintained its relevance and credibility. "When people want to listen to unbiased news, they naturally tune into All India Radio and Doordarshan news. Ninety-two per cent of the country's geography is covered by the All India Radio, which is a commendable achievement," he said. Speaking on the importance of radio as a platform, the minister said that many Prime Ministers have come but none saw the value of radio as Narendra Modi who made it a platform of choice for his monthly 'Mann Ki Baat' programme to connect directly with the people of the country. Crediting the role of the two entities -- AIR and Doordarshan -- in delivering the essence of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', Thakur said, "When the education system since Independence did not mention the role of many regional freedom fighters, AIR and Doordarshan curated information about over 500 unsung heroes from the remotest corners of the country and presented them to the nation, celebrating their contribution to India's freedom struggle." Thakur also released promos of new serials on Doordarshan-- Corporate Sarpanch: Beti Desh Ki, Jai Bharati', Suron ka Eklavya' and Ye Dil Mange More' as well as the promo of Startup Champions 2.0'. Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L. Murugan, conveyed his best wishes to the audience on the occasion of National Broadcasting Day. Murugan highlighted the important role played by radio during the freedom struggle when many freedom fighters employed it as a tool for communication against the imperial British government. --IANS ssb/arm ( 399 Words) 2022-07-23-20:30:04 (IANS)
There were indications since Saturday morning that the Trinamool Congress leadership will distance itself from state Commerce and Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee over the latter's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore financial scam relating to the recruitment irregularities in the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC). And on Saturday evening, the party's stand became official after Trinamool leaders at a press conference announced that the onus of the developments lies with Chatterjee only, and not on the party. The party leaders also made it clear that if he is found guilty of involvement in the scam, Trinamool will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against Chatterjee, who is presently the party's Secretary General. The press conference was preceded by an emergency meeting convened by Trinamool's national General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to decide on the party's stand on the latest developments involving Chatterjee. State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattachrya, Transport Minister and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Power Minister Arup Biswas and party spokesman Kunal Ghosh were present at the press meet. "Some cash has been recovered from the residence of a lady, who has no connection with Trinamool Congress. We condemn attempts by the opposition parties to link Trinamool Congress with this issue. Partha Chatterjee has been arrested by the ED in this connection. "All I can say is that the Trinamool leadership has full faith in the judicial system. If Partha Chatterjee is proved guilty at the end of the investigation, Trinamool will not hesitate to take disciplinary actions against him," said Kunal Ghosh. The next to take questions from the media was Firhad Hakim, but there was no effort on his part as well to defend Chatterjee or claim that his arrest was a result of political vendetta. Instead, Hakim said that probably Chatterjee had to meet this fate because he stayed back in Trinamool Congress instead of joining the BJP. "Had he joined the BJP, he could have come out cleansed from the washing machine," he said. However, the opposition BJP said that Trinamool's attempt to distance itself from Chatterjee is meant to shield Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and his nephew Abhishek Banerjee. "What has been revealed is just the tip of the iceberg. Now it is the turn for others to be booked," said BJP's national Vice President and MP Dilip Ghosh. --IANS src/arm ( 409 Words) 2022-07-23-21:00:01 (IANS)
A total of 17 Opposition parties had, last week, decided to field Alva, a former Union Minister and Rajasthan and Uttarakhand Governor, as their VP candidate, against NDA's Jagdeep Dhankhar.

However, the leaders of the Trinamool Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) were not present in the meeting.

In the recent presidential election, the Aam Admi Party had backed the opposition candidate Yashwant Sinha.

The Political Affairs Committee of the AAP is expected to decide soon the party's stand on the Vice President's election.

--IANS avr/vd

( 117 Words)

2022-07-23-21:04:03 (IANS)
Outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday urged political parties must rise above a partisan approach and work with the spirit of "nation first". At his farewell function in the Central Hall of Parliament, he said that he remains eternally grateful to the people of India and for giving him an opportunity to serve the country as President. "What the Almighty had wanted me to accomplish could not have been accomplished without the support from all the elected representatives. During my term, I had frequently interacted with them on various platforms and had also met numerous delegations of parliamentarians and of people from other domains," he said. He thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and members of his Council of Ministers, VicePresident M. Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for their support during his tenure. Citing Article 79 of the Constitution, which provides for a Parliament consisting of the President and the two houses, he said: "In keeping with this constitutional provision, I look at the President as an integral part of the Parliamentary family. As with any family, there are bound to be differences within this Parliamentary family too; there would be diverging views about how to proceed further. "But we remain a family, and the interest of the nation remains our top priority. Political processes operate through the mechanism of party organisations, but the parties must rise above a partisan approach and consider what is good, what is essential for the common man and woman, with the spirit of 'nation first'." The President said that when we consider the whole nation as a family, we also understand that differences are bound to crop up once in a while and such differences can be resolved peacefully and harmoniously through dialogue. "Citizens and political parties have many constitutional avenues open to them, including protests. After all, the Father of our Nation employed the weapon of Satyagraha for that purpose. But he was equally concerned about the other side. Citizens have a right to protest to press for their demands, but it should always be in the peaceful Gandhian mould," he said. The President said that looking back on his career in public service, and the efforts of the governments, they must accept that, although much has been achieved yet so much more remains to be done to raise the living standards of the marginalised. "As the basic necessities are taken care of, aspirations are changing too. The dreams of average Indians have got wings now. This has been made possible by good governance, which by definition is without any kind of discrimination. This all-round progress is in tune with what Babasaheb Ambedkar had visualised," he added. --IANS ssb/vd ( 465 Words) 2022-07-23-22:12:02 (IANS)
Following the arrest of West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Saturday said that 'everyone in Bengal knew about this scam' and demanded the agencies to nab the culprits soon. "Everyone in Bengal knew about this (scam). After the court's intervention, investigation agencies started acting upon it. We want culprits to be punished," West Bengal Congress chief AR Chowdhury said to ANI on Saturday. In view of these developments, Trinamool Congress accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of using probe agencies for political vendetta. The party also said that it will take action against the minister if he is proven guilty. Chatterjee and his aide were arrested on Saturday in a case linked to the alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state. The arrest comes hours after Rs 20 crore was recovered from minister's aide Arpita Mukherjee. "We are closely watching the situation and we have all faith in the judiciary. After the judiciary gives its verdict, we will be able to make a decision. The All India Trinamool Congress will not tolerate any malpractice in the party or government. After the judiciary comes out with its verdict, then only the Trinamool Congress will act. We believe the BJP is behind the play. Whoever has switched to BJP has been untouched and whoever has stayed back is being harassed," Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim said. Chatterjee, 69, who presently holds the industry and state parliamentary affairs portfolios of the Mamata Banerjee government, was the education minister from 2014 to 2021, during which the alleged irregularities in teacher recruitment occurred. He was arrested by the ED after around 26 hours of grilling at his residence since Friday morning in connection with its probe into the alleged school jobs scam. The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission. The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam. On July 21, Chowdhury called West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee a 'political fraudster, and a political liar to the infinity'. Chowdhury was commenting on the TMC's decision to not back the Opposition's Vice Presidential candidate Margaret Alva alleging that the party was not consulted on her candidature. "Mamata Banerjee is the most fraudulent/duplicitous politician in India. Political liar to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee. Political fraudster to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee...political imposter to the power infinity...thy name is Mamata Banerjee. Mark my words," Chowdhury said. (ANI)
Five accused were arrested and ten women were rescued, said Delhi Police in a statement on Saturday.

DCP Vichitra Veer, Delhi Police Crime Branch, said, "The team got information through an anonymous tip that a sex racket was going on in Malviya Nagar. The police then contacted this gang and sent a policeman as a decoy customer."

"The policeman saw the girls inside and signalled his team present outside, which then started the raid and arrested the five accused who were running the racket," he further said.

The accused were charging 10 to 25 thousand rupees from the customers, the DCP added.

One of the five people arrested by the police, Sher Ali, is a resident of Uzbekistan, who sent the girls to India on the pretext of getting them a job. Once the girls came to India, they were forced into sex rackets, the police added.

Further investigation in this matter is underway. (ANI)
After 18 days, eight of the 19 Assam workers, who went missing near the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh's Kurung Kumey district, were rescued from a jungle, officials said on Saturday night. Kurung Kumey Deputy Commissioner Bengia Nighee said that all the eight rescued workers were critical and their health condition is being monitored by a medical team after they were rescued from the dense forest on Friday night. The IAF chopper, which was requisitioned by the administration, came but could not search properly due to bad weather at Damin circle in spite of best efforts by its pilots. "Remaining 11 people still missing and as per the preliminary statements of eight rescued workers, four of them were dead, and two had fallen in the river. Our rescue team didn't recover or see the dead bodies. This death story was told by the rescued workers," the DC said. The state government requested the IAF to evacuate the rescued workers to Naharlagun near Itanagar where they would be admitted to a hospital. The IAF chopper, which carried out a search operation for the remaining 11 workers on Saturday, was likely to be used in the evacuation. "Their statements would be recorded once the workers recover. They were found tired and frail. We gave them food, water, and medicines," Nighee said. The DC, who was supervising the rescue operations himself, said after fleeing their project site camp at Huri on July 5 night, the 19 workers had entered a dense forest infested with poisonous snakes and wild animals. Subsequently, the workers split themselves into two groups of eight and 11, and the other group of 11 had moved in a different direction. He said that a 25-member team of the State Disaster Response Force accompanied by the police and local volunteers have been conducting search operations for the remaining missing people in Damin circle. The 19 workers, mostly Muslims and residents of Assam, had been engaged by a contractor to work for a road construction undertaken by the Border Road Organisation (BRO). Villagers reportedly informed the police that the workers left their work site after the contractor refused to grant leave for some days to celebrate Eid. The workers had taken a shortcut jungle route to return to their homes in Kokrajhar and Dhubri of Assam. --IANS sc/vd ( 399 Words) 2022-07-23-23:12:02 (IANS)
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday chaired a meeting to review the action plan for effective implementation of the scheme for 'Revival, Restoration, Preservation and Maintenance of Ancient Cultural Heritage' in Jammu and Kashmir. "The conservation efforts must retain the aesthetic, historic and social values of our great civilizational and cultural legacy", Lieutenant Governor Sinha said. The scheme was envisaged in order to identify the sacred places and heritage sites requiring intervention, carrying out their revival, restoration or renovation work, ensuring protection and longevity of these places, besides promoting restoration wherever damage have occurred to these places. "The Lieutenant Governor directed the Culture Department to adopt value-based conservation with the help of experts. The department should also ensure transparency and effective onsite monitoring of the projects," he added. "Identify shrines, places having historical, cultural, religious significance and work should follow value-based methodologies and integrated approach to conservation. Take up the projects that reflect the representations of every community and every sect," Sinha said. While reviewing the division and category-wise details of the 35 projects (18 in Jammu and 17 in Kashmir) approved by the Executive Committee, including Temples, Shrines, Gurudwaras, Forts, Church, Sculptures and Bowli, Sinha directed the department for early start of the work on the projects already approved. He also advised the department to put focus on developing a digital library to promote intangible heritage and knowledge heritage. While stressing on welfare measures for the local artists, the Lieutenant Governor asked the department to make dedicated efforts for the handholding of artists. Sinha advised the department to rope in seasoned and experienced master artists from Jammu and Kashmir to train the young artists. Emphasising on promoting the culture of Jammu and Kashmir among the people of other states and vice versa, the Lieutenant Governor called for organising cultural exchange programmes of artists with other states and UTs, furthering the 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat' movement. He asked the department to send proposals of some potential projects to the Government of India that can be included in the existing schemes and programmes of the central government. He further asked the department to take up the issue with the Culture Department, the Government of India for speedy execution of conservation and restoration of Shergarhi in Kashmir and Mubarak Mandi in Jammu, which is the symbol of our great architectural heritage. The department was also advised to spread information regarding the places of tourists' interest in the UT through booklets at airports. Zubair Ahmad, Administrative Secretary, Culture Department gave a detailed presentation on the initiative of revival, restoration, preservation and maintenance of architecture and heritage in the UT. He also informed about the Cultural festivals to be held at Tourist destinations, besides talent hunt programmes planned at grassroot level. (ANI)
Denying any kind of involvement in the aggressive protest where a car was burnt during the agitation, Karnataka Congress Vice President and former minister Ashok Pattan slammed his own party worker and controversial Youth Congress President Mohammed Nalapad over the protest he organized on July 21 against the Central government. "We have nothing to do with those who burnt the car during a protest in Bengaluru. The Youth Congress leaders' presence (when the car was being burnt down) has nothing to do with us," Pattan said to media persons on Saturday. Speaking at the press conference, he said that burning down a car was Nalapad's personal decision. There is a debate going on this matter within Congress related to the same news development. He further said, "The superiors will take action in this regard, if needed (against Nalapad)." "We (as Congress) will protest peacefully against the Centre. Cars and buses will not be pelted with stones or set ablaze during the protests by Congress workers. We have nothing to do with Nalapad's actions. He expressed displeasure that he should not have done this as the Youth Congress president," Pattan told reporters. Nalapad along with Youth Congress workers organized a protest at the Shanthinagar area in Bengaluru which is his father's constituency. Here, he (Nalapad) reportedly set ablaze a car while the Congress unit was protesting at the Freedom Park peacefully against the ED's actions on Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. The act by Nalapad was criticized by the BJP and an inquiry has been initiated by the police. On the other hand, Nalapad told that he will attend any inquiry called by police related the act. He also said that he didn't set the car ablaze and blamed the Youth Congress workers for the said incident. Nalapad said that he is being blamed because he's the president of the Youth Congress Wing in the state. (ANI)
Interview: WEF president optimistic about China's economic outlook

16:09, July 23, 2022 By Martina Fuchs ( Xinhua

GENEVA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- World Economic Forum (WEF) President Borge Brende said on Thursday that he was optimistic about the economic outlook for China in the medium and long-term.

"We are expecting that the measures taken by China and the Chinese authorities will lead to a revival of growth" and are optimistic about the medium- and long-term economic development in China, Brende said, adding that as for the rest of the world, "the coming year is going to be a bumpy year."

The WEF president made the remarks as data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on July 15 that China's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded 2.5 percent year on year in the first half of 2022.

"The global recovery is slowing and it is now becoming a weaker and weaker recovery. This is also influencing the Chinese economy that is growing more slowly," Brende, a former minister of foreign affairs of Norway, said via a video conference.

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), global growth is projected to slow from an estimated 6.1 percent in 2021 to 3.6 percent in 2022 and 2023, 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points lower for 2022 and 2023 than the global lender projected in January.

FOREIGN BUSINESS IN CHINA

Speaking of China's current business environment for foreign enterprises, Brende said that the Chinese market is "a big home market," and that for many companies, China is of huge interest, both for foreign direct investments and for manufacturing.

The European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, in its annual "European Business in China Business Confidence Survey 2022" released in June, said that most European companies posted positive revenues and were profitable in 2021.

The WEF president emphasized that China's role in stabilizing global economic growth amidst multi-fold challenges was crucial.

"If you look at the past three decades, China's growth has been historic and we have not seen any country in history that has been eradicating poverty like we have seen in China," Brende said.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report 2022, released on July 7, estimated that an additional 75 million to 95 million people could fall into extreme poverty this year.

China announced last year that absolute poverty had been eradicated in the world's most populous country and that it had lifted the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents out of poverty by the end of 2020.

"The Chinese leadership is not only focusing on growth, they're also looking at the quality of growth, it needs to decouple from growth in CO2 emissions, it also has to be more inclusive, it has to trickle down to the regions, to the periphery, and it also needs to create jobs for the young and its more and more educated population," Brende said.

"China's role in securing global growth has been incredible ... What happens in China economically has a huge impact on the rest of the world, and that will continue because it is the second largest economy," said Brende.

CHINA'S DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE

The WEF president also hailed the China-proposed Global Development Initiative (GDI) as crucially important in boosting international cooperation and supporting the least developed and developing countries.

Last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the GDI at the United Nations, aiming to contribute to strengthening international development cooperation and accelerating the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

"This initiative from China is very important and we really need to be very clear about supporting the least developed countries and the emerging economies because we have seen that capital is not flowing in as it used to" as COVID-19 has led to a situation for the first time in three decades that extreme poverty is growing, Brende said.

"It is incredibly important that we get on track again when it comes to meeting the sustainable development goals that are there and should be met by 2030," he added.

Brende highlighted climate crisis and reviving global economic growth.

"The only way to revive economic growth is that we continue with a win-win thinking: what is good for one country is good for another one. We have to collaborate and continue to trade with each other because if we don't do that, we will pay a high price and are going to shave off a lot of growth which is going to create even more poverty," he added.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
A college student has been found dead under mysterious circumstances in the Mirzapur area of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday evening. While the police are investigating the matter, the college principal informed that the deceased student was on her way to Varanasi. Notably, it takes about an hour to travel from Mirzapur to Varanasi via car. Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Mirzapur Superintendent of Police Sanjay Verma said, "A case of death of a third-year college student under mysterious circumstances in the hostel of a polytechnic college in Mirzapur has been reported." "The deceased student is around 22-23 years old and is a native of Azamgarh. The student's dead body was found hanging from the fan. Postmortem is underway. The family is yet to file a complaint. The police is investigating the matter and further probe is underway,' said Sanjay Verma. However, the college principal claimed that all students went back after exams were over on July 19. "As per the family of the deceased, the student left the house on July 21 for Banaras. Her hostel room where the body was found was closed and window grill was broken, with the help of which the student entered," the principal said to ANI. The police are investigating the case. (ANI)
A team of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted a gang of human traffickers in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar area, who used to lure foreign women to work as sex workers and brought them from various regions of Uzbekistan to India and got them involved in prostitution, officials said on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vichitra Veer said that five people have been arrested so far in the matter including foreign nationals. Those identified were identified as Mohammad Arup (34), Chande Sahini (30), Ali Sher Tilladaev (48), Jumayeva Aziza (37) and Meredob Ahmed (48). Aziza and Ahmed are Turkmenistan nationals. Based on secret information, a constable was sent as a decoy customer and a Sub-Inspector was deputed as a shadow witness and agents were contacted. After finalising the deal, the decoy customer was sent to an address in Malviya Nagar. The agents Arup and Sahni asked the decoy customer to choose from the 10 foreign women in front of him. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at the given address and both the agents were nabbed on the spot. All the foreigners were asked to produce their valid visa and passport for their stay in India, but they failed to produce any legal documents. On sustained interrogation, it was revealed that Jumayeva Aziza and her husband namely Meredob Ahmed are kingpins of this racket. Uzbek national Ali Sher Tilladaev used to lure foreign women to India on the pretext of providing good jobs from their country and then handed over them to Aziza and her husband. The couple would force the foreigners into prostitution, police said. The premise was taken on rent by an agent of Aziza and who is still absconding, police said. A case under Sections 370 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3, 4 and 5 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act has been registered at Crime Branch Police Station and an investigation has been taken up. A separate case has been registered in PS Crime Branch for violation of the Foreigners Act i.e. for violating the provisions of that act by the foreign nationals. Certain passports, mobile phones and travel documents have been recovered, verification of which is still in progress. It is likely that more people are involved in this racket, an aspect which will be taken up in the further investigation. This is not the first time a prostitution racket involving foreign girls has been busted in Delhi. In March 2022, an international prostitution racket was busted in Delhi's Pandav Nagar area. The ring was allegedly being run from an OYO hotel, and six people, including three women from Uzbekistan, were nabbed. Earlier this year in March only, a high-profile prostitution racket being operated in the vicinity of the Aerocity area at IGI Airport was busted and three accused in the case including the girl was arrested. During the investigation, the police found that the broker Naveen along with the co-accused Riyash Siddiqui was operating the sex racket from a hotel taken on lease in Sector 45, Gurgaon. Both were operating an organised racket of prostitution in Delhi and NCR along with their three other associates. On May 25, 2022, Delhi Police arrested a man and three women for running a sex racket, in New Delhi's South Rohini area. According to the police, a constable who was in plain clothes was deployed as a decoy customer and was given Rs 2000 in 4 notes of Rs 500 denomination. In May 2022 only, a sex racket being operated from a spa centre at a mall in Delhi was busted and 12 people, including 11 women, were arrested. Similarly, in April, the Delhi Commission for Women busted sex racked being allegedly run inside a massage spa centre in the Azadpur area of Delhi. This year in February, Delhi Police's Crime Branch busted a sex racket involving foreign girls operating in South Delhi and arrested two people in connection with the case. (ANI)
An eight-and-a-half-year-old girl was allegedly raped inside the toilet of a government school in the Khoefiza area of Bhopal by husband of a sweeper employed there, said police on Saturday. The police arrested the accused after the child gave a description of what he looked like and he has been identified as Lakshminarayan Dhanak. "An incident of rape of a girl was reported. It happened near the premises of a school. The accused works as a watchman in that school. He has been identified and arrested by the police. Further probe underway," said Sachin Atulkar, Additional CP, Bhopal. According to police, the victim is a student of Class 4 and she took admission in the school six days ago. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon at 1.30 pm. "The victim went to the bathroom during lunchtime and in the meantime, the accused closed her eyes with her hand, then picked her up and took her inside the bathroom. He raped the victim and then fled from the spot," said Police. When the other students saw the girl crying they informed the teacher. "The minor told the teacher that an uncle wearing a yellow shirt took her to the bathroom," Police added. Following this school staff informed the police about the incident. The police rushed to the spot and questioned the school staff, after which the police came to know that Lakshminarayan was the only one wearing a yellow shirt. During questioning, the police came to know about the accused and later arrested him. The accused confessed his crime. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
The Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will hold a meeting with senior party leaders today at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi to present their report on the development and welfare schemes as the party gears up for the upcoming assembly polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also likely to attend this meeting, as per sources. Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will put forth their governance report in front of the Central leadership during the meeting. 'Har Ghar Tiranga' is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture to mark celebrations for India's 75th year of Independence. As part of the campaign, citizens will be encouraged to hoist the tricolour at their homes during August 13-15. To strengthen the Har Ghar Tiranga Movement, PM Modi has urged people to hoist or display the tricolour at homes between August 13 and 15 stating that this movement will deepen our connection with the national flag. In view of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, the leaders will also discuss ways to aware the people regarding the Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign. Besides this, they will discuss the public welfare schemes of the government and plans to incorporate them into the poor and backward classes. The Prime Minister will give his views on developmental works to the Chief Ministers. In the last meeting, he had asserted that the development of youth and women empowerment are the area of priority of the government and said that there is a need to strengthen the nutrition campaign and tackle malnutrition. The last developmental meeting was held in Varanasi last year. The Prime Minister participated in a conclave of Chief Ministers of BJP- ruled states. The conclave provided an opportunity to share governance-related best practices and is in line with the Prime Minister's vision of furthering team India's spirit. (ANI)
State Irrigation Minister Ambati Rambabu, Nandyal MP Pocha Brahmananda Reddy, Srisailam MLA Shilpa Chakrapani Reddy and Nandyal District Collector Manazir Jeelani lifted the three gates of the Srisailam project.

Minister Ambati performed pujas and offered a saree in water. The Minister and officials opened gate number five, six and seven to release water.

As against its Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 885 ft, the water levels in Srisailam Dam reached 881.60 ft. Following that, three gates were raised by 10 feet.

About 80 thousand cusecs of water were released to Nagarjuna Sagar.

As the gates were lifted, there was a rush of tourists at the Srisailam project.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Amaravati, has issued a warning, forecasting heavy rainfall at isolated places over north coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam and south coastal Andhra Pradesh for four days from Saturday.

Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are likely at isolated places over coastal Andhra Pradesh and Rayalaseema for the next three days.

Three districts - Adilabad, Karimnagar and Warangal - might register heavy rainfall today. (ANI)
Delhi has reported the first case of Monkeypox in a 31-year-old man with no travel history, said Dr Suresh Kumar, Medical Director, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital on Sunday. This is the fourth case of the viral disease in India and the first case without a travel history. The patient is admitted to Maulana Azad Medical College. The 31-year-old man has been admitted to Maulana Azad Medical College with no travel history. He was admitted to the hospital with fever and skin lesions. However, the patient is stable. Earlier the cases in India were among nationals who returned home from the Middle East, while in Thailand an international living in the country has been confirmed positive for Monkeypox. The first case of Monkeypox virus originated in India on July 14 after a UAE traveller returned to Kerala. He has been admitted to Thiruvananthapuram medical college. India reported its second case of monkeypox in Kerala's Kannur district on July 18. While on July 22 India reported its third case of monkeypox in Kerala's Malappuram district. Earlier on Saturday, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern, looking at the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern." According to World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus. It spreads mostly from human contact. Expressing concern over rapidly spreading cases of Monkeypox, the first Indian elected as Regional Director of World Health Organization South-East Asia Region said that with cases concentrated among men who have sex with men, it is possible to curtail further spread of the disease with focused efforts among the at-risk population. "Monkeypox has been spreading rapidly and to many countries that have not seen it before, which is a matter of great concern. However, with cases concentrated among men who have sex with men, it is possible to curtail further spread of the disease with focused efforts among the at-risk population," WHO Regional Director Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh said in a statement. The World Health Organization on Sunday called on countries in South - East Asia Region to strengthen surveillance and public health measures for monkeypox, with the disease being declared a public health emergency of international concern. More than 16000 cases of Monkeypox have been reported from 75 countries including four from India, and one from Thailand. Monkeypox virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans via indirect or direct contact. Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions, including face-to-face, skin-to-skin, and respiratory droplets. In the current outbreak countries and amongst the reported Monkeypox cases, transmission appears to be occurring primarily through close physical contact, including sexual contact. Transmission can also occur from contaminated materials such as linens, bedding, electronics, and clothing, that have infectious skin particles. (ANI)
The first-ever examination for the recruitment in Indian Air Force through the new 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme began across the country on Sunday morning amid tight police security. This exam is being conducted in many parts of the country including Delhi, Kanpur and Patna. This exam is being conducted from July 24 to July 31 across the country. In many cities of UP, the examination is being held for the recruitment of Agniveers in the Air Force. In Kanpur, Police have made tight security arrangements to conduct the Agniveer Airforce examination. Along with the deployment of police personnel, Air Force personnel have also been deployed in all the examination centres. All the centres are also being monitored by CCTV and drones. A total of 11 centres have been assigned for the Agniveer exam, out of which six are in Kanpur Outer. The exam is being conducted in three shifts. A total of 31,875 candidates are appearing for this exam in Kanpur today and in every shift, 625 students will attend. Speaking to ANI, an Air Force aspirant said, "I have come here from Meerut to give Agniveer Airforce exam. We are very happy that after so much interruption we are able to give the exam. We have prepared for our exam and we will give our best." Another student, who came for Pratapgarh said that he has come to appear for the Agniveer exam today. The Indian Air force has received a total of 7,49,899 applications under the Agniveer recruitment scheme. This exam for the Air Force will be held till July 31. The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers. The Agnipath scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces. 'Agnipath' is a pan India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors. The scheme provides an opportunity for youth to serve in the regular cadre of the armed forces. All those recruited under the 'Agnipath' scheme will be called 'Agniveers'. 'Agniveers' will be enrolled for a service duration of 4 years including the training period. After four years, only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre based on merit, willingness and medical fitness. The Agnipath scheme has been brought to strengthen India's security. The 'Agniveers' will be given a good pay package and an exit retirement package after a service of four years. The first four years, served under a contract, are not likely to be taken into consideration for the fixation of the final pensionary benefits. The other 75 per cent 'Agniveers' will be demobilized, with an exit or "Seva Nidhi" package of Rs 11-12 lakh, partly funded by their monthly contributions, as well as skill certificates and bank loans for help in their second careers. Following the announcement of the scheme, there have been protests against it in some states. (ANI)
Amid the ongoing tussle between Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, fresh friction between the two began again after the Chief Minister skipped a pre-decided combined program of Tree Plantation drive at Asola Bhatti Mines. "After absenting from the scheduled weekly meeting with Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday citing ill health, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday again skipped a pre-decided combined program of Tree Plantation at Asola Bhatti Mines in the national capital gain due to ill health," informed LG office sources. The said program of Tree Plantation corresponding with the 'Van Mahotsav', was to be undertaken jointly by the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister. A mutual decision in this regard had been taken on July 4, 2022. A total of 1,00,000 trees are planted as a part of the program, and the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister were to launch the same together today. "One is left to wonder if recommending a CBI inquiry into an apparently illegal Excise Policy is taking the focus of the CM away from Delhi's environmental concerns," said LG sources. Meanwhile, the Delhi government sources have claimed that because the government programme was turned into a political BJP programme the Chief Minister and other ministers decided not to attend the event after Delhi Police forcefully took over the stage of Van Mohatsav before the programme. "Delhi Police forcefully took over the stage of Van Mohatsav before the programme. It is a Delhi government event, CM and LG were to attend jointly. Posters showcasing Prime Minister Narendra Modi were put and the government programme is turned into a political BJP programme. This is the reason Delhi CM and ministers decided not to attend the event," said Delhi government sources. Delhi Chief Minister on Friday skipped the weekly meeting called by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, according to sources. Aam Aadmi Party sources alleged that the LG had "skipped" a similar meeting on July 8. Responding to the claims by the party, the LG office sources said that Saxena had not "skipped" the meeting on the said date, rather he was in Jaipur to attend the Northern Zonal Council Meeting. This comes amid simmering tensions between the Delhi Chief Minister and the LG over some issues including the delay in holding MCD elections arrest of Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain in connection with 4.8 money laundering case. Recently, after the Delhi Lieutenant Governor denied permission for Kejriwal's Singapore visit to attend the World Cities Summit, the AAP convener said he differs with the LG's advice and would go ahead with the visit. Notably, Saxena also recommended a CBI probe into the alleged violations of the Arvind Kejriwal-led government's contentious new excise policy including "deliberate and gross procedural lapses" made by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia to "provide post tender undue benefits to liquor licensees." The LG office said that Sisodia also extended "undue financial favours" to the liquor licensees much after the tenders had been awarded and thus caused huge losses to the exchequer. Sisodia's role is under the scanner for alleged deliberate and gross procedural lapses which provided undue benefits to the tender process for liquor licensees for the year 2021-22, officials in the Lieutenant-Governor's office told ANI. The excise policy was passed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi Cabinet in the middle of the deadly Delta wave of Covid pandemic in 2021. However, the Delhi CM dismissed the allegations and said that the Centre "cannot" see AAP rising to the national level and thus is "resorting to such measures". A report on July 8 by the Chief Secretary established prima facie violations of GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR) 1993, Delhi Excise Act 2009, and Delhi Excise Rules 2010. (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) along with some social workers on Sunday held demonstrations in the Aarey area of Mumbai on Sunday against Eknath Shinde government's decision to resume the construction of the metro car shed at the green belt in suburban Goregaon. AAP warned the government against the project. According to the present Maharashtra government, the project was being developed at the expense of the forest area. The Aarey forest is a 1,800-acre area which is often termed the city's "green lung". Soon after Eknath Shinde was sworn in as the new Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as the Deputy Chief Minister, the state government directed the Advocate General that the metro car shed be built in Mumbai's Aarey colony itself. Last Sunday, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thakeray participated in a protest against the construction of the metro car sheds in the Aarey colony forest saying that this is a fight for Mumbai and its forest life. "Under our government, we had declared 808 acres of land as forests. We fought for forests to protect our tribals. When we were here, no trees were uprooted," he said. Claiming that metro cars go for maintenance every three-four months and not every night, the government can afford to build sheds in Kanjurmarg. "If sheds are built in Kanjurmarg, forest life will be preserved, along with tribal life and money," he said. Earlier on July 3, Aaditya Thackeray had urged the newly inducted Eknath Shinde government to scrap the re-proposed Aarey metro project, which has been a fraught issue in the city for several years. In September 2019, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the government is bound to cut trees in Mumbai's Aarey forest area as "development is important". The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) announced its plan to cut down over 2,700 trees from the Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the metro. The colony, spread over 13,000 hectares, is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species. The Bombay High Court in September 2019, verbally directed the MMRCL and the state government not to cut any trees in the Aarey forest area for the construction of a metro car shed, to which they agreed. Later in October 2019, the Bombay High Court had dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of over 2,500 trees in Aarey Colony of Mumbai to make way for a metro car shed. However, the Maharashtra government stayed the order for the Aarey metro car shed project following massive public agitation in the city. In 2020, then Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced that the state government had withdrawn cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. He had said the proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg. The new Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra has proposed to move back the metro car shed project to Mumbai's Aarey forest. (ANI)
Delhi Police on Sunday said that the prostitution racket which was busted in the Malviya Nagar area, was also involved in human trafficking by bringing the girls illegally from Uzbekistan and neighbouring countries on bikes via the Nepal-India border on the pretext of getting jobs in Delhi and compel them to work as sex workers till they get a job. According to the police, these girls have not been made accused in the case of prostitution racket while they are accused of entering India without documents. The Police said that an FIR has been registered against ten girls under the Foreigner Act, who have been presented in court and sent to Tihar jail. "No document has been received from them yet and only on the basis of her statement it is believed that they are from Uzbekistan. However, there are no other documents yet and once their documents are ready, they will be blacklisted and reported," said the police. "Most of the girls from Uzbekistan or neighbouring countries were first brought to Nepal by flight and then their visa on arrival was obtained there. Then they used to cross the border wearing a burqa," it added. The police suspect that some local boys from Nepal are also involved in this gang because those girls were not made to cross the main border of India-Nepal, but they used to come to India from Nepal wearing a burqa through unpaved roads. As soon as they come to India, their passport and other documents were deposited with Ali Sher Tilladaev (the leader of this gang), who was arrested by the police on Saturday. As long as the girls kept giving their share of their earnings, they were in Ali Sher's gang and if they refuse to give their share, they were expelled from the gang. However, he never used to return their documents. They used to be transported back to Nepal without any documents and the police is investigating further about what happened to them after reaching Nepal. The police have not got much information about it. Around 18 travel documents have been recovered from the gang so far which confirms that not only 10 girls work as sex workers for this gang but others are also involved. Police officials said that people from all the countries including Nigerians and Uzbekistan want to live in India and in the last one and a half years, the deportation process of more than 800 people was started of which most of them are Nigerians. These figures include people from Nigeria and surrounding countries. Of the 800 who have been deported, more than 500 are from Nigerians and Uzbekistan alone. According to the police, usually, these people do illegal work, because according to the law, if a foreign person who used to live in India without documents, then he will be deported. But if he has committed any crime in India, then he will have to face the punishment of that crime. They get a lot of time in this whole process. The police officer said that there is a difference in the culture from where those people come, and this gang was taking advantage of that. "Various levels of verification were done before getting them a customer. First, a reference was taken from the customer and then it was verified by the reference. No one could reach the girls without their identity," said police. Police said that five people have been arrested, who used to run this gang. There are two agents living in Sonia Vihar, a gang leader and a husband and wife, who are Turkmenistan nationals. They are claiming to be husband and wife, while the police is still verifying this. The police suspect that the husband and wife used to run this gang by taking girls from the gang leader. Apart from this husband and wife, the police is apprehensive that more handlers are with the gang Ali Sher, after which the police is talking about the arrest of more people in this case. A team of the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit (AHTU) and the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has busted a gang of human traffickers in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar area, who used to lure foreign women to work as sex workers and brought them from various regions of Uzbekistan to India and got them involved in prostitution, officials said on Saturday. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Vichitra Veer said that five people have been arrested so far in the matter including foreign nationals. Those identified were identified as Mohammad Arup (34), Chande Sahini (30), Ali Sher Tilladaev (48), Jumayeva Aziza (37) and Meredob Ahmed (48). Aziza and Ahmed are Turkmenistan nationals. (ANI)
The police also arrested two drug peddlers including one employee of the Manipur police.

Based on intelligence input, a team of Guwahati city police led by Joint Commissioner of Police Partha Sarathi Mahanta launched an operation at Basistha area in Guwahati city and intercepted a car coming from Manipur.

During search, the police team recovered 1 lakh Yaba tablets from the car.

Partha Sarathi Mahanta, Joint Commissioner of Police, Guwahati said that the car was coming from Manipur.

"We have recovered 1 lakh Yaba tablets from the car and arrested two persons including an employee of Manipur police. The drugs consignment was coming from Moreh area in Manipur and planned to send it to Bengaluru. We had conducted the operation based on our intelligence input," Partha Sarathi Mahanta said.

The arrested persons have been identified as Letmin Singh Haokip and Thaukhuging Haokip. Both hailing from Manipur.

The police official further said that the market value of seized Yaba tablets is estimated at around Rs 20 crore. (ANI)
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday said that a high-level review meeting on Monkeypox will be held by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) today afternoon. "A 34-year-old male resident of Delhi was isolated at Lok Nayak Hospital as a suspected case of Monkeypox. A confirmation of the diagnosis has been done by the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune," said the Ministry. The case is presently recovering at the designated isolation centre at Lok Nayak Hospital. The close contacts of the case have been identified are under quarantine as per the MoHFW guidelines, informed the govt. "Further public health interventions like identification of the source of infection, enhanced contact tracing, testing sensitisation of private practitioners etc are being carried out. A high-level review of the situation has been planned by DGHS at 3 pm today," added the Ministry. After Delhi reported the first case of Monkeypox on Sunday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asked people not to panic and assured them that the 'best team is on the case to prevent the spread of the virus'. He said that separate isolation wards have been made at LNJP hospital for Monkeypox-infected patients. "First case of Monkeypox detected in Delhi. The patient is stable and recovering. There's no need to panic. The situation is under control. We have made a separate isolation ward at LNJP. Our best team is on the case to prevent the spread and protect Delhiites," tweeted Arvind Kejriwal. The first case of Monkeypox virus originated in India on July 14 after a UAE traveller returned to Kerala. He has been admitted to Thiruvananthapuram medical college. India reported its second case of monkeypox in Kerala's Kannur district on July 18. While on July 22 India reported its third case of monkeypox in Kerala's Malappuram district. Earlier on Saturday, World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern, looking at the expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern." According to World Health Organisation (WHO), monkeypox is a viral zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus. It spreads mostly from human contact. (ANI)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday hit out at the Central government on the "Sabka Sath" mantra and claimed that out of 32 lakh loans given to street vendors, only 0.0102 per cent went to minorities communities. Taking to Twitter, Owaisi said, "Government data destroys Modi's sabka saath myth. Out of 32 lakh loans given to street vendors, only 331 went to minorities. That's just 0.0102 per cent. This is despite the fact that a disproportionately larger number of Muslim minorities work in unorganised sector." "Modi is implementing the vision of Savarkar-Golwalkar and making Muslims second-class citizens," he added. AIMIM Chief also shared a link to a blog of a Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), in which a Right To Information (RTI) query by Venkatesh Nayak, a member of the CHRI was mentioned. According to the data shared by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on the RTI query, only 0.01 per cent of street vendors belonging to minority communities have benefitted from the Centre's PM SVANidhi scheme between June 2020 and May 2022. A total of 32.26 lakh loans were disbursed across the country under the scheme during this period of which only 331 of these beneficiaries are street vendors belonging to minority communities. This is 0.0102 per cent of the total number of beneficiaries. The RTI query also mentioned that only 3.15 per cent of beneficiaries were from the ST category and just 0.92 per cent were persons with disabilities (PwD). Maharashtra reported the highest number (162) of minority community beneficiaries, followed by Delhi (110), Telangana (22), Gujarat (12) and Odisha (8). Andhra Pradesh reported three disbursals and Rajasthan two in this category. Uttar Pradesh reported the highest success rate of 100 per cent, meaning all 12 applications were able to secure the first loan, followed by Delhi, Telangana and Gujarat. Even though Maharashtra did record the largest number of applications for both first and second loans, the success rate in the state was only 56.45 per cent. When it comes to those in the PwD category, Tamil Nadu had the highest number of first loan applications (8,631) followed by Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. Out of the loans disbursed to those in the PwD category, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number (7,278) for first and second loans. The country-wide PM SVANidhi scheme for street vendors was implemented by the Centre in June 2020. (ANI)
Efforts are being made to rescue people trapped under the debris, added the SP.

The forensic team and bomb disposal squad are on the spot.

"Six people died after a house collapsed due to a blast in Chhapra. We are investigating the reason behind the explosion. The forensic team and Bomb disposal squad have also been called," Santosh Kumar, Saran SP told mediapersons in Chhapra.

Meanwhile, the injured persons have been admitted to the Sadar hospital in Chhapra. The condition of the injured persons is stated to be critical.

The blast took place in the house of the person named Riyaz Mian in Khodaibagh village under Khaira police station. The explosion took place today.

Firecrackers in large quantities were kept in the Mian's house. Riyaz Mian is a firecracker trader, who allegedly sold crackers illegally during marriages. It is alleged that the house was an illegal manufacturing unit for firecrackers.

The intensity of the explosion not only destroyed the house but also damaged the six adjoining houses. Cracks have appeared in more than six adjoining houses. (ANI)
Former Karnataka chief minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa on Saturday said that the decision on whether his son would contest from the Shikaripura constituency would be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda. Earlier on Friday Yediyurappa said that he would not be contesting from the Shikaripura constituency in the next Assembly elections and urged people to support his son BY Vijayendra. While talking to ANI, he said, "I gave a statement on Friday after yielding to the insistence of the people of Shikaripura that I would leave it to Vijayendra. However, the decision of the BJP leaders is final in this matter." "Vijayendra has the power to win in any part, including the Old Mysore region, I gave a statement as per the demand of the people of Shikaripura. However, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and BJP National President J P Nadda will act according to the decision of the party leaders including high command," he added. "Confusion has arisen from my statement on Friday. I will not contest assembly elections. However, the people of Shikaripura insisted on contesting the next election. Then, I gave a statement that I will not contest, Vijayendra will contest," he stated. "All I have given is advice. The top brass of the party will decide in which constituency Vijayendra should contest. Vijayendra will contest in the constituency suggested by Modi, Amit Shah and Nadda," he further stated. On being asked about th speculation that he is being cornered, "It is far from the truth that I have been cornered in the party. Our party has made a municipal councillor four times the chief minister. It is the BJP that has raised the common worker to such a height. I am satisfied and relieved," Yediyurappa told. He claimed that he will win 140 MLAs in the next election and bring BJP back to power. On Siddaramaiah's allegation that Vijayendra was involved in the illegal examination of police sub-inspector recruitment is not true, he said, "Such a statement does not beautify the position of the leader of the opposition party. He is acting as if he is a thief. He demanded that Siddaramaiah apologizes to the people of the state." (ANI)
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu released the biography of ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada titled "Sing, Dance and Pray" at Upa-Rashtrapati Nivas on Sunday. According to a press release issued by the Vice President's Secretariat, Naidu said that Indian civilisation stands for the universal values of unity, peace and social harmony, and called for a "spiritual renaissance" to preserve and propagate these age-old values. Addressing a gathering after releasing the book, the Vice President asked youngsters to take inspiration from great saints and spiritual masters like Swami Prabhupada and imbibe qualities of discipline, hard work, patience and empathy to become better human beings. "You must always rise above narrow considerations of caste, gender, religion and region and work for bringing unity, harmony and peace in society," he added. The book authored by Dr Hindol Sengupta is the biography of Srila Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON. Crediting Srila Prabhupada with the popularisation of The Bhagavad Gita's message across the world, the Vice President called him one of the greatest ambassadors of India's cultural heritage in the modern era. He said that "Spirituality has been the soul of our nation and the foundation of our civilisation since ancient times." "Our scripture The Bhagavad Gita provides insightful solutions to all the problems of human existence, ranging from approaches to liberation from suffering, to self-realisation and attaining moksha or salvation, to the nature and significance of dharma to the overriding importance of action, devotion and a wide array of other philosophical questions," he added. Calling India the land of devotion, Naidu said that bhakti runs through the veins of Indians and is the lifeline of India's collective civilizational consciousness. He pointed out that many rishis, munis and acharyas in India had uplifted the masses through the non-sectarian, universal method of worship, and lauded Srila Prabhupada for preaching the message of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam". Describing Srila Prabhupada as a torchbearer of egalitarian thought, the Vice President said that he embraced those discarded by society and brought joy and fulfilment to their lives. Naidu said, "The only criterion he stressed was bhakti, or love of God". The Vice President also appreciated the efforts of Madhu Pandit Das, President of ISKCON, Bengaluru in carrying forward his Guru's mission. He also commended the ISKCON-led Akshaya Patra Foundation -- the world's largest NGO-run school lunch programme - for rendering invaluable service to underprivileged children and communities. Congratulating the author Dr Hindol Sengupta and ISKCON Bangalore for publishing the book - "Sing, Dance, and Pray", the Vice President termed it a fitting tribute to Srila Prabhupada on his 125th birth anniversary. He expressed the hope that the biography will inspire its readers to apply this principle in their daily lives. He also encouraged the author and the publishers to get the book translated into various Indian languages. President of ISKCON Bangalore and Chairman of Akshaya Patra Madhu Pandit Dasa, Vice Chairman Chanchalapathi Dasa, author of the book and historian, Dr Hindol Sengupta, devotees from ISKCON and others were present during the book launch ceremony. (ANI)
The Uttarakhand government on Sunday directed all the districts in the state to increase surveillance to prevent new cases of COVID-19. As per the information from Uttarakhand Health Ministry, the state has been observing a significant rise in Covid cases for the last two weeks, which took the rate of infection close to 14 per cent on Saturday. After reporting the increased cases of Covid infection in the state, the government issued directions for its prevention. The Directorate General of Health has also issued an advisory for the same. As per Uttarakhand's 6 pm Health Bulletin, it recorded 260 positive cases on July 23, which took the state's total cumulative covid positive cases (since January 1) to 95,808."103 people recovered from the infection on Saturday. Out of the 2,060 samples sent for testing on Saturday, 1,040 Active cases were reported from the state," it read. Earlier on Thursday, Uttarakhand Health Secretary in charge and Director of the National Health Mission Dr R Rajesh Kumar told ANI that the guidelines of the government regarding COVID infections were in place. "The government is ensuring that all the precautions like wearing masks and maintaining social distancing also take place," he said. Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday informed that with a slight drop in the reported Covid infections, India has recorded 20,279 new cases after 3,83,657 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. According to the Health Ministry, 87.25 crore Covid tests have been conducted in the country so far. With the current rate of COVID-19 active cases at 0.35 per cent, India's active caseload currently stands at 1,52,200, while its daily positivity rate currently and weekly positivity rate stands at 5.29 per cent and 4.46 per cent, respectively. The Ministry, via its official report, also informed that the country has also seen 18,143 recoveries in the last 24 hours which took the total recoveries in India to 4,32,10,522, with the current recovery rate at 98.45 per cent. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the event marking the 10th death anniversary of former Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Harmohan Singh Yadav on Monday at 4:30 pm via video conferencing. PM Modi's participation is in recognition of the great contribution of the late leader of the Yadav community to farmers, backward classes and other sections of the society. Singh was a towering figure and leader of the Yadav community. He remained active in politics for a long time. His son Sukhram Singh Yadav was also a former Rajya Sabha MP. He was born on October 18, 1921, in 'Meharban Singh Ka Purva' village of Kanpur. He entered into politics when he was 31 years old. He became village 'pradhan' in 1952. He served in various capacities including as MLC and MLA in Uttar Pradesh from 1970 to 1990. In 1991, he was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha for the first time and served as a member of several parliamentary committees. In 1997, he was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha for the second time. He also served as the national chairman of 'Akhil Bhartiya Yadav Mahasabha'. Singh had close relations with Chaudhary Charan Singh and Ram Manohar Lohia. He resisted the emergency and was also jailed while protesting for farmer's rights. He was an important leader of the Samajwadi Party and had very close relations with Mulayam Singh Yadav. After the death of Chaudhary Charan Singh, it was Harmohan who proposed to Yadav Mahasabha that Mulayam Singh Yadav should become their leader now. This led to a tremendous rise in the stature of Mulayam Singh Yadav. With the help of his son Sukhram Singh, Harmohan Yadav established many educational institutions in and around Kanpur. Harmohan Singh Yadav died on July 25, 2012. Six years before the 1984 anti-Sikh riots took place, Harmohan Singh and his family moved to a new place where most of the population was Sikh. Yadav had a good relationship with the Sikhs and would help them occasionally. During the riots, Yadav was at home with his son Sukhram. They had with them a rifle, carbine, and guns. When the infuriated mob approached their locality, they moved to the terrace and fired in the air, driving back the attackers. Local Sikhs went to Yadav's house for shelter, and the Yadav family protected them from attack until the attackers were dispersed or arrested. For protecting the lives of the Sikhs, former Indian president Ramaswamy Venkataraman awarded Yadav the Shaurya Chakra in 1991, an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice. This isn't the first instance of PM Modi's display of bipartisanship. PM Modi's political journey has been full of several instances of display of bipartisanship. Even though Mulayam Singh has been his political adversary, PM Modi has always maintained excellent relations with him. PM has always wished him on his birthdays. In February 2015, PM Modi went to Saifai, Uttar Pradesh to attend the wedding-related function of Mulayam Singh Yadav's Nephew Tej Pratap Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Rajlakshmi. Recently, the Prime Minister called Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav and enquired about former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav's health when he was not well. When PM went to Patna to inaugurate the centenary celebrations of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, the first thing he did was to enquire about Lalu's health on meeting Tejasvi Yadav. In November 2017, PM Modi went to meet the then Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi at his house in Chennai to enquire about his health. At that time, BJP ally AIADMK government was in power in Tamil Nadu and bitterness between DMK and AIADMK is well known but still, PM rose above politics and went to his house. PM Modi has had very good relations with former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda. He has appreciated that PM Modi has always replied to his tweets and requests. When he went to the Statue of Unity, PM Modi praised him on Twitter. Deve Gowda had challenged Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections that if the BJP came to power on its own, then he would resign from Lok Sabha. After all the celebrations were over, he sought an appointment with Modi, for which he agreed. When his car reached the portico of the Parliament, PM Modi himself came there to receive him. "I have had knee pain since then, which is still continuing. Whatever kind of person he is, that day when my car came to the portico, Modi himself came, held me by my hand and took me inside. This was for a person who had opposed him (Modi) so much," Gowda said. Deve Gowda said that his respect for PM Modi increased manifold when he turned down his offer to resign from the Lok Sabha as PM told him that things said in the election campaign must not be taken to heart and his experience is valuable for other parliamentarians. In February 2021, PM Modi gave an emotional speech during the farewell of Rajya Sabha opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad. Speaking during the farewell, PM Modi choked up as he recalled an episode when the two were chief ministers. "I will never forget Ghulam Nabi Azad's efforts and Shri Pranab Mukherjee's efforts when people from Gujarat were stuck in Kashmir due to a terror attack. Ghulam Nabi Ji was constantly following up, he sounded as concerned as if those stuck were his own family members," an emotional PM Modi said. "I won't let you [Ghulam Nabi Azad] retire, will continue taking your advice. My doors are always open for you," PM added. A PM displaying such emotions and choking up while recalling his contributions, for someone who was leader of his rival opposition party, speaks volumes of his statesmanship. In August 2016, Congress President Sonia Gandhi's roadshow in Varanasi was terminated midway after she reportedly fell sick. Sonia cut short her visit and left for Delhi on her doctor's advice. PM Modi wished for her speedy recovery. He also spoke to Priyanka Gandhi and Sheila Dikshit and enquired about Sonia Gandhi's health. PM Modi offered to send a doctor to treat her and a plane to fly the Congress president back to Delhi. Similarly, during her Gujarat visit, when there was a snag in her chopper, PM had enquired about her well-being. PM Modi did all this for someone who has been a bitter adversary shows his bipartisan nature. Between 2004 to 2009, when the entire Central government was against the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, he maintained extremely cordial relations with then Gujarat Governor Naval Kishore Sharma. In July, 2009, Modi got emotional during Naval Kishore Sharma's farewell. "He (the governor) taught me the beauty of democracy and, in a way, he indirectly guided me to run the state like a father guides a son. I'll always remain his disciple. Panditji will retire from his post but will always remain a father figure for me." Sharma praised Chief Minister Narendra Modi and said he was 'full of energy'. When Naval Kishore Sharma passed away in October 2012, Modiji especially visited Jaipur to pay his last tributes to him. PM Modi has very warm relations with ex-President Pranab Mukherjee. PM wrote an emotional heartwarming letter to Pranab Mukherjee on his last day at the office as President. Pranab Mukherjee shared the letter and said that he was extremely touched by the gesture. Mukherjee in his book wrote he had very cordial relations with PM Modi during his tenure. On the passing away of Pranab Mukherjee, PM Modi wrote a letter and shared his very personal expressions of grief pointing to a special relationship that the two had forged over the years. Both these leaders were from rival political parties. Both were from different regions and had different backgrounds and political journeys. Yet, at the top of the political hierarchy, the leaders displayed impeccable camaraderie and worked together in cohesion. PM Modi has good relations with Sharad Pawar even though he has been his political opponent. PM has greatly valued and has always been willing to learn from Sharad Pawar's knowledge and experience in the field of agriculture and cooperatives. He also went to his home turf Baramati twice. Apart from this, a unique aspect of the Padma awards in recent years has been that the government under the leadership of PM Modi has not shied away from giving the award to Opposition leaders to mark their contributions. PM Modi has often stated that keeping politics aside, awards should recognize those who contributed to the great cause of India. In 2022, the Former Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad, and CPM leader Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee were honoured with Padma Bhushan. Former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh were also conferred with Padma Bhushan in 2021, The government also recognized the contribution of Former President Pranab Mukherjee and conferred him with Bharat Ratna in 2019. NCP leader Sharad Pawar was honoured also by Padma Vibhushan in 2017. (ANI)
President of Flag Foundation of India (FFI) Naveen Jindal on Sunday welcomed the latest Amendment to the Flag Code of India 2002 after which a common citizen can hoist and unfurl the national flag 24 hours a day (day and night) at their homes and office locations, said a statement issued by the FFI. Earlier, in 2009, the government had permitted that the tricolour can be flown day and night on "giant flagpoles with proper illuminance and power backup" after Naveen Jindal had given a representation to the government. "This is a very progressive decision. This amendment to the Flag Code of India will definitely encourage more and more people to display the Tiranga with dignity and pride on all days of the year and will also give a boost to the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign. Jai Hind," Jindal tweeted. "It has been Jindal's dream to see the Tiranga reach every house in the country and he has appealed to the people to display it with pride and take inspiration from our Tiranga," the statement said. Successive governments have time and again amended the rules to ensure the flag reaches more and more people--- allowing people to wear the flag, allowing monumental flags, recent amendment in the Flag Code for cloth material and now this amendment to fly the flag 24 hours. "FFI has given representations and written letters to MHA asking for the same and today it is indeed a proud moment for each one of us," said in a statement. Till 2004, ordinary citizens were not allowed to display the national flag except on select days. In a decade-long legal struggle, Jindal won all Indians the right to display the Tiranga on all days of the year with dignity and pride, release stated. His struggle for the Tricolour began in early 1992 when he hoisted the Tricolour at his plant in Raigarh. The then Commissioner of Bilaspur objected to it on the ground that as per the Flag Code of India, a private citizen was not permitted to fly the Indian flag except on certain days. Jindal filed a petition before the High Court arguing that no law could forbid Indian citizens from flying the national flag. The High Court allowed the petition and held that the Flag Code of India was not a valid restriction on the right to freedom of expression under Article 19 of the Indian Constitution. The Union of India filed an appeal against this decision to the Supreme Court on whether citizens were free to fly the national flag was only a policy decision, and could not be subject to court interference. "The matter then came up for hearing before the Supreme Court which observed that prima facie they see no reason why citizens cannot express patriotism by displaying the national flag," it said. The court also observed that restrictions on flying the national flag only on certain days by private citizens seemed unsustainable. On January 23, 2004, the Supreme Court dismissed the civil appeal filed by the Union of India against the judgment and order dated 22 September 1995 of the Delhi High Court and held that flying the national flag was a symbol of expression that came within the right to freedom of expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. (ANI)
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday, in an apparent swipe at the Congress, confirmed having a conversation with Opposition candidate for the vice presidential polls, Margaret Alva, who reached out to the chief ministers of various states as part of her campaign. Sarma said he "politely" told Alva that he has "no role" in the election of the Vice President. The Assam CM's remarks came after Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said that Alva's conversations with the chief ministers of Assam, Karnataka and Delhi were "very cordial and friendly". "Smt. @alva_margaret took charge of her campaign office at 1, Pt Ravi Shankar Shukla Lane today. She spoke to CM Assam, CM Karnataka, and CM Delhi as part of her Vice Presidential campaign. The conversations were very cordial & friendly given her long political career & associations," Ramesh tweeted. Responding to his tweet, Sarma, while confirming having a conversation with the Oppostion's candidate, said that he is "not a member of the electoral college". "Smt. @alva_margaret spoke to me this morning. I politely told her that I'm not a member of the electoral college. As such I have no role in the election of Vice President of India," Sarma tweeted quoting the Congress leader's tweet. Notably, the Vice President of India is elected by the electoral college consisting of the MPs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha which is in accordance with the system of proportional representation. Only the members of the Parliament are eligible to vote in this election while the chief ministers of the states are ineligible to cast their votes, unlike the Presidential elections in which the MLAs cast their votes via secret ballots. Interestingly, Alva held conversations with the chief ministers of various states. She met Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday and sought his support for the upcoming Vice Presidential polls slated to be held on August 6. She filed her nomination for the election on July 19. Earlier Saturday, Alva said that she would even ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president JP Nadda to vote for her. "I have started talking to the Chief Ministers of all the states who are supporting me but I will also talk to the chief ministers who are not in my support. For example, I will talk to Karnataka CM, Assam CM and even UP Chief Minister Yogi," Alva told ANI. "Adityanath because we have an old relationship with him when he was MP and Adityanath is my good friend," he added. She further stated that she will also talk to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee."The basis for seeking votes from everyone is that I am a woman and for the first time in front of the country, there is a woman Vice Presidential candidate, so everyone should support me," she added. On being asked whether she will write a letter to the Prime Minister and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda for votes? she said, "Why not? The Prime Minister is also an MP." NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar will face Opposition candidate and veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Margaret Alva in the August 6 Vice Presidential election. Opposition parties on July 17 decided to field former Rajasthan Governor and former Union minister Alva as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election. The decision to field Alva was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders of 17 parties at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. (ANI)
Union Minister of AYUSH and Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday said the National Institute of Unani Medicine (NIUM) Ghaziabad will help in mainstreaming and integration of AYUSH healthcare services with modern medicines. The Union minister on Sunday inspected the newly constructed campus of NIUM in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad. NIUM, Ghaziabad is a satellite institute of the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bengaluru and will be the first of its kind to be established in the northern region of India, the AYUSH ministry said. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that national policy on health envisages inter alia mainstreaming of AYUSH in healthcare and also to integrate these systems in areas of education, and research in all tiers of healthcare delivery. He said that the Ministry of AYUSH has undertaken various steps to encourage R&D and innovation, and develop apex Institutes for education, and research in Unani Medicine. "I am confident this Unani institute will popularize the AYUSH system and cater to the needs of northern region of the country," he further added. The foundation stone for NIUM was laid on March 1, 2019. The ministry said that this institute will produce high-quality professionals in various streams of Unani medicine. The institute will have 14 departments and will provide PG and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Unani medicine. The Institute will also focus on fundamental aspects, drug development, quality control, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Unani medicine and practices, the release stated. The Institute will establish Bench Mark standards in Education, Health Care and Research. National Institute of Unani Medicine, Ghaziabad has been constructed at a cost of Rs 381 crore and shall also function as an international collaboration centre for global promotion and research in Unani medicine. The Institute will have a pivotal role in making bilateral and multilateral collaborations with universities/research organizations of international repute. (ANI)
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give necessary directions to the concerned authorities and ministries to make necessary amendments in the relevant Central acts for allowing medical students who have returned from war-torn Ukraine to complete their education in Indian institution. His demand came soon after the Parliament was told that the National Medical Commission does not permit to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students to any Indian medical college or university. Stalin, in the letter, pointed out that even though the reply in the Parliament was given in response to steps taken in certain states regarding admission to medical colleges, this has brought to light the uncertain future of medical students who came back to the country from war-torn Ukraine, thus, dropping their medical education midway. He said that considering the present situation in Ukraine, it may not be practically possible for the students to return to colleges there and that uncertainty will prevail even after the war ends. According to him, since the commencement of war in Ukraine, around 2,000 medical students have returned to Tamil Nadu, thus, making it the state with the maximum number of Ukraine returnees. If the government is having difficulties in amending the relevant Central acts for medical admission, then it should take necessary steps at the earliest to provide the students with an alternative option to continue their education in foreign universities with similar regulations and academic ambience, he said. The Tamil Nadu government would provide full cooperation to all the efforts taken by the Prime Minister and the Centre in this matter, he added. --IANS aal/sks ( 288 Words) 2022-07-24-19:02:02 (IANS)
Bankshall Court in Kolkata on Sunday sent West Bengal cabinet minister and former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee to one-day custody of the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an alleged teachers recruitment scam. Arpita Mukherjee will be produced before a special court on Monday. Earlier on Saturday, ED arrested Mukherjee after the probe agency recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the aide Arpita Mukherjee's residence on Friday. Yesterday, ED also arrested Partha Chatterjee following the raids by the probe agency which seized Rs 20 crore in cash from her residential premises in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state. After his arrest, the Bankshall Court in Kolkata granted ED two days of custody of Chatterjee on Saturday. However, Chatterjee developed pain in his heart and was later admitted to SSKM hospital. Notably, ED prayed before the magistrate to allow Chatterjee to be taken to Command Hospital instead of the state-run SSKM. ED said that Chatterjee is a senior minister and his roots are deep in government hospitals, where he can be influential. However, the court ordered Chatterjee to be taken to SSKM Hospital. "Partha Chatterjee (West Bengal cabinet minister and former Education Minister of the state) is not feeling well. He has developed pain in his heart. We demanded that proper medical facilities should be given to him if ED's custody is granted," said Chatterjee's lawyer. Pertinent to mention, the arrests were made at Chatterjee's residence in Kolkata where the ED team was present since Friday. Earlier on Friday, ED officials raided the residences of West Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari and several others and recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The said amount is suspected to be the proceeds of the crime of said SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines. A total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, said the probe agency.Besides cash, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold have also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam. (ANI)
West Bengal cabinet minister Partha Chatterjee who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday will be shifted to AIIMS Bhubaneswar on Monday. This comes after Calcutta High Court's order. The doctors in AIIMS Bhubaneswar will furnish the medical reports, as per the direction of the court. Chatterjee is currently admitted in SSKM Hospital in Kolkata after he complained of chest pain. On Saturday, ED arrested Chatterjee following the raids by the central probe agency which seized Rs 21 crore in cash from the premises of his close associate Arpita Mukherjee, in connection with an alleged teacher recruitment scam in the state. After his arrest, the Bankshall Court in Kolkata granted two days of ED custody to Chatterjee on Saturday. However, Chatterjee developed heart pain and was later admitted to SSKM hospital. Notably, ED prayed before the magistrate to allow Chatterjee to be taken to Command Hospital instead of state-run SSKM. ED said that Chatterjee is a senior minister and his roots are deep in government hospitals, where he can be influential. However, the court ordered Chatterjee to be taken to SSKM Hospital. "Partha Chatterjee (West Bengal cabinet minister and former Education Minister of the state) is not feeling well. He has developed heartache. We demanded that proper medical facilities should be given to him if ED's custody is granted," said Chatterjee's lawyer. The arrests were made at Chatterjee's residence in Kolkata where the ED team was present since Friday.Earlier on Friday, ED officials raided the residences of West Bengal ministers Partha Chatterjee and Paresh Adhikari and several others and recovered huge cash amounting to approximately Rs 20 crore from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The said amount is suspected to be the proceeds of the crime of said SSC scam. The search team is taking the assistance of bank officials for the counting of cash through cash counting machines. A total of more than 20 mobile phones have also been recovered from the premises of Arpita Mukherjee, the purpose and use of which are being ascertained, said the probe agency. Besides cash, a number of other incriminating documents, records, details of dubious companies, electronic devices, foreign currency and gold have also been recovered from the various premises of the persons linked to the scam. (ANI)
A war of words erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday after the latter shared an edited clip of Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting outgoing President Ram Nath Kovind at the farewell ceremony. Taking to Twitter, AAP's Sanjay Singh shared a video of leaders greeting President Ram Nath Kovind at the farewell ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament. In the purported video, PM Modi can be seen standing, while other Members of Parliament (MPs) including Union Minister Piyush Goyal welcome the President with folded hands. Questioning the purported video, Sanjay Singh wrote in a tweet, "Such an insult. Very Sorry Sir. These people are like this, your term is over, now they will not even look at you." In response to this, BJP's IT cell chief Amit Malviya lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Pary and called Singh as a 'fake news peddler'. Sharing the longer version of the video which shows PM Modi welcoming Kovind with folded hands before all other leaders, Malviya asked in a tweet, "Fake news peddler Sanjay Singh at it again. Whose (from Kejriwal to Sisodia) lies are caught every day, and habit of tolerating humiliation, how do you know the way people are respected?" The Parliament hosted a farewell to President Ram Nath Kovind on Saturday evening. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, and Members of Parliament - both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha - attended the farewell ceremony in the Central Hall of Parliament. Earlier on Sunday, Sanjay Singh also lashed out at the Centre for spreading hatred toward the Kejriwal government. "PM Modi ji is afraid of (Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convenor) Arvind Kejriwal ji and does anything without any logic," Singh said. "Like till now, he has levied 150+ fake cases against AAP leaders. Similarly, Centre has also levelled fabricated allegations on Manish Sisodia ji. In the case of Satyendar Jain ji, one of their leaders had apologized," Singh added. Union minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday had lashed out at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and accused him of shielding deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia after Delhi's lieutenant governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the Delhi Excise Police, 2021-22 over alleged violations of rules and procedural lapses. (ANI)
Notwithstanding the recent incidents of flight diversions due to technical snags and other scares in the air, former Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is also a trained pilot, said that flying remains the safest mode of travel despite a few cases of technical glitches. "Air travel is still the safest mode of transportation. The IATA World Air Trasport Statistics revealed in 2021 that out of 9.9 lakh flights operated across the world, there was only one accident. Passengers must realise that they are travelling in the safest mode of transportation," said Rudy, who was the Civil Aviation Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government between 2003 and 2004. He said the main factor responsible for passenger safety is the training of the staff, including the engineers, pilots and other ground support workers, which is of paramount importance. "Other important factors are maintenance, which lies with the ground support staff, the health of the airlines and the overall infrastructure, which in our case is controlled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," he said. Talking about the recent incident of a New Delhi-bound SpiceJet flight returning to Patna after being hit by a bird, Rudy said the Patna the airport is situated in the middle of the city, so there are always chances of bird ingestion, which happened recently with the flight which landed in Karachi. Rudy also said that despite growth, the aviation industry is in distress in India. "At the policy level, there are macro issues which the government has to address," he said. Rudy also said that a few airlines may shut shop due to cashflow problems, as the industry is heavily dependent on cash which has a direct impact on safety. Repeated MELs and snags and swapping spares compromises safety, he added. --IANS miz/arm ( 316 Words) 2022-07-24-20:12:03 (IANS)
After Opposition's Vice-Presidential candidate Margaret Alva informed that she spoke to a few Chief Ministers like Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai, the Assam CM on Sunday confirmed having a conversation with the former and asserted that he has no role to play in Vice Presidential polls as he is not a member of the electoral college. "Smt. @alva_margaret spoke to me this morning. I politely told her that I'm not a member of the electoral college. As such I have no role in the election of Vice President of India," tweeted Sarma on Saturday. This development comes days after Trinamool Congress (TMC) decided to abstain from voting in Vice-Presidential elections. Vice Presidential candidate Margaret Alva on Sunday said that she will ask Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National President Jagat Prakash Nadda to vote for her. "I have started talking to the Chief Ministers of all the states who are supporting me but I will also talk to the chief minister who is not in my support. For example, I will talk to Karnataka CM, Assam CM and even UP Chief Minister Yogi," Alva told ANI. "Adityanath because we have an old relationship with him when he was MP and Adityanath is my good friend," he added. She further stated that she will also talk to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. "The basis for seeking votes from everyone is that I am a woman and for the first time in front of the country, there is a woman Vice Presidential candidate, so everyone should support me," she added. On being asked whether she will write a letter to the Prime Minister and BJP President Jagat Prakash Nadda for votes? she said, "why not? the Prime Minister is also an MP." Alva, while referring to her contribution to the political and social field, said that she has done a lot of work and is quite popular among people. "Today I inaugurated the Campaign Office and I have started communicating with everyone," she stated. NDA's candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar will face Opposition candidate and veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Margaret Alva in the August 6 Vice Presidential election. Alva the Opposition candidate for the Vice-Presidential poll, filed her nomination for the Vice Presidential election on Tuesday. Opposition parties on July 17 decided to field former Rajasthan Governor and former Union minister Alva as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election. The decision to field Alva was taken at a meeting of opposition leaders of 17 parties at the residence of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. The NDA has fielded West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar as its joint candidate for the post of Vice President. (ANI)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that those criticising the country's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru must remember not to question either his intention or integrity. In his address at an event to commemorate the 'Kargil Vijay Diwas', he said that there are a lot of people who criticise Nehru and that "I also belong to a political party... I do not want to criticise any Prime Minister of the country". "I also do not question the intention and integrity of any Prime Minister. There was no failure in their intention," he said, in a reference to the 1962 India-China war. "We indeed faced defeat in 1962, but India is no longer that same nation. India is one of the strongest nations now. I don't target the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru for the 1962 debacle. I criticise the policies India adopted then," he asserted. He said today India is self-sufficient in the field of defence. "India speaks today and the World listens. India is no longer weak. We can criticise anyone's policies, but we cannot afford to cast a doubt on anyone's intention," he said. --IANS sq/vd ( 202 Words) 2022-07-24-20:44:05 (IANS)
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the abrogation of Article 370 has brought a new dawn of hope to the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. "India has become a strong and confident nation which is well-equipped to protect its people from anyone who tries to cast an evil eye," said Rajnath Singh during an event organised to commemorate 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' in Jammu on July 24, 2022. Paying glowing tributes to the freedom fighters and the Armed Forces personnel who have laid down their lives since independence in the service of the nation, Rajnath Singh stated that it was the spirit of national pride at the core of their values that protected the unity and integrity of India. He asserted that the sole aim of the Government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is to safeguard the interests of the Nation and it has taken a series of steps to develop a self-reliant defence ecosystem that provides indigenous state-of-the-art weapons/equipment to the Armed Forces to fight all kinds of future wars. "Our priority is to achieve Aatmanirbharta in Defence as it is central to developing a robust security apparatus for the safety and security of the nation. To realise this vision, 68 per cent of the defence budget has been earmarked for procurement of defence equipment from domestic sources. From a net importer, we have now become a net exporter which is not only catering to our own needs, but is also fulfilling the requirements of our friendly countries, in line with the 'Make in India, Make for the World' vision," he said. "Due to the recent measures taken by the Government, India today finds itself among the top 25 exporters of the world in defence items. We have set a target to achieve Rs 35,000 crore worth of exports by 2025 and become a top exporter in the times to come. Our aim is to make India a global superpower. This will be a fitting tribute to our fallen heroes who made the supreme sacrifice while dreaming of an India which is strong, prosperous, self-reliant and victorious," said Singh. Sharing his views on the numerous challenges faced by India post-independence, Rajnath Singh said, the entire area of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh became the 'Main War Theatre' during 1948, 1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999 wars, when enemies tried to cast an evil eye, but whose plans were thwarted by the gallant Indian soldiers. He spoke about the brave deeds of Brigadier Usman and Major Somnath Sharma in 1948; Major Shaitan Singh's valour in 1962; India's historic victory in 1971 war and the contribution of Kargil bravehearts Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Manoj Pandey who laid down their lives to protect the unity & integrity of India and continue to be an inspiration to the people, especially the youth. He also paid respects to the Indian soldiers who displayed unmatched bravery during the Galwan valley incident and ensured that the Indian tricolour continues to fly high. "After tasting defeats in direct wars of 1965 and 1971, Pakistan adopted the path of Proxy War. For over two decades, it has tried to 'Bleed India with Thousand Cuts'. But, time and again, our brave soldiers have shown that no one can disturb the unity, integrity and sovereignty of India," Singh added, assuring the Nation that the Armed Forces are ready to face all future challenges. Rajnath Singh remembered the then Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his leadership and words of encouragement to the Armed Forces personnel during the Kargil war despite numerous challenges and international pressure. He termed the victory as a prime example of jointness among the three Services and their coordination with the Government which safeguarded the sovereignty and integrity of the nation during testing times. "The Kargil war underlined the dire need to achieve jointness and self-reliance in the defence sector. It has been our endeavour to achieve these qualities to remain prepared for future challenges. Setting up of Joint Theatre Commands and reforms to achieve self-reliance in defence are the steps taken in that direction," he added. Rajnath Singh also made special mention of the support extended by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to the Armed Forces, commending their commitment to safeguard the interests of the Nation like all other states. He stated that J&K will always be an integral part of India and the Government is ensuring that the Union Territory, like the rest of the country, touches newer heights of progress. Terming Article 370 as an artificial legal barrier, he asserted that its abrogation brought a new dawn of hope to the dreams and aspirations of the people of J&K, especially the youth. The decision opened new avenues for the welfare of the people and the Union Territory is now progressing at a much faster rate, he said. On PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan, the Defence Minister stated that these areas are illegally occupied by Pakistan and a resolution to free it has been unanimously passed in Parliament of India. A number of serving Armed Forces personnel as well as veterans, including Param Vir Chakra awardee Captain Bana Singh, were among those present on the occasion. (ANI)
"We had a Chief Minister's Council meeting on July 24. All Chief Ministers met BJP chief JP Nadda. I had a detailed discussion regarding the polls in Himachal Pradesh of which two topics were discussed in detail. I'll further discuss this with party colleagues and take forward our poll campaigns," Thakur said to ANI on Sunday.

Notably, Legislative Assembly elections will be held in Himachal Pradesh in 2022 to elect 68 members of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a meeting with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states at the party headquarters in Delhi to deliberate on the developmental work done by them.

The meeting was also attended by the BJP president, JP Nadda, its senior leader and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and Vinay Sahsrabuddhe, who heads the party's good governance cell.

The chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of 18 states where the BJP is in power on its own or in alliance with other parties held deliberations on achieving a 100 per cent target of all centrally sponsored welfare schemes and flagship programmes, sources said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are among those who attended the meeting.

Nagaland Chief Minister Nephio Rio, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha are also present.

Several deputy chief ministers including Maharashtra's Devendra Fadnavis and Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi from Bihar attended the meeting. (ANI)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenksyy on Saturday accused Russia of routinely violating agreements after the Odesa attack. "This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it," Zelenskyy said during a meeting with US lawmakers, according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency. The accusations come after Russian missile strikes hit the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa, just one day after Ukraine and Russia agreed on a deal that would allow the resumption of vital grain exports from the region. Serhii Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa military administration, said two missiles hit the infrastructure of the port and two were shot down by Ukraine's air defence. At least six explosions were heard in Odesa, according to Ukrainian member of parliament Oleksiy Goncharenko. Meanwhile, the UN and EU condemned the strike on Odessa, reported France24. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the attack. "The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says in a statement. "Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey are imperative," Haq adds. The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell slams what he called Russia's "reprehensible" missile attack. "Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of (the) Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he tweeted. Meanwhile, Russia denied attacks on the Ukrainian port after the grain deal, reported Xinhua. Russian officials told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday. "In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. "The fact that such an incident happened right after the agreement we made yesterday regarding the grain shipment worried us," he said. Akar said he also had phone conversations with Ukrainian ministers and received information regarding the incident. Turkey sent the two countries a message, in which it said it would like to see both sides continue their cooperation "calmly and patiently" under the agreement signed on Friday, the minister said. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkey under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website. A joint coordination center has started operating in accordance with the agreement to monitor implementation, the Turkish minister added. According to a copy of the agreement released by Andrii Sybiha, deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, the deal will be effective for 120 days and can be extended for another 120 days if neither party terminates it, reported Xinhua. Ukraine is among the world's leading grain exporters, supplying more than 45 million tons annually to the global market, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. (ANI)
"All the wounded are receiving medical care inside public and private hospitals in Tripoli," the ministry said on its Facebook page.

Clashes erupted between two rival armed groups in different parts of Tripoli late Thursday and lasted until early Friday.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Friday expressed concern about the clashes, and called on all Libyans to do everything possible to preserve the country's "fragile stability at this sensitive time."

Libya has been suffering violence and unrest ever since the fall of the late leader UNSMIL's regime in 2011. (ANI/Xinhua)
The US on Saturday condemned Russia's attack on the port of Odesa in Ukraine. Russian missile attack reportedly came after a day when the deal was signed by Ukraine and Russia to unblock grain exports amid global food shortages caused due to war. "The United States strongly condemns the Russian missile attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa today. Just 24 hours after finalizing a deal to allow the resumption of Ukrainian agricultural exports through the Black Sea, Russia breached its commitments by attacking the historic port from which grain and agricultural exports would again be transported under this arrangement," read US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken press statement. The Black Sea Grain Initiative, signed respectively by Russia and Ukraine on Friday with Turkey under the auspices of the UN in Istanbul, would allow significant volumes of commercial food and fertilizer exports from three key ports in the Black Sea -- Odesa, Chernomorsk, and Yuzhny, the UN said in a statement on its website. "The Kremlin continues to show disregard for the safety and security of millions of civilians as it perpetuates its assault on Ukraine. Russia is starving Ukraine of its economic vitality and the world of its food supply through the effective blockade of the Black Sea," added Blinken's statement. However, Russia denied attacks on the Ukrainian port after the grain deal. Russian officials told Ankara that Russia had "nothing to do" with the attacks on Ukraine's key Black Sea port of Odesa, said Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. "In our contact with Russia, the Russians told us that they had absolutely nothing to do with these attacks and that they were examining the issue very closely and in detail," Akar told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. Blinken further said that the attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russia's commitment to yesterday's deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey, and Ukraine to get critical food to world markets. "Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis and must stop its aggression and fully implement the deal to which it has agreed," added the statement. Meanwhile, the UN and EU condemned the strike on Odessa, reported France24. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "unequivocally" condemned the attack. "The Secretary-General unequivocally condemns reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa," his deputy spokesman Farhan Haq says in a statement. "Full implementation (of the deal) by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative," Haq adds. The European Union's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell slams what he called Russia's "reprehensible" missile attack. "Striking a target crucial for grain export a day after the signature of (the) Istanbul agreements is particularly reprehensible and again demonstrates Russia's total disregard for international law and commitments," he tweeted. Earlier, on Friday, a deal was reached between Ukraine and Russia where Russia promised to unblock ports on the Black Sea to allow the safe passage of grain and oilseeds, some of Ukraine's most important exports. (ANI)
Taking to her Twitter account, Shireen Mazari said, "US Embassy tracking journos and PTI."

Giving details, she said that a senior journalist from a leading English daily made a telephone call to her and discussed the cypher issue on Thursday evening, reported The News International.

Mazari claimed that the very next morning, the journalist received a telephone call from the US embassy and a person named Laeeq asked him if he was doing a story on the cypher because he had discussed the matter with the PTI leaders.

"So now we have US emb listening in to journos &/or our cells," she wrote.

She further asked if the US has been given official spying access by "the conspirators of the US regime change conspiracy - those who themselves have this intrusive wherewithal," reported The News International.

Taking a jab at the coalition government, the PTI leader said, "Subservience to US is on once again!"

Earlier, PTI chief and former Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed of alleged US conspiracy to oust him from power.

Khan was ousted through a vote of no-confidence in April. Since his ouster from power, he has continued to claim that there was a "foreign conspiracy" by the United States and the then opposition.

In a video message, Imran Khan said that he has recorded a video which involves information about those who have committed "treason" against the country. (ANI)
Budapest [Hungary], July 24 (ANI/Sputnik): Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban said on Saturday that Europe needs a new strategy aimed at peace in the Ukrainian conflict. "Hungary should not be under the illusion that we can influence the strategy of the West. Nevertheless, it is a matter of honour and morality for us to state our position that a new strategy is needed, the goal of which would be peace and the formulation of a good proposal for peace. The task of the European Union is not to take sides, but to stand between Russia and Ukraine," Orban said in the Romanian city of Baile Tusnad. (ANI/Sputnik)
The Taliban on Saturday claimed that the closing of girls' schools above sixth grade was "temporary" adding that it was not a "permanent ban." In an interview with CGTN TV, the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Abdul Qahar Balkhi said, "this suspension is a temporary suspension, and it is not a permanent ban, it has never been called a ban." Defending the Taliban, he said that the strict views of most Afghan people on the issue of education and women caused the girls' schools to remain closed, reported Tolo News. "There is a large percentage of society that has very strict ideas of what women can do and what they cannot do, and for that reason, the government is trying to take an approach that is gradual, it takes those people that do not understand some of the basic Islamic rights of Afghan citizens or of any human being, and the human rights, to try to convince them. It is due to lack of knowledge of that part of the society," he said. Balkhi added that they are trying to solve this problem. Meanwhile, girls who have been prevented from going to school for more than eleven months are asking the Taliban to reopen schools for them, reported Tolo News. "When women are not allowed to see a namhram, then who should treat a woman when she gets sick?" asked Fariha, a student. "It is very disappointing and we ask the Islamic Emirate to reopen our schools," said a student. "If a government wants to have a progressive and developed society, there is no other way except with education and interaction with the community," said Waheeda Adalatjo, university lecturer. It has been over 300 days since girls' schools have been closed, Kabul's officials have said that it depends upon the order of the leader of the Taliban. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has drawn heavy criticism across the world for a decree banning girls from school above grade sixth. Meanwhile, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) report highlighted that women's rights have eroded in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. The report stated that the erosion of women's rights has been one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date. Before the Taliban came to power, women and girls had progressively had their rights to fully participate in education, the workplace and other aspects of public and daily life. However, these rights have been restricted and in many cases completely taken away following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. A decision taken by the Taliban prevented girls from returning to secondary school which meant that a generation of girls will not complete their full 12 years of basic education. At the same time, access to justice for victims of gender-based violence has been limited by the dissolution of dedicated reporting pathways, justice mechanisms and shelters, it added. (ANI)
Pakistani netizens on Sunday trolled Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) for hosting a "comedy show" at Liberty Chowk, whereby supporters were called to stand in solidarity with Hamza Shahbaz after his position as Punjab CM came into question. Commenting on the video, journalist Cyril Almeida said that PML-N can't even seem to gather a small crowd in Liberty tonight. In another tweet, he said that TV channels were on standby for an appearance of PML-N VC Maryam Nawaz. "No word on whether the small crowd caused a cancellation," he added. The PML-N supporters were entertained by an interesting performance that had the internet reeling with laughter. The video soon went viral which attracted interesting remarks from people from all walks of life, reported The Express Tribune. Former Focal Person Digital Media to Punjab CM Azhar Mashwani sarcastically commented that the video was not of any comedy show but it was a public gathering of PML-N at Lahore's Liberty Chowk. Former Minister for energy Hammad Azhar, taking a jibe at PML-N, said, "Not sure why PML-N needs to hire street comedians to attract crowds in their flop jalsas when their top leadership offers comedy free of charge everyday." Journalist Rizwan Ahmed Ghilzai remarked on the low turnout, "Organic vs paid, the difference is quite clear at Liberty chowk." Senator Ejaz Chaudhary, commenting on the viral video, said that this is how PML-N celebrates its solidarity day. "Kaptaan has made them crazy," he added. PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, sarcastically said that artists were called from some "unknown planet to warm the blood of people," reported The Express Tribune. "The performance is being aired live in 183 countries," he added. PTI leader Dr Iftikhar Durrani termed the jalsa 'the beginning of PML-N's end'. "PML-N mustered a flop show on liberty chowk, a further evidence that PDM clan has no public support and PML-N is done and dusted across Punjab!" Journalist Asad Kharal questioned, "what's going on here?" The statement comes after massive protests across Pakistan took place against PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz's re-election as the chief minister of Punjab after the votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were rejected by the Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker. On Friday, Pervaiz Elahi - joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q - received 186 votes, while Hamza Shahbaz got 179 votes. However, 10 votes of PML-Q were cancelled by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari, hence taking the figure to 176. Following the counting of votes, the deputy speaker, citing Article 63A of the Constitution, rejected ten votes cast by the PML-Q members. As a result, Hamza received 179 votes, while Elahi managed to bag 176 votes. Hamza Shehbaz took oath as Punjab Chief Minister on Saturday. Pakistan Supreme Court allowed Hamza Shahbaz to stay as a 'trustee' chief minister of Punjab till the court resumes hearing on Monday. A three-member SC bench comprising Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhter issued the verbal order during a hearing on PML-Q leader Pervez Elahi's petition against Dost Mazari's ruling in the CM election case. In its order after the day-long hearing, the court said that it cannot leave a province without a chief executive and so, "Hamza will continue to work as a trustee chief minister till Monday." The court also said Hamza is not allowed to work as per the constitution and law during the time period. Supreme Court directed Hamza Shehbaz to exercise only ceremonial powers while restraining him from exercising the absolute powers of the chief minister till Monday. Pakistan SC has summoned Mazari pm for citing Article 63A of the Constitution and not counting the votes of defecting lawmakers as well as electing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hamza Shahbaz as Punjab Chief Minister. (ANI)
Abuja [Nigeria], July 23 (ANI/Xinhua): Unidentified gunmen on Thursday attacked a community in central Nigeria's Plateau state, killing five people, local authorities said on Saturday.The five victims belonged to a family in the Fusa community in Jos East local government area of the state, police said in a statement, adding that "frantic efforts" were made to arrest the gunmen. The most populous African country has been hit by a series of armed attacks this year, which caused the death of civilians and security operatives. (ANI/Xinhua)
Lithuania is contemplating opening its trade office in Taiwan in September amid growing tensions between Beijing and Vilnius, according to media reports. Quoting Lithuanian Vice Minister of the Economy and Innovation Jovita Neliupsiene on Friday, the media outlet reported that Vilnius was planning to open its trade representative office in Taipei on September 12. The trade office is likely to be at the World Trade Center near Taipei 101 in Xinyi District, as per reports. Legislative Speaker You Si-kun had invited Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen to visit Taiwan in September or October, Taipie Times reported. Meanwhile, China on Friday protested against Lithuania for welcoming the delegation, stating it contravenes its "one China" principle. "China expresses its strong protest and firm objection to this," the Office of the Charge d'Affaires of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Lithuania said in a statement."China urges Lithuania ... to abide by the political commitment of the one-China principle, not to send a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces," it said, as cited by Taipie Times. The relations between China and Lithuania deteriorated after Taiwan opened its official representative office in Vilnius in November 2021. Beijing lodged a protest against Lithuania and later downgraded the bilateral relations to the level of charges d'affaires. Beijing in February this month, suspended imports of beef from Lithuania, according to a document released by the Chinese General Administration of Customs. China appears to be the largest beef importer in the world. According to Chinese media, the suspension of beef imports from Lithuania will not affect the domestic market since the volume of supplies is insignificant. Only one Lithuanian company has permission to supply beef to China. The European Union in January launched a case at the World Trade Organization (WTO) against China over its discriminatory trade practices against Lithuania, which it says are also hitting other exports from the EU's Single Market. China claims full sovereignty over Taiwan despite the separate two sides being governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei continues to counter the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US. (ANI)
After the World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday declared the MonkeyPox virus a public health emergency of international concern, the White House said that a coordinated international response is the need of the hour to end monkeypox spread and protect communities. Raj Panjabi, Director of White House Pandemic Preparedness Office, while commenting on WHO declaration said, "A coordinated, international response is essential to stop the spread of monkeypox, protect communities at greatest risk of contracting the disease, and combat the current outbreak." "Today's decision by the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the current monkeypox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern is a call to action for the world community to stop the spread of this virus," a White House statement read quoting Panjabi. Speaking on the reponse of the Biden administration in regards to the outbreak, the official said, "Since the earliest days of the outbreak, the Biden Administration has deployed a robust and comprehensive strategy to combat monkeypox here in the US, including dramatically scaling the procurement, distribution, and production of vaccines, expanding access to testing and treatments, and communicating with communities most at risk of contracting the virus." However, in view of the emerging situation, he noted, "But that is not enough. As the Department of Health and Human Services has said, we must step up our work to aggressively combat this virus and protect communities in the United States that have been affected by monkeypox." Meanwhile, the United States may see more cases of monkeypox before the numbers go down, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Rochelle Walensky said on Friday. "With the scale-up of testing, with the scale-up of information, we anticipate that there will be more cases before there are less," Walensky told The Washington Post. The CDC currently does not have specific projections on how serious the situation may be, Walensky added. "I do not think that we have a stable estimate now," the director said. But the director did note that the United States on Friday detected two monkeypox cases in children for the first time. The two cases are unrelated and are likely the result of household transmission, the CDC said in a statement. The agency said the children are in good health and are being treated. Both of them are doing well, but they had contact with other people, and the CDC is following up on that, Walensky added. As of July 22, the United States has altogether over 2,800 confirmed monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases, according to CDC data. Dr Ashish Jha, White House COVID-19 response coordinator, said the government has delivered 300,000 doses of a monkeypox vaccine and is working to expedite the shipment from Denmark of 7,86,000 more doses. He said there is already enough vaccine on hand to provide a first vaccine dose to more than half of the eligible population in New York City and over 70 per cent of the eligible population in Washington DC Monkeypox is a rare viral disease that is usually transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets and other contaminated materials. The disease usually results in fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes. (ANI)
The members were sent to Iran to "carry out terror operations, but were arrested prior to perpetrating any act of terror or sabotage," IRNA quoted a statement from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry as saying.

After entering Iran through the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the members were in contact with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad through a neighboring state, and were carrying advanced equipment and powerful explosives, the statement said.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which oversees Mossad, reportedly declined to comment. (ANI/Xinhua)
Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Secretary-General, Zhang Ming, who is in Pakistan on a four-day visit, held a meeting with the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari where both sides noted that Taliban must address international concerns about inclusivity, respect for all Afghans' rights, especially girls' education. Ambassador Zhang Ming started his visit to Pakistan on Thursday and is heading a delegation comprising officials from the SCO Secretariat based in Beijing. Both the leaders said that the interim Afghan authorities must address international concerns about inclusivity, respect for all Afghans' rights, especially girls' education, and ongoing counterterrorism measures. Zhang Ming, in a meeting with Pakistani FM urged the Taliban to address the concerns of the international community and uphold human rights. Meanwhile, the Pakistani side, in the meeting on Friday also highlighted the need for increased engagement with the Taliban for regional peace, stability, and connectivity. The two countries reviewed the SCO's development agenda, reported Khaama Press. Furthermore, both sides noted that the international community must provide support to resolve the humanitarian crisis as well as the economic crisis in the neighbouring country. The SCO is an eight-nation trans-regional multilateral organization that includes Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. This meeting came following the meeting of Zardari with Iran's Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs where they discussed and stressed the need for an increased constructive engagement and cooperation with the Taliban government for regional stability, as per the media portal. Earlier, the Pakistani ambassador to Afghanistan also called on the international community to enhance interaction and engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan. In a statement, Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesperson said the visit of the SCO Secretary General will provide an opportunity for Pakistan to engage with the SCO Secretariat while highlighting its perspective and priorities to make SCO mechanisms more effective in advancing shared regional security and economic goals. The spokesperson said the SCO provides an important platform for Pakistan to further strengthen its deep-rooted and historic ties with the member states and promote socio-economic cooperation for mutual benefit across diverse areas. The SCO is a major trans-regional multilateral organization with 8 members including China and Russia. SCO countries are home to 41 per cent of the global population and account for 23 per cent of global GDP. (ANI)
As the political tensions continue to simmer in Pakistan's Punjab province after contentious Chief Minister elections, Monday saw a brutal killing of a Secretary of the Punjab Bar Council in a gun attack, media reports said. The attack on Secretary Muhammad Ashraf Rahi took place in the Badami Bagh area of Lahore on late Saturday night. While confirming the Lahore killing, the police said that Ashraf Rahi Slain Ashraf was going to his home in his vehicle when the firing incident took place, Pakistan's local media outlet ARY News reported. Two unidentified assailants gunned down Rahi and fled from the scene, the police added. Even after numerous reports that give out optimistic views of the current law and order situation in Pakistan, the ground realities of how the so-called proficiency of Pakistani police is in action is quite different. In early July, a Pakistani journalist Iftikhar Ahmad Khan was shot dead by unidentified people in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Khan had been associated with the Express Media Group for the last 17 years and worked for Express News TV channel and Urdu language newspaper Daily Express. The first information report (FIR) was registered by his brother Hazrat Bilal who said that Khan had no enmity with anyone. The eyewitnesses have stated that he was shot dead by unknown assailants when Khan was leaving the mosque after offering Isha prayers. He has left behind two widows, four sons and four daughters, the Dawn reported. Khan was buried in Shabqadar town of Charsadda district. Several journalists took out a protest rally against his murder. During the rally, his colleagues said that he was a brave and responsible journalist who tried his best to bring the local issues to light. They called for the arrest of his killers within two days and demanded a compensation package for his family. The police have arrested several suspects, and a special investigation committee has been formed by the district police officer Suhail Khalid to look into the murder incident. With the recent upsurge in incidents of crime in Pakistan, these reports that show a positive picture of the law and order situation in Pakistan are hard to digest, and amid this it becomes highly unclear whether the police is winning this fight against crime or not. (ANI)
The grain exports via the Black Sea will begin in the coming days, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said. "With the beginning of maritime grain transportation in the coming days we will make an important contribution to upcoming global food crisis," TASS news agency quoting Erdogan reported. Erdogan also said that Turkey would continue its efforts to solve the Ukrainian crisis diplomatically. "We are resolved to continue diplomatic efforts until peace between Russia and Ukraine is ensured. In the near future, we hope to receive encouraging news at talks and with contacts at all levels, including leaders," the Turkish President said further. Meanwhile, a high-level UN trade official has said the world body will continue to stay engaged with partners in the European Union, the United States and Russia to understand any obstacles to grain exports in the wake of the deal with Ukraine. This statement comes as the defence ministers of Russia and Turkey and the infrastructure minister of Ukraine met in Istanbul to ink an UN-brokered deal on grain exports that would allow Russia to export its grain and fertilizers, Washington Post reported. The agreement has ended a wartime standoff that had threatened food security in several countries and cleared the way for exporting tons of Ukrainian grains. The deal will enable Ukraine to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports due to the war. Notably, the deal will create provisions for the safe passage of ships. Moreover, a control centre will be established in Istanbul, staffed by UN, Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to run and coordinate the process and the ships would undergo inspections to ensure they are not carrying weapons. 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. The West accused 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. 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. (ANI)
Pakistan's former police personnel vandalised a food chain shop in Karachi for allegedly refusing to serve meals at odd timing. CCTV footage obtained by ARY News on Saturday showed that the former Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Jamshed Inamullah was seen vandalising an international fast food chain at Korangi Road in Karachi. The restaurant manager has said that the accused reached there at the closing time at 5:00 am, the local media reported. He said that the accused forced the staffers to provide meals to him and later he brutally tortured the security guard and the staff members for refusing to entertain him. However, Inamullah was booked for damaging assets of an international fast food restaurant in the city, ARY News reported. Citing sources, ARY News reported that the former policeman was also charged in another case at the same Defence police station. Quoting police officer Amjad Ali, the media reported he was on a routine patrol when they saw two parties fighting with rods, stones and physical fights. A few days before, a CCTV footage cited by Geo tv revealed that a burqa-clad woman was harassed by an unidentified man who groped her from behind in day time in the country's capital Islamabad. According to Geo tv, the incident took place during the daytime in which a woman, covered in a veil (burqa), could be seen walking on a street when an unidentified man appears and gropes her from behind. The woman in the video could be seen struggling to push the man away from her. After harassing her, he could be seen running away. Reports say that over 70 per cent of women are victims of harassment at the workplace in Pakistan and there seems to be no end to their plight. Data collected by White Ribbon Pakistan, an NGO working for women's rights, shows that 4,734 women faced sexual violence between 2004 and 2016. Lately, the government of Pakistan passed the "Protection against Harassment at the Workplace (Amendment Bill), 2022 and has amended the weaker provisions of the 2010 law. Pakistan observes an increased ratio of overall working women in recent years but the country is grappling with the issue of psychological, physical and sexual harassment of women that impedes their safe mobility and prevents them from stepping outside to work. (ANI)
Pakistan government has constituted an inquiry commission to probe into the sexual offence against former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal, according to local media. The commission comprised three members, including National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha, NCHR member (Sindh) Anis Haroon and NCHR member (Punjab) Nadeem Ashraf, Dawn newspaper reported citing a notification issued by the Cabinet Division. Tayyaba Gull, whose controversial video with the former NAB chairman had surfaced in 2019, alleged that NAB officials stripped her naked, made videos and filed cases, when she refused to comply with Iqbal's "demands". "I was stripped naked and videos were made," Gull was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. Her throat felt swollen and she stuttered before adding: "I was taken to a room, cameras were installed, officials conducted frisking, stripped me naked, laughed at me and my videos were made." A prominent human rights group in Pakistan has called for a probe into the allegations. In a statement, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it took "serious note of the allegations of sexual harassment" levelled against the official, who was also chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED). "The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) takes serious note of the allegation of sexual harassment against Justice (Retired) Javed Iqbal--chairman of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (COIED) and former chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB)--as well as other NAB officials," the HRCP said in a statement. Meanwhile, a former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Aftab Sultan has been appointed as the new chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). "The federal government is pleased to appoint Aftab Sultan, a retired BS-22 officer of Police Service of Pakistan, as chairman NAB after consultation between the leader of the House and the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, for a non-extendable period of three years with effect from the date he assumes the charge of his office," Dawn newspaper citing a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice reported. Sultan had retired as the IB head on April 3, 2018 after serving since June 7, 2013, as per Dawn newspaper. He served two governments each of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) under four Prime Ministers including Yousuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. (ANI)
Sania Khan, a 29-year-old Pakistani-origin woman was killed by her husband in Chicago after she opened up about her divorce and healing journey on social media, according to media reports. According to the police report, the Pakistani American Sania Khan was recently moved to Chicago and was allegedly shot by her ex-husband, 36-year-old Raheel Ahmed who travelled from his home in Alpharetta. Pakistan newspaper Dawn reported that Sania's father Haider Farooq Khan on Thursday posted a brief announcement on her daughter's Facebook page. "My oldest daughter Sania Khan passed away. Her funeral will be on Thursday after Asr prayer, at Chattanooga Islamic center. Please keep us in your duaa," the post read. Chicago police, according to ABC News said that officers arrived last Monday afternoon at the 200 block of E. Ohio street where they found a woman and a man with gunshot injuries to their heads inside a residence. The woman was declared dead on the spot, while the man was transported to Northwestern Hospital where he succumbed to injuries, and a weapon was recovered from the scene, as per the police statement. Khan's marriage lasted less than a year before she filed for divorce, according to her own posts on TikTok as cited by ABC News. "Going through a divorce as a South Asian Woman feels like you failed at life sometimes," she wrote in a video posted on social media. "The way the community labels you, the lack of emotional support you receive, and the pressure to stay with someone because 'what will people say' is isolating. It makes it harder for women to leave marriages that they shouldn't have been in to begin with," she further said. The Human Rights Watch (HRW), in its Annual World Report 2022, documented allegations of extensive rights abuses against women along with children in Pakistan, which ranks 167 out of 170 countries on the Global Women, Peace and Security index released by Georgetown University. Male supremacy prevails in Pakistani society at all levels, yet their "honour" fails to match their masculinity in all other matters and remains extremely delicate, easily compromised by, and exceedingly dependent upon their women's modesty, the report commented. "Violence against women and girls, including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage, is endemic throughout Pakistan. According to Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey data for 2017-18, 28 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 years had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. (ANI)
A member of Sri Lankan Air Force left the service claiming that he did not want to be a slave to country's armed forces, media reports said. Asanka Srimal, who served in the Sri Lanka Air Force wrote on social media platform that he was leaving the service adding, "I did not want to be a slave to Sri Lanka Air Force". Commenting on the episode, SLAF Spokesman Group Captain Dushan Wijesinghe said that he left the Air Force on July 21, 2022 on termination of his initial engagement of eight-years, reported Daily Mirror. "An Air Force member is generally entitled to serve up to 22 years in service at his or her own discretion. Nevertheless, required provisions are vested to Air Force to decide the extension of service is approved after the termination of initial engagement, based on the conduct of the particular service member concern," the SLAF said. The airman was found guilty of the offences on two occasions for financial fraud during his last serving period at SLAF Station Katukurunda. However, this individual was officially discharged from the Air Force after the termination of his initial engagement of 8 years owing to the reason that his extension was impossible to authorize due to his disgraceful conduct which has been sentenced under the Air Force Act, as per the media portal. Therefore, based on the aforementioned circumstances, his discharge was caused by the inability to prolong his service and it is baseless to say that frustration and dissatisfaction in the service led to him resigning, Group Captain Wijesinghe said. On July 21, Wickremesinghe issued an order to "call out with effect from July 22, 2022 all the members of the Armed Forces . . . for the maintenance of public order." Under emergency powers, the president can override, amend, or suspend a provision of any law, except the constitution. Emergency powers can be used to detain people while bypassing the ordinary process of the courts and have repeatedly been used in the past to enable human rights violations. Since the beginning of 2022, Sri Lanka has experienced an escalating economic crisis and the government has defaulted on its foreign loans. The United Nations warned that 5.7 million people "require immediate humanitarian assistance." With many Sri Lankans experiencing extreme shortages of essentials including food and fuel, peaceful protests began in March. The protests led then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign on May 9, and his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to flee the country on July 13 and resign the following day. (ANI)
A senior official, Li Huanting, who worked under the Chinese financial watchdog's provincial bureau is facing a probe for serious law violations, a local media report said. China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBRIC) inspector Huanting is said to be involved in actions that breach the law regulations, Global Times reported. His probe comes in the wake of large-scale protests in Henan province where bank depositors are demanding the release of frozen funds. On Friday, the provincial financial supervision bureau published a notice that they will repay the victims of the recent banking scam in order to placate the Henan bank protestors, local media reported. According to local media, people who had deposited up to 50,000 yuan were repaid and now people with deposits up to 100,000 are getting repaid. Earlier, The Chinese Communist Party's tanks Wednesday rolled on the streets to scare Henan bank protestors amid large-scale protests in the province by bank depositors over the release of frozen funds. Reports claiming Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA's) tanks are on the streets to protect Banks (Rizhao, Shandong Province) emerged, reported local media. The incident comes in the light of the Henan branch of the Bank of China declaring that people's savings in their branch are 'investment products' and can't be withdrawn, added the media. On July 10, more than 1,000 depositors gathered outside the Zhengzhou branch of the country's central bank, the People's Bank of China, to launch their largest protest yet. Non-mainstream Hong Kong media also believes that at such a time when stability is emphasized most and stability is in Chinese President Xi Jinping's interest, allowing such incidents to get bigger (such as the Zhengzhou bank protests) shows that these banks really do not have money to spare, at least not until the issues are resolved. A good chunk of revenue for the local governments comes from leasing land, especially to real estate developers and since so many projects are lying unfinished, many construction companies have not bought land again, affecting the local government's revenue. Meanwhile, a Twitter account has noted that as early as 2 years ago, a Henan man surnamed Zhu was detained by police for spreading "false info" about a local bank in a WeChat group, which caused a mass withdrawal. The recent Henan banks crisis and the relevant protests have proved the 2-year-old false info apparently true, a local media reported. Recently a video has been shared on Telegram showing a group of representative workers of China's Railway No. 4 Engineering Group Co. Ltd, a state-owned enterprise, demanding wages from the officials. (ANI)
Talibani leaders have discovered a weapon cache in Warsaj district of Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, provincial spokesperson of the outfit, Abdul Mubin Safi said on Sunday. The arms depot was unearthed from an abandoned house in Warsaj on Saturday and Talibani leaders found a variety of arms and ammunitions including rocket-propelled grenades, mortar and thousands of bullets, Safi said. No one has been arrested, the personnel said, reported Xinhua. The Taliban-led authorities have promised to collect arms from individuals as part of efforts to stabilize peace and security in the war-torn country. Meanwhile, as per reports, the Taliban forces are selling the weapons of former security members at an arms market in Afghanistan's Zabul province and smuggled most of them to Pakistan. Taking to Twitter, Payk Media, a local media outlet in Afghanistan said, "Taliban commanders are selling the weapons of ex-security force members at arms markets in Zabul province, local sources said. According to sources, most of the weapons secretly sold in Zabul by Taliban commanders are smuggled into Pakistan." In southern Kandahar province, the Talibani leaders found more than a dozen assault rifles and ammunition. The firearms that were recovered included a total of six stokes of AK-47, 13 pistols, thousands of rounds of bullets and 19 mines of rocket-propelled grenades (RPG). Afghan's senior police officer Mullah Abdul Ghani Haqbin had said that three people were arrested by the security forces for keeping arms illegally. The Taliban-run administration would spare no effort to collect arms from individuals as part of the efforts to ensure law and order in Afghanistan, the senior police officer said. In August 2021, the US left much of the military equipment and weapons at the disposal of the Afghan forces which eventually fell into the hands of the Taliban. After capturing Kabul, the Taliban not only took political control of Afghanistan but had also gained control of all the US-made weapons and military equipment that were left behind by the fleeing Afghan forces. The US-made arms and military accessories are openly traded in shops by Afghan gun dealers. The traffickers are collecting the weapons from the abandoned Afghan army bases, and procuring them from the Afghan government soldiers and Taliban fighters. These weapons are then mostly sold in weapons markets or arms bazaars in tribal areas of the Afghan-Pakistan border, according to a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) said. The arms smugglers within Pakistan's borders are having a field day. The weapons from Afghanistan are smuggled into Pakistan in trucks carrying fruits and vegetables. The main points of entry through which the arms are smuggled are the Torkham border crossing Torkham (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Chaman (Baluchistan), Ghulam Khan (North Waziristan) and Nawa Pass (Bajaur), it added. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is the prime source of opium supply to the world drug markets and Pakistan is the transport hub with drug networks operating from the country using its drug routes to reach international markets, according to an article in Islam Khabar. (ANI)
TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Saturday that U.S. sanctions on Tehran are detrimental to the global economy, particularly Europe.

Raisi made the remarks in a 120-minute phone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, according to the Iranian presidency's website.

Censuring the "unconstructive measures" implemented by the United States and some European countries, Raisi described the recent adoption of a resolution by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a crisis-provoking move aimed at pressuring the Iranian people, which dealt a blow to political trust.

In June, the IAEA's Board of Governors passed the resolution proposed by the United States, Britain, France and Germany following the agency's reports that Tehran had not provided "technically credible explanations" for uranium particles at three undeclared sites.

For his part, Macron said that reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was "still possible" but must happen "as soon as possible," according to a French presidency statement.

Iran signed the landmark nuclear deal in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for removing sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact. 
Two youths were killed after falling off a cliff while taking a selfie in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Swat district, according to local media. Citing police statement, Dawn newspaper reported that three friends were visiting a scenic waterfall in Alidad Jahangir village here in the district. "Sanaullah, 27, was taking a selfie standing on a cliff near the waterfall when he slipped. His friend, Adnan, 22, tried to save him, but both of them fell from about a 200-foot height into the pond at the bottom of the waterfall, and died on the spot," SHO Ghaligey police station Habib Sayed said, adding their third friend, Umar, rushed to the nearby village and informed locals about the incident. Last week, at least 26 people were confirmed dead and 27 others reported missing after a boat carrying over 100 wedding guests capsized in the Indus River near Machke. The accident took place on July 18 when a wedding party was returning to Machke from Khrore village in two boats. "One of the boats was overloaded and capsized after one of the planks in its hull fell apart, mostly women and children of the family drowned as only the men were rescued in the initial efforts," a cousin of the groom said. Around eight members of a single family belonging to the Solangi clan drowned in the accident along with their relatives, the Dawn reported. The bodies of the deceased were laid down in the ancestral graveyards in their native village Hussain Bakhsh Solangi near Machke in Sindh. Clan chief Sardar Abbas Khan Solangi attended the funeral prayers for the 26 people including two children and a woman whose bodies were fished out from the river. Solangi demanded compensation from Sindh and Punjab (where the incident took place) governments as he blamed them for failure to construct bridges in the area forcing people to use worn-out wooden boats to cross the river. Rahim Yar Khan's deputy commissioner said that a contingent of 18 Pakistan Army divers from Mangla also arrived in Rahim Yar Khan to take part in the rescue operation, the Dawn reported.Dozens remained missing despite the passage of over a day after the capsizing incident, and their relatives waited on the banks of the Indus with hopes for the success of the rescue operation launched to retrieve the remaining bodies. (ANI)
A delegation led by Taliban-appointed Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi left Kabul for Tashkent to participate in an international conference on Afghanistan which is to be held Monday, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said. Meanwhile, while discussing the situation in Afghanistan and the increasing hunger crisis in the country, the EU Ambassador to Afghanistan, Andreas Von Brandt said that there is a consensus on the non-recognition of the Taliban government in the western world. According to Brandt, the world is trying to provide humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan, not to the government which came to power by means not provided for in the country's constitution, Khaama Press reported. "We have a very cautious approach...and I think ...if there are a few good things at the moment it is, that there is the tremendous consensus on the non-recognition in the entire western world and I actually don't see that changing in the near future," he said, as TOLOnews quoted.Meanwhile, political analysts believe the current situation in Afghanistan could get worse if the Taliban leadership do not consider an inclusive government, saying such could also pave the way for the international community to offer formal recognition to the group. "The international community and the people of Afghanistan want the current government to include diverse layers of educated youth and representatives from different ethnic groups," another political analyst, Ahmad Monib Rasa said. According to the publication, the Islamic Emirate government had repeatedly said that their leaders had "fulfilled all the promises it made with the United States in the Doha Agreement.""The Islamic Emirate does not allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against the United States and its allies," spokesman of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Zabihullah Mujahid said. "In addition, IEA is also committed to providing all the Shariah rights of its citizens," he added. Reflecting on the overall security of the country, the spokesman said a "peaceful atmosphere" has been created in the country, where women and men could rightfully take part in Afghanistan's development. "In Afghanistan, a normal life and peaceful atmosphere has been created for women and men, and the rights of all minorities are maintained," he said. "Moreover, the system and way of life in Afghanistan are issues related to Afghans." The Taliban's claim of creating a peaceful atmosphere for men and women is so ironic to the real picture. Women are denied their basic rights like education and even freedom of speech, which was seen and condemned by the whole world but still the Taliban makes false claims. (ANI)
In a bid to consolidate power to secure third term as China's President, Xi Jinping will be holding a major "secretive" party conclave in Beidaihe, the run-up to which is marked by developments seemingly aimed at reinforcing Xi's authority, media reports said. In the summer resort of Beidaihe, the Communist Party of China is heading for a most crucial hurdle which will see the presence of party elders and top officials. This type of hurdle takes place each August where the most influential members of the party discuss matters including appointments to high-level posts. These appointments will play an immensely important role for Xi as he eyes for a rare third term as the party's general secretary, reported Asia Nikkei. However, what holds the attention is the kind of security and arrangements that are taking place at the seaside venue. The venue which is 300 km east of Beijing appears to have already been beefed up compared with last year. An electronic road sign posted at a highway exit leading to Beidaihe warned that drones and flammable hazardous materials were not allowed. Local police barred entry as a coronavirus countermeasure, in contrast to 2021, when the area was still accessible as of July 23. "Retired senior officials have been starting to gather since last week" at Beidaihe, a party source said. Chinese President Xi Jinping will head to the venue after a Politburo meeting this month to discuss economic policy for the second half of the year. Ramped-up security measures are just one part of the story. The recent release of a four-volume account of the Communist Party's 100-year history, written by a party institute is also seen as an action by Jinping to reinforce his authority. Two volumes to the era of Mao Zedong, one to the period from Deng Xiaoping to Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, and one to Xi alone are covered in the work. It is clearly evident that this is being done to put Xi Jinping ahead of Deng and on par with Mao. According to a report by Hong Kong's Ming Pao newspaper on July 12 Xi will be officially awarded the title of "People's Leader" at the party congress -- a parallel to Mao's "Great Leader." A mainland political scientist speculated that Xi will not step down until the 2032 party congress. The Chinese leader's position is not unassailable. However, the memory of COVID-19 is far from fading. Lockdowns imposed under his government's zero-COVID policy hit the brakes on China's economy, and youth unemployment remains stubbornly high. Xi's "strong country" policy has inflamed tensions with the U.S., spurring calls even within China for a detente. Therefore, whether Xi will be able to promote his allies at the party congress as planned is not entirely clear. (ANI)
The Manila shooter who killed three people including a former mayor in the Philippines' Basilan has admitted to the attack with a specific target. Xinhua News Agency reported that the arrested gunman, Chao Tiao Yumol admitted to the killing, claiming he shot Rosita Furigay for her "involvement in illegal drugs" in the province. According to the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the shooting took place at 14:55 local time at the gate of Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, ahead of the law school's graduation ceremony. Initial reports from the National Capital Regional Police Office said that the victims were former Lamitan City Mayor Rosita Furigay, her aide Victor George Capistrano and a security guard of the university, The Manila Times reported. The shooting incident forced the school authorities to cancel the graduation rite and put the campus "on lockdown." Police identified the gunman as Chao Tiao Yumol, a 38-year-old resident of Lamitan City and also recovered from the scene a .45 calibre pistol with a silencer, according to the Manila Times. Xinhua citing police reported that the gunman had changed his clothes after the shooting and seized a car in an attempt to escape, but was caught by them. The police presented the suspect to the media three hours after the shooting.Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said he was "shocked" over the incident. "We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded, and those whose scars from this experience will run deep. We commit our law enforcement agencies to swiftly investigate these killings and bring all involved to justice," the President said as quoted by The Manila Times. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the law school graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon. Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back." The shooting happened while the authorities enforced a gun ban over President Marcos' first State of the Nation address scheduled for Monday. Police have ordered tightening security at the House of Representatives complex, also in Quezon City and a few kilometres away from the campus, with over 20,000 police and troops being deployed in the area. (ANI)
Former Pakistan Information Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday said that the country had been suffering from a political crisis because of the "unnecessary adventure of the establishment". Speaking to the media in Lahore, Chaudhry asked the establishments not to "trifle" with Pakistan as the country was in the middle of political and economic instability, The Express Tribune reported. "How did Chaudhary Shujaat's letter land in the deputy speaker's pocket," Fawad wondered, adding that the Mazari should be summoned to court for contempt. Meanwhile, the frustration after the result of the Punjab chief minister's re-election cooled down when the Supreme Court gave its verdict in the favour of the PTI, the party said that the decision would rout Pakistan Muslim League-N from Punjab, reported The Express Tribune. The party further claimed the fall of Hamza Shehbaz-led government was a 'fait accompli'. Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court's Lahore registry on Saturday, PTI leader Farrukh Habib said that PML-N had lost the political battle and was left with no option to salvage the teetering Punjab government led by PML-N. "Nobody is ready to defend the illegal and unconstitutional ruling of the deputy speaker," he said. The PTI leader was referring to the apex court's short order issued earlier in the day, wherein the top court suspended the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker's ruling and restrained Hamza to exercise absolute powers and serve only as a "trustee" chief minister until the hearing resumed in Islamabad on Monday. The ruling came a day after the dramatic day, Hamza Shehbaz has been re-elected as Chief Minister of Punjab as the provincial Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari rejected the votes of Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. As the vote counting in the crucial session of the Punjab provincial assembly began, Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari ruled that PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi's votes will not be counted in the election of the Punjab Chief Minister in light of party head Chaudhry Shujaat's letter, the Dawn reported. According to Mazari, the joint candidate of PTI and PML-Q, Pervaiz Elahi received 186 votes, while Hamza Shehbaz got 179 votes. However, 10 votes of the PML-Q leader were cancelled by Deputy Speaker, reducing his vote count to 176. Before announcing the result, Mazari read Shujaat's letter out loud. "As party head of Pakistan Muslim League, I have issued directions to all my provincial members to cast their votes in favour of Muhammad Hamza Shehbaz Sharif," Mazari quoted Hussain as saying, the Dawn reported. "As per this letter, according to the ruling of the Supreme Court, all the 10 votes cast by PML-Q leaders have been rejected," Mazari ruled. The 10 members whose votes were not counted included Hafiz Ammar Yasir, Shuja Nawaz, Muhammad Abdullah Warraich, Parvez Elahi, Muhammad Rizwan, Sajjad Sajid Ahmed Khan, Ehsanullah Chaudhry, Muhammad Afzal, Bismah Chaudhry, and Khadija Umar. The assembly session presided over by Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari began with the recitation of the Quran and its translation, the Dawn reported. (ANI)
The commencement of operations at the Chabahar Port has emerged as a silver lining for Iran as the port is located at an ideal strategic location connecting the Indian subcontinent with both Afghanistan as well as Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to emerge as a hub of regional trade through promoting maritime trading operations. Chabahar is located in south-eastern Iran at the mouth of the Gulf of Oman and is blessed with an ideal strategic location connecting the Indian subcontinent with both Afghanistan as well as Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. The Chabahar Port offers significant reductions in both cost and shipping times for goods and cargo for trade between India and Afghanistan, as well as for trade between the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia. Iran has for long struggled, both economically and geopolitically, due to persistent sanctions imposed upon it, and the hostile attitude it has faced from the US and other Western countries but the development of the Chabahar Port has allowed Iran a lifeline to emerging as a hub of regional trade by promoting these maritime trading operations, political analyst Valerio Fabbri wrote in his blog for Russian International Affairs Council. Amid the hesitancy of Central Asian states like Kazakhstan to support Russian efforts in Ukraine, Iran has built consensus around longer-term commitments to the Chabahar Port as a primary trading hub. Moreover, at a recent India-Central Asia summit, Iran and India showcased their commitment to providing Central Asian countries a stake in the Chabahar Port, setting aside dedicated areas for their trading operations and an agreement was reached as well to simplify customs processes and rules to ensure unhindered movement of goods, stated Valerio Fabbri. Iran's ability to project power through Afghanistan had been held in check by the presence of US forces in the country, but the US withdrawal and the accompanying power vacuum left Iran with new ways to exert leverage, both diplomatically and through proxy militant groups, from Afghanistan into Central Asia. Notably, the Chababhar Port exists in contraposition to Pakistan's Gwadar Port, which Pakistan hoped would emerge as a regional powerhouse, however, its location in an inhospitable region has proved a problem as the Pakistani authorities made a major error of alienating its local population in Balochistan by excluding the people from the benefits of Gwadar's development. The operational aspect of Chabahar Port is significant because it unlocks trading routes that were unviable previously and will help Iran to establish novel trading routes and bring both prosperity as well as diplomatic leverage for Iran over Central Asia, the blog stated. Kyrgyzstan officials have stated that the transit duration for goods between Kyrgyzstan and India could be reduced from the current duration of 30 to 45 days to just two weeks if the Chabahar Port is used. At a time when Tehran has been globally isolated and has battled against persistent sanctions, the Chabahar Port has allowed it a crucial opportunity to position itself as a hub for regional trade and has gained it a measure of ascendancy in relation to its neighbouring Central Asian countries, as well as with reference to Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Chabahar trade routes represent a 60 per cent reduction in shipping costs and a 50 per cent reduction in shipment time between India and Central Asia. The port not only benefits Iran but also allows Afghan traders direct access to the end consumer with a concomitant increase in profitability. Recognizing the potential trading opportunities as well as present difficulties faced by Afghanistan, the Iranian and Indian administrations have taken steps to ease Afghanistan's transition to Chabahar as its primary trading outlet. India started interacting with Iran on Chabahar Port around 2003 but a major push was received in the second half of 2014, resulting in the signing of an MoU between the two countries for the development of the port in May 2015. This MoU translated into a formal 10-year contract for equipping and operating the Chabahar Port, which was executed in May 2016. (ANI)
The Nepalese government on Sunday announced numerous measures to revive the tourism industry battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, including a plan to declare the years between 2023 and 2033 as the 'Visit Nepal Decade'. Unveiling the Tourism Rehabilitation Action Plan, Jeevan Ram Shrestha, Nepal's minister for culture, tourism, and civil aviation, said the government is breaking the tradition of announcing a single year as 'Visit Nepal Year' in order to run a sustained campaign to promote tourism, a major foreign exchange earner and job creator for the country, reported Xinhua. As per the action plan, the Visit Nepal Decade is expected to come out within the next three months. The government has planned to attract 1 million foreign tourists in the 2022-23 fiscal year which began in mid-July. "We have not yet set any target for the planned Visit Nepal Decade. We have to do further homework and consultations with the stakeholders," Hom Prasad Luitel, Joint Secretary at the Tourism Ministry, told Xinhua. Nepal received 1.19 million foreign visitors in 2019 and sought to attract 2 million in 2020 when Visit Nepal 2020 was launched, but COVID-19 forced the government to call off the campaign. As the pandemic persisted, the tourism sector fared poorly in 2020 and 2021. Nepal was reporting more foreign visitor arrivals in 2022 as fewer people were infected. As of June, there were 237,670 foreigners visiting the South Asian country, according to the Tourism Ministry. Under the new action plan, Nepal will launch promotion campaigns in China, India, and Bangladesh under the new action plan, with the former two being the largest sources of tourists for Nepal in normal years. There is a plan as well to promote Nepal as a destination for meetings, conferences and exhibitions, and spiritual tourism with packages of yoga, wellness, and spa to be offered.In addition, the ministry is mulling over retirement visas and healthcare facilities for elderly foreigners to stay longer in Nepal. Currently, there is no legal provision for issuing retirement visas in the country. "We will discuss it with the Ministry of Home Affairs which is responsible for visa issuance," said Luitel. As mountaineering is a key part of Nepal's tourism, the country is planning to open more Himalayan peaks. Under the action plan, more peaks at 5,800 to 8,000 meters above sea level will be opened for mountaineering. According to authorities, Nepal has so far opened 414 peaks above 5,700 meters for climbing.Included in the action plan are other measures like cooperation and coordination with international airlines, a GPS tracking system to make trekking and mountaineering safer, multi-lingual helpline support centres for tourists, and many more facilities for foreigners who come to Nepal for movie shoots. (ANI)
A 15-year-old girl was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Afghanistan's Faryab province, local media reported citing sources. The armed man killed the girl after breaking into a house in the Kohistan district of Faryab province on Saturday night, Khaama Press reported citing sources. On the other hand, the provincial Taliban officials have not yet spoken on the matter. Amid the reports of the increase in attacks especially women being primary victims by armed people, the Taliban turned silent and took no action to combat these crimes. Earlier this month, an unidentified man stabbed a 50-year-old woman to death in her own home in the central Afghan province of Kapisa, reported the Khaama Press. In Kandahar Province's Ayno Mina city, a man allegedly shot his ex-wife, killing two men and a woman. The reports of killing and abduction have increased in the past six months, especially among women. According to a report by the Afghanistan International news channel, over 100 women and girls have been reportedly killed, abducted, or committed suicide in the previous six months. In recent months, there has been an upsurge in domestic violence, personal enmity, and family blood feuds, which have resulted in homicides, target killings, and honour killings, according to Khaama Press. The situation of women in Afghanistan has deteriorated. Not only the armed forces but the Taliban also have eroded women's rights in Afghanistan. According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the erosion of women's rights has been one of the most notable aspects of the de facto administration to date. Before the Taliban came to power, women and girls had progressively had their right to fully participate in education, the workplace and other aspects of public and daily life. However, these rights have been restricted and in many cases completely taken away following the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban. A decision taken by the Taliban prevented girls from returning to secondary school which meant that a generation of girls will not complete their full 12 years of basic education. At the same time, access to justice for victims of gender-based violence has been limited by the dissolution of dedicated reporting pathways, justice mechanisms and shelters, it added. "The education and participation of women and girls in public life is fundamental to any modern society. The relegation of women and girls to the home denies Afghanistan the benefit of the significant contributions they have to offer. Education for all is not only a basic human right, but it is also the key to progress and development of a nation," Markus Potzel, Acting Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan, said. The atrocities of the Taliban against Afghan women have been on an incessant surge since the group seized power in Afghanistan in August last year, banning young girls and women of humanitarian rights. (ANI)
A Pakistani army soldier was killed in Draban's general area of Dera Ismail Khan District on Sunday during an exchange of fire with terrorists. As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the 31-yeard-old Lance Naik Mujeeb killed was a resident of Lakki Marwat, reported Geo News. According to the military's media wing, sanitisation of the area is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area. Clashes between security forces and suspected terrorists in North Waziristan tribal district have become quite frequent in recent months. Moreover, Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan raised his concern over the targeted killings of police in the province and called for a 'workable' plan to check those attacks. Looking at the rising incidents of attacks on police, Pakistani authorities earlier strengthened security at all check-posts and relieved the personnel responsible for security lapses. The police personnel posted at the check post in Arjali Nadi, where a policeman and a substitute were killed in an attack on July 16, were transferred to remote Tirah valley for negligence, according to the Dawn citing a statement issued by a district police officer in Jamrud. In recent months, several such cases of bomb attacks have been reported in Pakistan. Earlier, on June 25, one policeman and ten others including three policemen were injured after a bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded in the Maula Dad Road area of Jacobabad district in Pakistan's southern Sindh province. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, Pakistan has increasingly complained of attacks across the border from Afghanistan, an issue that has become a source of diplomatic tension. Regional experts say the rise of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan enabled by the Afghan Taliban's steadfast support will expand the threat of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including against civilian targets. Since its founding in 2007, the TTP has emerged as the most influential and violent anti-Pakistan terrorist outfit in South Asia. Unlike its Afghan namesake, the TTP does not enjoy favourable relations with Islamabad. Despite the organisation's pledges to the contrary, international observers have expressed concerns that the Taliban could once again transform Afghanistan into a safe haven for international terrorist organisations, as had been the case prior to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. (ANI)
The two Americans who were recently killed fighting Russian troops in Ukraine have been identified as Luke Lucyszyn and Bryan Young, with their families confirming their deaths to CBS News.

Lucyszyn's parents and Young's wife confirmed their names on Sunday, after the State Department formally notified both families of their deaths. A department spokesperson originally said two Americans had been killed but declined to provide additional information "out of respect" for the families.

Lucyszyn and Young were among four foreigners who died while fighting alongside Ukrainian forces in the country's disputed Donetsk region on July 18, Ukrainian commander Ruslan Miroshnichenko told Politico. The two others were identified as Swedish and Canadian citizens, he said, a detail he confirmed to CBS News.

Their commanding officer told CBS News that Lucyszyn was injured by Russian shelling. When Young and others went to help him, they were killed by additional tank fire, he said.

Kathryn and George Lucyszyn spoke about the death of their 31-year-old son, who was a father of two, in an interview with NBC News. The North Carolina residents said Luke decided to start volunteering as a medic in Ukraine in early April, and had asked them to send supplies, like a tactical vest, after noting that his group lacked proper equipment.

"He didn't go there to be a hero. He went there because he wanted to help people," said Kathryn, whose husband is Ukrainian.

Lucyszyn and Young's commanding officer told CBS News that Young always had a cheerful smile and called him a "good soldier."

He also said that, despite Lucyszyn's young age, "he behaved as a man, as a good soldier."

Lucyszyn and Young are at least the fifth and sixth Americans to die in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. Their deaths came as the war entered its sixth month and Russia continued to launch attacks in different parts of the country.

Story continues

A Russian missile strike against the port of Odesa on the Black Sea came only hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed a U.N.-supported agreement allowing grain exports to resume from there.

The strike was denounced by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, which called the attack a "spit in the face." The State Department said in a statement that the U.S. "strongly condemns" Russia's actions, particularly in light of the new exports deal.

Holly Williams contributed reporting.

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JERUSALEM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Israel has purchased 10,000 monkeypox vaccine doses and will start offering them once the first batch arrives later this week, Prime Minister Yair Lapid said on Sunday.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Lapid said that the first batch of some 5,000 vaccines is expected to arrive in the next few days.

"Upon the arrival of the vaccines, the Health Funds (Israeli public health organizations) will begin to vaccinate people at risk and relevant patients," Lapid said.

At least 105 cases have been recorded in Israel, Lapid said, adding that the PM's office and the Health Ministry are "following global information regarding the disease and are in touch with health authorities worldwide."

Israel signed a deal last Monday to purchase 10,000 doses of the vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic, a Danish pharmaceutical company, according to a statement issued by the Health Ministry.

On Saturday, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a global health emergency, the highest alert the agency can issue. 
Berlin Pride 2022

Two apparent homophobic attacks were reported following Berlins annual pro-LGBTQ+ Christopher Street Day celebration on Saturday, police said Sunday. Assailants attacked three young people, then a 32-year-old, after the demonstration through Berlin.

A group of nine made anti-LGBTQ+ comments to two 16- and 17-year-old girls, along with a 15-year-old boy, in the Berlin Mitte neighborhood of Germanys capital city on Saturday around 8 p.m. It appears the group was offended by the young peoples clothing, according to the German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.

Police told the paper that when the 16-year-old confronted one of the suspects, he knocked her hat off her head and tripped her, causing her to fall. He then punched her in the face when she got up.

The suspect fled and the group then fled. The assault is under investigation.

A witness intervened in central Berlin in the early hours of Sunday morning to stop a second attack. A group of eight pushed a 32-year-old man to the ground and kicked him in the head and body around 3:15 a.m., according to a 39-year-old woman  a good samaritan  who had stood protectively in front of the victim. The actions of the woman forced the attackers to leave, the paper reports.

During the attack, the man sustained bruises and lacerations that medical personnel treated. Police officials are investigating that attack as well.

Berlin's Christopher Street celebrations saw about 350,000 people gather at the city's Brandenburg Gate.

The parade itself was peaceful, according to police, the Associated Press reports.

Saturday's Pride was the 44th CSD in Berlin, which honors the Stonewall Riots of 1969.

This years motto was United in Love - Against Hate, War and Discrimination.

Germany scores very high on Equaldex, an LGBTQ+ quality of life database, with a score of 83 out of 100 for LGBTQ+ rights, with 100 being full equality.

Pew Research found that 86 percent of Germans believe society should accept homosexuality. That same 2020 study found only 72 percent of Americans believe the same.
MANILA, Philippines (AP)  A gunman opened fire on university campus in the Philippine capital region on Sunday, killing a former town mayor and two others in a brazen attack ahead of a graduation ceremony, police said.

The suspect was armed with two pistols and a silencer and was captured in a car he commandeered trying to escape the Ateneo de Manila University in suburban Quezon City, police said. He was blocked by witnesses and authorities outside the university gates.

The sprawling university was put under lockdown and the graduation rite at the law school on campus was canceled, police said.

Investigators were trying to determine a motive for the attack, but Quezon City police chief Brig. Gen. Remus Medina said the suspect, apparently a medical doctor, had a long-running feud with Rosita Furigay, a former mayor of Lamitan town in southern Basilan province.

She died in the attack together with her aide and a university guard. Furigays daughter, who was supposed to attend the graduation, was wounded and taken to a hospital, a police report said.

Video of the aftermath of the shooting showed students and officials in graduation gowns screaming and running away in panic in the lobby of the school building while others tended to the victims who were sprawled on the ground in the driveway.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who was supposed to be a speaker at the ceremony, was advised to turn back en route to the event, officials said.

Newly elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. promised to have the attack swiftly investigated and those behind the killings brought to justice. He is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress at the House of Representatives on Monday also in Quezon city, where police and other law enforcers had imposed a gun ban and heightened security before the shooting.

We are shocked and saddened by the events at the Ateneo graduation today, Marcos Jr. said. We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded and those whose scars from this experience will run deep."
The only thing thats certain is death and taxes. This idiom may be overused, but adding a third item to that list is usually pretty clever.

For example, my editor would probably say: The only thing thats certain is death, taxes and a lot of misplaced commas that I have to edit out. My personal favorite use comes from The Roots Tariq Black Thought Trotters freestyle where he says: The only thing for sure is taxes, death and trouble.

This week well dive into the less-commonly used version of this phrase: The only thing thats certain is death, taxes and a whole bunch of off-base accounting rules governing the treatment of digital assets on corporate balance sheets leading to a misrepresentation of corporate earnings.

Thats right, were talking about U.S. accounting rules this week. And right on cue, Tesla announced last Wednesday that it sold 75% of its bitcoin in the second quarter. So lets dive in.

That (and maybe more ) below.

 George Kaloudis

Youre reading Crypto Long & Short, our weekly newsletter featuring insights, news and analysis for the professional investor. Sign up here to get it in your inbox every Sunday.

Regrettably, we will first have to dive into the story everyone was squawking about on Wednesday so that we can cleanly set up a transition to our main accounting topic. That story is Tesla selling $936 million worth of bitcoin (BTC), which made up roughly 75% of its holdings.

Even more regrettably, I am sorta kinda coming to the defense of Tesla. Corporations are people too!

So it goes.

'I might pump, but I dont dump'

Unlike what most of the internet wants you to believe, Tesla did not paper hand the bitcoin it bought last year for a loss. From Teslas second quarter earnings call:

Additionally, we converted a majority of our bitcoin holdings to fiat for a realized gain offset by impairment charges on the remainder of our holdings, netting a $106 million cost to the [income statement].

Not sure if you realize this, but a realized gain means Tesla realized a gain. And to realize a gain, you have to sell something for more than you bought it for. Otherwise, it would be a realized loss.

Story continues

And when you realize that it made those sales sometime between April and June 2022, thats when it gets a little interesting. For context, here is the price of bitcoin from April 1 to June 30, 2022

Bitcoin Q2 Price Performance (TradingView)

Bitcoin opened the quarter trading around $45,000 and ended it below $20,000. Somewhere in there, amid a lot of selling, is Tesla unloading some ~30,000 BTC. Also featured in this timeframe is the Luna Foundation Guard selling ~80,000 BTC during the UST/LUNA death spiral. Thats a lot of liquidity for the bitcoin market to soak up, and while it did cede 58% of its market capitalization, it didnt cede 100% of it (a low bar, I know, but still).

Before we can dive into accounting rules, we need to highlight why Tesla sold any of its bitcoin at all. From the same earnings call:

We were uncertain when the COVID lockdowns in China would alleviate so we sold bitcoin to bolster our cash position.

Teslas most recent bitcoin sale is certainly not a critique of bitcoin. When Tesla sold some bitcoin last April it did so to test liquidity. Now, in the second quarter, when it needed cash, there was ample liquidity to supply that cash. So even though bitcoin was referred to as a sideshow to a sideshow on the call, Teslas CEO added that we are certainly open to increasing our bitcoin holdings in the future.

Tesla isnt in the bitcoin business, and neither are most companies. But hey, bitcoin can sit on balance sheets and act as a treasury asset for cash management if these companies so choose. Part of cash management means moving in and out of different assets as the needs of the business evolve.

Tesla, and other companies, will be back for more in due time.

Those off-base accounting rules governing digital assets

I promised to cover some off-base accounting rules, so I will because theyre somewhat important. It also aligns with my general view that going public is dumb and that infinite growth is not only impossible, but bad.

Ill keep it brief.

Right now, bitcoin is treated as an indefinite-lived intangible asset. That means the companies that hold bitcoin on their balance sheets need to mark down its balance sheet value if bitcoins price decreases. This is sensible and gives an accurate representation of the financial reality that the asset it holds is now worth less.

Unfortunately, because bitcoin is treated as an indefinite-lived intangible asset, the company is not allowed to increase the value of the bitcoin to accurately represent the financial reality that the asset it holds is now worth more. Mark-to-market assets, in contrast, allow companies to adjust the value of an asset to reflect its value as determined by current market conditions. If bitcoin were allowed to be treated as a mark-to-market asset, companies could do this.

The rule that requires bitcoin to be treated as an indefinite-lived intangible asset is determined by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the U.S. And they should change the rule for two reasons.

First, it makes sense. Indefinite-lived intangible assets include things like goodwill, a made-up asset that allows acquiring companies to overpay for a target. Goodwill doesnt trade on any sort of liquid market, but bitcoin does. Marking goodwill to market is basically impossible; marking bitcoin to market is easy.

And second, it would give a more accurate representation of companies financial positions. Public companies in the U.S. are already onerously tasked with providing quarterly financial reports to shareholders. If these companies hold bitcoin that is impaired one quarter and not allowed to be marked up the next, that will give an inaccurate representation of the companys financial position without additional information from the company.

To that point, we should bring it back to Tesla. Remember it converted a majority of its bitcoin holdings for a gain offset by impairment charges on the remainder of our holdings netting a $106 million cost to the [income statement]. So Teslas income statement doesnt show the sale of bitcoin that made money (which is normal; it shows up on the cash flow statement), but it does show an income statement loss associated with bitcoin it didnt sell. That makes no sense.

In the spirit of  ahem  making sense, perhaps we should start treating bitcoin like the mark-to-market asset it is.
Bernard Benedict James was court-martialed while serving with the segregated U.S. Army during World War II. The retired aerospace engineer worked on the Apollo and Mercury space missions and celebrated his 101st birthday in February. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Bernard Benedict James sat his young children down in the family living room decades ago in their La Mirada home, where he'd written a set of math equations on a blackboard.

The Harvard-educated aerospace engineer was working for NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory at the time and wanted to give his 10 children an impromptu lecture on mathematics.

"I was just learning about fractions in primary school, and my dad started to put up math about black holes," his son David, now a 59-year-old visual effects artist, said this week.

But before the math lessons, and before James worked on two missions that sent astronauts into space, the World War II veteran spent two years in prison after hastily being convicted of mutiny and insubordination, a Black soldier who dared question a white superior officer.

James and his family worked tirelessly over the ensuing decades to clear his name, but he did not live long enough to see a full correction to his service record. James died in his sleep July 18 at the La Mirada home where he once tutored his children. He was 101.

James should have been part of the U.S. forces that invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, for D-day in June 1944. Instead he sat in an English prison after a hasty Army court-martial.

He had spoken up on behalf of another soldier who had fallen in the verbal crosshairs of a white commanding officer, one who often shouted racist remarks at the men in the segregated 641st Ordnance Company and labeled its Black soldiers with the N-word. For his loyalty, James was told to remove his stripes, according to court transcripts. Several other men turned theirs in as well in protest.

Two months later, military police officers with submachine guns swarmed the camp and arrested James and 17 other soldiers, all of them Black.

James was sentenced to 18 years in prison but was unceremoniously released two years later without a formal apology after his family began a letter-writing campaign to bring attention to his case.

Story continues

"I didn't know that people were thinking of me," James said earlier this year. "My sister and family and even my future wife, Florence, were all working on my behalf, our behalf. It was a lesson for sure. I would think about all of that for years and years later."

After he was released from prison, James returned to his Army service and was honorably discharged in 1947, but his record maintained he was AWOL for 704 days  even though that time was spent in prison.

The U.S. Army provided James a partial correction to his military record after The Times wrote about him on his last birthday. David said his father wanted to appeal the Army's decision; he wanted a full correction to his record explaining he was falsely imprisoned. California Assembly member Cristina Garcia introduced a joint resolution in March seeking a full presidential exoneration of James' record.

While the Army acknowledged that James did not desert his post while serving in the military, nobody ever called to apologize, he told The Times in April.

"I'm not holding my breath," James said at the time.

Bernard Benedict James was born Feb. 7, 1921, in St. Louis and spent his formative years in Chicago. His mothers Creole family came to the United States from Haiti; his father was half-Black and a quarter Cherokee.

James attended the Illinois Institute of Technology and Wilson Junior College in Chicago and worked as a junior engineer draftsman. But in 1943, in the thick of World War II, the Army drafted James, who served as a technician in the European Theater.

Josefa James, 67, doesn't think her father suffered from PTSD but said there were bouts of anger that flared up during her childhood that she couldn't comprehend at the time.

"I think it had to do with his his time in prison. Once they had imprisoned him during the Army, I think he was always leery that the government could impose their will on you and you'd have nothing to do about it," said Josefa, who worked as a prosecutor for 30 years in Alameda County.

After leaving the Army, James went back to school, first at the University of Michigan and later at Harvard University. He married Florence, a white journalist he met through the Friendship House, a faith-based organization that advocated for civil rights in Chicago.

"The smartest thing my father did was marry my mother," said son Will James, a U.S. history teacher, adding that his mother went back to school after raising 10 children and got her master's degree in library science.

James would go on to an illustrious career in the aerospace industry  including designing the capsules that carried astronauts on the Apollo and Mercury space missions.

After his work landed the family in Southern California, they often took their two station wagons on fishing trips to Mexico when the kids were little. During those road trips, Josefa said, her father occasionally let her drive, and the two would launch into meaningful conversation. In such a large family, she relished that one-on-one time.

James was a skilled fencer and chess player, Josefa said, and taught her how to recognize the constellations and shoot a bow and arrow when she was a child.

She said a friend once described the James family dynamic like so: "Your mother's in a rowboat, back straight. All 10 of you are in the boat, and she's rowing, while your father is swimming in the ocean around her," Josefa said. "And that was my father."

He once vowed to fish from the ocean for all of his family's meals. And when he wasn't fishing, James enjoyed cooking duck gumbo and other haute cuisine while celebrating his family's Creole culture. He often peppered his stories with French and Spanish.

"Whenever my friends would come over during high school, they would enjoy all the conversations that were going on because my father always had some type of answer to our questions," recalled son Will, 66.

While race was not openly talked about in the family home, the James children were not shielded from bigotry.

Daughter Maria-Elena James, 68, remembered how in 1962, her father invited Walter Schirra, a personal friend of his and the first astronaut to go into space three times, to his childrens school.

At the time, La Mirada was almost all white, Maria-Elena, 68, recalled. I was sitting there proudly beaming as my father was in front of the auditorium with a model of the rocket ship and a famous astronaut.

Then a boy in front of her turned around and called her father the N-word. She punched him in the mouth.

I got sent home for fighting. I got into five fights that day, said Maria-Elena, who spent her career as a federal magistrate judge. They didnt appreciate the astronaut, but they did appreciate that my father was Black.

David recalled being on a family trip outside California in the 1960s and his father not being served at a restaurant.

"I was very young at the time," he said. "It was a strange thing to come to the realization of how others saw him just as a Black person versus this very well-educated polylingual scientist."

David said his father tried to brush off racism whenever it confronted him and sought instead to celebrate the big coincidences in life.

James believed, instead, in the concept of fors, the Latin word for luck or chance. He believed nothing was ever really a coincidence.

Cherice Fraine met James when she was in her early 20s and working in the Macy's shoe section while attending community college in Fullerton.

"I must have had a sour look on my face because he asked me what was wrong," Fraine recalled in February.

She told James she was studying for a statistics class and it was important for her to pass so she could transfer to a four-year university.

"He explained that he was a bit of a mathematician. I didn't know he was an engineer. He offered to tutor me, and I didn't know what to think," said Fraine, 41. She accepted, and his tutoring helped her pass the class.

She now works as an analyst for the U.S. government, a career she says would not have been possible without James.

James was preceded in death by his wife of 64 years, Florence Fitzgerald James, and a son, Christopher James. He is survived by a brother, Andrew James; nine children  Frank James, Anthony James, Maria-Elena James, Josefa James, William James, Beatrice James, Philip James, David P.I. James, Isabel James  and four grandchildren: Ryan Quitzow-James, Ivan James, James Brandon and Ellen James.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
VALENTYNA ROMANENKO  SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2022, 10:48

Ukraine's air defence has shot down three Russian missiles fired from the Black Sea in the Khmelnytskyi region.

Source: Zakhid (West) Air Command of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Quote: "Around 09:00 on 24 July, the Russian occupation forces launched a missile attack on Khmelnytskyi Oblast from the Black Sea.

Three Kalibr-type sea-based cruise missiles were shot down by Zakhid (West) Air Commands air defence forces and equipment."

Reminder: The head of the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Military Administration, Serhii Hamalii, reported on the explosions in the Oblast. He warned local residents that the air defence system was operating and urged them to stay in shelters.
TIRANA, Albania (AP)  Albanias new president was sworn in on Sunday and urged the nation's political parties to cooperate on the country's future and consolidate the rule of law.

President Bajram Begaj, 55, who won after getting 78 votes in the 140-seat Parliament, formally took office at a ceremony in parliament.

I won't stand neutral to anyone putting personal interests above those of our nation, said Begaj, a former army chief-of-staff general.

At a later ceremony at the presidential office the Constitutional Court head handed over the country's Constitution to Begaj.

Begaj was nominated by the governing left-wing Socialist Party after no compromise candidate was reached with the opposition. Most opposition lawmakers boycotted the voting and some avoided the swearing in ceremony too.

Begaj is post-communist Albanias eighth president and the third from the military ranks. The five-year presidency has a largely ceremonial role and the president is expected to stand above partisan divisions. The president is the army's commander general, also holding some authority over the judiciary and the armed forces.

Begaj started his speech at parliament talking about Albania's irreversible European path.

Earlier this month Albania, a NATO member since 2009, launched accession talks with the European Union.

European Albania, today a promise and tomorrow a reality, is the crown of the most beautiful historical dream of the Albanian people, he said.

The EU, the United States and other Western countries welcomed Begaj in his new post.

European Council President Charles Michel congratulated Begaj in a tweet Sunday, adding that With the opening of accession talks, we are at an exciting time in EU-Albania relations."

___

Follow Llazar Semini at https://twitter.com/lsemini
Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander discussed her relationship with husband Michael Fassbender and the miscarriage she experienced. (Photo: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Alicia Vikander met her now-husband, actor Michael Fassbender, on the set of the 2016 film The Light Between Oceans, in which they played a couple experiencing pregnancy loss. In a candid new interview with the Sunday Times, the Oscar-winning actress has revealed how their real-life romance mirrored their their fictional one.

We have a child now, but it took us time, the Swedish star, 33, told the publication of experiencing a miscarriage before welcoming their son, who is now 17 months old.

[The miscarriage] was so extreme, painful to go through and, of course, it made me recall making that film," Vikander added. That film has another meaning now.

These days, she and Fassbender live in Lisbon with their son, who was just 3 months old when Vikander returned to work on her new HBO miniseries, Irma Vep.

"It was intense," she admitted of juggling a new baby with work. "Sometimes they came to the set just so he could see my face.

To find a sense of work/life balance, the couple works to make sure there's always one parent with their child.

"We do every second job, she explained. One stays at home while the other works.

Now, they've found a rhythm that works for the family of three.

I have my tiny family with me and that becomes home wherever you are, said Vikander.

Alicia Vikander says she and husband Michael Fassbender went through a miscarriage before welcoming their son. (Photo: REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi)

Vikander, who won an Oscar for her star-making turn in 2016's The Danish Girl, also opened up about feeling very lonely" as she found fame in her 20s.

If I didnt have my friends to call, it would have been difficult. Ive seen what can happen to people in my industry," she noted. Later, at a time when she was supposed to be on top of the world, she felt a strong sense of personal disillusionment that contrasted with her professional accomplishments.

But there was juxtaposition, said Vikander. When, in other peoples eyes, I was at my height of fame, I was the most sad. I kept telling myself, Take it in. It is incredible. But I didnt know what to do. There were all these first-class flights, five-star rooms. But I was always by myself. I was by myself.

Story continues

Vikander said she doesn't understand how some stars can hide the struggles they're experiencing off-screen in order to keep appearance up.

Sometimes you go through things that are tough in life and if you have an office job you can step away for a bit. But there are times that myself or colleagues have been through something and, well, I cant understand how they went on to the red carpet afterwards. To be met by people asking, How are you doing? Given what they had just been through? Most people would not be able to step out of their house, said Vikander.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
American Airlines flight attendants were told by their union to stop leaving each other at hotels.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said it has seen a rise in crew being left behind.

A shortage of staff has contributed to extensive delays and flight cancelations.

American Airlines flight attendants have been told by their union to stop leaving each other behind at the hotel when they are late for a pickup.

In a memo sent on Thursday by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents more than 24,000 AA crew, the union said more were being left behind at their hotel when they did not appear on time to be picked up.

It is the flight attendants' responsibility to check out on time from their hotel to take transport provided by the airline to the airport.

"Our goal is the same as yours- we want all our members to be able to return home safely at the end of their trip to their families, friends, and loved ones," the memo read. "Taking additional steps when a crewmember isn't present ensures they make it home safely."

Those additional steps, the union said, included designating a flight attendant to get their colleagues to the pickup and having the front desk call the room of the missing flight attendant.

The failure of all crew to arrive on time can cause the flight to be delayed.

Airlines have been dealing with chaos leading to delays, cancellations and lost luggage, brought on by staffing shortages as demand ramps up following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

This month, passengers on an AA flight had to get off after a five-hour delay because the crew had timed out. The airline's CEO, Robert Isom, said it could be months before flight capacity and pilot supply were back in sync.

A Spirit Airlines flight attendant told Insider that some staff were voluntarily dropping shifts because they didn't want to deal with the chaos.

American Airlines didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Telegraph

There are no two ways about it: India is enormous  and, as with all enormous places, there are a million ways to explore it. Most visitors will find themselves drawn by the countrys historical and cultural treasures, such as the spiritual city of Varanasi on the Ganges, the glamorous Mumbai, the palaces and forts of Rajasthan and the iconic Taj Mahal  particularly in the year India marks 75 years of independence (the day itself falls on Monday, August 15). But there is far more to the worlds
CINCINNATI (AP)  Two of the St. Louis Cardinals' best players, third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, won't be making the trip to Toronto for a short series with the Blue Jays because they haven't received the COVID-19 vaccination.

The Cardinals announced Sunday that catcher Austin Romine also will not be going to Canada with the team for its Tuesday and Wednesday games.

Canada has restrictions on travelers who arent vaccinated against COVID-19.

Arenado, Goldschmidt and Romine will be placed on the restricted list and forfeit pay and major league service time in accordance with the terms of MLBs collective bargaining agreement. Arenado will lose $384,416, Goldschmidt $241,758 and Romine $10,989.

Goldschmidt leads the Cardinals in most offensive categories, including batting average (.333), home runs (22), RBIs (74), on-base percentage (.416) and hits (116). Arenado has 102 hits, 18 home runs and 59 RBIs.

Romine joined the Cardinals earlier this season as backup for the injured Yadier Molina, who is expected to rejoin the team next month.

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Relatives of two Palestinians who were killed during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers mourn outside a hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, July 24, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed early on Sunday during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and eyewitnesses. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

RAMALLAH, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Two Palestinians were killed early on Sunday during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and eyewitnesses.

In a statement, the Palestinian Health Ministry said that Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinian men, and eight were injured when an Israeli army force stormed the city.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said that the two young men were identified as Aboud Sobeh, 29, and Abu Salleh Azizi, 22, adding that the two died of their wounds at Rafidya Hospital in the city of Nablus. The organization also mentioned several seriously injured cases.

Palestinian eyewitnesses said that clashes broke out in the city between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers when an Israeli army stormed Nablus looking for wanted Palestinians by Israel.

There has been no immediate Israeli army comment on the deaths of the two Palestinians. However, an army spokesman said an Israeli army force did clash with Palestinian gunmen in Nablus.

Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967. Today, about three million Palestinians live there, and roughly 475,000 Israelis reside in settlements that the international community considers illegal. 

Palestinians inspect a house damaged by the Israeli army forces in the West Bank city of Nablus, July 24, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed early on Sunday during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and eyewitnesses. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

Smoke raises from Palestinian houses attacked by the Israeli army forces in the West Bank city of Nablus, July 24, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed early on Sunday during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and eyewitnesses. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)

A Palestinian inspects a house damaged by the Israeli army forces in the West Bank city of Nablus, July 24, 2022. Two Palestinians were killed early on Sunday during fierce clashes with Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank city of Nablus, according to medics and eyewitnesses. (Photo by Ayman Nobani/Xinhua)
The Daily Beast

Gregg DeGuire/GettyThe Flash star Ezra Miller has broken their silence after a number of highly publicized incidents, saying they are seeking help and treatment for complex mental health issues.Miller, who is nonbinary, released a statement through a rep to The Daily Beast apologizing for their actions and saying they have gone through a time of intense crisis and that they have begun ongoing treatment. The actor was arrested twice in Hawaii in spring, once for disorderly conduct and anoth
While Australian Vintage Ltd (ASX:AVG) shareholders are probably generally happy, the stock hasn't had particularly good run recently, with the share price falling 11% in the last quarter. On the bright side the share price is up over the last half decade. Unfortunately its return of 35% is below the market return of 48%. While the long term returns are impressive, we do have some sympathy for those who bought more recently, given the 19% drop, in the last year.

Now it's worth having a look at the company's fundamentals too, because that will help us determine if the long term shareholder return has matched the performance of the underlying business.

Check out our latest analysis for Australian Vintage

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement.

Over half a decade, Australian Vintage managed to grow its earnings per share at 19% a year. This EPS growth is higher than the 6% average annual increase in the share price. So one could conclude that the broader market has become more cautious towards the stock. The reasonably low P/E ratio of 9.82 also suggests market apprehension.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We consider it positive that insiders have made significant purchases in the last year. Even so, future earnings will be far more important to whether current shareholders make money. Dive deeper into the earnings by checking this interactive graph of Australian Vintage's earnings, revenue and cash flow.

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. 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. So for companies that pay a generous dividend, the TSR is often a lot higher than the share price return. As it happens, Australian Vintage's TSR for the last 5 years was 80%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 4.0% in the twelve months, Australian Vintage shareholders did even worse, losing 16% (even including dividends). Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 12%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Australian Vintage that you should be aware of.

Australian Vintage is not the only stock insiders are buying. So take a peek at this free list of growing companies with insider buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on AU 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.

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S.C. resident Edward Tait caught a state record-breaking 3lb Graysby Grouper off Ocean Isle Beach. Tait is hoping to certify that the catch is also a world record.

One of North Carolina's fastest-growing counties is once again setting records.

Last month off the coast of Ocean Isle Beach, South Carolina resident Edward Tait caught a state record breaking 3.05-pound Graysby Grouper, which might also be a world record.

The fish measured 17 inches from snout to the tip of the compressed tail and had a 13.5-inch girth.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries certified the record last month, which beat out a 2-pound, 3-ounce Graysby Grouper caught off Masonboro Inlet in May.

More: 6 things to know about the new 7-Eleven coming to Leland

Of the 76 saltwater fishing records the Division off Marine Fisheries tracks, 10 have been caught off the Brunswick coast, including six off Ocean Isle Beach.

Only the famed Oregon Inlet is home to more record breaking-catches, holding 12 records, including for blue marlin, mako shark, bigeye tuna and bluefin tuna.

Four state record fish were caught off Wrightsville Beach, two were caught off Carolina Beach, and two off Kure Beach.

Tait will apply to the International Game Fish Association to certify his catch as the All-Tackle World Record for the species, surpassing the current record holding fish caught in 1988 off the Texas coast weighing 2 pounds, 8 ounces.

While Brunswick County may not be known for the size of its fish, this isn't the first time anglers off the coast of Ocean Isle Beach broke state records.

Stay connected: Like the Brunswick Today Facebook page for all of the latest Brunswick County news.

More: A Brunswick holistic spa ordered to stop its controversial hyperbaric oxygen treatment. Here's why.

The largest tiger shark caught in the state, weighing 1,150 pounds, was reeled in off Oak Island by Walter Maxwell in 1966. Just two years prior he caught the world record tiger shark in South Carolina, weighing 1,780 lbs.

In 2004, Frank Ballas caught the state record for sand tilefish off Oak Island, reeling in a 4-pound, 5-ounce fish that was also a world record.

Story continues

The state record for the largest yellowtail snapper was caught off the coast of Calabash by Aiden Grant in 2019, weighing 9.25 pounds. And In 2020, Craig Thompson caught a world record 2-pound, 1-ounce creolefish off Ocean Isle Beach.

According to charter fisherman Capt. Fred David, Brunswick County is more known for its quantity of fish than their size.

"We catch a lot of fish, but there's not a lot of trophy fish," he said. "There hasn't been a time out of our last 100 trips where we haven't caught 100 fish."

Though the murky water running off the Cape Fear River makes fishing more difficult as compared to New Hanover County, David explained the shoals and shallow water off Brunswick County may help attract smaller species like the Graysby Grouper.

David said it's unlikely there's anything special in the water off Ocean Isle Beach. Instead he believes the county's size, its popularity, and the pedigree of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center might skew the data.

"We have what I think is the nicest fishing center anywhere in North Carolina," he said. "It certainly draws in people from a wide area because of that, but fishing is much better in general north of those shoals."

Reporter John Orona can be reached at 910-343-2327 or jorona@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: State record Graysby Grouper caught off Ocean Isle Beach
Warning: This story contains spoilers for Nope. Several of them.

Jordan Peele's just-released horror film Nope is, like the writer-director's previous films Get Out and Us, a fright-filled thrill-ride but one that leaves you with some questions. (And how nice it is to get a summer blockbuster that makes us think a little.) Below, our stabs at answers to the queries that are no doubt clouding your mind.

What is Nope really all about?

On the surface, Peele's film is the tale of a UFO which turns out to be a flying, carnivorous monster. The movie's main characters, sibling duo OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer), risk their lives attempting to grab footage of it, not only for the sake of history but because their horse ranch, Haywood's Hollywood Horses, is failing and they need the money that such a discovery would fetch.

But the film is also a nuanced exploration of how the media, in particular Hollywood, exploits minorities, erasing the contributions of the underprivileged, dating all the way back to Eadweard Muybridge's groundbreaking 1878 photography of a Black jockey galloping (one of the earliest examples of motion pictures). He's the first ever "movie star" repeatedly referenced in the film. Is that jockey nameless? No more: Now he has an extended family of descendants, including OJ and Emerald.

"I'm most proud in how we addressed this acknowledgement of the first actor, right?" Peele recently told EW. "The jockey that was in the clip that no one knows. In a lot of ways, this film is the sequel to that, the sequel that was needed, the reboot of that original film in which we acknowledge the erasure, we acknowledge the exploitation. We let it lie there, and then we go make the best f---ing crazy adventure alien movie with Black people and Black voices."

Nope

Universal Pictures Daniel Kaluuya in 'Nope'

What's up with all the Gordy stuff?

In the course of Nope, we discover that Steven Yeun's character, the tourist-attraction-owning Ricky "Jupe" Park, was a famous child actor, the cute star of the fictional Kid Sheriff who then joined a sitcom about a family whose members include a chimpanzee named Gordy. In an extended flashback scene, Peele shows us how the animal went berserk on set, attacking cast members. While the sequence is terrifying and on point with regard to the director's theme of media exploitation (Jupe's rising career was suddenly kaput), the scene also seems divorced from the main plot.

Story continues

So why did Peele include it? According to the director, he deliberately wanted to unsettle audiences by featuring a sequence which was both brutal and seemingly far removed from the UFO-oriented action. "I think it's a moment that I knew would sort of hit audiences in the back of the head with a bag of sand," Peele told Sean Fennessey, host of the Big Picture podcast. "But it's one of these moments in a movie where you're just like, wait a second, what am I watching, where are we, how did we get here? And to sandwich that in this big, epic, fun blockbuster."

Is that a real chimp?

Nope. Gordy is a CGI creation based on the performance of actor Terry Notary, who specializes in portraying animals and creatures. Notary's credits include 2017's Kong: Skull Island, War for the Planet of the Apes, and the live-action remake of The Lion King. The sets and props featured in the shots with Gordy were built 30 percent larger-than-life to accommodate Notary's larger-than-chimp dimensions. Ironically (though worth mentioning), for a movie about animal wranglers in danger of losing their legacy, Nope leans heavily on digital effects, no doubt for reasons of safety.

And who is that creepy woman behind the veil?

Sitting in a wheelchair at one of Jupe's Western family shows, she's identified as Mary Jo Elliott (Sophia Coto), the actress who played his step-sister on the ill-fated Gordy's Home. (Sweetly, Jupe calls her his "first crush.") In the movie's flashback, we see her as a smiling blond girl, the one who opens the box of balloons that spook the chimp. It's one of Nope's more punishing moments to realize that she survived the attack, though her face (what little we see of it) is ruined. The grown-up Mary Jo is wearing a T-shirt of her younger visage  so beyond sad  and she also has a prosthetic hand. Still a mystery: Why would she want to see Jupe after all these years? She may be trying to reclaim some sort of power over the elements. She's another clue to Peele deeper theme of Hollywood exploitation: a character who is literally chewed up and spat out by the industry.

Nope

Universal Pictures Keith David in 'Nope'

Who plays the director in the beginning? He looks vaguely familiar.

Peele, who never casts actors without intent, buries a lot of connections to horror history in Nope's incidental roles. The brusque director seen in an early sequence is played by Osgood Perkins, a real writer-director of indie renown (I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House), and an actor in Legally Blonde. He's also the son of Psycho's Anthony Perkins. (They share the same gangly frame.) The famous actress on his set, Bonnie, is played by Donna Mills, perhaps best known to general audiences for her stints on Knots Landing and General Hospital, but no doubt known to Peele for her role in Clint Eastwood's unsettling 1971 stalker thriller Play Misty for Me. And the dignified dad on a horse? He's the legendary Keith David, an iconic presence in John Carpenter's The Thing and They Live, two sociopolitically sharp horror movies that Peele clearly loves.

Is Fry's Electronics an actual store?

Yes. Or, more accurately, it was a real store: The Bay Area big-box chain which employs Brandon Perea's character, Angel, was founded in 1985 and at one point boasted dozens of stores, but shuttered in February 2021. The good news? That means there should be an abundance of Fry's Electronics shirts floating around for those who want an authentic, and easy, Halloween costume come this October. And speaking of costumes

Can you buy a Scorpion King hoodie?

In Nope, OJ wears an orange crew hoodie from The Scorpion King, the 2002 Dwayne Johnson-starring Mummy spin-off, and the first film on which Kaluuya's character worked with his late father. Sadly, at the time of writing, it is not possible to purchase this item on eBay, although you can buy vintage orange Scorpion King promo tees.

Nope

Glen Wilson/Universal Pictures

Why does Nope look and feel so majestic, visually?

So many movies are presented to us in fake IMAX ("Lie-MAX," it's called), stretched out and poorly mixed. Nope, though, was actually conceived and shot on large-format IMAX cameras, and the effort pays off. Notably, it's the first horror movie ever filmed in IMAX (that seems like a missed opportunity, Hollywood), and its genius cinematographer, Hoyte van Hoytema, has much big-screen experience with the format, having captured Interstellar, Dunkirk, Tenet, and the forthcoming Oppenheimer, all for Christopher Nolan.

Nope is also something of a neo-sci-fi-Western, if you'll indulge the comparison: desert canyons, horses, grand vistas, undercurrents of redemption and territorial ownership. Peele agrees with the idea that his film is a corrective to the typical Hollywood oater; Nope has the feel of a huge Western, the most American of genres, frequently loaded with subtext.

Finally, can you explain that ending to us?

We'll try: OJ, Emerald, Angel and gravel-voiced cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott) have banded together to try to lure the alien into the open and film it with a special non-electrical camera. OJ rides out on a horse as bait, but the plan is only partly successful, as Antlers and his footage are consumed by the alien. Emerald motorcycles out to the deserted Jupiter's Claim, where she feeds coins into a photo attraction mounted in the bottom of a well. Releasing a large inflated balloon of Jupe's "Kid Sheriff" skyward, she takes several still photos (echoes of Muybridge from the the beginning) until the alien absorbs the helium-inflated balloon and it explodes, presumably killing the creature as well. Emerald gets her shot just before the explosion.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg arrives for an event with President Joe Biden to celebrate Pride Month in the East Room of the White House, Wednesday, June 15, 2022, in Washington. Patrick Semansky/AP Photo

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told GOP senators to "vote yes" on a bill to codify same-sex marriage and "move on."

The Respect for Marriage Act passed the House with bipartisan support last week and now waits in the Senate.

On CNN, Buttigieg said he doesn't "know why this would be hard for a senator" to vote in favor of.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told Senate Republicans to "vote yes and move on" from on the House-backed legislation to codify gay marriage protections.

Buttigieg, the first openly gay cabinet secretary, made the comments during an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday ahead of the Senate's anticipated vote on the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill to codify same-sex marriage into law passed the House with bipartisan support last week. But some House Republicans voted against the measure.

"This is really, really important to a lot of people. It's certainly important to me," said Buttigieg, who has two children with his husband, Chasten. "Our marriage deserves to be treated equally, and I don't know why this would be hard for a senator or a congressman."

Tapper asked Buttigieg what he has to say to Republicans like Sen. Marco Rubio, who told a CNN reporter that the vote was a "stupid waste of time." Rubio also told Insider's Bryan Metzger that the bill is a "waste of our time on a non-issue," saying the decision should be made at a state level.

"If he's got time to fight against Disney, I don't know why he wouldn't have time to help safeguard marriages like mine," Buttigieg said.

Thus far, at least five GOP senators have said they would vote to pass the bill, according to Forbes.

"If they don't want to spend a lot of time on this, they can vote yes and move on, and that would be really reassuring for a lot of families around America, including mine," Buttigieg said.

He later added that he doesn't "understand" why House Republicans voted against the measure. In the 267-157 vote last week, 47 House Republicans voted in favor.

"I don't understand, because such a majority of House Republicans voted no on our marriage as recently as Tuesday, hours after I was in a room with a lot of them talking about transportation policy, having what I thought were perfectly normal conversations with many of them on that subject," Buttigieg said, "only for them to go around the corner and say that my marriage doesn't deserve to continue."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The largest-active wildfire in California has burned more than 14,000 acres and forced thousands of people to evacuate towns across Mariposa County as it reaches the Sierra National Forest near Yosemite National Park after raging into a third day.

Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for the county on 23 July as the fire forced more than 3,000 people from their homes. The declaration will untap additional emergency resources for the region.

The Oak Fire  which was 0 per cent contained as of Saturday evening  began on Friday afternoon in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near the town of Midpines, roughly nine miles northeast from the county seat of Mariposa.

The latest statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says the fire  driven by extreme drought conditions  has grown significantly in the northern section as it moves further into Sierra National Forest.

The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to two miles yesterday, Sierra National Forest spokesperson Daniel Patterson said on Saturday. These are exceptional fire conditions.

The fire destroyed at least 10 residential and commercial structures and damaged at least five others, while hundreds of other structures are threatened, according to Cal Fire. It has nearly doubled in size within a day, expanding from roughly 1,600 acres on Friday to more than 6,555 acres by Saturday morning. By Sunday morning, the fire encompassed roughly 14,200 acres.

Cal Fire said on Saturday that the explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters.

More than 400 fire personnel, 45 fire engines and four helicopters are deployed to battle the blaze, according to Cal Fire.

Several road closures include a portion of Highway 140, partially blocking access to Yosemite National Park.

It is unclear what sparked the fire.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.

The states second-largest active wildfire, the Washburn Fire, has burned near the southern point of Yosemite for more than two weeks, burning nearly 5,000 acres, though officials report that it is 79 per cent contained.

California has experienced increasingly larger and destructive wildfires as the climate crisis accelerates, breeding warmer and drier conditions that fuel aggressive fires.
China has successfully launched the second of three modules that will eventually make up its Tiangong space station. On Sunday at 2:22 PM local time (2:22 AM ET), the Wentian Quest for the Heavens module lifted off from the countrys Wenchang spaceport atop a Long March 5B rocket, Reuters reports . With the launch a complete success, Wentian is expected to rendezvous with the Tiangong space station later today.

At that point, the crew of Chinas Shenzhou-14 mission will begin the work of linking Wentian with the Tianhe Harmony of Heaves module. The latter has been in space since orbital construction on Tiangong began in April 2021. Once Wentian is operational, it will serve as one of two laboratories that will form Tiangongs eventual t-shaped structure. Once complete, the station will be about a fifth of the size of the International Space Station, with long-term accommodation for three astronauts.
Protestors from the action group Ultima Generazione glue their hands to the glass covering Sandro Botticelli's La Primavera at Uffizi on July 22, 2022 in Florence, Italy. Laura Lezza/Getty Images

Two climate activists glued their hands to the protective glass of the iconic "Primavera" painting.

A video showed the activists being dragged away by staff at the Uffizi Gallery in Italy.

An activist group claimed responsibility, calling it "nonviolent civil disobedience."

Climate activists were dragged away by museum staff in Italy after they glued their hands to Sandro Botticelli's iconic "Primavera" painting.

A video of the incident posted to Twitter shows two protestors that each glued their right hands onto the protective glass covering the Botticelli painting at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. The painting is over 540 years old, believed to be completed around 1480.

A third person helped the protesters unravel a banner that said "Ultima Generazione No Gas No Carbone" or "Last Generation, No Gas, No Coal," The Guardian reported.

The two activists near the painting were later dragged away by museum staff, according to the BBC. A video shows the pair going limp and lying on the ground as they were dragged away.

The activist group Ultima Generazione tweeted videos of the incident and claimed responsibility for the demonstration.

"Many criticize our actions because 'we should leave museums in peace,'" the group tweeted. "Maybe they don't understand that the inconvenience we created is nothing compared to 1 billion climate migrants and to the many deaths that the climate crisis is causing already."

In a statement on their website, Ultima Generazione said their demonstration was an act of "nonviolent civil disobedience to continue to put pressure on the government to make more courageous choices to face the climatic and social collapse underway," according to a translation.

The group is called Ultima Generazione (Last Generation) because they believe they are the last generation who can act to reverse the effects of climate change. Laura Lezza/Getty Images

Two women and one man were detained by police following the incident, according to The Guardian. They face multiple charges including defacing property and staging an unauthorized demonstration, according to the magazine Wanted In Rome.

Story continues

A spokesperson for the Uffizi Gallery told Insider that the incident lasted about 30 minutes.

"If there had not been the special protections glasses for the main masterpieces of the museum decided a few years ago by the direction, today we would have had a real damage to the work, as happened recently in other museums on the occasion of similar protests," press officer Tommaso Galligani said.

Similar acts of protest have been reported in Europe before. In May, a man disguised as an elderly woman smeared Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" with a pastry. The activist said he did it because people "are destroying the planet."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cyberknife upset Santa Anita-based Taiba and undefeated Jack Christopher to win the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth in New Jersey. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

It was supposed to be a showdown between Santa Anita Derby winner Taiba and undefeated Jack Christopher. But in the end, it was Cyberknife, who got a great inside trip under jockey Florent Geroux, that beat Taiba by a head in the $1 million Haskell Stakes on Saturday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Longshot Benevengo went to the lead early, with Jack Christopher and Taiba in good stalking positions. Midway into the far turn and at the top of the stretch, Benevengo started to slow and it appeared as if was Jack Christophers race to win, but there was the question if the New York-based colt  who had never run beyond a mile  could handle the 1-1/8-mile race. He couldnt.

Along the inside Cyberknife found a clear path in mid-stretch while Taiba went four wide. Taiba appeared to be gaining on Cyberknife in the final strides but came up short.

Cyberknife paid $17.60 to win and was followed by Taiba, Jack Christopher, Howling Time, Benevengo, King Of Hollywood, White Abarrio and One Time Willard.

He trained well into the race but he wanted to act up in the paddock, winning trainer Brad Cox told TVG after the race. He was a little hot for my liking. But ultimately he ran a good race, settled behind horses and Florent did a good job. When he asked him, he responded well. It was great trip by Florent.

Even though his horse was second, Bob Baffert, who resumed training Taiba after a 90-day suspension, was happy with the performance.

He ran such a gallant race, Baffert told The Times from Del Mar. He just needed one more work to freshen him from the Derby [where he finished 12th]. He showed how talented he is.

Taiba was running only his fourth race, having won the Santa Anita Derby in his second race and running in the Kentucky Derby in his third.

This horse has been thrown into the deep end, Baffert said, alluding to the horses oversized competition given his inexperience.

Now I can back up and pick our spots. Ill get him back to Del Mar and freshen him up. He ran great and I was hoping to win it for [owner] Amr [Zedan]. I still think hes one of the best 3-year-olds.

With the win, Cyberknife gets a free entry into the Breeders Cup Classic, which will be held Nov. 5 at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. As for Taiba, hell likely need another race to see if hes ready to face older horses in the Breeders Cup. There is no race specifically for 3-year-olds in the end-of-year competition.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
JERUSALEM/GAZA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces sank a Palestinian fishing boat off the coast of the Gaza Strip on Sunday, saying it was smuggling supplies from Egypt to the Gaza Strip ruled by Hamas.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that the Palestinian vessel departed overnight from Egypt to the Gaza Strip, violating Israel's maritime blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

"Israeli Navy soldiers instructed the vessel to halt, and after receiving no response, fired toward the vessel in accordance with standard operating procedures," the statement read.

The Israeli military said that the unspecified supplies on the boat were for Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian group that runs Gaza.

Nizar Ayyash, chairman of the Palestinian Fishermen Association told reporters that the Israeli vessels suddenly attacked the Palestinian fishing boat while fishing off the coast of Rafah city.

The fishing boat was destroyed, and no injuries were reported. Two people on the vessel swam to the Gaza Strip before the fire was opened.

Photos posted on social media showed black smoke rising near the coast of Gaza.

Israeli forces occasionally thwart attempts to smuggle cement and other supplies to the Gaza Strip.

Gaza has been under a crippling Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007. 
A Department of Conservation and Recreation employee was slashed in the face by a woman after he told her she could not go into a non-accessible area of Myles Standish State Forest, State Police said.

The encounter happened shortly before 2:10 p.m. at Barretts Pond in Carver. The 63-year-old employee told State Police he denied the woman access to the pond gate, which was closed.

The woman then slashed him in the face, resulting a superficial injury, and quickly left the scene with a man, according to police.

Police searched the area but could not find either person.

The suspect was described as a Hispanic woman with a thin build, wearing a blue t-shirt and bathing suit. The man was described as a Black man wearing a red t-shirt and black shorts. The were seen in an older-model dark-colored Toyota coupe.

The DCR employee was treated at the scene and declined to be taken to the hospital.

Anyone with information is asked to call the State Police-Bourne Barracks at 508-759-4488.

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A bulldozer clears a descent path to move equipment down to the level for drilling operations as workmen start excavations for building the Channel Tunnel outside Calais, France, Nov. 17, 1973

At an age when my classmates were fascinated with dinosaurs or playing Cowboys and Indians, I picked up a book titled Engineers Dreams and was hooked. Thus began a lifelong interest in projects associated with engineering concepts about improving our world.

The author, Willy Ley, sketched the outlines of some large civil projects including the development of the Channel Tunnel connecting Britain with France. Of course, the tunnel has been in use for 28 years. He also explored ideas for generating electricity. With solar and wind power leading the way, every one of his generation schemes has seen significant development since.

Given my interests, I was drawn to a recent letter in The Desert Sun proposing to solve the shortage of water in the Southwest by bringing water from the Mississippi River.

This is not the first proposal to find water for the Southwest. One such scheme, made more than 50 years ago, would have brought water from Alaska and Canada to feed into the Columbia, Missouri, and Colorado River systems. Aside from international political and environmental considerations, the proposal was sunk by a forecast return on investment of about 5 cents for every dollar invested. I wondered would the Mississippi water scheme have a better return?

Additionally, how would I register the feasibility of this scheme against the authors contention that two reference projects  the California Aqueduct and the Alaska Pipeline  represented far more difficult projects than he envisioned this plan to be. Marshalling a few facts challenged that supposition.

The proposed flow of 250,000 gallons/second represents a lot of water. Converting it into a more normal engineering unit, this would represent about 32,000 cubic feet/second (CFS). That happens to be about the same rate of flow as passes through the generating turbines at Hoover Dam at full capacity. In the original letter, this flow was correctly calculated as the amount of flow necessary to fill Lake Powell in one year. Even at todays record low level, Lake Powell is not empty. Lesser flows could reduce the costs and difficulty of the project while still providing significant benefits.

Story continues

The Alaska Pipeline is a significant project. It involved construction, in forbidding conditions, of a 48-inch diameter pipeline about 800 miles long. The peak capacity flow rate is 2 million barrels per day, or about 100 CFS. So, as a comparison, pumping the proposed volume of water from the Mississippi would involve a distance approximately twice as long for a flow about 320 times as great.

The California Aqueduct involves a peak flow of 13,000 CFS over a distance of about 450 miles. As proposed, this Mississippi diversion project would involve 2 times as much water over a distance nearly four times as long.

One big challenge of the California Aqueduct is pumping water to a height of 1,926 feet, which requires massive pumping equipment. Our Mississippi diversion scheme has a net difference in elevation of 3,700 feet from New Orleans to Lake Powell, or a terminus nearly twice as high as the highest point in the California Aqueduct. This last difference is especially significant because the fall from 1,926 feet to near sea level could, in theory, be used to generate some power to offset the pumping power requirement. That option is not fully available in pumping to 3,700 feet.

The peak elevations required for pumping the water are likely much greater than the net difference of 3,700 feet. If we discount the higher elevations the water has to be pumped to, we still have to provide the power to raise the water to 3,700 feet. Using the power plant at Hoover Dam as a reference, this would require about 12,000 megawatts of pumping power.

The power requirement of the flow would require at least the equivalent capacity of about 5 times the power output of the new Plant Vogtle nuclear facility in Georgia. Plant Vogtle has been estimated to cost over $28 billion. Thus, our water pumping scheme could incur a cost of $150 billion for the power plants alone.

Wait you say, what about wind power instead of nuclear? Surely that would be cheaper. Yes, it would, but there are, of course, challenges. A wind turbine cannot reliably produce power 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. So the installed wind power capacity would be greater than the current capacity from the 150 wind farms in Texas.

As a nation, we have seemingly lost our appetite for large projects. I dont think this one will overcome that reluctance.

Summer sale! $22 for 2 years

Get a digital subscription with unlimited access to The Desert Sun for just $22 for 2 years with our blowout summer sale. SIGN UP

John Homer is a professional engineer working in retirement as a consultant on construction projects. He lives near Indianapolis and can be reached at JohnHomerIN@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Engineer evaluates idea of pumping water from Mississippi to West
Manchester Citys Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland celebrate after Manchester Citys goal against Bayern Munich (Morry Gash/AP/PA) (AP)

Manchester City new boy Erling Haaland is relishing his blossoming partnership with Jack Grealish after the England international helped him mark his debut with a first goal for the club.

The 22-year-old Norwegian, a 51million summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, needed just 12 minutes to do what he does best, converting Grealishs cross to secure a 1-0 friendly victory over Bayern Munich on a stormy Saturday evening at Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

Haaland has already been impressed with the former Aston Villa playmaker, who has struggled to make the impact he might have hoped following his own 100m switch to the Etihad Stadium last August, but is convinced there is much more to come from the pair.

He told Sky Sports: Hes good. He has to get better, I have to get better, but good link. I like the vibe around him, so its going to be fun.

Haalands involvement in front of a crowd of almost 80,000 was limited to just 41 minutes on a night when kick-off was delayed because of an electrical storm and then play paused for almost 45 minutes by another.

However, it did not take him long to demonstrate the prowess in which City have invested so heavily.

He said: As you probably all know, Ive been watching a lot of City games for the last years and the last years have been without a striker, so of course Ive been seeing myself in these kind of situations today, so Im not surprised.

If results in pre-season are largely incidental, this one carried a little more weight for Haaland after his time in the Bundesliga and ahead of Saturdays Community Shield clash with Liverpool.

He said: It was about time, I have to say, seven losses in a row, so to win against Bayern feels good.

The quality is good and it was also good to play against Bayern to get a real test before Liverpool in the week.
German IRIS-T air defense systems

In early July, the Ukrainian government applied for the purchase of 11 IRIS-T SLM anti-aircraft missile systems from the German arms company Diehl Defense.

Read also: Ukraine will build a modern air defense network, says Zelensky

One system costs EUR 140 million, for a total price tag of EUR 1.5 billion. Given the number of systems, Kyiv requested financial support for this purchase. The agreement was approved by the German Ministry of Economy, but the final approval must be issued by the German Security Council. However, as of publication, final approval has not been given.

Read also: Germany upgrades Marder IFVs to aid Ukrainian war effort

No information can be provided about this, a German government spokesperson said.

In general, we dont comment on ongoing agreements with other countries.

Read also: How Olaf Scholz became Germanys antihero, blocking the supply of heavy weapons to Ukraine

Welt am Sonntag, citing Ukrainian government officials, writes that delivery of one unit is expected before the end of the year.

In early June, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Ukraine to provide IRIS-T "in the coming weeks." On July 21, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock said that the German IRIS-T air defence systems, which should be transferred to Kyiv, are under production and should be ready by the end of summer.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Runner No. 34 Bryant Summers is all smiles after finishing the Gift of Life LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle in Detroit on July 23, 2022. A 5K and 10K run, along with a 5K for walkers, were held to raise awareness and money for the Gift of Life Michigan.

The annual LIFE walk/run returned for the 25th time Saturday, drawing large crowds to show support for organ and tissue transplant donations.

The walk and run was hosted at Belle Isle Park and was organized by Gift of Life Michigan in partnership with the Detroit Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, Michigan Humane and Ainsleys Angels of America, a nationwide organization that seeks to raise awareness about people with special needs through inclusion.

While the walk was held virtually last year due to the pandemic, this year about 100 donors, transplant recipients, volunteers, supporters and even dogs were able to attend the event. About $7,000 was raised in the fundraiser.

Runner No.167 Octavia Smith waves up at a drone that was above them shooting video at the start of the Gift of Life LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle in Detroit on July 23, 2022. A 5K and 10K run, along with a 5K for walkers, were held to raise awareness and money for the Gift of Life Michigan.

According to Gift of Life President and CEO Dorrie Dils, the event aims to encourage people to become organ and tissue donors. Currently, about 55% of Michigan adults are in the Michigan donor registry and about 2,400 in the state are seeking a transplant.

Our goal is to bring awareness about organ and tissue donation, Dils said. We need everyone to put their name in the registry, to sign up and say yes to donation.

The event included a 5K run, 10K run and a 5K walk.

Andrea Nunn-Mencavage, 40, of Lexington, along with her daughter Haydn Mencavage, 8, walk around looking for the picture of Debbie Martin, who died in October 2021 and who Nunn-Mencavage was going to be running for during the Gift of Life LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle in Detroit on July 23, 2022. A 5K and 10K run, along with a 5K for walkers, were held to raise awareness and money for the Gift of Life Michigan.

Donned in pink tutus, Ainsleys Angels runners participated in the LIFE race for the first time this year. According to PJ Sapienza, regional director of Ainsleys Angels, the organization allows those who cannot participate in races to enjoy the race experience by providing chariots that are pushed through the races by volunteer Angel runners.

Our goal is to get the special needs community off the sidelines and across the finish line, Sapienza said.

Transplant recipient Debora Dearring, 62, came to the event to encourage people to become donors and show her appreciation for donors. Dearring underwent a double lung transplant in 2015 due to congestive heart failure and sarcoidosis  a chronic disease that causes lesions in the lungs and other organs.

We want to encourage more people to become donors, Dearring said. As a recipient Im very grateful to my donor because as a recipient I know I would not be here if it wasnt for them.

Story continues

Runners on the first mile of their 5K with the Detroit River in the background during the Gift of Life LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle in Detroit on July 23, 2022. A 5K and 10K run, along with a 5K for walkers, were held to raise awareness and money for the Gift of Life Michigan.

Among the runners was Detroit resident Julie Birch, 40, who participated in the events 5K run.

It motivates you more when youre running for a cause like this, Birch said. To start behind the Ainsley Angels and watch them put in so much effort and to see what the race supports is definitely a huge motivator.

More: Grand Rapids wedding venue under fire after sharing anti-LGBTQ policy

More: Owners of Erwin Orchards in South Lyon say farewell: It's 'bittersweet'

Mike Stone, a 71-year-old Detroiter who has been running for the past 40 years, also participated in the run along with his teammates from the Stonesteppers running club.

Mike Stone, 71, of Detroit, and a member of the Stone Steppers running club, shows off his medal after finishing a 10K at a time of 54:13 during the Gift of Life LIFE Walk/Run on Belle Isle in Detroit on July 23, 2022. A 5K and 10K run, along with a 5K for walkers, were held to raise awareness and money for the Gift of Life Michigan.

I really like this race, Stone said. Theres a lot of people from the city running. We like the spirit that there with so many runners out. The spirit here is different. With this race the cause is more prominent and you see more people out in support.

To add your name to the donor registry, go to www.golm.org or call 866-500-5801.

Contact Navya Gupta: ngupta@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gift of Life hosts LIFE walk/run on Belle Isle
Cardinals stars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado won't be playing in next week's series against the Blue Jays. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The St. Louis Cardinals will be lacking some serious firepower next week when they travel to Toronto for a two-game series against the Blue Jays.

First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, third baseman Nolan Arenado and catcher Austin Romine will not make the trip due to their vaccination status, Cardinals president John Mozeliak told reporters on Sunday, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Canada requires visitors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19  a rule that is also in place for travel to the United States.

As Ben says....a friendly reminder that the rules are the same in both countries...Guerrero, Gurriel, Hernandez, Kirk, Romano, etc would not have been able to play in STL, or anywhere in the US for that matter, without being vaccinated. https://t.co/WeJ5xjPrOi  Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) July 24, 2022

The three players will be placed on the restricted list, meaning they will not be paid for the two contests they are absent for. Relief pitcher Johan Oviedo will not accompany the team due to an expired passport.

Goldschmidt and Arenado are the two biggest stars forced to miss a series in Toronto this season. Other notable players include Max Kepler, Dylan Cease, Andrew Benintendi, Whit Merrifield, Tanner Houck, Tyler Mahle, Aaron Nola and J.T. Realmuto, who was particularly vocal about not being allowed to play north of the border.

Its an extremely unfortunate situation, the Philadelphia Phillies catcher said earlier this month. Im a healthy 31-year-old professional athlete. I just didnt feel a need to get it. Ive had COVID a couple times, super-mild symptoms, back when it first came out.

"When it came time to decide whether I needed the vaccine or not, talking to doctors that I knew and told them my story, I decided I didnt think I needed it. I wasnt going to take it just because I was told, basically. Whats money? Im not going to let Canada tell me what I do and dont do with my body. For a little bit of money, its just not worth it.

Story continues

Goldschmidt is having an MVP-calibre season in 2022, slashing .333/.416/.603 with 22 home runs in 92 games. Arenado is also putting up big numbers with a .299/.363/.534 slash line of his own. Both players are seven-time All-Stars.

More from Yahoo Sports
A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of Californias largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said.

Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters, Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday that described the Oak Fires activity as extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching.

By Saturday morning, the fire had destroyed 10 residential and commercial structures, damaged five others and was threatening 2,000 more structures, Cal Fire said. The blaze prompted numerous road closures, including a shutdown of Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road  blocking one of the main routes into Yosemite.

California has experienced increasingly larger and deadlier wildfires in recent years as climate change has made the West much warmer and drier over the past 30 years. Scientists have said weather will continue to be more extreme and wildfires more frequent, destructive and unpredictable.

Story continues

The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday, Patterson said. These are exceptional fire conditions. The cause of the fire was under investigation.

Pacific Gas & Electric said on its website that more than 2,600 homes and businesses in the area had lost power as of Friday afternoon and there was no indication when it would be restored. PG&E is unable to access the affected equipment, the utility said.

A shoeless older man attempting to flee the blaze on Friday crashed his sedan into a ditch in a closed area and was helped by firefighters. He was safely driven from the area and did not appear to suffer any injuries. Several other residents stayed in their homes Friday night as the fire burned nearby.

Meanwhile, firefighters have made significant progress against a wildfire that began in Yosemite National Park and burned into the Sierra National Forest.

The Washburn Fire was 79% contained Friday after burning about 7.5 square miles (19.4 square kilometers) of forest. It was one of the largest fires of the year in California, along with the Lost Lake Fire in Riverside County that was fully contained in June at 9 square miles (23 square kilometers)

The fire broke out July 7 and forced the closure of the southern entrance to Yosemite and evacuation of the community of Wawona as it burned on the edge of Mariposa Grove, home to hundreds of giant sequoias, the worlds largest trees by volume.

Wawona Road is tentatively set to reopen on Saturday, according to the park website.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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SheKnows

Reddit is rallying around a dad who wont pay for school supplies for good reason. He took to the AITA forum to explain that his ex-wife recently took his daughter to buy all the back-to-school necessities. An important note: this ex-wife lives with her boyfriend (with whom she had an affair) and his daughter, who []
Justin Sullivan/Getty

Thousands of Californians were ordered to leave their homes Saturday as a wildfire near Yosemite National Park spread quickly, burning homes and businesses to the ground, and threatening 2,000 more as firefighters struggled to get it under control.

Photos of the Oak Fire in rural Mariposa County captured apocalyptic scenes: walls of orange flame, the charred skeleton of buildings, cars all but reduced to ash.

Destroyed property is left by the Oak Fire as it chews through the forest northeast of Mariposa, California. David McNew/AFP via Getty

Officials told the Associated Press that the fire had grown to 10.2 square miles as of Saturday morning. Pacific Gas & Electric said that over 2,600 homes were without power.

The fire, which broke out Friday afternoon, has ruined 10 residential and commercial structures, and damaged five others. Nearby residents can stay up to date on the evacuation area with local officials constantly updating interactive map.

Explosive fire behavior is challenging firefighters, Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday, describing the fire as extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group torching.

An aerial view of the Oak Fire near Yosemite National Park. Matt Garr/Reuters

Helicopters, bulldozers, and more than 400 firefighters are attempting to rein in the spread, Sierra National Forest spokesperson Daniel Patterson told the Associated Press. Highway 140 between Carstens Road and Allred Road are currently shut down among other road closures.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation as officials tried to stop it from ravaging other neighborhoods. But the stage was set by a hot climate, low humidity, and bone dry vegetation caused by extensive drought furthered by climate change, Patterson said. California wildfires have continued to increase in intensity and size in recent years.

A home burns near Mariposa, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty

The fire is moving quickly. This fire was throwing embers out in front of itself for up to 2 miles yesterday, Patterson said. These are exceptional fire conditions.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Sunday criticized the GOP gubernatorial primary winner in his home state, calling him a QAnon whack job and declaring that his victory was the result of collusion between Trump and the Democrats.

It was kind of unprecedented collusion between the Democratic Governors Association and Donald Trump, Hogan told ABC This Week co-anchor Jonathan Karl of the GOP primary win of candidate Dan Cox.

Hogan alleged that Coxs win was assisted by campaign ads by the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), as part of a move purportedly aimed at helping Republican candidates unlikely to win the general election beat out their GOP opponents in the primaries in order to lead to a Democrat winning to lead the state in November.

So, it was a win for the Democrats. Its a big loss for the Republican Party and we have no chance of saving that governor seat. We actually had a chance if they hadnt gotten together and done that, Hogan said, adding that he believed the DGA had spent $3 million to help advertise Cox, while the candidate himself had spent just $100,000.

Cox won the Maryland GOP primary with Trumps endorsement and has backed Trumps baseless claims about a stolen 2020 presidential election. Hes also clashed with Hogan, who is term-limited, but has reportedly considered a 2024 presidential bid.

In a Sunday appearance on CNNs State of the Union, Hogan reiterated the notion of collusion, which he said propped this guy up and got him elected. He told co-host Jake Tapper that he expects fringe candidates like Cox to lose, adding that he doesnt think theres any chance the Republican nominee will win Maryland.

Theres no question that we lost a battle, and were losing a few battles. But the fight is long. Its not  its long from being over. I mean, we have another couple of years before the next election  Theres going to be a long battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party. And this is just the beginning.

Story continues

After the midterms, Hogan said on CNN, the GOP will need to reassess itself.

Were going to have to start thinking about, between Novembers election and the election two years later, what kind of a party are we going to be? And can we get back to a more Reagan-esque big tent party that appeals to more people? Or are we going to double down on failure?

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
JERUSALEM, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Israeli special forces killed at least two Palestinians in a pre-dawn battle in the occupied West Bank on Sunday, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Israeli police said in a statement that "several" Palestinians who barricaded inside a home in the West Bank city of Nablus were killed during a massive fire exchange. No Israeli forces were killed or injured, the police said.

According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Red Crescent, at least two Palestinian men were killed and 19 were wounded in the clash. The victims were identified as Aboud Sobh, 29, and Muhammad Al-Azizi, 22.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying troops and special police forces arrived in Nablus to arrest "armed terrorist suspects."

During the raid, "an exchange of fire took place between the armed suspects and Israeli forces," the army said, adding that armed men "hurled explosive devices and rocks and shot at IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers, endangering their lives."

In the apartment of one suspect, weapons including pistols were found, the army said.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid told his cabinet meeting that the suspects had been wanted for a series of shooting attacks, according to a statement released on his behalf.

"We will not sit and wait for Israeli citizens to be attacked," he told the ministers. "We will go out and take the fight to the terrorists wherever they are," he said.

Israeli forces have been carrying out frequent night raids in the West Bank over the past months, as part of operation "Break the Wave" to crack down on suspects involved in a series of deadly attacks in Israeli cities in April and May.

The raids triggered clashes with Palestinians, in which several Palestinians were killed or injured.

Since the beginning of 2022, Palestinian attacks on Israelis cost the lives of 19 people, according to official Israeli figures, while Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians, according to official Palestinian figures.

Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and controlled them ever since. The Palestinians wish to build their future state in these territories. 
The Hill

Fox News host Tucker Carlson predicted former President Trump will be indicted following a search at his Florida residence last week carried out by the FBI in connection with an investigation into classified information reportedly taken from the White House. Theres nothing to see here, thats the line, Carlson said on his show Monday, naming
Cynthia Concha arrived at the prison in Concepcion, Chile, with no clothes other than the dirty ones she was wearing.

The guards did not provide her with clean garments, or even a toothbrush, but Ms Concha had not thought about packing. She was bruised, shaken and in shock.

She had just killed her husband.

That day, in September 2019, Ms Concha's husband threatened to kill her, blocking their bedroom door as she tried to escape. Fearing for her life, she fought against him, causing his death through asphyxiation as they struggled.

She handed herself in to the police immediately and was promptly arrested while an investigation took place.

After two months of pre-trial detention, followed by almost two years under house arrest, the state prosecutor finally confirmed what she had dreaded the most: if found guilty, she would face a 20-year prison sentence.

Unexpected help

But Ms Concha had not expected a nationwide grassroots campaign to rally for her freedom under the call-to-arms "Yo Tambien Me Defenderia", which translates as "I'd Defend Myself, Too".

Women backed Cynthia Concha, posting photos holding up signs spelling out "I'd Defend Myself Too, Freedom for Cynthia"

Ms Concha's trial took place in April this year. As she had well-documented evidence of domestic abuse, which included hospital visits, restraining orders and countless police reports, the courts accepted her self-defence plea and acquitted her of all charges.

Ms Concha says she had felt "powerless" after hearing the prosecutor's accusations and added that the networks made her feel heard: "I'm so grateful for their support."

Hers is one of several cases that have garnered support from the movement, formed by various women's rights networks, which argue against the criminalisation of survivors of domestic violence who turned against their abusers in self-defence.

"I must have had at least one hundred domestic violence reports. I always had black eyes and bruises," Ms Concha tells the BBC over a video call, her finger tracing the parts on her face that were beaten.

She says she also suffered economic exploitation, sexual violence, and psychological trauma.

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"I would defend myself too if my life were at risk. It's not violence; it's defence", Source: Lorena Astullido, Source description: Network Against Violence Against Women, Image: Signs reading "enough of the impunity" and "I'd defend myself, too"

Women's rights organisations in Chile celebrate Ms Concha's acquittal, but warn that there are many more domestic abuse survivors who have been unjustly criminalised for defending themselves.

"Many cases like this could be avoided if the justice system did its job," says Loren Leron, a feminist activist who provides aid in the jail where Ms Concha was detained.

Ms Leron was the one who first alerted rights organisations to the case and requested their support. "If a woman was actually protected every time she reported domestic abuse, there wouldn't be cases like this," she explains.

Viral anthem

It is not the first time women protesters in Chile have taken on the justice system: in 2019, the protest anthem "A Rapist in Your Path" went viral across the world.

That year, during a period of social unrest, thousands were filmed in capital Santiago chanting the words: "The patriarchy is a judge / that judges us for being born", before pointing to the president, judges and police for fostering impunity against abusers: "the rapist is you".

The Network Against Violence Against Women is Chile's largest national organisation working to eradicate gender-based violence.

In its annual 2021 report, it counted 23,642 domestic violence complaints to police in the first semester of the year, but only 5,855 arrests. For sexual abuse cases, 74% were dismissed by courts and only 7% of cases resulted in a sentence.

The report also revealed that 81% of women had a negative experience in their attempts to report domestic violence to the police.

Dr Myrna Villegas Diaz, a criminal science professor at the University of Chile, says that Chile's legal system has failed abuse survivors.

"The patriarchy, more than a judge, is a legislator," she reflects. She also questions the approach of the prosecutor's office to self-defence cases: "They have to be objective, not just look at elements to incriminate but also at what can exonerate."

According to documentation sent to the BBC by the prosecutor's office, there have been 224 cases of women killing or attempting to kill partners between 2011-2022. In total, 86 have resulted in a criminal sentence and over 50 are still active.

Activists demand freedom for women who are in prison for killing their partners in domestic violence contexts.

Activists are backing women such as Katty Hurtado who is serving a 20-year jail sentence in what her supporters say was a case self-defence

While statistics do not reveal whether each case occurred in self-defence contexts, the Network Against Violence Against Women believes it is likely in many cases.

"These are women who have experienced systematic violence. Many have restraining orders against their abusers but the state has failed to keep them safe, and later criminalises them," says Lorena Astullido, a spokesperson for the organisation.

"I would defend myself too if my life were at risk. It's not violence; it's defence," she adds.

Ymay Ortiz, director of the Specialized Unit in Human Rights, Gender Violence and Sexual Crimes in the National Prosecutor's Office, stressed the institution investigates each case under a rigorous gender policy that includes mandatory training on domestic violence.

While Ms Ortiz welcomes feedback and criticisms from the civil sector, she is wary about the movement's message and says it could be dangerous.

"Everyone has the right to legitimate defence but it has to be considered proportionately," she said. "It cannot be used as an impunity pass or to grant special protections."

LGBTQ+ attacks

The "I'd Defend Myself, Too" cry has also extended to the LGBTQ+ community, with gay rights activists in Chile pushing for the freedom of a trans man who was jailed after killing his aggressor earlier this year. Activists argue that he was defending himself during a life-threatening transphobic attack.

And in neighbouring Argentina, the movement has similarly catalysed social mobilization.

This year, huge crowds converged to demand the acquittal of Eva Analia Dejesus, better known as Higui, a lesbian who killed her assailant while defending herself during a "corrective" gang rape attempt. She was acquitted in March.

Ms Concha is one of a handful of defendants in Chile who have been acquitted or whose cases have been dismissed in the last 10 years.

She has recently found work and moved to another town while she rebuilds her life. While she is relieved she was acquitted, she believes that domestic violence is not taken seriously enough.

"When you report violence, the police take one look at you and say you're fine; to stop crying over nothing," she says, exhaling deeply. She pauses for a moment, before finishing the call with an emotional plea:

"If you see a woman is suffering violence, help her in any way you can. Do not abandon her."
STORY: Thousands of Palestinians attended a funeral procession on Sunday (July 24) for two gunmen killed earlier in the day by Israeli security forces in the occupied West Bank.

The fighters, claimed as members by the Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, died in a pre-dawn clash at a house in Nablus.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said six others were wounded.

Police said Israeli security forces on an apparent arrest raid of a wanted suspect came under fire.

They, quote, "responded with live fire and other means until neutralizing the terrorists inside the house and on its roof".

Writing on Twitter Hussein al-Sheikh, a senior Palestinian official, condemned what he described as a crime committed by "occupation forces".

Israeli forces have stepped up raids in the West Bank in recent months after men from the area carried out deadly street attacks in Israel.

U.S. brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza collapsed in 2014 and have shown no signs of revival.

Separately on Sunday, the Israeli navy fired on fishing boat accused of smuggling in Hamas supplies from Egypt after its two crewmen escaped.

A military spokesman said the vessel had strayed from Israel's maritime cordon on Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.

The navy fired on the boat after it did not heed orders to stop, the military said, adding that it carried unspecified supplies for Hamas.

The chairman of the Palestinian fisherman's union said such allegations have in the past proved baseless.

The union said the two crew members had jumped into the water and swum to shore before the boat was destroyed.
A remote camera image show shows an eruption of Sakurajima in Tarumizu (via REUTERS)

A volcano on Japan's western major island of Kyushu has erupted, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people.

Sakurajima began erupting at about 8:05 pm (11:05am) on Sunday, the Japanese Meteorological Agency has said.

There were reports of volanic stones raining down at a distance of 2.5 km (1.5 miles) from the volcano, NHK public television said. The eruption alert level has been raised to 5, the highest, with some areas advised to evacuate, it added.

Sakurajima is one of Japan's most active volcanoes and eruptions of varying levels take place on a regular basis. In 2019 it spewed ash 5.5 km (3.4 miles) high.

Japan Meteorological Agency has issued the highest alert warning (via REUTERS)

Video footage from Sunday's eruption showed what appeared to be a red mass flowing down one side of the volcano, with red projectiles shooting out while smoke, hard to see in the darkness, billowed up.

Most of the city of Kagoshima is across the bay from the volcano but several residential areas within about 3 km (1.9 miles) of the crater may be ordered to evacuate, NHK said.

Officials at prime minister Fumio Kishida's office were gathering information about the situation, but have so far advised the government to take steps to protect lives following the eruption.

More follows...
Helpful Homeless Man ASSOCIATED PRESS

Katelyn McClure and her at-the-time boyfriend Mark D'Amico fabricated a story of a homeless veteran in 2017.

The couple raised $400,000 from 14,000 people on GoFundMe, after deceiving donors.

McClure admitted she lied and was sentenced to a year and a day in prison.

A New Jersey woman on Thursday was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to theft by scamming donors of $400,000 on GoFundMe after fabricating a homeless veteran story.

Prosecutors said Katelyn McClure,32, and her boyfriend Mark D'Amico, 43, went viral in 2017 after fabricating a story about a homeless veteran, Johnny Bobbitt, 39. In the viral post, McClure claimed the homeless vet handed over his last $20 when she ran out of gas on a Philadelphia highway.

According to the DOJ, the couple took this story to GoFundMe, where they started the "Paying It Forward" campaign with a $10,000 goal that promised donors that the money donated would provide living expenses for Bobbitt.

The GoFundMe campaign raised approximately $400,000 from more than 14,000 donors in less than three weeks, which the couple quickly spent on personal expenses such as Casino trips and cars, according to The Associated Press.

Law enforcement began investigating the couple after Bobbitt sued the couple, accusing them of not giving him the money, according to the AP.

According to the DOJ, D'Amico pleaded guilty in April and was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison. In addition to McClure's prison sentence, she must pay $400,000 in restitution, per the DOJ.

Bobbit pleaded guilty and is awaiting federal sentencing.

Read the original article on Insider
Linda Maurice was recently named the new executive director of the Jewish Council of North Central Florida, the umbrella organization for the diverse Jewish Communities of Gainesville, Ocala and surrounding area with a main focus on fundraising and programming, both locally and virtually.

The JCNCF has a long, and impressive history of community work and philanthropy, not just in the local Jewish Gainesville and Ocala communities, but also the greater, diverse community, Maurice said. Additionally, the community avidly supports important Jewish organizations, both regionally and worldwide. I am excited and honored to be a part of this wonderful organizations mission and future.

Originally from New York, Maurice comes to the JCNCF with a diverse background. For the last 15 years she has been affiliated with the Nova Southeastern University Lifelong Learning Institute in Fort Lauderdale where for the last 11 years she has served as institute director. Previously, she worked in public relations for the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie.

More: School district wrongfully overbilling, redacting information on Camp Crystal, experts say

City Commission: Gainesville could soon not investigate pregnancy outcomes, cover expenses for abortion

Alachua County: School Board adopts resolution to promote gun safety

Before moving to Florida 2000, Maurice lived in Jerusalem for many years where she primarily worked in television news production. JCNCF board president Debby Kinman-Ford says Maurices extensive background working with Jewish communities, her time in Israel and her dynamic personality will make for an exciting new pathway for the JCNCF. Her enthusiasm and energy will allow us to continue to move the JCNCF forward and create programs and initiatives to a broader section of our Jewish community.

Locally the JCNCF runs educational and social programs for all ages. Some of the programs include the PJ Library, which sends free books celebrating Jewish values and culture to families with young children; events commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah); Israeli Independence Day, and the Annual Jewish Film Festival, organized in collaboration with the University of Florida Center for Jewish Studies.

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JCNCF raises funds for The Jewish Federations of North America which distributes funds as needed through the Joint Distribution Committee, a leading global Jewish humanitarian organization, and, The Jewish Agency for Israel, which works to ensure a vibrant Jewish future around the world.

Both organizations have created urgent campaigns to help Jews in Ukraine during the current war. The JCNCF directly supports two organizations in Israel: The Jaffa Institute, helping underserved families in Jaffa-Tel Aviv, and The Beit Ruth Educational and Therapeutic Village, which is a home and innovative community for abused and neglected women and girls in Afula, Israel.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Linda Maurice new director of Jewish Council of North Central Florida
Jul. 23William Iker is super excited to be selected as the new principal for Jordan Elementary School.

Currently an assistant principal at Wilson & Young Medal of Honor Middle School, he has been with Ector County ISD for 10 years. Previously, he served in the U.S. Army for 20 years, leaving as a sergeant first class.

Originally from Atlanta, Ga., Iker moved around the country and world  Germany, South Carolina, Alabama, Missouri, Korea, Hawaii, Washington State and California.

He and his wife, Raquel, have five children.

His wife was previously a special education teacher for eight years and now works for American Momentum Bank.

Iker earned his bachelor's degree in history from Columbia College while he was in the Army and his master's degree in educational leadership from University of Texas Permian Basin.

Columbia College is in Columbia, Mo. The military partners with local colleges, so he was able to take classes at Fort Leonard Wood.

"It's one of those unique situations that the military provides for the service members," Iker said.

He started off as a teacher/coach at Ector Middle School before it became an in-district charter.

Within the first year or two of his military career, Iker said he was steering toward education.

"... From that point on, I tried to drive my career towards instruction and being a military instructor and having those opportunities," he said.

His father was in the military and his wife was, as well. They got married in Hawaii.

Iker said his military background helps in education.

"It gives me a good foundation. It also gives me the ability to deal with people, build those quality relationships quickly because the rotations in the military come so quick. That building relationships is fundamental in the military, so it made for an easier transition when I moved into education. I just found it easier to build those quality relationships with adults and students," Iker said.

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Having spent his career at middle schools, Iker said he's looking forward to becoming an elementary principal.

"... It's a change. It's an opportunity to grow. I've been in the middle school my whole career, so there are those challenges of just learning what goes on in the elementary school so I'm just super-excited to expand my horizons and my professional career," Iker said.

His goals at Jordan will be to grow teachers so they can grow students and close gaps and bring parents back into the school to help with their children's education.

Jordan has about 800 students in grades kindergarten through fifth.

"Right now, I think they're a C-rated campus. Our goal is to be an A-rated campus. ... It should take three to four years to do that with incremental growth. We're not rushing anything, like overnight success. ...," Iker said.

He added that he is looking forward to starting the year and working with the teachers at Jordan.

"... I've heard nothing but great things about Barbara Jordan and the staff over there and the family they have over there. I'm just eager to be part of that and get in there and see where we can grow; see how I can help them grow. We can reach those goals of becoming an A campus," Iker said.

He added that he has learned a lot from being at Wilson & Young and enjoyed working with the administrative team because they are so cohesive. The campus has about 1,250 students in grades six through eight.

"... It gives you an opportunity to focus on the things you want to grow on. And so just having that great admin team and then just a school full of professional teachers is just amazing ...," Iker said.

He added that it's tough to find schools where the administrative team and teaching staff are so closely aligned and focused on what they're trying to accomplish.

Chief of Schools Keeley Simpson said Iker is committed to the Jordan school community.

"As a member of the community himself, he is passionate about expanding opportunities for parent engagement and ensuring that students have an exceptional school experience," Simpson said.

"He is a systems thinker and is highly involved with all aspects of teaching and learning," she added. "... He's great at designing and implementing systems based on needs."
Josh Hawley, the Missouri senator shown running from the mob he incited on January 6, is a laughingstock who should be afraid of what the Capitol attack committee might disclose next, a leading newspaper in his home state said.

Related: US democracy will not survive for long: how January 6 hearings plot a roadmap to autocracy

Hawley was widely criticised for raising a fist to protesters outside Congress on 6 January 2021, then after the mob sent by Donald Trump failed to stop certification of Joe Bidens election win, voting to object to results anyway.

The senator cast that vote, American voters now know, after running when rioters broke into Congress.

In an editorial, the Kansas City Star noted that Hawley will soon publish a book entitled Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs, but said people watching the hearing didnt see much virile bravado as he ran from the mob.

The Star began: Josh Hawley is a laughingstock. During Thursday nights televised hearings of the House committee investigating the January 6 2021 coup attempt  [Democratic] representative Elaine Luria showed video of Missouris junior senator that will surely follow him the rest of his life.

In the clip, Hawley sprints across a hallway as he and his fellow senators are evacuated after insurrectionists had breached the Capitol building. When it played on the screen, the audience in the room with the committee erupted in laughter.

On Twitter, users spliced the video to songs including Born to Run, Running Up That Hill and the Benny Hill theme. Charlie Sykes, a conservative Trump critic, wrote: Running Josh Hawley is a meme for the ages.

But the Star also noted that Hawley has become one of the defining figures of that day. A famous photo captured by Francis Chung shows him raising a fist in solidarity with the crowds that would soon break through doors, loot offices and assault law enforcement.

The senator shows no sign of backing down. Speaking at a conservative conference in Florida on Friday, apparently without irony, he said: I just want to say to all of those liberals out there and the liberal media, just in case you havent gotten the message yet, I do not regret [voting to object to electoral results].

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And I am not backing down. Im not going to apologise. Im not going to cower. Im not going to run from you. Im not going to bend the knee.

He has also used the image to fundraise, selling among other items mugs said to be the perfect way to enjoy coffee, tea, or liberal tears!

Politico, which owns the image, asked Hawley to stop using it. He refused. On Friday morning, he tweeted a link to a site selling the mug.

In February, Hawley told the Huffington Post: It is not a pro-riot mug. This was not me encouraging rioters  At the time that we were out there, folks were gathered peacefully to protest, and they have a right to do that. They do not have a right to assault cops.

As the Star noted, however, in Thursdays hearing Luria quoted a Capitol police officer who was there and told the committee that Hawleys gesture riled up the crowd, and it bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space protected by the officers and the barriers.

Josh Hawley speaks in Tampa on Friday. Photograph: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP

Hawley was the first senator to say he would object on January 6, when he was joined by 146 other Republicans. Hawley, the Star said, took to the floor as the very first voice calling to throw out millions of Americans votes cast fairly and legally for the rightful winner in a presidential election.

Related: Any Given Tuesday: Lis Smith on Cuomo, Spitzer and a political life

It continued: Funny as the visual of the self-proclaimed manly senators immediate retreat was, theres absolutely nothing amusing about January 6 2021. A bipartisan Senate report concluded seven people died as a result of the attack. Two more Metropolitan police officers took their own lives shortly after.

About 150 members of law enforcement were injured, and its impossible to know how many others caught up in the horrific event will carry scars for life, of body and mind. We said that day Hawley has blood on his hands for his role in perpetuating the lies that drove thousands of people to violence. That remains true.

The editorial signed off with a warning. Noting the work of Liz Cheney, a Wyoming Republican nonetheless vice-chair of the January 6 committee, it said: Josh Hawley might not fear a little mockery of his hasty flight from Capitol marauders.

But he might be justified if hes afraid of what emails or text messages some previously-loyal staffer might be considering turning over to the House committee.

Stay tuned to the hearings.
SUNDAY UPDATE : Huk had sustained three penetrating gunshot wounds; soft tissue injuries to the neck, hind end, and carpus (wrist) with several orthopedic injuries as well.

Huk had his wound dressing changed and cleaned Sunday morning. Vets are hopeful that they will be able to close his neck wound Monday.

A wound vac has been implemented into his treatment plan for his wrist injury, which has sustained the most tissue damage.

Huk will need multiple procedures as he recovers but is eating and resting comfortably on his pain medications.

Huk enjoying some time outside for some fresh air while earing an E-collar.

Huk did spend time outside for some fresh air during his recovery Sunday.

We are thankful for the work that First Coast Veterinary Specialists and Emergency have done in helping Huks recovery.





ORIGINAL : That K9, Huk, was rushed to a Jax Beach Veterinary Hospital in a helicopter.

Yesterday, we received a very emergent patient, says Dr. Sydney Davis with First Coast Veterinary Emergency in Jacksonville Beach.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Davis says not every day something like this happens in her line of work.

Being airlifted in as a K9 officer, that was wounded in the line of duty, says Davis.

This all comes after the JSO chased three suspects in a car that ended up crashing on Bush drive and Zoo Parkway on Friday.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Huk was deployed after the suspects didnt comply with police, and was shot during the incident.

Davis says she cant go into too many details about Huk because of the current investigation.

She says there is a certain way they take care of dogs who have been shot.

Trying to assess how long he has been down, how much blood has he lost, how long hes been in shock, what our vitals are, says Davis.

She says this allows veterinaries to assess other gunshot wounds.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]

We reached out to Jay Nix with K9s United, a local nonprofit that advocates for K9 law enforcement officers, he says Huk isnt out of the woods yet, but hes happy with how his medical treatment so far was handled.

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Their training was very clear and obvious because they went right into the action. They made some excellent command decisions, says Nix

Nix isnt sure if Huk will return to duty, but hes hopeful he will one day.

Hes still dealing with a lot. He has an excellent medical team thats taking care of him right now, says Nix.





Related: K9 Huk recovering after officer-involved incident in North Jacksonville





Related: 2 suspects dead, K9 shot after shootout & police pursuit in North Jacksonville





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.
Defund police. They are the problem.

Back the badge. Nothings wrong with law enforcement.

Both extremes are wrong. The reasonable position is somewhere in the middle.

Fortunately, the two largest law enforcement agencies in this area both recognize this truth.

A few law-and-order politicians before the June primary warned against dismantling the Modesto Police Department and the Stanislaus County Sheriffs Department. These office seekers were trying to scare people, and to win votes. But there is no such credible movement against law enforcement in these parts.

At the same time, both agencies know they are not perfect. Both know there is room for improvement, a fact periodically underlined on this opinion page, especially when people needing help end up hurt or dead because of officers actions.

Recent headlines provide real cases in point. Within a 10-day stretch, Modesto police shot two different men in mental crisis; the first, on the Fourth of July, remains hospitalized, while the second, on July 14, was killed.

Every officer-involved shooting invites scrutiny, especially since George Floyds murder by a Minneapolis policeman two years ago. That stoked the Black Lives Matter movement and steps toward reform, including Forward Together for Modesto police and Project Resolve for Stanislaus deputies.

Triggered by a uniform

While we await the product of these initiatives, both agencies independently are pursuing alternative responses to traditional policing. This means sending someone other than or in addition to an officer, when people need help.

People can be intimidated or triggered by a uniform, Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie said in an interview. Being able to chat with people and build rapport, thats the key.

Modesto police get points for their fledgling Community Health and Assistance Team. The CHAT team so far this year has responded to 1,239 calls, resulting in 191 people placed in shelters and five in other housing. Hundreds more accepted some other type of help, including referrals to myriad services offered by the county and nonprofits.

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CHAT, said Mayor Sue Zwahlen, is worthwhile because instead of bringing a rigid institutional response to every problem, youre dealing with every situation one by one by one. Every persons needs are unique, and it takes time to deal with each person individually.

Also, 16 Modesto officers recently completed 40 hours of crisis intervention training aimed at helping officers see themselves more as public servants than warriors, a reboot of a former effort. Eventually all department employees will receive the same training, Gillespie said. In another program, rangers this week began patrolling problem parks.

People wondering how they might pitch in should consider volunteering to serve on the citys new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, an excellent way to make a positive difference. Applications are open at modestogov.com.

Help coming for Stanislaus deputies

Meanwhile, county supervisors a few days ago approved funding for a similar team helping ease deputies load.

The countys Mobile Crisis Response Unit will put a clinician with an emergency medical technician in an ambulance-like vehicle, bypassing law enforcement altogether, Sheriff Jeff Dirkse said. His office just began the recruitment process, so it could take a few months for the unit to get off the ground, but it eventually could be offered to cities contracting with the county for police services: Riverbank, Patterson, Hughson and Waterford.

Every cop will tell you they deal with mental health issues on a daily basis, Dirkse said in an interview.

In recent times, The Modesto Bee has called for reform while calling out questionable deaths at the hands of officers.

Victims include Trevor Seever, who was unarmed when shot and killed by Modesto policeman Joseph Lamantia in late 2020; Evin Yadegar, killed by Stanislaus Deputy Justin Wall in 2017; and Eloy Gonzalez, killed by deputies escalating a confrontation with the homeless man in September 2020. The common thread: mental crisis.

(Lamantia was fired and faces a manslaughter charge, Wall was acquitted by a jury and Gonzalezs death was deemed justified.)

Too many pay with their lives when overly aggressive warriors show up and see a criminal to neutralize rather than a human being in need.

Even with the recent focus away from lethal force, officers continue using what should be the last resort when dealing with people in mental crisis  shooting them. The July 4 and 14 incidents involving Modesto police provide examples.

Mental illness isnt a crime

The calm patience embodied on July 4 by Officer Jacob Mertz while talking Dylan Harvey off a figurative ledge is undisputed. In a July 20 interview, City Manager Joe Lopez proudly called Mertzs comportment fantastic. He acted like a mental health professional.

Whether a standard critical incident review finds some level of fault remains to be seen. When Mertz smartly walked Harvey away from knives in a bedroom, why didnt Mertzs partner secure the weapons? Why did both officers go to retrieve documents from their patrol vehicle, allowing Harvey  momentarily left alone  to reenter the home, grab a knife and injure Mertz, essentially forcing the officer to shoot him?

Footage from the second incident, on July 14, was not available at the writing of this editorial. But Gillespie, the chief, said the CHAT team would have been sent to neither incident because both involved people armed with weapons  knives in the first, a trailer hitch in the second. Unarmed civilians like CHAT members are not dispatched to scenes with potential for violence.

Regardless, its clear that the focus of law enforcement on alternative responses is appropriate, and cant come soon enough.
World Youth Development Forum highlights youth employment, entrepreneurship

Xinhua) 16:10, July 23, 2022

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Youth Development Forum had discussions about youth employment and entrepreneurship in Beijing Friday, with over 10 guests from China and abroad and nearly 300 youth representatives attending online or offline, according to the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

Guests from international organizations, enterprises, colleges and universities delivered keynote speeches about concrete measures to support youth employment and entrepreneurship in different regions and fields.

Yu Jiadong, vice minister of human resources and social security, called for global cooperation in tackling problems of youth employment and encouraged all parties to solve the problems.

The forum was held online and offline from July 21 to 23, with nearly 2,000 youth representatives from over 100 countries attending the conference, according to the event organizer.

Initiated by the All-China Youth Federation, the forum has seen attendees discussing topics such as employment and entrepreneurship, climate change and green development, digital economy, and high-quality education.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Bianji)
TEHRAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian security forces have arrested "all members of an Israeli spy network" in the country, the official news agency IRNA said on Saturday.

The members were sent to Iran to "carry out terror operations, but were arrested prior to perpetrating any act of terror or sabotage," IRNA quoted a statement from the Iranian Intelligence Ministry as saying.

After entering Iran through the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, the members were in contact with the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad through a neighboring state, and were carrying advanced equipment and powerful explosives, the statement said.

The Israeli Prime Minister's Office, which oversees Mossad, reportedly declined to comment. 
Drew Angerer

Ginni Thomas, the wife of the stoutly conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who played a pivotal role in the attempt to overturn the 2020 election, now faces the threat of a subpoena to force her to testify before the Jan. 6 Committee.

During a Sunday-morning TV appearance on CNNs State of the Union show, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) told host Jake Tapper that the committee continues to negotiate with the well-connected conspiracy theorists lawyer in an attempt to get her to testify about her role in the insurrection.

"The committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena."@RepLizCheney says Jan. 6 committee will consider subpoenaing Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, because of messages sent to Mark Meadows about 2020 election results. @CNNSotu #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/uVsVDAvXtv  CNN (@CNN) July 24, 2022

Cheney said the committee is engaged with her counsel and have been trying to get her to appear for weeks.

I certainly hope shell do so voluntarily, she said. But the committee is fully prepared to contemplate a subpoena if she does not.

Her lawyer did not respond to a request for comment Sunday morning.

Inside Ginni Thomas Insane Hiring Memos for Trump

The committee sent her an interview request in a June 16 letter but that was outright rejected in a formal reply on June 28 signed by her lawyer, Mark R. Paoletta. In the response letter, Paoletta told the committee there is no story to uncover here and questioned the committees mission by waving around his own credentials as the former top investigative lawyer with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he worked on nearly 200 investigative hearings over a decade.

Story continues

Thomas, a long-time conservative activist, has come under scrutiny over the way she personally pressed Arizona legislators to keep former President Donald Trump in power.

Thomas emailed about the coup plot with John Eastman, the kooky conservative lawyer who developed the dubious plan to reverse Joe Bidens presidential victory by having Trump loyalists in Congress simply refuse to certify the electoral college votes. And she also texted with Trumps White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, about her deranged belief that the Biden crime family & ballot fraud co-conspirators are being arrested and will be living in barges off GITMO to face military tribunals for sedition.

Given Thomas proximity to some of the nations most powerful politicians, the Jan. 6 Committee investigating the insurrection wants to further probe her communications. They could develop a clearer picture of the way the wife of a Supreme Court justicean unelected government official with lifetime tenureengaged in what is tantamount to a seditious conspiracy.

Serving Thomas a subpoena would be a marked escalation. Although it would treat her like any other U.S. citizen, her refusal to show up and testify risks facing arrest and jail timean odd situation for the wife of a Supreme Court justice.

The committee has already interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses who worked in the Trump administration, his election-overturning campaign, and the many groups with fascist ties who plotted to keep Trump in power.

The few who have resistedincluding Meadows, MAGA social media manager Dan Scavino, former White House adviser Peter Navarro, and political strategist Steve Bannonhave been either held in contempt of Congress or now face time behind bars. On Friday, a jury convicted Bannon, who awaits a mandatory minimum sentence of a month or more in prison. Navarro was indicted last month.

Cheney on CNN acknowledged that her role as co-chair of the Jan. 6 Committeeand her willingness to totally break with fellow Republicans who remain loyal Trumpistscould cost her re-election in Wyoming this year. But she called the historic congressional investigation the single most important thing Ive done professionally.

I believe that our nation stands on the edge of an abyss. We have to think very seriously about the dangers we face and weve got to elect serious candidates, she said.

She also said she has yet to decide whether she will run for president next year to stop Trump from making a comeback.

At this point, I've not made a decision about 2024. And Im really very focused on the substance of what we have to do on the select committee, she said.

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Liz Truss: 'The Rwanda policy is the right policy.' (Getty Images)

Conservative leadership frontrunner Liz Truss has said she will explore other countries for English Channel migrant deportations, in a planned extension of the controversial Rwanda scheme.

Truss, discussing her illegal immigration policy in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, said she is determined to see the deportation policy through.

Her comments form part of an effort to keep Tory voters onside. Opinium research suggests handling refugees trying to cross the Channel illegally is the second most important debate - behind the cost of living crisis - among a party membership which will effectively be electing the next prime minister this summer.

The Rwanda policy is currently in legal limbo. The first deportation flight was grounded in June after a series of legal challenges, and another attempt is yet to be scheduled.

The first Rwanda deportation flight from Amesbury in Wiltshire was grounded in June. (Getty Images)

But foreign secretary Truss, who has vocally backed the Rwanda plan, pledged to make the policy operational - and that she would find further countries for deportations.

The Rwanda policy is the right policy, she told the Mail. Im determined to see it through to full implementation, as well as exploring other countries that we can work on similar partnerships with. Its the right thing to do.

Im also determined to make sure that we have the right level of forces at our border. Im going to increase the border force to make sure that we have the proper protection in place directly at the border.

Watch: Rishi Sunak promises tax cuts you can believe in

Ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak, Truss opponent in the contest, has also backed the Rwanda policy, promising to do whatever it takes for the scheme to succeed.

He has offered a 10-point plan that will include a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights).

Sunak, who has pledged to meet French president Emmanuel Macron to find a solution to the small boat crossings, said the current system is "chaotic", with "law-abiding citizens seeing boats full of illegal immigrants coming from the safe country of France with our sailors and coastguards seemingly powerless to stop them.

Story continues

It must stop, and if I am prime minister I will stop it.

Read more: Refugees pour into Ireland as Dublin blames Britains Rwanda policy

Britain currently stands to lose 120 million it has paid to Rwanda if the plan to deport migrants is ruled unlawful by the courts.

Officials for the east African nations government confirmed this week it had received the entire initial payment for the agreement signed in April and that the funds are already committed, with some money spent on preparations for arrivals.

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper criticised the "dismal" proposals from Truss and Sunak, saying their bids to "extend an unworkable, unethical, unaffordable, high fraud risk Rwanda scheme... will make trafficking worse".
Martha Stewarts peacock, Blue Boy, was among those killed (Instagram/Martha Stewart/Getty)

Martha Stewart is mourning the death of her pet peacocks after they were devoured by a pack of aggressive coyotes.

The TV personality, 80, announced the sad news on Instagram on Saturday (23 July) and shared a video of one of her late pets, named Blue Boy.

In the short clip, Blue Boy is seen fanning his feathers at her home in Katonah, New York, while Marvin Gayes Lets Get It On plays in the background.

RIP beautiful Blue Boy, Stewart captioned the post. The coyotes came in broad daylight and devoured him and five others, including the magnificent White Boy.

She called on the advice of her followers, asking: Any solutions for getting rid of six large and aggressive coyotes who have expensive tastes when it comes to poultry??

We are no longer allowing the peafowl out of their yard; we are enclosing the top of their large yard with wire fencing etc.

And by the way I do not have any idea how the Marvin Gaye music found its way to this sad post, but when Blue Boy was alive it would have been perfectly appropriate.

The animals deaths follows shortly after Stewart revealed in November 2021 that her peacocks and peahens were being liberated as she was allowing them daylight freedom  aka run of the farm.

They have to return at twilight to their secure Palais for the night when the wild predators make the rounds of the chicken coops, pigeon house and geese yard, she wrote on Instagram.

The peacocks are so friendly and sociable and clean they are welcome everywhere. And they are beautiful.

Stewart also keeps horses, Sicilian donkeys, homing pigeons, geese, as well as more than 200 hens and roosters on the 156-acre farm.

In May, Stewart set the record straight about the number of peacocks she owns (previously 21) after The New York Post claimed she had 16 birds.

Story continues

Writing on Twitter, Stewart branded the article fake news.

I actually have 21 of these glorious birds whose house is impeccable, she said at the time.

She also rebuked the writers comments that peacocks are extremely loud, writing that her pets are fun to hear.

They do not smell. They are so clean! Their voices are loud but such fun to hear. They are so friendly, she added.
Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast

When states cracked down on gambling in the 20th century, Americans took their money offshore to casino boats in the Mississippi River and along the Pacific Coast. They reasoned that once a vessel was more than 12 nautical miles offshore, it would be outside of U.S. territorial watersand therefore wouldnt have to abide by gambling restrictions.

Inspired by these boats, one doctor is betting on these same legal loopholes to set up a floating health clinic in the Gulf of Mexico and offer comprehensive reproductive care, including surgical abortions. Its not a completely new idea, and its not uncontroversial, either: Some wonder whether the idea is more of a performative gimmick than a feasible solution to reproductive care, and there are a slew of legal issues to take into account, too. But all agree that it is the kind of workaround that will proliferate in a post-Roe America.

Meg Autry, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the University of California, San Francisco, founded the nonprofit PRROWESS to build a floating health clinic and provide access to reproductive health care for residents of the southern portions of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas.

If you look at people in the southernmost parts of Texas and Louisianaeven if people pay for themthey cannot get to an unrestricted state in a day, Autry told The Daily Beast. If youre a single parent, or a sole caregiver, or you just cant take time away from your family, or its not workable for your life, then this may be the closest, quickest way for you to get care.

Autrys plan is to purchase a vessel and retrofit it to clinical standards so that doctors on board can provide everything from STI testing and treatment, to contraceptives, to surgical abortions. Militaries and Mercy Ships have been offering medical care for years at sea. Autry added that theres no reason to think that procedures would be more complicated in a clinic on water than a clinic on land.

Story continues

Once PRROWESS sources a vessel, Autry predicted it will be able to set sail within a year and provide care for up to 20 patients a day. The boat will be anchored offshore, and patients would have to find their own way of getting to the clinic, which could be up to two hours away by water taxi.

While this vessel could offer a novel way for Americans to access abortions, its not an entirely new concept. When Autry first started looking into the possibility of a floating clinic, she quickly learned of Women on Waves, a Dutch nonprofit created in 1999 by physician Rebecca Gomperts which sails abortion ships internationally to countries that restrict or ban abortions. Like with U.S. gambling ships, a countrys penal code no longer applies when you sail beyond its territorial waters, so Gomperts crew can legally offer abortions by giving patients medication like mifepristone and misoprostol.

Though the abortion ships have provided hundreds of medical abortions total, Gomperts told The Daily Beast that the primary goal of Women on Waves is to draw attention to countries abortion bans rather than provide care to as many people as possible. For one, its often easier to order abortion medicine and receive it in the mail or via drone than to travel to a port and board a vessel. Moreover, vessels are limited by personnel, space, and climateits hard to keep a vessel afloat during hurricane season, for example, let alone perform an abortion on one.

1228680757 The Women on Waves abortion boat Aurora in 2001. It offered abortions to women in international waters off the Irish coast. Robert Vos via Getty

I think the project is very valuable in that it really makes the problemabortion restrictionsvisible, Gomperts said. In terms of actual abortion access, it doesnt add a lot to what is existing.

Still, Gomperts has accrued best practices for other offshore reproductive care ventures over the decades she has operated Women on Wavesthe kind of knowledge one can only amass by being sued repeatedly and unsuccessfully by ones opponents.

Ventures should start small, she said: The bigger the boat, the more hoops that less-than-ecstatic port officials can make it jump through when it comes into port. In her estimation, a fleet of smaller boats would be more cost-effective and harder to detain than a vessel the size of a cruise ship. And a vessel that performs surgical abortions would have to be kept steady during the medical procedures.

Lawsuits against Gomperts vessels have thus far not held water in court. Even so, she said that the organization keeps a lawyer on standby during every voyage in case there are problems. And usually, even though theyre not justified, there will be legal problems, she said.

Isaak Hurst, the founder and principal attorney at International Maritime Group, told The Daily Beast that performing abortions and providing reproductive care on an offshore vessel is a captivating idea but would require quite a bit of specialized legal knowledge to keep it above board.

Its most maritime lawyers dream, because it requires tremendous amounts of legal work, he said.

The courts havent issued clear guidance on a string of pertinent issues, including transferring people and cargo to and from the vessel; using a middleman like a water taxi service; and engaging in a practice offshore that is legal in one state but criminalized in another.

Hurst said that a key to maritime law is the flag of a vessel, or what country it is legally registered in. To skirt any future federal legislation restricting abortion, an organization like PRROWESS would want to register its vessel in a country where abortion will remain unrestricted.

Another wrinkle in Autrys plan could be the crew: U.S. citizens can be held liable for federal crimes they commit even when they are not on U.S. soil, Mary Ziegler, a University of California, Davis law professor who specializes in reproductive legal history, told The Daily Beast. Though a reproductive health clinic moored outside U.S. territorial waters is likely a safe legal wager for now, a future Republican legislative majority or presidency could criminalize abortion at the federal level. Therefore, Hurst said it would be best to employ a crew from countries where abortions are legal.

Unfortunately, theres a Catch-22 to the plan since only vessels built and registered in the U.S. with an American crew can freely transport people and goods from port to port without being encumbered by regulations, according to U.S. maritime law. The best bet for a group like PRROWESS is to be upfront and transparent with seeking permission from the Coast Guardor else become a pirate ship, Hurst said.

Finally, they must also consider how neutralor biaseda countrys judicial system is, Gomperts said.

In most of the countries where we did sail to and had court cases, we could rely on judges being neutral, she explained. One of the concerns I would have in the U.S. is that theres not a lot of legal justice.

Ultimately, the finances and potential legal liabilities dont make the venture seem feasible to Hurst. The expense associated with vessels is tremendous, he said. Respecting the idea that you want to help as many people as you can while getting a bang for your buck, this would really not be a cost-effective approach to doing good.

But Ziegler said it might be the only option for those whom a vessel would aim to serve. Some organizations may decide that the benefits outweigh the legal risks and wait and see what consequences will meet them. At this moment, all activism is needed, no matter the risk, Gomperts added.

I will never tell anybody what type of activism they should or shouldnt do, Gomperts said. I think everybody needs to do whatever they can at the moment, considering the desperate circumstances now, and the many women who are suffering. Anything that can help people find access to health care is useful.

In other words, its all-hands-on-deck.

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A statue brought to Akron by activists from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is signed by a supporter of the family of Jayland Walker, who was shot and killed by officers last month. The statue is on the grounds of St. Ashworth Temple Church of God in Christ in Akron, the Walker family's church.

A large statue of a fist topped by a pan-African flag stands in a grassy area on the grounds of Jayland Walkers family church in Akron.

Signatures decorate the base of the wooden statue, with messages supporting the family and friends of Walker, who was fatally shot by Akron officers last month.

A statue of a fist topped by a Pan-African flag was delivered to Akron by Minneapolis, Minnesota activists. The statue is outside St. Ashworth Temple Church of God in Christ in Akron, where Jayland Walker was a member.

The statue traveled nearly 775 miles to Akron, brought here by activists in Minneapolis, Minnesota, another large U.S. city that saw unrest in the wake of a Black killed by police. The death of George Floyd at the hands of four Minneapolis officers sparked protests across the country, including in Akron, and calls for police reform.

Floyds aunt is among those who signed the statute delivered to Akron.

Floyd family stands in solidarity with you! she wrote.

The statue is the latest example of national attention focused on the events unfolding in Akron.

More: National attention grows after Jayland Walker shot and killed by Akron police

Family members of Jacob Blake Jr. and Breonna Taylor were arrested in one of the numerous protests that have occurred in Akron since Walker was shot and killed June 27 by eight officers.

Blake was shot and paralyzed by police in Keonsha, Wisconsin. Taylor, a medical worker, was shot and killed by Louisville police in a March 2020 raid on her apartment in that city.

More: Jacob Blakes father, Breonna Taylors aunt arrested at Jayland Walker protest in Akron

The Minneapolis activists delivered the statue last week to St. Ashworth Temple, located at 1086 Vernon Odom Blvd. in Akron. The activists and Walker's friends and family had a small ceremony to commemorate it.

The statue stands next to the entrance of the church where Walkers attorneys have held several press conferences, including one on Wednesday to mark what would have been Walkers 26th birthday, as well as to discuss the latest issues in the shooting.

Several people who attended the latest press conference signed the base of the statute, adding their thoughts to a collection of messages that include This needs to stop and May love be on your side.

Story continues

The base of a statue brought to Akron by Minneapolis, Minnesota, activists is covered with signatures seeking justice for Black people who have been slain by police, including Jayland Walker.

The base of a statue brought to Akron by Minneapolis, Minnesota activists, is covered with signatures seeking justice for Black people who have been slain by police, including Jayland Walker

Pastor Stacey Jenkins of the House of Prayer for All People Church, who spoke at the press conference and has been helping the Walker family, said the statue will remain until the family is satisfied that Walkers death  and the problems it has illuminated  have been addressed.

Its here until we get justice, Jenkins said. Im believing justice will happen.

Robert DeJournett, the Walker family's pastor, said the community will decide where the statue should be permanently placed.

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at swarsmith@thebeaconjournal.com, 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Minneapolis activists deliver fist to Akron to help justice fight
Minneapolis police are asking for the publics help locating a 10-year-old girl who went missing from her foster home.

Majestii Newsom was last seen at 7 a.m. Thursday. She was wearing a white T-shirt and blue shorts. A police description says shes 4 feet tall, about 80 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes.

Her foster home is on the 1500 block of Queen Avenue North, and she is familiar with the 1600 block of Thomas Avenue North, according to police.

Anyone who sees her is asked to call 911 immediately. Information can be submitted by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visiting crimestoppersmn.org.

Related Articles
Metro Nashville police detectives are searching for a man after a 74-year-old woman said she was raped on Saturday.

The attack occurred inside the woman's home near Hillsboro West End, behind Elmington Park, according to police. Officials said the man surprised the woman inside her home after she returned inside after completing yard work.

A surveillance camera captured an image of a man matching the suspect's description. His face was covered with a bandana.

Police ask anyone with information to call 615-742-7463.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville detectives seek man after woman reports rape
(Getty Images for World Athletics)

Skipper Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake insists it is time to look to the future after Great Britains relay bronze.

The 28-year-old helped the 4x100m mens relay squad to third at the World Championships on Saturday.

Jona Efoloko, Zharnel Hughes, Mitchell-Blake and Reece Prescod finished behind Canada and the USA in 37.83 seconds in Eugene.

A new team helped banish some of the pain from last years Olympics when Hughes, Mitchell-Blake, Richard Kilty and CJ Ujah won silver, only to be stripped of their medal following Ujahs positive drugs test.

Mitchell-Blake said: Its fuel for the fire going forward. We cannot control the past, we can control the present and ultimately that dictates the future and thats what weve got to focus on.

There are no demons, were all blessed. We get a medal every year, its becoming normalised and under appreciated.

I feel relay medals are brushed under the rug due to our consistency on the mens and womens teams. When the medal tables come out there are always relay medals and we step up every year.

We all stepped up and we have shown over the years our quality consistently now. Everyone has shown they are capable of stepping in.

Ultimately the aim is to come away from the next world champs with a gold and go onto Paris. It is a stepping stone, we will get better and we have got to raise our game going forward.

We will enjoy this moment together, appreciate the fact that we got a medal and refocus after this to the rest of the season.

Prescod ran just his second senior relay, after his debut in the heats, with Efoloko also drafted into the team for the first time.

I got asked to do a job for the team. It was my first relay and I wanted to deliver for the team. Im glad they trusted me and I was glad to be part of it. Its a whole new cycle now, said Prescod.

(PA Wire)

It came after the women finished sixth following an injury to Dina Asher-Smith at Hayward Field. The 26-year-old suffered what appeared to be a hamstring problem as she approached the final changeover with Daryll Neita .

Story continues

Earlier, Jess Judd and Eilish McColgan finished 13th and 11th respectively in the 5,000m final, which was won by Ethiopias Gudaf Tsegay.

The womens 4x400m relay squad of Ama Pipi, Laviai Nielsen, Victoria Ohuruogu and Nicole Yeargin reached Sundays final by finishing second behind the USA in three minutes 23.92 seconds.

We have got such strength in the UK. I think we have eight girls under 52 seconds, so we have come and are representing our strongest team. Im really proud to be a part of this team, said Nielsen.

Earlier, Lorraine Ugen and Jazmin Sawyers reached the final of the long jump.

The British pair both posted 6.68m to finish in the top 12 of qualifying, despite not hitting the automatic mark of 6.75m.

Sawyers, who came eighth at last years Olympics in Tokyo, recorded a seasons best with Ugen finishing fifth in Group A on Saturday morning in Eugene.

They will now compete in Sundays final, the last day of competition in America.

Sawyers said: Im happy  the job in qualifying is to make it to the final. Theres definitely some technical things I can do better, but thats my first world final at my third try so Im really happy.

Cindy Sember qualified for the Sundays 100m hurdles semi-final after running 12.67 seconds in her heat.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  Opposition from friends, not foes, is creating potential roadblocks to President Joe Bidens green energy agenda on federal lands in the blue-leaning, Western swing state of Nevada.

Two lithium mines and a geothermal power plant in the works in the biggest U.S. gold-mining state are under attack from conservationists, tribes and others who otherwise generally support Biden's efforts to expedite the transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

The conflicts put a spotlight on an emerging reality as the Biden administration tries to meet its goal of having the U.S. power grid run on clean energy by 2035.

Renewable or not, the actual mining of the resources faces many of the same regulatory and environmental hurdles the government has encountered for decades when digging for coal or drilling for oil.

Whether it's tapping hot underground water to generate electricity with steam-powered turbines or extracting lithium to make electric car batteries, the operations still must comply with laws designed to protect wildlife habitat, cultural and historical values, and guard against pollution or other degradation of federal lands.

During a recent failed attempt to overturn a Nevada water permit for a mine near the Oregon line above the biggest known lithium deposit in the nation, opponents raised some of the same concerns leveled four decades ago about some of the largest gold mines in the world.

Specifically, the Great Basin Resource Watch and others say the lithium mine will produce toxic waste. More generally, they still accuse regulators of rubber-stamping industry plans without a thorough review of the potential harms.

Everything seems to be in the hands of the mining company, Sarah Wochele, a mining justice organizer for the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, said at last month's appeal hearing. And we just ignorantly praise new technology, new technology.

Ramped up domestic production of lithium is key to Bidens blueprint for a greener future, a critical element for electric vehicle batteries. Worldwide demand for the lightest metal on Earth is projected to increase six-fold by 2030 compared to 2020.

Story continues

The big deposit bordering Oregon where Lithium Nevada plans to begin construction in December is vital to our national security and nations need for lithium to support green energy development and achieve climate change objectives, the company said in recent court filings.

But in addition to concerns about toxic waste, the mine sits on federal land local tribes say is a sacred site where dozens of their ancestors were massacred by the U.S. Cavalry in 1865.

Another big lithium mine still on the drawing board, halfway between Reno and Las Vegas, is home to a rare desert wildflower the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Meanwhile, the geothermal power plant faces both cultural and environmental challenges in a case pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The San Francisco-based appellate court could rule any day on a lawsuit seeking to halt the development in a high-desert oasis 100 miles (161 kilometers) east of Reno where a rare toad currently protected under the Endangered Species Act lives in the same hot springs where Native Americans have worshipped for thousands of years.

The Interior Departments Bureau of Land Management approved Ormat Nevada's geothermal project last November over the objections of another Interior agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Since then, USFWS has taken the rare step of declaring the Dixie Valley toad endangered on a temporary emergency basis  something it's done only one other time in 20 years.

This month, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe amended their lawsuit against the Reno-based Ormat and the Bureau of Land Management in U.S. District Court in Reno to include the April listing.

The updated version alleges both are in violation of the Endangered Species Act because they've failed to halt construction "despite USFWSs unambiguous finding that the project poses an imminent and existential risk to the Dixie Valley toad.

The government hasn't responded yet, but the case continues in district court on a parallel track with the appellate court. And the ongoing legal battles underscore the difficulty of turning Bidens vision of a cleaner energy future into reality.

Administration officials insist theyve known all along that implementing their plans to slow the warming of the Earth wouldnt be easy.

Catalyzing the clean energy economy and seeing renewable energy projects through to completion is no small task, said Tyler Cherry, press secretary for Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

Indeed, these are complex, large-scale projects that require a robust public process, he wrote in an email July 12 to the AP in response to a request for comment.

The three-judge panel at the 9th Circuit that heard oral arguments on the geothermal case in June said they couldn't consider the April listing of the toad because it came after the appeal was filed in January.

But the judges acknowledged USFWS had raised similar objections in earlier opinions, warning about the likelihood the geothermal plant's operations could push the toad to the brink of extinction.

The Justice Department lawyer representing the bureau, Michelle Melton, said federal law required the bureau to consider USFWS's criticisms but it wasn't bound by them.

The emergency listing of the toad doesnt change the bureau's position that the project will have no significant impact on the tribe or the toad, she said.

Fish and Wildlife has a different opinion," Melton said. It was not a surprise to BLM that Fish and Wildlife felt that way.

Ormat Vice President Paul Thomsen said the emergency listing overstates the potential impact of the project on the toad partly because it makes false assumptions about underground faults in the geothermal reservoir it intends to tap.

There are sufficient safeguards in place to avoid endangering the toad, he wrote June 6 in comments to USFWS.

The 9th Circuit judges appeared sympathetic last month to some of the opponents' arguments. But they noted that the lower court judge had weighed the pros and cons and determined the public was best served by allowing the temporary injunction blocking construction to expire 90 days after it was issued in February.

They pointed to Judge Robert C. Jones' conclusion that the electricity produced at the geothermal plant would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to other energy production facilities and that depriving the public of a source of carbon-free" electricity is not in the publics best interest.

Scott Lake, a lawyer for the Center for Biological Diversity, said the benefits of renewable energy resources are something the tribe and the center actually agree with.

But nothing in the record establishes a public interest in, or a compelling need, for this particular project ... on a tribal sacred site and in such a way that threatens the entire existence of the Dixie Valley toad, he said.
BAGHDAD, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Iraq decided Sunday to withdraw from the Islamic Solidarity Games scheduled to be held in neighboring Turkiye in August to protest against a deadly bombardment on an Iraqi resort.

A statement by Iraq's National Olympic Committee said the withdrawal was decided during a committee meeting, which was held to discuss the latest tension between Iraq and Turkiye after a Turkish bombardment that killed and wounded many civilians at a resort in Duhok province in northern Iraq.

The withdrawal was consistent with the stance of the Iraqi government and parliament as well as the majority of Iraqis, according to the statement.

The 5th edition of the Islamic Solidarity Games is scheduled to be held on Aug. 9-18 at Konya in Turkiye.

A suspected Turkish bombardment hit a Duhok resort in Iraq's semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan on Wednesday, leaving nine civilians dead and dozens wounded. The Iraqi government accuses the Turkish forces of carrying out the attack, a charge Ankara has denied.

Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments in Iraq's Kurdistan, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States, and the European Union, has been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine could export 60 million tonnes of grain in eight to nine months if its ports were not blockaded, but Russia's strike on the port of Odesa showed it will definitely not be that easy, an economic adviser to the Ukrainian president said on Sunday.

Ukraine could earn $10 billion by selling 20 million tonnes of grain in silos and 40 million tonnes from its new harvest, adviser Oleh Ustenko said. The harvest totals 60 million tonnes, of which 20 million are for domestic consumption, he said.

"If the ports were unblocked now and we say we need to move 60 million tonnes of grain... then we would transport 60 million tonnes of grain within eight-nine months," he said.

"But with the way they are opening now and what Russia is doing in the Black Sea, yesterday's strike shows that it definitely won't work that way," he said.

Russian missiles hit the port of Odesa a day after Russia and Ukraine, with mediation by the United Nations and Turkey, signed a deal to reopen Black Sea ports and resume grain exports. Moscow says it hit military infrastructure.

The deal is expected to ease global food shortages caused by the war.

Ukraine will need 20 to 24 months to export those volumes if its ports are not functioning properly, he said.

(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican security officials detained more than 200 mostly Guatemalan migrants at a warehouse in central Mexico who were waiting to be smuggled northward, the government said on Sunday.

Mexico's National Migration Institute (INM) said there were 225 migrants discovered overnight in a warehouse in Jilotepec in the state of Mexico, 194 of whom were Guatemalans. There were also 14 Hondurans, nine Nicaraguans, five Cubans and three El Salvadorans, the INM said.

The government of the state of Mexico, which surrounds most of Mexico City, said in a separate statement that 248 migrants were found in the warehouse. An INM spokesperson could not immediately explain the discrepancy between the two figures.

An increase in undocumented immigration to the United States is weighing on U.S. President Joe Biden ahead of mid-term legislative elections in November.

Apprehensions of migrants on the U.S. southern border have jumped to their highest levels in years.

(Reporting by Lizbeth Diaz and Dave Graham; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Flames engulf a chair inside a burning home as the Oak fire burns in Mariposa County on Saturday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

As the sun rose over the Sierra Nevada foothills, it appeared burnt orange through hazy skies in Mariposa County.

Since Friday, the Oak fire has consumed more than 18,000 acres of the sparsely populated mountain community. And by Tuesday morning, the blaze, located near Yosemite National Park, had destroyed 41 structures and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

But California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials are hoping that an end is in sight. Crews were still putting out hot spots and providing structure defense Tuesday.

Firefighters put out hotspots from the Oak fire along Darrah Road near Mariposa on Tuesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

Charred remains of a home after the Oak fire raged through the mountains near Mariposa on Tuesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Oak fire in a mountainous area near Mariposa on Tuesday. (Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times)

An air tanker drops retardant while trying to stop the Oak Fire from progressing in Mariposa County on Sunday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

The sun sinks behind a smoky sky and burned forest at the Oak Fire on near Mariposa, California on Sunday. (DAVID MCNEW / AFP )

A firefighter watches the Oak fire in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County on Saturday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

Flames from the Oak fire consume a home on Triangle Road on Saturday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

The Oak Fire burns behind a scorched pickup truck in the Jerseydale community of Mariposa County, Calif., on Sunday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

A firefighter battles the fast-moving Oak fire on Saturday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

A helicopter drops water on the Oak fire. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

Destroyed property is left in the Oak fire's wake as it chews through the forest near Midpines, northeast of Mariposa, on Saturday. (David McNew / AFP/Getty Images)

Firefighter Joanna Jimenez holds a dog she found wandering in an evacuation zone as the Oak fire burns in Mariposa County on Saturday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

A home burns as the Oak fire moves through the area near Mariposa on Saturday. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

A firefighter battles the Oak fire as it crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County on Friday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

Flames leap from trees as the Oak Ffre crosses Darrah Road in Mariposa County Friday. (Noah Berger / Associated Press)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
An officer shot and killed a man in a Madisonville UDF parking lot Saturday evening, according to the Cincinnati Police Department.

Interim Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge said that the incident happened shortly after 5 p.m. in a UDF parking lot located at the intersection of Red Bank Expressway and Madison Road.

According to police, officers were following leads about a stolen car and possible OVI driver when they came across a vehicle that matched the description of one of the leads.

Police said a female officer approached a vehicle, that later was confirmed to be stolen, and the suspect, after some sort of scuffle, was shot by the officer.

A gun was recovered at the scene according to police.

Police said the officer did not suffer any injuries.

The man was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and later died due to his injuries.

Per departmental regulations, the officer has been placed on administrative leave.

The Enquirer will update this story when more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati police officer fatally shoots man outside Madisonville UDF
Pope Francis is slated to arrive in Canada on Sunday to apologize for historical abuse inflicted upon indigenous children by leaders at Catholic-run residential schools.

He is scheduled to land in Alberta at around 11:20 a.m. to kick off what he calls a "pilgrimage of penance." Francis will make two more stops in Canada, also visiting Quebec City and Iqaluit.

Free tickets for the event were claimed shortly after being made available, according to the trip's organizer, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

POPE FRANCIS WARNS GERMAN BISHOPS: CHANGING TEACHINGS IS NOT LAWFUL, CAUSES CHURCHES TO ROT AND DIE

Pope Francis will land in Alberta Sunday morning to kick off what he calls a "pilgrimage of penance." (Photo by Stefano Costantino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Thousands of the tickets were reserved for indigenous survivors of the residential schools. Indigenous leaders in Treaty 6, the location Francis is visiting in Alberta, have said they were overwhelmed with requests from survivors who wish to attend the event.

More than 150,000 indigenous children were separated from their families and brought to residential schools between 1881 and 1996. A number of children were allegedly starved, beaten and sexually abused.

POPE DERIDES BIDEN'S ABORTION VIEWS, CATHOLIC SELF-IDENTITY AS INCOHERENCE

Canadian leaders have been aware of the many children dying at the schools since 1907, but the incidents garnered more attention following last year's discoveries of what appeared to be unmarked graves at or near former residential schools.

Pope Francis then apologized for the role the Catholic Church played in the schools earlier this year when indigenous delegates visited the Vatican before heading to Canada.

POPE FRANCIS DISMISSES RUMORS ABOUT RESIGNING, SAYS HE WANTS TO VISIT MOSCOW, KYIV

But some survivors and indigenous leaders say an apology is not enough.

Demands have been made for financial compensation, the return of indigenous artifacts, the publication of school records, support for an accused abuser's extradition and the repeal of a doctrine from the 15th Century that defended colonial dispossession of indigenous people through a papal bull, or edict.

Reuters contributed to this report.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  Pope Francis began a historic visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Churchs efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.

Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta, airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who is Canadas first Indigenous governor general.

The gesture set the tone of what Francis has said is a penitential pilgrimage to atone for the role of Catholic missionaries in the forced assimilation of generations of Native children  a visit that has stirred mixed emotions across Canada as survivors and their families cope with the trauma of their losses and receive a long-sought papal apology.

Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to pray at a cemetery and apologize.

Francis exited the back of his plane with the help of an ambulift, given his strained knee ligaments have forced him to use a wheelchair. The simple welcome ceremony took place in airport hangar, where Indigenous drums and chanting broke the silence. As Trudeau and Simon sat beside Francis, a succession of Indigenous leaders and elders greeted the pope and exchanged gifts. At one point, Francis kissed the hand of residential school survivor Elder Alma Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nations as she was introduced to him.

Right now, many of our people are skeptical and they are hurt, said Grand Chief George Arcand Jr. of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, who greeted the pope. Yet he expressed hope that with the papal apology, We could begin our journey of healing .. and change the way things have been for our people for many, many years.

Story continues

Indigenous groups are seeking more than just words, though, as they press for access to church archives to learn the fate of children who never returned home from the residential schools. They also want justice for the abusers, financial reparations and the return of Indigenous artifacts held by the Vatican Museums.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, one of the countrys most prominent Indigenous leaders, said several members of her family attended residential schools, including a sister who died at one in Ontario. She described it as an institution of assimilation and genocide.

During her fight to Alberta, I was just so overcome with emotion and there were different times on the plane where I really had to stop myself from breaking into a deep sob, she said. I realized that I am an intergenerational trauma survivor and there are so many people like me.

Francis week-long trip  which will take him to Edmonton; Quebec City and finally Iqaluit, Nunavut, in the far north  follows meetings he held in the spring at the Vatican with delegations from the First Nations, Metis and Inuit. Those meetings culminated with a historic April 1 apology for the deplorable abuses committed by some Catholic missionaries in residential schools.

The Canadian government has admitted that physical and sexual abuse were rampant in the state-funded Christian schools that operated from the 19th century to the 1970s. Some 150,000 Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced to attend in an effort to isolate them from the influence of their homes, Native languages and cultures and assimilate them into Canadas Christian society.

Then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a formal apology over the residential schools in 2008. As part of a lawsuit settlement involving the government, churches and approximately 90,000 surviving students, Canada paid reparations that amounted to billions of dollars being transferred to Indigenous communities. Canadas Catholic Church says its dioceses and religious orders have provided more than $50 million in cash and in-kind contributions, and hope to add $30 million more over the next five years.

Canadas Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 had called for a papal apology to be delivered on Canadian soil, but it was only after the 2021 discovery of the possible remains of around 200 children at the former Kamloops residential school in British Columbia that the Vatican mobilized to comply with the request.

I honestly believe that if it wasnt for the discovery ... and all the spotlight that was placed on the Oblates or the Catholic Church as well, I dont think any of this would have happened, said Raymond Frogner, head archivist at the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Frogner just returned from Rome where he spent five days at the headquarters of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which operated 48 of the 139 Christian-run residential schools, the most of any Catholic order. After the graves were discovered, the Oblates finally offered complete transparency and accountability and allowed him into its headquarters to research the names of alleged sex abusers from a single school in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan, he said.

The Inuit community, for its part, is seeking Vatican assistance to extradite a single Oblate priest, the Rev. Joannes Rivoire, who ministered to Inuit communities until he left in the 1990s and returned to France. Canadian authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in 1998 on accusations of several counts of sexual abuse, but it has never been served.

Inuit leader Natan Obed personally asked Francis for the Vaticans help in extraditing Rivoire, telling The Associated Press in March that it was one specific thing the Vatican could do to bring healing to his many victims.

Asked about the request, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said last week that he had no information on the case.

At a news conference Saturday in Edmonton, organizers said they will do all they can to enable school survivors to attend the papal events, particularly for the Maskwacis apology and the Tuesday gathering at Lac Ste. Anne, long a popular pilgrimage site for Indigenous Catholics.

Both are in rural areas, and organizers are arranging shuttle transport from various park-and-ride lots. They noted that many survivors are now elderly and frail and may need accessible vehicle transport, diabetic-friendly snacks and other services.

The Rev. Cristino Bouvette, national liturgical coordinator for the papal visit, who is partly of Indigenous heritage, said he hopes the visit is healing for those who have borne a wound, a cross that they have suffered with, in some cases for generations.

Bouvette, a priest in the Diocese of Calgary, said the papal liturgical events will have strong Indigenous representation  including prominent roles for Indigenous clergy and the use of Native languages, music and motifs on liturgical vestments.

Bouvette said hes doing this work in honor of his kokum, the Cree word for grandmother, who spent 12 years at a residential school in Edmonton. She could have probably never imagined those many years later that her grandson would be involved in this work.

___

Gillies reported from Toronto.

___

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.
Tens of millions of Americans are living under excessive heat warnings and advisories as forecasters warn of dangerously hot conditions over the next 24 hours.

Numerous record highs are forecast to be tied and/or broken today in the Northeast, the National Weather Service said in a bulletin Sunday of the heat wave that is expected to last through Tuesday. Taking humidity into account, the bulletin said that the mercury could hit 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

An excessive heat warning was issued for large swaths of Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, the bulletin said.

The extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat-related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities, according to the National Weather Service.

From the southern plains to the Northeast, the heat will feel extremely oppressive, especially in Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston, the NWS said in a separate tweet. In Boston, forecasters predicted a high of 99 degrees, which would break the daily record.

There has already been one heat-related death in New York. The city's chief medical examiner said hypertensive cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema listed as the contributing conditions. No other details about the victim were made immediately available.

A woman wipes sweat from her face (Nathan Howard / AP)

In a later bulletin, the NWS said that 85 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings and heat advisories on Sunday. In the U.S., heat kills more people annually than any other type of weather event.

Stifling heat is also on tap from central Kansas and Oklahoma to the Middle Mississippi Valley, where a large swath of heat advisories and a few excessive heat warnings are in place, said the NWS.

Temperatures could soar to 111 degrees in parts of Oklahoma, including Tulsa, and thermometers could hit the hundreds in Las Vegas, and multiple cities in Texas.

Southern and Western states have been hit particularly hard with flash droughts. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 63.2% of the country is currently abnormally dry, affecting cattle and crop produce.

Story continues

A woman fills an ice chest (Brandon Bell / Getty Images)

Farther north and west daily record high temperatures are possible from Northern California to the Portland and Seattle metro areas by this coming Tuesday, and a "prolonged heat wave" will start Sunday and peak during the second half of the week, the NWS said.

The latest weather warning came after multiple heat emergencies were declared earlier this week, including in Philadelphia, where air-conditioned cooling buses have been parked and public libraries have extended hours so residents can cool off from the heat. Boston and Washington enacted similar plans.

Climate change is fueling these dastardly heat waves that are almost beyond belief, and were not accustomed to them yet, Kim Knowlton, an assistant clinical professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, told NBC News earlier this week.

Alex Ruane, a researcher at NASAs Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told Reuters that as the world warms, it takes less of a natural anomaly to push us into the extreme heat categories.

Because were closer to those thresholds, its more likely that youll get more than one heat wave at the same time. Were seeing this in the United States, she said.

Conditions will remain largely the same until Monday night, when a cold front is expected to bring some relief to the Northeast and Midwest, forecasters said.

But they added that abnormally hot temperatures will stick around for the duration of the week  and possibly into early next week in the southern Plains.
The latest Iowa Poll carries scant good news for Iowas Democratic candidates in the November election.

Deidre DeJear, the Democratic nominee for governor, falls 17 points behind Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds, a gap that widened 9 percentage points since the poll in late winter. Eight points separate Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Michael Franken from 41-year incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. Thats the narrowest lead Grassley has had at this point since he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, but its not insignificant.

Republican candidates are preferred for three of Iowas four U.S. congressional seats. The only exception is the 3rd District, where incumbent U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne is being challenged by Republican Zach Nunn. Though the poll was generic (the candidates names werent used in polling), a Democratic candidate was preferred in the district over a Republican by a mere 3 percentage points. Redistricting added rural southern Iowa counties that have largely voted Republican to the district, which includes Polk and Dallas counties.

Is this the same state that kept former Sen. Tom Harkin, who gave us the Americans with Disabilities Act, for 30 years? The third state to allow same-sex marriage, and the one that gave Barack Obama his first nod in the presidential race?

Shouldn't Republicans be worried about an electoral shellacking in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection  an attack orchestrated by Donald Trump, the evidence shows, based on a lie about his loss to Joe Biden? And why are Republicans so far ahead when polls show that a majority of Iowans, and Americans in general, support a womans right to an abortion  a right the U.S. Supreme Court, on the strength of Trump's appointees, struck down last month? Whats more, 57% of Iowa Republicans think Trump should run again in 2024, while fewer than half of Democrats, and a paltry 23% of Iowans overall, think Biden should.

Newest Iowa Poll: Most Iowans support legal abortion; court rulings have paved way for more restrictions

Story continues

Democrats are unaccountably quiet about the ways Republican rule has harmed Iowa

Don't blame the polls. As a snapshot in time of what Iowans are thinking, the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted by Selzer & Co is seldom wrong.

Maybe the Democratic candidates are dropping the ball.

In so many areas where they could be banging the drums to highlight the failings of Republican policies and priorities, theyre relatively silent. Where they should be blasting bold, impassioned statements about how Iowans are underserved by the current office-holders, they seem to be circling the wagons.

What are they waiting for?

Where was the storm of press releases when 11 beaches were designated unsafe for swimming earlier this month because of dangerous pollution?

Environmental advocates arent the only people skeptical of the benefits of proposals to carve up the state to bury underground pipelines that would carry carbon dioxide. Rural landowners, who might collectively be thought of as part of Reynolds' base, are upset at the prospect of damage to their property and are vocally resisting the plans. Shouldnt the Democrats be courting their votes?

July 4 could have been a great time for Democratic candidates to focus on what it means to be American, and champion Iowas immigrants who are helping repopulate the state and often doing jobs no one else wants, at unreasonably low wages. Candidates might also have pointed out how immigrant workers in meat-processing plants suffered unreasonably in the first phase of COVID-19, when the governor, who has benefited from industry donations, refused to close the plants.

If the candidates arent calling out Iowas pathetic $7.25-an-hour minimum wage, or the state for barring individual Iowa communities from setting their own minimum wages, they should be all over it. The same goes for recent cuts to the duration of unemployment pay. There are plenty of studies showing how much working Iowa families need to earn to make it in this state compared with what too many actually earn.

Many in the field say a change to Iowas laws on day-care staffing will subject young children to inferior care by increasing the number of children looked after by one teacher, and letting teachers as young as 16 be alone with kids. So many working Iowa parents are dependent on child care, the issue could really resonate. Why arent candidates blasting out tweets about it?

More: Rekha Basu: Bills cutting child care staff ratios and unemployment defy Iowa values that lured some of us

And if Democrats are looking to connect with real people on pressing real-life issues, why not highlight the obscene costs of some prescription drugs? On a visit to India last month, I went into a drugstore with an almost empty tube of clobetasol, a prescription drug cream Ive been using under an Iowa dermatologists treatment. It normally costs me $70 here for a larger tube, but in India, I was able to buy three smaller ones for about $2 apiece.

Pharmaceutical drug prices are an issue Biden is working on with support from congressional Democrats  with the notable exception of blocker-in-residence Sen. Joe Manchin. But Biden is up against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who calls that socialist price controls. Whats stopping candidates from reframing the conversation on that?

Iowans respond to forceful, unapologetic advocacy for fairness

When Ive asked influential Democrats why I dont, as a journalist and independent voter, receive daily emails from candidates hammering home these issues, Ive been told that one did use the abortion issue in a fundraising letter. Thats far from enough. Protecting abortion rights should be a Democratic priority heard across the state.

The governors determination to transfer funds for public education to private (which in Iowa usually means parochial) schools is another issue that could win accord with a lot of Iowans, urban and rural. Even many legislators of Reynolds own party weren't with her on it, so she supported some for office who were, and won. Where are the expressions of outrage on that? They should be raised, repeatedly raised.

More: How Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is stepping up her efforts to shape Republican Statehouse primaries

Maybe some Democrats are speaking about these issues on the campaign trail, but attendees are already showing up for them. Candidates need to bring in people whove never considered them, Democratic, Republican and independent. They should be sharing their ideas and responses to news events on social media, in the news media and in person. They need to show excitement about what Iowa could be and genuine dismay about what it has become.

Iowans have long favored incumbents. Maybe voters stick with the good enough they know and don't consider the possibility of great. An example of that attitude was a beach-goer at one of the polluted beaches who was interviewed by TV news about his beach day being derailed. Oh no, he replied: It was just a warning, not an order to stay out. So he and his family would swim anyway.

But there are ways to appeal to Iowans sense of fairness and ethics by proposing new and different approaches to looking at issues. This isnt a perfect example because it was a primary race, but Kimberly Graham recently won the Democratic primary for Polk County attorney by holding nothing back in her support for systemic changes to the criminal justice system. She was out at virtually every relevant community event and vigil, not necessarily to speak but to be in the crowd and show her support. It made her a trusted ally to many. In her media interviews, she was bold and unguarded, not giving the safe responses but speaking her truths.

Thats what voters want to hear.

There's no shortage of compelling issues for Iowas Democratic candidates to run on, but if they are to turn these poll numbers around, they must do so relentlessly, with conviction, courage and passion, using every format they can find or invent. There is still time if they make good use of it.

Rekha Basu is an opinion columnist for The Des Moines Register. Contact: rbasu@dmreg.com. Follow her on Twitter @RekhaBasu and at Facebook.com/rekha.basu1106. Her book, "Finding Her Voice: A collection of Des Moines Register columns about women's struggles and triumphs in the Midwest," is available at ShopDMRegister.com/FindingHerVoice.





Want more opinions? Read other perspectives with our free newsletter, follow us on Facebook or visit us at DesMoinesRegister.com/Opinion. Respond to any opinion by submitting a Letter to the Editor at DesMoinesRegister.com/Letters.





Real perspective, brought to you by real Iowans. Subscribe today to support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: Iowa Democrats are too passive. Their poll numbers show it.
The two Americans killed by Russian fire in Ukraine a week ago were identified in reports over the weekend as Luke Skywalker Lucyszyn and Bryan Young.

The volunteer soldiers were killed in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on July 18, reportedly ambushed by Russian tanks, their commander Ruslan Miroshnichenko confirmed to Politico Sunday.

Lucyszyn was a 31-year-old father of two who first went to Ukraine to be a medic, his parents told NBC News. He didnt go there to be a hero. He went there because he wanted to help people, his mother said.

Young was born in 1971 and was an American military man who went to fight in Ukraine because he took an oath to protect the free world, Miroshnichenko told Politico.

Canadian Emile-Antoine Roy-Sirois and Swede Edvard Selander Patrignani were also killed while fighting with the special ops unit of the Territorial Defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

A State Department spokesperson on Sunday confirmed the deaths to The Hill, and said the families have been contacted. Out of respect for the families, they said, more information about the deaths would not be released at this time.

Several Americans have now died in Ukraine, including video journalist Brent Renaud and Minnesotan Jimmy Hill, who was killed while waiting in a bread line.

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in early June that Ukraine is losing 100 soldiers each day, with about 300 wounded each day. CIA Director William Burns estimated this week that 15,000 Russians have died in Ukraine and some 45,000 have been wounded.

As Russia continues to gain ground in the east five months into the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the international community to help him end the war by December of this year.

Even the occupiers admit that we will win, Zelensky said Sunday in his daily address to Ukrainians. Therefore, we do not slow down and, as every day for five months, we are doing everything to inflict the greatest possible losses on the enemy and to gather as much support as possible for Ukraine.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
AMMAN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- King Abdullah II of Jordan said all Arab states would seek good relations with Iran on the principles of good neighborliness, mutual respect for sovereignty, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, al-Rai newspaper reported Sunday.

Expressing his belief that disagreements should be resolved through dialogue, the Jordanian king told al-Rai that the region needs cooperation and coordination rather than crises and conflicts.

However, he warned against what he called "regular attacks from Iran-linked militias," noting a change in Iran's behavior is "in the interest of everyone in the region, including Iran and its people."

When asked about the possibility of launching an "Arab NATO," he said the issue "is not currently under discussion," while highlighting the necessity for an institutional Arab defense system.

"If we look at the threats facing us today, we will find they threaten all of us, and thus require Arab cooperation, especially the renewed terrorist threat and networks of organized drug and arms smuggling," the king explained. 
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Republican Party of Florida once invited a lot of media to its big "Sunshine Summit" fundraiser.

But this year the list was far more exclusive, though Insider was granted access to a dinner.

DeSantis often bashes the media but fields a wide range of questions at press conferences.

HOLLYWOOD, Florida  The Republican Party of Florida and the Gov. Ron DeSantis campaign on Saturday refused credentials to numerous journalists for a major fundraiser that typically includes a broader media presence.

Among the publications denied credentials to the "Sunshine Summit" breakout speeches, debates, and banquet at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino were Politico, the Palm Beach Post, and the Miami Herald.

The Washington Post and The New York Times also did not receive access, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

The Republican Party of Florida invited only a few media outlets, including Insider, to cover the "Victory Dinner" in person. Among the other outlets present were the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Florida Sun-Sentinel, and the Tampa Bay Times.

"I've covered RPOF annual convention since 2012," one reporter who was not on the list told Insider, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized by their employer to do interviews. "Never once had issue covering. This is not normal."

The 2015 summit had 350 credentialed media. Donald Trump spoke that year as a candidate for president.

The journalists given access to the "Victory Dinner" were seated on top of risers in the back of the banquet room, where 1,500 people were dining on a meal of fish and steak.

Story continues

Gov. Ron DeSantis was the star speaker, though guests also heard from Sen. Marco Rubio, who is up for reelection this year, as well as Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez.

Conservative-leaning outlets such as Florida Voices, Breitbart, and the Washington Free Beacon were invited to cover other events throughout the day, according to a spreadsheet obtained by Politico and posted on Twitter. Insider did not receive an invitation to the other portions of the summit and did not learn until Saturday the option was made available to select outlets.

Reporters who weren't authorized to cover the event from inside the room obtained recordings and interviewed attendees outside the banquet hall.

The Sunshine Summit is a major gathering organized by the Republican Party of Florida, but the Republican National Committee and the DeSantis campaign were also involved in organizing the event.

Asked about the limited guest list, Dave Abrams, DeSantis campaign spokesperson, brushed off the complaints.

"It's funny that the very reporters who were uninterested in the Sunshine Summit were the same ones huddled in a corner across from the entrance hoping for a peek," he said. "We aren't bothered by their tantrums  in fact it validates our presumption that fair coverage was never a thought for them."

A schedule of the event shows the event showcased speeches from conservative columnists, Republicans running for office, and congressional debates.

The Republican Party of Florida did not livestream the event but NBC 6 and other TV outlets were permitted to carry the event live if they chose, said Lindsey Curnutte, spokeswoman for the DeSantis campaign. A Getty photographer was invited but didn't attend, though a Bloomberg photographer was present.

The Florida GOP live-tweeted some of DeSantis' quotes from his speech.

Curnutte acknowledged the media this year was "invite only" but didn't share details about the screening process.

'Try crying about it'

DeSantis often casts himself as an attack dog against the media at a time when polling shows public trust in the press is low.

DeSantis has particularly sparred with journalists over their scrutiny regarding his COVID-19 pandemic response in Florida, which often conflicts with federal health guidance. On Saturday he boasted that he "stood up to the media" and specifically derided the "corporate media."

Yet DeSantis' actual press relationship is more nuanced. His official press conferences tend to be open to a wide range of media outlets. At the majority of events, he fields numerous questions from reporters that often are off topic from the event's intended purpose, though every once in a while he does not take any questions following an event.

Saturday's event, in contrast, was a political event  not an official event for the governor's office.

"My message to them is to try crying about it. Then go to kickboxing and have a margarita," DeSantis spokeswoman Christina Pushaw said on Twitter, mocking a comment previously made by former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. "And write the same hit piece you were gonna write anyway."

Pushaw frequently spars with reporters on Twitter and posts screen shots of certain emailed media inquiries the governor's office receives.

"Events organized by the state office are open to all members of the press who RSVP and arrive on time," Pushaw said in an email to Insider after publication. "As you have seen, the governor answers questions that range from friendly to adversarial, from all reporters who come to his press conferences in Florida."

The Tallahassee Democrat speculated the DeSantis campaign might not want the governor's event to overshadow another event happening across the state in Tampa, where former President Donald Trump was speaking at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit.

DeSantis spoke at that same summit on Friday evening and there is growing speculation that he may choose to run for president in 2024 as Trump continues to dangle the possibility of a White House run. Trump, too, often clashed with the press.

President Joe Biden's White House has faced complaints from reporters about transparency as well. In June, 68 White House journalists asked press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to stop prescreening and routinely turning away the same reporters for the president's public events.

"The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Biden's credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment," the letter said.

Jean-Pierre said at a White House briefing earlier this month that reopening the events was a "priority."

This story has been updated with a comment from Christina Pushaw, press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
WAUKESHA  Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Friday that the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol insurrection is engaging "in a highly-partisan exercise," and added, "it's really not getting to the truth of the matter."

Johnson's comments came as the committee's first set of eight public hearings ended Thursday night with testimony and video depicting former President Donald Trump's inaction as his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to stop the certification of the Electoral College results. The hearing included testimony that agents charged with protecting Vice President Mike Pence feared for their lives and made goodbye calls to family members.

"They're not asking from my standpoint the most important question: Why was the breach allowed to occur?" Johnson said.

"Why were all the warnings, why did they all go unheeded? Where was the security? What did Nancy Pelosi know? What did Chuck Schumer know? Why didn't they provide proper security when they knew there were going to be thousands, tens of thousands of people protesting and coming to the Capitol?"

Sen. Ron Johnson takes photos with supporters at Rolled Threads Unlimited Friday in Waukesha after getting an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Johnson, who last year characterized the crowd as "people who love this country, that truly respect law enforcement, would never do anything to break the law," is running for a third term in November.

More: Ron Johnson claims surprise at backlash over comments on Capitol attack

He made his comments Friday to reporters at manufacturer Rolled Threads Unlimited as he received an endorsement from the National Federation of Independent Businesses.

In his speech, Johnson defended a provision in the 2017 tax bill that he championed  a tax break for small businesses and other so-called pass-through entities.

Johnson has said the pass-through entities supported 90% of small businesses. Critics have said it delivered breaks to the wealthy, including those who financed his campaigns.

Jim Ladky, owner of Rolled Threads Unlimited, said "rather than our profits going to Washington D.C., and getting mired in the swamp," the tax break Johnson pushed enabled his firm to invest $1.5 million in new equipment and processes, as well as add workers.

Story continues

Later, Johnson was asked to elaborate on his stance on the Respect for Marriage Act to codify same-sex marriage. He said it's a political wedge issue being used by Democrats but "right now I don't see any reason why I would oppose it."

"Unlike Roe v. Wade, this is pretty much settled law," Johnson said of the 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage. "People relied on that and if you overturn it ... you'd really disrupt people's lives."

Wisconsin U.S. Senate election updates: California mega-donor gives $1 million to group backing Mandela Barnes

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ron Johnson says Jan. 6 committee is a 'highly-partisan exercise'
Russia claimed responsibility for a missile strike on the port city of Odessa that came just one day after Russian officials agreed to allow Ukraine to export grain from the city.

Ukrainian and Russian officials reached an agreement to allow exports from port cities like Odessa on Friday, only for the missile strike to occur the following day. U.S. and Ukrainian officials immediately accused Russia of carrying out the attack, but the country did not claim responsibility for it until Sunday.

Russian officials say the strike only hit Ukrainian military targets, including a warship. Ukraine has not released details about what targets were hit nor how many casualties they sustained.

Grain storage facilities were not affected by the attack, however, a Ukrainian spokeswoman told the Washington Post.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE SIGN GRAIN EXPORT DEAL IN ISTANBUL, AVERTING THREAT AMID GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

RUSSIA USING 85% OF FIGHTING FORCE IN UKRAINE: SENIOR US DEFENSE OFFICIAL

U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink condemned the attack in a weekend statement.

"Russia strikes the port city of Odesa less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to allow shipments of agricultural exports," she wrote on Twitter. "The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account."

Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine has left the country, one of the world's top grain producers, unable to effectively export its supply, causing shortages in Africa and the Middle East.

Odessa has faced repeated missile strikes since the outset of Russia's invasion in late February.
Residents of Kherson at a pro-Ukrainian rally after the invasion of the Russian Federation into the region, May 3, 2022

Read also: Ukrainian Army hits bridge across Inhulets River near Kherson

The "commissions" are reportedly being created in particular to hold sham referendums, though their composition has not yet been decided.

Melitopol collaborator Yevhen Balytskyi, who had previously proclaimed himself "governor," says that the "commission" will be formed "from the most active and involved residents of the region."

Read also: Collaborators in occupied Melitopol panic, refuse to work, says local media

On July 23, the invaders also announced the creation of the so-called "government of Zaporizhzhya Oblast," and the former deputy governor of Russia's Vologda Oblast, Anton Koltsov, became its "head."

Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov said that the Russians had issued "decrees" in the temporarily occupied region on the creation of so-called "election commissions" to hold a sham referendum. He warned residents against participating in fake Russian events.

Read also: Doctor tells his story of life under Russian occupation in Zaporizhzhia Oblast

"Criminal liability for 'helping' the invaders is quite real: from 10 to 12 years in prison with possible confiscation of property, he said in a Telegram messenger post on July 23.

The Center of National Resistance, created by the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, reported on June 23 that the Russian invaders had planned to hold a sham referendum on the creation of "republics" in the temporarily occupied territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhya oblasts on Sept. 11.

Luhansk Regional Governor Serhiy Hayday also reported that Russia had started preparations for a sham referendum in Luhansk Oblast.

John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the U.S. National Security Council in the White House, said on July 19 the Biden administration has intelligence showing Russia is planning to annex Ukrainian territory captured after Feb. 24.

Read also: Russia has not abandoned its goal of crushing Ukrainian statehood

Story continues

"Russia is laying groundwork to annex Ukrainian territory it controls in direct violation of Ukraine's sovereignty," Kirby said.

He added intelligence shows Russia is beginning to roll out an "annexation playbook" that's similar to what was done in the 2014 annexation of Crimea.

Russian troops control almost the entire territory of Kherson Oblast with the regional center and about 60% of the territory of Zaporizhzhya Oblast. At the same time, the city of Zaporizhzhya remains under the control of Ukraine.

Read also: Russians mine Inhulets River to stave off Ukrainian counteroffensive, says ISW

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late on July 23 said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine were gradually advancing in Kherson Oblast, liberating territories.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported that the Ukrainian army was preparing or had already launched a counteroffensive in the region.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
If youve ever wondered what Santa does in the summer, he stays busy  he just dresses for the heat.

READ: 9 things to do this weekend: Soccer, Summerween, and SeaWorld

Santa and Mrs. Claus wore their summer gear this week to make an appearance at AdventHealths Christmas in July event in Orlando.

Santa didnt bring his sleigh, but instead used a ladder truck to greet young patients through the windows.

Photos: Santa and Mrs. Claus join Orlando police and firefighters to cheer up children at AdventHealth

Orlando firefighters and police officers also greeted the children by rappelling down the side of the hospital, carrying signs of encouragement.

WATCH: Fiercely loyal: Remembering Angela Jacobs, our dear friend & colleague

It is our hope that for this time, this brief time that we are here, it allows them to take their mind off of whatever they are going through and put a smile on their face, said Orlando Fire District Chief Spencer Bashinski.

WATCH: Apopka community holds vigil to remember fallen firefighter Austin Duran

Patients were also allowed to come outside to meet the arson detection canine and the horses from Orlando Police Departments mounted patrol.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, and click here to watch the latest news on your Smart TV.
COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's new President Ranil Wickremesinghe told diplomats this week that non-violent protests against his government will be allowed to continue, including in the commercial capital Colombo, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

In a pre-dawn raid on Friday, hundreds of security personnel dismantled part of an anti-government protest camp outside the presidential secretariat, raising fears of a wider crackdown by Wickremesinghe who was sworn in a day earlier.

"President Ranil Wickremesinghe has reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to upholding the rights of peaceful, non-violent assembly," his office said in a statement, describing a meeting with Colombo-based envoys.

"The Diplomats were also briefed on the measures being taken to ensure that non-violent protests were allowed to proceed within the city without endangering property or lives."

Friday's raid drew condemnation from the United Nations and Western envoys who urged the government to exercise restraint, saying the use of force could further destabilise the island nation suffering its worst economic crisis in seven decades.

Wickremesinghe took office following victory in a parliamentary vote after his successor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, fled the country and resigned after mass protests triggered by his mishandling of the economy.

The country of 22 million people has been suffering persistent shortages of fuel, food and other necessities, having run out of foreign exchange to bring in essential imports. [

(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe, Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal, Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) took a callous jab at gender pronouns while at a conservative student conference this week.

Critics quipped that he welcomed people to use the word ass when referring to him. And many were happy to comply.

I talked to a student recently at one of our woke college campuses who said she is required in every class to introduce herself and to give her pronouns, Cruz recounted Friday at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit in Tampa, Florida. Well, my name is Ted Cruz and my pronoun is kiss my ass.

BREAKING: ted cruz announces his pronouns are kiss/my/ass. i will be sure to respect asss new pronouns and i hope you all will too. pic.twitter.com/x7RBviRwLj  matt (@mattxiv) July 23, 2022

But the comment pretty much doubled as yet another self-own for the Texas senator, serving as pure gasoline for folks on Twitter.

Still laughing over the fact that Rafael @tedcruz said his pronouns are kiss my ass. What a buffoon.  Stephen  (@soxstephen) July 23, 2022

TODAY IN CRINGE: Ted Cruz says his pronouns are kiss/my/ass. pic.twitter.com/gQR4g1tYXw  Def Noodles (@defnoodles) July 23, 2022

As a comedy writer for the past 20 years, Im going to lose my last shred of faith in this country if people re-elect a man who proudly ends every speech with My name is Ted Cruz, and my pronouns are kiss/my/ass.  Bryan Tucker (@BTuckertime) July 23, 2022

Ted Cruz said his preferred pronoun is 'Kiss My Ass', many people are saying Ted misspoke and meant 'Kiss Trump's Ass'.  Don Lewis (@DonLew87) July 23, 2022

So @TedCruz just told a bunch of students his pronoun is "kiss my ass." Will @GovRonDeSantis call him out for being a "groomer"? https://t.co/Xv983Iom63  El Paso Politico  (@EPPolitico) July 23, 2022

Hey Ted Cruz,



Kiss my ass.



Just showing you the respect you deserve by using your preferred pronoun.  Machine Pun Kelly  (@KellyScaletta) July 23, 2022

Crybaby @tedcruz says his pronouns are "kiss my ass." He asks the impossible given the back of his head is in the way. pic.twitter.com/YQ4hZYdhcz  Moorfield Storey (@storeymoorfield) July 23, 2022

Every media outlet that interviews Ted Cruz, from now on, MUST show "Ted Cruz (Kiss My Ass), R- Tex." on the chyron.



His rules.  Keith Fitzgerald (@keithmfitz) July 23, 2022

Cruzs Friday remarks came days after his denouncement of the 2015 Supreme Courts Obergefell v. Hodges ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Story continues

Following the courts June reversal of Roe v. Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas delivered a concurring opinion stating the Supreme Court had a duty to correct the error established in the Obergefell decision. Cruz followed up by saying the court was clearly wrong and overreaching in the landmark gay rights case.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

Related...
A robbery suspect is dead after a Missouri City, Texas, police officer was shot in the face and a foot following a car chase early Saturday, authorities said.

The Missouri City officer was identified as 29-year-old Crystal Sepulveda, a three-year veteran of the force. Sepulveda was rushed to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and is expected to make a full recovery, said Lance Bothel, Missouri City assistant police chief.

"She is a strong officer and she will make it through this," Bothel said.

The pursuit began after 2 a.m. when officers spotted a stolen vehicle linked to an aggravated robbery call at a gas station, police said. The driver of the stolen vehicle allegedly refused to pull over and led officers on a chase before stopping his vehicle in front of a house.

LAPD RELEASES FOOTAGE OF OFFICER-INVOLVED SHOOTING THAT KILLED GUNMAN WHO ALLEGEDLY SHOT AT POLICE

The suspect ran from the vehicle into the backyard of the home and fired at officers, according to authorities. Police said he struck Sepulveda in the head and a foot.

While Sepulveda was being rushed to the hospital, officers set up a perimeter and located the suspect. He shot at the officers, who returned fire, striking the suspect.

The suspect was pronounced dead at a hospital. Police did not immediately release the suspect's identity.

Police said the suspect had two automatic handguns in his possession when he was shot.

The investigation is ongoing.
Sidney Outlaw took a risk staying on the Bellator 283 card when his lightweight title fight against Patricky Freire was canceled.

Its safe to say that risk did not pay off. Pitbull Freire pulled out of the 155-pound title fight with an injury. But rather than wait for him to heal, Outlaw (16-5 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) remained on Fridays card in Tacoma, Wash., in a co-main event slot against Tofiq Musayev (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BMMA).

Musayev, a former RIZIN lightweight champion, took Outlaw out with a 27-second knockout. Almost certainly, the loss put Outlaws title aspirations a lot deeper into the future. But the odds of a title bout for Musayev, who was making his Bellator debut, increased exponentially  especially considering he beat Freire at RIZIN 20 to win a single-night tournament.

I would love to fight with Pitbull back home in my home country of Azerbaijan. That would be cool, Musayev said after his win over Outlaw. Since Pitbull is the one who wanted to have a rematch with me, I want to fight him. Of course, after every training camp, you improve your technique  you get better. I just think its going to be a more exciting fight.

Their fight on New Years Eve 2019 was a unanimous decision win for Musayev and at the time was his 15th straight victory. But could Musayev really jump the lightweight line that much to get a title shot after just one Bellator win?

Also waiting in the wings is Usman Nurmagomedov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who submitted Chris Gonzalez (7-2 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) in the first round just before Musayevs win over Outlaw. Musayev said hes not interested in a fight with Nurmagomedov, but also doesnt sound worried about making him take a backseat to him for a title shot.

We have a good friendship with Usman. We respect him as a fighter, but hes not in my plans to fight anytime soon, Musayev said. My plan is to fight with Pitbull. I saw in one of his interviews that he wants the rematch, so lets do it.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkies event hub for Bellator 283.
The conservative group Turning Point USA has condemned a group of neo-Nazis who gathered Saturday night outside its convention in Tampa, Fla., which also drew former President Trump and other high-profile Republicans as guest speakers.

The group of neo-Nazis at the Turning Point USA (TPUSA) Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center waved flags with swastikas and held up antisemitic signs, according to local media reports.

TPUSA spokesperson Andrew Kolvet said on Sunday the group 100% condemns those ideologies in the strongest of terms and said the neo-Nazis have nothing to do with the organization.

Since these individuals were located on public property, our security attempted to, but was not permitted to remove them. We have no idea who they are or why they were here, Kolvet said in a statement.

Our students, after initially confronting them, ultimately took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, these individuals left.

The Student Action Summit, which began Friday and ends on Sunday, featured speeches from Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), among others.

The neo-Nazi group on Saturday night clashed verbally with left-leaning protesters, who were demonstrating mainly against U.S. Supreme Courts decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion.

Photos taken by local Tampa outlet Creative Loafing shows neo-Nazis in red shirts waving Swastika flags and other blue flags that read DeSantis Country.

They also distributed flyers that falsely claimed Jews were behind abortions. The flyers were created by the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group, Creative Loafing reported.

No one was injured or arrested and protest groups dispersed quietly, according to the outlet.

Florida Holocaust Museum chairman Mike Igel on Saturday said openly and proudly displaying genocidal symbols is a direct threat to the Jewish community and called on all parties to condemn the neo-Nazis.

Story continues

This isnt about politics or religion. Its about humanity, Igel said in a statement. This should matter to everyone.

Twitter accounts for Greene, Gaetz, DeSantis and others who spoke at the rally did not mention the neo-Nazis or condemn their presence. On Truth Social, Trump shared clips of his speech but did not mention the neo-Nazis.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attends a symposium about studying Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy in Beijing, capital of China, July 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A symposium on studying Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy was held in Beijing on Sunday. Wang Yi, Chinese state councilor and foreign minister, attended and addressed the event.

As the chief architect of the major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, Xi, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has established Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy with profound insight into international situations and full comprehension of the tide of times, said Wang in his speech.

Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy has provided the fundamental guidance and the guide to action for conducting China's foreign affairs in the new era, provided Chinese wisdom and solutions to major global issues, and helped create consensus and synergy for human development and progress, said Wang.

Wang urged further understanding and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy.

The symposium was jointly held by the Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy research center, which was established by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the support of the China Institute of International Studies, and the press of Study Times, a newspaper affiliated to the Party School of the CPC Central Committee. 
A bar and a private club both received threats in the same night. Police are investigating and occupants were evacuated.

Pittsburgh police said a bomb threat was called into the P Town Bar on Baum Boulevard at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday. Bar employees had safely evacuated everyone inside the bar by the time officers arrived.

K-9 units were sent through the building and police determined the bar was safe after their search.

At around the same time, Club Pittsburgh on Penn Avenue received a similar call. Police have not released much information on this call because they are still investigating.

Both establishments take pride in serving Pittsburghs LGBTQ+ community.

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The Ministry of Infrastructure is readying itself for the launch of agricultural product export from Ukrainian ports

"Today, Russia launched a missile strike at the territory of Odesa sea port, thereby once again showing the world its true intentions," he said.

"In recent months, missile strikes on infrastructure facilities have become the enemy's second, and sometimes even first, target. Every day, dozens of missiles are directed at railways, bridges, oil storage facilities, ports. Railroad, road and port workers, like the entire country, work in conditions of military aggression every day. And none of us plans to stop, because this is exactly what the invader wants, to destroy the infrastructure, destroy the economy, thereby weakening the Army."

The minister reiterated that an agreement on the safe export of Ukrainian grain had been signed in Istanbul the day before.

Read also: Ukraine provides details of "grain agreement" struck in Istanbul

"We do not trust Russia, but we trust our partners and allies, that is why the Initiative on the safe transportation of grain and food products from Ukrainian ports was signed with the UN and Turkey, not with Russia," Kubrakov said.

"This document was not a gesture of 'good will,' but the result of the work of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which liberated Zmiinyi (Snake) Island. Which, in turn, is made possible by the support of our allies who provide us with modern and effective weapons to defend the coastline. The document was signed on Ukrainian terms  no Russians in the territorial waters of Ukraine, no concessions regarding sanctions."

The official said that the UN and Ukrainian allies and partners hope that the Istanbul initiative will save not only the economy of Ukraine, but also millions of people from hunger, and billions from impoverishment.

He stressed that "just as our railway continues to run, and truck drivers deliver the necessary food, medicines and weapons to firing positions, we will not back down from our goal of unblocking sea ports."

Russia attacked Odesa sea port with Kalibr missiles on July 23, two of which hit infrastructure objects. Another two missiles were shot down by air defense.

Story continues



Later, the Ukrainian militarys Operational Command South reported that the Russian missile had not hit the granary at Odesa sea port.



At the same time, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleg Nikolenko, said that Russia's missile attack on the sea port of Odesa was Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's "spit in the face" of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.



According to Nikolenko, "it took less than 24 hours for the Russian Federation to launch a missile attack on the port of Odesa to undermine the agreements and break the promises it made to the UN and Turkey in the document signed yesterday in Istanbul."



Ukraine signed an agreement on unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain with Turkey and the United Nations on July 22. Russia signed a similar agreement with the United Nations and Turkey.



The agreement concerns exports from the Ukrainian sea ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi. Control over the ports will remain with the Ukrainian side, and no ships, except those that will ensure the export of grain and related products, will be able to enter the ports.



Inspection teams will be set up in Turkey with representatives from all parties to inspect cargo and personnel. The inspection will be carried out only in the harbors, at the entrance and exit from the Turkish Straits.



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the movement of vessels to Ukrainian sea ports would be resumed in the coming days.



Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) --

Most Read from Bloomberg

The US said a cruise-missile strike on Odesas port casts serious doubt on Russias commitment to an accord it co-signed to allow the safe transit of millions of tonnes of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea port.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Friday that Ukraine has about $10 billion in grain, including 20 million tonnes from last years harvest, available to export.

The Pentagon is looking into the feasibility of providing fighter jets to Ukraine, a measure previously seen as off-limits for fears Ukraine would expand the conflict into Russian territory.

(See RSAN on the Bloomberg Terminal for the Russian Sanctions Dashboard.)

Key Developments

Russian Strike on Odesa Tests Day-Old Grain Export Deal

Russia Cuts Rates Below Pre-War Level in Surprise Jumbo Move

Ukraine Grain Challenge: Clear Mines, Find Ships and Trust Putin

US Treasury Gives Blessing for Swaps Auction on Russian Bonds

Banned in Europe, Kremlin-Backed RT Channel Turns to Africa

On the Ground

As Russias invasion nears the five-month mark, Russian troops are concentrating on the Slobozhansk region to repel the advance of Ukrainian troops to the state border of Ukraine in the north and northeast of the Kharkiv region, according to Ukraines Military Office. Moscows forces launched assaults in the direction of Pokrovsky and the territory of the Uglegorsk thermal power plant. Ukraines troops have continued an offensive in Kherson oblast, west of the Dnipro river, the UK said on Twitter. Supply lines of the Russian force west of the Dnipro are increasingly at risk after Ukrainian strikes, the UK said.

(All times CET)

Blinken: Russia Shows Lack of Credibility (10:37 p.m.)

Story continues

Russias missile strike on Odesa casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to a deal to allow Ukrainian agricultural exports to resume through the Black Sea, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The attack undermines efforts by Turkey, the United Nations and Ukraine to get food to world markets, Blinken said in a statement Saturday. Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis, he said.

US Lawmakers Pledge Support, Visit Bucha (5:30 p.m.)

House Armed Services Committee chairman Adam Smith said US support for Ukraine remains assured after leading a bipartisan delegation that met President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv.

The five lawmakers -- Smith, three other Democrats and a Republican -- also visited Bucha and Irpin, where they saw evidence of the Russian atrocities from the early days of the war, they said.

We will continue to seek ways to support President Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people as effectively as possible, the group said in a statement.

Abramovich Spotted at Grain Deal Signing (5:30 p.m.)

Roman Abramovich attended the signing Friday of the agreement to restart Ukraines grain exports from the Black Sea, according to media reports.

Reuters and Turkeys Haberler reported that the Russian billionaire was in the audience at Istanbuls Dolmabahce Palace. Abramovich also visited Turkey in the spring during a meeting of Ukrainian and Russian delegations.

Zelenskiy Briefs US Lawmakers After Odesa Strike (3:10 p.m.)

US lawmakers led by Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, met in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

Ukraines leader briefed them on Saturdays Russian missile attack on Odesa, hours after Moscow signed a deal to unblock Ukrainian grain exports.

This proves only one thing: no matter what Russia says and promises, it will find ways not to implement it, Zelenskiy said. Geopolitically, with weapons, bloodily, or not, it has several vectors, as it always acts.

Hungarys Orban Says Time to Stop Arming Ukraine (12:57 p.m.)

The West should stop arming Ukraine and work for a peace settlement instead, Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban said at an annual retreat for supporters in Baile Tusnad, Romania. He said Moscow hadnt been weakened by sanctions and that the rest of the world isnt joining in the repudiation of Russia.

Orban directly blamed the arrival of Western long-range artillery shipments for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovs recent remark about annexing more Ukrainian territory, emphasizing the need to understand the Russian position of requiring security guarantees.

US, UN Condemn Russian Strike on Odessa (12:30 p.m.)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres unequivocally condemns the reported strikes today in the Ukrainian port of Odesa, a spokesman said.

Yesterday, all parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for Guterres, said in a statement. Full implementation by the Russian federation, Ukraine and Turkey is imperative.

Bridget Brink, the US ambassador to Ukraine, said Russian must be held to account.

Russian Missiles Strike Odesa Sea Port (11:10 a.m.)

Russia attacked the Odesa sea port on Saturday, less than 24 hours after signing an agreement aimed at restarting Ukrainian grain exports from Odesa and two other Black Sea locations.

Two Kalibr missiles hit the ports infrastructure and two were shot down by Ukraines air defenses, Serhiy Bratchuk, adviser to the head of the Odesa regional military administration, said on Telegram.

Zelenskiy Says 20M Tonnes of Grain From Last Year Can be Shipped (7 a.m.)

About 20 million tonnes of grain from last years Ukrainian harvest can be exported under the new Black Sea protocol, in addition to new-crop supplies now being harvested, said President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

We now have approximately $10 billion worth of grain, Zelenskiy said in his nightly speech to the nation Friday night.

Separately, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Zelenskiy said there could be no cease fire with Russia that allowed Moscow to hold the territories seized since February. They will not use this pause to change their geopolitics or to renounce their claims on the former Soviet republics, he said.

US Opens Door to Getting Fighter Jets to Ukraine (8:40 p.m.)

In what would be a major shift for the US and its allies, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the Pentagon is looking into the feasibility of providing fighter jets to Ukraine, though the effort is in the very early stages.

The effort is focused on providing US aircraft, not ex-Soviet jets, which means Ukrainian pilots would need to be trained on the fighters as well as how to maintain them, Kirby said, adding So this is not something thats going to happen anytime soon.

Kirby spoke as the White House announced an additional $270 million in arms for Ukraine, a package that includes as many as 580 additional Air Force Phoenix Ghost anti-armor/reconnaissance drones. Ukrainian officials said theyre employing monitoring mechanisms to track and account for the delivery of Western weapons.

UN Says Russia Signs Accord on Russian Food, Fertilizer (7:40 p.m.)

Just before the agreement to allow Ukraine grain exports, Russia signed a separate memorandum of understanding with the UN for the world body to aid in unimpeded exports of Russian food and fertilizer, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

Emphasizing that goods such as food arent targeted by sanctions against Russia, he said the UN will establish a task team focused on addressing the disruptions to the food and fertilizer trade largely due to the de-risking and overcompliance of the private sector, particularly in the sectors of finance and insurance and logistics.

Black Sea Grain Deal to Allow for Significant Volumes (4:20 p.m.)

Fridays signing will allow for significant volumes of commercial food exports, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said at a press conference in Istanbul, as Russia signed a pact with the UN and Turkey. Ukraine signed a parallel agreement.

Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi ports are part of the agreement, he said. Guterres also announced establishment of a joint coordination center to monitor implementation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that traffic would begin in coming days.

Ukraine Grain Challenge: Clear Mines, Find Ships, Trust Putin (2:42 p.m.)

Ukraine is about to finally secure a deal aimed at restarting Black Sea grain exports that have been crippled by Russias invasion. But getting them going wont be easy.

A pact is expected to be signed Friday by representatives of both countries, which may help revive shipments from one of the worlds top wheat, corn and vegetable-oil exporters.

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Ukrainian soldiers who lost their limbs fighting to defend their country from Russias invasion over the last few months have arrived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where they will be fitted for prosthetics.

The five Ukrainian soldiers arrived at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Saturday and were greeted by dozens of Ukrainian-Americans and others, who sang Ukraine's National Anthem.

The greeters also held up signs that read, "Welcome Heroes," with balloons reflecting Ukraine's iconic blue and yellow.

Minneapolis FOX 9 reports the trip was initiated by Minneapolis prosthetist Yakov Gradinar of Limb Lab, a Rochester-based prosthetics service.

UKRAINIAN MILITARY ATTACK LEAVES 54 RUSSIAN SOLDIERS DEAD, 3 TANKS DESTROYED, GOVERNMENT SAYS

"We started to think how we from Minnesota could help Ukraine...instead of sitting and talking about it, we decided (we could) help," Gradinar said. "Losing a limb is like losing a close friend or family member. It's very exhausting, physically, and psychologically. In war, you are even more handicapped."

Gradinar then teamed up with the Protez Foundation, a local organization that launched a campaign to provide prosthetics for Ukrainians.

The project, called Prosthetics for Ukrainians, has already helped Ukrainian children, soldiers and civilians who have traveled to the U.S. receive free prosthetics.

"The war shook us all up, affected us all," Foundation president Yury Aroshidze said through an interpreter to KSTP. "Theres a lot of soldiers that have lost their limbs, but theres a lot of civilians and kids that have lost their limbs, and were trying to help as many people as we can."

LAWMAKERS WANT US MILITARY ADVISERS SENT TO UKRAINE

Daviti Souleymanishvili, 43, born in Georgia and a naturalized Ukrainian, listens to a doctor at an orthopedic clinic, in Kyiv on May 25, 2022. Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Gradinar and Aroshidze have coordinated with the Department of Homeland security to get the paperwork, visas and necessary travel arrangements for the Ukrainians.

"It took us two months in order to get approval to be able to bring people here to America to get prosthetics," Aroshidze told the outlet.

Story continues

RUSSIA USING 85% OF FIGHTING FORCE IN UKRAINE: SENIOR US DEFENSE OFFICIAL

One of the Ukrainians who landed at the MSP international airport was in a wheelchair and told FOX 9 that he lost both of his legs fighting in Ukraine and that he was grateful for the opportunity to receive the prosthetics.

"I want to show to people that without legs...the world is not ending. I want to continue to do my sports and continue to live," said Danyelo, 21. The other amputees are around the same age.

Daviti Souleymanishvili, 43, born in Georgia and a naturalized Ukrainian, looks at prostheses in the showcase of an orthopedic clinic, in Kyiv on May 25, 2022. Photo by Sergei SUPINSKY / AFP) (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images

Russia first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. As many as 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been injured in the fighting.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has commented on the Russian attack on an Odesa Port

"The Russian missile is Vladimir Putin's spit in the face of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach an agreement, and to whom Ukraine is grateful," he said.

Read also: First Istanbul meeting on Ukrainian grain exports gives hope for resolution of stalemate

According to Nikolenko, "it took less than 24 hours for the Russian Federation to launch a missile attack on the port of Odesa to undermine the agreements and break the promises it made to the UN and Turkey in the document signed yesterday in Istanbul."

"Ukraine emphasizes the need for strict implementation of the agreements regarding the restoration of safe export of Ukrainian agricultural goods through the Black Sea from three ports: Odesa, Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi," the official added.

Read also: First Istanbul meeting on Ukrainian grain exports gives hope for resolution of stalemate

Nikolenko also called on the United Nations and Turkey to ensure that Russia complies with its obligations within the framework of the safe functioning of the grain corridor.

"In case of failure to fulfill the agreement, Russia will bear full responsibility for the deepening of the global food crisis," he stressed.

Russia attacked Odesa sea port with Kalibr missiles on July 23, two of which hit infrastructure facilities. Another two missiles were shot down by air defense.

Read also: Ukraine signs the grain export deal with Turkey and the UN, not with Russia (UPDATED)

Ukraine signed an agreement on a partial blockade lift for the export of Ukrainian grain with Turkey and the United Nations on July 22. Russia signed a mirror agreement, though Russia and Ukraine did not directly come to an agreement.



According to the agreement, control over the ports will remain with the Ukrainian side, and no ships, except those that will ensure the export of grain and related products, will be able to enter the ports.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova on Sunday condemned Russias attack on the Ukrainian port of Odesa, which came a day after a deal was brokered to allow Ukraine to export grain.

What happened in the port is so Russian and it is very telling about what has been happening for the past eight years, Markarova said on CBSs Face the Nation.

Russia and Ukraine reached a deal, mediated by Turkey and the United Nations, on Friday to allow Ukraine to send out grain to help address the global food shortage.

The next day, Russia attacked the Black Sea trade port in Odesa, Ukraines main grain exporting hub.

Markarova said Ukraine has tried to act in good faith to end the war and would continue to try to uphold their end of the deal as the food crisis worsens around the world.

With this I think they are just showing their true face, again, so the good response to that should be more weapons to Ukraine, to be able to defend their ports to send out food, she said.

Russia said its attack in Odesa only hit military targets in the area, which would not necessarily violate the grain export deal, but the incident was still condemned by leaders around the world.

Just 24 hours after finalizing a deal to allow the resumption of Ukrainian agricultural exports through the Black Sea, Russia breached its commitments by attacking the historic port from which grain and agricultural exports would again be transported under this arrangement, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe for its agricultural exports of grain and other products like sunflower oil. The Russian blockade in the Black Sea has raised concerns about millions going hungry as far away the Middle East and Africa.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova says a Russian attack on the port of Odesa, just days after reaching an agreement to resume shipments of grain, is an example of Russia "showing their true face," and "the good response to that should be more weapons to Ukraine so that we can defend ourselves."
Ruined railway infrastructure in Melitopol district

Read also: Collaborators in occupied Melitopol panic, refuse to work, says local media

"Another hellish night for Rashists (Russian fascists) in Melitopol and outside the city  in three areas at once," he said.

In particular, explosions were heard and smoke was seen at the Melitopol airport, which the invaders were unsuccessfully trying to restore after Ukrainian attacks on the facility.

Explosions were also heard in the eastern direction from the city, namely near the village of Kostiantynivka.

The railway infrastructure in the Melitopol district, which was used by the invaders to transport military equipment and personnel toward the settlements of Vasylivka and Tokmak, was also damaged.

Read also: Russian invaders prepare for battle in Melitopol

According to Fedorov, this significantly complicates the enemy's logistics.

"We're hoping for a surprise for Rashists from the resistance movement and are waiting for confirmation of the information," the mayor said.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian soldiers

The head of state noted that collaborators in the region continue to make bold statements.

"This day is in some ways similar to all the previous ones: missile strikes again, heavy fighting in many areas, Donbas, Kharkiv Oblast, shelling again, Zelenskyy stated.

But the rest of this day shows how we have progressed towards our victory. It will come. First of all, we can talk now about Kherson Oblast. The occupiers tried to gain a foothold there. Their collaborators made various bold statements, which in Russian are called a very apt word  hat throwing (facile optimism  ed.). But how did it help them? The Armed Forces of Ukraine are advancing step by step in the region."

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated on July 10 that President Zelenskyy ordered the military to de-occupy coastal areas in the country's south.

Presidential advisor Oleksiy Arestovych commented that the Russian military command had concentrated up to 15,000 soldiers in Kherson Oblast. These are already depleted battalion tactical groups.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine struck the Antonivskyi bridge in Kherson Oblast on July 19. This bridge is one of the two through which Russia can deploy its troops on the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast  or withdraw them.

The Ukrainian military also struck the Dariyivskyi bridge across the Inhulets River on July 23. While the Antonivskyi bridge was a "key element" in the delivery of Russian troops to Kherson through the left bank, this strike undercuts their logistics on the right bank, Sergey Khlan, advisor to the regional governor, said.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
EUROPEAN PRAVDA  SUNDAY, 24 JULY 2022, 14:46

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that the UN has distanced itself from a comment made by an unnamed official who claimed that Russia has a right to fire on the seaport in Odesa as long as it does not strike targets involved in grain exports.

Source: Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as cited in European Pravda

Details: Nikolenkos statement came in response to a New York Times article which he called "controversial".

"Allegedly an unnamed source in the UN stated that Russias missile strike on the port of Odesa may not have technically violated the grain deal which has just been signed in Istanbul. Apparently, Russia did not pledge to avoid attacking the parts of the Ukrainian ports that are not directly used for the grain exports. To put it mildly, we were surprised by this comment," Nikolenko noted.

He underscored that the unnamed officials comment contradicts the statement released by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who has unequivocally denounced the strikes on the port of Odesa.

Nikolenko added that the international community has also been unanimous in its response, agreeing that Russia has violated its obligations to ensure the safe functioning of the port infrastructure used for grain exports.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry immediately asked the UN for a clarification of its position. Today, the UN assured Ukraine that the unofficial comment which the "unnamed source" gave to The New York Times does not represent the UNs official position.

"Only the statement made by Secretary General Guterres represents the organisations position," Oleh Nikolenko said.

"Thats the problem with these unnamed sources: theyve introduced a controversial narrative and now bear no responsibility for it. Whether this was done on purpose or not is an open question," the foreign ministry spokesman added.

Previously:
JOS, Nigeria, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Unidentified gunmen on Thursday attacked a community in central Nigeria's Plateau state, killing five people, local authorities said on Saturday.

The five victims belonged to a family in the Fusa community in Jos East local government area of the state, police said in a statement, adding that "frantic efforts" were made to arrest the gunmen.

The most populous African country has been hit by a series of armed attacks this year, which caused the death of civilians and security operatives. 
Part of a portable nuclear power plant arrives at Camp Century in 1960. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images

In a tunnel 40 feet beneath the surface of the Greenland ice sheet, a Geiger counter screamed. It was 1964, the height of the Cold War. U.S. soldiers in the tunnel, 800 miles from the North Pole, were dismantling the Armys first portable nuclear reactor.

Commanding Officer Joseph Franklin grabbed the radiation detector, ordered his men out and did a quick survey before retreating from the reactor.

He had spent about two minutes exposed to a radiation field he estimated at 2,000 rads per hour, enough to make a person ill. When he came home from Greenland, the Army sent Franklin to the Bethesda Naval Hospital. There, he set off a whole body radiation counter designed to assess victims of nuclear accidents. Franklin was radioactive.

The Army called the reactor portable, even at 330 tons, because it was built from pieces that each fit in a C-130 cargo plane. It was powering Camp Century, one of the militarys most unusual bases.

The Camp Century tunnels started as trenches cut into the ice. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Camp Century was a series of tunnels built into the Greenland ice sheet and used for both military research and scientific projects. The military boasted that the nuclear reactor there, known as the PM-2A, needed just 44 pounds of uranium to replace a million or more gallons of diesel fuel. Heat from the reactor ran lights and equipment and allowed the 200 or so men at the camp as many hot showers as they wanted in that brutally cold environment.

The PM-2A was the third child in a family of eight Army reactors, several of them experiments in portable nuclear power.

A few were misfits. PM-3A, nicknamed Nukey Poo, was installed at the Navy base at Antarcticas McMurdo Sound. It made a nuclear mess in the Antarctic, with 438 malfunctions in 10 years including a cracked and leaking containment vessel. SL-1, a stationary low-power nuclear reactor in Idaho, blew up during refueling, killing three men. SM-1 still sits 12 miles from the White House at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. It cost US million to build and is expected to cost million to clean up. The only truly mobile reactor, the ML-1, never really worked.

Story continues

The Army abandoned its truck-mounted portable reactor program in 1965. This is the ML-1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Nearly 60 years after the PM-2A was installed and the ML-1 project abandoned, the U.S. military is exploring portable land-based nuclear reactors again.

In May 2021, the Pentagon requested million for Project Pele. Its goal: Design and build, within five years, a small, truck-mounted portable nuclear reactor that could be flown to remote locations and war zones. It would be able to be powered up and down for transport within a few days.

The Navy has a long and mostly successful history of mobile nuclear power. The first two nuclear submarines, the Nautilus and the Skate, visited the North Pole in 1958, just before Camp Century was built. Two other nuclear submarines sank in the 1960s  their reactors sit quietly on the Atlantic Ocean floor along with two plutonium-containing nuclear torpedos. Portable reactors on land pose different challenges  any problems are not under thousands of feet of ocean water.

Those in favor of mobile nuclear power for the battlefield claim it will provide nearly unlimited, low-carbon energy without the need for vulnerable supply convoys. Others argue that the costs and risks outweigh the benefits. There are also concerns about nuclear proliferation if mobile reactors are able to avoid international inspection.

A leaking reactor on the Greenland ice sheet

The PM-2A was built in 18 months. It arrived at Thule Air Force Base in Greenland in July 1960 and was dragged 138 miles across the ice sheet in pieces and then assembled at Camp Century.

When the reactor went critical for the first time in October, the engineers turned it off immediately because the PM-2A leaked neutrons, which can harm people. The Army fashioned lead shields and built walls of 55-gallon drums filled with ice and sawdust trying to protect the operators from radiation.

The PM-2A ran for two years, making fossil fuel-free power and heat and far more neutrons than was safe.

Those stray neutrons caused trouble. Steel pipes and the reactor vessel grew increasingly radioactive over time, as did traces of sodium in the snow. Cooling water leaking from the reactor contained dozens of radioactive isotopes potentially exposing personnel to radiation and leaving a legacy in the ice.

When the reactor was dismantled for shipping, its metal pipes shed radioactive dust. Bulldozed snow that was once bathed in neutrons from the reactor released radioactive flakes of ice.

Franklin must have ingested some of the radioactive isotopes that the leaking neutrons made. In 2002, he had a cancerous prostate and kidney removed. By 2015, the cancer spread to his lungs and bones. He died of kidney cancer on March 8, 2017, as a retired, revered and decorated major general.

Joseph Franklin (right) with pieces of the decommissioned PM-2A reactor at Thule Air Base. U.S. Army Photograph, from Franklin Family, Dignity Memorial

Camp Centurys radioactive legacy

Camp Century was shut down in 1967. During its eight-year life, scientists had used the base to drill down through the ice sheet and extract an ice core that my colleagues and I are still using today to reveal secrets of the ice sheets ancient past. Camp Century, its ice core and climate change are the focus of a book I am now writing.

The PM-2A was found to be highly radioactive and was buried in an Idaho nuclear waste dump. Army hot waste dumping records indicate it left radioactive cooling water buried in a sump in the Greenland ice sheet.

When scientists studying Camp Century in 2016 suggested that the warming climate now melting Greenlands ice could expose the camp and its waste, including lead, fuel oil, PCBs and possibly radiation, by 2100, relations between the U.S, Denmark and Greenland grew tense. Who would be responsible for the cleanup and any environmental damage?

A schematic diagram of Camp Centurys nuclear reactor in the Greenland ice sheet. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Portable nuclear reactors today

There are major differences between nuclear power production in the 1960s and today.

The Pele reactors fuel will be sealed in pellets the size of poppy seeds, and it will be air-cooled so theres no radioactive coolant to dispose of.

Being able to produce energy with fewer greenhouse emissions is a positive in a warming world. The U.S. militarys liquid fuel use is close to all of Portugals or Perus. Not having to supply remote bases with as much fuel can also help protect lives in dangerous locations.

But, the U.S. still has no coherent national strategy for nuclear waste disposal, and critics are asking what happens if Pele falls into enemy hands. Researchers at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Academy of Sciences have previously questioned the risks of nuclear reactors being attacked by terrorists. As proposals for portable reactors undergo review over the coming months, these and other concerns will be drawing attention.

The U.S. militarys first attempts at land-based portable nuclear reactors didnt work out well in terms of environmental contamination, cost, human health and international relations. That history is worth remembering as the military considers new mobile reactors.

[Get our best science, health and technology stories. Sign up for The Conversations science newsletter.]

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: Paul Bierman, University of Vermont.

Read more:



Paul Bierman receives funding from the U.S. National Science Foundation
Jul. 23CHEYENNE  Just across the highway from Frontier Park, visitors can experience a different kind of unique Western history.

The 28th Fort D.A. Russell Days are continuing today and Sunday at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, and are free and open to the public.

Fort D.A. Russell Days act as the yearly open house held by the base, which is home to the 90th Missile Wing. But the three-day event provides much more than just a look at current military operations.

"Air Force history offices are meant to be the institutional memory of the operating, living wing, and we're meant to inform current operations." said Jeremiah Foster, the 90th Missile Wing historian. "One of my jobs is to try to have enough knowledge of what we've done, not just in the distant past, and it is important that we try to pull on our heritage, especially our World War II heritage, for inspiration."

Fort D.A. Russell Days ties into this mission, as it gives the Cheyenne community and active-duty Air Force members a chance to remember the base's history and use that knowledge to inform their lives today.

The base was initially a U.S. Army fort  Fort D.A. Russell  and was renamed to Fort Francis E. Warren in 1930 as a tribute to Wyoming's first governor. The base came under control of the U.S. Air Force in 1948, according to the base website.

Jim McDonnell, the lead volunteer for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Military Committee, said Fort D.A. Russell Days began after the Air Force encouraged every base to have an open house to engage with the surrounding community at least once a year. McDonnell said the director of the Warren ICBM and Heritage Museum at time time, Paula Taylor, came up with the idea of the Muskets to Missiles event.

To hold the base open house during Frontier Days was "just natural," McDonnell said.

"We have such a great relationship between the base and the population that it just made sense," McDonnell said.

Story continues

Foster said that because the base has such a long history that predates the 90th Missile Wing, Fort D.A. Russell Days allows the wing to connect more with that history, too.

"I think that the wing has always taken a lot of stock of the base history and really tried to tie itself to that history," Foster said. "That's the thing, even being a different branch, we still come from the Army, so it's not too crazy for us. It's just part of the evolution that's taken place."

This history is what helps the current Air Force members make decisions today.

"For example, right now, we're rolling out the new Sentinel missile system," Foster said. "So, one thing we want to know for that is: 'How have we done this before?' And that's something that the history office can weigh in on, because we can look at the recent past."

Thanks to thorough documentation from one of the base's former historians, Foster said he can look at records from when the base brought in the Peacekeeper missile system and learn from those experiences, even though it was nearly 40 years ago.

During Fort D.A. Russell Days, visitors can interact with re-enactors from different eras of history, while also learning about current operations on the base.

Steve Mount is a World War II re-enactor who lives in Cheyenne. He said he's been involved with Fort D.A. Russell Days for about 20 years. Mount said he loves to restore vehicles, and he has multiple military Jeeps and even a tank set up for the Muskets to Missiles display.

"Basically, we've set up a tactical assembly area," Mount said. "So we've got our tent set up and our sleeping quarters. We've also got our office stuff, our communications. ... And then different types of rations that the World War II soldier would eat, and the vehicles."

All of the historical re-enactors are volunteers, McDonnell said, so the displays change every year, depending on who can attend.

On Friday, the 90th Missile Wing dedicated Quarter 64, one of the historic homes on base, to Benjamin O. Davis Sr. Davis Sr. lived in Quarter 64 in 1912 and later became the first African American one-star general in the U.S. armed forces.

"I'm actually a little ashamed that as the first African American 20th Air Force commander, I didn't have the opportunity of even identifying the need to lay this rock," said Gen. Anthony Cotton, the commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. "But I am so glad that as the first African American four-star of Air Force Global Strike, I get to come back and be a part of this ceremony."

To attend Fort D.A. Russell Days, visitors can take a free shuttle from Frontier Park to the Air Force base from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Sunday, with the last bus leaving the base at 3:30 p.m. both days. During those hours, visitors can view the Muskets to Missiles displays and the Living History Camp Presentations.

From 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. both days, there also will be a guided bus tour of the base.

For a list of more events, visit the F.E. Warren AFB website at warren.af.mil/fort_darussell_days/ or check the CFD events calendar.

To access the base, visitors should go to the Gate 1 entrance off Randall Avenue and check in at the Visitor Control Center. Bring a photo I.D., and be prepared to provide your Social Security number for a background check. If driving onto the base, visitors will also need to present their vehicle registration and car insurance.

Serena Bettis is a senior journalism major at Colorado State University who is interning this summer at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. She can be reached by email at sbettis@wyomingnews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @serenaroseb.
Good Morning America

Authorities in Northern California have announced a new phase in the ongoing search for a teenager who disappeared after a party 11 days ago. Kiely Rodni, 16, was last seen on Aug. 6 around 12:30 a.m. local time near the Prosser Family Campground in the small town of Truckee, some 20 miles north of Lake Tahoe. "Her cellphone went dead and became virtually untraceable shortly after," Angela Musallam, public information officer for the Placer County Sheriff's Office, told ABC News during an interview that aired Aug. 9 on "Good Morning America."
OK, its happened, Iran says it can quickly build an atomic bomb if it wants, and thank you oh, so much ex-President Barack Obama for facilitating this achievement with a progressively inane deal throwing sanctions out the window while autocratically skipping a constitutionally required treaty process.

Thank you, too, President Joe Biden, for trying to make us overly dependent on Iranian oil as we stifle the development of our own resources in part by telling climate-changing oil companies they have no future because here come windmills and solar panels. An obvious problem is that renewables arent ready yet and will never do the job of fossil fuels by themselves unless we go agrarian in an impoverished, post-industrial future.

Of course, Iranian oil produces as much CO2 as American oil and, if Biden had been successful in getting Iran to produce more oil for U.S. benefit, CO2 from Iran would still be making things hotter while we might have had to say goodbye to Israel. Biden also visited that ally in his miswrought Middle East adventure and listened as the Israeli prime minister, Yair Lapid, tried to explain to him how a deal strengthening Iran could accelerate Iran's dream of Israelis disappearing from their earthly presence once and for all.

No deal emerged, which is better than what Obama did in helping to create the 2015 pact. That travesty allowed Iran to retain means of enriching uranium to a killer extent. It allowed ballistic missile tests with lethal missile mastery eventually enlarging Iran's military power. There was no inspecting of military bases for nuke development. A number of nations unleashed billions of Iranian dollars, further enabling the financing of terrorist massacres all over the Mideast.

President Donald Trump threw all that out the window with renewed sanctions as his administration amazingly arranged the Abraham Accords through which Arab nations joined with their old enemy Israel to stand up to Iran. To his credit, Biden, who once belittled the accords, is now determined to widen them.

For instance, he would have liked Irans enemy Saudi Arabia to join the Abraham Accords but did not quite get there or anyplace else in talks that many said he should never have entered, given the fact that Saudi Arabias leader is accused of murdering an American journalist. I understand the reluctance even though I also believe Saudi Arabia is one of the best chances we have for peaceful, humane Middle East order. Worrying about Biden having fist bumps with the Saudi leader strikes me as trivial.

The huge concern now is happy, giggly Iran, which previously lied about trying to develop a nuclear weapon and is now saying it is darned near ready if needed. Understand that Iran is intertwined with Russia, China and North Korea, and understand, too, that its self-perceived mission is to rule the Middle East and Central Asia.

A nuclearized Iran could enable the objective or maybe cause other nations, such as Saudi Arabia, to go nuclear themselves. One possibility is a spreading nuclear war ultimately involving the United States and maybe the whole world. It is unlikely that brave, alert, nuclear-equipped Israel, which has been assured by Iran again and again it was going to be wiped out, would sit around waiting for that outcome.

Bidens trip was a failure and he is a failure, as he has proved on issue after issue, from the border to the economy to Afghanistan, where millions are now starving to death. Climate change is for real but the way Biden and other progressives are approaching it could be more disastrous than the climate itself. Our country needs competent leadership at a time when the world and our country seem at the brink of something awful. I do think Biden has handled the war in Ukraine well, and I congratulate him on that, but its not enough. We need political change in Congress to emerge from the midterm elections.
Iowa healthcare providers share concerns regarding potential abortion restrictionsAs physicians and advanced practice providers from across the State of Iowa who care for women, we are compelled to outline our concerns for their healthcare after the recent SCOTUS decision Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health which overturned prior precedent of autonomy and privacy for women. While abortion and contraception remain legal and available in Iowa for now, we are concerned about future legislation that has the potential to negatively impact the health and autonomy of our patients.

We have conversations daily with women about medical conditions that may adversely affect a pregnancy or vice versa. Complications that can arise in pregnancy are complex, different for every person and often unpredictable. We are highly trained medical professionals, yet we cannot foresee every pregnancy complication; therefore, policymakers cannot be expected to do so. We are concerned that maternal outcomes will be adversely affected in Iowa if more restrictive abortion legislation is enacted. Maternal outcomes have already suffered in Texas after legislation that significantly limited abortion was signed into law in September 2021. Furthermore, legislation restricting abortion may worsen inequities in maternal health outcomes for people of color and those with limited economic resources. The pregnancy-related maternal mortality rate in Iowa for non-Hispanic Black women is currently six times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White women.

Some states have passed legislation that defines life as beginning at conception and these laws threaten medical advances such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and medicated intrauterine devices (IUDs). IVF accounts for 2% of all births in the United States. Defining life as beginning with fertilization, even outside a womans body and restricting a patients autonomy over their own embryos will result in reductions of pregnancy rates. Medicated IUDs are used for medical conditions such as endometriosis, irregular menstrual bleeding or to prevent cancer of the uterus. Some states have targeted IUDs under restrictive legislation despite little evidence that their mechanism of action is to prevent implantation of an embryo. We hope our legislators can appreciate that far reaching legislation can have inadvertent consequences that place lives at risk. These reproductive health decisions, including abortion, should be made after an informed individual in consultation with a trusted healthcare provider.

And finally, physician staffing in Iowa may worsen if additional legislation is passed to restrict abortion and healthcare for women. Recruitment and retention will be more difficult and physician training programs could lose accreditation, resulting in closure. Highly restrictive laws will make this state much less attractive to outstanding physicians who desire to practice evidence-based medicine utilizing the best treatments for helping patients in need. The State of Iowa is understaffed for Family Medicine and OBGYN physicians and this deficit is projected to worsen by 2030. Since 2000, 40 rural Iowa hospitals have closed their maternity units. This has resulted in maternity care deserts in 29 Iowa counties. Women often drive two hours or more, one way, for prenatal care. These hardships will worsen with legislation that impairs reproductive and medical autonomy for patients and their physicians.

We implore the policymakers for Iowa at the state and federal level to collaborate with us, the physicians and advanced practice providers who provide healthcare to the women of Iowa. We advocate for public policy that maintains bodily autonomy and privacy for women, does not restrict medical practices designed to improve the health and fertility of women and sometimes saves their lives. Give us a seat at the table, so that we can learn from one another and find the common ground we all desire: Improved health and well-being for women and infants in our state.

Respectfully,

Andrea Greiner, MD; Stephanie Radke, MD; Jennifer Schuchmann, MD; Diana Kaufman, MD; Prapti Singh, MD; Karla Yancy, MD; Brad Van Voorhis, MD; Bennett Stephens, MD; Francesca Turner, MD; Allie Wampler, MSN, ARNP, WHNP; Rei Christian Calma, MD; Alice May CNM, ARNP; Emily Welder, MD; Jeff Quinlan, MD; Rebecca Winnike, MSN, ARNP, CNM; Sarina Martini, MD; Kate Thoma, MD; Kelsey Lee Wagner, MD; Meghan Connett, MD; Jill Endres, MD; Emily Boevers, MD; Shelby Green, MD; Emily Hill, MD; Whitney Cowman, MD; Abigail Mancuso, MD; Karl Meierding, MD; Elizabeth Boggs, MD; Jessica Baer Karnell, MSN, WHNP-BC; Hakan Duran, MD; Abbey Hardy-Fairbanks, MD; Laura Dellos, ARNP, CNM; Alex Dickenson, MD; Kelly Ferroni, MD; Kim Kenne, MD; Amber Goodrich, CNM, ARNP, MSN, FACNM; Colin Johnson, MD; Michael Haugsdal, MD; Miriam Murray, MD; Marika Raff, MD; Erika Testani, DO; Holly Bolger, DO; Marygrace Elson, MD; Brandy Mitchell, DNP, ARNP; Erin Haeger, MD; Abbey Merryman, MD; Maren Bettermann, MD; Allison Allen, MD; Sarah Rabice, MD; Silvia Villagomez, ARNP; Stephen Pedron, MD; Maureen Boyle, MD; Elizabeth Graf, PA; David Bedell, MD; Yulia Matveeva, MD; Alexandra Hubbell, DO; Beth Cramer, MD; Stacey K Neu, MD; Michele Martins, MD; Cynthia Williams Hoque, DO; Sarah Ledger, DO; Megan Sloat, CNM; Brooke Knope, CNM; Tana Perry, MD; Kristin Orr, MD; Avery Whitis, MD; Lindsey Jenkins, MD; Dana Aybout El Sayed, ARNP; Francesca Turner, MD; Heather Marthers, MD; Lindsey Northness, ARNP; Shannon Leveridge, MD; Jessica Kresowik, MD; Cindy Haugsdal, ARNP; Alysha Reese, ARNP; Niral Tilala, MD; Carolyn Martin, MD; Alison Seline, MD; Amy Bingaman, MD; Clare Harney, MD; Abbi Madden, DO; Emily Lange, MD; Ann Forcey, CNM; Autumn Schmoker, CNM, ARNP; Brooke Knop, CNM; Khara Keegan, CNM; Bonnie Beer MD; Cameron Hinrichsen, DO; Crystal Iddings APRN-CNM; Rachel Hayward MSN, CNM; Aubree Remsburg, CNM, ARNP; Mattea Otten CNM, ARNP; Dawn Rohrer, CNM; Cynthia Wong, MD.
Combating hate speech requires a sustained and inclusive commitment, increased efforts by UN member states, practical initiatives to prevent incitement to hatred, and strengthening of the capacities of those involved in combating hate speech, through the involvement of universities and research institutions.

The recommendations were made by participants in a high-level international symposium held in Fez this week, on the occasion of the celebration of the 5th anniversary of the UN Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors on Preventing Incitement to Violence that could lead to Criminal Atrocities, called Fez Plan of Action.

Participants, who noted the importance of the Fez Action Plan as a pioneering document, said it is a lively and responsive roadmap for the protection of the UN pillars of peace and security, respecting and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and stimulating sustainable development for all.

They however made it clear that efforts must be accompanied by initiatives at the local, national and international levels involving religious leaders.

Quoted in a joint statement of the organizers issued at the end of the Symposium, participants called for greater efforts and resources to be allocated to support implementation, with special attention paid to supporting religious leaders and faith-based organizations and women and youth of faith.

They also stressed that it was critical that Member States remained fully engaged and supportive of the Fez Plan of Action, in line with General Assembly resolutions on Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech.

Likewise, they recommended a stronger collaboration with international and regional human rights mechanisms as well as the United Nations field entities to foster the implementation of the Fez Plan of Action.

Participants also called to translate the Plan of Action widely, including in local languages, and allow access to people with disability to increase its outreach and impact in local contexts, where it is needed the most. In addition, they urged for implementation efforts to be mapped out, monitored, and evaluated.

The symposium also focused on good practices and lessons learned from the implementation of the Fez Plan of Action and examined ways and mechanisms for implementing the document to support international efforts to establish a foundation for peace and security, promote human rights and foster sustainable development.

For two days, participants focused on multiple topics, including the role of religious leaders in promoting peaceful, inclusive and just societies, strengthening support for the implementation of the Fez Action Plan at the international level, gender approach in further implementing the Plan, especially through empowering and enhancing the role of women and youth, highlighting experiences and best practices.

In a message to the symposium, UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, commended the Fez Plan of Action for its commitment to promoting peace, understanding, mutual respect and the fundamental rights of all peoples.

Guterres highlighted the importance of this initiative which outlined the multiple ways in which religious leaders can contribute to peace and stability.

I welcome this Plan for its commitment to promoting peace, understanding, mutual respect and the fundamental rights of all peoples, and for presenting the multiple ways through which religious leaders can contribute to achieving peace and stability, he said.

The UN Chief stressed the importance of this spirit of compassion and cooperation at a time when the world is in turmoil.

For her part, Deputy Secretary-General and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide to UN Secretary-General, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, underlined the importance of this symposium and of the Fez Action Plan.

We have traveled the world with this action plan. I traveled everywhere: Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, and many other countries in the world to discuss this document and what we can do with it, she said.

Ms. Wairimu Nderitu commended Moroccos role in the adoption of the resolution proclaiming an International Day against hate speech which is June 18 of each year. We are very grateful to the Kingdom of Morocco for all its initiatives, she said.

In an address before the symposium, Morocco permanent representative to the UN Omar Hilale underlines the Kingdoms commitment to the universal values of peace, religious tolerance, and dialogue between cultures and civilizations.

The symposium was co-organized by the Inter-ministerial Delegation for Human Rights and the Rabita Mohammadia of Ulemas, in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Prevention of Genocide and the Responsibility to Protect (OSAPG).
The United Nations and the African Union (AU) have welcomed the signing in Turkey of an agreement on the export of Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea, describing it as successful development for the continent which faces an increased risk of famine.

Russian and Ukrainian officials have signed a UN-backed deal aimed at allowing grain exports to leave Ukraine to help ease a global food crisis.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate mirror agreements with the United Nations and Turkey on July 22 that UN chief Antonio Guterres said will benefit developing countries on the edge of bankruptcy and the most vulnerable people on the edge of famine.

Guterres thanked Russia and Ukraine for having overcome their differences to make room for an initiative that serves all, stressing that the initiative must be fully implemented because the world so desperately needs it.

The AU said in a statement Saturday that the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat welcomes the signing by Russia and Ukraine of agreements under the auspices of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the export of grain and agricultural products via the Black Sea. The Chairperson of the Commission commends all the Parties on this successful development.

Faki Mahamat also congratulated Macky Sall, President of Senegal and current Chair of the AU, for having called for the urgent need for the resumption of cereals exports from Ukraine and Russia to global markets.

The agreement to resume Ukraines Black Sea grain exports was signed in Istanbul on Friday. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the signing ceremony along with representatives from Russia and Ukraine.

This agreement involves the export of grain, foodstuff, and fertilizers across the Black Sea from ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk, and Yuzhne .

The deal came after a general agreement was reached between the parties on an UN-led plan during talks in Istanbul on July 13 to form a coordination center to carry out joint inspections at the entrance and exit of the harbors, and to ensure the safety of the routes.

This agreement should bring relief to the countries that depend on the Russian and Ukrainian markets, which represent together 30% of the global wheat trade.
Moroccos aerospace industry is expected to exceed 2019 levels as new big players invest in the country, the latest of which is Collins aerospace which signed a deal with Moroccos industry ministry to build an ecosystem benefiting from an already existing platform

The exports of the aerospace sector up to May this year hit 877 million dollars, up 61% from last year. The minister told Reuters exports will exceed 2019 levels.

Collins Aerospace will follow Boeings suit in establishing a network of suppliers in the country that will make wire harness, fuselage, wing and engine parts, said Mezzour who signed the deal on the sidelines of Farnborough Airshow.

The total economic impact of the deal with Collins will generate an additional 1 billion dollars in the Moroccan aerospace sector, where already some 140 companies are making parts that represent 43% of an airplane.

The ministry is also filling gaps in the ecosystem by adding the cabin interior industry to the list of supplies that global airlines can source from Morocco.

In this respect, a deal was signed with Gal aerospace to set up a cabin interior plant in Morocco for a total cost of 12 million dollars.
The Moroccan government announced a $28.3 million plan to mitigate the impact of the recent wildfires on agricultural activity and forests and on livelihoods.

Pursuant to the instructions of the King, the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch chaired, on Friday in Rabat, the signing ceremony of a framework agreement for the implementation of a series of urgent measures worth $28.3 million aimed at mitigating the impact of the recent fires that damaged this July thousands of hectares of lands in several regions, affecting agricultural activity and local populations.

The agreement, signed by several cabinet members, including Minister of Economy Nadia Fettah Alaoui and Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Sadiki, includes short-and medium-term measures that seek to provide support to local people, whose homes and livelihoods were affected by the recent wildfires.

Under the plan, assistance will be granted for refurbishing the burnt dwellings, operations for the reforestation of some 9,330 hectares will be launched, and affected fruit trees will be restored. Assistance will also be granted to breeders and beekeepers in the affected regions.

The plan also provides for strengthening the means of preventing and fighting new fires and the creation of 1,000 additional job opportunities in the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima Region, dedicated to the people affected by the wildfires and their family members to work in the Awrach program sites.

Aziz Akhannouch called on government stakeholders to ensure the immediate implementation of the announced emergency measures to mitigate the impact of the fires on agriculture activities and forests.

The wildfires have been caused by many factors, including drought, gusts of wind, and the recent heat waves that affected several parts of Morocco, including Larache, Ouazzane, Chefchaouen, Tetouan, Taza and Al Hoceima.
KABUL, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan will import up to 350,000 tons of fuel from its neighbor Iran under an agreement signed by both countries on Saturday, the Ministry of Finance said Sunday.

An Afghan delegation that visited Iran signed a contract with an Iranian firm on Saturday to purchase 350,000 tons of oil from the neighboring country, the ministry said in a statement.

The delegation consisted of high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Bank, the Afghanistan Oil and Gas Corporation, and the Afghanistan National Standard Authority, according to the ministry.

During its stay in Iran, the Afghan delegation discussed issues including oil purchases, rates and the transit of petroleum products to Afghanistan where the prices of petrol and gasoline have remarkably increased recently.

Besides the oil contract, both sides agreed to establish a joint committee to facilitate trade and transit of petroleum products, establish a gas pipeline for energy import and refineries in Afghanistan, which is now facing harsh fuel scarcity, the ministry added.

Food and oil prices have been soaring up in the war-torn and economically impoverished country over the past eight months. 
North Platte Planning Commission members Tuesday will take up several routine items before discussing their next set of zoning regulation updates.

The panels monthly meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chamber, 211 W. Third St.

Itll be livestreamed on the citys YouTube channel at ci.north-platte.ne.us/government/city-departments/development/planning-commission-agendas-minutes.

Members will discuss possible new or updated regulations covering home-based businesses and home occupations and allowing special events districts after dealing with their business agenda.

City Council members brought up those subjects during May and June debates on a Planning Commission-authored package of updates to residential zoning regulations. That package eventually was adopted.

No action will be taken Tuesday on the next set, Planning Administrator Judy Clark said, as they fit into an ongoing review by the panel of the full range of city zoning regulations.

The special events district would be a new zoning category for such institutions as Buffalo Bill State Historical Park, the Wild West Arena, the Lincoln County Fairgrounds, the Lincoln County Historical Museum and similar institutions.

Those mentioned now are zoned A-1 agricultural, and their leaders have to seek conditional use permits when making improvements, Clark said in a memorandum.

Putting such attractions into special events districts would give them more flexibility in making improvements, she said.

The business agenda features two pairs of public hearings on proposals to allow storage for an East Second Street drywall business and installation of an electronic billboard along East Philip Avenue. The City Council would make final decisions in both cases.

Jim and Lorra Carlson want to change the zoning on land they own at 1801 E. Second St. from R-2 residential to B-2 highway commercial, Clark said.

They want to store construction materials and equipment on the property, which is surrounded by other commercial businesses. They dont plan to sell items or have customers visiting the site, she said.

The Carlsons also need to have the citys land-use plan amended, Clark added. If thats turned down, the land cannot be rezoned.

The other pair of hearings will cover Joe Showns request to install a 10-foot by 24-foot electronic advertising billboard on land he owns at 3022 E. Philip Ave., between Bicentennial Avenue and Newberry Access.

Shown wants to rezone his land from transitional agricultural to I-1 light industrial. He also needs a conditional use permit for the project, Clark said.

In other business, the Planning Commission will decide whether to recommend vacating alleys between West 13th and 14th streets north of Rodeo Road and between East Second and Johnson streets east of Welch Avenue.

The requests are unrelated, Clark said, but both involve applicants wanting to consolidate lots to enable an accessory building to be built. The council would have to approve vacation ordinances.
SCOTTSBLUFF  Conrad Bostron knows theres just one nonmetro city in Nebraska with more than 10,000 people that lacks a YMCA: North Platte.

Its one of many reasons why the Scottsbluff Family YMCAs CEO reacted positively when asked whether his Y might be interested in starting a branch there to operate a renovated North Platte Recreation Complex.

Bostrons board backed the idea three months before the May unveiling of a $52.5 million plan to expand the Rec Center and form a North Platte Y to run it under the Scottsbluff Y.

As it happens, it wouldnt be North Plattes first-ever Y.

The Railway YMCA operated downtown from 1890 to 1913, when it disbanded following a failed $40,000 fund drive to build a free-standing Y.

The tale of North Platte's long-forgotten 'Railway YMCA' Five rooms were rented across East Front Street from the 1869 Union Pacific Hotel. There will be a reading room, library, billiard hall, gymnasium, bath room and a room for the officers.

Bostron says the Scottsbluff Y wants to help the city of North Platte save operational funds and grow its total Rec Center memberships.

Thats true, he said, whether or not North Platte voters pass a half-cent sales tax to build it.

I think our efforts will be to support the (sales tax) vote first, Bostron said. But Scottsbluff Y leaders attitude has been hey, what can we do with what we have? 

I think, at least from my viewpoint, its a privilege to have opportunities like this.

Brad Bode, Scottsbluff Y board treasurer, seconded Bostrons sentiment.

Im always open to looking at something that can benefit us or, in this case, somebody else, the 30-year Y member said. As a Christian, thats what were supposed to do.

North Platte City Council members will decide Aug. 2 whether to put the sales tax for Rec Center expansion on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.

The North Platte Area Wellness & Recreation Alliances proposal calls for renovating the 1976 Rec Center and growing its footprint with a larger indoor pool, more gyms, an indoor running track and more.

The price tag also covers renovating Cody Parks outdoor pool, opened in 1951 and renovated in 1980, to add zero-depth entry and other features common at modern water parks.

Proceeds from the half-cent sales tax could be legally spent only on renovating and expanding those two facilities. A privately led $10 million fund drive would raise a permanent city recreation maintenance fund.

The city would still own the enlarged Rec Center and contribute to its basic maintenance. North Platte Public Schools would pay $36,000 a year to the city, Mayor Brandon Kelliher said, so North Platte High Schools swimming and diving teams can practice and hold home meets at the new indoor pool.

Q&As on North Platte's proposed YMCA to operate an expanded Rec Center Highlights of a public frequently asked questions page on the proposed North Platte Recrea

But instead of being managed by city employees, the YMCA would run the Rec Center and possibly Cody Pool. Talks over the latter are ongoing.

Bostron, who came to Scottsbluff in 2017 after running a Y in Alexandria, Minnesota, said his Y has the staffing and expertise to launch a full-sized branch and help North Platte also.

The Colorado native was a founding member of the Y in Willmar, Minnesota. But he managed farm cooperatives for 24 years  mainly in Minnesota but starting at Alliance-based WESTCO  and spent childhood summers on an uncles farm near Hay Springs in the northern Panhandle.

In my former career, these kinds of joint ventures and operating agreements are common, Bostron said. You work together and you always work for the idea that 1 + 1 equals a little more than 2. If you do things right, it will.

The Scottsbluff Y, founded in 1948, began its life in a house before its indoor pool and locker rooms opened in 1962 along the North Platte River. Its been expanded five times since.

The Scottsbluff Y operates a small employee branch inside Regional West Medical Center and a Y camp near Scottsbluffs Riverside Zoo & Discovery Center.

Its a partner with Scottsbluffs city government and school district in a plan for an aquatic center west of Scottsbluff High School and south of U.S. Highway 26. The Y would manage it.

Voters there will rule Nov. 8 on their own half-cent sales tax to build that proposed $15 million to $21 million aquatic center. It would effectively replace the now-closed indoor-outdoor Splash Arena at Scottsbluff High.

Bostron said the Scottsbluff Ys total memberships have grown from about 5,800 in 2017 to nearly 6,400 in June, about one-fourth of the combined population of Scottsbluff, Gering and Terrytown. They were at about 7,300 when COVID-19 hit in March 2020.

North Plattes Rec Center memberships totaled 3,383 in 2021, said Recreation Superintendent Bob Barr. Thats about 14% of the population.

Bostron said he and his staff wouldnt have been ready to take on an out-of-town Y project five years ago.

But he said he has a highly capable top lieutenant in Triniti Burgner, who would oversee the proposed North Platte Y. Burgner, a former 16-year recreation director for the city of Scottsbluff, is the Scottsbluff Ys senior program director.

North Platte City Council members asked the wellness alliance in 2019 to explore a Y partnership while examining alternatives like Rec Center expansion or a new complex elsewhere.

As the pandemic eased in summer 2021, Bostron said, another Nebraska YMCA representative told him that other Ys had been approached and theyre not interested in doing it.

Would you do it? I said, Yeah.

Alliance member Leland Poppe said he opened contacts with Bostron and Bode, a fellow banker as vice president of business development for Riverstone Bank in Scottsbluff.

Poppe, First Interstate Banks market president/agribusiness for Nebraska, works part-time in Scottsbluff as the banks branch manager there.

He, alliance member Megan McGown and longtime community leader Eric Seacrest traveled to Scottsbluff last winter to meet Y staff and board members and tour their facility.

Conrad and Triniti have been running a successful recreation program and facility in a fiscally responsible way, said Seacrest, a former Telegraph co-owner and current Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation executive director.

When the Scottsbluff Y board voted in February to explore a North Platte branch, it did so without reference to the Rec Centers possible final scope.

Bostron and Poppe said the wellness alliance didnt have full details to share with the Scottsbluff Y until April.

They had a pretty good idea of what the facilities plans were, Poppe said. But Conrad was pretty focused on the management and the benefits of bringing a YMCA to North Platte.

Bostron and other Scottsbluff Y leaders visited the Rec Center in April to tour it and meet its staff, Poppe said.

Itll be up to North Plattes voters, Bostron said, to decide whether to modernize or expand the Rec Center.

But he said yes when asked if the Scottsbluff Y would be interested in running it and setting up a Y branch even if voters reject the sales tax.

That interest is going to be qualified to a certain level, Bostron said. But to be open to that no matter the sales-tax vote is a matter of character.

Bode agreed. This is the right thing for us to do. Were helping a wonderful community. You have wonderful facilities (in North Platte), and you want to upgrade them. Its a win-win deal as far as Im concerned.

Kelliher, the North Platte mayor, said that while both sides have looked at budget projections for an expanded Rec Center, we have not vetted having the Y run the current Rec Center.

Nonetheless, the Scottsbluff Ys openness to whatever North Platte decides should be an important fact in the decision by voters, Kelliher said.

It speaks well of their dedication to the YMCAs historic commitment to affordable recreation for people of all income levels, Poppe and Seacrest said.

Theyre interested in spreading the Y mission, Seacrest said. If the community wants them, they want to come.
The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law that sets the minimum standards for minimum wage, overtime and child labor. This article will focus on the minimum wage requirements.

FLSA minimum wage provisions are considered the floor because many states, cities and counties have a higher minimum wage than the FLSA minimum of $7.25 an hour.

Employers must pay employees in those states or localities the highest applicable minimum wage. If an employee is non-exempt and covered only by the FLSA, the employer must pay at least the federal minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) for each hour worked. For example, the FLSA requires an employer to pay a non-exempt employee who works 40 hours in a workweek gross wages of at least $290 for that week ($7.25 times 40).

While it may sound straightforward, there are common mistakes made by employers, including the following:

Not paying for all

hours worked.

If an employees hourly rate is close to the minimum, and the employer doesnt pay all of the employees hours worked, then the employees regular hourly rate for the workweek could calculate below the minimum because minimum wage compliance is determined by dividing the total of all straight time wages paid for the workweek by the total of all hours worked during that same workweek. The result must be $7.25 or higher.

This fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor has more information about determining what are hours worked: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/22-flsa-hours-worked.

Improper deductionsSome things can be deducted from an employees pay, and some cant. If an employer makes wage deductions that shouldnt have been made (for example, for required safety equipment or required uniforms), then the effect of those improper deductions might be that the employees regular rate calculates below the minimum.

Off-clock workWhile not a mistake, a few bad apple employers may not allow employees to record all of their hours worked. Even worse, the employees are often low-wage workers, so it is very easy for the off-clock work to bring the employees hourly rate below the minimum when unrecorded time is factored in.

Even ethical employers need to watch out for off-clock work, sometimes from their best employees. A dedicated non-exempt employee who stays late one evening to help out in a crunch but doesnt put the time down, saying, Oh, I was happy to do it  no problem! could be putting the employer at risk for a minimum wage violation because the definition of compensable time is so broad.

Lazy recording of time Employers and employees can both be guilty of this. Heres an example.

The standard workweek is 40 hours, or eight hours a day, five days a week. The supervisor is in a bind, and the employee works through his lunch hour each day to get the task done . . . and doesnt take time off in that same workweek to offset the lost lunch hours.

At the end of the week, the employee without thinking fills out his time card as 8-8-8-8-8, total of 40 hours, same as always. But this week he actually worked 45 hours. That may not take his regular hourly pay rate below the minimum wage, but it could.
Time to join Tyler Posey in OnlyFans!



Edited at 2022-07-24 05:10 am (UTC)

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He's that desperate, huh?

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Tyler sweetie I am SO sorry -

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Great, now I have this godawful view of a bland ass potato just when I was about to sleep.



Sweet dreams are NOT made of this.

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my face literally cringed looking at those pictures. EW

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Both pictures aren't opening for me, which I'll take as a blessing and a sign that God loves me.

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THEM FEETS

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They're really horrible. Sorry to feet shame, but wow those are bad feet. Chop 'em off, bitch!

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i rebuke

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Needs the "who asked for this" tag!



I still haven't watched West Side Story because I didn't want to see him for two hours straight.

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The film is wonderful but that is completely understandable lol

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he is the worst part of an otherwise great movie

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The WSS people did an incredible job on the promo because I legit didn't know he was in it until right after the Oscars when I went to check out the cast list. Literally only ever heard about Ariana, Rachel and Rita.

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Friendly reminder that the black and white photo was taken by his dad

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eww wtf

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I rebuke this

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very kris jenner of him

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I don't follow the Kardashians but my cousin called Kris "pimp mama" and I didn't get the whole story, but I can only imagine...ew. She's always reminded me of Ghislaine Maxwell/ they seem like birds of an evil feather.

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Is his dad Amy Poehler from Mean Girls?

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unremind me :(

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I hope not

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Not that it's any better big picture still, but for some reason I thought it had been taken by his sister so this correction is kind of a "relief." Ha!

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LJ really needs a vomit reaction

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BUT WHY?!

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Lol I knew it! It looked very much his dad's style.

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sis, why would you curse us with this knowledge

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there is something neither sexy nor grotesque about this. it's almost like seeing an aquatic mammal wash ashore

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Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

You guys are heartless. 

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this is so funny omg lmao

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choking on my cereal

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The way I screamed, hahhaah.

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this post is killing me omfg 

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Where is it

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....



....



The male form is really............

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Hank Hill?

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Bitch, how long have you been sitting?

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He sells propane & propane accessories.

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I love the booty...I like the bubble booties, and I like more streamlined booties that have a slight rise like here.

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lol good, he can sell timeshares with armie

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reality show idea?

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I would watch this show but only on the condition that it be filmed punk'd-style where people routinely prank them and make their lives hell

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i have never been more gay

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His right-angle ass, I swear....

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Ewwwww



I can only assume she had sex with him because shes trying to collect tech bros like thanos rings

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bill gates next

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It's like that lady who allegedly married/had affairs with Rupert Murdoch, Vladimir Putin and Tony Blair. Like imagine that level of evil having been inside of you?

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I think that might be the fetish. 

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GIRL



you already had the bag secured

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I wonder if she fucked it up having an affair under their prenuptial agreement.

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is she standing on her dress

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Oh my GOD

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How did Musk pull THAT?!

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Shes so pretty.



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Omg what is she thinking? She's pretty and already has more than she could ever spend in her life.

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If I was hot I'd use my powers for good.

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He looks like Wheezy from Toy Story. She had 30 minutes to pick out material in a grocery store on Project Runway.

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What a doofus. Cant even leave a friends wife alone.

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he's turned into his Dad and I know he despises his Dad so LOL, keep being a train wreck, Elon!! Destroy your stock, your life, your companies! YASSSS

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The irl Nino Sarratore.

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i love this track for him.

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I absolutely think that was why he did that. Male ego at the billionaire level is something else.

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I don't get it, he's such trash and she was already with a billionaire. What fucking gives?

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No matter how much money people acquire, it doesn't actually translate to any emotional fulfillment or meeting psychological needs - but since being wealthy actively makes you a worse person, the people who have the most money are the least equipped to actually figure out how to meet those needs. And on some level all humans are still animals, so there's a lot of baseline biological dumbshittery going on that is completely unrelated to the size of anyone's bank account.



Also, all billionares are trash, so clearly she likes trash.

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I mean dont you get it, she was with a billionaire and got with with an even BIGGER billionaire. Bet she felt like the hottest shit for 2 secs.

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At a party, Musk dropped to one knee in front of Brin and apologized profusely for the transgression, begging for forgiveness.



absolute psychopath. WHY would you inflict this on everybody else there.

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Especially sociopathic because you know he got off on having an affair with the wife of his friend/fellow billionaire. He probably only did that because he knows Tesla is losing money and Brin pulled his investments.

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This man really wants to live in his own techbro Melrose Place

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lolll what a fucking loser, my god

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LOL I would pay someone 10 whole dollars for a video of this.

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Fucking drama queen.

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this is like some medieval shit, "I am sorry I had sex with your property m'lord and I impugned upon my honour as a gentle knight"

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This man's success with women is baffling to me. Is the money that enticing to have sex with him? Of all the tech billionaires?

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idgi. i'd have sex with him if he paid me...but for free? i don't fucking think so

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how much would you ask him to pay you?

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doesn't he only pay in horses tho

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I wouldn't even do it for money. No thanks.

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LBR.....if they didn't have the money would all these women come for them. LBR.....if they didn't have the money would all these women come for them.

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Seriously looks like he doesn't know how to talk to a woman without being condescending AF. Then zero stroke game. What is it?!?

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Yeah I love money more than anything in the world but even I wouldn't go near him with a 10 ft. pole.

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You're looking for something deeper than 'he's got a lot of money'?

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This is particularly baffling to me because she was already married to a billionaire. Likewhat did she expect to get out of this? Hes not even good looking. Idgi.

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What in the Tristan Thomas

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Lmao can't wait for his downfall, also Nicole, love yourself girl.

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oh, he is passed around!!

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what is it about his ugly ass that has made so many women throw themselves at him (and there are less chaotic billionaires in the world)

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Exactly. What's Naomi Campbell's fine ass ex doing, lol?

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Lmao probably chillin with P

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I refuse to believe his dick is that good.

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It isn't.

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Spill

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I know I'm gonna regret this . . .



But how do you know?!

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Was there ever an emerald-like glimmer or was it more a tin mine situation right through the exploration phase?



Did the vehicle stall or did it make like a Tesla and explode on collision?



Did you receive dividends or were you short sold?



Would you consider cashing your remaining options or should it go straight to the regulator?





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idk why a billionaire won't find me. i'll have pity sex with you for no prenup

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There is so much to unpack here. First, why would you give up the bag to blow elon musk? if they are harping on brief and a specific event, I'm guessing. but still, she got divorced over taking a load of Elon. Why? Why?



but secondly, how in the blazing blue ball fuck is elon musk THE billionaire playboy stealing other tech bros women?



Why are these women fucking a sentient lump of playdoh?



We need to stop the lie that money or fame makes someone hot. being physically attractive makes you hot. ladies stop fucking these ugly ass men, I beg you.

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I think like someone else pointed out these women arent exactly the ones that care about morals



So maybe its like a tech bro wife flex to fuck the richest one of them all?

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It might be, and yeah I doubt most rich men have a true love match. Idek if I blame the women who take advantage of that if I'm honest because poverty is terrifying. But because of that, I really don't get throwing away the bag. What these men make in an hour would fix my life lol.



I know there are those who cheat for the thrill of being caught but you landed a billionaire, why mess with that? I get it, but at the same time, i don't think I ever will.

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She slept with a friend of her husband. To me it sounds like a revenge. She did it to hurt him.

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As the burgeoning Guyanese offshore oil and gas industry goes from strength to strength, powered by the Stabroek block, government revenue from domestic production is on track to break the $1 billion mark this year and accelerate to $7.5 billion annually in 2030, according to Rystad Energy research. This year is set to be a turning point for the Georgetown government to start capitalizing on the vast reserves in the offshore field, with revenues more than doubling over 2021 levels. Low breakevens and below-average emissions intensity in the Stabroek will propel Guyana from a relatively small producer to a global leader in the coming years, solidifying the countrys position as a competitive and policy-friendly player for offshore production.

The governments take* from the production is expected to increase until 2025, reaching $4.2 billion annually. Triggered by a forecasted drop in oil prices and continued spending on the fields development, government revenues will fall to $2.4 billion in 2027. Still, production growth is set to accelerate, with revenue momentum resuming as new pre-Final Investment Decision (FID) projects are sanctioned and brought online, leading to peak government revenues of $16 billion in 2036. These projections do not factor in as-yet undiscovered resources.

The recent spate of prolific discoveries and the steady pace of FIDs position the Guyanese government to reap the rewards of these finds with cumulative revenues totaling $157 billion by 2040.

Guyana is the global leader in total offshore discoveries since 2015, with 11.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, amounting to 18% of discovered resources and 32% of discovered oil. Of the total, a whopping 9.6 billion barrels are oil, far outpacing the US in second place with a comparatively small 2.8 billion barrels. The Stabroek block accounts for all of these finds, but recent discoveries in other areas show the potential for growth elsewhere.

Guyana is forecasted to produce 1.7 million barrels per day (bpd) of oil by 2035  not accounting for as-yet undiscovered volumes  propelling the country to the fourth position on the list of the largest global offshore oil producers, leapfrogging the US, Mexico and Norway.

Guyana is just starting to extract and monetize its vast resource wealth, and the coming years will be a financial windfall for the Georgetown government. The country has played the long game after several decades of elusive exploration. The countrys offshore production is finally ready to take off, says Schreiner Parker, senior vice president and head of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Comparing the fiscal regimes of other offshore leaders, Guyanas is on the higher end, with the government take clocking in at 59% of total value. In contrast, applying the US fiscal regime to the Stabroek block would result in a government take of only 40%. Nigeria and Brazil align more with Guyanas fiscal policies, with 58% and 61%, respectively.

Related: Carbon Emissions On Track To Reach An All-Time High

The cost of supply is a significant factor in considering the desirability of assets and comparing them to other sources and regions. Helping to transform Guyana into a global heavyweight in offshore production is its competitive breakeven costs, which average $28 per barrel across all projects and less than $20 for producing projects. Guyanas offshore oil fields are some of the most competitive supply sources outside of the Middle East and offshore Norway and are cheaper than the US onshore heavyweight the Permian, Russia and many other sources.

In addition, emissions intensity from offshore activity in Guyana is lower than the global average for oil and gas production and deepwater offshore production, further strengthening the countrys position through the energy transition. Upstream emissions from Guyanas deepwater activities average 9 kilograms of CO2 per boe, comparable to Brazil and slightly higher than Norway.

Although tensions with neighboring Venezuela and Suriname have been an issue in the past, warming relations have allowed for increased drilling along the borders and boosted overall investor sentiment in Guyana.

Still, it may not be all plain sailing. Strong institutional governance, transparency and regulatory practices will be vital to unlocking the full potential of Guyanas resource wealth for its society. Although the government has taken steps to improve governance, including establishing a sovereign wealth fund and improving fiscal policy transparency, there are still improvements to be made. For instance, the Extractives Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which champions strong resource management and governance practices, recently found several weaknesses in Guyanas company reporting and tax processes. However, their EITI score will likely grow in the coming years as recent improvements take effect.

*Government take refers to the value received by the government over the life of a license in the form of royalties, profit sharing and taxes.

By Rystad Energy

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
The National Energy Holding is concerned that current consumption levels are not sustainable, urging consumers to take a sparing attitude toward the consumption of electric power

Toktogul, a reservoir used by Kyrgyzstan and its neighbors, is currently emptying out almost as fast as it is filling up.

Kyrgyzstans state power supplier has warned of possible energy shortages as consumers set a new daily record for power consumption in summer. Central Asia is being gripped by the same heatwave blanketing much of the northern hemisphere. On July 19 electricity consumers increased consumption by around 20 percent compared to the same day over the previous two years, according to data released by the National Energy Holding.

They consumed a record 34 million kilowatt hours, compared to 28 million on the same day in 2020 and 29 million in 2021.

The power supplier did not offer any explanation for the rise in consumption. But a key factor is likely increased use of air conditioning to combat what the company laconically described as ongoing abnormally hot weather.

Daytime temperatures in Bishkek are currently hovering in the high 30s Celsius (over 100 Fahrenheit), compared to a historical July average in the low 30s.

However, the city is cooler than some other parts of Central Asia, a region warming faster than the global average.

Mangystau in arid western Kazakhstan recorded a temperature of 50 degrees on July 18, and temperatures have been hitting the mid-40s in Uzbekistans capital, Tashkent.

Related: The Future Is Bright For Artificial Intelligence In The Middle East

Kyrgyzstans power supplier warned that the rise in consumption spells trouble at the Toktogul reservoir, which supplies some 40 percent of the countrys electricity.

Toktogul is currently emptying out almost as fast as it is filling up, the National Energy Holding warned. That is a problem because the reservoir usually replenishes in summer as snows melt in the mountains, and the water is stored to generate power in winter.

The situation is alarming not only for Kyrgyzstan but for neighbors downstream in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan, which also rely on Toktogul for water to irrigate crops and generate energy.

As Kyrgyzstan faced energy shortages this winter, Bishkek was already warning neighbors to expect less water as it would be forced to conserve supplies for itself.

Last fall, the water level at Toktogul was lower than it had been for a decade owing to a dry, hot summer  and this years heatwave threatens to cause similar problems.

The level at the reservoir, which can hold up to 19.5 billion cubic meters (bcm) of water, is not at present critically low, however.

It currently contains 12.7 bcm, according to the National Energy Holding, which is far more than the 5.5 bcm considered too low to produce electricity.

But still, concerned that current consumption levels are not sustainable, the company is urging consumers to take a sparing attitude toward the consumption of electric power in order to assure the reliable work of the whole energy system.

By Eurasianet.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com
The worlds largest international oil and gas companies are expected to accelerate share repurchases, and some could raise dividends next week when Big Oil is expected to report another very strong quarter. Shareholders could be in for higher returns as Shell, BP, TotalEnergies, Exxon, and Chevron are all forecast to post exceptional and possibly record quarterly earnings for the second quarter due to high commodity prices and multi-year-high refining margins.

Some of the top international oil majors have already announced expectations of blockbuster earningsespecially in their refining divisionsfor Q2. Analysts expect at least some of them to step up share buybacks and some even to announce an increase in dividends amid record cash flows and record or near-record earnings.

The second-quarter earnings for the top majors are forecast to be even higher than the already blockbuster earnings reported for the first quarter. Oil above $100 per barrel throughout the second quarter and surging refining margins amid rebounding gasoline demand will help Big Oil beat in Q2 the blowout earnings from Q1, companies signaled and analysts say.

Big Oils shareholders could see their returns much improved in the coming months as companies report Q2 earnings over the next week. Previewing Q2 results, firms have said they expect exceptional earnings, particularly in their refining divisions.

Frances supermajor TotalEnergies said last week that Refining & Chemicals results are expected to be exceptional given the very high levels of distillate and gasoline cracks. ExxonMobil said in an SEC filing in early July that the rise in industry margins is set to add between $4.4 billion and $4.6 billion to its Q2 results. At Shell, the refining margin nearly tripled in Q2 compared to Q1 and is expected to add between $800 million and $1.2 billion to the second quarter results of Shells Products division compared to the first quarter of 2022.

So when Big Oil reports Q2 earnings, the market will be watching how much of those exceptional earnings will be returned to shareholders.

Related: China May See An Unprecedented Drop In LNG Imports This Year



Europes biggest firmsShell, BP, and TotalEnergiesare expected to boost share repurchases. Some analysts expect that Shell could announce a further dividend increase.

Based on a $70 long-term oil price, we see significant potential for Shell to increase its dividend and guide towards longer-term dividend growth, Jonathan Waghorn, portfolio manager at the Guinness Global Energy fund, told Reuters.

BP could also bump up its dividend by 4% or possibly more, according to HSBC analysts cited by Reuters.

The U.S. supermajors Exxon and Chevron could refrain from further upward targets on share repurchases after recently revising up their buyback plans.

After doubling Q1 earnings, Exxon announced at the end of April that it would triple its share repurchase program up to a total of $30 billion through 2023. Chevron, in early March, raised its share buyback guidance to $5 - $10 billion per year, up from prior guidance of $3 to $5 billion per year.

With the increase in our dividend and buybacks in the middle of our updated guidance range, cash returned to shareholders is expected to grow more than 50% from last year, Chevrons CFO Pierre Breber said at the time.

The blockbuster earnings have already drawn the attention of policymakers.

The UK, home to Shell and BP, introduced a windfall tax of 25%, a new temporary 25% Energy Profits Levy for oil and gas companies, reflecting their extraordinary profits as oil and gas prices surged.

In the United States, President Joe Biden continues to call out oil companies for their profits and to call on them to pass on to consumers the 20% drop in oil prices since mid-June.

Exxon made more money than God this year, President Biden said earlier this year.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Samihullah drives an old minivan from a remote village in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province to buy daily necessities in Jalalabad, the provincial capital. The trip is short, but that wasn't always the case. A China-built road has changed all that.

"In the past, it took one hour and a half to travel from Jalalabad to my county Hisarak district, but since the building of the road, it takes only 15 minutes," Samihullah told Xinhua.

Reconstructing and asphalting the road have also enabled villagers along the route to visit hospitals more quickly, he said, recalling that some patients had succumbed to their illness in the past before reaching health centers due to the poor conditions of the roads.

Over four decades of war and civil strife have destroyed most of Afghanistan's infrastructure, including roads and highways. It previously took seven to eight hours to drive from Jalalabad to the national capital Kabul. A few years ago, China helped rebuild the road linking the two cities; today's drive has been cut to two and a half hours.

Neighboring China has immensely contributed to rebuilding Afghanistan, having reconstructed water canals, hospitals and the Jalalabad-Kabul road that links eastern Nangarhar and neighboring Kunar and Laghman provinces to Kabul.

"Up to 6,000 cars and vehicles pass the Jalalabad-Kabul road on average every day. Ordinary people, government employees and students use the road to reach their destination," Fazal Rabi Wailzai, the deputy director of Nangarhar's public work directorate, told Xinhua.

The road also serves as a transit route that links Afghanistan to Pakistan, boosting trade and exchanges between the neighboring countries.

China also worked on a road in central Bamyan Province. The road built by the Chinese construction firm China Road and Bridge Corporation passes through more than 20 villages.

"In the past, we didn't have a road, and it took more than one hour to take our farm products to market," said Mohammad Hadi, a resident of Yakawlang district. "But since the building of the road, it takes only 10 minutes to reach the market and sell our products and return home on the same day."

Villagers in Bamyan said winter traveling was particularly difficult, given the poor conditions of the roads.

Thanking China for contributing to the rebuilding process of war-torn Afghanistan, Bamyan's provincial governor Abdullah Sarhadi said that 80 km of the Chinese-built roads in the province have been completed.

"Its positive impact is tangible," Sarhadi said, "as the families can easily take their patients to hospital in the provincial capital and their products to market." 
The Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation Announces New Board Members and Board Officers for 2022-2024

The Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation (CINCF) has announced the appointment of new members to its Board of Directors, along with Board officers for 2022-2024.

New additions to the Board of Directors include Dr. Andreia Nebel (Vice President of Academic Affairs, Clarkson College) and Bryan Shank (Vice President, Union Bank & Trust). CINC Foundation Board officers are Chair, Greg Hohl (President, Wahoo State Bank); Vice Chair, Dr. Darrin Good (President, Nebraska Wesleyan University); Secretary, Jody Horner (President, Midland University); and Treasurer, Steve Ritzman (President, SR Consulting).

"We are very pleased to have these talented individuals guiding Nebraska's independent college foundation," said Treva Haugaard, CINCF's Executive Director. "Their experience and business expertise will further enhance the educational opportunities available for students attending Nebraska's private higher education institutions."

The CINC Foundation's 13 member colleges and universities include Bellevue University, Bryan College of Health Sciences, Clarkson College, College of Saint Mary, Concordia University, Creighton University, Doane University, Hastings College, Midland University, Nebraska Methodist College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Union College, and York University.

About the Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation The Council of Independent Nebraska Colleges Foundation (CINCF) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to making excellent higher education opportunities accessible to students from diverse backgrounds and communities. CINCF supports the missions of its 13 member institutions and promotes the high quality and affordability of member colleges to prospective students and their families. www.cincfoundation.org
The Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St. James, is one of the oldest and most famous pilgrimage routes in Europe. And every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world embark on the journey.

The Camino isnt one path, but an extensive network of routes throughout Europe that all lead to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. While a number of main routes have emerged, there are about 280 Caminos listed, encompassing more than 51,500 miles through 29 countries.

The pathways are clearly marked with yellow arrows and scallop shells. Many pilgrims attach a scallop shell, sometimes adorned with the cross of St. James, the patron saint of Spain, to their backpacks.

The historyLegend has it that around 820 A.D., the tomb of St. James the Apostle was discovered in a field in Galicia by a shepherd. After it was discovered, King Alfonso II had a small chapel built in this holy place. He later commissioned a larger temple in order to attract pilgrims from all over the world. The city is named after the apostle: Santiago de Compostela translates to St. James of the Field of Stars.

The Camino de Santiago has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site to recognize the cultural importance of the Caminos branches as historical pilgrim routes.

Why hike?The Camino de Santiago is more than a pilgrimage. Its a unique experience that unites thousands of people from all over the world. In 2019, 350,000 pilgrims arrived in Santiago de Compostela from 190 countries. At the top of the list were pilgrims from Spain, Italy, Germany, the United States and Portugal.

Today, pilgrims walk the Camino for many different reasons. Some do so to escape from their busy lives and have time to contemplate. Others come to explore a new country. Others see it as a physical challenge. And of course, many pilgrims still hike to Santiago as part of a religious or spiritual quest.

The French Way, which runs east to west from the border with France through northern Spain, is the most popular Camino route. According to the Pilgrims Reception Office, in 2019 more than 180,000 people walked this Camino starting from different places along the route. And half of the pilgrims who completed the French Camino started in Sarria.

Sarria is popular because it is easy to reach by train and it is 115 kilometers (about 72 miles) from Santiago de Compostela. A pilgrim is required to prove they have walked at least 100 km (62 miles) to receive a Compostela, or Certificate of Completion.

The Credencial, or pilgrim passport, is a booklet issued by the Camino authorities. Its used to collect official stamps along the way to prove you have walked the last 100 km. Pilgrims pass through places you cannot get to by car, which shows you have walked the Camino.

FoodsAs pilgrims get closer to their final destination, they will find many Galician delicacies. Pulpo (octopus) is a specialty in Melide.

Orujo, served as an after-dinner drink, is a liquor of the region made by distilling the solid remains left after pressing grapes. It can be flavored with herbs, coffee or cream.

For dessert, Tarta de Santiago  which translates as the cake of St. James  is in nearly every bakery window. Its a dense, lightly sweetened almond cake that people in the area have been enjoying for centuries.

The origin of the cake, like many old traditions, is a bit unclear. There are references to the cake as far back as 1577. But the first known recipe dates to 1838 and is thought to have been brought to Galicia by a pilgrim.

Tarta de Santiago was known for being a mix of equal parts (by weight) of ground almonds, eggs and sugar. And though the cake has been around for centuries, the recognizable adornment of a silhouetted cross of St. James has only been popular since 1924 when Jose Mora Soto, founder of a popular restaurant in Santiago, began topping his cake that way. Others soon followed his design.

You dont need to make a pilgrimage or even travel to Spain to enjoy this cake. But if you need a reason to try it, tomorrow is the feast day of St. James.

Tarta de Santiago





2 cups (250 g) finely ground raw, peeled almonds

1 cups sugar (250 g)

5 eggs (250 g)

Zest from  of a lemon

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon vanilla or almond extract

Powdered sugar to dust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Pulse the almonds in a food processor until finely ground. However, be careful not to turn the mixture to almond butter by over processing.

3. Beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale and creamy.

4. Add the lemon zest, extract and cinnamon.

5. Fold in the ground almonds using a rubber spatula.

6. Grease a 10-inch springform pan with butter and pour in the almond cake batter.

7. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. Test with a toothpick and if it doesnt come out clean cover the cake with aluminum foil and bake for five more minutes, then test again. Do this one more time if necessary (for 40 minutes in total).

8. Allow the cake to cool in the pan, and then transfer to a serving dish.

9. Decorate with powdered sugar If you wish you can print and cut out a stencil of the Cross of St. James.
Nebraska in 2021 saw its highest number of new diagnoses for HIV since 2010, with the biggest relative increases coming in White men and rural residents.

While the 107 new diagnoses werent a record  that goes to 2001, with 127  the higher count and the shift in demographics were enough for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to issue an alert to health care providers across the state.

Dr. Matthew Donahue, Nebraskas state epidemiologist, said at least part of the reason for the uptick, according to state data, appears to be a downturn in testing for HIV during the pandemic. During that time, public health officials and health care providers focused their resources on COVID-19. In addition, some Nebraskans either avoided or missed routine screenings for a variety of conditions.

Donahue said the recent upturn in HIV diagnoses in the state and a recent increase in syphilis point to the need for Nebraskans to get back to screenings and preventive care  not just for sexually transmitted illnesses but also for diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Early diagnosis for many conditions can prevent bigger problems down the road. HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the bodys immune system. If not treated, it can lead to AIDS, or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Treatment can reduce the virus to undetectable levels in the body. At that point, people no longer can transmit the virus.

The overall goal, if I had one message, is to try to get people back in for preventative health care, for health care maintenance, Donahue said. If you dont have a doc, you should get one.

Donahue said his call for screening also applies to a newer health concern: monkeypox. The state had five cases as of this past week, with more likely to be reported.

People who develop a suspicious rash, he said, need to contact a health care provider, who can work with health officials to arrange testing and begin tracing close contacts. Monkeypox is spread through close contact with infected people. During the current outbreak, it appears to be spreading largely by close contact through sex.

Identifying infections that already are out there also could help the state obtain more of the vaccine that can prevent monkeypox, Donahue said. Like other states, Nebraska has greater demand for than supply of the vaccine, known as Jynneos. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allocates the shots to states based on case counts. Donahue said state health officials are in daily contact with federal officials to get as much vaccine as they can for Nebraska.

The state, he said, is prioritizing vaccine for health care professionals who might be exposed to monkeypox on the job, including lab workers, and those at highest risk of contracting the virus. Those at highest risk are primarily men who have sex with men, particularly those with multiple sexual partners and those who attend social events where sex is involved.

Donahue said health officials looked at HIV infection rates after seeing an increase in syphilis. Seventy cases were reported in the state in 2017. That number rose in 2021 to 255, an increase of 264%. Syphilis, also on the rise globally, is easily treated if caught early.

The state saw increases in HIV diagnoses among all groups. But when looking at race and ethnicity, the greatest increase was among White men. And while new diagnoses among urban residents went from 51 in 2020 to 69 in 2021, the number of new cases among rural residents nearly doubled over the same period, from 20 in 2020 to 38 in 2021.

Donahue said state health officials wanted to alert health care providers to those shifts.

We really wanted to call that out and hammer home that we need to start talking about screening again, Donahue said.

While he said he can only guess why the numbers are going up, data does point to a reduction in testing during the pandemic. While the agency doesnt see all HIV testing in the state, it partners with 26 organizations on HIV education, counseling and testing. In 2019, those groups conducted 8,100 HIV tests. The number dropped to about 5,100 in 2020 and 4,100 in 2021.

The CDC recommends that everyone ages 13 to 64 get tested for HIV at least once and that those at high risk get tested yearly.

Dr. Sara Hurtado Bares, an associate professor with the University of Nebraska Medical Centers College of Medicine, said the CDC found that HIV testing nationally decreased 50% between 2019 and 2020 because so many health departments diverted efforts to COVID and many STI clinics closed.

Locally, the Douglas County Health Departments STI clinic was closed during much of the pandemic because staff were redeployed to help with COVID vaccination efforts.

Donahue said the increases among White men and rural residents may have occurred because reduced access to HIV screening and care hit rural areas harder than urban ones.

Hurtado Bares said she worries that increases in rural areas actually may be higher than reflected in the data. Rural areas historically havent been well counted because many people travel to urban areas to get tested. They may not want to get tested where they live because of the stigma attached to the diagnosis.

Another concern: Those with new HIV diagnoses from rural counties had much lower initial counts of immune cells, known as CD4+ T cells, than those newly diagnosed in urban counties, suggesting delayed diagnosis.

We now know that we start therapy ideally well before the CD4 count declines, because we have data that doing so really improves mortality, Hurtado Bares said.

As for monkeypox, Donahue said, health officials are finding it likely has been in the U.S. longer than they initially thought.

He said hes hoping that barriers to testing will be reduced as more commercial laboratories come on line. Health care providers are more familiar with ordering tests through such labs than through the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory.

I suspect there are more cases out there, he said.
Family outings and journal-writing can help keep kids' academic skills sharp during the summer. franckreporter / Getty Images

Worried your kids will forget what they learned in school over the summer? Scholars have been studying the problem for over a century.

When William White, a New York state mathematics professor, set out in the early 1900s to study how much math students remembered over summer vacation, he checked to see how well they would do at the start of school on a test like the one they had taken at the end of the previous school year.

Whereas second graders on average got nine out of 70 questions wrong in June, after the summer break on average they got 25 out of 70 wrong on the same test. But after two weeks of drills, the number of answers the students got wrong dropped to 15.

Whites study  titled Reviews Before and After Vacation and published in 1906  concluded that that which is least vital is first to be lost.

Whites study is also one of the first to identify what educators today refer to as summer learning loss  which is the negative effect that a long summer break has on students ability to remember facts and skills they had learned the previous school year.

Effects on student achievement

Studies of summer loss increased in the 1990s as Congress began to place a bigger emphasis on holding schools accountable for the achievement of all students.

Over the summer, students typically lose the equivalent of about a months worth of learning, mostly in the areas of math facts and spelling. Research has also found that summer learning loss is more severe among students with disabilities, English language learners and students living in poverty.

But researchers understanding of summer loss is continually evolving. For instance, one study found that the students who experienced the biggest losses were the ones who had shown the biggest gains just before the test at the end of the school year. This raises questions about whether their gains were true gains or just the result of special preparation for the test.

A longer school year?

Some people have argued that summer loss wouldnt occur if the U.S. had a longer school year or year-round school. For instance, they point to countries like China, where the school year is 245 days, as opposed to the traditional 180-day school year in the U.S. China is ranked first in the top 20 nations in terms of student scores in math, science and reading. The U.S. is ranked No. 25 out of 77 countries and is several points behind Australia, Switzerland, Norway and the Czech Republic, which are ranked 21 to 24, respectively.

But shorter school years dont always result in lower test scores. For instance, students in Ireland outscore American students on math, science and reading by an average of 10 points, according to the Program for International Student Assessment, better known as PISA, yet attend school for only 167 days, or 13 days fewer than in the U.S.

How parents and caregivers can limit summer loss

Some parents take advantage of school-based programs that can help students keep up their academic skills during the summer. But there are still ways that parents and other caregivers can stave off summer loss that do not involve school. Here are six:

1. Model what you want to see: First and foremost, never forget that you are a role model. Children will do what they see the adults around them do. Summer is the perfect time for you to reduce screen time and increase time reading, writing, taking walks, playing games or having conversations.

2. Visit the library: Children love independence. One of the best ways to allow children to demonstrate independence is to have them browse the shelves of the local library and select books that they can read independently or for you to read aloud to them. Participate in story hours if your local library offers the activity. Establish a habit of visiting the library on a weekly basis or at least several times a month. These library visits will strengthen a childs reading skills.

3. Play games during trips: When traveling by car, bus or train, there are games  both word and number  that you can engage in with your children. For instance, you can play I Spy with My Little Eye, estimate the number of fast-food restaurants youll pass or even look for all the words that begin with a certain letter. These activities not only keep children engaged but also incrementally sharpen their skills in a wide range of academic areas such as literacy, numeracy and communication.

4. Encourage your children to keep a summer journal: To get them started, suggest one journal entry of 10 Things I Want to Do Before Summer is Over. The list can include activities like watching the sunrise, going an entire day without wearing shoes or seeing how far they can spit a watermelon seed. To make the journal more interesting, encourage children to fill it with both writing and drawing.

5. Visit landmarks: Plan visits to acquaint you and your children with local landmarks. Document the visit with a journal entry, drawings or photographs and some research on the history of the site. The excursions can become even more meaningful if you have children do a little research into the landmarks you visit.

6. Plan weekly family picnics: Vary the meals to include breakfast, lunch, dinner or even dessert. Let your children plan the menu and cook with you, as well as select the site for the picnics. Research has found that involving children in the preparation of meals by doing things such as making grocery lists can help improve their reading, writing and math skills.

Suzanne McLeod does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
COVID-19 is likely to remain a nuisance for Nebraska schools in the coming school year, according to Nebraska Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt.

Local school officials should prepare for some type of wave similar to what hit schools and communities in the past, Blomstedt said. The biggest impact of the disease could be on staffing, as some schools wrestle with shortages of teachers and substitutes.

The new school year kicks off for most students next month. Students in Millard and Ralston public schools return Aug. 10. In the Omaha Public Schools, most students will return Aug. 17-18.

My thought is the trajectory of the pandemic will go through some type of wave within the school year, similar to that weve experienced, whether it hits fall or in the winter, he said. The primary thing that schools have to prepare for is that there will be cases theyre having to deal with again.

Nebraska experienced sharp increases in cases in November 2020 and again in January 2022.

The protocols and procedures that schools should follow are well known by now, Blomstedt said. Those are primarily nonpharmaceutical, such as washing hands and staying home when youre sick.

I dont anticipate that there will be mask mandates, he said. But I do anticipate therell be requests by school districts, school buildings, depending on how much spread they see in a localized scenario, to at least ask people to exercise extra precautions.

In California, the San Diego Unified School District touched off a controversy last week when its leaders announced a return to indoor student masking July 18. School board members there in May had set conditions for a return to masking. One of those conditions was if San Diego County was placed in the high COVID-19 Community Level set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For each county, the CDC sets a COVID-19 Community Level, which is a measure of the impact of the disease on health and health care systems.

The level is determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. Levels can be set at low, medium or high.

At the high level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask indoors in public.

As of Friday, Douglas and Sarpy Counties were at the medium level.

At that level, the CDC recommends that people at high risk talk to their doctor about whether to wear a mask and take other precautions. People are encouraged to stay up to date with vaccines and to get tested if they have symptoms.

Phil Rooney, spokesman for the Douglas County Health Department, said that, for now, the department is suggesting that schools follow CDC guidance. But he added a caveat.

All our plans are written in pencil, he said.

On Friday, Lancaster County was at the CDCs high level.

The Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department risk dial on Friday was in the low orange zone. Orange indicates high risk of COVID-19 spread.

Mindy Burbach, Lincoln Public Schools communications director, said district officials continue to work with the health department to review community conditions.

Right now, we are following where we were last school year, Burbach said. Masks are optional.

Blomstedt said he hopes that childhood and adult vaccinations in Nebraska will help reduce spread. But he said new variants seem to be popping up with some resistance.

If there are large outbreaks, it will be up to schools to decide whether to stay open or close, just as theyve done with the flu and other diseases in the past, he said.

Most likely if we see closures, its going to be around staffing, he said.

He said the state has eliminated some red tape around the certification of local substitutes, so they dont have to reapply to work in multiple districts.

Blomstedt said the Nebraska Department of Education will continue to offer flexibility on state instructional hours requirements and other operational requirements.
Johnny Rosenblatt was indignant.

What Iowa is trying to do is to selfishly serve the purpose of a community of about 100,000 and detract from the welfare of a city (of) 300,000 people and a metropolitan area of more than 400,000, Omahas mayor said in 1956. Well, they wont get away with it.

If a couple of Iowa highway commissioners had gotten their way, how Interstate 80 was routed around Omaha could have been just that. Routed around Omaha. And Council Bluffs, too.

The transcontinental highway could have gone north of both cities, cutting through the Loess Hills much closer to Council Bluffs, crossing the Missouri River on the Mormon Bridge and looping around Omaha to the north and west. Or had a commissioner from Sioux City prevailed, Iowas western terminus for I-80 could have been more than 20 miles from where Nebraska wanted to link up.

Its interesting to recall how the interstate system could have been laid out in Omaha and think about how it could have changed traffic patterns. Beyond using the Interstate 680 corridor or a wider arc from Iowa, I-80 could have come in from Lincoln on a diagonal between Ralston and Papillion. Interstate 480 into downtown could have been a diagonal from 56th and L Streets.

The concept of a national system of interstate highways came to the fore while World War II was still being fought in 1944. All cities of 100,000 or more population were to be connected by the 40,000 miles of four- or six-lane roads.

Nebraska State Engineer Wardner Scott early on recommended the route that stuck for I-80. It started with the U.S. Highway 6 corridor from the Missouri River to Lincoln, then U.S. 34 and Nebraska Hwy 2 from Lincoln to Grand Island and U.S. 30 from Grand Island to the Wyoming state line. He also unsuccessfully sought U.S. 81 as a north-south interstate (Nebraska remains the only state without one).

Little happened  except for the states formation of a turnpike authority that was told a toll road wasnt feasible unless Iowa also built one  until September 1955 when the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads released a map of authorized interstate main and connecting routes. Four were for the Omaha-Council Bluffs area.

The east-west main route was to come in from the southwest through South Omaha, use the South Omaha Bridge (since renamed Veterans Memorial) across the Missouri River and swing around Council Bluffs to the southwest and east. There also would be a north-south main route on the Iowa side of the river. The connecting routes were a southwest radial to run diagonally from downtown Omaha to connect with the interstate; and a bypass crossing north Omaha via the Mormon Bridge through the Loess Hills to connect with the main route near Weston in Pottawattamie County.

It took President Eisenhowers State of the Union address in 1956 to stir Congress to approve the Federal Aid Highway Act that June. Then the bickering between the states for linking the transcontinental four-lane began in earnest. While Nebraska was adamant about the route serving South Omaha and new industry in southwest Omaha, Iowa was looking out for Sioux City and wanted the main route, not the bypass, to intersect with the north-south interstate north of Council Bluffs.

Nebraska officials charged that Sioux City was trying to siphon Omaha Stockyards traffic  although such a route would have violated federal laws that required interstates to connect key cities and state capitals.

Its going to be as far north as the Mormon Trail and perhaps farther north. Were going to push it up there to help the northern part of Iowa as much as we can, said John Butter, the chief engineer for the Iowa Highway Commission.

Butter wasnt pulling Nebraskas leg. One Iowa commissioner, Mel Graham of Audubon, proposed that the two interstates, known then as U.S. 6 and 75, intersect at Honey Creek. But what the commission approved on Aug. 29, 1956, was putting the interchange at Loveland, 23 miles north of South Omaha. Even that wasnt close enough to Sioux City for commissioner Chris Larsen. Looking out for his citys interests, Larsen would have liked it north of Missouri Valley.

The dispute lasted well over a year. Both options were built. Interstate 80 (the present numbering system began in 1957) split at Neola. Interstate 80N (later 680 and now 880) was built west to I-29 at Loveland and I-80 came into Council Bluffs on a southwest beeline.

Iowa finished I-80N first, partly because a new Missouri River bridge wasnt required. I-80 wasnt completed between Omaha and Council Bluffs until December 1972  six years after I-80N  with the opening of the Spring Street bridge.

The linkup with Lincoln was much less contentious. The alignment was going to follow U.S. 6 to Melia Hill east of Ashland then continue northeast. A January 1955 State Highway Department wish list map for modernizing highways shows the Ralston-Papillion diagonal connecting with L Street at 56th Street at an intersection with a Belt Line Highway that would have arced to the Mormon Bridge. But the subsequent federal Bureau of Public Roads alignment, with the interstate swinging to the east at 108th and L Streets and staying north of the Union Pacific main line, is what was built.

A brief digression. The 1955 wish list produced several key roads  Nebraska Hwy 370 linking Bellevue and Papillion with Gretna, the extension of L Street from 84th Street to 132h Street and a new Industrial Road built to connect L Street with West Center Road for a new route for livestock trucks.

The Belt Line didnt make it off the wish list. Its southern leg, originally tagged the South Omaha Access Road, would have followed a Chicago & Northwestern Railroad branch line from 77th and Dodge but was deemed to run too close to the College of St. Mary campus. Its northern portion became the corridor for Omahas western interstate loop.

Interstate 480s diagonal alignment died with the recommendation in October 1956 that four expressways radiate from a multi-level interchange north of 28th and Dodge Streets. I-480 became the south and east spokes. The North Freeway was originally meant to merge with 30th Street at Parker Street and a West Expressway was to follow the Dodge corridor to 85th Street but succumbed to neighborhoods aghast that it would cut through Dundee, Elmwood or Memorial Parks and Fairacres.

The first Omaha-to-Lincoln Interstate traffic was in August 1961 via I-280 (it was renumbered I-680 in the mid-1960s) that had been opened to West Dodge Road the previous summer. Several weeks later, I-80 was opened from the I-280 junction to 72nd Street. An extension to 42nd Street opened in September 1962.

A month later, I-480 opened to southbound traffic from Leavenworth Street. When I-480 was completed late in 1970, it was the only interstate linked to Iowa. I-80 had reached 24th Street and I-680 had been built to only to Nebraska 133 (Blair High Road).

Interstate 680 reached completion in 1975 with the opening of the companion span to the Mormon Bridge. Iowa already had renamed 80N to 680. And then it renamed it, to I-880, in the wake of the 2019 flooding stemming from confusion about which leg of 680 was closed, the one to Crescent (which was true) or the one to Loveland.

And for a short time, there was an I-580. From 1975-79, the North Freeway (controversial because it went through the heart of North Omaha) was on the interstate system before it was declassified to free up money to build the Storz Expressway to Eppley Airfield.

Omaha isnt likely to add interstate mileage. But much dust has settled on the 2010 study that recommended a beltway for the Elkhorn River valley. Anyone who takes an ever-increasingly congested Nebraska Hwy 31 from Elkhorn through Gretna desires a faster route to I-80.
Two juveniles playing with a torch lighter on Saturday ignited a fire that quickly spread in a northwest Omaha home.

Firefighters were called to a home in the 7500 block of North 55th Plaza, just west of Forest Lawn Cemetery, at 5:10 p.m. Fire crews found a fire inside that was spreading to the second floor of the $120,000 home, a spokesman for the Omaha Fire Department said.

Investigators learned that two juveniles had been playing with a torch lighter in the basement when a couch caught fire. The juveniles called their mother, who tried to extinguish the fire with water.

The woman and a neighbor then attempted to remove the burning couch, but evacuated the home as the fire spread. The neighbor sustained minor burns to his hand but refused treatment.

The juveniles admitted to investigators that they had been playing with a torch light often used for pipes and cigars. Torch lighters maintain a consistent stream of air-propelled fire that is hotter and more intense than a common lighter.

The home sustained an estimated $50,000 in damage. Damage to contents was estimated at $10,000.
Six Nebraska startups each received a $100,000 boost this past week.

The investments for the startups, which were announced at a press conference at Millwork Commons in north downtown Omaha, come from Lincoln-based startup accelerator NMotion via its growth accelerator program. The money was provided by local individuals and companies through venture capital firm and startup accelerator gener8tor, which is based in Wisconsin but has a partnership with NMotion, as well as the Lincoln-based nonprofit Invest Nebraska.

The six startups are HerHeadquarters, which connects women-owned businesses nationwide; Microwash, a medical device company marketing a product that collects nasal specimens for painless COVID-19 testing; plant-based nutritional drink supplement company Tiiga; knowledge and skills management platform Noviqu; software solutions company Hellcat Technologies; and real estate software development company Particle Space.

The six mark the inaugural cohort to receive investments from the NMotion program. They were among 179 companies that applied for the money.

Tiiga co-founders Katy and Jeff Tezak said the $100,000 investment will help expand their startups reach faster. Jeff Tezak said the investment will open up new avenues for selling Tiiga products.

Having launched Tiiga in June 2020, the Tezaks have secured shelf space for their products at about 50 Hy-Vee supermarkets across five states and are expanding the product to Texas and Salt Lake City.

Tiiga is not the only startup to have seen a relatively quick rise to success.

Since launching HerHeadquarters a few years ago, Carina Glover has expanded her startup from connecting women entrepreneurs to women executives and their team members across the country. She is in the midst of a $750,000 fundraising drive to expand HerHeadquarters.

With help from NMotions investment, Glover said, We can impact more women-owned businesses. I can hire more of the right people that will allow us to have a great impact. Its really just about reaching our goals.

The investments made by NMotion into the six startups are what Nebraska Economic Development Director Tony Goins highlighted as an example of the support needed to ensure a thriving startup landscape.

The difference between success and failure can often be measured in resources and support available to help these business owners overcome obstacles and achieve milestones, he said. Groups like NMotion are so vital to our entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Each startup will be connected to 100 mentors and up to 50 early-stage investors through a 12-week program. NMotion also will work with the six companies to help grow the companies revenues, improve their products and services and pitch investors for the next round of investments.

Scott Henderson, managing principal of NMotion, said organizations and individuals in Nebraska have dedicated $3.7 million to bolster the states growing startup scene over the next two years.

Its a very exciting time here in Nebraska, Henderson told a crowd that included entrepreneurs, investors and business leaders.
MAQUOKETA  A 9-year-old boy survived the attack that killed three members of his family Friday at Maquoketa Caves State Park.

Tyler and Sarah Schmidt, both 42, were found dead, along with 6-year-old Lula Schmidt. They were from Cedar Falls.

Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green issued a statement late Friday on Facebook saying the family was camping at the state park. The Schmidts' 9-year-old son, Arlo, was also there. He "survived the attack, and is safe," Green wrote.

Authorities said the suspected gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was found dead in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safetys division of criminal investigation, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the attack was still unknown.

We dont know what led up to this, what precipitated it, he said, adding that so far, the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.

Green said the family was his neighbors and said Sarah Schmidt was a Cedar Falls Public Library employee.

"Like many of you just hearing the news, I'm devastated," he wrote in the Facebook post. "I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood." He had spent some time working with her during the past week on a presentation.

Cedar Falls, which borders Waterloo in Black Hawk County, is just over two hours northwest of the Quad-Cities. Home to the University of Northern Iowa, the city has a population just over 40,000.

"Details will be forthcoming about services and other memorials, and I will ensure the community knows about this," Green wrote. "Please offer some extra grace to the Schmidts' many friends, neighbors, and coworkers as we try to process this horrible tragedy." The Cedar Falls Library was closed Saturday "for the sake of the staff who loved and worked with Sarah," he added. A Go Fund Me account has been set up for Arlo and had raised about $58,000 by mid-afternoon Saturday.

The Des Moines Register reported that Sherwin came from La Vista, Neb., a suburb of Omaha. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten told the newspaper that Sherwin had lived in an apartment complex with his parents and that he had no history of criminal conduct.

Cecilia Sherwin, Anthony Sherwin's mother, told The Omaha World-Herald in an email Saturday that the family refuses "to believe the news."

She said they were camping at the park Friday morning when she heard yelling and two gunshots. A young boy ran up to the Sherwin's campsite yelling for help and told her that a man wearing black had shot his family, she said.

Cecilia Sherwin said her son was wearing green, not black, and no black clothing was found in the area. She also said that they were legally traveling with a gun, which was located in a secure container.

We think (Anthony) might have sensed trouble and grabbed the gun for safety, Cecilia Sherwin said. We refuse to believe the news. We are deeply saddened as he had so much to live for and gave us no indication that anything was wrong.

A review of Nebraska criminal justice records found no signs that Sherwin had a criminal history. Cecilia Sherwin did not respond to an email seeking further comment.

Autopsies on Sherwin and the victims were scheduled to be performed over the weekend, Mortvedt said, and more information would likely be released based on those findings.

Found at campsite

The Jackson County Sheriff's Office and DCI were called about 6:23 a.m. for a report of a shooting at the park campground, Mike Krapfl, a special agent in charge with DCI, said during a news conference late Friday morning.

"When officers arrived, they located three deceased bodies at a campsite," Krapfl said.

The killings prompted the evacuation of the park and campground, including a children's summer camp. After the evacuations, Sherwin was the only person unaccounted for, Mortvedt said.

He said that during the course of the investigation, authorities learned Sherwin was armed and that of course heightened our awareness. Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms virtually anywhere in the state. Officials did not say if Sherwin had a permit and provided no information about the firearm that was used to kill the Schmidts.

Investigators were still trying to figure out what relationship, if any, there was between the Schmidts and Sherwin, Krapfl said.

The park will be closed until further notice because of the investigation.

Crowded park

Other people were in the park at the time, and at least some of them were evacuated.

"The campground was relatively full," Krapfl said, though he did not have the exact number of people who were in the park when police arrived.

"Officers made contact with all the campers, tried to get as many out as they could," Krapfl said.

There was believed to be no further threat to the public.

One employee at Maquoketa Caves said that, at about 8 a.m., she was given the option to go home after police arrived and the park was locked down in response to the report of a shooting.

Parents with children attending the nearby Camp Shalom were notified Friday morning that it also was locked down.

"We were just notified that there is an active shooter at Maquoketa Caves," according to a Friday morning message to campers' parents. "Our top priority is camper safety, and we are following the protocols."

Fridays are usually pick-up days for campers at the Christian-focused camp. It is about a mile and a half away from the Maquoketa Caves, executive assistant Beth Sallak said.

But plans changed at 9:11 a.m., when local law enforcement sent a notification to the directors that there was an active shooter situation at the state park and told them to evacuate immediately.

So, Sallak said, staff shifted gears.

We told the campers, Were going to do a surprise visit to Little Bear Park in Maquoketa. They all cheered, and we loaded everyone on the bus. They had no idea there was an active shooter a mile and a half down the road.

She complimented the staff for staying calm and quickly changing plans, as theyve trained to do in emergencies. Campers this week ranged in ages from second-graders to seniors in high school.

Nobody expects for this to happen. The Maquoketa caves? Come on," Sallak said. "Its one of the safest places you can be. I take my kids there, I hike there with my friends. That doesnt mean you cant in the back of your mind be prepared.

Camp Shalom will continue to host campers until the end of the summer, which will be two more weeks.

Well continue to keep campers safe, happy, and hydrated, slept and well-fed. Were just going to move forward as we normally we do, Sallak said.

Officials respond

State officials issued statements about Fridays incident.

Im horrified by the shooting this morning at Maquoketa Caves State Park and devastated by the loss of three innocent lives, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said. As we grieve this unimaginable tragedy, Kevin and I pray for the victims family members and the law enforcement officers who responded to the scene. We ask Iowans to do the same.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said on Twitter he was "closely monitoring" the situation in Maquoketa Caves State Park.

"Praying for the lives lost & their loved ones Im grateful for Iowa law enforcement who responded +camp staff for ensuring safety of other campers Violence cant be tolerated Killing innocent ppl is sickening," Grassley tweeted.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, likewise, wrote on Twitter: "I am heartbroken to hear of the tragedy in Maquoketa Caves State Park and am praying for the victims and their families. My staff and I are following the situation. Thankful for all of the responding law enforcement."

Kayla Lyon, Iowa Department of Natural Resources director, said she and the DNR staff were also devastated by the incident.

Our long-standing tradition of enjoying Iowas natural wonders was shaken today, but the legacy for the millions of families that recreate at Iowa state parks will continue, Lyon said.

U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, said in a statement: "This was a horrifying and senseless act of violence. As we wait to learn more, I join all Iowans in praying for those who lost their lives and our community. My team will continue to be in contact with local officials and I am grateful for our law enforcement officers who are working to keep us safe."
CANBERRA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Australian aged care providers have called for urgent action to prevent coronavirus outbreaks in facilities.

According to data released by the Aged and Community Care Providers Association on Sunday, 6,000 aged care residents and more than 3,000 staff at 1,013 facilities were infected with COVID-19 as of Thursday.

It represents more than one third of Australia's aged care facilities dealing with current coronavirus outbreaks, according to Australian Associated Press.

More than 2,300 aged care residents have died with COVID-19 in 2022 including 114 in the past week.

Paul Sadler, the interim chief executive of the association, said in a statement that up to 15 percent of the aged care workforce is currently in quarantine.

"The increased availability in surge workforce including the Australian Defense Force over the past week has been welcome, but there is still a shortfall," he said.

"The reality is we can't leave older people without adequate levels of care for too long.

"The coming weeks are critical for aged care. We must do all we can to put the protection of older people first and support our aged care workers," he added.

COVID-19 cases in Australia are expected to surge in the coming weeks, with the government warning millions of people could get infected.

There were more than 30,000 new COVID-19 cases reported across the country on Sunday and more than 30 deaths.

As of Saturday, approximately 71 percent of eligible Australians had received three or more vaccine doses and 31 percent four doses. 
Combating climate change

Thanks are due to Erin Bamer for an excellent report on the debates in the Unicameral about an update of an eight-year-old climate-change report, a rare step which may actually produce some long-overdue state recognition.

Along the way to the funding of this report, Bamer found a large number of state senators who shut down at the mention of the words climate change, plus a generous number of senators who are still beating a small stable of very dead horses. Theres the natural cycle that will correct itself horse, and the granddaddy of them all, the hoax, a total dismissal in four handy letters.

The debate usually takes place without mention of climate science. Earlier this month, the United Kingdom registered all-time highs of 105 F, breaking previous records in an area with nearly no air conditioning. At the same time, more than 1,000 Europeans died during the heatwave that spawned numerous fires. Last year, Seattle registered 108 F and Portland, Oregon, 115 F. Dont forget our December tornadoes.

Watch the level of carbon dioxide. It has reached 425 parts-per-million after a very long period in the 180 to 280 range. The last time the level was that high was during the Pliocene, 2 to 4 million years ago, when the oceans reached about 100-feet higher than today, and air temperatures reached averages of about 6F higher. And why isnt it that hot today, if carbon-dioxide levels are similar? Heat does not reach levels associated with its CO2 reading all at once. Thermal inertia requires about 50 years in the air and 100 years in the oceans.

We now have enough heat in the pipeline to reach Pliocene levels within the lives of the next generation.

Bruce E. Johansen, Omaha

Privilege is a problem

Appreciate Sheritha Jones column and perspective regarding white privilege. I encourage the World-Herald to feature her more often in this capacity. White folks (of which I am one) need to consider, learn and reflect on American history, past and present. We live in a culture built by and for the benefit of white supremacy. The humanity of each and every one of us has been inexorably altered by the legacy of slavery, (yes, were still talking about it) the Jim Crow era and our contemporary society smothering the lives of Black men and their families through a national incarceration system that has no intention of reforming. I imagine Sherithas lived Black experience will spur all kinds of White folks to deny, dismiss or diminish her story. I salute and thank her.

Ellen Platt, Omaha

Come a long way

Thank you for sharing Sheritha Jones column on privilege (July 17). I am White. I like to hear others perspective on things. I fully believe that back in the 80s, there was a lot of privilege. It would be horrible to go through that. I am not defensive, but would like to point out in 2022, we have come a long way. Different cultures have blended very well these days. Could it be you are planting seeds in your kids that will be carried on to their kids, by explaining the rules for being black in America? My 17-year-old son, got pulled over with his friends last summer, twice, because they were a group of teens running through parks and neighborhoods, playing a game similar to hide and seek. All White, all questioned by the police. Our daughter was dating a boy in a small town nine years ago. She is White, and got pulled over three times to be questioned by police . No traffic violation any of the times. As parents, my husband and I have always talked to our kids about being decent humans, and respectful in whatever situation they are in, especially with adults. That is called parenting. We dont call it rules for being White in America. Can you not just parent, and not bring up the rules for being Black? If we want racism to end, both of us have to work on this with our kids. Thanks again for your article.

Karen Hiles, Omaha

Peace through strength

I read with interest the letter by Henry Dsouza, (People over Pentagon Act, July 13).

What Mr. Dsouza and other liberals dont realize, is that if we dont maintain a strong national defense, China, Russia, and other dictatorships will eventually take control of our once great nation and there will be very low priority for climate change, poverty and other social issues. I was a crew member on B-52 nuclear bombers during the Cold War and our motto was Peace Through Strength. That is still true today. We must maintain a strong military. It is a necessary evil. Most Americans dont realize how serious a threat China and others are to our national security.

David Heer, Omaha

Title 42

Title 42 does not stop the spread of COVID-19. Medical experts across the country, even within the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), have rebutted this policy, stating it has no impact on controlling the spread of COVID-19.

The policy forces the CDC and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to keep border expulsions in place and contradict the CDCs scientific analysis which found that the expulsion policy is not necessary to protect public health.

This policy politicizes COVID-related emergency public health designations, putting health related programs and funding in jeopardy as they would then be tied to immigration policy.

As people around the world watch the generosity with which Ukrainian refugees are being welcomed by European neighboring countries, our cruel Title 42 policy which violates national and international law, provides a stark and shocking contrast.

Human rights organizations have documented instances of people being kidnapped, tortured, sexually assaulted, and murdered as a result of Title 42, including families with small children and vulnerable people fleeing violence and persecution.

Bernardo Mujica, Sioux City
Bloomington-Normal

Galleries, museums

Some cultural institutions are open or making plans to reopen under current COVID restrictions. Check with each facility for indoor, online or outdoor programming. Open facilities have face covering, distancing and other guidelines in effect; see websites or call for details.

Angel Ambrose Fine Art Studio; 101 W. Monroe St. Suite 201, Bloomington; Open First Fridays 5-8 p.m. and by appointment; 309-825-4655; angelambrose.com.

David Davis Mansion; 1000 Monroe Drive, Bloomington; open for tours, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; groups of 10 or less; $10 per person; $100 minimum; daviddavismansion.org; 309-828-1084.

Eaton Studio Gallery; 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays; 5-8 p.m. First Fridays, or by appointment or ring bell; eatonstudiogallery.com; 309-828-1575.

Illinois Art Station; 101 E. Vernon Ave., Normal; Gallery open Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; illinoisartstation.org; 309-386-1019.

Inside Out: Accessible Art Gallery & Cooperative; 200 W. Monroe St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; by appointment Sunday-Tuesday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. First Friday; insideoutartcoop.org; 309-838-2160.

Jan Brandt Gallery; Normandy Village, 1100 Beach St., Building 8, Normal; by appointment; janbrandtgallery.com; 309-287-4700.

Joann Goetzinger Studio and Gallery; 313 N. Main St. Suite A, Bloomington; open first Fridays 5-8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., also by appointment; masks and social distancing required; 309-826-1193.

Main Gallery 404; 404 N. Main St., Bloomington; 12-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays; By chance or appointment at 309-590-6779.

McLean County Arts Center; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; open; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 12-4 p.m. Saturday; masks and social distancing required; mcac.org; 309-829-0011.

McLean County Museum of History; 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays, until further notice; reservations at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428; mchistory.org; 309-827-0428.

Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; Illinois Wesleyan University; Bloomington; open; 12-4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 7-9 p.m., Tuesday evening; 1-4 p.m., Saturday through Sunday; iwu.edu/art/galleries; 309-556-3391.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; opens April 2; hours 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; prairieaviationmuseum.org; 309-663-7632.

University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal; open; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 309-438-5487; galleries.illinoisstate.edu/about/visit/.

Central Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; advance reservation required; adults $15, seniors $12, under 5 free; presidentlincoln.illinois.gov; 217-558-8844.

Art Center at Greater Livingston County Arts Council; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday; 209 W. Madison St., Pontiac; pcartcenter.com; 815-419-2472.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water St., Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; peoriacac.org; 309-674-6822.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 309-547-3721.

Illinois State Museum; 502 S. Spring St., Springfield; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday, free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 217-782-7386.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sundays, Mondays and on Lincoln College breaks; $4-7; museum.lincolncollege.edu; 217-735-7399.

Peoria Art Guild; 203 Harrison St., Peoria; open; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday or by appointment; peoriaartguild.org; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; downtown riverfront Peoria; open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday and Friday; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday; adults $11, seniors, students $10, ages 3-17 $9; peoriariverfrontmuseum.org; 309-686-7000.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1-5 p.m.; Free admission (donations accepted); Private tours, call first; 309-319-3413; Open House, 1-5 p.m., March 19, marking 63 years of collecting military items.

Time Gallery; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturday; Closed Sunday; Clock Tower Place Building, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria; 309-467-2331.

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; open; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Thursdays until 8 p.m. when classes are in session; closed Sunday and Monday; kam.illinois.edu; 217-333-1861.

Exhibits

"Design & Duplication: Treasures of the Peoria Riverfront Museum Collection; Gallery 2, through Fall 2022; "Archibald Motley's Bronzeville at Night"; through March 2023; "Creatures of Light: Nature's Bioluminescence"; through Sept. 5, Experience Gallery; "Modern Masters: Modern Masters from the Heintzman Collection"; through Sept. 11"; Peoria Riverfront Museum.

"Stories of Survival; Object. Image. Memory."; through Jan. 22, 2023; Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

"To Know The Fire: Pueblo Women Potters and The Shaping of History"; through Sept. 3; U of I Krannert Art Museum.

"2022 Honoring the Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans"; through Nov. 12; Simpkins Military History Museum.

"Edgewise"; second floor gallery; through Sept. 3; "Climate Change in Your Back Yard"; first floor Hot Science Gallery; through April 22, 2023; "NOIR II: The Migration"; second floor gallery; through Sept. 6; Illinois State Museum.

"Denise Treizman: In Between Living"; through July 31; "In Living Color"; Curated by Teen Art Group; through Aug. 10; University Galleries.

"Vandana Bajikar"; through July; Time Gallery.

"Inscapes: Robert Lee Mejer & Jason Dillard Mejer"; through Aug. 13; "Jessica McGhee: You Can Rest Here"; through Aug. 13; Contemporary Art Center of Peoria.

"Harold Gregor: The Painter's Pedagogy"; Brandt/Armstrong/Dolan Galleries; through Aug. 26; McLean County Arts Center.

"We Didn't Know"; through Aug. 6; Erin Eveland; Lincoln Arts Institute.
NORMAL  A community effort in the Twin Cities is rolling onward to help end Alzheimers disease.

The Nephilim Illinois Widows Sons Masonic Riders Association chapter, in addition to other area residents, put on a motorcycle ride and car, truck and bike show Saturday to support the Alzheimers Association, along with its Walk to End Alzheimers coming up Oct. 8 in Normal.

At least 40 members of the Widows Sons wheeled in for the event. Thirteen Nephilim Illinois members came from Normal, Bloomington, Danvers, Fisher, Champaign, Rantoul, Mahomet, Tolono and Kentucky, according to the MRA secretary, Scotty Bevill. Other Widows Sons groups were One Five of Peoria, Two Rivers of Vienna. Also in attendance were the Eagle Riders of Clinton, Indiana.

Pretty much all of Central Illinois is here from the Widows Sons, he said.

Event co-organizer David Myers, of Normal, recently became a Freemason and serves in the Illinois chapter board of the Alzheimers Association. He said his wife, Cheryl, was diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2012 and died in 2019.

Myers said people start coming out of the woodwork when you talk about Alzheimer's. Now with his own journey complete, he said his goal is to help other families get through their own Alzheimers journeys.

The Alzheimer's Association has so many things available and the only way they can do that is through the money we raise to provide those things, he said, noting that the association puts on events like the Walk to End Alzheimer's and The Longest Day, and they staff a call center with doctors available to help.

Laura Kraynak, a volunteer walk chair with the Alzheimers Association, said the Saturday event was absolutely amazing.

Were so grateful for this, she said. The Widows Sons have been such great supporters.

Kraynak added it was wonderful to hear everyones stories.

Bevill also said the event was held as a memorial to Myers late wife. Myers also helped organize a ride last year, but said the weather caused problems.

Myers is also looking at the long-term outlook for the disease. He said by 2050, there will be 15 million people with the disease. That figure is currently 6 million, he said.

Its not just about raising money, said Myers. Its about raising awareness.

A silent auction and raffle were also held Saturday, with items donated by either the Widows Sons or local nursing homes, Bevill said. BloNo Pizza Co. provided the venue for Saturdays event, and he added the business is donating 15% of the days profits to the Alzheimer's Association.

A total amount of money raised for the association was not available Sunday.

In attendance was Casey Gilligan Marillia, of Eminence, Kentucky. The Nephilim Illinois member said he used to visit his grandma each summer and noticed she started repeating things when she was 63. Marillia said when she was 67, there were times when she couldnt remember who her grandson was.

Its a very hard disease to watch someone go through, he said.

Marillia said he loves all the support the ride has gotten, and he hopes it will grow in future years.

Two of Myers kids, Kara Hanley, 30, and Kevin Myers, 27, were present, too.

Kevin Myers agreed that the turnout Saturday was heartwarming. He said a big part of their Alzheimers journey was seeing the community rally around them.

Hanley said she learned through their journey that its not something you can do on your own.

Being able to see people from all different walks of life, with all different kinds of stories, and all different ties to Alzheimers also come out and want to support not only our family, but their brothers and sisters as well, is just one of the things that gives us hope, she said.

While the initiative was not formally organized by a local Freemasons lodge, Bevill said their members' efforts to serve the Alzheimers Association are in line with the Freemasons motto of making good men better.
BLOOMINGTON  The Youth Council of the Bloomington-Normal branch of the NAACP recently attended the 113th NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In addition to hearing a keynote speech from Vice President Kamala Harris, Youth Council members heard speeches from cabinet members, U.S. senators, governors and key NAACP leaders.

The Youth Council also received the Organizer of the Year Award during the convention. The group has organized peaceful rallies, monthly meetings, keynote speakers, school supply drives, shopping for the underserved and partnering with the Bloomington Housing Authority to assist with the residents needs.

Additionally, Youth Council President Bradley Ross Jackson received the Mr. Medgar Evers Award for youth creative writing, depicting the struggles of slain civil rights leader Evers.

I congratulate the Bloomington-Normal Youth Council for having a banner year and for creating a rich legacy," Bloomington-Normal NAACP President Linda Foster stated in a news release announcing the awards. "The Youth Council has set the bar for Civic engagement, and we are thrilled the National Office recognized their excellence.

Ross Jackson said, The Youth Council Members are excited to celebrate our first year of excellence. We are extremely honored to receive recognition from the NAACPs National Office while attending the annual convention.

He said the Bloomington-Normal Youth Council competed against other councils from around the country, including larger cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Dallas.

"We have put Bloomington-Normal on the map! Ross Jackson said.

The community is invited to celebrate the NAACP Youth Councils one-year anniversary at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, at the McLean County Museum of History.
SPRINGFIELD - Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White has again extended the deadline for residents to renew expiring drivers licenses and identification cards, this time to Dec. 1.

The deadline previously had been extended through July 31 for anyone with a license, ID or learners permit that has expired since Jan. 1, 2020. The extension does not apply to commercial drivers licenses or commercial learners permits.

The extensions are related to the pandemic, which at times shut down the states drivers license facilities.

The secretary of states office encourages anyone who is eligible to renew online. However, first-time drivers license or ID applicants, first-time applicants for a federal Real ID-compliant license or ID, and drivers 75 and older are required to visit a driver services facility in person.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has extended until May 3 the deadline to obtain a Real ID card in order to board a domestic flight or enter secure federal facilities.

More information is available at ilsos.gov.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker has tested positive for COVID-19 and is isolating at home, his office announced Tuesday, three days after he spoke at a gathering of Democrats in Tampa, Florida.

Pritzkers press office said he is experiencing mild symptoms and has received the anti-viral medication Paxlovid, a drug that received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December for individuals at high risk to the effects of COVID-19.

The drug, according to clinical trials, reduced by 89% the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. It is manufactured by Pfizer.

Pritzker is also vaccinated against the virus and has received two booster shots, according to his office.

The governor tested positive during routine testing after he arrived home from Florida having had several close contacts with other COVID-19-positive individuals at the gathering of Democrats.

Pritzkers office said he will work from home and follow the current U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, which call for at least five days of isolation after the positive COVID-19 test, regardless of vaccination status.

He urges all Illinoisans to continue following CDC guidance, utilize anti-viral treatments, and get all available boosters, his office said in a statement.

* * *

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: The Illinois economy added 18,800 jobs during June as the unemployment rate fell to 4.5%, the lowest it has been since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

That is down one-tenth of a percentage point from May, and down two full percentage points from June 2021.

Preliminary numbers released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security showed the sectors with the biggest gains during June were leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, construction, and educational and health services.

Slight declines were reported in the financial industry and the catch-all category other services.

With the statewide unemployment rate at its lowest since the onset of the pandemic, the data released (Thursday) is a further reflection of continued economic recovery and evidence of a strengthening Illinois labor market, Deputy Governor Andy Manar said in a statement.

Prior to the pandemic, Illinois had seen its lowest unemployment rate ever, at 3.5% in December 2019. It climbed to 4.9% in March 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic existed, and reached a historic high of 17.4% in April 2020 after restaurants, bars, theaters and other nonessential businesses were ordered to close in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

The states jobless rate has since been on a continuous downward trend as businesses gradually reopened.

The trend in Illinois mirrors what has been happening nationally, although the state continues to lag behind the rest of the country in its recovery. The U.S. unemployment rate stood at 3.6%, unchanged from the month before but down from its peak of 14.7% in April 2020.

Illinois unemployment rate also stood higher than all of its surrounding states. Indiana, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin all had jobless rates below 3% while Kentucky stood at 3.7%. In fact, the 4.5% rate recorded in Illinois was the fifth highest in the nation. Pennsylvania and Delaware also were at 4.5%.

* * *

CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER: The Illinois State Police announced Monday they will start using a broader definition of what constitutes a clear and present danger when reviewing a persons Firearm Owners Identification card.

Thats a factor ISP considers when deciding whether to grant someone a FOID card or to revoke or suspend a card that has already been issued.

The change is meant to address gaps in the process that were identified in the wake of the July 4 mass shooting in Highland Park. The alleged shooter in that case had been the subject of a clear and present danger investigation, but under standards used at that time, ISP determined there was insufficient evidence to support such a determination.

Under current law, known as the Firearm Owners Identification Card Act, ISP can deny a FOID card application or suspend or revoke an existing card for any person deemed to be a clear and present danger of harming themselves or someone else.

Under that statute, a physician, clinical psychologist or other qualified examiner can classify someone as a clear and present danger if he or she communicates a serious threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim or poses a clear and imminent risk of serious physical injury to himself, herself, or another person.

A person can also be classified as a clear and present danger if they demonstrate threatening physical or verbal behavior such as violent, suicidal, or assaultive threats, actions or other behavior, as determined by a physician, clinical psychologist, qualified examiner, school administrator, or law enforcement official.

That law requires physicians, clinical psychologists, law enforcement officers and school administrators to promptly report any such behavior to ISP.

In 2013, however, ISP filed administrative rules that provide a stricter, more limiting definition. Those rules defined a clear and present danger as someone who poses an actual, impending, or imminent threat of substantial bodily harm to themselves or another person that is articulable and significant or who will be likely to act in a manner dangerous to public safety or contrary to the public interest if they were granted access to a weapon.

ISP said the new rules announced Monday will revert to the original, statutory definition, allowing them to consider a broader range of information when determining whether someone poses a clear and present danger.

The 2013 rule also prohibited ISP from maintaining report records of people who are not determined to be a clear and present danger. The new rules would require ISP to maintain those records.

ISP adopted the new definitions through what are known as emergency rules. Thats allowed under state law when an agency determines it needs to take swift action to protect public interest, safety or welfare. But those rules are still subject to review by the General Assemblys Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, or JCAR, whose next scheduled meeting is Aug. 17.

ISP said it also plans to submit the changes to JCAR in the form of permanent rules through the regular rulemaking process as well.

* * *

PRITZKER APPROVAL: A new poll from the firm Morning Consult showed Gov. Pritzkers approval rating at 51% among Illinois voters, or seven points above water in polling lingo.

Its the latest quarterly poll from the firm, and data included 14,258 registered voters polled from April 1 through June 30.

While its a truism of polling that any poll is just a snapshot in time, Pritzkers numbers have been remarkably consistent in the Morning Consult measurements since January 2021. His approval has ranged from 50 to 51% while disapproval ranged from 43 to 44%.

President Joe Bidens approval rating in Illinois as measured by the same firm, however, is an example of how quickly public sentiment can change.

Morning Consult distributed the polling results under the headline Democratic Governors Facing Re-Election Are Resisting Bidens Drag Effect. The firm measured Bidens approval at 47 percent in Illinois while disapproval measured at 50 percent.

It was a major drop from one year prior for Biden, who logged a healthy 58-38 approval-disapproval rating in Illinois for the quarter ending in June 2021.

The discrepancies between the approval ratings of Biden and Democratic governors help explain the level of intrigue in national news outlets regarding Biden potentially being replaced atop the Democratic ticket in the 2024 election cycle.

Pritzkers name  along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had a 53-40 approval split according to the poll  has been floated time and again in that conversation. Many news outlets, including Capitol News Illinois, have asked him about his plans should Democrats seek a new presidential candidate next time around.

He hasnt directly denied an interest in a presidential run, but he told me at the end of June that Illinois remains his focus

The intrigue has also been largely stoked by the governors recent speaking engagements.

In June he spoke at a gathering of Democrats in New Hampshire, normally one of the countrys first states to hold a primary, and last weekend he spoke at Florida Democrats Leadership Blue gala.

State Sen. Darren Bailey, the Xenia farmer who gained the GOP nomination and has vowed not to be outworked in the race for governor, saw Pritzkers recent East Coast trip as a line of attack.

Gov. JB Pritzker spent the weekend hobnobbing in Florida with wealthy liberals and fueling his presidential ambitions, Baileys campaign said in a Monday news release. Meanwhile in Illinois, rampant crime continued unabated. Seven people were killed over the weekend in Chicago, and eight carjackings terrorized Chicago neighborhoods in the span of just one hour.

* * *

CAMPAIGN FUNDING: Baileys battle will be uphill on the fundraising front as he looks to knock off the incumbent, who is partial heir of the Hyatt hotel fortune and has a net worth of $3-4 billion.

Gov. Pritzkers campaign fund had $60.8 million cash on hand as of June 30, while Baileys campaign fund had just $363,918. Pritzkers campaign spent $27 million from April to June, while Baileys camp spent $9.2 million.

Baileys main financial backer has been Richard Uihlein, founder of the shipping supply company Uline, having donated $9 million to the candidate and $8 million to other political action committees working on Baileys behalf during the primary. Uihlein gave another $5 million to the pro-Bailey People Who Play By the Rule PAC on July 6.

Irvins campaign ended June with $763,515 cash on hand, having spent $40.5 million.
Question: True or false? If you dont think you have enough cash to enroll at Bloomingtons Illinois Wesleyan University, giving the university a pig or several bushels of corn and beans might work.

Answer: That was true back in 1932, when the Great Depression was holding students back because of low finances. Thats when the government, fearful American students would give up going to college, began encouraging universities, like IWU, to find innovative ways for students to be able to attend college.
A number of fire hydrants across the country have been blocked by human activities while others have been covered by refuse, weeds and sand.

Statistics available put the number of hydrants across the country at 1,622.



However, 44 per cent of them are unserviceable and obsolete, while 711 are operational.



Many of the hydrants the Daily Graphic sighted in Accra, Kumasi and Koforidua were blocked by traders and developers, with others covered by sand, weeds and refuse.



Some of the hydrants have also been sealed by the Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) due to leakages, while others have been locked by the police due to the danger they pose to the public.



Though most fi re hydrants are identified by their stand-out red nozzles and are supposed to be easily accessible in case of emergency, the situation is different in many areas.



GNFS confirms



The Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) confirmed the observation to the Daily Graphic, indicating that it was a disincentive to firefighting across the country.



Within the Central Business District (CBD) of Accra, the Daily Graphic counted 13 hydrants at various vantage points.



Although they were all serviceable, only seven of them were functioning effectively, while the remaining six had low pressure.



The functioning hydrants were on the premises of the Accra City Fire Station, Farisco, in Adabraka, Okaishie Drug Lane, Globe Cinema; Ridge, near former President John Rawlings Residence, the State House, and around the GWCL offices at the Ministries.



Those with low pressure were at the Merchant Bank in Okaishie, the Okaishe Drug Lane, Mokola No.2, Accra High School, the Ghana Law School and the National Theatre.



Regional breakdown



The Accra Region of the GNFS currently has 295 hydrants out of which 168 were serviceable and 127 were not serviceable.



Out of the 337 fi re hydrants in Tema, 190 are operational, while 147 are not functional. In the Ashanti Region there are 222 hydrants of which 123 are not working; the Volta Region has 72 fire hydrants, with 32 serviceable and 40 not serviceable.



For the Eastern Region, there are 125 hydrants, with 72 operational and 53 not functioning, while the Oti Region has 10 fi re hydrants, with six functional and four not serviceable.



The five regions of the north  Northern, Savanna, Upper East, Upper West and the North East  have 74 hydrants in all, with 45 functioning and 24 not serviceable.



The Western and the Western North regions jointly have 206 fi re hydrants, with 137 working and 72 not functional, while Bono, Bono East and the Ahafo regions jointly have 120 hydrants, out of which 43 of them are functioning.



Challenges



The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GNFS, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Timothy Osafo Affum, said in the event of a fire incident, the absence of the hydrants would compel fire engines to move to far distances to refill.



To address the challenge, ACFO Affum said the service was considering the construction of mechanised boreholes to replace the hydrants.



Currently, he said, the service was holding discussions with the GWCL for assistance in that regard.



GWCL perspective



The Communications Manager of the GWCL, Stanley Martey, said most of the hydrants were sealed because some unscrupulous persons were misusing the water in them.



He alleged that some personnel of the GNFS commercialised the water by selling them to private individuals.



Particularly the one in front of the Vice-Presidents residence, I use to see private tankers as well as the fire engines from the GNFS line up at the place to siphon the water from the hydrants, so we decided to seal it because it is not right to leave it for people to abuse, Mr Martey said.



When the GWCL realized that the issue was becoming rampant, he said the company metered some of the hydrants to enable it to determine the volume of water that was being siphoned from them.



Because of that, the personnel stopped using it. For instance, we metered the fire hydrants at the GNFS Headquarters and because of that theyve stopped using it, he stated.



Mr Martey also said there were others which were not operational due to the current water situation in the country.



He explained that those ones were located in areas where the water pressure was low and it was difficult for the personnel to access enough to use during fire situations.



Mr Martey said there were some which had been encroached upon, thus, making them inaccessible.



But its not within our mandate to go and demolish structures. Its the assemblies who are supposed to do so; ours is to make sure we provide water for the hydrants, he said.



Periodically, he said, the GWCL did some maintenance works on them based on the report it received from the GNFS.



Already, the GWCL Communications Manager said, the management of the company had visited other countries to see how they managed their water systems and they realised there were more innovative ways to build the hydrants.



He said the company was considering all the available options and very soon, it would collaborate with the GNFS to address the situation conclusively.



Boreholes will do



The Ashanti Regional Commander of the GNFS, Assistant Chief Fire Officer (ACFO) Henry Giwah, who spoke to Daily Graphic in Kumasi, said Greater Kumasi had only 54 functional hydrants but a considerable number had been invaded by squatters, traders and other artisans, reports Emmanuel Baah.



He described the situation as disturbing, given the devastating nature of fire outbreaks and suggested that in the absence of hydrants, mechanised boreholes would serve as a good substitute.



The most important thing in firefighting is easy access to water, and since the hydrants are not adequate, it will be worthwhile considering mechanised boreholes.



I, therefore, would like to appeal to Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCES), corporate bodies and households to drill boreholes at vantage points and within their premises to serve as a reliable source of water in case of fire emergencies, he said.



He said a recent fact-finding mission by his outfit, an exercise supported by the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and Ghana GWCL, brought the issue to the fore and already it was receiving the needed attention, as the authorities had begun evicting squatters to enhance effective functioning of the hydrants.



ACFO Giwah lauded the GWCL for recently providing the Kumasi Metropolis with 20 additional hydrants, which he admitted, had impacted positively in fighting fire in the metropolis.



Taking a look at personal protective equipment (PPE), the GNFS PRO noted that they were crucial in firefighting but only a few were currently available for personnel to use.



Under normal circumstances, he said, every officer was supposed to have his or her own personal apparel and other protective gear for firefighting.



In the past, he said the service had breathing apparatus plants in the form of cylinders for firefighting.



He explained that the plants provided firefighters with fresh air in any unfavourable environment.



Currently, Mr Affum said the plants had expired and as a result, most of the firefighters were now fighting fires without such gadgets.



However, for those in Tema and Accra, there were other allied firefighting institutions and companies that were helping them in filling their cylinders.



He said the challenge was that when the air in the cylinder was exhausted, the personnel had to go and re-negotiate for a refill, which sometimes took a lot of time.



No insurance policy



In spite of the risk, he disclosed that there was no special insurance cover for the personnel to access free medical treatment in case they were injured in the line of duty.



Although most of the personnel are registered on the National Health Insurance Scheme, ACFO Affum said in situations where their ailment was not covered by the scheme, they had to foot the bills themselves.



Our men are not too happy about this because if they should enter into a fire incident and die as a result, it means their families are going to suffer, ACFO Affum stated.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Featured Video
The African Union Executive Council has adopted the African Common Position on Energy Access and Just Transition as a comprehensive approach that charts the continents short, medium, and long-term energy development pathways.



It is to accelerate universal energy access and transition without compromising development imperatives.



The African Union Commission (AUC), in collaboration with other Pan-African institutions, adopted the Common Position during the AU-Mid-Year Coordination Meeting on the fringes of the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council at Lusaka, Zambia on July 15th, 2022.



The Common Position stipulates that Africa will continue to deploy all forms of its abundant energy resources, including renewable and non-renewable energy, to address energy demand, a copy of the document made available to the Ghana News Agency in Tema has stated.



According to the Common Position agreement, natural gas, green and low carbon hydrogen, and nuclear energy will be expected to play a crucial role in expanding modern energy access in the short to medium term while enhancing the uptake of renewables in the long term for low carbon and climate-resilient trajectory.



Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, described the adoption of the Common Position as a major step forward.



He said, this is an important and major step forward towards ensuring and confirming Africa's right for a differentiated path towards the goal of universal access to energy, ensuring energy security for our Continent and strengthening its resilience, while at the same time acting responsibly towards our planet by improving the energy mix.



Dr Abou-Zeid emphasized that it was a timely measure to push for favourable outcomes and tangible investments in energy and infrastructure at COP 27 set to take place in November 2022 in Sharm El Shiekh, Egypt.



He said access to energy currently stood low in Africa compared to other regions, with more than 600 million Africans living without electricity services while 900 million lack access to clean cooking facilities.



Dr Abou-Zeid stressed that the African Common Position encouraged striking a balance between ensuring access to electricity to catalysing the much-needed socio-economic growth in Africa and smoothly transitioning towards an energy system based on renewable and clean energy sources matching the ambitions of Agenda 2063.



He stated that the African Union attached high importance to the implementation of ambitious energy goals designed to build resilient energy infrastructure in the continent.



He, therefore, called on stakeholders to back initiatives such as the African Single Energy Market (AfSEM), the Continental Power System Masterplan (CMP), and the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).



I urge stakeholders and potential public and private investors to accept and back Africas Common Position for Energy Access and Just Transition and support the African Unions various energy security initiatives needed to develop technical and financial instruments and packages to fast-track Africans right to universal access to affordable and reliable electricity, Dr Abou-Zeid stated.



Dr Abou-Zeid also called for the mobilization of adequate financing, accelerating regional integration to create large markets for energy development, harm harmonization policies, and regulatory frameworks.



He also encouraged technology transfer and capacity building which, he said are among the pillars of implementing Common Position to accelerate energy access and just transition in the continent.

Source: GNA









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Three persons have been arrested by the Police in connection with the murder of a 27-year-old woman at Sefwi Bekwai Atwumah in the Western North Region.



The deceased, Martha Tetteh, a resident of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, had travelled to Sefwi Bekwai on Monday, June 27, 2022, allegedly to consult a spiritualist but her headless body was found in an uncompleted building at Sefwi Bekwai.



The suspects, Solomon Sam, alias Paa Solo, John Nana Addai, alias Akwesi Kokoreh and Osofo Attah alias Prince Attah, the alleged spiritualist, were arrested based on Police investigation into the case, the Police said in a statement issued and signed by Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Chief Superintendent of Police at the Public Affairs Directorate.



The statement said Solomon Sam, who allegedly introduced the deceased to the self-styled spiritualist was arrested on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, at his hideout in Bibiani.



It said further investigation led to the arrest of the Spiritualist who during interrogation admitted to being involved in the crime and mentioned John Addai as the one who contracted Solomon to lure the deceased to Sefwi Bekwai.



John was subsequently arrested on Wednesday, July 20, 2022, at Sefwi Atronsu.



The suspects have since been put before a court and remanded and would appear again in court on Thursday, August 4, 2022.

Source: GNA









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A member of the Philippine National Police inspects the site of a shooting incident at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, the Philippines, July 24, 2022. Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting incident Sunday afternoon on a university campus in Metro Manila, the Philippine police said. The arrested gunman has admitted to the killing with specific target. (Str/Xinhua)

MANILA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting incident Sunday afternoon on a university campus in Metro Manila, the Philippine police said. The arrested gunman has admitted to the killing with specific target.

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) confirmed that the shooting took place at 14:55 local time at the gate of Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, ahead of the law school's graduation ceremony.

Local media reported that former Lamitan mayor Rose Furigay, her bodyguard, and a school security guard who tried to stop the shooting were among the dead. The mayor's daughter, who was supposed to graduate, was among the injured.

Police identified the gunman as Chao Tiao Yumol, a 38-year-old physician from Basilan, an island province in the southern Philippines.

According to the police, the gunman changed his clothes after the shooting and seized a car in an attempt to escape, but was caught by the police. The police presented the suspect to the media three hours after the shooting.

Yumol admitted to the killing, claiming he shot Furigay for her "involvement in illegal drugs" in the province.

The shooting incident forced the school authorities to cancel the graduation rite and put the campus "on lockdown."

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos said he was "shocked" over the incident and ordered law enforcement agencies "to thoroughly and swiftly investigate these killings and bring all involved to justice."

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Alexander Gesmundo was supposed to attend the law school graduation ceremony Sunday afternoon. Supreme Court spokesperson Brian Hosaka said Gesmundo was "in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back."

The shooting happened while the authorities enforced a gun ban over President Marcos' first State of the Nation address scheduled for Monday. Police has ordered tightening security at the House of Representatives complex, also in Quezon City and a few kilometers away from the campus, with over 20,000 police and troops being deployed in the area. 

A member of the Philippine National Police inspects the site of a shooting incident at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, the Philippines, July 24, 2022. Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting incident Sunday afternoon on a university campus in Metro Manila, the Philippine police said. The arrested gunman has admitted to the killing with specific target. (Str/Xinhua)

Members of the Philippine National Police inspect the site of a shooting incident at Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, the Philippines, July 24, 2022. Three people were killed and two others injured in a shooting incident Sunday afternoon on a university campus in Metro Manila, the Philippine police said. The arrested gunman has admitted to the killing with specific target. (Str/Xinhua)
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that he was happy that the Asomdwee Park has been elevated to a status befitting the late President John Evans Atta-Mills.



On Sunday morning (July 24, 2022), a wreath-laying ceremony for the late President Atta-Mills was held at the Asomdwee Park in Accra, where his remains were buried 10 years ago.



In attendance at the memorial were President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.



The government commissioned the refurbished Asomdwee Park to commemorate the 10th year of the passing of late President Atta-Mills.



In his address, President Akufo-Addo said: "Sometime after becoming President, I became aware of the sad state of Asomdwee Park and in 2020, I received a request from the late Presidents energetic Communications Director, Koku Anyidoho, who runs the institute named after the President [Atta-Mills Institute], for the assistance of government to rehabilitate the place [Asomdwee Park]."



"I agreed and subsequently instructed the Coastal Development Authority (CODA) to undertake a thorough rehabilitation of the park with the close cooperation of the Atta Mills Institute," President Akufo-Addo added.



He said it was not right that the park had been allowed to "deteriorate considerably" over the years since his [Atta-Mills] burial in 2012.



"But I am happy that it was under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, allegedly his fiercest critic that the Asomdwee Park is being elevated to a status befitting the final resting place of a President of the Republic of Ghana.



"I did so with that objective solely in mind, and not to exploit or take advantage of any so-called divisions in the political party [NDC] to which he belonged. Those alleged divisions are not of my making, and do not in any way inure to my benefit," President Akufo-Addo said.



Touching on the allegations of desecration of the tomb levelled by Samuel Atta-Mills, a brother of the late President and Member of Parliament for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) in the Central Region, President Akufo-Addo said "there have also been some unfortunate accusations leveled by some against government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the park."



"Nothing could be further from the truth, it is good to note that these false malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority through the agency of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib in a public statement, under his hands.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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Former President John Dramani Mahama has described late President John Evans Atta-Mills as an "honourable and dignified statesman whose love for his country and his people was without question."



For him, Prof. Atta-Mills was a "phenomenon best felt than described," he posted on Facebook on Sunday, July 24, 2022.



"Professor Mills was an honourable and dignified statesman whose love for his country and his people was without question. He was a phenomenon best felt than described.



His entry into the pressure cooker and high-octane environment that is Ghanaian politics, was a most opportune development. To many, he was a breath of fresh air that enabled us to make a clean break from the monotonous past laden with acrimony and deep-seated divisions".



He said, "Upon our return to the Castle, which at that time was still the seat of government; as I proceeded to my office, I asked Chief of Staff, Martey Newman to inform Prof. that I was going to cross over and see him to discuss a few important issues after meeting a former President who was waiting in my office...moments after our return, the Chief of Staff called me frantically and said that Prof had been rushed to the 37 Military Hospital in an emergency. I wrapped up my meeting with the former President and prepared my staff to rush to the hospital. It was then that Sir James Bebaako Mensah entered my office, [and] delivered the devastating news, Prof dead? How? How can Prof die? Were the questions I asked. The world came to a standstill."



According to him, "Nothing in my political life and experience had prepared me for a moment like this. The shelter I have been working under Prof had been a wonderful experience. His death left me in trepidation of stepping up to the plate, realising the huge responsibility one was stepping into and that the back was going to stop with me, and no one else."



He added, "The swearing-in ceremony was a blur and I struggled to complete my acceptance speech without breaking down in front of a sorrowful nation. When I left the podium, I missed my way back. I went and sat back in my Vice Presidential seat until the uproar from the MPs reminded me that I had sworn the Presidential oath and should move to the ceremonial Presidential seat. The rest is history to be narrated at another appropriate time."





Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Mr Richster Nii Armah Amarfio, the Secretary of the Ghana Tuna Association (GTA), says Ghana is over-exploiting its fish stock and needs a holistic approach to curb it.



Mr Amarfio, who is also a Fisheries Advocate, said the country had crossed the maximum sustainable yield, which indicates an over-exploitation of the fish stock.



This basically means we are losing our fish stock, so we have to find ways of reversing this to make sure we are sustainable.



Mr Amarfio stated this during a Seminar at the Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency.



The platform allowed state and non-state actors to address national issues.



The GTA Secretary said overcapacity was a major contributor to Ghanas rapidly declining fish stock, adding that there were too many fishing activities going on in the countrys marine spaces, making it near impossible to recover the lost fish stock.



He expressed fear that the capacity would increase due to the open access fishing system Ghana was running in the absence of a functioning regulatory mechanism.



He, therefore, called for other interventions such as a pension scheme to complement the close season as that alone would not solve the overcapacity problem.



He explained that data from the last fisheries management plan, a World Bank project, Ghana had about 15,000 canoes against the 9,000 canoes as the limit needed in its waters, with 6,000 canoes in excess.



He said the country, in the past, had over 100 trawlers as compared to the proposition of 45. Currently, the country has agreed to 75 trawlers in its waters.



Mr Amarfio also reiterated calls for a special pension scheme for old fishermen to provide them with a decent source of income during old age, which would facilitate their early retirement, resulting in a large number of them being sustainably removed from the sector.



He said alongside the pension, a deliberate educational policy for the youth in fishing communities should be initiated to absorb them into other vocations as a way to decrease the over-reliance on fishing activities in coastal communities.



If I were a fisherman, and I have three children and each of them has five children, and we decide to all go into fishing, that is a lot from one family alone.



One canoe may be too small for us, and we may need more; the more families may need to rely solely on fishing, the more the capacity increases, but if you provide the children with education and alternative vocations, they will not all have to come back into the industry, he explained.

Source: GNA









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The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, has accused a former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, of breaching the contractual agreement covering the supply of ambulances to the ministry.



The minster, who was giving his evidence-in-chief in a trial in which the Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, and two others standing trial for causing financial loss to the state over an ambulance deal, said the accused instructed the Bank of Ghana to establish a letter of credit amounting to over 3 million in favour of Big Sea.



The practice, according to the witness who was being led by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, was contrary to the contract agreement.



He explained that the contract required that payment should not be made until the vehicles are delivered.



Charges



Dr Forson, who is also the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam and the Ranking Member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, is standing trial with Sylvester Anemana, a former Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, and Richard Jakpa, a businessman, for allegedly causing financial loss of 2.37 million to the state in a deal to purchase 200 ambulances for the country between 2014 and 2016.



They have, however, pleaded not guilty to five counts of willfully causing financial loss to the state, abetment to willfully cause financial loss to the state, contravention of the Public Procurement Act and intentionally misapplying public property.



Letters of credit



It is the case of the prosecution that Dr Forson, by writing to the BoG for letters of credit of 3.95 million for the supply of 50 ambulances in favour of Big Sea, he played a part in causing financial loss to the state since the ambulances procured for the state were not fit for purpose.



The health minister testified that after signing the contract for the procurement of the ambulances, letters of credit needed to be established to trigger the execution.



However, due to delays, the minister told the court that Big Sea sent a notice of intention to sue the state to the Office of Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Health.



The minister further testified that at the time, the ministry of health in its response said it was incapacitated to execute the contract because the parliamentary approval for the financing agreement indicated that the source of funding should come from the Stanbic Bank adding: As at the time, the ministry has not been informed of any credit agreement between Ministry of Health and Stanbic Bank.

Source: GNA









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Around 200 people were ordered to leave the Lesbos village of Vryssa on Sunday to escape the flames.

Greece on Sunday battled four major wildfires that have forced hundreds to evacuate, as soaring temperatures there and in Spain raised fears of more blazes.

The United States meanwhile sweltered in scorching heat set to exceed already record-setting temperatures, worsening an out-of-control wildfire in central California.

Scientists say human-induced climate change is amplifying extreme weatherincluding the heatwaves, droughts and floods seen in several parts of the planet in recent weeksand say these events will become more frequent and more intense.

The international community has agreed that climate change poses an existential threat to human systems and the natural world.

Earth's average temperature has warmed just over 1.1 degrees Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) since the industrial era and the United Nations says it is currently on track to warm some 2.7C this century.

Greece is in the grip of a heatwave that began on Saturday and is expected to last 10 days. Temperatures were set to rise to 42C in some regions.

Fires raged in the north, east and south of the country, including on the tourist island of Lesbos, where around 200 people were ordered to leave the village of Vryssa on Sunday to escape the flames.

Dozens of firefighters are battling the blaze on Lesbos.

Danger to people and wildlife

Elderly women left the village carrying a few possessions in plastic bags, as thick smoke engulfed the first houses.

On Saturday residents and tourists were told to leave the island's beach village of Vatera.

In the northeastern region of Evros, hundreds of firefighters battled a wildfire that has been ablaze for four days in Dadia National Park, known for its black vulture colony.

Evros governor Dimitris Petrovits told Athens News Agency the authorities were doing all they could to protect locals and treat injured wildlife.

In the south, a fire in the Peloponnese caused the evacuation of three villages and a children's summer camp, while on the island of Crete a fire was raging inside a ravine.

In Spain, a heatwave that has persisted for two weeks was expected to produce record-high temperatures of 45C in the southern region of Cordoba.

Fires in France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021.

This part of Andalucia registered Spain's highest-ever temperature47.7Conly last year.

The national weather office said the relentless heatwave since July 9 and the lack of rain since the start of the year across the Iberian Peninsula meant there was an "extreme" risk of fires.

In all, fires in France, Spain and Portugal have already burned more land so far this year than was destroyed by flames in all of 2021. The areasome 517,881 hectares (1.28 million acres)is equivalent to the size of Trinidad and Tobago.

The World Health Organization said on Friday Europe's heatwave had led to "more than 1,700 needless deaths... in Spain and Portugal alone".

Wasting energy is 'absurd'

In the United States, where President Joe Biden warned this week that climate change represented a "clear and present danger", tinderbox conditions in California sparked a fire on Friday near the Yosemite National Park and its giant sequoia trees.

Joe Biden says climate change represents a 'clear and present danger' to the US.

Satellite photo showing the Oak fire in California, in the United States.

The firedescribed as "explosive" by officialsspread from 250 to 4,800 hectares within 24 hours and had consumed more than 5,750 hectares by early Sunday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.

Evidence of global warming could be seen elsewhere in the country, where 85 million people in more than a dozen states were under a weekend heat advisory.

A heat emergency was in effect for cities up and down the northeast coast, from Boston to Philadelphia to Washington.

In France, the government announced on Sunday it was bringing in rules to curb energy wastage, which adds needlessly to the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.

Shops will be ordered to keep their doors closed when their air-conditioning or heating is on or risk a fine, energy transition minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told RMC radio.

Leaving the doors open when the air conditioning is on leads to "20 percent more consumption and ... it's absurd," she said.

Explore further Southwest Europe swelters as wildfires burn

 2022 AFP
SARATOGA SPRINGS  Saratoga Springs Police have arrested two Amsterdam men on drug charges.

About 3:45 a.m. on Saturday, officers from the patrol and investigations division were working on a detail concentrating on the downtown business district. Investigator Rich Arpei and Patrol Officer Stephanie Herman observed two suspicious males, later identified as 30-year-old Depree Faulks and 22-year-old Samuel Payano, in a car in a parking lot on Caroline Street.

Police found a silver handgun in the vehicle and arrested the pair. Police seized the loaded 9mm Fratelli Tanfoglio handgun, as well as a large quantity of illegal narcotics in pill form, according to a news release.

The pills tested positive for fentanyl and methamphetamine. Police also seized over $3,500 in cash.

Both Faulks and Payano were charged with felony counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, fourth-degree criminal possession of a narcotic drug-fentanyl and fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance-methamphetamine. Faulks was additionally charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance-intent to sell.

Both suspects were arraigned in Saratoga Springs City Court. Payano was sent to Saratoga County Jail on $50,000 cash bail or $150,000 bond. No bail was set for Faulks as he is currently under the supervision of the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
NORTHFIELD  Rabbi Michael Feshbach joined the Beth Israel Synagogue this month.

While he is still busy unpacking boxes and finding a place for everything in his study, his priority is a connection with members of the congregation and the community.

I have enjoyed a (wonderful) and warm welcome from the Beth Israel community, Feshbach said.

Chosen by a search committee led by Shelly Myers, Feshbach said he learned of the opportunity to lead Beth Israel from a longtime friend, former Beth Israel Rabbi David Weis, who is now rabbi emeritus.

Rabbi Weis and I have a close, collegiate friendship. That is how I learned about the congregation, Feshbach said.

The new rabbi said that while he and Weis are good friends and have much in common they are at the same time very different people.

I understand that change is always a challenge, but with patience and goodwill, we will be successful. I have been so impressed with everyone here, Feshbach said. I am also impressed with attendance at services. The challenge of the pandemic has been felt everywhere. We have the opportunity to look at this as a new beginning. I want Beth Israel to continue to be the vibrant and welcoming community.

The journey to Beth Israel was long. Rabbi Feshbach comes to Northfield from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Built in 1790, St. Thomas Synagogue is the second oldest Jewish house of worship in the Western Hemisphere. Feshbach said he and his family moved there in 2017, and shortly after the area was hit by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

While much has returned, the island is still not 100% recovered, the rabbi lamented.

The tradition of a strong religious education program is exciting to Feshbach.

A strong community has to have a very good foundation, and I look forward to working with our young people. Interfaith work is also of great interest. St. Thomas Reformed Synagogue was involved with other religious congregations, he added.

Most recently, Feshbach and others traveled to Poland to bring aid and supplies to Ukraine.

In April of this year, I felt called to do something more than yell at the TV about Ukraine. I went to Poland along with 28 rabbis. We were able to collect two tons of supplies and $750,000 in donations. Physicians in our community donated supplies along with pharmacies. We did a Zoom call with the Jewish Community Center of Krakow. At that time, they had already taken in 200,000 refugees in their city of only 700,000 residents, Feshbach said.

He told us they were helping their neighbors from Ukraine because they were helpless and because they did not do it 80 years ago. It was really very powerful. It was just one week before Passover, and we felt we needed to do something for these people.

They loaded the supplies into duffle bags to be given to the people who needed them.

I know people have hopes and expectations, and I want to build our community. I want Beth Israel to be a welcome place for all people, a place where everyone is comfortable and everyone knows your name and is a center of community life. I want Beth Israel to be a place where people are accepted as they are and where people are free to change and grow, Feshbach said. I know there is a great diversity of political opinions, and that needs to be respected.

I believe a spiritual community must be involved in moral issues but not in a way that locks us down, but rather in a way that lifts us all up.

The rabbi said he is proud Maryland, where he once lived, was the first state to approve same-sex marriage and that he sees it not as a political issue but as a moral issue

It is important to be a voice on behalf of the LGBTQ community, Feshbach said.

In his first sermon from the bimah, Feshbach said, I believe in a congregation of warmth, and depth and breadth. Warmth, welcoming all as we are, anyone as they come, in all the shapes and permutations of the Jewish family as it is today. Depth, challenges us to grow, to become more than who we are today. And breadth, to be a community in which the values we teach and preach in this place walk with us into the world around us.

The strong sense of connection with the congregation and the community are exciting to Feshbach, 61, and his wife, Julie Novick. Originally from Silver Springs, Maryland, the couple lives in Egg Harbor Township and has three grown children.
ATLANTIC CITY  Surviving day to day is tough for people like Richard Fertig.

Fertig, who lacks access to lifes basic essentials such as food, water and a roof over his head, is one of New Jerseys estimated 9,662 people experiencing homelessness, according to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report.

Fertig, originally from Buena, got married in 2010 and started using drugs with his now ex-wife. His addiction to heroin led to his homelessness, as well as to his nine-year incarceration, starting in 2013, at the Atlantic County jail.

After his release in March, Fertig was back on the street a week later, the exact situation he didnt want to be in after having nine years to think about his predicament and being ready to change his life.

When people look at me, I feel disgusting, Fertig said on a recent intensely hot afternoon as he tried to find relief under the shade of an abandoned building off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Pacific Avenue. He said he feels less than human when the more fortunate see him at what he considers the lowest point of his life.

Fertig, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other mental health issues, said he was a person just like everyone else before his homelessness. He held jobs as a computer programmer, HIV counselor, cook, waiter and even did manual labor before he fell into his current situation.

Jesse James, 30, said, just existing is illegal, referring to how he feels when people look at him now that hes a part of the citys homeless population. James came to Atlantic City with a friend who was using methamphetamines and heroin, slipped up and was kicked out of a sober living facility in Egg Harbor Township just a few weeks ago. If you want to help, thats great. But if you dont like it, just look the other way, he said.

Fertig and James are part of the 1,493 people who identify as chronically homeless, according to data from January 2020 collected by nj211.org, a website about homelessness in New Jersey pre-pandemic. Many officials and homeless advocates agree the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation.

State rental assistance program enrollment closes Monday New Jerseyans who meet income and other requirements and are in need of rental assistance ca

Contributing factors

Theres often not one cause of homelessness. It can be a combination of unemployment, addiction, mental health or medical concerns, said Amanda Leese, senior vice president of re-entry and navigator of Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. You have individuals that if they have a criminal background, it makes it a lot more difficult for them to get employment. You also have a significant portion of the population living at or below the poverty level in Atlantic City.

The poverty rate in Atlantic City is 35.2%, more than triple the national poverty rate of 11.4%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureaus American Community Survey in 2020.

Another factor contributing to homelessness in the resort is the lack of affordable housing  and housing availability in general. Rental rates have increased since last year, as the median rent in Atlantic City is now $2,000 a month, with a more than $400 month-to-month increase from June to July, and an overall year-to-year increase of $760, according to rental data from Zillow.

We really just need a place to stay. Just give us a roof over our head, and well worry about the water and electric later, Fertig said. He said having an address would help him receive mail  a must for job applications and something he said people may not realize when thinking about the challenges homeless people face.

James said an address would also help him recover his identification, birth certificate and other important documents hes lost since being homeless, though he needs money to pay for those replacements. He also echoed Fertigs sentiment that an address would help him get a job.

Atlantic Citys homeless population is difficult to gauge, but homelessness is something the city is always looking to combat, said Atlantic City public information officer Andrew Kramer, noting there are several resources for homeless in the area, including the Atlantic City Rescue Mission, Volunteers of America, the Jewish Federation of Atlantic and Cape May Counties and NJ 211.

For Volunteers of America and their clients, the single biggest issue is the absence of services, transitional housing and affordable housing, said Leese.

Woman in $400K GoFundMe scam gets 1 year in federal case A woman who admitted her role in a scam that raised $400,000 using a fake story about a homeless man has been sentenced in federal court. A New Jersey judge sentenced Katelyn McClure Thursday to a prison term of one year and one day. McClure and her then-boyfriend Mark DAmico fabricated the story that homeless veteran Johnny Bobbitt, Jr., rescued her from the side of a Philadelphia highway in 2017. They publicized their story and more than 14,000 people donated, thinking the money was for Bobbitt. Prosecutors say the pair instead spent the money on luxury items and travel. McClure also pleaded guilty to state charges in 2019 and faces sentencing next month.

So the citys not solely financially responsible for the homeless population in Atlantic City, Leese said. Its the state, the county and municipal government. They need to be working as a collaborative and have a responsibility. It should be recognized that they have pumped some resources into the city to address homelessness.

Volunteers of America has two programs that specifically serve at-risk and homeless people. The Safe Return program, funded by the state Department of Community Affairs, aims to help people incarcerated for more than three years return to society with a job, education and other assistance, and a re-entry navigator program, funded by the state Department of Human Services.

VOA also has an outreach program through which they have partnered with AtlantiCare to meet people with their needs wherever they are.

Theyre out on the street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., five days a week, said Leese, who said meeting people where they are is important, but they cant get to every location.

In 2018, Volunteers of America Atlantic City and Camden connected 2,466 people with services. Of those engagements, 457 resulted in transitional housing services being provided and 365 resulted in mental health or substance abuse treatment.

Dan Sperrazza, senior vice president of government relations for Volunteers of America Delaware Valley, said some homeless reject care, but continuing to keep in their faces about providing them help leads to engagement.

Fertig said hes applied to several programs to help him with assistance, but he always gets sent somewhere else.

Its a never-ending cycle, he said about the programs the area offers. No ones come to talk to us. Were still here, and theyre still getting paid.

South Jersey landlords sought for homeless veterans program WILMINGTON, Del.  The Wilmington branch of the Department of Veterans Affairs is calling on

James said hes had better luck with the programs in the area. He was close to getting help from Jewish Family Service, but it rained the day of his 9 a.m. appointment. With no phone to call JFS or transportation to get to the facility, he had missed that chance to get out of homelessness.

Both men agreed that the lack of assistance, follow through with assistance and a proper system to help the homeless were barriers to helping them get back on their feet.

There should be a place where I can get my ID or my birth certificate that actually follows through with what they say, James said. They need to fund more programs, access to those programs, housing options, increase Section 8 and welfare.

Leese said the different barriers in the system, like needing six points of identification to get a state ID or waiting a month for an out-of-state birth certificate just to start that process, can be frustrating for those who need help now.

Its not that nobodys helping, said Leese, noting Volunteers of America does everything in its power behind the scenes to help the homeless. The frustration just builds from waiting when you need help now. The frustration is with the system.

Whats being done?

Theres a huge effort in trying to combat the homelessness issue in our city, and the city is doing everything it can, said Sgt. Paul Aristizabal, public information officer for the Atlantic City Police Department.

Aristizabal said the department has outreach officers collaborating with Jewish Family Service for a new Atlantic City Community Team. The initiative, funded by a three-year grant by the Department of Justice, links the at-risk and homeless population in the city with resources for rehabilitation facilities, outpatient programs and traveling assistance to help reunite some with friends or family who can help.

New Jersey renters can apply for a shot at state rental vouchers for the first time in 5 years New Jersey residents with very low incomes who need rental assistance can apply online throu

The Atlantic City Rescue Mission has also been helping the citys homeless population for years by providing them with food, shelter and sometimes jobs, whether it be voluntary work to keep them off the streets or paid work.

Jewish Family Service has several options under its Atlantic Homeless Alliance program, including a coordinated assessment to identify needs, reunification with family, friends or a safe return to their out-of-state homes, as well as ID assistance. JFS also has several other programs, including two funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Covenant House in Atlantic City is a homeless and human trafficking sanctuary for adults ages 18 to 24.

Aristizabal said another new program, a joint effort between the ACPD and AtlantiCare, is in the works to assist people in mental health crisis. The program is expected to start in the near future and will connect people with a mental health screener from AtlantiCare, allowing them to privately speak to mental health experts, while also arranging for immediate services, follow-up service or transportation from ACPD to a hospital or AtlantiCare for additional assistance.

Jewish Family Service also has Justice Involved Services, working with the Atlantic County jail and the courts to set up inmates with resources they need upon their release.

There needed to be more compassion and sincerity with providing assistance to homeless, Fertig said.

Were just people stuck in a bad situation. Being mean to us doesnt help, James said. You never know what someones going through, so just be kind.
ATLANTIC CITY  Increasing Black homeownership is critical to the continued growth of the resort and other urban areas around the country, city and national officials say.

The struggle to grow homeownership is one of the citys fatal flaws, said 6th Ward Councilman Jessie Kurtz. The state, which oversees the running of the city, has also identified homeownership as one of the critical issues facing the city.

Thats one of the fundamental issues right now with Atlantic City as to why we suffer from some of the issues we do, Kurtz said.

According to U.S. Census data, Atlantic City has a Black homeownership rate of 31.2%, while Blacks make up 32% of the total population.

A 2018 state report on Atlantic City said increasing homeownership was a key part of the citys continued growth and a way to increase the ratable base.

Increasing home ownership results in an improved condition of properties, increased wealth for residents and increased community engagement, according to the report. It also helps residents avoid displacement as property values rise due to gentrification.

Group targets state NAACP head over Cumberland jail leadership A coalition that has protested the governor over segregation in New Jersey schools is now ta

Increasing Black homeownership was one of the major topics during the recently completed NAACP National Convention held in the city.

Black homeownership has been fading since 2004, before a severe recession pummeled the housing market in 2008. Of the nations homeowners, Blacks are the least likely to own a home, Andre Perry, a senior fellow at Brookings, said during a panel discussion with Black financial consultants and bankers he led at the convention last week.

Biases have also hampered the appraisal process, in some cases leaving Black homeowners shorted on their property values, Perry said.

Perry said during the panel discussion that the decline in Black homeownership is reaching points were it was when segregation was still legal in the United States.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphys administration has prioritized making homeownership in communities of color achievable, eliminating funding diversions in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, said Lisa Ryan, a spokesperson for the state Department of Community Affairs.

Additionally, the state Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, is managing the Affordable Housing Protection Fund, which has a new $305 million investment made possible by the state government, Ryan said. The DCA oversees both funds.

Integration advocates consider filing federal complaint against New Jersey A coalition campaigning against school segregation in New Jersey is now threatening to file 

As part of our mission, DCA is committed to providing more affordable, quality, and sustainable housing for people now and in the future, Ryan said.

While government agencies are working to reverse the downward trend, change is needed in other areas because systemic impediments to Black ownership are nothing new, said Chuck Bishop, who heads Home Lending Diverse Segments at Wells Fargo.

Much of the problem is tied to a lack of Black wealth, the panelists said. Without savings, African Americans disproportionately find themselves not being able to afford down payments for homes.

Wells Fargo has instituted a mortgage plan for a 3% down payment to help lessen the down payment barrier. While it makes down payments more affordable, it also leaves money for the consumer for home repairs or other property management needs.

Perry also cited poor credit scores among African Americans as another contributing factor.

Overall, each agreed that change is needed to how private sector lenders structure their systems to help make homeownership more obtainable for minority groups.

Congressman Clyburn receives NAACP award as Atlantic City convention ends ATLANTIC CITY  The NAACP awarded U.S. House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn its Spingarn Medal to

Weve got to be bold, Bishop said. Weve got to challenge the paradigms that exist. We have to do something very different.

In Atlantic City, programs have become available for down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers that help cover a set percentage. Using grants, these programs equip the buyer with training on home management and budgeting for homeownership, Kurtz said.

DCA also is investing in Atlantic Citys communities, contributing $2 million in Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit funding earlier this year to spur new development and housing opportunities in the citys Chelsea, Midtown and Ducktown neighborhoods, Ryan said.

Kurtz also suggested that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development limit the time someone stays in public housing and then steer them into a program that helps them purchase a home.

There are instances of the public housing units being passed down from generation to generation, Kurtz said, and thats not the purpose of public housing.

Studies have shown that the local economy is better and crime rates are lower in communities with more owner-occupied homes, the panel said.

The NAACP panelists stressed the benefits of wealth accumulation, and getting Black homeownership up again can help future generations avoid poverty and poor living conditions.

I always tell people its never a bad time to be a first-time homebuyer, Bishop said. Rates are rising, I agree, but youre paying a mortgage if youre renting. Its just not your mortgage. Youre paying the landlords mortgage, so its time to pay your own mortgage.

The community, Kurtz said, also should be more open to discussing how beneficial homeownership is for an individuals wealth and equity, providing leverage in other financial assets.

Its an empowering endeavor, Kurtz said.
PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's anti-drug police have arrested a local woman for allegedly possessing and trafficking illicit drugs, confiscating more than 52 kg crystal meth, said an Anti-Drug Police Department (ADP) report released on Sunday.

Chhon Sokha, 41, was arrested in a raid on her rental room in Phnom Penh's Chba Ampov district on Thursday after a thorough investigation.

"A total of 52.6 kg crystal meth was seized from the suspect during the crackdown," the ADP said.

The Southeast Asian country has no death sentence for a drug trafficker. Under its law, a person found guilty of trafficking more than 80 grams of illicit drugs could be imprisoned for life.

According to the ADP, Cambodia nabbed 7,654 drug suspects, including 99 foreigners, during the January-June period of 2022, confiscating 3.12 tons of illicit drugs and 185 tons of drug ingredients. 
ATLANTIC CITY  Despite it being a hot and humid day, excitement was in the air in the city as hundreds packed into Bader Field on Saturday for an all-day party hosted by rapper Cardi B.

I feel like a lot of people in the city wanted to see a big-time rapper come and host an outdoor party like this, said Jayda Williams, 22 of Atlantic City.

Organized by promotional group UIGI Social Club, Cardi B, known for hits such as Up and Bodak Yellow, was joined by her husband, Offset, from the rap group Migos, for the event titled The Cardi Party.

Aside from the two main acts, four DJs  The Doughboy, Nico Oso, DJ Diamond Kutz and DJ Katy Lee  spun tracks throughout the night, and Philadelphia-based emcees Wallo and Gillie Da King guest hosted the event.

Due to the hot weather, multiple ambulances were on sight in case anybody needed medical assistance. The event also featured a variety of food vendors and a bar area.

Gates opened for the event just shortly after 1 p.m., and people began forming a line at the entrance about 12:30 p.m.

Cardi B, Offset to perform at Atlantic City's Bader Field ATLANTIC CITY  Rappers Cardi B and Offset will visit the city for a concert, dubbed The Ca

Lauren Robinson, of Atlantic City, was ecstatic when the city announced that Cardi B was going to be performing in town.

Ive had this event circled on my calendar for a long time, and Im glad that today is the day that its happening, Robinson said. Ive never seen Cardi B in person before, and now shes playing right in my backyard so I really cant wait to get in there and see her.

Atlantic City is no stranger to hosting large outdoor concerts, but most of them have been geared toward rock and country.

Last year, Phish performed a three-day concert on the beach, as they will again next month. Also next month, Live Nation will host the TidalWave Music Festival on Aug. 12 through 14, which will bring in some of country musics biggest stars, including Luke Bryan and Morgan Wallen.

Robinson said she has nothing against those genres but is glad there is something new in town.

Im really not into country and rock, so the big outdoor concert events that have been in the city, I didnt go to, Robinson said. But its kind of nice that the city is doing this because it really goes to show that with the events theyve put on over the last few years, theyve been really trying to cater to everyones interests, and I feel like this event in particular just brings a different vibe to the city.

The concert also garnered interest from people from outside New Jersey.

Ronald Fuller, of Brooklyn, New York, had never visited Atlantic City prior to Saturday, but the opportunity to see one of his favorite artists (Offset) drew him to the resort for the first time.

Ive seen him (Offset) in New York City before, but Ive never had a chance to come to Atlantic City, so I figured that this concert would be the perfect way to finally get down here, Fuller said. Ive heard good things about the city and have definitely enjoyed the time down here so far.

The concert was scheduled to wrap up about 8 p.m., and even long before it ended, Fuller was hoping the city would host a similar event soon.

I would definitely come back to the city for something like this, he said. I hope that all of the other people here tonight have fun as well and make that known to the city so they would consider having an event like this again.

The next outdoor concert in the city will be Aug 5-7, when Phish returns to rock the shore once again.

Contact John OConnor
Perhaps it shouldnt be surprising that President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, after avoiding it for more than two years.

A new subvariant of the virus that causes the illness, called omicron BA.5, accounts for about 80% of COVID cases nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Its the most contagious (variant) yet, said AtlantiCares Gemma Downham, an epidemiologist and corporate director of patient safety, infection prevention, clinical risk management and safety officer. We are anticipating a rather large summer surge.

Daily new case counts have increased in New Jersey this month, from 2,360 on July 1 to 3,836 on Thursday. Nationally, the daily numbers have gone from 152,170 on July 1 to 204,774 on July 20.

AtlantiCare is already seeing a surge in COVID visits to its urgent care centers and emergency rooms, Downham said, and an uptick in hospitalizations.

Its a good time to consider re-masking  particularly when in crowded situations  until the case counts start to come down, said Atlantic County acting Public Health Division Director Kara Janson.

New commanding officer at Cape May Coast Guard base CAPE MAY  Warren Judge first came to Cape May as a Coast Guard recruit on Aug. 19, 1986, st

The current increase is likely due to the combination of a new variant coming in and the population relaxing precautions they were taking earlier in the pandemic, said Nancy Kearney, deputy director of the Office of Communications for the New Jersey Department of Health.

Even those who are current with their vaccines and/or have had previous infections are getting this latest variant, Downham said, but most are protected from severe disease.

We are concerned because it is re-infecting people who already had COVID, even another omicron like BA.1 and BA.2. ... It seems it has enough mutations that it is evading the immune system, Downham said.

There is some good news. Keeping current with vaccinations and/or having previously been infected by COVID protects people from severe disease and hospitalization, Downham said, even though BA.5 replicates quickly and results in a higher viral load than other variants.

Dr. Andrea McCoy, chief medical officer for Cape Regional Health System, said the medical center is not seeing a significant increase in hospitalizations.

We continue to have three to five patients in the hospital at any given time (who test positive), McCoy said. Fewer than half are admitted because of COVID-19, she said.

More often, the COVID-19 infection is identified during admission screening tests in patients being admitted for other reasons, McCoy said.

There has been a slight increase in hospitalizations since May, but that seems to coincide with the increase in population in the county as seasonal residents and visitors return, she said.

Most patients are seen in the Emergency Department and discharged, McCoy said, some after treatment with monoclonal antibody or antiviral medication.

Inpatients are less likely to be severely ill than with the delta or initial omicron surge, McCoy said.

According to the Cape May County Health Department, in mid-July, fewer than 5% of all beds in area hospitals were in use by patients with COVID-19, which is considered low.

Between natural immunity, vaccines and treatment options that were not available during the earlier stages of COVID, it is believed that serious illness will be avoided for most people that are infected and there is no reason to panic, said Cape May County Health Officer Kevin Thomas.

About 92% of Cape May County residents ages 5 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine and nearly 80% are fully vaccinated, Thomas said, citing CDC figures.

In Atlantic County, 86% of those 5 and older have received at least one dose, and 72% are fully vaccinated.

Generally, to be fully vaccinated one should have had the initial vaccine in either one or two shots, according to the manufacturer, and two boosters.

These numbers jump up to 95% and 85%, respectively, when just looking at the adult population, Thomas said.

In Atlantic County, 94% of adults have had at least one shot, and 78% are fully vaccinated.

Its the unvaccinated health officials worry about most.

Group targets state NAACP head over Cumberland jail leadership A coalition that has protested the governor over segregation in New Jersey schools is now ta

We will have a subset of the unvaccinated who will progress to severe disease, Downham said. The data is very clear. Those who are up to date (with vaccines) ... are much less likely to be hospitalized or die.

Its a fallacy that viruses always mutate to become easier to catch and less lethal, Downham said.

Its completely random. Viruses are mutating quickly. Its the luck of the draw which wins, Downham said.

The winner is usually the most transmissible, she said.

There is so much virus and so many mutations, Downham said. Its absolutely possible that one could be more transmissible and a more virulent strain.

She encourages people to keep up with vaccinations, even if they tend to have strong reactions that make them feel ill for a day or two.

You may have another bad reaction, feel bad for a day or two then feel better. That doesnt carry the risk of long COVID, she said of those who have had COVID and whose symptoms continue for months. We are seeing cases with neurological and cardiac effects. Just schedule time off and have Tylenol or Advil available to treat the head and body aches. It is worth it.
A Davenport home was damaged by fire early Saturday.

Davenport Fire Marshal Jim Morris said firefighters were dispatched to 830 Mississippi Ave. at 3:20 a.m. for a report of a structure fire.

Firefighters arrived on the scene to find moderate smoke and fire on the outside of the house that had worked into the attic.

Crews attacked the fire from both the inside and outside. Damage could be seen to the back of the house.

The home is a two-story frame, single-family structure built in 1902, with a total living area of 5,743 square-feet.

All six occupants of the home were out of the house when firefighters arrived. Firefighters rescued two dogs, one lizard and a hamster.

MidAmerican Energy had to remove an overhead power line for the fire departments aerial truck.

The fire was under control in about 90 minutes, but crews remained on the scene for about two hours searching for any hot spots.

The home sustained heavy smoke and fire damage.

No injuries were reported, and the services of the Red Cross were not needed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Morris said.
A Rock Island man recently paroled from the Illinois Department of Corrections has been returned to Scott County to face charges associated with a robbery he is alleged to have committed with three other people outside a Bettendorf convenience store in 2020.

Naytion Owens, 24, is charged with one count of first-degree robbery, a Class B felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of 25 year, 70% of which, or 17  years, must be served before parole can be granted.

Owens also is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony, a class C felony that carries a prison sentence of 10 years, and second-degree theft, a Class D felony that carries a prison sentence of five years. He also is charged with assault while displaying a dangerous weapon, an aggravated misdemeanor that carries a prison sentence of two years.

According to the arrest affidavits, at 1:47 p.m. on Sept. 15, 2020, Owens, along with Ben William Robe Aaronson, Zachary Sisul and Kayla Sibert, also known as Kayla Renee Crabb, conspired to rob a man they planned to meet at the QC Mart parking lot, 2620 Central Ave.

Aaronson was driving a silver Dodge Ram and had his three co-defendants in the pickup. He let Sisul and Owens off in the alley behind the QC Mart and instructed Sisul and Owens to rob the man. Owens was armed with a black handgun.

The victim was standing next to the Dodge Ram talking to Aaronson and Crabb when Sisul and Owens approached.

Owens reportedly struck a man in the back of the head with the butt of a handgun and Owens and Sisul struck the man while he was on the ground. They demanded the mans truck keys and robbed him of $160.

Sisul got in the drivers seat of the victims red truck while Owens is said to have stayed with the victim allegedly telling the man Stay down! Dont move! I swear Ill do it! according to arrest affidavits.

The keys were in the vehicle, and the two men fled the area. Officers tried to stop it on Grant Street as it traveled to the Interstate 74 Bridge, but the pursuit continued into Moline, where the truck crashed near Teske's on 16th Street and the men were caught after a foot chase, police said.

Sisul allegedly admitted he was involved in the robbery but claimed he was only involved because he feared Owens would physically harm him if he did not help him and that two additional suspects were involved, police affidavits said.

At the time of the robbery, Aaronson, now 29, was serving 30 months on probation after pleading guilty to a charge of possession of methamphetamine during a hearing Jan. 30, 2020, in Rock Island County Circuit Court.

At the time Aaronson was captured for the robbery charge by Bettendorf Police on May 16, 2021, he was in possession of more than 5 grams of methamphetamine, and was charged with possession with the intent to deliver more than 5 grams of meth. The charge is a Class B felony that carries a prison sentence of 25 years.

Aaronson pleaded guilty to the meth charge, receiving a 25-year sentence on March 1, 2022, and to charges of conspiracy to commit a forcible felony (concurrent 10-year sentence) and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the robbery (concurrent five-year sentence).

Iowa Department of Corrections electronic records show that Aaronson is being held in the Clarinda Correctional Facility.

In Illinois, Sisul, now 26, was charged with felony aggravated fleeing of police more than 21 mph and misdemeanor resisting an officer.

During a hearing Dec. 10, 2020, in Rock Island County Circuit Court, Sisul pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated fleeing a police officer, a Class 4 felony that carries a possible prison sentence of one to three years, and resisting a peace officer, a Class A misdemeanor that carries a possible jail sentence of up to one year. Sisul also pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of less than 5 grams of methamphetamine, a Class 3 felony that carries a possible prison sentence of two to five years.

For those charges, Sisul was sentenced to two years on conditional discharge.

During a hearing April 29, 2021, in Scott County District Court, Sisul pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit forcible felony, second-degree theft, and eluding in connection to the robbery. He was sentenced to serve three years on supervised probation.

Bettendorf Police arrested Crabb, now 35, on April 21 2021, on charges of first-degree robbery and conspiracy to commit a forcible felony. She pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and on Nov. 4, 2021, was sentenced to three years on probation.

Crabb also is currently serving 30 months on probation out of Rock Island County after pleading guilty to charges of forgery and retail theft.

Owens was charged in Illinois with Class X felony methamphetamine delivery between 15 and 100 grams and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

He pleaded guilty to the drug charge and was sentenced Jan. 12, 2022, to six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

He was released on parole Friday from the Western Illinois Correctional Center. Owens was then taken into custody by Scott County authorities to await trial on the charges connected to the robbery.

Owens was being held in the Scott County Jail on a cash-only bond of $25,000. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for Aug. 2 in district court.
Residents of a Silvis apartment building were displaced after a fire Saturday night.

Police and firefighters were called to 118 10th St. at about 8:15 p.m.

According to historical records, the three-story building was erected in 1905. The building has 12 sleeping rooms, four efficiency apartments, while the third floor has six rooms.

Residents said the fire was set by one of the buildings occupants, but that was not confirmed by Silvis authorities late Saturday.

A news release from the Silvis fire and police departments is expected sometime Sunday.

Authorities did not say Saturday night if anyone was injured, or if anyone has been arrested in connection with the fire.

The American Red Cross of the Quad-Cities and West Central Illinois was called in to help those displaced by the fire. Authorities did not disclose how many people required assistance late Saturday.

Firefighters were on the scene for several hours making sure there were no hot spots that would flame up again.

Fire departments from Moline, East Moline, Hampton, Colona and Carbon Cliff-Barstow Fire Protection District, and Moline Second Responders assisted at the scene.

This is a developing story and will be updated as authorities release more information.
A Davenport historic residency caught on fire because of a rekindling Sunday following another fire at the home early Saturday morning.

The home is located in the 800 Block of Mississippi Ave. The Davenport Fire Department was called in at 9 a.m. Sunday after an improvement contractor was taking pictures of the home to prepare a quote following Saturday's fire damage. The caller, David McCartney of McCartney Improvement Co., said he saw smoke coming out of the home's back windows.

Two trucks and two fire engines responded to the scene.

District Chief Scott Farnsworth said the fire rekindled in the home's wall area, and crews were able to put it out within about five minutes of arriving to the scene.

The homeowners were not present during the Sunday fire. According to a press release, officials reported all six people and four pets were safely evacuated from the house around 3:20 a.m. Saturday morning.

The home sustained visible, moderate exterior damage, but Farnsworth estimates interior damage to the walls, ceilings and interior water damage. He was not certain on the extent of the home's interior smoke damage.
DES MOINES  A little more than three months out from Election Day, the early measurables suggest Kim Reynolds, Iowas Republican governor, is a heavy favorite to earn another four-year term as the states chief executive.

Reynolds has dominated the campaigns fundraising efforts, and early polling suggests she is overwhelmingly the choice of Iowa voters. Four top national elections forecasters all rate Iowas gubernatorial race in their strongest category for a Reynolds win.

Deidre DeJear, the Des Moines businesswoman and the Democratic challenger, has lagged far behind Reynolds in fundraising and polling. DeJear has been attempting to make up that difference on the ground by hosting public campaign events across the state.

With holding a comfortable lead in the polls while running for re-election in a state that has a low opinion of the Democratic President Joe Bidens job performance, Reynolds appears satisfied  at least early in the campaign  to focus her criticism on Biden and Congressional Democrats rather than on her opponent, DeJear.

Reynolds frequently blasts Biden and Democrats in Congress in her media appearances. She rarely mentions DeJear.

With Gov. Reynolds having that lead, she doesnt necessarily have to talk about issues. The challenge for DeJear will be to bring the issues to the governor, said Donna Hoffman, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Certainly Gov. Reynolds can try to nationalize this election because its in her best interest to do that  run against Joe Biden, run against Joe Bidens policy, tie Deidre DeJear to Joe Biden.

Reynolds was chosen by national Republicans to deliver the partys response to Bidens State of the Union address in January.

Reynolds campaign declined to comment for the story.

At a campaign event this past week in Cedar Rapids, DeJear said she is focused on reaching out to Iowans.

I dont necessarily need the governor to engage me. We all know that I am the governors opponent, not President Joe Biden, DeJear said.

And its clear to me more now than anything  especially as consistently that she has mentioned his name  that her perspective or focus is not on Iowa. Her focus is on something else. And we need leadership in the state to focus on us.

Who needs my attention? Iowans. Iowans need my attention. Iowans need the attention of their governor. So if she says my name or not, its not the end of the world. Whats more important is that we connect with the voter.  Thats who Im focused on.

DeJear said she plans to travel to all 99 Iowa counties  a practice made famous by longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley  to reach voters in all corners of the state and to continue to raise money for the campaign.

And DeJear said the early poll results do not concern her. Over the past week, the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Poll  considered by many to be the gold standard in Iowa politics  showed Reynolds with a 17-point lead, and a poll commissioned by Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation showed Reynolds with a 15-point lead.

Rick Stewart, the Libertarian Party candidate for governor, was at 5 percent in the Iowa Poll.

We knew that this was going to be a hard race, DeJear said. But where we are right now is its really about digging deep and working our plans, and well see the fruits of our labor.

Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa political science professor, said there still is time for DeJear to chip away at Reynolds lead because many voters are not yet tuned into the 2022 election campaigns, and because many voters have not yet become familiar enough with DeJear to form an opinion about her.

Having said all that, yeah, a 17-point lead is pretty big, Hagle said.

Hagle and UNIs Hoffman said Reynolds came into the campaign with at least two key foundational advantages  Iowans historically like to vote for their incumbents, regardless of political party; and Bidens low job approval numbers nationally and in Iowa could make it hard for Democratic candidates to win here, especially statewide.

Most national polling aggregators show Bidens average approval rating in the 30s and disapproval rating in the upper 50s.

Even though technically hes not on the ballot, everybody knows that, effectively, (a midterm election) is a report card on how the presidents doing in the first two years of the administration, Hagle said. And for the Biden administration, its not looking too good.

And so thats what allows Republicans to focus their attention perhaps on him and whats going on there, rather than necessarily your opponent.

The general election will be Nov. 8. In Iowa, early voting will start on Oct. 19.

Gazette reporter Marissa Payne contributed to this report.
Passing cars honked their horns as protesters lining the streets of downtown Hamilton cheered familiar chants of my body, my choice and womens rights are human rights, on Saturday afternoon.

Over 100 men and women of all ages, carrying banners and homemade signs, gathered at the corner of First and Main Street for a Reproductive Rights Rally organized by a group of Bitterroot residents concerned about the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling reversing Roe v. Wade and other recent actions rally organizer Kierstin Schmitt, of Corvallis, referred to as the ongoing violation of our rights as women.

The Reproductive Rights Rally is a chance for anyone that is interested in personal privacy, medical rights for women and other genders, Schmitt said in an interview on Friday. "We are very concerned about our rights as U.S. citizens and as Montana residents."

It is completely outrageous that a political party has decided that women no longer have value as human beings and that they are now property of their whims and the Religious Right, said Schmitt. We feel like it is a violation of our human rights to be told what to do with our bodies and with our reproductive organs  organs, tissues and blood that create a child. Our internal organs are the internal workings of a woman's body. They are not the property of anyone else. And the fact that the Montana Republican Party has decided that that's not true, and that they have more control over body parts is absolutely ridiculous, she said.

The protest comes only a week after Montana Republicans voted to amend their party platform adding language saying the party supports a complete ban on elective abortion. The provision does not include exceptions in the case of rape or incest.

Currently, a womans right to an abortion is protected in Montana under the state Constitutions privacy provisions. However, the 1999 ruling that upholds that right to access a pre-viability abortion is being challenged in court by the states Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen. Montana Republicans also passed three bills limiting abortion access during the 2021 legislative session that are currently under legal challenge.

Women are being punished for having the ability, the physical ability to have a child  meaning that women are being criminalized for having a uterus and having the capacity to create a child, and that is not something that anyone should take lightly, Schmitt said. We are not criminals, we are human beings, and we deserve all the rights and respect that everyone else receives. We recognize that there are Indigenous women, there are women of color, there are people of color that have dealt with a lack of access to health care and reproductive services, and we recognize that we are all in this together and that we all have to work together to stop this nonsense.

We want people to take away that they have a voice," Schmitt continued. "They have a right, they have the power to address our state's local and national legislators directly and let them know that this is not okay. We will not go back to the days when women were dying in the course of either having a planned pregnancy or an unplanned pregnancy.

"And the other part of it is this is more than about just getting pregnant. There are measures being pursued, to take away women's rights to birth control. And my question is, where are the men in this scenario? Where's their responsibility? Why are women being forced to have the full burden of birth control upon themselves? Why are men not being held responsible for the women that they impregnate?

Carol Hackney, 70, who attended the rally Saturday was an OB nurse in Grangeville, Idaho during the mid-70s and told of young teens travelling to access care in what she called the before times.

Thirteen- and 14-year-olds getting pregnant, delivering at 13 and 14 at Serena General Hospital Grangeville, Idaho, from Oak City, Grangeville, Cottonwood  no choices, Hackney said. Those are little rural towns and social services were hard to get into. There was one place in town and the town gossip lived across the street.

When I worked at St. Al's in Boise  St. Alphonsus  that's where the rape victims came in, she said. "They wound up on my floor because they would have broken bones. And they were 20 to 80 (years old). So that was about violence."

Hackney said she never thought she would ever be out protesting.

That's my first protest, she said. Things have just gone so radical. I used to vote Republican.

Were second class citizens, and it's too far gone," Hackney continued. "I actually have friends who have left the country. They had the option because they have dual citizenship. One in Canada, one in Germany, both nurses left in the last two years, since Trump. I think that's the important thing. Really, because not everybody's had the opportunity to see you know, coat-hanger abortions in real life."

The Hamilton rally also drew about 10 counter-protesters from throughout the valley. A local conservative group called Stand Together For Freedom sent out an email on Friday encouraging people to show up and bring signs.

Ed and Jackie Brickey, of Darby, said they attended the rally Saturday to give support for the unborn.

Were here just to give support for the unborn who can't speak for themselves, Ed Brickey said. You know, there's an easy question we can all ask ourselves on this topic. And that is, what is the purpose of the womb?"

We're just here to support the unborn, Jackie Brickey said. We love life, we have kids, grandkids, and we don't want contentious interactions with people. We just want to be here for the unborn, no fights with anybody. There was a great young man that I visited with on the other side and that's the way it should be. We should all get along even if we disagree  it's America.
The Montana State University-Western Agricultural Research Center (WARC) in Corvallis is hosting its annual Field Day on Thursday, July 28.

The public is invited to join WARC staff and other community members for a free dinner and farm tour with speakers sharing their knowledge and experience. Speakers will include the centers three professors, two of which arrived this year, and several agricultural researchers and educators from across the state.

"Were excited to share what weve discovered in the last few years and the new projects were starting," said Zach Miller, professor and superintendent of WARC.

Established 108 years ago, WARC is the primary site for horticultural research in the state. Their work addresses the needs of commercial and home growers of fruits.

A strong program of applied research and producer education is needed to support these farmers and facilitate the growth of the specialty crop industry. WARC work focuses on higher-value crops that can be grown profitably on smaller acreages. These specialty crops can provide higher value per acre than typical farm crops like grain and hay. Farms that can add value to their crops through processing into juices, jams, wines, or cider can realize even higher sales per acre. However, starting a farm, especially an orchard or vineyard, requires a large investment. In addition, perennial crops will not produce much of a crop for the first few years, so theres a slow return on that investment.

To ensure success and a return on this investment, growers need to know that what theyre planting will be productive and profitable. They need to know what will grow well and how to grow it successfully and they need research thats specific to the conditions in Montana. The Ag Center helps these growers identify which types of specialty crops can thrive in Montanas varied climates and how to manage these crops and their pests successfully. The Western Ag. Research Center partners with MSU-Extension faculty and professors from MSU and across the country to find solutions and share them with growers across the region.

The MSU Western Agriculture Research Center is part of the Montana State University Agricultural Experiment Station network. Established in 1893 by the state legislature to conduct and promote studies, scientific investigations and experiments relating to agriculture, natural resources, and rural life, and to diffuse information thereby acquired among the people of Montana."

The MSU Research Centers provide research-based and unbiased assistance to farmers and ranchers so that they can have more productive and profitable farms. Each Center focuses on regional agricultural issues. While the Bitterroot Valley had unique agricultural opportunities, the MSU-Western Ag. Research Center works with fruit and vegetable crops, weed management strategies and trials are finding a ready audience across the state.

Sponsors of the WARC Field Day this year include Northwest Farm Credit Services, Valley Irrigation, Don's Home Center, CHS-Mountain West and Lakeland Feed.

Enjoy the Western Agricultural Research Center Field Day from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, at 580 Quast Lane in Corvallis. RSVP, if possible, by emailing Kierstin.schmitt@montana.edu.
Growing up in Varina in the 1940s and 50s, Howard Eberly played on his familys farm, swam in the creek and found treasures on the land. Turns out, some of those treasures are significant historic artifacts.

The Eberly family moved from Pennsylvania to Henrico County in the 1880s and established Four Mile Creek Farm in Varina. Howard Eberly, 79, is a fourth-generation owner of the land and lives in the family home off Route 5.

Before no-till farming became the norm, Eberlys family used to plow the ground before planting crops. Eberly said he remembers going outside after the rain fell on the plowed soil and finding such things as arrowheads and bullets.

His family knew the land had been a battlefield, but he didnt know much about the history.

Eberly later befriended a state archaeologist and historians who taught him some of the history of the land where his familys farm sits.

Four Mile Creek Farm is a core part of the New Market Heights Battlefield and the scene of the battle on Sept. 29, 1864, when the U.S. Colored Troops broke through Confederate defenses for their greatest victory of the Civil War. The battle directly led to the fall of Petersburg, and then Richmond. The National Park Service has deemed the property among the highest priorities for preservation.

In just over an hour into the battle, approximately 800 men died. Fourteen African American soldiers received the Medal of Honor, which is significant given that in American military history, only 16 Army Medals of Honor were awarded to Black troops during the entirety of the Civil War.

When I think of the waste of men and resources of the war, it breaks my heart, Eberly said. A lot of great people were lost. I think we owe them to be remembered.

Thats why Eberly decided to donate 28 acres to the Capital Region Land Conservancy to ensure that the land will be preserved forever.

I feel very at peace with myself knowing whats going to happen to the land, Eberly said. I think my family would believe Im doing the right thing.

The Four Mile Creek area has a number of archaeological sites that show it was an important early settlement for Native peoples.

The 28-acre tract that Eberly donated to the CRLC is one of two that make up Eberlys 73-acre farm. A second 45-acre tract, owned by Eberly and his sister, will be transferred to the land trust at a future date. The agreement with CRLC ensures that the property will be protected while Eberly continues to live on the farm. CRLC has also committed to keep the Eberly name associated with the land and to open the site for future public access.

The New Market Heights Battlefield is an important historical and cultural site in our Commonwealth, where brave U.S. Colored Troops heroically fought back against the Confederacy, said Rep. Don McEachin, D-4th, in a statement. I applaud the Eberly family for its generosity in donating the Four Mile Creek Farm to the Capital Region Land Conservancy, and I am confident CRLC will effectively care for and preserve the history of the property and the Varina area. We must continue working to share the USCTs untold history of heroism and leadership during the Civil War.

When Eberly met Parker C. Agelasto, executive director of the CRLC, he said he was shocked to learn that his farm was ranked within the top 10% of all land in Virginia to protect in numerous categories.

You could have knocked me over with a feather, he said.

The Varina District is the last undeveloped part of Henrico, and many who live there want it to stay that way despite pushes from developers.

Eberly said that when he was growing up in the 50s, he knew every single car he saw driving down the road. Depending on the time of day, he knew where they were going, too.

People move out here, buy a lot, build a home, and then start screaming about overdevelopment, Eberly said. Thats been going on since the 50s.

A swath of land just down the road from Four Mile Creek Farm was set to become The Ridings at Warner Farm, a subdivision of 770 homes that would have been built on nearly 420 acres. Residents worried about the potential impact on the Camp Holly Springs aquifer and the New Market Heights battlefield.

Eventually, developers pulled out of the project that had been planned for decades.

Eberlys donation of his land to the CLRC ensures that it will remain intact as an important historic site as well as a significant environmental site.

The land is home to animals including deer, groundhogs and beavers. Ongoing studies show that birds migrating from South America to Canada make a pit stop at the farm, Agelasto said.

Eberly joked that the birds treat his house like a Motel 6.

A graduate of Varina High School, Eberly said hes still friends with some of the 70 in his graduating class. Varina is a tight-knit community.

This has been our peaceful corner of the world for four generations, Eberly said. I cant think of a place Id rather live.
World Youth Development Forum highlights youth employment, entrepreneurship

Xinhua) 21:21, July 23, 2022

The World Youth Development Forum is held in Beijing, capital of China, July 21, 2022. The forum commenced here on Thursday. (Xinhua/Jin Liangkuai)

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Youth Development Forum had discussions about youth employment and entrepreneurship in Beijing Friday, with over 10 guests from China and abroad and nearly 300 youth representatives attending online or offline, according to the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League of China.

Guests from international organizations, enterprises, colleges and universities delivered keynote speeches about concrete measures to support youth employment and entrepreneurship in different regions and fields.

Yu Jiadong, vice minister of human resources and social security, called for global cooperation in tackling problems of youth employment and encouraged all parties to solve the problems.

The forum was held online and offline from July 21 to 23, with nearly 2,000 youth representatives from over 100 countries attending the conference, according to the event organizer.

Initiated by the All-China Youth Federation, the forum has seen attendees discussing topics such as employment and entrepreneurship, climate change and green development, digital economy, and high-quality education.

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
PHNOM PENH, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Ministry of Health on Sunday issued preventive measures against monkeypox transmission, a day after Thailand's first monkeypox fugitive was found in capital Phnom Penh.

Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, a 27-year-old Nigerian man who was diagnosed with monkeypox and fled from Thailand to Cambodia, was caught by Cambodian authorities at a guesthouse in the capital's Chamkarmon district on Saturday evening.

The patient was soon sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital for medical treatment.

In a statement, the health ministry appealed to individuals who have been in direct contact with the Nigerian monkeypox carrier to be isolated from their family members and seek medical aid.

Health Minister Mam Bunheng advised all hospitals and health centers across the Southeast Asian country to closely monitor the situation and report immediately if any suspected cases of monkeypox are detected.

He also urged authorities at all international ports of entry to check all inbound passengers from countries where cases have been detected, and report to health authorities if any passengers are found to have itchy rashes.

The World Health Organization declared on Saturday that the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak outside of the traditional endemic areas in Africa has already turned into a public health emergency of international concern. 
Lynchburg firefighters Andrew Jenks and Jalani Brooks were 23 hours into a 24-hour shift in the city on July 13 when they received a phone call that would soon send them on the path to Buchanan County just an hour later.

We get off at 7:30 [a.m.], Jenks said in an interview, so we were notified about 6:30 [a.m.] about what was going on and we actually left the station about 7:35 that morning.

Jenks and Brooks are two of the 12 members of the Lynchburg Fire Special Operations team that was deployed from Lynchburg to Buchanan to respond to flooding on the Dismal River on July 13.

The team spent two days in Grundy performing searches and assessments of the area that was inundated with rain beginning the night of July 12.

At one point, the flooding left 44 people unaccounted for. Crews later confirmed no fatalities, and everyone was safely accounted for by noon on July 14.

Brooks said this was one of his first deployments with the team and he wasnt sure what to expect when they got the call.

You know we train and stuff for these scenarios, but it was very humbling when we got down there seeing the devastation and how grateful people still are, and how nice they were, like welcoming, after all they had already been through in the previous 24 hours, Brooks said.

Upon arrival, Brooks said the team reported to a staging area, where they stayed for roughly two hours. After that, they were assigned to the Pilgrim Knob neighborhood, where they searched houses and assessed damage.

They split the area with the Bristol Fire Department, according to Jenks, who said they were going door-to-door making sure people were accounted for.

They hadnt seen this before, but they were very proud people. Most of them were just staying where they were if they could. Most of them didnt have power, most didnt have water because of the flooded area, but they were ready to stay there and just get cleaned up, Jenks said.

They were very appreciative to see us. But they were trying to take care of their own as well.

Jenks said the first day was mainly a primary search because the water was still too high. He said the team could see vehicles in the Dismal River as the water levels started to recede, which allowed them to tag cars with GPS trackers to come back and check later.

The team was out running its primary search from just about the time it got there until sundown that night, according to Jenks.

The second day, the waters went down even more, Jenks said, and thats when we were actually on the creek banks and in the river, in boats going from the cars we saw the day before and searching those, as well as the river banks.

Brooks said the team covered a 13-mile stretch along the river on the second day before finishing up for the day at around 4 p.m. on July 14.

While it was one of Brooks first deployments, Jenks was a part of the team that was deployed to Hurley in September 2021 in response to similar flooding.

And those people, everything that they had was washed away or destroyed or ruined. And they were still so appreciative and, Ive lost everything, but Im going to build a fire and make some coffee. ... Thats the business were in, and thats what we love doing.

The team joined in as a part of the state asset team with several other local fire departments, including Bedford County, Roanoke City and County, Bristol City and the Blacksburg search and rescue team, among others.

While the team searched and located several vehicles, fortunately no victims were found by the team in the flooding, and the team returned safely on the night of the 14th.

According to a post on the Buchanan Sheriffs Office Facebook page, the damage assessments showed 30 homes were destroyed, 31 homes suffered major damage, and 69 homes either had minor damage or were affected by the flooding.

Brooks was reminded of the power of Mother Nature on his first big deployment with the team, saying there were cars that we were tracking ... and a couple of cars ended up getting washed two or three miles down the river from where we were tracking them.

Jenks has similar memories of their time spent on the mission, saying, It was crazy to see vehicles going down the river and houses just moved. Its like, Well, that used to be a house and theres nothing even there now. Just complete and utter devastation.
Art collecting began as an adventure in giving for two of Roanokes best-known philanthropists. But as years passed, Heywood and Cynthia Fralins own trove was growing.

The pair, noted for the 19th- and early 20th-century American art they own, are sharing more than 90 pieces with the public through a Taubman Museum of Art exhibit called Treasures of American Art: The Cynthia & Heywood Fralin Collection.

Showing at the Taubman through Sept. 4, it features 64 American artists works from 1861 to 1975. The Fralins formed the collection over more than a quarter-century, and its the first time all the works will be on view together.

It truly began one purchase at a time and has included funny and unexpected moments along the way, the Fralins wrote in an essay from the exhibition catalog.

Early in their journey, they almost missed out on a Robert Henri painting at a Christies auction because they were arguing over who would hold up the paddle during the auction.

We were very excited about it, but we almost missed it because neither one of us could get the paddle to bid on it. It was about to be closed, and we finally reached the paddle and raised it; lo and behold, we got it, Heywood recalled in a July 12 interview.

Buying to give

The couples first purchases were actually for others rather than for themselves. When Heywoods brother, Horace, died in 1993, the Fralins arranged the purchase of four American art pieces for his widow, Ann. Later, Ann Fralin gave the couple one of them: The Mary Powell at Newburgh by Gifford Beal, which can be found in the exhibition.

The first time the Fralins bought a painting for themselves was in 1995. It was a scene from 1916 by William Wallace Gilchrist Jr., who painted his family having breakfast.

I have a record of every one of them, except for that one because it was the first one, and I didnt know I was going to buy anymore, Heywood said.

In 2012, the couple donated a collection of American art to the University of Virginia, his alma mater. The schools rector and board of visitors renamed the museum after them in honor of the gift.

The pairs love for American art, their relationships and their experiences fostered their adventure in collecting. Another key influence: Debra Force, an American art expert.

Force, who has appeared frequently on PBS Antiques Roadshow and owns a gallery on New Yorks Upper East Side, specializes in works from the 18th to the 20th centuries. She has almost four decades of experience in the art world and has been the Fralins trusted right hand almost from the start of their collecting days.

The couple have benefited from her expertise and advice for over 20 years.

Debra is a very knowledgeable individual, Heywood said. I realized that very quickly after we had met.

People and places

The exhibition is broken down into six categories.

The Portrait, which touches on such issues as celebrity and intimacy, includes Francoise Wearing a Big White Hat by Mary Stevenson Cassatt, the only American painter to participate in earlier exhibitions of French impressionists, as noted by the collections curator, Karl Willers.

The Countryside focuses on rural landscapes and such marvels as Old Mill, Marlborough on the Hudson by George Inness, which possibly showcases one of the oldest Jewish settlements in America



Gomez Mill House.

The Frontier contains pieces from artists like Thomas Hart Benton, a pioneer of American regionalism, a school of painting that explored images of American Indian figures and the American heartland.

The Interior provides intimate and intricate glimpses into the world of labor and leisure. A notable piece in this category is The Noble Experiment by George Luks, a gigantic painting portraying a mix of social classes in a bar in the 1920s at the peak of the Prohibition era.

The Coast shows beautiful paintings depicting New England coastal areas and beaches. This category features works from N.C. Wyeth  illustrator of Robinson Crusoe and more  his son Andrew and grandson Jamie, the only living artist of this collection.

The sixth category is The City, displaying representations of city life  both bustling traffic and peaceful parks.

Georgia OKeeffe, Fairfield Porter and Grandma Moses are other great names in the exhibition.

In an essay from the exhibition catalog, Taubman executive director Cindy Petersen wrote that the collection mirrors examples of groundbreaking moments in American art: impressionism of the late 19th century; figurative realism by a group of artists known as The Eight (also known as the Ashcan school) that arose in the early 20th century; and various illustrative styles and regionalist schools of art active in the United States from the late 19th century up to 1950 and beyond.
Virginias public school system was born 152 years ago this month.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly that there shall be established and maintained in this state a uniform system of public schools, reads the act approved on July 11, 1870. The public free school system shall be administered by the following authorities, to wit: a Board of Education, a Superintendent of Public Instruction, county superintendents of schools, and district school trustees.

The occasion provides an opportunity to revisit the story of Virginias first superintendent of public instruction, William Henry Ruffner, who also was the architect of the public school system. The act passed by the General Assembly in 1870 was based on his proposals.

Ruffner (1824-1908) has been called the Horace Mann of the South, a reference to the Massachusetts lawyer and legislator who was our young nations first major advocate for public education. (It should be noted that he is not the only historical figure from the American South to bear that label. The Horace Mann of Virginia is perhaps more appropriate, and just about impossible to dispute.)

Ruffner was a Lexington native, pastor and educator whose life story intersects with Washington and Lee University, Virginia Tech, Longwood University and Roanoke College. He fiercely campaigned for the maintenance and survival of free public schools, against critics who saw them as an unnecessary burden on the states finances.

A Union supporter who nonetheless served in the home guard when Virginia seceded to become part of the Confederacy, Ruffner wasnt an example of enlightened thinking on the defining issue of his age: the ownership of enslaved persons.

A slave owner himself, he contended that the institution needed to come to an end, but for economic reasons, not moral ones. Ruffner unfortunately was a believer in the innate superiority of the white race and a proponent of colonization  a school of thought that believed free African Americans should emigrate to Africa rather than remain in the country.

A flawed champion of equal education

Unlike many of his white contemporaries, Ruffner believed free and enslaved Black Americans should be educated. He ran Sunday schools for African Americans in pre-Civil War Virginia. This practice was at odds with the establishment, though he stated he only was providing oral instruction (state law forbade the teaching of reading to enslaved people).

His views might have been influenced by his father, Henry Ruffner, who once was president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee) but resigned after stirring controversy by authoring a paper advocating for the gradual emancipation of slaves in western Virginia.

The public school system William Ruffner designed was segregated by race, causing African American members of the General Assembly to vote against it in protest. Ruffner argued tensions would run too high if schools were integrated, though he believed that someday, there would be no prejudice between the races.

Though separate but equal ultimately proved a failure in practice, Ruffner at least had a goal of equal education for white and Black students, and he founded separate summer institutes for training white and Black teachers.

Ruffner was a tireless advocate for free public school, constantly defending it against critics who considered it a waste of state money, and who disapproved of educating Black students. Though the General Assembly replaced Ruffner in 1882, the institution he created endured and evolved.

After a brief stint teaching at Roanoke College, Ruffner ended his career as principal of the State Female Normal School in Farmville, a teacher training school for white women created in 1884. Ruffner long had called for the establishment of such a school, though the legislature first thwarted these ambitions. This Farmville school eventually became Longwood University.

Here is a historical figure with personal flaws and wrongheaded views whose legacy nonetheless persists with every school bus ride and raised hand in a grade school classroom. The fruits of his vision continue to benefit the commonwealths people long after his death.

Is Ruffners story divisive?

In 2022, Virginias superintendent of public instruction post is occupied by Jillian Balow, an import from Wyoming by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Her main qualification appears to be a worldview compatible with Youngkins pledge to end the teaching of divisive concepts. In practice, this appears to seek to muzzle any discussion of race and discrimination, past and present, in Virginia classrooms.

The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to promoting educational excellence, has positions that align with Youngkins, such as advocacy for charter schools. The institute published a report titled, The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021.

The introduction begins, Is America a racist country? Or the greatest nation on earth? Or both or neither or some of each? For the sake of our childrens education ... we need a more thoughtful and balanced starting point for the whole conversation  one that leaves space for nuance, mutual understanding, and hope for the future.

Nothing to argue with there. The nonpartisan report went on to evaluate K-12 standards for history and civics in every state. Virginia received a grade of B-plus, essentially amounting to good but needs improvement in a few specific areas.

Wyoming, where Balow had served as Superintendent of Public Instruction since 2014, received an F grade. The states civics and U.S. History standards are inadequate, failing to offer even a basic outline of essential content, the report reads.

We hope this is not an omen. It would be a travesty to see Virginias standards of education downgraded to appease ideological dogma, whether those views come from right or left.

One cant help but wonder: What would be considered acceptable should a teacher choose to share the multifaceted history of William Henry Ruffner in the classroom? Would students be allowed to consider the whole person?
Growing up in Roanoke, Junior Word spent weekends with his dad and his granddad fixing up the family cars  tinkering with his uncles 1984 Chevy pickup or his dads old Dodge.

Whenever a new part was needed for a repair, there was only one place to go: They all shopped at Advance, Word said.

They would talk biblically about going into those stores, and buying everything from tires to washing machines to parts.

The Roanoke-founded Advance Auto Parts chain  which sprouted up with three local stores when it was started nine decades ago and now spans over 4,600 stores nationwide  loomed large for not only the Word family but for the entire region, where long-timers still referred it to as Advance Stores, a throwback to its early days as a more generalized department store, where shoppers could get housewares and find the towns biggest displays of childrens toys each holiday season.

For Word, that time with his dad and his granddad would spark a lifelong love of cars and a career that brought him to Advance Auto as a local store manager some 20 years ago and allowed him to work his way up to a division president of the Fortune 500 company today.

And it all started right here in the valley, he said, with families coming together to keep a car running and weekend trips to the nearest Advance Auto to grab a part.

Driving over here, I was actually pretty emotional because these people and these stores just meant so much to me, personally, and to my family and friends, Word said earlier this month when Advance Auto gathered its local employees together to celebrate the companys 90th anniversary.

These stores have meant a ton to the community, he said. ... Its just phenomenal to think of that story, and the history of Advance Auto Parts and our community in Roanoke.

Founded in 1932 when Arthur Taubman, a self-made businessman, bought a trio of struggling stores operating in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Advance Auto Parts grew into an economic powerhouse, hitting a streak in the 1980s and 1990s, under the leadership of Taubmans son Nick Taubman, when it was doubling its size every three years as it built new stores in new markets.

That prosperity, which led to Advance Auto becoming publicly traded in 2001, mirrored that of the valley, their fortunes seeming to rise together, said corporate representatives.

Noel C. Taylor, Roanokes mayor throughout the 1980s, once likened Advance Auto to a Roanoke icon on par with what the Golden Gate Bridge symbolized in San Francisco or the Kentucky Derby meant to Louisville.

Today, the company no longer calls Roanoke its corporate home base, as it shifted its headquarters designation to Raleigh in 2018, lured there by a $12 million incentive package and a labor pool in North Carolinas Research Triangle that was deemed a better fit for the IT and software development initiatives the chain had on its horizon.

No jobs in Roanoke were cut or moved in the shift. There continue to be about 1,000 Advance Auto staffers in the valley, officials said, across corporate positions, operations at its distribution center on Blue Hills Drive and jobs in customer service and sales.

The company remains one of the top 20 employers in the region, according to 2020 state data. Advance Auto leaders said the valley is still considered a key part of the companys operations and its future.

This will always be the home of Advance Auto Parts, said Joey Blackburn, a vice president and also a valley native. It means a lot to me. It means a lot to everyone here.

On July 13, the company hosted a celebration of its anniversary outside one of its local storefronts, a site on Thirteenth Street that is the successor to one of Advance Autos first flagship outlets. The original store debuted in downtown, then moved near Ninth Street as its need for space grew, before expanding again into its current, larger footprint.

The festivities, which included remarks from city administrators, also served as an employee appreciation event with staffers invited to enjoy food trucks, music and a display of classic cars.

The auto parts chain, which serves both professional mechanics and do-it-yourself customers, emerged from the height of the pandemic with strong financial reports fueled by a boost in sales as drivers filled their hours at home with learning new skills  including car repair.

They had time to stay at home, watch YouTube and learn how to work on their vehicles, Blackburn said. Or they could come in, visit with some of our service team members and ask questions and talk about how to repair their vehicles.

The company reported a record 10.7% growth in comparable sales in its 2021 annual report. Its stock was trading at about $185 per share on the day of its anniversary event.

Over the coming weeks, it will be offering a variety of special promotions tied to its 90th anniversary, including online and in-store sales as well as a social media contest underway this month encouraging customers to share the most memorable drives of their lives.

In Roanoke, it also presented the police and fire departments with gift cards totaling $5,000 that first responders will be using in their community outreach programs. The police department plans to give its gift cards to its patrol officers, who will be able to give the $25 cards to drivers with busted tail lights or other small car problems.

The chance to help citizens fix a problem, rather than writing them with a ticket, is a chance to build a stronger, more closely connected community, officials said. This is the first year the police department and Advance Auto have tried the partnership.

During the anniversary celebration, Assistant City Manager Brent Robinson reflected on the impact that Advance Auto has had on the regions economy and quality of life over the past nine decades.

If you look at the jobs and the revenue theyve brought to this valley, its enhanced us all over the years, he said. ... The city of Roanoke really appreciates what youve done, and we hope for many more years of success.
Barring a late intervention from someone who wants to make their own go at the cork, the New River Valley is set to lose one of its more recognizable wine makers.

Whitebarrel Winery announced its plans to close earlier this month, a move that will begin with the shuttering of its tasting room and dining operations on Sunday. The business will remain open for a short time afterward only for customers stopping by to buy bottlesmarked at 50% offand until its wine inventory runs out, said owner Richard Obiso.

Whitebarrel, including its vineyard, is located at 4025 Childress Road in Montgomery County in a rural area west of the Riner.

One of the chief reasons Obiso gave for the decision is perhaps an obvious one, given the climate of the past two years.

We never recovered from COVID is the first thing. Its probably the main thing, he said.

While perhaps the most recognizable, Whitebarrel is one of several ventures Obiso has had to abandon over the past few years.

Obiso has also run into some issues with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over work involving a company that he said he started in 2018 to do hemp extraction.

Whitebarrels main location on Childress Road closed for almost a year shortly after the pandemic started due to challenges created by the state-imposed restrictions at the time, Obiso said. The business tried to continue operating under the restrictions, but ran into hurdles, he said.

We had a lot of issues keeping employees, and we had a lot of issues keeping customers happy, said Obiso, who clarified that customers could still pick up wine but that the tasting room had to be closed for about a year. When we re-opened [in February of 2021], we kind of knew the business would never be the same.

Among other unsuccessful moves over the past year was an attempt last month to sell the business through an auction, Obiso said.

So, now were literally closing everything, he said.

An auction for the 10-acre Whitebarrel property  including the vineyard and buildings  is slated to take place at noon Monday at the winery location, said Obiso. A winery could continue there if the buyer chooses to do so, he said.

We would love for someone to do that, he said.

There will be another auction at 1 p.m. the same day for items such as the winemaking and restaurant equipment, Obiso said.

Obiso said he officially launched the winery during the fall of 2007, but that the business initially operated under different names. He said the first vintage came in 2009, when they produced just 200 cases for that entire year.

Whitebarrel also opened a wine bar in downtown Blacksburg during the fall of 2017, but Obiso said they closed the venue in early 2020 a few months before COVID-19 became a major problem nationally and regionally.

Regarding the recent troubles with the FDA, Obiso declined to comment at length on the matter due to what he said was a confidentiality agreement reached with Texas-based Phoenix Biotechnology Inc., which he added had hired his company Avila Herbals to work on an oleander-based product.

The FDA had in December of 2020 sent and addressed a warning letter to the acting CEO of Phoenix Biotechnology and Obisos wife, who was listed in the correspondence as the CEO of Avila Herbals.

The FDA in the letter referenced its review of several websites and social media accounts affiliated with the two companies where an Oleander 4X was promoted. One of the points observed on Avila Herbals myoleander.com site was the offering of the Oleander 4X product. The federal agency said the product was labeled to contain oleander and said to be for sale in the United States and  intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure COVID-19 and other conditions in people.

Based on our review, Oleander 4X is an unapproved new drug sold in violation of [a section] of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, reads a portion of the FDA letter. The introduction or delivery for introduction of this product into interstate commerce is prohibited under  the FD&C Act.

The FDA described the product as especially concerning from a public health perspective due to its claims of being able to treat serious and life-threatening conditions such as COVID-19.

After addressing the trajectory of the virus and the pandemic in 2020, the FDA said it was taking urgent measures to protect consumers from certain products that, without approval or authorization by the agency, claim to be able to deal with COVID-19.

As described below, you sell a product that is intended to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose or cure COVID-19 and other conditions in people, the FDA wrote. We request that you take immediate action to cease the sale of this unapproved new drug.

The agency addressed another letter to Obiso this past February, in which it informed him of objectionable conditions observed during an inspection conducted at his clinical site from July 12 to July 26 of 2021. The letter said an investigator representing the FDA reviewed the role of Avila Herbals as the sponsor of a clinical investigation of a new investigational drug  although the drug is not named due to the use of a Freedom of Information Act exemption.

The FDA said, based on its review of several documents, it appeared Avila Herbals didnt adhere to the applicable federal statutory requirements and regulations governing the conduct of clinical investigations and the protection of human subjects.

Obiso said Avila Herbals closed a few months ago. Although he didnt discuss the FDA matter, he said there were several factors that hampered the company.

Obiso, referring to the companys initial foray in hemp extraction, spoke about how that market had become increasingly saturated. He said they tried to move into THC  the main compound behind marijuanas psychotropic effect  but the shift within state government hampered cannabis in Virginia for a while.

Obiso owns another firm, Avila Scientific, that he said he had to put on pause also because of the travel restrictions imposed earlier in the pandemic. That company, which began in 2006, has worked as a Department of Defense consultant focusing on bio-threat reduction and has led research in a number of countries around the world, he said.
Art collecting began as an adventure in giving for two of Roanokes best-known philanthropists. But as years passed, Heywood and Cynthia Fralins own trove was growing.

The pair, noted for the 19th- and early 20th-century American art they own, are sharing more than 90 pieces with the public through a Taubman Museum of Art exhibit called Treasures of American Art: The Cynthia & Heywood Fralin Collection.

It has been on exhibit at the Taubman since May 13 and features 64 American artists works from 1861 to 1975. The Fralins formed the collection over more than a quarter century, and it is the first time that all of the works will be on view together.

It truly began one purchase at a time and has included funny and unexpected moments along the way, The Fralins wrote in an essay from the exhibition catalog.

Early in their journey, they almost missed out on a Robert Henri painting at a Christies auction because they were arguing over who would hold up the paddle during the auction.

We were very excited about it, but we almost missed it because neither one of us could get the paddle to bid on it. It was about to be closed, and we finally reached the paddle and raised it; lo and behold, we got it, Heywood Fralin recalled in a July 12 interview.

Buying to giveThe couples first purchases were actually for others rather than for themselves. When Heywood Fralins brother, Horace, died in 1993, Heywood and Cynthia Fralin arranged the purchase of four American art pieces for his widow, Ann. Later, Ann Fralin gave the couple one of them: The Mary Powell at Newburgh by Gifford Beal, which can be found in the exhibition.

The first time the Fralins bought a painting for themselves was in 1995. It was a scene from 1916 by William Wallace Gilchrist Jr., who painted his family having breakfast.

I have a record of every one of them, except for that one because it was the first one, and I didnt know I was going to buy anymore, Heywood Fralin said.

In 2012, the couple donated a collection of American art to the University of Virginia, his alma mater. The schools rector and board of visitors re-named the museum after them, in honor of the gift.

The pairs love for American art, their relationships and their experiences fostered their adventure in collecting. Another key influence: Debra Force, an American art expert.

Force, who has appeared frequently on PBSs Antiques Roadshow and owns a gallery on New Yorks Upper East Side, specializes in works from the 18th to 20th centuries. She has almost 40 years of experience in the art world and has been the Fralins trusted right hand almost from the start of their collecting days. She bore witness to their passion and love for art.

Once one has the bug to collect, it never dissipates, Force wrote in an essay from the exhibition catalog.

The couple has benefited from Forces expertise and advice for more than twenty years.

Debra is a very knowledgeable individual, Heywood Fralin said. I realized that very quickly after we had met.

People and places

The exhibition is broken down into six categories.

The Portrait, which touches on such issues as celebrity and intimacy, includes Francoise Wearing a Big White Hat by Mary Stevenson Cassatt, the only American painter to participate in earlier exhibitions of French impressionists, as the collections curator, Karl Willers, noted.

The Countryside focuses on rural landscapes and features marvels like Old Mill, Marlborough on the Hudson by George Inness, which possibly showcases one of the oldest Jewish Settlements in America  Gomez Mill House.

The Frontier contains pieces from such artists as Thomas Hart Benton, a pioneer of American regionalism, a school of painting that explored images of American Indian figures and the American heartland.

The Interior provides intimate and intricate glimpses into the world of labor and leisure. A notable piece in this category is The Noble Experiment by George Luks, a gigantic painting portraying a mix of social classes in a bar in the 1920s, at the peak of the Prohibition era.

The Coast shows beautiful paintings depicting New England coastal areas and beaches. This category features works from N.C. Wyeth  illustrator of Robinson Crusoe and more  his son, Andrew and grandson Jamie, the only living artist of this collection.

The sixth category is The City, displaying representations of city life  both bustling traffic and peaceful parks.

Georgia OKeeffe, Fairfield Porter, and Grandma Moses are other great names in the exhibition.

In an essay from the exhibition catalog, Taubman executive director Cindy Petersen wrote that the collection mirrors examples of groundbreaking moments in American art: impressionism of the late 19th century; figurative realism by a group of artists known as The Eight (also known as the Ashcan school) that arose in the early 20th century; and various illustrative styles and regionalist schools of art active in the United States from the late 19th century up to 1950 and beyond.

The collection focuses on American works painted between 1890 and 1950, yet a few paintings fall outside that range. These include the stunning Natural Bridge by David Johnson, painted in 1861, chosen because of its specific Southwest Virginia subject, and a Winslow Homer watercolor from circa 1879, selected because of Homers significance in American art history.

When buying art, the Fralins have three non-negotiable criteria: Both of them have to like the piece; it has to be a well-respected American artists work; and it has to be educational for the community. As three James Madison University students  Haley Gillespie, Madison Treat, and Caitlin Fernandez  enjoyed the exhibition on July 16, it appeared that the Fralins met the latter criterion.

Gillespie and Fernandez, both graphic design majors, said they were happy to recognize a few names from their art history classes and identify locations depicted in some pieces.

I really like when I recognize a place like the Roanoke River, Gillespie said. I was like, I know that. And then, I love all the scenes in the mountains. I think its really pretty.

Even after many years of discovering and collecting gems, the Fralins confess that the most memorable acquisition and the painting they most admire tends to always be the last one they purchase, which is what keeps them moving forward and continuing to collect.

All the works in the collection are meaningful to us in one way or another, they wrote in an essay from the exhibition catalog. We have gathered the pieces in the collection first and foremost for our own pleasure and enjoyment, but with the idea that they would one day become teaching tools for future generations of students interested in American art.

The Fralins advice to aspiring collectors:  get good advice from experts and to purchase art you love, that you want to look at every day, and that will continue to excite you.

The exhibition remains on display through Sept. 4.
The Calfee Community & Cultural Center has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Virginia Museum of History & Cultures Commonwealth History Fund, according to a news release from the Pulaski organization.

The center is one of 12 inaugural recipients selected by the Commonwealth History Fund for its first round of grants. VMHC awarded $402,500 to this years recipients, and plans to give out nearly $2 million over the first five years, the news release states.

The grant will support research and design for a museum exhibit titled Quiet Courage: Chauncey Harmon, Percy Corbin, and the Fight for Equality, which will be featured in the African American Heritage Center at Calfee. The exhibit will tell the dramatic story of two Pulaski heroes and their joint struggle for educational equity in the years before the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

The Commonwealth History Fund is made possible by generous funding from Dominion Energy and is administered in partnership with Virginias Department of Historic Resources. Key selection criteria for grant recipients include: the significance of the project or resource, as well as its impact on its community and the commonwealth; the need for funding and the urgency of the project; and the emphasis of the project on historically underrepresented topics and communities.

Through this amazing opportunity, we will be able to share the largely untold story of Pulaskis brave African American leaders who were ahead of their times challenging Jim Crow segregation, said Calfee CCC Acting Executive Director Jill Williams in the news release. Not only will this fill in significant gaps in how we tell Virginias history, it will also shape the way our community sees itself today and help to guide us in meeting community needs in the future.

The Calfee Community & Cultural Center is revitalizing the legacy of Pulaski Countys historic Calfee Training School, which served as a primary school for African American children until the 1960s. The building dates to 1939, and was placed on the Virginia Historic Landmarks Register last December.

To learn more about the Calfee Community & Cultural Center, visit calfeeccc.org.

To learn more about the Commonwealth History Fund, go to VirginiaHistory.org/HistoryFund.

- The Roanoke Times
A new statewide, searchable cold case database sparked a new lead in a 19-year-old murder investigation Friday.

I just got a tip, Virginia State Police Special Agent Douglas Hubert said. On the Dickie Palmer case, from the website.

Richard Anthony Dickie Palmer, 52, of Floyd County, and his dog, Rufus, were found dead in Palmers truck in Roanoke on April 22, 2003.

A person of interest in Palmers murder, Milton Lewis Wright, 60, of Pulaski, has been incarcerated for life on a slew of child pornography charges, according to court documents.

But Hubert, who has been working Palmers case out of the state polices Bureau of Criminal Investigation Salem Field Office, said that doesnt mean the murder case is closed.

There is a lot of DNA involved in this case, Hubert said. There was an obstacle with putting the suspect in the vehicle with Palmer. And were trying to accomplish that now.

Huberts latest tip, which came through the cold case database, is from someone who doesnt want to remain anonymous to police.

Theyve given their information, Hubert said. They knew somebody whos connected to it and is a potential suspect in the case.

The legislation that established the database passed through the Virginia General Assembly in 2020 and was signed into law. According to state code, the database is designed to assist law-enforcement agencies in the development of information leading to the identification and arrest of persons who may have committed the crimes or to persons who may have relevant information to solve the case.

Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, introduced a bill to establish the database. That first bill was killed in an appropriations committee, but she tried again in 2020, which sought $100,000 to fund the websites creation.

That 2020 bill passed through the House and Senate and returned to the House.

It was a long day on the House floor, and I go, So, if you like solving murder, you should vote for this bill. And they did, and it passed unanimously, Roem said Friday.

The database launched in the middle of June. As of Friday, it featured 40 homicide cases, six unidentified persons cases and five missing persons cases.

Those 51 cases have been entered into the system by special agents in state police and Bureau of Criminal Investigation field offices around the state.

Corinne Geller, state police public relations director, said additional cases from local agencies will be added to the database as the website matures.

State police featured its own cases initially in order to test the site and the processes used to upload information from our special agents in the field, Geller said in an email Friday. Basically, we want to work out the bugs of the system before opening it up to other law enforcement agencies.

Geller said those fixes are being finalized now, and state police will soon begin working with local agencies to upload their cases to the database.

In the Roanoke and New River valleys, there are two state police criminal investigation field offices: Wytheville and Salem. Each of those offices is staffed with special agents assigned to investigate active cases within the offices geographical boundaries.

Some offices have special agents that work as assigned members of the Cold Case Unit. Special Agent Russell Edwards is on that task force and works out of the Wytheville office.

Edwards said he is currently investigating 12 cold cases. Ten of those cases are featured in the new database, including that of Gary Nolan Romano.

Romano was 25 years old when he was found dead in his 1977 Chevrolet pickup truck on the shoulder of Interstate 81 in Pulaski County on June 30, 1980.

He was discovered by a road crew worker. And upon looking into his truck and noticing blood there, he called the state police to inform them of it, Edwards said.

The special agent said crime scene photographs indicate Romano was shot once in the head while sleeping on the bench seat. Edwards said there were no witnesses, but officers were able to retrieve latent prints from the truck in 1980.

The lab in Roanoke submitted those fingerprints to the cold case latent database for periodic searches to see if anything pops up, Edwards said. They havent had any matches on them.

Edwards is also working with a lab to identify DNA on cigarette butts also found in Romanos truck.

Just because a person rode in a truck doesnt mean they had anything to do with it, but possibly they may know something, Edwards said. Im still currently working with the lab on trying to check those through CODIS  the Combined DNA Index System, a Federal Bureau of Investigation program.

Romano's body was found the same day a car that had been driven by a Radford University freshman named Gina Hall was found, two days after Hall disappeared from the Claytor Lake area of Pulaski County. Halls body hasnt been found, but a man has been convicted for her murder.

Two New River Valley murder cases: Unsolved and unlisted, or solved but still cold Investigators still hope to locate a body from a 1980 murder and the killer or killers from a 2009 double slaying.

Edwards said he hasnt found any links between Romano and Halls deaths, despite their proximity.

A lot of people have speculated over the years that they were directly related, but reading both case files, I cant find a single link from one case to the other, Edwards said.

Two of the other cases on Edwards list arent featured on the states new database, because theyre not yet five years old.

One of those cases features Bruce Ritchie, who was found dead near his car in the ditch of an Interstate 77 exit in Bland County in 2020. The 57-year-old man from Herminie, Pennsylvania, had a stab wound in his back. Edwards said he was one of the original agents on that case.

There are a couple more than Ill probably be getting sometime soon, Edwards said, once they reach that magic age.

Geller said the new database features cold cases aged five years and older as directed by the legislation that established the website. She also said most law enforcement agencies accept and use a four- or five-year benchmark.

But 1st Sgt. Kevin Zirkle from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations Salem Field Office said that just because a case is considered cold doesnt mean it isnt being actively investigated by agents.

There are cases we have that we maybe arent ready to prosecute or ready to charge somebody, but theyre not cold, Zirkle said. We still have leads, and were working on those cases daily and weekly.

When cases are old enough to have been managed by several agents or investigators, their files can pile up and require a lot of maintenance.

If we want to find a particular piece of information in a case file thats thousands and thousands and thousands of pages of written documents, how do we find that? Zirkle said. The longer a case goes, the more voluminous it becomes, and the harder it becomes to manage that file.

Special Agent Matthew Wade, also with the Salem Field Office, is a part of a task force investigating the murders of Michael, Mary and Jennifer Short in 2002. He said his team is taking time to digitizing case files and evidence.

When this took place, back in the early 2000s, everything was still put on pen and paper, Wade said. We tried to make sure every piece of paper thats a part of the case file has been scanned and put in a digitized format. All interviews that were recorded using the old audio cassette recorders, weve put those to a digital format. Same thing with any VHS recordings.

Michael Wayne Short, 50, and Mary Hall Short, 36, were found dead in their Henry County home on Aug. 15, 2002. Their daughter, Jennifer Short, 9, had been abducted from the residence. Her remains were found six weeks later in Rockingham County, North Carolina.

The task force investigating the Short murders contains law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions, including the Henry County Sheriffs Office, the Rockingham County, North Carolina, Sheriffs Office, the Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The inter-jurisdictional task force hit the ground running last fall.

When you have this many people, it just kind of makes the load easier, Wade said. It would definitely be overwhelming for one person to have the caseload that we all have and try to work this by yourself. Because its just such a big case.

The Short familys case is one of the most notorious in Western Virginia. Wade said because it is so well known, people arrested in the area try to bargain with police by providing tips.

Unfortunately, we have people that get arrested, and think they can help themselves by lying, and trying to give us information, Wade said. Some of it, you can prove pretty quick that they dont know what theyre talking about. Some of it, its a little bit harder.

Hubert said not all tips are misleading. In addition to Palmers case, hes investigating the disappearance of Christopher Douthat, a 24-year-old Franklin County resident last seen in Roanoke eight years ago.

In my experience, every time I put out for tips, in the Douthat case particularly, Ive received one piece of good, valuable information out of that, Hubert said, adding that the new database is an opportunity for that to happen again.

Douthat disappeared after leaving Chaps Tavern in Roanoke the evening of Oct. 25, 2013. Cellphone data puts his last known location on Ninth Street Southeast at about 5 p.m.

Hubert said what happened to Douthats body and cellphone is unknown.

The fact is, time can be an advantage, and time can be a disadvantage, Hubert said. Time has been a little bit of both for Christopher Douthat.

When Douthat first disappeared, the Vinton Police Department picked up the case, because the last visual sighting of Douthat was in their jurisdiction. The department launched a missing persons investigation, but they didnt get very far.

The police officers are not going to leave Vinton, and all the actors in this case are in Franklin County, Hubert said. And a patrol officer had it, so its not like hes going to get in his patrol car and drive to Franklin County and interview people on a case.

Hubert said a lot of evidence that could have helped Douthats case, including surveillance video, was lost in the first seven days that law enforcement was waiting for him to show up as a suicide or overdose victim.

In 2018, Vinton handed over the case to state police, and Hubert had to essentially start from scratch.

That five-year lag in there has given those people, particularly the suspects, an opportunity to change, Hubert said. A lot of the players in this case were immature persons at the time that the case occurred. If we fast forward, as they begin to mature and have families of their own and have other changes in life, their mindsets change. So, you get a different interview. Thats been a positive point.

Douthats case is now being investigated as a homicide, and Hubert said hes on the cusp of solving it.

I dont have Chris, but I have the actors, I have the players and I have a really good understanding of what did occur. But at this point, thats all evidentiary, and I cant discuss it with the family. It does make it very hard, Hubert said. It wont be solved in my mind until I know where Chris is at.

A case is traditionally considered solved when a suspect is charged, prosecuted in court, found guilty and sentenced.

But while no one has been prosecuted for the murder of Palmer and his dog, Hubert said hes comfortable saying that case is solved.

Its not solved in the fact that we did not have someone go through a court process and either have them convicted, acquitted or anything like that, Hubert said. But, yes, we have the truth.

What more important thing is there? Roem said. This is why were supposed to have a government in the first place, why we have law enforcement, why we have public records. Its to benefit the public. And solving these cases absolutely benefits the public.

The cold case databases website has a tab that allows visitors to submit suggestions for site improvements. Geller said that most suggestions so far have come from families wondering why their loved ones case is not yet featured.

Those have been cases being investigated by a local Virginia police or sheriffs agency, Geller said, not the state police.

Hubert confirmed that cold cases being handled by local agencies arent in the new database yet. He said the Franklin County Sheriffs Office is working at least two homicide cases  those of Heather Hodges and Vicky Purdy  that may be connected to Douthats case.

The players all overlap, Hubert said. I think that by putting these things in the database and starting to put these cases together, it may let somebody in the public start linking them together a little bit, which will be helpful, or it may be a reminder to the agencies as theyre entering them that, Oh, whats this case here? Ive heard that name before.

By design, this will help facilitate conversations between different law enforcement agencies and the people who run them, because in order for those local cases that are not currently on the website to have to get up there, theyre going to have to interact with Virginia State Police, Roem said. This will have to inherently involve law enforcement officials working collaboratively with each other, and working collaboratively with the public.

Wade said hes looking forward to following leads the new database may generate.

Theres going to be people out there that have information that, for whatever reason, they just havent come forward with all these years, Wade said. Everybody has a cellphone with them all the time. You never know when they may actually see it and be like, Hey, this is something that I want to provide at this time. Having that platform for them to be able to respond to us, I think its going be a great thing.

Roem said the database will only be successful in solving crimes if the public engages with it.

I am imploring your readers wherever they are, give it a look. Please, give it a look, even if its just one time. Just look over the cases and see if theres something that you remember there, Roem said. If we solve even one of these cases because of the cold case database, then the whole thing is worth its while.

Geller said the site has only generated a handful of tips since it launched in June. But she said her agency is proud to manage the database and hopes it aids law enforcement in the states effort to successfully resolve these difficult cases and bring closure to the affected families.

Im working the case for the family, Hubert said of the Douthat case. Thats devastating for the family. I cant fathom the thought of not knowing where somebodys at. Ive had contact with the suspects or actors in this case, and its just very irritating to me that somebody would be able to do this to somebody.

Edwards said that hes similarly anxious to solve the cases assigned to him.

Im going to solve as many as I can. Theres one Im particularly interested in that needs to be resolved, the special agent said. That would give the family some peace that their loved ones been found and given a proper burial. Thats my main drive, especially for all these missing persons.

The ultimate goal is to find the truth and find out what happened. And then once you find that, then you can hold the people responsible for what theyve done. Were seeking the truth, first and foremost, Zirkle said. All of the guys that are assigned these cases are up for that challenge.
Virginias new cold-case database treats two notorious New River Valley homicide cases differently.

The database includes the murder of Radford University freshman Gina Hall, a 1980 killing that is hardly unsolved: Stephen Matteson Epperly was convicted the same year that Hall died, and has remained in prison since.

But the database does not mention the 2009 slayings of Heidi Childs and David Metzler, two Virginia Tech sophomores who were shot to death while on a date to the Caldwell Fields recreation area in the Jefferson National Forest outside Blacksburg.

Leadership of the search for their killer or killers was transferred in 2019 from the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office to the state police, and authorities continue to ask the public for tips that might lead to an arrest.

The purpose of the new database is to prompt such tips, according to Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, who sponsored the law that created the cold-case listing. But the murders of Metzler and Childs have so far not been entered into the database because officials decided to give priority to cases that have received less public attention recently, a spokeswoman for the state police wrote in an email.

As we began developing the website, we reached out to each of our seven Bureau of Criminal Investigation Field Offices to see which unsolved criminal investigations the special agents would like to see initially featured, spokeswoman Corinne Geller wrote last week. The first cases featured on the site were selected with the hopes of gaining some renewed attention by the public, media, etc. with the ultimate goal of generating new leads.

The Metzler-Childs case has remained at the forefront of the media and publics attention, typically with coverage occurring around the time of their disappearance and deaths.

But as cases continue to be added to the database, the Childs and Metzler killings will eventually be featured, Geller wrote.

In recent years, investigators and relatives held news conferences on the 10th anniversary of the couples deaths and a year later, calling for anyone with information to come forward.

Also in 2020, the Roanoke-based AWARE Foundation, which tries to rally public help for solving missing person and murder cases, sponsored a billboard on U.S. 460 with a photo of Childs and Metzler that asked for tips.

As for the Gina Hall case, though Epperly was found guilty of killing her, Halls remains have not been located. The case was labeled as the first body-less murder conviction in Virginia, a circumstance that remains rare 42 years later.

Epperly, who was sentenced to life in prison, is now 70 and eligible for geriatric parole  but his requests for release have been denied repeatedly, most recently last year

Halls death was the subject of a 2018 book, Under the Trestle, by Ron Peterson Jr. The book is being made into a documentary film.

Searches for Halls remains have continued intermittently, conducted both privately and by public agencies. A Radford police detective continued search efforts as recently as 2018 but is now retired.

Presumably, investigators hope including Hall in the cold-case list will help find her remains.

Asked about the Hall case, Geller wrote only that it fits the parameters for the new database.
Terry Nicholson was hired as the Narrows town manager at a town council meeting earlier this month.

Nicholson is currently the chair of the town Planning Commission, having served in that role for six years.

Nicholson brings experience to the town manager position, including most recently as code enforcement officer and residential building inspector for the city of Radford, according to a Narrows town news release.

He was the museum administrator for the town of Blacksburg during the restoration of the St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall and the planning for the restoration of the Alexander Black House, according to the release.

Nicholson was also the executive director of Historic Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg, and coordinated regional outreach and advocacy for Preservation Virginia, the statewide preservation organization which owned Smithfield. In addition, he owned his own business inspecting and consulting on the restoration of historic properties, according to the release.

Nicholson and his wife, Terri Fisher, have lived in Narrows for 20 years, and have both been involved in community activities such as the grant management team for the current Community Development Block Grant downtown improvements, and the former Progress in Narrows Now (PINN) groups, according to the release.

Nicholson studied in the masters of architecture program at Virginia Tech, focusing on historic preservation. Prior to his studies at Virginia Tech, Nicholson earned a bachelors degree in chemistry from the College of William and Mary, and had a 15-year career as the manager of quality control and quality assurance for B.I. Chemicals, a pharmaceutical company in Petersburg, according to the release.

Narrows Mayor Tom Spangler said in the release: Council and I are pleased to welcome Terry as town manager and look forward to working with him. We are excited that Terry brings the experience necessary to lead our town. Council has been involved in several new and exciting possibilities for the town and are confident Terry will help pave the way for a successful future.

I look forward to working with town council, town staff, and the citizens of Narrows to grow our community. This is a great place to live, work, and play. I am honored to be chosen for this job, Nicholson said in the release.

Nicholsons starting annual salary is $70,000, according to a town spokeswoman.
ISLAMABAD, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The Border and Health Services Pakistan has been strictly monitoring the entry routes to the country after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the monkeypox outbreak an international public health emergency, the Pakistani Health Ministry said.

Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel instructed the relevant federal and provincial authorities to take necessary steps to barricade the outbreak of the disease in the country, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The entry points of Pakistan are getting monitored on scientific grounds, especially the screening of passengers coming from African countries is being under strict implementation, according to the health minister.

The health ministry said that no case of monkeypox has so far been reported in the South Asian country.

Patel said that the government has ensured the implementation of International Health Regulations in the country, adding that the preventive guidelines of the WHO are being strongly followed.

"Concrete steps are being taken for the capacity building of the health workers," said the health minister. 
RICHMOND  Vice President Kamala Harris met with more than 20 Virginia legislators Saturday morning in Henrico County, exhorting them to fight for protection of abortion rights in a state where its future policy is unclear.

You dont have to abandon your faith or your beliefs to agree the government should not be making that decision for that woman, Harris said at a union hall in Highland Springs.

It may not be something you choose to do, but lets all agree, when it comes to the most intimate decisions that a woman can make, intimate decisions about heart and home, she should be able to do that without the government telling her what to do.

Harris spoke with Democratic leaders of Virginia at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 666. They discussed the political battle in Virginia, the possibility of proposing a state constitutional amendment to codify abortion rights and what they termed barriers to protecting abortion rights, including a member of their own party and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has proposed a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks.

In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Harris has met with legislators and advocates at the White House and in Orlando, Fla., Philadelphia, Atlantic City, N.J., and Charlotte, N.C.

Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, who chairs the Senate Education and Health committee, said the body will stand as a brick wall against any measures to further limit or ban abortion. A bill limiting abortion likely would have to clear the committee of nine Democrats and six Republicans. Democrats hold a 21-19 edge in the Virginia Senate, and Republicans control the House of Delegates 52-48.

We are a safe haven here in Virginia, and were going to fight like hell to make sure it stays that way, Lucas said.

Youngkin has proposed banning most abortions after 15 weeks, allowing for exceptions of rape, incest and when a womans life is in jeopardy. He tasked three Republican legislators with writing a bill, which they can introduce in January.

In the days following his announcement, Youngkin expressed a desire to limit abortion further. He told The Family Foundation he believes life begins at conception but proposing a bill more likely to pass was the top priority.

It wont be the bill that we all want, Youngkin said. Any bill that comes to my desk, I will sign happily, gleefully, to protect life.

Harris referred to Youngkin on Saturday  but not by name. She said she was fully aware of the context in which we meet and what this will mean to the people of Virginia.

While Democrats control the Virginia Senate, Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, has indicated he might support a further restriction.

In a statement after the Supreme Courts decision Morrissey likened his personal opposition to abortion to that of Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia.

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, Morrissey said in the statement.

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.

Though some Republicans favor a 15-week bill, they could propose a 20-week bill as a fallback position.

On Saturday, Rep. Don McEachin, D-4th, called out Morrissey for not aligning with the party, saying theres a problem child in the Virginia Senate. The legislators who appeared Saturday are the choir, and they dont need preaching, McEachin said. Opponents of abortion are the ones the vice president needs to address.

Hes the one who needs to be here, McEachin said. Hes the one who needs to understand the importance of being pro-choice in this environment.

Morrissey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the senator said Morrissey was not invited to Saturdays roundtable.

McEachin called on the U.S. Senate to make an exception to the filibuster rule when it comes to bills regarding a persons civil rights, including abortion or voting rights. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. and Joe Manchin, D-W.V., have stood in the way of Democrats hopes of suspending the filibuster. Currently the Senate requires 60 votes to end debate on most topics.

In Virginia, Democrats have proposed legislation of their own to codify abortion rights, going as far as suggesting a state constitutional amendment. But the chance of passing an amendment is slim, considering it would have to pass both chambers in two separate years and then be approved by the states voters as a referendum.

Its more important than ever that our voices be heard, said Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton.

Among the lawmakers in attendance Saturday were Sens. Lucas; Mamie Locke, D-Hampton; Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond; and Creigh Deeds, D-Bath; House Democratic leader Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth and fellow Dels. Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria; Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William; Michelle Maldonado, D-Prince William; Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax; Vivian Watts, D-Fairfax; Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax; Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, D-Alexandria; Clint Jenkins, D-Suffolk; Mark Keam, D-Fairfax and Ken Plum, D-Fairfax.
One normally thinks of the conservative perspective as one opposed to so-called government handouts. When it comes to school vouchers, however, that tendency becomes a bit topsy-turvy.

The idea, essentially, is that the money the state pays per student to fund schools should follow the student, if parents decide their child would fare better at a private school. The voucher or a similarly purposed education savings account would use public funds to pay the students private school tuition or assist with other education resources.

This is framed by advocates as the individual parents share of taxes supporting what is best for their children, rather than a portion of the pool of taxes we all pay into going toward one familys private school tuition. It also glosses over the fact that vouchers can reduce public school funding without a corresponding reduction in public school expenses.

An idealized version of the voucher argument could involve, for example, a promising young mathematician from a family that lives below the poverty level receiving a voucher to attend a private academy geared to hone that students unique talents in a way a public school might not be equipped to provide.

Persuasive bipartisan cases have been made for this goal, though results have not brought about miracle cures for the education system. According to an Oct. 22 overview in U.S. News & World Report, there is evidence that voucher programs aimed to help low-income students can lead to modest improvement to public schools as a result of the need to compete with private school offerings.

However, according to a 2017 study conducted by the nonprofit Brookings Institute, theres little evidence that vouchers help individual student performance  in fact, theres some evidence that students who receive vouchers to attend private schools score worse on tests than they would have if they'd stayed in public school.

The way the voucher argument often unfolds in practice, skipping hand in hand with eyebrow-raising religious objections to public education, has been aptly illustrated in the furor brought by voucher advocates to recent meetings of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.

Never mind that county governments are not empowered to authorize voucher programs  thats up to the General Assembly and the governor. One is reminded of the poundings local school boards have received over matters of state history and civics curricula, which local school boards do not set, from believers in a fictional conspiracy to teach critical race theory.

The ghost of Scopes

Theres much to admire about groundbreaking Montgomery County GOP Chair Jo Anne Price, the first Black woman to hold that position. Nonetheless, its depressing to hear her decry the supposedly anti-Christian teaching of evolution, as if this were some new and alarming institutional attack on Christian faith.

Is the goal to turn back the clock to the days of the infamous 1925 case of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes, in which a teacher was prosecuted for illegally teaching evolution in school? (The case made Tennessee a national laughingstock.) Are we on the verge of advocating that the government pay for parents to pull their children from public schools because science books wont allow for the possibility that the Earth might be flat?

What an embarrassing stance to take in a county where economic development is intricately tied to the advancements in science pioneered at Virginia Tech, among them breakthroughs in biomedical technology.

To avoid going down one of the deepest of all rabbit holes in American culture, well just point out that the idea that the principles of evolution directly contradict the story of Genesis is not a universally held Christian belief.

Most Christians worldwide, as represented by statements from the governing bodies of their denominations, are in fact accepting of biological evolution as being fully compatible with their faith, states a 2010 article published in Evolution: Education and Outreach. Even the Southern Baptist Convention, while rejecting evolution, acknowledged that no Conservative Christian should deny there is a process of change that is evident within the animal kingdom. And there is even a process of natural selection that appears at least to be natural.

Here is an interesting thought experiment: imagine that a state of the art, religious private school has opened in the New River Valley. However, its not Christian, but Islamic. In this hypothetical situation, Islamic fundamentalist parents demand vouchers so that when they pull their children from public school to attend this private school instead, the state money follows them.

Would the same voices raised right now in favor of vouchers support this scenario? Of course, should the commonwealth expand the availability of vouchers, then the law would apply equally in such a case.

Squelching speech vs. engaging ideas

Stepping back and looking at the whole picture  advocacy for vouchers, demands that books touching on Black and LGBT issues be removed from library shelves, the angry push to purge classroom discussions of anything that can be labeled or mislabeled as identity politics  one cannot help but wonder, who are these grade school students that are so fragile in their mental constitution that they cannot handle even a whiff of a notion that worldviews exist that might contradict what theyve learned at home?

Can anyone who has attended public school, or even private school, remember such a person existing?

Doubts about the efficacy of building an ideologically conflict-free bubble for children to live in from Kindergarten through college graduation can be aimed at both liberal and conservative activists, though in Southwest Virginia those pushes are overwhelmingly coming from the conservative sector.

In an article published in the August/September issue of Reason, author David French, who strongly supports school choice, warns against banning books from school libraries, writing that such actions teach children that they should be protected from offensive ideas rather than learn how to engage and grapple with concepts they may not like and that the response to a challenging thought is to challenge the expression itself rather than the idea. Ultimately this stunts the ability of budding young citizens to fully participate in democracy.

French also suggests that the voices of students themselves should not be ignored in education debates, a sentiment too rarely expressed.

There are plenty of excellent reasons for parents to pursue private schooling, charter schools and homeschooling.

But asking taxpayers to open their pocketbooks so a child can be shielded from Americas culture of ideas and free speech definitely wont win over school voucher skeptics.
FLORENCE, S.C.  A bronze statue of William W. Harllee holding his daughters hand near a railroad track could become a permanent fixture at the Florence County Museum, 111 W. Cheves St., in downtown Florence.

Thursday, the Florence County Council approved a resolution to place the statue on museum grounds in a 5-4 decision. County Council Chairman Willard Dorriety Jr., Frank Buddy Brand, Toney Moore, Kent Caudle and Jerry Yarborough voted for the resolution. Jason Springs, Dr. Alphonso Bradley, Roger Poston voted against it. The Rev. Waymon Mumford didnt attend Thursdays meeting but voted by proxy against the resolution.

After the vote, Caudle asked the County Council to reconsider installing the statue at the museum.

Caudle suggested the statue could be installed at another county-owned location.

An alternative location could be a possibility, Dorriety said, but as far as the county thats where it needs to be.

Once before we did this on museum grounds, and the (museum) board rejected it  much to our dismay. I just think it needs to be reconsidered for another property owned by the county, Caudle said. Thats just my opinion.

Dorriety responded: I havent been able to ascertain a piece of property the county owned, personally, that it would fit.

Caudle suggested the Florence County Complex, 180 N. Irby St., or, perhaps, private property.

Springs said the railroad depot would be the perfect place for the statue, but the county doesnt own the depot. Private property would be a better location for the statue.

Who is Harllee?William W. Harllee was the founder, owner and president of the Wilmington-Manchester Railroad. He located a depot on the rail line, which would become the city of Florence. The Florence Depot was created in 1852. Harlees daughter was named Florence Henning Harllee. The father told his daughter  this place will be called in your name, Florence.

The statue is controversial because of Harllees connections to the Confederacy. He was a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia in the 1840s and was South Carolinas lieutenant governor when the state seceded from the union. Harllee raised the Pee Dee Legion as a brigade for Confederate service during the Civil War, while serving as the states finance director.

The statueIn late 2014, Gale Dixon approached the Florence City Council and Florence County Council about subsidizing a sculpture honoring her great-great-great-uncle and his daughter Florence.

Dixon created the Harllee Memorial Sculpture Committee  a 501c3 nonprofit organization  to raise the $200,000 necessary for creation, foundation and installation of the sculpture.

The organization also worked to gain public support for the project through its fundraising efforts.

According to Florence County Council meeting minutes from the Nov. 20, 2014, meeting, Caudle suggested Dixon should also contact the legislative delegation. Council Chairman James T. Schofield thanked Dixon for her presentation and stated it would be received as information.

Stephen Wukela was Florences mayor in 2014.

He wouldnt speculate on how much the city would donate but was a supporter of public art in downtown Florence.

In a 2015 article in the Morning News, Dixon said she had an idea for a sculpture of Harllee and his daughter for 25 years. She wanted something visible downtown that would recognize her great-great-great-uncle as the founder of Florence and his daughter as the namesake of the city.

Dixon meet with sculptor Alex Palkovich in 2014 and he agreed to create the bronze sculpture, which was completed in 2018.

Finding a location

In August 2018, the Florence County Museum Board of Directors unanimously voted to reject the County Councils recommendation to place the This Place Will Be Called In Your Name, Florence statue at the museum.

The vote came a week after the museums exhibition committee voted against placing the sculpture at the museum because the vetting process for placing an exhibit at the museum wasnt followed.

The committee also was concerned about the sculptures size and the possibility the sharp edges on the sculpture could injure a visitor to the museum.

The County Council doesnt have to follow the museum boards decision. The county owns the property and the County Council has the final decision.

The sculpture has yet to find a home on public or private property in Florence.

Removing Confederate monuments

The 2015 murders of nine Black worshippers at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston by a white supremacist gunman, who had been photographed with Confederate iconography, started the movement to remove Confederate monuments and symbols from the public eye, according to the third edition of Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy released by the Southern Poverty Law Center in January.

The fervor to remove those monuments grew after the 2017 Unite the Right Rally, which turned violent when protesters clashed with counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia. More than 30 were injured. The 2020 death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, also ignited historic protests. Those protest sparked the removal, relocation or renaming of Confederate monuments and symbols.

Since the Charleston church massacre in 2015, 377 Confederate memorials have been removed from communities across the United States, according to the Whose Heritage publication.

Friday in an interview with the Morning News, Springs, the District 1 County Council representative, said he felt a location for the statue could have been found if the public had any desire to view it.

This was initially a joint venture with the city of Florence. Once the city of Florence recognized the background of the family and the controversy and negative connotation it could bring to Florence, they decided to back out of the project, Springs said.

Several members of the County Council recognized the liabilities as well, he said.

Its been going on for quite some time. I think if they want to put a statue up to commemorate them its fine, but it shouldnt be on public property, he said.

Florence County Democratic Party Chairman Isaac Wilson also criticized the 5-4 vote.

Its not a Republican-Democrat or black-and-white issue, Wilson said.

Its a morality issue and where we are right now as a country, this kind of display doesnt serve us well anymore, Wilson said.  Why do we constantly want to live in the past, separated by hate, prejudice and statues that remind us of unpleasant times?
DARLINGTON, S.C.  The goal at Saturdays Backpack Giveaway on Courthouse Square in Darlington was to serve 500 students. If more students came, the plan was to go buy more backpacks.

I just have a heart for the community. Every chance we get to go and do something for the community thats what were doing, said Corey Milling, pastor of Purpose to Live Ministries Church located on the square.

Last year was a success but this year is a bigger success and we hope next year is even a bigger success, said Stacey Milling, the pastors wife.

The event had providers stationed along the block to either hand out school supplies or provide a school-related service. Some did both.

Margarie Scott, and her children, from Darlington were in line for supplies.

It means a whole heap to me when I have five kids. It means a lot. I appreciate it, Scott said.

Scott said the family had their health screenings before they got in line and were looking forward to getting school supplies as they moved along the line.

Those who attended were given a sheet of paper to use at each station along the block and a bag to hold the school supplies  at least until they hit the backpack station at the end of the line.

Molina Health, Genesis Healthcare and CareSouth were on hand for back-to-school health screenings and SC Works was on hand to help parents with jobs.

Harvest Hope donated bags of dry goods and canned goods to go while the church provided hot dogs, chips and water to those in line.

Corey Milling credited his staff for the hard work it took to make Saturdays event happen.

We called all of our partners and friends, he said of the donated goods and services. Turnout is a blessing.

If there are leftovers, Corey Milling said, they would be given to area elementary schools so the schools staff could help students who needed it.

The sponsors and vendors were Welvista, South Carolina Works, Darlington Housing Authority, Purpose To Live Ministries, Healthy Blue, Molina Healthcare, Genesis Healthcare, Harvest Hope, Caresouth Carolina, Sen. Gerald Malloy, Rep. Robert Williams, Mayor Curtis Boyd, Flat Creek Baptist Church, Sonoco Credit Union (SPC)-Darlington, IGADarlington, Syntrell Thompson, Zion Canaan Child Development Center, and Howle Law Firm.
 Federal prosecutors, now soured on Michael Flynn, note that "similarly situated defendants have received terms of imprisonment" | Main | Might the 2020 campaign bring back "law and order" as a political wedge issue? 

In this post yesterday, I noted a recent commentary discussing the role of Ohio's Chief Justice in advocating against certain state sentencing reform. Today I can spotlight another kind of sentencing reform advocacy by two different Ohio jurists, Justice Michael Donnelly and 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals Judge Ray Headen, which appears in this new cleveland.com opinion piece headlined "Create centralized criminal-sentencing database to reduce mass incarceration in Ohio." Here are excerpts:

As two members of our states judiciary, we write to include our names in support along with the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission for the creation of a centralized criminal database and repository to track all criminal sentences in Ohio. The commission has stated that criminal justice data in Ohio is disparate, mismatched, and complex, and lacks the capacity to fully and completely narrate the comprehensive criminal justice story in Ohio.

With a sentencing database, the Ohio General Assembly would be arming judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and Ohios citizens with information that is currently unavailable to them, and that would make the administration of justice more fair, equitable, and most importantly, transparent. Without this information, many criminal defendants will continue to believe that whether they receive a five-year or a 20-year sentence is largely determined by which judge is assigned to their case at arraignment, rather than the actual record of their case....

A sentencing database and repository developed and maintained by the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission -- among data-gathering reforms the 19-year-old commission recommended a year ago -- would provide all stakeholders and appellate courts charged with reviewing sentences with the ability to ensure that criminal sentences are consistent with what our General Assembly has indicated are the overall purposes and principles of felony sentencing, as embodied in Ohio Revised Code 2929.11 and 2929.12. Those purposes and principles are to punish the offender, protect the community, set the offender on a course towards rehabilitation, and use the least amount of state resources necessary to achieve these goals. Uniformity and proportionality of sentences are essential to maintaining the publics confidence in our courts.

We agree with the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commissions view that policymakers and enforcers must be able to access comprehensive criminal justice information to maximize public safety and develop effective policies. A criminal sentencing database and repository will help reduce mass incarceration and will be an investment in a safer, fairer, and more cost-efficient justice system.
 Via 6-3 per curiam ruling, SCOTUS reinstates Arizona death sentence after finding Ninth Circuit "clearly violated [its] AEDPA jurisprudence" | Main | "Experience to Action: Reshaping Criminal Justice After COVID-19" 

I was very pleased this morning to see this new Atlantic piece authored by two Ohio state jurists, Judge Pierre H. Bergeron of the Ohio Court of Appeals and Justice Michael P. Donnelly of the Ohio Supreme Court. Because I have had the honor of participating in ongoing efforts to improve sentencing data in the Buckeye State, I knew I was going to like the piece when I saw its full title: "How a Spreadsheet Could Change the Criminal-Justice System: A lack of data instills trial-court judges with enormous, largely unrestrained sentencing power." And the full piece, which I fully recommend, does a terrific job of advocating against allowing sentencing to occur in dangerous darkness because of the absence of sound and accessible sentencing data. Here are some excerpts from the piece (with links from the original):

Judges have various restrictions on what they can say publicly, and for that reason, you dont often hear our voices in contemporary public-policy debates. But as momentum builds to address deep inequities in our criminal-justice system, we feel its important to highlight a problem lurking in the background that could jeopardize these efforts: Many court systems lack basic data about themselves, including about their criminal-sentencing decisions. This means that when a judge considers a sentence for a criminal defendant, he or she has no way to evaluate it against others handed down for similar crimes in the same state, or even the same county....

A lack of data collection and analysis is a nationwide problem. Many states, including Ohio, where we serve, do not have reliable statewide numbers on the criminal sentences they impose. The states that do compile statistics have significant gaps. The problem extends beyond sentencing  many states also cant measure, for instance, what the average bail rate is for various offenses, or even the effectiveness of the bail system.

All of this may strike one as inconceivable: How does a court system lack basic statistics in this technological day and age? The answer varies by state, but typically, antiquated IT infrastructure in state courts, no uniform requirements on compiling numbers, and a lack of coordination across jurisdictions precludes gathering meaningful numbers and demographics. And, in many corners, institutional interests are aligned to resist transparency out of a fear of what might show up....

For states that are starting to gather statistics, they are finding troubling, but not surprising, results. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court commissioned an analysis of statewide numbers to evaluate racial disparities. Plagued by many data challenges, this effort took several years. The recently published report showed what many of us know: People of color are vastly overrepresented in the criminal-justice system as defendants; they receive longer sentences than white defendants; and they are typically charged with more serious offenses to begin with (a leverage tool to force plea agreements). When judges see reports that show this is happening in their own courts, they must ask themselves hard questions about their own complicity in these results.

In 2016, investigative reporters with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune conducted a comparison study that confirmed racial disparities in Floridas criminal-justice system. One of the examples from their study examined two cases involving armed robbery. The same judge sentenced a white defendant to two years, but a Black defendant to 26 years  for essentially the same offense. These two individuals were almost the same age, both had a single prior misdemeanor, and they were rated the same based on Floridas sentencing guidelines. When judges have virtually unchecked discretion, and they lack ready access to sentencing data, these discrepancies are bound to continue happening....

Although data challenges are pervasive and a key barrier to criminal-justice reform, they can be solved. In response to the statewide analysis conducted by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Florida legislators passed groundbreaking legislation to standardize the way the state gathers and shares information. The state has already missed some deadlines, but the legislation as designed would render Florida one of the most transparent states in the country from a criminal-data perspective.

Other states are also starting to create comprehensive databases so that informed criminal sentences are accessible to all stakeholders  judges, prosecuting and defense attorneys, defendants, and policy makers. Currently, the nonprofit Measures for Justice has compiled statistics for 16 states. Ohio, led by Chief Justice Maureen OConnor, is in the process of developing a felony-sentencing database with the objective of making information accessible, shareable, and reportable. It cant come soon enough. Indeed, if every state acted quickly, we could solve this issue in short order, and then move on to implement lasting criminal-justice reform that would end mass incarceration.

The goal of these efforts is not to eliminate judicial discretion (judges arent robots, after all) but to provide sound analysis to inform judges in the exercise of that discretion. If everyone has complete access to information, the prosecutor can make an informed sentencing recommendation, the defense counsel can use the data to make his or her case, and the judge can feel secure in knowing that the sentence imposed fits well within the range from other courts around the state. If the sentence deviates up or down, the judge can give a reason on the record, providing greater transparency in the process. Objective measures that are comparable, consistent, and reliable can better ensure the equalized application of justice....

The judicial system relies on the trust of our citizenry; public confidence is its lifeblood. We must act in deliberate and real ways to create change in our courts. And that requires working with all stakeholders  including the community, legislators, and law enforcement. No one, including judges, can sit back and pretend that the problem of inequality is too intractable or the result of someone elses decisions any longer. Collecting and utilizing sentencing data will help build a better, more equitable justice system.
 Should "pardoned conduct" be part of Steve Bannon's sentencing after his convictions for contempt of Congress? | Main | Reviewing another round of great new Inquest essays 

In a few posts over the last few years (linked below), I have flagged the work of some Ohio jurists and others in the development of a statewide sentencing database. I have had the honor of playing a small role in this work, and I have found fascinating many of the challenges and debates surrounding efforts to build out the Ohio Sentencing Data Platform. One big lurking issue all along is now spotlighted by this new local article headlined "Statewide judges group wants sentencing data collected under proposed database kept secret." Here are the excerpts from a lengthy article worth reading in full:

A group that represents Ohios common pleas court judges does not want the public to see data that would be collected under a proposed statewide sentencing database for fears it could be cherry-picked and lead to criticism of the courts. The head of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association wrote in a letter to the Ohio Supreme Courts sentencing commission last month that judges recognize the value in the creation of a database for their own use.

Judges, however, are concerned that attorneys, journalists and other organizations could selectively pull data from the database to use as a basis to critique imposed sentences and advocate for an overhaul to Ohios sentencing statutes. In short, the OCPJA has significant concerns that broad public accessibility to the data would negatively impact the independence of the judiciary and interfere with its discretion in sentencing decisions, the groups president, Morrow County Common Pleas Court Robert Hickson, wrote.

The letter urged the seven justices to scrap proposed changes to the rules of superintendence that govern the states courts. That would allow the court to run the project through the sentencing commission and come up with new proposals. In the alternative, state lawmakers should pass legislation mandating the data be exempt from Ohios public record laws, the letter said.... Hickson wrote that the letter represents the unanimous position of the groups board. Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Administrative Judge Brendan Sheehan is the groups first vice president....

Sheehans colleague on the bench and predecessor as administrative judge wrote a letter of his own to the Ohio Supreme Court justices in which he said the views of the state judges group cannot be farther from my own. In my opinion, the fears and skepticism expressed in the OCPJA letter are unfounded, Judge John J. Russo wrote. Russo, who was elected in 2006 and served as administrative judge from 2014 to 2020, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that keeping the data secret and available only to the judges was akin to creating a secret club and would only harm the publics confidence in the justice system more than making it public....

Russo also said that the letter by the judges group does not reflect the stance of the majority of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. The Ohio Public Defenders Office, Ohio Bar Association, Black Lives Matter and Common Cause Ohio all urged the commission to make the data available to the public.

The leader of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorney Association expressed a similar concern that the data would not paint a complete picture of all of the factors that go into each sentencing decision, and it would be open to manipulation. While the group stopped short of calling for the data to remain hidden from the public, it did challenge that the legislature would have to create the commission, rather than the court.

The letters are in response to the Ohio Supreme Courts sentencing commissions call for public comment on proposed rule changes that would create a uniform sentencing entry, a lengthy document that judges would fill out after each sentencing hearing that articulates why judges imposed each sentence. Each countys common pleas court uses its own system to document the sentences judges there hand down, and they vary widely. Some courts in small, rural counties still use handwritten sentencing documents, the Supreme Court said in a 2021 article published in the courts news letter.

The commission would take data from the document and enter it into a database kept by the court that would give those who can access it the ability to see what the average sentence each person convicted of a particular crime received in each countys common pleas court. The sentencing commission hopes that creating a central database for the entire state that is populated by a single, uniform document that each judge fills out will make it easier for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. It would allow the prison system to keep track of the sentences each inmate is serving and prevent trial court judges from committing errors during sentencing that appellate courts would later overturn....

Ohio Supreme Court Justice Michael Donnelly, a former judge in Cuyahoga County who served on the bench alongside Sheehan and Russo, told cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer that the database will help judges make sure theyre doling out similar sentences. Thats not just a good idea. Thats what the law mandates now, Donnelly said. Its just that, how do you do that with the lack of information and the lack of data that we have?

Donnelly also said that the public has a right to know how their courts are operating and that he believes the data should be made public. We all serve at the pleasure of the public, Donnelly said of judges in state court. Everything else about our decisions is reviewable. Why should the most important decision we make as judges, whether to incarcerate someone, be any different than any other decision we make in this system of checks and balances?
Meetings and events

Bruguier's Cabin Tours, the second Sunday of the month from June to October, from 2 to 4 p.m. Special group tours can be arranged by calling 712-490-6506.

Dakota County Historical Society meets at 7:30 p.m. on third Thursday of the month, Dakota City Library. Contact Dennis Reinert at 712-253-1609 for more information.

Top O' Morning Toastmasters Club, Mondays, noon to 1 p.m. Contact LeAnn Blankenburg, 712-870-1120, for meeting information.

The Siouxland Ostomy Support Group, find us on Facebook. For more information and meeting times contact Dick Lindblom at 712-251-2453.

Southside "South Bottoms" former residents, 6 p.m. potluck, second Wednesday of the month at Goodwill Industries cafeteria, 3100 Fourth St. Gert, 258-2227.

Siouxland Metal Detecting and Archeology Club, 6:30 p.m., first Tuesday of the month in the Gleeson Room at 4510 Buckwalter Drive. Visitors welcome. Ray Turner, 712-899-2114.

American Legion Post 64, 7 p.m. last Thursday of the month at 4021 Floyd Blvd. 712-258-3986.

Marine Corps League, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Elks Club on TriView Ave. All marines welcome. For more information, call Cathy Moreno, 712-899-8441.

Sioux City Chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), 7 p.m. fourth Tuesday of the month at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. 712-203-2052.

Sioux City Duplicate Bridge Club, 12:30 p.m. Mondays (open); at the Senior Center. Mary 605-670-9613.

Siouxland Fly-Fishing Club, 10 a.m. last Saturday of the month at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center on Hwy 12. All interested in fly fishing; beginners welcome. Monthly programs provided. For more information, call Bob Gillespie, 712-251-9463, or Diana, 402-987-3945.

Siouxland Coin Club, 7 p.m. first Tuesday of each month at First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 1915 Nebraska St. Bob, 255-4829.

The Siouxland Pride Alliance, peer support group, 5:30 p.m. Fridays; Youth Pride group, 1:30 p.m. second Sunday of the month; potluck, 5:30 p.m. third Sunday of the month. First Unitarian Church, 2508 Jackson. Call 712-223-0931

Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild, 7 p.m. second Monday of the month at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St, door #2. Visitors and new members welcome.

Siouxland Sewing Guild, 6:30-8 p.m. first Thursday of the month at South Sioux Public Library, 2121 Dakota Ave., South Sioux City. For anyone interested in sewing. Denise, 402-922-1822.

Sooland RC Modelers, 7 p.m. second Thursday of the month at Morningside Lutheran Church. Non-profit club that flies remote control aircraft. Anyone interested in RC is welcome.

Retired Educators, 10:30 a.m. third Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Mid-Step Services for Handicapped, meal at 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6.

Confirmation Instruction and Midweek Lessons, 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church, 3204 S. Lakeport St., door #6. Open to all kids 5 years old through 8th grade.

Primetime (Potluck), 12 p.m., second Thursday of each month, at Whitfield United Methodist Church, 1319 W 5th. For more information call 252-3261 Tuesday-Thursdays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Abundant Life Fellowship, 809 S. Alice St., in Sioux City will distribute food boxes after their 11 a.m. Sunday services. For additional information contact Pastor Bob at 605-205-0718 or Donna at 605-205-0719.
Environmental concerns are one of the reasons Americans are opting for cremation. Godong/Stone via Getty Images

The National Funeral Directors Association has predicted that by 2035, nearly 80% of Americans will opt for cremation.

When the first U.S. indoor cremation machine was opened in 1876 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the creator and operator, Francis LeMoyne, was severely criticized by the Catholic Church. The new method of disposal was viewed as dangerous because it threatened traditional religious burial and societys sense of morality and dignity.

Less than 100 years later  in 1963  English writer Jessica Mitford wrote the bestselling book The American Way of Death as a way to educate Americans about what she viewed as the awful commercialization of dying, death and commemoration. After a strong criticism of funeral directors, cemeterians and other associated professions, she ended with a plea for cremation.

So what has led to such a dramatic shift today? As an American historian who wrote The Last Great Necessity: Cemeteries in American History, following that up almost 30 years later with Is the Cemetery Dead?, I know that people are choosing cremation for different reasons, depending on their circumstances.

Here are three main ones:

1. Funerals and ground burials are expensive

Although figures differ depending on the source, families are spending an average of over US$8,000 on funerals, ranging from $6,700 in Mississippi to just under $15,000 in Hawaii, according to the World Population Review.

That compares with $1,000 to $2,000 for a direct cremation, in which the crematory or funeral director doesnt provide any services beyond the actual cremation of the body, as the blog Partings.com, which compares the pricing of funerals and cremations, points out.

However, many survivors dont choose to do the least costly cremation. The National Funeral Directors Association noted that for a funeral with a cremation, the median cost was over $6,000  certainly a savings, but not the enormous amount many websites proclaim.

Additionally, this is not a new development: Direct cremation was far cheaper than a full burial in 1960 or 1990, too.

2. Environmental costs

Cost clearly plays a role, but not a determining one for such a rapid shift in cultural practices. A second major factor is environmental concerns related to a conventional internment, in which a body is placed in a casket and the casket is buried or entombed.

Alexandra Harker, a landscape architect working to improve Americas sustainable environments, has described how concerns about such burials in the cemetery range from issues about the use of the land to the methods by which the body is prepared and stored.

Some people are increasingly upset by the environmental costs of a burial. A conventional burial necessitates the body being embalmed, usually with formaldehyde; placed in a casket, often made of hardwood or steel; then lowered in many cases into a concrete or steel grave liner or vault, with the surrounding lawn typically kept green by the use of pesticides. Roughly 1.5 million burials or entombments means Americans are using thousands of tons of copper, bronze and steel, over 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid and millions of feet of wood.

In a related concern, Harker notes that in a survey by the Cremation Association of North America in 2008, 13% of people chose cremation because of worries about cemetery land scarcity. Cremation internments take up much less space than ground burials.

However, people are exploring the idea of green burial in some new cemeteries where money earned from burials can serve to fund a conservation easement that protects the space so it will be there long after those interned have become part of the land.

Conventional cremation burns the body by use of natural gas, which is not considered as environmentally sensitive as simply burying the body without the use of harmful chemicals among other materials. Natural gas emits particulate matter and hard metals such as mercury, especially in older crematories.

3. Fewer Americans belong to a church

A third factor is the disruption of peoples connection to religious institutions, which leads them away from the cemetery.

In 2021, only about 47% of Americans belonged to a church, synagogue or mosque, compared with 1999, when over 70% of adults stated they were affiliated with one such religious institution.

A growing number of younger Americans in particular are not tied to the religious institution where their grandparents and parents may have had a service after their death or from which funeral corteges would have left for the cemetery. The result is that they are more likely to opt for a method of disposing the body that places them in control of the remains.

Is cremation here to stay?

Will the rise of cremation affect other elements of the way Americans respond to deaths? Americans have long been accused of having death anxiety, a fear of even discussing death. For many families, the control that cremations give them has been accompanied by a increased willingness to publicly mourn, as evidenced by the rapid spread of roadside shrines, memorial tattoos and other everyday memorials that are utilized by a widespread number of families.

Most Americans are now comfortable with cremation as a practice. They like the power that it gives them to inter the remains in the cemetery, keep them at home, or scatter them in forests, parks, oceans and streams.

Alternatives, such as green burial, will challenge this practice, but for the foreseeable future, Americans have joined much of the world in embracing cremation.

___

David Sloane does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

___
For the entirety of Saturday, Sergeant Bluff was the center of attention in Iowa.

Tens of thousands of cyclists, hundreds of support team members and dozens of vendors descended on the town of 4,901 for the 49th edition of RAGBRAI. Though the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa wouldn't "officially" begin until Sunday at dawn, crowds came motoring on in in their buses and vans to get set up and to scope out the "Day 0" Expo.

Just in the parking lot of Sergeant Bluff-Luton High School, vehicles with plates from California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas and Washington could be seen. RAGBRAI is expected to draw more than 20,000 people this year and will weave through Ida Grove, Pocahontas, Emmetsburg, Mason City, Charles City and West Union before ending in Lansing. Temperatures are expected to stay in the 80s for much of the week.

By noontime, campgrounds were already encircling the school. Staffers at a stand for Letsche's Bike Shop dutifully tended to the needs of riders.

SMASH Food Trailer and a self-proclaimed "Pork Crew" served up food and drinks as country music wafted through the air.

"You're in your own little bubble here," said Shanon Tysland, a second-time rider from Edmonds, Washington who brought along his entire family (including four kids, age 11 or younger) to the weeklong, 462-mile ride. "I did it five years ago. It's a cool experience. We just love the atmosphere and it's great family bonding."

Foam Daddy?

For kiddos, and their parents, the park at 901 First St. in Sergeant Bluff had the splash pad running as well as a "foam party" with a live DJ. At any one time, a handful of children could be seen darting in and out of mist-spraying playground equipment or dumping buckets of water on each other. A dozen more would frolic through mountains of foam unleashed by a machine called the "Foam Daddy."

As for adults, the Expo, which overtook Fourth Street, offered more bicycle-minded booths than any one person could possibly patronize in a single day. Included in the wares available for purchase: A device that charges a person's phone as he or she pedals, plentiful amounts of salt tabs, packets of pickle juice, helmets in all the colors of the rainbow and something called a "Crud Cloth," which is meant to act as sort-of shower-on-the-go. Certain folks were selling items for local causes.

"We are raising money for the Siouxland Youth Wrestling Club today," Mike Beaves of Jack's Kettle Corn said.

Staffers, largely volunteers from in and around Sergeant Bluff, would circle around the Expo grounds on a regular basis to make sure that.

Al Ackerman, a Sergeant Bluff resident who pitched in to help out at the information center, said the past few days of prep work were among the most hectic of the six-month run-up Sergeant Bluff had to hosting its second-ever RAGBRAI launch (the first was in 2006). Still, any stress Ackerman was feeling was superseded by love for Sergeant Bluff.

"We just have a great town and I love helping the town," Ackerman said.

Amber Bliss, a coordinator for the information center, said that organizers saw a steady trickle of people all day long.

"We have had people asking us questions nonstop but it hasn't been overwhelming. It's been hot, we had to help someone with heat exhaustion, but other than that it's been good."

Come novices and hardened vets alike

At least one truism of RAGBRAI is that the level of experience can vary wildly, even within friends groups getting out on the trails together.

Don Litton journeyed 750 miles from Rowlett, Texas (an eastern suburb of Dallas), to participate in his first-ever ride across Iowa while his buddies, Scott Russell and Bob Frank (both from Texas), were respectively on their 10th and 21st RAGBRAIs.

"I never had a bike good enough to do this," Litton said. That changed when Russell sold him one of his own bikes and wore him down with tales of RAGBRAIs gone by.

Frank, an Omaha native, said his first few years of RAGBRAI he would ride "alone" but he never felt lonely.

"I just enjoy being out with cyclists and RAGBRAI is like a big party," Frank said. As he gets older, Frank said the toughest part for him, really, is the 100-mile day which will be from Emmetsburg to Mason City this year.

Friends Drew Engelhardt, Meg Schwenzfeier and Amee Amin ventured out for their inaugural ride from North Carolina and Washington D.C. Schwenzfeier and Amin are doing the biking while Engelhardt provides support from a van. The two also said the 100-mile day was the thing they were dreading most while Engelhardt said he was most-concerned about finding them at the end of the day.

First-timers Yuji Tanaka and Yifan You, both of Santa Clara, California, worried aloud about the 100-mile day as well but also were delighted at the chance to camp and to sample a variety of foods. Just a few of the offerings at the Expo were burger, Mexican and barbecue related.

Tom Williamson, a Rochester, Minnesota, resident, didn't seemed scared of the 100-mile day. According to him, the most-difficult aspect of RAGBRAI is the work beforehand.

"The toughest part is to get out and do the training necessary to have fun," he said. "If you're undertrained, you'll have a miserable time."

As for what he's most-looking forward to, that's an easy one.

"You get up in the morning and you know what you're going to do," Williamson said.
Ljiljana Stevic gives a lecture to Chinese language lovers at the Confucius Institute in the University of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 2, 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)'s second sinology department at the University of Banja Luka, scheduled to open in early October, will create an excellent platform for boosting the two countries' understanding and relations, head of the new department Ljiljana Stevic has said. (Provided by the interviewee/Handout via Xinhua)

SARAJEVO, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)'s second sinology department at the University of Banja Luka, scheduled to open in early October, will create an excellent platform for boosting the two countries' understanding and relations, head of the new department Ljiljana Stevic has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Stevic, also a pioneer in Chinese studies in the Balkan country, spoke about the importance of learning Chinese as well as enhancing cultural and scientific exchanges between BiH and China.

"This will lead to future prosperous relations and better understanding, as well as the strengthening of international partnership," said Stevic, adding that as China becomes increasingly important on the international arena, knowledge of the Chinese language and culture means more opportunities and is a real need for anyone who wants to keep up with the times.

The idea of introducing Chinese studies to the University of Banja Luka emerged in late 2019 when Rector Radoslav Gajanin paid a visit to Beijing, during which he and Chinese officials discussed the successful cooperation over the university's Confucius Institute established in January 2018.

Stevic attributed the birth of the new sinology department to the help of the Chinese embassy here as well as the rector's firm determination amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Recalling her experience of learning Chinese, Stevic, who also leads the Confucius Institute, widely seen as one of the most active institutes in Europe to promote Chinese culture, said the new sinology department at the Faculty of Philology is another step and natural extension to what she has been doing for many years.

After graduating from Chinese Language and Literature at the Faculty of Philology, the University of Belgrade in Serbia in 1999, Stevic won a scholarship from the Chinese Ministry of Education and went to Beijing Language and Culture University.

"I was so grateful to the Chinese government for the opportunity and I hoped one day to give my best to pay it forward, and enable other young people to study Chinese and see China," she said, expressing the hope that both countries will benefit from the growing number of Chinese learners.

According to her, besides contemporary and classical Chinese language courses, the sinology department also offers courses covering Chinese culture, philosophy, history, geography, diplomacy and economy.

Given the increasing demand for Chinese translators, experts and consultants in both public and private sectors, there is a promising prospect for graduates, she said, adding that the department plans to build closer relationships with more universities and companies in China.

The first sinology department in BiH was launched in 2011 by the University of East Sarajevo. On average, around 30 students complete their four-year study annually. 

Ljiljana Stevic gives a lecture to Chinese language lovers at the Confucius Institute in the University of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina, July 2, 2022. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)'s second sinology department at the University of Banja Luka, scheduled to open in early October, will create an excellent platform for boosting the two countries' understanding and relations, head of the new department Ljiljana Stevic has said. (Provided by the interviewee/Handout via Xinhua)
Governor declares emergency over wildfire near Yosemite

WAWONA, Calif. (AP)  A fast-moving brush fire near Yosemite National Park exploded in size Saturday into one of California's largest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands of people and shutting off power to more than 2,000 homes and businesses.

The Oak Fire started Friday afternoon southwest of the park near the town of Midpines in Mariposa County and by Saturday had grown to nearly 19 square miles (48 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. It erupted as firefighters made progress against an earlier blaze that burned to the edge of a grove of giant sequoias in the southernmost part of Yosemite park.

Evacuation orders were put in effect Saturday for over 6,000 people living across a several-mile span in the sparsely populated, rural area, said Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest.

Gov. Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency for Mariposa County on Saturday due to the effects of the Oak Fire.

More than 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, along with helicopters, other aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that included hot weather, low humidity and bone-dry vegetation caused by the worst drought in decades, Patterson said.

UN health agency chief declares monkeypox a global emergency

LONDON (AP)  The expanding monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries is an extraordinary situation that qualifies as a global emergency, the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, a declaration that could spur further investment in treating the once-rare disease and worsen the scramble for scarce vaccines.

A global emergency is WHOs highest level of alert but the designation does not necessarily mean a disease is particularly transmissible or lethal. Similar declarations were made for the Zika virus in 2016 in Latin America and the ongoing effort to eradicate polio, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision on calling monkeypox a global emergency despite a lack of consensus among experts on the U.N. health agency's emergency committee, saying he acted as a tiebreaker. It was the first time a U.N. health agency chief has unilaterally made such a decision without an expert recommendation.

We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, Tedros said. I know this has not been an easy or straightforward process and that there are divergent views."

WHOs emergencies chief, Dr. Michael Ryan, said the director-general declared monkeypox a global emergency to ensure that the world takes the current outbreaks seriously.

Jan. 6 hearings traced an arc of 'carnage' wrought by Trump

WASHINGTON (AP)  To understand how Donald Trumps desperation and lies became a potent danger to democracy, consider the ginger mints.

Mints featured in one of the absurdist but toxic episodes fleshed out in the Jan. 6 hearings, which now pause even as the Justice Department presses ahead on a parallel criminal investigation that it calls the most important in its history.

Here's how one conspiracy theory, in a dark sea of them, was born:

A mother-daughter team at a Georgia elections center shared the treat during a long election night. Someone videotaped them and chose to believe the mint mother gave to daughter was a USB port. Trumps lawyer spread the accusation that the video caught the women using the device to try to corrupt the election against the president.

Frantic to stay in power, grasping at anything, Trump ran with the lie. He attacked the mother by name, branded her a professional vote scammer, and soon vigilantes showed up at a family home intending to execute a citizens arrest, the committee was told. For the love of mints.

Russia hits Ukraine's Black Sea port despite grain deal

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missiles hit Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry denounced Saturday's airstrikes as a spit in the face to Turkey and the United Nations, which brokered the agreements.

Two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles hit the port's infrastructure and Ukrainian air defenses brought down two others, the Ukrainian militarys Southern Command said. Odesa regional governor Maksym Marchenko said an unspecified number of people were injured in the attack.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit in Odesa. Turkey's defense minister, however, said he had spoken with Ukrainian authorities and one missile struck a grain silo and another landed nearby but neither affected loading at Odesa's docks.

It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesas port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the U.N. and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said. In case of non-fulfillment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.

The invaders can no longer deceive anyone, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

Parents, 6-year-old girl fatally shot in tent at Iowa park

A 9-year-old boy who was camping at an Iowa state park with his parents and 6-year-old sister survived a shooting that killed the rest of his family.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Tyler Schmidt, 42; his 42-year-old wife, Sarah Schmidt; and their 6-year-old daughter, Lula Schmidt, all of Cedar Falls, Iowa. Their bodies were found in their tent early Friday at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Des Moines.

Authorities said the suspected gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was found dead Friday in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safetys division of criminal investigation, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the attack was still unknown.

We dont know what led up to this, what precipitated it, he said, adding that so far, the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.

Supreme Court leak probe: So many questions, so few answers

WASHINGTON (AP)  Less than 24 hours after the unprecedented leak of the draft opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation into the egregious breach. "

Since then? Silence.

The Supreme Court won't say whether it's still investigating.

The court also won't say whether the leaker has been identified or whether anyone has been disciplined.

Or whether an outside law firm or the FBI has been called in.

Investigators: Attacker 'did not know who' Zeldin was

A man accused of attacking New York GOP gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin during a recent campaign rally told investigators hed been drinking that day and didnt know who the congressman was, authorities said as the man was arrested on a federal assault charge Saturday.

David Jakubonis, 43, made an initial court appearance Saturday before a federal magistrate judge in Rochester, New York, on a single count of assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon. The charge carries a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

He was ordered held until a bail hearing in federal court Wednesday. Prosecutors said he should remain detained as a flight risk and is dangerous, according to a court filing. Assistant federal public defender Steven Slawinski, representing Jakubonis, said in an email to The Associated Press that he planned to ask the judge to release Jakubonis from custody.

Jakubonis was arraigned Friday on a separate state charge of attempted assault in the second degree and was released by a local judge. That prompted criticism from Zeldin and other Republicans who held it up as an example of the need to reform New Yorks bail laws, something Zeldin has called on Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul to toughen.

A 2019 bail reform law in New York eliminated pretrial incarceration for people accused of most nonviolent offenses. The law gives judges the option to set bail in nearly all cases involving violent felonies, but it has exceptions for certain attempted felonies like attempted assault.

Doctor: Biden likely has highly contagious COVID-19 strain

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden likely contracted a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus spreading rapidly through the United States, and now has body aches and a sore throat since his positive test, according to an update from his doctor on Saturday.

The variant, known as BA.5, is an offshoot of the omicron strain that emerged late last year, and it's believed to be responsible for the vast majority of coronavirus cases in the country.

Dr. Kevin OConnor, the presidents physician, wrote in his latest update on Biden's condition that Biden's earlier symptoms, including a runny nose and a cough, have become less troublesome. O'Connor's earlier notes did not mention the sore throat or body aches.

Biden's vital signs, such as blood pressure and respiratory rate, remain entirely normal, and his oxygen saturation levels are excellent with no shortness of breath at all," the doctor wrote.

O'Connor said the results of the preliminary sequencing that indicated the BA.5 variant do not affect Biden's treatment plan in any way.

Marvel teases new Avengers movies, Black Panther' sequel

Marvel Studios unveiled the first trailer for  Black Panther: Wakanda Forever   set to No Woman No Cry  to fans at Comic-Con on Saturday in San Diego.

It was just one part of the massive Hall H presentation, which also included first-looks at Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and new information about Phase 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which will conclude with two Avengers movies in 2025: Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secret Wars.

 Black Panther: Wakanda Foreve r director Ryan Coogler was on site in San Diego to preview the highly anticipated film, which is due to arrive in theaters on Nov. 11 and serve as the conclusion to Phase 4. Coogler paid tribute to Chadwick Boseman, who died in August 2020.

The impact that he made on this industry will be felt forever, Coogler said.

After the massive success of Black Panther in 2018, plans for a sequel were quickly set into motion. But those were altered after Bosemans unexpected death from colon cancer. The studio said it would not recast Bosemans role of TChalla. but very little has come out about the film in the years since. Production wrapped in March after several delays, one of which was due to an injury sustained by Letitia Wright, who plays TChallas brainy sister Shuri. Also returning are Lupita Nyongo, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett, but not Daniel Kaluuya, whose Nope schedule conflicted.

Has Florida Man finally met his match? Meet Florida Sheriff

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP)  When a naked man in southwestern Florida recently raised a ruckus outside his house and threatened a deputy with a kitchen knife, the SWAT team swooped in and apprehended him.

Soon afterward, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno stood on the man's driveway in combat gear for a news conference while the suspect went to the jailhouse that the sheriff likes to call the Marceno Motel.

Hes an oxygen-stealer and a scumbag, and Im glad hes outta here, Marceno told reporters. Im proud to say that in this county, if you present deadly physical force ... we meet you with deadly force every time, and we win. Its pretty clean, pretty quick.

The Sunshine State has become internationally notorious for the oddball miscreants who populate its police blotters and local news reports  known collectively as Florida Man. There are murders and mayhem, like anyplace else, and then there are the only-in-Florida incidents like the man charged with assault with a deadly weapon for throwing an alligator through a Wendys drive-thru window in Palm Beach County in 2015.

But an equally eccentric cast of hard-boiled sheriffs make a career of going after these guys. Florida Man, meet Florida Sheriff.
Jan. 6 panel deepens probe to Trump Cabinet, awaits Thomas

WASHINGTON (AP)  The House Jan. 6 committee said Sunday it will interview more former Cabinet secretaries and is prepared to subpoena conservative activist Virginia Ginni Thomas, who's married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as part of its investigation of the Capitol riot and Donald Trump's role.

Lawmakers said they are deepening their inquiry after a series of eight hearings in June and July culminating in a prime-time session Thursday, with plans to interview additional witnesses and reconvene in September to resume laying out their findings to the public.

We anticipate talking to additional members of the presidents Cabinet, said Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee's vice chair. We anticipate talking to additional members of his campaign. Certainly, were very focused as well on the Secret Service.

Cheney, R-Wyo., did not identify the Trump administration officials who might come forward, but the committee has previously made clear its interest in speaking with those believed to have considered invoking a constitutional process in the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office after the riot on Jan. 6, 2021, when hundreds of Trumps supporters violently stormed the Capitol and interrupted the certification of Joe Bidens election.

The committee has aired testimony from former Attorney General William Barr, who said he told Trump that widespread voter fraud claims were bull and had zero basis. In last weeks hearing, the committee played testimony from then-Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, who said he urged Trump to call a Cabinet meeting to discuss an orderly transition of power.

Pope lands in Canada, set for apologies to Indigenous groups

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP)  Pope Francis began a historic visit to Canada on Sunday to apologize to Indigenous peoples for abuses by missionaries at residential schools, a key step in the Catholic Churchs efforts to reconcile with Native communities and help them heal from generations of trauma.

Francis kissed the hand of a residential school survivor as he was greeted at the Edmonton, Alberta, airport by Indigenous representatives, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mary Simon, an Inuk who is Canadas first Indigenous governor general.

The gesture set the tone of what Francis has said is a penitential pilgrimage to atone for the role of Catholic missionaries in the forced assimilation of generations of Native children  a visit that has stirred mixed emotions across Canada as survivors and their families cope with the trauma of their losses and receive a long-sought papal apology.

Francis had no official events scheduled Sunday, giving him time to rest before his meeting Monday with survivors near the site of a former residential school in Maskwacis, where he is expected to pray at a cemetery and apologize.

Francis exited the back of his plane with the help of an ambulift, given his strained knee ligaments have forced him to use a wheelchair. The simple welcome ceremony took place in airport hangar, where Indigenous drums and chanting broke the silence. As Trudeau and Simon sat beside Francis, a succession of Indigenous leaders and elders greeted the pope and exchanged gifts. At one point, Francis kissed the hand of residential school survivor Elder Alma Desjarlais of the Frog Lake First Nations as she was introduced to him.

Russia says strike on Ukrainian port hit military targets

KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian defense officials insisted Sunday that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa hit only military targets, but the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault.

Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

Speaking late Saturday in his nightly televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

Under the grain-shipment agreement obtained by The Associated Press, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative, including the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The Ukrainian military said the attack involved four cruise missiles, two of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Crews protect homes as California fire burns near Yosemite

JERSEYDALE, Calif. (AP)  A destructive wildfire near Yosemite National Park burned out of control through tinder-dry forest on Sunday and had grown into one of California's biggest blazes of the year, forcing thousands of residents to flee remote mountain communities.

Some 2,000 firefighters battled the Oak Fire, along with aircraft and bulldozers, facing tough conditions that includes steep terrain, sweltering temperatures and low humidity, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

It's hot out there again today," Cal Fire spokesperson Natasha Fouts said Sunday. And the fuel moisture levels are critically low.

Crews on the ground protected homes as air tankers dropped retardant on 50-foot (15-meter) flames racing along ridgetops east of the tiny community of Jerseydale.

Light winds blew embers ahead into tree branches and because it's so dry, it's easy for the spot fires to get established and that's what fuels the growth, Fouts said.

Milley: China more aggressive, dangerous to US, allies

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its pacing threat" and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

Semiconductor bill unites Sanders, the right  in opposition

WASHINGTON (AP)  A bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States has managed to do nearly the unthinkable  unite the democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and the fiscally conservative right.

The bill making its way through the Senate is a top priority of the Biden administration. It would add about $79 billion to the deficit over 10 years, mostly as a result of new grants and tax breaks that would subsidize the cost that computer chip manufacturers incur when building or expanding chip plants in the United States.

Supporters say that countries all over the world are spending billons of dollars to lure chipmakers. The U.S. must do the same or risk losing a secure supply of the semiconductors that power the nation's automobiles, computers, appliances and some of the military's most advanced weapons systems.

Sanders, I-Vt., and a wide range of conservative lawmakers, think tanks and media outlets have a different take. To them, it's corporate welfare." It's just the latest example of how spending taxpayer dollars to help the private sector can scramble the usual partisan lines, creating allies on the left and right who agree on little else. They are positioning themselves as defenders of the little guy against powerful interest groups lining up at the public trough.

Sanders said he doesn't hear from people about the need to help the semiconductor industry. Voters talk to him about climate change, gun safety, preserving a woman's right to an abortion and boosting Social Security benefits, to name just a few.

One thing voters agree on: Fresh voices needed in politics

NEW YORK (AP)  As he campaigns for a Manhattan congressional seat against fellow Democrats twice his age, 38-year-old Suraj Patel harnesses the frustration of his generation toward those who have held office for decades.

In his telling, Reps. Jerry Nadler, 75, and Carolyn Maloney, 76, are part of a crop of Democrats who rose to power in the 1990s only to fail on issues ranging from guns to climate change and abortion. The redistricting process that merged their congressional districts offers a chance for new leadership, Patel says.

If we keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different result: Thats not just the definition of insanity," he said. "Thats also the definition of incumbency.

More than 1,100 miles to the west in the presidential testing ground of Iowa, Republican Jeremiah Bronson was also considering whether someone other than 76-year-old Donald Trump might carry his party into the future. Bronson expressed growing interest in 55-year-old Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

He seems to be on the same page with conservatives around the country, Bronson, 39, said as he dined on barbecued pork sandwiches with a half-dozen other Story County Republicans.

Big Papi a big hit at his Baseball Hall of Fame induction

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP)  David Ortiz promised to speak from the heart. As usual, Big Papi delivered.

His megawatt smile tinged with a tad of emotion, the former Boston Red Sox slugger was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday  after his daughter Alexandra sang the national anthiem  and was humbled by his surroundings.

I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to be here today and for giving me the joy of being able to travel this path, this path that has allowed me to be here today and hopefully inspire everyone to believe in yourself, Ortiz said.

Ortiz was greeted by a raucous crowd chanting Papi! Papi!" as many fans made the four-hour drive from the vicinity of Fenway Park to attend the festivities.

When he took the stage, Ortiz pointed skyward as is his wont in special moments, a way of honoring his late mother, who died two decades ago after a car accident.

Yellen downplays US recession risk as economic reports loom

WASHINGTON (AP)  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Sunday said the U.S. economy is slowing but pointed to healthy hiring as proof that it is not yet in recession.

Yellen spoke on NBC's Meet the Press just before a slew of economic reports will be released this week that will shed light on an economy currently besieged by rampant inflation and threatened by higher interest rates. The data will cover sales of new homes, consumer confidence, incomes, spending, inflation, and overall output.

The highest-profile report will likely be Thursday, when the Commerce Department will release its first estimate of the economy's output in the April-June quarter. Some economists forecast it may show a contraction for the second quarter in a row. The economy shrank 1.6% in the January-March quarter. Two straight negative readings is considered an informal definition of a recession, though in this case economists think that's misleading.

Instead, the National Bureau of Economic Research  a nonprofit group of economists  defines a recession as a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.

Yellen argued that much of the economy remains healthy: Consumer spending is growing, Americans' finances, on average, are solid, and the economy has added more than 400,000 jobs a month this year, a robust figure. The unemployment rate is 3.6%, near a half-century low.

As heat records fall in Northeast, some city dwellers flee

PROMISED LAND, Pa. (AP)  It's not exactly flowing with milk and honey  just ask the area's struggling black bears  but Promised Land offered respite Sunday for city folks in the Northeast trying to escape a nearly weeklong hot spell that only threatened to intensify.

Those with the resources fled to pools, beaches and higher elevations like Promised Land State Park, at 1,800 feet (550 meters) in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains and a drive of about 2 1/2 hours from New York City and Philadelphia.

From the Pacific Northwest to the southern Great Plains to the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor, more than 85 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings or heat advisories issued by the National Weather Service. The agency warned of extremely oppressive conditions from Washington to Boston.

Even in Promised Land, temperatures were forecast to soar above 90 (32 Celsius), but with shade from the forests, cool lake water and mountain breezes, it was more than tolerable, visitors said.

Rosa Chavez, 47, a high school teacher in Manhattan, applied sunscreen at a beach on Promised Land Lake. She and friend Arlene Rodriguez, who accompanied her, had just experienced Europe's own heat wave while vacationing last week in Florence, Italy.
Gabfest Reads is a monthly series from the hosts of Slates Political Gabfest podcast. Recently, Emily Bazelon spoke with author Vanessa Hua about her compelling inspiration for her new novel, Forbidden City.

This partial transcript has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Emily Bazelon: The main characters name is Mei. She is a Chinese teenager from the country in China. And she goes on a journey because shes recruited by the Communist Party to join a dance troupe of girls who perform and really serve the male elite of the Communist Party. The people who the girls are interacting with include Chairman Mao. And so, it is really the relationship between Mei and Chairman Mao, that is the focus and spine of the book. She gets caught up in a lot of palace intrigue, and then in the tumult and violence of the beginning of the cultural revolution. So, we see both Mao and these seismic events in Chinese history through her eyes. So, Vanessa, I understand from your authors note that a photograph helped inspire this book. Can you tell us a little bit about it and why it caught your interest?

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Vanessa Hua: About a decade and a half ago, I was watching a documentary of China and up pops this black and white photo of Chairman Mao, surrounded by giggling teenage girls. And some of them are dressed in plaid, they almost remind me of Bobby Soxers, and thats when I learned that Mao was a fan of ballroom dancing. And in fact, there was an American journalist, Agnes Smedley in 1937, when she traveled to the rebel stronghold to cover them, she taught them Foxtrot, square dancing. And in the decades that followed, he had these cultural work troupes, as they were called, and these young women would partner with him in the bedroom and on the dance floor.

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You have this amazing bit in your authors note in which you say that you were looking for information about this dance troupe and Chairman Maos interactions with them. And so you found the memoir of Maos doctor and he wrote, To have been rescued by the party was already sufficient, good luck for such young women. To be called to the Chairman was the greatest experience of their lives. Imagine what it meant for a young girl to be called into Maos chambers to serve his pleasure. Which of course is an incredibly male-centric portrayal and spin on what was happening to these girls lives. And I wonder if you wrote the book with that in mind, thinking of giving Meis perspective as a kind of corrective.

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Definitely. When I read that, as I mentioned in my authors note, when I looked for more information there wasnt much and to have what it meant for these young women summed up as exhilarating and an honor, I knew it had to be more complicated than that. I think thats really where fiction can flourish, where the official record ends. For me, I always treated the research I found as the floor and not the ceiling. And then I think thats where, as a novelist, I can really get at the stories of young women like Mei who have a hand in history, but dont even really merit a footnote.
Shows the endless cycle of nature.

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The primeval forest in the vicinity of Morske Oko, the third largest natural lake in Slovakia, is one of the most easily accessible old forests in Slovakia.

The Vihorlatsky Les forest nature forest on the border of the Humenne, Snina, Michalovce and Sobrance districts, one of the five Slovak components included in the UNESCO World Natural Heritage List as Old Beech Forests and Beech Forests of the Carpathians and other regions of Europe, is an extensive complex of beech trees stretching along the main crest of the Vihorlatske vrchy up to the Nezabec massif.

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A mountain of contrasts

As stated by the director of the Vihorlat Protected Landscape Area Administration, Zuzana Argalasova, the area is rich in natural peculiarities.

"This mountain range is a range of contrasts, interesting reserves with rare flora and fauna, lakes, rock formations, bogs and many other natural features," she said, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

According to Argalasova, the reserve's beech forests are characterised by a low representation of spruce and fir. These trees naturally occur only in the Jedlinka area.

Beech trees shelter rare inhabitants

In the territory, there are mainly homogeneous beech trees of a forest-like nature with a mixture of mountain maple, ash and mountain elm.

"During the mapping of primeval forests, the thickest circumference of the trunk was measured at 357 centimetres for the beech in the vicinity of Morske oko, and 293 centimetres for the mountain maple," she added, as quoted by TASR.

At the same time, the beeches provide a home for animals of European importance, the Alpine longhorn beetle, the gray wolf, the brown bear, the lynx, the fire salamander and the Carpathian blue slug.

Thousands of people will walk the educational trails

The total area of this territory of worldwide importance is 2,160.544 hectares, part of it lying in the military district of Valaskovce, the reason why it is not accessible to the public.

"The rest of the territory is highly accessible through a network of educational and tourist trails, well connected to one another," explained Argalasova.

The most visited educational trail is Morske oko  Sninsky kamen  Sninske rybniky.

Last year, Morske oko was visited by almost 65,000 people.

"On the trail, you can see beautiful examples of beech trees with a forest-like character, as well as examples of how natural communities are allowed to develop in this area without interference," the conservationist pointed out, adding that the easy accessibility of the area is made possible by car access to the parking lot near Morske oko.

According to Argalasova, the educational trail through the Vihorlat beeches starting in Poruba pod Vihorlatom in the Michalovce district and ending at the Tri table saddle is also interesting.

"Here it is possible to admire how an endless natural cycle takes place without human intervention, where old trees give way to new ones and they immediately grow in a suitable place," she concluded.

World cultural and natural heritage

On the occasion of this year's 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, along with the 30th anniversary of the inclusion of the first Slovak monuments in the World Heritage List, the films Carpathian Beech Forests in Slovakia and Carpathians - Hidden Wealth, are shown every Wednesday and Friday at Morske oko.

The Slovak part of the old beech forests and primeval forests of the Carpathians is located in Poloniny National Park and the Vihorlat protected area.

In addition to Vihorlat, it consists of Havesova, Stuzica - Bukovske vrchy, Udava and Rozok.

Kosice region travel guide: On the border between Western and Eastern European culture Read more

Spectacular Slovakia travel guides
It was sunny and beautiful day for Trevor Henry day at Hanover Raceway. A large crowd was on hand to take in the festivities Saturday afternoon (July 23) and recognize Trevor while supporting the Canadian Tire Jump Start charity.

Henry  a 10-time Driving Champion at Hanover Raceway  was joined by Canada's reigning Horse of The Year Desperate Man, who won the Pepsi North America Cup last season with Henry in the bike. The duo also led the post parade out for all three Dream of Glory eliminations.



The Arthur, Ont. native signed autographs and had meet and greets with a multitude of fans, then got in the race bike and drove three races on the card. The fundraising effort in all raised $10,163 for Jump Start.



Dream Of Glory Eliminations

In the first elimination, Bob McClure guided Balanced Image Stakes champion Sea Can to victory by a length in 2:00.3 for owner-trainer Mark Etsell and his partners Terry Devos and Peter Porter. The Muscle Mass gelding benefitted from a pocket trip behind pacesetter Renegade Gypsy and found racing room in the stretch to claim the victory and punch his ticket to next week's final. Renegade Gypsy held for second while The Champ Champ was third.

In the second Dream of Glory elimination, Lenis and Austin Sorrie went first over past the half and ground down tempo-setter Three Finger Pour and Trevor Henry, drawing away in the stretch and holding off a late charging Promise For Life to win in 1:59.1. Three Finger Pour held onto third. Brian Lee trains the gelding by Il Sogno Dream for owner Leonard Christopher.

In the final Dream of Glory elimination, Drinks At Home (pictured above) and driver Bob McClure collared a hard-used Armstead Cole, moving clear at the top of the stretch to clock the fastest elim with a 1:58.1 win. Fast-charging Evil Guy and Trevor Henry got up for second and Armstead Cole settled for third. Luc Blais trains the victorious Royalty For Life colt for owner Determination.

The post position draw was made for next week's $52,200 Dream of Glory final and looks like this:

1. Sea Can

2. Renegade Gypsy

3. Drinks At Home

4. Three Finger Pour

5. Lenis

6. Promise For Life

7. Armstead Cole

8. Evil Guy

AE1. The Champ Champ

AE2. Archery Seelster

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Hanover Raceway.

(with files from Hanover Raceway)
Maritime powerhouse Time To Dance dominated once again, this time at Truro Raceway in taking the $7,500 Lindsay Construction Cup Invitational on Saturday night (July 23).

Trainer-driver Marc Campbell cruised to the lead with the six-year-old A Rocknroll Dance gelding by a :26.1 first quarter before yielding command to Batterup Hanover before a :54.2 half. He stayed steady in the pocket as Batterup Hanover strolled to three-quarters in 1:23.1 and attacked coming off the final turn. Time To Dance took the front as Beachin Lindy launched a late charge after the lead, but the odds-on choice held firm to the finish to pass the beam a quarter length in front in 1:51.4. American Risk finished third and Batterup Hanover faltered to fourth.

A 36-time winner in 79 outings, Time To Dance has accrued $183,399 in purses for owners Brent Campbell and Matthew McDonald. He paid $2.80 to win.

On the undercard of the Construction Cup, Truro hosted a pair of Atlantic Sires Stakes (ATSS) "A" divisions for three-year-old pacing colts and geldings and a $5,029 dash for the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series opening leg.

Rollwithhottytoddy led pillar to post in the first "A" division. Driver Jason Hughes reached the helm with the Rollwithitharry gelding to a :27.4 first quarter and snagged a :57.4 breather before accelerating to three-quarters in 1:25.4, where 6-5 favourite Stash It Away mounted a first-over bid. Stash It Away fatigued off the turn, leaving Rollwithhottytoddy to coast a 1-1/4-length winner in 1:53.3 over pocket-sitter Elm Grove Quail.

Co-owned by trainer Trevor Hicken with Todd and Trish Hardy, Rollwithhottytoddy won his fourth race from 22 starts and has now earned $36,243. He paid $25.20 to win.

Fern Hill Gusto applied similar front-stepping tactics to win the other "A" division in 1:53.3, one of three track records on the night. The Stonebridge Terror colt pushed from the pylon post and faced minimal challenge in a clip of :28.3, :57.4 and 1:26.1 to pull away a three-length winner over Brumby while pocket-sitter Woodmere Denver faltered to third. The time matches the track record for a three-year-old pacing colt set by Southside Eddy earlier in July.

Marc Campbell trains and drives Fern Hill Gusto for owner Grayland Farm. He won his sixth race from 17 starts and has now banked $49,073. He paid $2.50 to win.

A track record fell in the Atlantic Aged Pacing Mares Series when Acefortyfour Dome darted from the pocket to stop the clock in 1:52.3. The five-year-old Up The Credit mare stalked a tempo of :27, :55.4 and 1:23.2 before popping off the pegs and slipping home a 2-1/2-length winner over pacesetter Share The Moment. Havarti sat a pylon trip to finish third in the mile that bests the previous mark for an aged pacing mare of 1:54.2 set by Ashestodiamonds in July 2021.

Jason Hughes trains and drives Acefortyfour Dome for owner Don Mac Rae. She won her 20th race from 68 starts, pushed her earnings to $137,988 and paid $10 to win.

Elm Grove Qwiggly led every step in the lone ATSS "B" division earlier in the card. Marc Campbell piloted the Rollwithitharry colt to a 1:57.2 over Woodmere Sheldon for trainer Lawrence Snow, who co-owns with Henry Poswiata.

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click the following link: Saturday Results - Truro Raceway.
OUR editorial page only rarely ventures into national politics. Our first commitment is to our community, our region, and the commonwealth. Still, we do not exist in a vacuum.

The hearings of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol rightly demand our attention this Sunday.

The peaceful transfer of power is what has defined the United States from its beginning. There is no other nation that has done it for so long, and so well. It is the one tradition to which we could all point and say, in this respect, America is exceptional.

We can no longer say that. Donald Trump rallied, incited, and supported an insurrectionist mob to keep him in power, despite overwhelmingly losing the election in both the popular vote and the Electoral College. And still today, he will not admit what has been repeatedly proven. He lost.

There is no parallel in U.S. history.

Power was peacefully transferred following the contentious election of 1800. Again following the election of 2000. Even the election of 1860 saw a peaceful transfer of power. The Confederacy accepted the election results, says University of Mary Washington professor Stephen Farnsworth, it just didnt want to be part of a nation where Abraham Lincoln was president.

Thursday evenings hearing brought Trumps un-American behavior into sharp relief.

Today, we give our editorial space over to the closing remarks of Illinois Republican and committee member Adam Kinzinger, who on Thursday night succinctly, and clearly, spelled out what is at stake.

Within minutes of stepping off the Ellipsis stage, Donald Trump knew about the violent attack on the Capitol. From the comfort of his dining room, he watched on TV as the attack escalated. He sent tweets that inflamed and expressed support for the desire of some to literally kill Vice President Mike Pence. For three hours, he refused to call off the attack.

Donald Trump refused to take the urgent advice he received that day. Not from his political opponents or from the liberal media, but from his own family, his own friends, his own staff, and his own advisers. In the midst of an attack, when there was no time for politics, the people closest to Trump told him the truth. It was his supporters attacking the Capitol, and he alone could get through to them.

So they pled for him to act. To place his country above himself. Still, he refused to lead, and to meet the moment to honor his oath. It was only once the vice president and the members of Congress were in secure locations, and the officers defending the Capitol began to turn the tide, that then, President Trump engaged in the political theater of telling the mob to go home.

And even then, he told them all they were special and that he loved them.

Whatever your politics, whatever you think about the outcome of the election, we as Americans must all agree on this. Donald Trumps conduct on Jan. 6 was a supreme violation of his oath of office and a complete dereliction of his duty to our nation.

It is a stain on our history. It is a dishonor to all those who have sacrificed and died in service of our democracy. When we present our full findings, we will recommend changes to laws and policies to guard against another Jan. 6. The reason thats imperative is that the forces Donald Trump ignited that day have not gone away. The militant, intolerant ideologies; the militias; the alienation and the disaffection; the weird fantasies and disinformation. Theyre all still out there and ready to go. Thats the elephant in the room.

But if Jan. 6 has reminded us of anything, I pray it has reminded us of this. Laws are just words on paper. They mean nothing without public servants dedicated to the rule of law, and who are held accountable by a public that believes that oaths matter more than party tribalism or the cheap thrill of scoring political points.

We the people must demand more of our politicians and ourselves.

Oaths matter. Character matters. Truth matters. If we do not renew our faith and commitment to these principles, this great experiment of ours, this shining beacon on a hill, will not endure.
While attending Casper College in Wyoming, Scott Gambino completed internships to apply his studies in history and museum studies. He is bringing that knowledge of artifact preservation and restoration to Gering as the assistant director at Legacy of the Plains Museum.

As the assistant director, Gambinos responsibilities will focus on the collections, archives, exhibits and preservation aspects of the museum. His first day on the job was D-Day, June 6.

Executive director David Wolf is glad to have Gambino aboard.

I am really excited to have Scott here at Legacy of the Plains, Wolf said. He brings a wealth of experience in exhibit design, artifact preservation, collections acquisition and archives management that will fit right in with our staff and volunteers.

Over the course of the nearly two months in Nebraska, Gambino has completed restoration of a couple saddles at the museum, served in an advisory role on the archives and preservation collections committees and helped with the Japanese Hall.

Gambino said, Theyre (Japanese Hall project leaders) starting new and theyve been really picking my brain on how to do things correctly. Im glad that Im able to help them out. For example, they have been asking me how to store stuff and what to do in the database. Its really cool for me to be able to help them out and use my education for a good purpose.

Gambino graduated from Casper College with two Associate of Arts degrees in history and museum studies and a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, with a minor in museum studies, from the University of Wyoming in 2018.

Throughout his internships and career with the Veterans Memorial Museum and other military museums in Wyoming, he has focused on the curatorial aspect. The curator at the Veterans Memorial Museum took Gambino under his wing, which sparked a passion for preserving veterans history.

He worked at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois, Wyoming, The Historic Bishop House in Casper and the Quebec-01 Missile Alert Facility near Cheyenne.

For the past 7 or 8 years, I focused on the curatorial aspects of museums, so preservation, restoration of artifacts, putting them into databases and making sure that they last, Gambino said. My grandfather on one side of my family was a World War II vet and then on my other side of the family, you can go back to my great times five grandfather who was actually part of the Massachusetts militia in the Revolutionary War.

Then he saw the job opening for the assistant director at Legacy and decided the opportunity would allow him to grow.

I figured it would be a good way to advance my career, he said. Ive always worked in military museums and I figured coming out here would branch off and get me into another area of history that I really dont know a lot about, but would like to learn more.

Gambino is new to the state and looks forward to learning the Nebraska history of the Oregon Trail, the history and importance of agriculture in the valley and the Native American tribe history in the area.

In addition to learning the history, he also looks forward to preserving it for future generations.

If Im able to preserve something for at least 100 years that means people down the line will get an education from it, he said. I view history as very important and museums are an institution of preserving artifacts, but also teaching people. Its a huge educational opportunity for the public.

While the materials used to preserve artifacts vary by item, Gambino said the key element is maintaining a stable environment.

There are all sorts of types of artifacts. The main thing is keeping the environment stable, so you want to keep the temperature between 69-72 degrees and the relative humidity around 30%, he said. That fluctuation in temperature you may not see it initially, but it will damage it down the line.

Another issue when storing artifacts is using acid-free boxes.

You want to use acid-free boxes because regular cardboard has what you call off-gassing that releases gases into these artifacts, which causes damage, he said. Wood, cardboard, paint they all off-gas. There are different ways of negating that by putting an acid free layer or in acid-free boxes.

Gambino invites the community to come peruse through the exhibits at the museum to learn about the history of agriculture, Native Americans, railroads and fur trading in the area.

We have a broad expanse of what people can see here, he said. You can come in and see all sorts of different artifacts that peaks some interests.

He particularly enjoys sharing the history with youth during school tours.

You can give them that little spark that gives them an interest in history and thats what its all about, he said.

Gambino said he is happy to join the Legacy of the Museum team and looks forward to helping them preserve history for generations to come.
When your wife suggests you have failed at your job, its probably time to retire, or see if there is an opening as a Wal-Mart greeter.

That appears to be what first lady Jill Biden suggested during a speech to a Democratic fundraiser in ultra-liberal Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Speaking of the president, she said: Hes just had so many things thrown his way. Who would have ever thought about what happened (with the Supreme Court overturning) Roe vs. Wade? Well, maybe we saw it coming, but still, we didnt believe it. The gun violence in this country is absolutely appalling. We didnt see the war in Ukraine coming.

Notice the use of the past tense, which is telling.

All of this is false. Vladimir Putin signaled his intention to invade Ukraine far in advance; the decision on Roe was leaked weeks before the formal announcement; gun violence in major cities preceded the Biden administration.

The problem that is only now speaking its name is that the president of the United States appears to have dropped the ball and is a little too slow off the mark in dealing with the challenges of the presidency.

Such comments are not only coming from right-wing opponents of the president and his policies, but are now appearing in mainstream newspapers like The New York Times and Washington Post and among some columnists who endorsed Bidens election, despite his age. Leading Democrats are now questioning whether Biden should run for a second term. A recent New York Times-Siena College poll found that 64 percent of Democrats surveyed would prefer another nominee in 2024. Biden has served his purpose by keeping Donald Trump from winning a second term and now many Democrats want to discard him like an empty paper bag. At least a paper bag can be recycled. Biden cant.

After what former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg and others forecast as the coming wipeout of the Democrats congressional majority in November (almost certainly the House and possibly the Senate), Biden will become an instant lame duck and can expect several much younger Democrats to seek the 2024 nomination. This will afford the president a credible exit strategy.

If Biden was surprised by events that occurred on his watch, what does that say about his leadership? The unexpected should be expected, or at least anticipated, when one is president. Perhaps Joe should listen to his wife and start planning for a dignified departure.
If youve been contributing to an IRA, youve chosen a great way to save and invest for retirement. All IRAs have potential tax benefits and a range of investment possibilities, but not all IRA providers offer the same features. So, if you decide that your current IRA provider is charging higher fees than youd like, or perhaps doesnt offer as many investment choices as you want, then you might choose to move your IRA assets to another provider. How should you go about making this switch?

Here are some options to consider:

Trustee-to-trustee transfer or direct rollover  You can ask the financial institution holding your IRA to move the money directly to another IRA. No taxes will be withheld from the amount transferred at the time of the transfer. This method is generally hassle-free, but some IRA sponsors will still only mail the check to your address of record, so youd have to forward it to your new IRA.

Indirect rollover  If you take an indirect rollover, also known as a 60-day rollover, the assets from your existing IRA will be liquidated and the custodian or plan sponsor will send you a check or deposit the funds directly into your bank or brokerage account. This payment may be subject to withholding for federal taxes, and possibly state taxes, unless you opt out of withholding. You have 60 calendar days from the time the funds were withdrawn to deposit the money, including any amount withheld, into a new IRA. If you miss this 60-day deadline, the withdrawal may be taxable at your personal income tax rate, and it could also be subject to an early withdrawal penalty if youre younger than 59 1/2.

Given the immediate withholding and the possibility of further taxes if you dont move the money into a new IRA before the 60 days are up, youve got much to consider before initiating an indirect rollover. Consequently, you should consult with a financial advisor and tax professional before you make this type of move.

In addition to a rollover from an existing IRA, you may someday want to move the money from your 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan to an IRA. This can occur when you retire or change jobs, although if you do take on another job, you might have the options of leaving your 401(k) with your former employer or rolling it over into your new employers plan. However, if you do want to move your 401(k) funds into an IRA, you can make whats known as a direct rollover, in which the administrator of your old retirement plan will send you a check made payable to the custodian of your IRA. No taxes will be withheld, but you need to get the funds transferred within 60 days to avoid any potential tax issues.

You spend years contributing to your IRA and 401(k)  and for good reason. So, when its time to move that money, be careful and consider getting help from your financial and tax professionals. These funds can play a big role in your retirement income, so manage them wisely.
Twenty-five years ago:

Record & Landmark,

July 25-31, 1997.

Two more cases of rabies in the past week puts Iredell County on pace for a record year. Eleven cases have been reported this year, tying the number of cases in all of 1996. Rabies cases are steadily increasing since 1994 when there were no reported cases. (7/25)

With as few as 24 black males, black females, white females and Hispanics serving in Statesville, Mooresville and Iredell County, these figures have law enforcement officials concerned. Gordon Knight of the Mitchell BLET program and Chief Steve Hampton of the Statesville Police Department are looking for ways to attract more minorities to the field. (7/26)

Country music legend Merle Haggard will be the headline act at the eighth annual WFMX Country Homecoming. In addition to Haggard, Pam Tillis, Clay Walker and the Buffalo Club will be appearing at the annual event. (7/27)

Photo of Nehal Hoque & John Ide in Mitchell chem lab. The two chemistry instructors are participating in the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program. Hoque will teach at MCC and Ide will depart soon for Hackney, England, to teach in a community college there. (7/28)

97 on Monday. Kent Houpe, assistant director of electric utilities, said maximum usage by city customers Monday reached 89,196 kilowatts. While Houpe could not say exactly what the capacity of the city electric system was, he stated, Its a whole lot more than that. (7/29)

More rabies. The 12th and 13th cases of 1997 were confirmed in the last few days. I dont see an end to it in the near future, said Sidney Weisner, of Iredell County Animal Control. The whole state seems to be having the same problem. [Chatham Co. had 96 cases.] (7/30)

New city manager. Five of the eight city council members, along with the mayor, met with a facilitator from Charlotte. They described the ideal applicant as an open communicator, a negotiator, able to make deals, get along with current staff and handle the job. (7/31)

Fifty years ago:

Record & Landmark,

July 2-31, 1972.

Gilbert Engineering Company of Statesville submitted the low bid for construction of the rest areas on I-40 in Davie County, seven miles north of Mocksville. Gilbert Engineerings bid was $1,212,014. (7/25)

County commissioners last night adopted a $6,429,469 budget and held the tax rate at 93 cents on the $100 valuation. The proposed West Iredell High was a casualty of the determination of the commissioners to hold down the tax rate in this election year. (7/26)

Electric consumption for the City of Statesville reached an all-time high Monday during some of the hottest weather of the summer. The power usage peaked at 46,440 kilowatts during a 30 minute recording period. Usage during June ran as high as 39,240 kilowatts. (7/27)

After almost 35 years as manager of Smitheys Department Store in Statesville, Jeff E. Oxford retired today. Lowell E. Harmon, a native of Iredell County, has been named manager of Smitheys by Mrs. G.M. Kirkpatrick, president of Smitheys Inc. (7/28)

New associate pathologist. Dr. Glenda Hartness Weber, a Statesville native, is working in the office of Dr. Donald Schnell. A graduate of Statesville Senior High, she received a bachelor of science degree from Wake Forest and doctorate of medicine from Bowman Gray. (7/29)

District 19 Slow pitch tournament. Harmony Car Wash won the home-run derby over Melton Electric 19-16, as Bill Little had two homers and Robert Carter, Rick Brown and Terry Jolly homered once each. Connie Shoffner and Jerry Corneilison paired homers for Melton, with Harry Howell and Lloyd Blackwelder adding single roundtrippers. (7/31)

Seventy-five years ago:

Statesville Daily Record,

July 25-31, 1947.

Donald Webber, Statesville Daily Record carrier, has his third bicycle purchased with money made from his Record route over a period of three years. Two of Donalds bicycles have been stolen from him, the first more than a year ago and second last winter. (7/25)

Sacred Crow  Al Watson, popular announcer at WSIC, was giving out some news about President Trumans plane, the Sacred Cow. Als glasses must have gotten steamed up for he called it by the two names with which this item is headed. (7/26)

Barbara Jewel Henkel & Robert Belt Horne married. Both attended Statesville schools, and both are now employed at the local A. & P. store. Mr. Horne served for three years in the U.S. Army. (7/28)

Photo. Back Again  First B.F. Goodrich white side wall tires delivered in Statesville are being carefully examined by Miss Gloria Holmes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph T. Holmes, who are proud of both beauties. [no white wall tires during WW II] (7/29)

Salisbury 7 Owls 2. Charlie Raehse, playing his first game with the Owls, turned in some nifty fielding on second base and looked good at the plate with two singles and a triple. [Raehse often returned to Statesville and loved to visit Steve Hills museum, where he would introduce himself as Chuck Raehse, second base.](7/30)

The police have recovered a bicycle found in the woods on highway 21 about six miles from Statesville. Its red and cream colored Royal Flyer with plenty of accessories, and whoever the owner is, he can claim it at the police station. (7/31)

One hundred years ago:

Landmark,

July 27 and 31, 1922.

Dr. Ross McElwee, county quarantine officer, announces that more than 8,000 in the county have taken the vaccination against typhoid. The response in north Iredell has been most gratifying. (7/27)

Statesville Rt. 3. The majority of the families of this community are taking the typhoid vaccination at Troutman. This gives a day off with those who take it and chases em to the shade, for hot sunshine and a vaccinated arm are not very pleasantly combined. (7/27)

The excavation for the new high school building at Cool Spring is about complete and brick are being placed for the building. (7/27)

The Hall-Kale Manufacturing Company has received its charter. The plant will be located at Troutman and work will begin on the building immediately. The plant will be equipped with modern machinery for the manufacture of fine combed yarns. (7/31)

Mooresville. The first section of the State highway hard-surface road, leading from the Mecklenburg line at Davidson to Mooresville, has been finished and opened to the public. This is a fine stretch of road, about six miles in length, and is a foretaste of the future main street from Charlotte to Statesville. (7/31)

Harmony. The Harmony Telephone Exchange Company has been leased by Mr. P.H. Lazenby and the exchange board moved from Mrs. Letita Harpes to his home. We can now get service to Mocksville. (7/31)

One hundred twenty-five years ago:

Landmark,

July 27 and 30, 1897.

Lightning struck the steeple of the Presbyterian church, tearing a hole in the roof and burning out the electric light meters in the church. A number of electric lighting switch boxes and telephones were also burned out by the lightning. The storm was soon over but it was quite severe while it lasted and the display of lightning was terrific. [storm hit 7/26] (7/27)

Prof. E.S. Millsaps, principal of Clio Academy, will teach a grammar normal school at the academy, beginning Monday, August 9th, and continuing 20 days. The course, we are told, will cover the entire subject of English grammar. (7/27)

The annular eclipse of the sun took place yesterday and various persons were out with smoked glasses gazing at the phenomenon. The dark shadow appeared on the suns disk a little after 8 oclock and remained, covering a third or a fourth of it until between 10 and 11 oclock. The difference was just perceptible in the suns rays. They continued to shine but gave a somewhat sombre appearance, as if a light cloud was passing between the sun and the earth. (7/30)

Deputy Collector Bryant is taking brandy distillers bonds. He thinks there will be 25 or 30 brandy distilleries in Iredell and Alexander this year. There were 20 last year. (7/30)

Mooresville. Mrs. J.L. Ballard died of typhoid fever at her home near town last Saturday and was buried in the town cemetery Sunday evening. (7/30)
A Statesville man was shot early Sunday morning in the parking lot of a local restaurant.

William Ryan Beam, 45, is being treated at a trauma center.

The Statesville Police Department, in a news release, said that around 5:11 a.m. they received a report of a person with a gunshot wound at Iredell Memorial Hospital.

That person was identified as Beam. He had been taken to the hospital in a personal vehicle and then was transferred via Iredell EMS to a trauma center.

Beam told officers he was shot in the abdomen by an unknown person in the parking lot of Lisas Restaurant, 1411 Salisbury Road, police said.

The SPDs Criminal Investigations Division responded to the scene and found evidence of a shooting in the parking lot.

This investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been made.

The Statesville Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division is requesting that anyone with information regarding this incident contact the Statesville Police Department at 704-878-3406 or 704-878-3516.
The Thursday edition of the Floyd Farmers Market allows local farmers and consumers to have more in-depth conversations without the hustle and bustle of the Saturday market.

Market Manager Abigail Krigare said the Thursday market is designed for shoppers who would prefer to avoid larger crowds and still enjoy the various offerings of the market.

Thursday market vendors are always down for a conversation, or a quick chat about their growing practices, Krigare said.

Popular vendors at Thursday markets have recently included Minimal Gap/Wholly Honey Bees, Bird and Hopper Farm, Bent Mountain Herbs, Waterbear Farm and Turner Family Farms.

The Kester Clark Farm, run by Bessie Weber and Janice Joyce, has been a presence at Floyd Farmers Markets for more than 12 years, supplying eggs, organic produce, plants, berries and more.

Donna Cole of Bird and Hopper Farm makes delicious shortbread cookies, jams, seasoning blends, wool balls, and handmade ceramic buttons.

Linda Shell from Minimal Gap/Wholly Honey Bees brings baklava made fresh from her own honey, honey, beeswax and pollinator plants.

Waterbear Farm is well known for its amazing spread of veggies, ferments and mushrooms. Bent Mountain Herbs offers healing products that she creates, salves, fire cider and dried teas. Turner Family Farms regularly brings delicious frozen cuts of locally raised pork and beef to every market.

Relationships between local producers and consumers support the dreams of local farmers and their families. Almost all of the 30-plus vendors at Floyd Farmers Markets are from Floyd County.

Your money spent here goes directly into the pocket of someone who is your neighbor and your friend, not into a corporate office several states away, Krigare said.

Having two weekly markets expands accessibility to locally grown food, Krigare said, and shoppers opportunity to take advantage of the Virginia Fresh Match program, which doubles the value of dollars spent with an EBT/SNAP card.

Two markets also widens the demographic of shoppers for vendors to sell to.

Thursday market hours are from 3-7 p.m. each week, under the Community Pavilion on south Locust Street.

Find updates about weekly vendors, live music and other Floyd Farmers Market offerings at www.floydfarmersmarket.org and www.facebook.com/FloydFarmersMarket.
A federal waiver that once supplied free lunches to at least half of Cowlitz County students has expired, with school districts left to decide how to provide meals.

At one point about 1,400 of the 2,400 students in the Woodland School District ate their lunch for free through the federal meal program, the district reports. Under the federal waivers, Longview schools averaged 43% of students who ate breakfast and 53% who ate lunch.

At the outset of the pandemic, the United States Department of Agriculture put into a place a number of waivers, one of which got rid of the application for the national school lunch program. This meant every student could eat for free last year.

Most of those waivers expired June 30, though U.S. Congress extended some of them.

Now, Cowlitz County school districts are returning to the way they delivered food before the USDA waiver. This often means enrolling in government-funded meal programs, collaborating with local grocery outlets or taking advantage of recent legislation meant to make it easier for schools to provide meals.

State and federal options

Longview School District was recently approved under a new state law that provides free student meals, said Rick Parrish, communications and operations director. Every student in Longview schools will have the option of getting a breakfast and/or lunch for free in the fall.

The new law provides individual schools and districts with free and reduced meals if they report that more than 40% of students automatically qualify for free or reduced lunch, regardless of whether they applied. In Longview, 60% of students district-wide are eligible for free and reduced lunch.

If youre really hungry, how well are you going to learn? Parrish said. Its important for our kids to be able to have a healthy meal.

Enrolling under the new laws program is what Woodland is hoping to do in at least two of its schools, said Stacy Brown, the districts executive director of business services.

In the meantime, the Woodland School District is providing meals through a summer meal program, said Brown, and will remind families this fall the importance of applying for free or reduced lunch through the federal government. Prior to the USDA waiver, Washington state Basic Food Program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, provided meals for students who requested help.

Were pushing families to apply, Brown said. Its been a couple of years since they had to apply for free and reduced meals.

Once normal operations start in the fall, the Longview District will also encourage families to sign up for the basic food program, Parrish said.

Summer school

Longview established three, free mealtime spots for summer school: the parks and recreation building at 2121 Kessler Blvd. in Longview, CORE Healths Ascent Teen Center on Commerce Avenue and Archie Anderson Park in the Highlands.

Kelso is also hosting a summer meal program in several schools for children 18 or younger, providing one free breakfast and one free lunch per day per child. The school district also post a daily food menu at www.myschoolmenus.com, where families and students can see whats being served.

Kalama School District decided not to apply for a summer lunch program since our summer school was only a two-week program at the end of the year, according to Nick Shanmac, the districts communications and grants manager.

Shanmac said via email the district plans to message families to let them know about the USDA waiver expiration and prepare them for meal changes, Shanmac said.

Donations

Smaller rural districts like those in the region have to sometimes get creative when it comes to providing free or reduced-priced meals.

Rainier Superintendent Joseph Hattrick said via email the Rainier School District continues to serve breakfast and lunch for all children Monday through Thursday at no charge this summer. Meals are provided through Sysco Portland, United Salad, Franz and Dairy Fresh Farms, Hattrick said.

The district serves about 115 lunches daily, down from last summer when they averaged 154 meals per day, Hattrick said. When this fall comes, they plan to feed all students breakfast at no charge and lunches will be charged $3 for elementary and $3.75 for grades six through 12, he said.

In Castle Rock, summer school meals are donated from local churches, which is how it was for years before they had the USDA waiver, said Superintendent Ryan Greene.

About half of Castle Rock School District students qualify for the government-funded free or reduced lunch program, Greene said. When fall comes around, the district will use that requirement as a way to provide meals during the day.

Well follow that and provide meals to students who need it, Greene said.
Garena Free Fire MAX redeem codes for July 24, 2022: Latest events and rewards are here to make the game more exciting for the players. Here is all you need to know.

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UVALDE  After the massacre at Uvaldes Robb Elementary School in May, Jesse Rizo was worried about his old friend, police chief Pete Arredondo.

Blame for the botched police response was being directed heavily at Arredondo when Rizo texted him just days after the shooting: Been thinking of and praying for you.

Two months later, with investigations and body-camera video spotlighting the hesitant and haphazard response by police to the killing of two teachers and 19 students, Rizo remains worried about Arredondo. He also wants him fired.

Rizos complicated feelings toward his Uvalde High School classmate capture the type of mixed emotions that families of victims and many residents of this close-knit community are navigating as they channel their grief and fury into demands for change.

I care about Pete. I care that hes mentally OK. I dont want a human to start to lose it, said Rizo, who is distantly related to a 9-year-old girl who was killed at Robb Elementary. But I also want to hold people accountable who dont perform their jobs properly.

The 50-year-old Arredondo, who as head of the school districts small police department was one of the first officers on the scene, has taken much of the blame for not immediately storming the classroom and confronting the shooter. He has not responded to repeated requests for comment from The Associated Press.

This week, the Uvalde school board abruptly scheduled a meeting to discuss firing Arredondo, only to cancel it days later. As officials weigh their options, residents are growing impatient with unanswered calls to hold people accountable for the bewildering 77 minutes of inaction by nearly 400 police officers who responded to the school shooting.

But the mere possibility of his firing after months of resistance from local officials stands as a demonstration of the victims families rising political clout.

The strain over how to move forward is visible in the signs that have popped up all over town. Uvalde United. Uvalde Must Stand Together. While those signs mean different things depending on whom you ask, other signs are more pointed: Prosecute Pete Arredondo.

Family ties and political struggles go back generations in Uvalde, a community where nearly three-quarters of the residents are Hispanic. Locals had largely revered the police before the shooting. Uvaldes leaders, many of whom are white, share church pews with their fiercest critics. And demanding accountability can mean calling for the job of your friend, neighbor or employer.

Its a town with a power structure and unwritten rules that make it hard for many people to speak out, said Michael Ortiz, a local college professor who moved to Uvalde 13 years ago and said his tenure allows him to be vocal in a way thats not viable for many of the communitys mostly working-class residents.

Someones boss might not like that, Ortiz said. They are afraid even to march.

Since the shooting, the mostly Hispanic parents of the victims have struggled to make their demands heard by the city and school district. Local officials initially resisted releasing information and calls to fire officers. But things are shifting.

In a sign of growing political activism, more than 300 people have registered to vote in Uvalde since the shooting  more than double the number in the same period during the last midterm election season. And in July, over 100 protesters braved 106-degree heat to call for stronger gun regulations  including raising the minimum age to buy an assault weapon  and for greater transparency from local and state authorities investigating the shooting.

That was the largest local demonstration since 1970, when the school districts refusal to renew the contract of a popular Robb Elementary teacher prompted one of Texas longest school walkouts over demands for equal education for Mexican American residents. That teachers son is Ronnie Garza, a Uvalde County commissioner.

Garza said the shooting has changed the community, uniting people in grief but dividing them on questions of accountability. We are a desperate people right now. We are yelling here that way, we are yelling (the other) way, for somebody to listen to us, to come and help us, Garza said.

Faced with incomplete and contradictory accounts from local and state law enforcement, the families of those killed in Uvalde have begun to make people listen.

After state lawmakers issued a damning report that found systemic failures and egregiously poor decision making by both police and school officials, the Uvalde school board held a special session to hear from parents. Superintendent Hal Harrell apologized for previously being too formal and not letting the victims families say their peace.

Trying to find the right time, the right balance out of respect, I did not do well, said Harrell, who spoke in an auditorium named for his father, who was also superintendent.

For the next three hours, grieving parents and community members upbraided the board, saying that if it didnt hold people accountable they would lose their jobs. Some told Harrell he wasnt living up to his fathers legacy, while others referenced the 1970 lockout and said they hoped he would do better, drawing applause. People called for the whole school police force to be fired and jeered at state troopers standing at the rooms edges.

Rizo, who was at that meeting, said he cannot respect how the police chief or the many other officers he knows handled their jobs that day. There are consequences to that, he said. I cant understand why he wouldnt just resign.

But the long history between them tugs at Rizo, too. In the text he sent Arredondo days after the shooting, he said: Please be strong and be patient.

Arredondo responded: Good to hear from you, bro. Thank you and please keep praying for the babies. They havent spoken since.
Hall County Fair is known for its shows of humble bovines and fanciful fowls, buts cats and pet fish had their day, too, with Fridays companion animals show at Aurora Cooperative Pavilion.

This is a chance for kids to show their cats and any other animals that they have that dont qualify into any of the other 4-H classes, Event Superintendent Lisa Allan said. We had fish today. In the past there have been lizards, snakes, guinea pigs. Anything that doesnt fit.

The afternoons five young entrants brought with them two cats and two beta fish. Event Judge Donna Rauert called it a good showing, and described the pets as pleasant.

The pets were evaluated based on personality and presentation.

Small in numbers, but the kids knew the knowledge of the feed and the breeds, and thats always a good start, said Rauert.

The cats, when shown, were squirmy and hissed some, but calmed when held.

The cats were a little questionable, but the fish was very well contained and performed real well, jested Rauert.

Several qualities are considered when evaluating the cats, Rauert explained.

Cleanliness, if their nails have been clipped. Check the ears, which the kids did that for me, she said. Usually I ask them about breed, feed breakdown, if theyre contained to their cage all the time or out in the house, which both of them they were out running around.

The betas, too, though seeming ever content in their bowls and tanks, are also evaluated.

You have to know the breed, and about the breed, and where the breed originated and about the care of them, cleaning of the tank theyre in, said Rauert.

Dakota Fenster described her cat, a 1-year-old shorthair, as fun and good company.

She likes going outside. Sometimes Ill take her for walks and get weird looks from my neighbors, she said. She likes to just lie around. Sometimes we just cuddle.

They won two reserve champion honors and a purple ribbon for personality.

Noah Krueger brought a half-moon beta to the fair Friday.

Theyre bred in Thailand. Theyre bred to fight. And they have a special organ in them that helps them so they can breathe out of water, too, he explained.

Krueger described his beta as a fun and pleasant pet.

He seems very happy and he likes to swim about his tank, he said. I like watching him swim around. Its fun to watch him do that.

Krueger and his beta earned champion showmanship and best personality.

It is special for the kids to show off their animals that arent livestock, said Allen.

I think it went really well. The kids did a great job, she said. You can tell that they really care about their animals. Its always fun to see them interact with them.

Hall County Fair continues today at Grand Islands Fonner Park. For information on activities and events, go to hallcountyfair.com.
When we parted on Friday, I promised to propose the Goldilocks camera, for the sake of argument. Something ideal in the middle of the medium-format digital 44x33 cameras and high-megapixel FF cameras on the one hand, and the latest smartphones with their smartcameras on the other. Not that there's anything wrong with those.

The OM System Olympus-badged OM-1

The just-right point, I think, where everything is in balance, the happy medium, is the OM System "Olympus"* OM-1.

Read what Kristine Hinrichs said in her comment to the "Hypothetical Camera Question" post:

Im still getting great results with my Micro 4/3 systemcurrently the new OM-1. I can shoot 80 MP tripod-mounted if I need it, or 50 MP, handheld, using the high-res modes. I have had images from other Olympus models printed as large as 10x17 feet and 4x6 feet. These cameras are lighter and more reasonably priced. So many people use 'shooting FF only' as some sort of outdated badge of professionalism. For my work, Id rather be able to easily shoot handheld 23 seconds and up to 6-ish seconds if I take a deep breath, than shoot larger files.

If you have not looked at it, the OM-1 is really a big jump in performance and image quality. When you get through all of the specs to real use, the dynamic range is much better and the images have a special quality.

Meanwhile, in the same thread, Mike Peters said:

My Micro 4/3 system already out-resolves, is sharper, and has more dynamic range than my 35mm Kodachrome slides and my 120 Fujichromes. Everyone was happy with that stuff back in the day. Rarely does more capability in anyone's camera make for more interesting photographs. [If] you work on a tripod and are looking to recreate what you got with a view camera, and need to print very large, then sure, more is always better. And for that, I have a built-in high res mode that'll get me there on my G9's and GH6's. But for the average shooter out there, [medium format is] like driving a Ferrari in rush hour traffic in NYC.

I'd get the OM-1 with the excellent OM System 12100mm /4 as well as a "nested"** normal or normal-wide prime. The former has all the range I'd ever need and superb dual-IS, and the latter makes the camera much smaller and more portable as a walking-around camera. If you don't need such a long zoom, OM System has a very high quality fast normal zoom, the 1240mm (2480mm-e) /2.8 Mark II.

Here are few more advantages of the OM-1:

Small and light

Superb sensor with extreme high FPS capabilities

20 MP is a "Goldilocks" number as well (just ask Nikon)

Highly weatherproof

Excellent IBIS

Great viewfinder, reportedly

Excellent AF

High-res modes, some available handheld (Kristine mentioned this)

There's a hobbyist's cornucopia of Micro 4/3 lenses from a number of companies

Of course the Fuji X-T4 is an excellent alternative to the OM-1 (both have that darned flip-out videographer-centric viewing screen that I dislike, but I'm much unhappier with Fuji for its version, on account of the X-T2 and X-T3 had achieved the perfect viewing screen and then Fuji threw it away), and there are others.

Is smaller better or worse?

And now we come to a touchy subject. Four-Thirds (13.5 x 18mm) was introduced in 2003, and I was an early supporter from the get-go. The reason is that I think it's an advantage to have a sensor smaller than 24 x 36mm (a.k.a. 35mm, a.k.a. 135). You get a narrower angle of view from the same lens focal length, which I consider an advantage; the lenses can be smaller and lighter and brighter because they have less to cover, which I consider an advantage; and you get more depth-of-field for the same aperture, which I consider an advantage. I've always thought it a plus for digital that cameras can be designed to have smaller-than-35mm sensors. It was something we always wanted with filmcameramakers kept trying to make film sizes smallerbut it turned out 24x36mm was a practical minimum for film. With APS-C and Micro 4/3 we were freed of that limitation. That was and is a good thing.

And it's a good thing I've always been loathe to relinquish. Faced with the choice:

[Micro 4/3 or APS-C] vs. [FF or medium format]

...I usually choose the option on the left. I did own two FF cameras along the way (the Sony A900 and Nikon D800), but neither of them made it to the status of my everyday go-to "axe" for whatever reason. Other than that I've almost entirely chosen Micro 4/3 or APS-C cameras for my personal use over the past 16 years. All three of my current cameras are APS-C.

But not everybody agrees with that viewpoint.

If you want a 24x36mm sensor, compare the OM-1 with the Nikon Z5:

(Image courtesy CameraSize)

As you can see they're about the same size. Both have nice big grips. The effective focal length (angles of view) of those lenses is the same, the Nikkor being slower at the long end, counterbalanced by better higher-ISO performance. The Nikon is 76 g (about 2.7 ounces) heavier; the Nikkor lens is actually only 9 g heavier. The Z5 is a little simpler, whichagain in my book but maybe not in yoursis a plus. Bigger plus: you can get that Z5 and lens and a card and a bag for less than the cost of the OM-1 body alone. Although price sensitivity might not be much of an issue for you with expensive cameras.

I personally like 40mm as a walkaround focal length, and Micro 4/3 has two options there, the 20mm Panasonic and the highly corrected 20mm /1.4 OM System. Nikon has the new ultralight 40mm /2 Z lens (only 170 g / 6 oz.), which effectively makes the camera smaller and lighter. So, really, you can get an equivalent FF camera with not much if any penalty, presuming that's what you prefer.

Again, it doesn't matter to me that the OM-1 isn't smaller and lighter than a "full-frame" camera, because I think the smaller sensor is an advantage and I would prefer it. But your mileage may vary***.

Image quality

This is bound to be controversial, but I also prefer the image quality of the Micro 4/3 to FF. It's not quite as smooth or detailed, but it has more "bite" and subjectively gives an impression of greater sharpness. I like it better, all else being equal. Note that I don't make large prints (13 x 19" paper is the largest). It's a matter of taste.

Conclusion

After I wrote the "Goldilocks" post I heard it from a few M10 shooters (no, I have no hate for the M10, quite the contrary), and if you haven't seen Stephen Scharf's comment in the Comments Section of the "Goldilocks" post defending the iPhone 13, go look at it. No hate for that either; I have one. And there are many cameras out there and I'm not the expert on what other people should buy. This is just my opinion. And of course Micro 4/3 is on the outs in terms of popularity, with Olympus having bailed on its camera division and Panasonic busy vigorously filling in an entire FF line. (I'm also very unhappy with Panasonic, for abandoning the GX8 instead of making a GX8 Mark II.)

But to me, the OM-1 hits the Goldilocks Principle nail right smack on the head. It's the best all-'rounder for everything and anything. To me, it makes more sense than an iPhone, and it makes more sense than a FF or larger-than-FF camera.

I'm guessing you will have an opinion about that, so let 'er rip, I'm ready.

Mike

*It's not made by Olympus. It's to be the last Olympus-branded camera and was called that as a 50th-anniversary homage to the original Olympus OM system, which debuted with the compact film Olympus OM-1 in 1971. I want the next one, with "OM System" blazed on the front. And please, call it the OMS-1...it's the age of the internet, and things need searchable names. Don't we know that yet?



**A "nested" prime is one with a focal length within the focal length range of the zoom.

***You have to use that phrase in every camera comparo; it's an internet rule.

Book o' the Week

Grit and Grace: Women at Work in the Emerging World. Unfortunately, this will be the posthumous swan song of the indefatigable documentarian Alison Wright, whose untimely death at 60 in the Azores this year meant she never got to see it published. Wright's photography was inextricably entwined with her life's dedication to social justice, a sense of acceptance of humanity, and a roving search for beauty and color.

Original contents copyright 2020 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

SteveW: "My iPhone is my standard zoom with a range of 1377mm equivalent. And longer if necessary with digital zoom. My nested lens is a Fuji X-T4 with a 33mm /1.4 or 23mm /2. Currently, I have more fun with the iPhone which is always with me. Everything about it is easy."

SW Rick: "I can see the flame-throwers being ignited as we speak. :-) "

Mike replies: Nah, we're nice to each other around here. Our little corner of civility on the web.

James: "For what it's worth, Ive had no problem getting Micro 4/3 images accepted into juried all-media art shows and selling prints at my local gallery. And thats with lesser modelsE-M10 Mark II and E-M5 Mark III."

Benjamin Marks: "Not much rests on agreeing or disagreeing about a specific piece of gear. But having said that, I absolutely love the OM-1. I have one that I use with Olympus primes that I originally bought to use with an earlier Micro 4/3 camera. I use a Pen-F as a back-up/second body when I am out with it. No zooms. Lenses are 12mm, 17mm, 20mm, 45mm, 50mm, and 60mm, and I usually carry four or five (they weigh almost nothing). The 45mm and Panasonic 20mm are the magic lenses of that group for me.

"I have that larger Pentax K-1 and I have a Leica M-9. But for photographing my family, or the streets of New York City, the combination of in-body stabilization, AF, a silent motor drive mode, and low-light IQ good enough that it has never been the limiting factor for my photography really puts it in the Goldilocks zone for me, of 'just right.'

"If I am having someone over for a portrait session, the Pentax definitely comes out. But for traveling around in the world, the OM-1 is really a treat. I am thinking of buying a spare in case the company now making them 'goes away' at some point."

Aaron: "I use Micro 4/3 and the OM-1. I also have a Sony A7RIV. Perhaps surprisingly, in marginal light for landscapes I prefer Micro 4/3 for the simple reasons that I can shoot at /5.6 and get roughly the same depth of field as /11 on the full frame. In addition, as you note, the stabilization is greatI routinely get an extra stop or two compared to the Sony. Put those together and I routinely shoot the OM-1 at a 34 stop faster ISO than the Sony. So much for the full frame advantage (at least in marginal light without a tripod)."

Dan D: "Micro 4/3 really made photography fun for me. The size is ideal for travel and street photography. I carry a Lumix G9 in a Kiva street bag with an Olympus 1240mm /2.8 and a Lumix 20mm /1.7. I prefer the Lumix menus over the Olympus as I felt Olympus's were not very intuitive. After selling all my Nikon cameras and lenses I haven't looked back. The Lumix G9 hits the Goldilocks spot in my hands."

Daniel J. Cox: "Ive been shooting Micro 4/3 cameras since 2008. Full time since about 2015. You did a fabulous job pointing out the many benefits of Micro 4/3 and in particular the new OM-1. But by far the best line in your review was Kristine's: 'So many people use "shooting FF only" as some sort of outdated badge of professionalism.' Absolutely dead nuts on! Could not have said it better myself and Ive been shooting professionally for over 40 years. The OM-1 is a tremendous camera."

Dave Levingston: "That OM-1 is more camera than I need...and apparently about the same size and weight as my Z7II. I'm enjoying working with the Z7II, but find myself frequently just reaching for the Panasonic GX8's for anything where I don't feel the need for the higher pixel count. If only Panasonic would make a worthy successor to the GX8 with a higher pixel count sensor.... At any rate, I won't be getting rid of the Micro 4/3 kit, though the Z7 is here to stay as well. But I do agree that M 4/3 is the Goldilocks system."

Fulvio Senore: "About normal zooms for micro 4/3 don't forget the Olympus 12-45 mm f/4. It's cheaper, smaller and lighter than the f/2.8 one. I use it with my GX9: I don't care if it is slower and I am very satisfied."

Pak Ming Wan: "No problems with this choice at all. My GH5 Micro 4/3 at 20MP is plenty good enough. Micro 4/3 arguably pioneered the whole mirrorless march (even though the maturity in the market now is more even across the board). The new OM-1 I think is much more camera than I'll ever need. For the record, I feel like my GH5 is the Ferrari and my Leica M-Monochrome is my Ford Focus."

Brunell Val: "My Goldilocks system is Fuji X-T2. If I had to start over, I might migrate to Nikon FF mirrorless. Seems weird that Canon and Sony are hardly mentioned, as I perceive them to be the commercial/innovation market leaders based on reading elsewhere on the Web."

John: "Whats missing in your comparison with the Nikon is that the OM-1 is much, much more camera than that Nikon. The OM-1 is on par with the top cameras of the other brands, except for a smaller sensor. Plus, it uses computational photography that other cameras dont offer."
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:
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CHICAGO  In addition to spending more than $62 million en route to an easy win in the June primary, Gov. J.B. Pritzker also gave $24 million to the Democratic Governors Association, which then spent millions on TV ads encouraging Republicans to vote for his favored GOP challenger, state Sen. Darren Bailey, financial reports showed.

The reports, filed with the Internal Revenue Service as part of the DGAs tax-exempt status and covering April through June, show Pritzkers contribution represented almost half of the roughly $52 million the DGA raised in the quarter.

Pritzkers intent to enlist the DGA to influence the Republican primary was evident in early April when he gave the group $16 million. He followed up with another $8 million in mid-May, the IRS filing showed.

Pritzker has spent about $30 million on TV ads since announcing his reelection bid last July. Pritzkers most recent pre-primary ads vilified well-financed Republican contender Richard Irvin and labeled Baileys conservatism as too extreme for Illinois, themes the DGA mirrored in TV ads the group spent at least $19 million to air, industry estimates showed.

In labeling Bailey, a wealthy farmer from Xenia, as an extreme conservative, the Democratic ads served as a backhanded way to generate support for Bailey among Republican primary voters and weaken Irvin, the Aurora mayor who received $50 million from Pritzker foe Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of the Citadel investment firm.

Pritzker and his party believed Baileys rural, Christian evangelical-based candidacy, endorsed by former President Donald Trump, would make him the easier candidate to defeat in the Nov. 8 general election.

Ballot totals are set to be certified by the State Board of Elections on July 29. Unofficial totals representing 97% of the expected final vote showed Bailey winning his partys nomination with 57.7% of the GOP primary vote, with Petersburg investor Jesse Sullivan getting 15.6% of the vote and Irvin about 15% in the six-way contest.

Pritzker faced only nominal primary opposition in seeking a second term, allowing the billionaire governor to devote resources to the Republican primary. The Pritzker and DGA ads joined with nearly $19 million spent by Bailey and a Bailey-backed political action committee that also criticized Irvins Republican credentials.

Bailey and the allied PAC got a total of $17 million from conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein, the head of the Uline office packaging and supply company.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Agricultures Agricultural Marketing Service has signed a cooperative agreement with South Carolina under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program.

Through LFPA, the South Carolina Department of Agriculture seeks to purchase and distribute locally grown, produced, and processed food from underserved producers.

USDA is excited to partner with South Carolina to promote economic opportunities for farmers and producers and to increase access to locally sourced, fresh, healthy, and nutritious food in underserved communities, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt said. The Local Food Purchase Cooperative Agreement Program will improve food and agricultural supply-chain resiliency and increase local food consumption around the country.

The SCDA will work with a network of distributors and farmers to purchase food from at least 120 farmers, including at least 60 underserved and rural farmers and ranchers, and distribute the food to at least 24 counties in need.

Additionally, SCDA will partner with the Catawba Indian Nation, the only federally recognized tribal nation in South Carolina, to further increase the impact of program funding and to reach members of the Nation.

SCDA will also work with other third-party partners to assist in the development and management of the program, including evaluation of the programs results, and expects to facilitate further market development for farmers that will be sustained beyond the funding period.

This agreement is a testament to the partnerships weve worked hard to develop. We worked with stakeholders across South Carolina to develop a proposal that ensures the purchase of local foods from rural and underserved farmers, as well as the distribution of local foods to underserved areas. Were excited to get to work on this collaborative effort, S.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh E. Weathers.

The LFPA program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan to maintain and improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency. Through the program, USDA will award up to $400 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements with state and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of delivery destination.

AMS plans to continue signing agreements under this program that allows state and tribal governments to procure and distribute local and regional foods and beverages that are healthy, nutritious and unique to their geographic area.

More information about the program is available on AMSs Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program webpage.
CHARLESTON  Basket makers have sewn baskets in the South Carolina Lowcountry since the 17th century. The tradition has been preserved at the hands of the Gullah-Geechee people, descendants of enslaved West Africans trafficked to North America.

For over 300 years, basket makers have transformed baskets from a plantation tool into an art form. Today, basket makers continue to leverage heritage tourism to make a living, to advocate for the preservation of the ecosystem vital to the tradition and to experiment with scale, form and materials. This exhibition traces the evolution of sweetgrass baskets in South Carolina, highlighting the innovative work of contemporary makers.

The opening reception for "Sewn Through Time" will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25. It is free and open to the public. Visitors are invited to meet guest curator Kennedy Bennett as she shares how she came to study and write about sweetgrass baskets.

The lens brought to the baskets in this exhibit by Kennedy Bennett is that of an insider to the basket making community. A recent Yale graduate, Bennett explains growing up in Mount Pleasant as the daughter and granddaughter of basket makers, I was enveloped in a community that kept Gullah-Geechee traditions alive. My grandmother, Thelma Bennett, other family members and neighbors sewed sweetgrass baskets on their porch, at their basket stand, and at local businesses appealing to tourists. I am fortunate to have immersed myself in Gullah-Geechee culture  first as a descendant, and now in academic and curatorial contexts.

Among the makers whose work will be featured are Antwon Ford, Georgette Wright Sanders and Adell Swinton. Ford draws inspiration from gestalt psychology and the idea of a fourth dimension to conjure sculptural forms that represent grass in motion. With vessels like "Four Corners of Justice" that invoke both South Carolinas sweetgrass basket and 19th century face vessel traditions, Georgette Sanders redeems the past to envision a better future. Adell Swintons miniature versions of classic basket forms like the ring tray and purse with lid demonstrate technical virtuosity in the service of memorializing the imaginative reservoir and entrepreneurial spirit of past makers.
CHARLESTON  Orangeburg County Chief Magistrate Derrick F. Dash was recently sworn in as the South Carolina state representative for the National Judges Association at the organizations 41st annual Education Conference.

The conference was held June 26-July 1 in Charleston. Dash participated in the meeting of the Council of State Representatives, presented at one of the classes, as well as attended several classes and events of the conference.

The NJA was founded in 1979 to represent limited jurisdiction judges in the American Judiciary with the primary goal of quality judicial education. The Hon. Candace Hissong, executive director of the National Judges Association, and herself a retired judge in Oregon, explains, The NJA is an organization founded on the principle that judicial education and fellowship are both vital aspects of the American system of justice. Our members are found in small and large communities across the nation, tirelessly serving those communities with fairness and insight. Education provided at our conferences is among the most well rounded availableand in these times of budget constraints, is highly cost effective.

She additionally remarked, Judge Dash is a 16-year member of NJA, has been on the bench since 1997; and has well served his constituents and his profession during his tenure as magistrate and currently as chief magistrate. Judge Dash is a dedicated and valued member of the NJA. I am proud to call him my colleague and my friend. In addition to that, I respect him and enjoy working with him.
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College will hold two graduation ceremonies Thursday, July 28, on campus in the colleges Roquemore Auditorium.

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Business, Computer Technology, Criminal Justice, Education, Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing Technology, and Health Science graduates will be honored at the 3 p.m. ceremony. Nursing graduates will be honored at the 5 p.m. ceremony.

The speaker for the 3 p.m. ceremony is English instructor Dr. Tamara Miles.

Miles, who serves as faculty advisor for OCtechs Alpha Alpha Delta Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa international honor society, is one of the colleges 2022 Educators of the Year.

The speaker for the 5 p.m. ceremony is Angie Phelps, assistant nursing director at Jolley Acres Healthcare Center.

Phelps, a 2001 Practical Nursing graduate, completed OCtechs Associate Degree Nursing Transition program in May. She was named one of The Times and Democrats Nurses: The Heart of Health Care 2022 honorees.

Tickets are required for admission. Both ceremonies will be streamed live on the colleges website, octech.edu.

Fall classes begin Monday, Aug. 15. South Carolina residents enrolled in at least six credit hours in any certificate, diploma or degree-seeking program at OCtech this fall will receive free tuition.

For more information and to apply, visit octech.edu or call 803-535-1234.
COLUMBIA -- The Original Six Foundation (O6) announced an expansion of the organizations O6 afterschool program into five schools located in Greenville, Florence, Marion and Colleton counties.

The program, which partners with schools and certified teachers to provide homework assistance and helps students improve study habits and homework strategies, will be offered at Monaview Elementary School in Greenville, J.C. Lynch Elementary in Coward, Creek Bridge STEM Academy in Marion and Northside and Cottageville elementary schools in Colleton County starting in September.

The expansion marks the eleventh O6 afterschool program in the state and the first Original Six Foundation partnerships with Greenville, Florence Three, and Colleton County school districts.

The O6 afterschool programs success across South Carolina is exciting, said Ambassador Nikki Haley, founder and chair of the O6 Foundation. Not only have we seen improved grades among our students, more importantly, their confidence has grown, and theyre excited to participate in class.

The O6 afterschool program provides students with hands-on, individual support from teachers to achieve their academic goals in a fun learning environment. Each program operates Monday through Thursday with at least two certified teachers and aids students in the completion of homework assignments to reinforce school-day learning.

Colleton County School District Superintendent Vallerie Cave is excited about the new partnership.

The opportunity that this partnership will provide through after-school programming for our students will prove invaluable for the students by improving academic performance for those participants, Cave said. I am convinced that positive after school opportunities build endurance and create lasting relationships for children. We are humbled and excited to be a partner.

In addition to the new locations, existing programs are operating in Allendale County at Allendale-Fairfax Middle School, Bamberg County at Richard Carroll Elementary School and Denmark-Olar Elementary School, Clarendon County at Manning Junior High School, Marion County at Palmetto Middle School, and Union County at Jonesville Elementary.

About Original

Six Foundation

Founded in 2011 by then-Gov. Haley, the O6 Foundation believes children across South Carolina deserve a quality education regardless of where they are born and raised. The O6 Foundation works to improve education by identifying gaps and filling them through hands on engagement and resources.

To learn more, visit www.originalsixfoundation.org.
Harvest Hope Food Bank, which supports food pantries across the state, is hosting its annual Take a Bite Out of Hunger drive through July 31.

Weve recently seen a drop in both donations and food drives, and this is a fun opportunity for individuals, families, friends, colleagues, or organizations to come together and take action for your neighbors who need a helping hand, Harvest Hope CEO Erinn Rowe said.

The name of the event is a play on "Shark Week," a popular summer program of shark-related shows put on by the Discovery Channel.

Harvest Hope says 11% of South Carolina families do not have enough food to eat.

Most-needed items include canned or pouched meat such as tuna or chicken.

Besides donating canned goods, you can also donate financially, shopping on the organizations Amazon wish list or volunteering at a local location.

Donations can be made at Harvest Hopes website: harvesthope.org.

Harvest Hope partners with several local food pantries, including:

 Brown Chapel AME, Elloree

 Cooperative Church Ministries of Orangeburg, Orangeburg

 Christ Is The Answer SDA Church, Orangeburg

 Faith Baptist Church, St. Matthews

 Gethsemane Baptist, St. Matthews

 Greater Unity AME, Holly Hill

 St. Andrews UMC, Orangeburg

 Williams Chapel AME, Orangeburg

As well as two senior programs at:

 Cooperative Ministries of North, North

 Faith Deliverance Center, North
COLUMBIA  Straight Road International is pleased to receive a $14,500 grant from the Alzheimers Resource Coordination Center in the South Carolina Department on Aging. This grant supports Straight Roads educational program titled Elder Financial Abuse in the Dementia Community.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the growing problem of elder financial abuse in South Carolina and the United States as a whole. With older adults being more isolated from their loved ones than ever before coupled with an increasing number of them suffering from varying types of dementia including Alzheimer's disease, they have become more susceptible to losing their savings to clever fraudsters. It is estimated that by 2025, there will more than 120,000 South Carolinians with Alzheimers disease. Straight Roads president and founder, Abdalla Straker, believes that it is critical that this issue be addressed at this time.

It is our duty to honor our elders, our parents, those who have gone before us, and that means looking out for them. They must be protected. We have to teach, equip and report to stop this practice from getting out of control," Straker said.

Straker is a gerontologist and alumnus of South Carolina State University who spent a decade working in corporate America. He will be engaging the students, faculty, staff and others at South Carolina State University and other local institutions on the topic.

For more information, call 803-622-3597 or email support@straightroadint.org.
Who is the Democratic version of Ron DeSantis?

At 43, the Florida governor has already established himself as a major candidate to lead the Republican Party once Donald Trump, now 76, leaves the scene. Democrats have no comparable figure poised to succeed Joe Biden, who is three years older than Trump and clearly showing signs of advanced age.

The question of who comes after Biden is being asked more loudly and more often, even by Democrats who supported the president two years ago. Biden insists he will run for a second term, when he'll be 81. But in a stunning New York Times/Siena poll, 64% of all Democrats said they would prefer a different candidate heading the ticket in 2024, with only 26% favoring another Biden run.

The cause of their concern, bordering on panic, can be summed up in two numbers. The first is 37, Biden's average approval rating, his lowest score ever. The second number is 18, the percentage of Americans who say the country is headed in the right direction, while 3 out of 4 express pessimism about the future.

The Times described the Democrats' dismay: "As the challenges facing the nation mount and fatigued base voters show low enthusiasm, Democrats in union meetings, the back rooms of Capitol Hill and party gatherings from coast to coast are quietly worrying about Mr. Biden's leadership, his age and his capability to take the fight to former President Donald J. Trump a second time."

But if not Biden, then who can "take the fight" to Trump, or his successor?

Bernie Sanders, who has already run and lost twice for the nomination, and threatens to run again, is already 80. Elizabeth Warren is 73. Vice President Kamala Harris is only 57, but she has underwhelmed Democrats with both her campaigning and executive skills. Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg is 40, but the only political district he's ever run is South Bend, Indiana, population 102,000.

Two Democratic governors are raising their national profiles and hoping to fill what could be called the party's "DeSantis Gap," but both face obvious obstacles. California's Gavin Newsom, 54, gained attention with a clever ad on Florida TV stations lacerating DeSantis and asserting, "Freedom is under attack in your state."

Newsom, however, faced a recall election last year, with critics charging, "People in this state suffer the highest taxes in the nation, the highest homelessness rates and the lowest quality of life as a result." He survived, but in 2020 alone, almost 650,000 residents left California, hardly an advertisement for the governor's competence.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, 57, drew praise after a deadly shooting in Highland Park by declaring with palpable passion: "Be angry. I'm furious that yet more innocent lives were taken by gun violence." Pritzker received a standing ovation when he addressed a meeting of New Hampshire Democrats last month, and one enthusiastic local official told Politico, "He's got great energy. He's perfect."

Still, Pritzker has to run for re-election this fall and remains untested on the national stage. He also belongs to one of the country's wealthiest families, hardly a Joe-From-Scranton type.

Youth is not the only admirable asset in a potential president. Biden showed that only two years ago, as did Ronald Reagan, our oldest president before our current one. But American politics is always about the future, not the past, and younger candidates, energetic and hopeful, can express and embody that essential idea more convincingly than older rivals.

Between 1960 and 2012, Americans elected five Democratic presidents -- Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Their average age was just under 49. Kennedy captured their common message in his famous inaugural address when he intoned, "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans."

He meant the generation that had fought World War II, but each of the others represented in their own way a new beginning, a fresh start. Johnson offered a "Great Society" that pioneered civil rights and Medicare. Carter promised truth after the lies of Watergate. Clinton, the first Baby Boomer president, campaigned as "The Man From Hope." Obama became the first Black president by running on a platform of "Hope and Change."

As Democrats try to move past the Biden years, they have to ask who, or what, comes next. So far they don't have an answer.
(TBTCO) - Nhung nam gan ay, viec len phuong an cac kich ban gia e chu ong trong ieu hanh a to ro hieu qua. Tai Luat Gia (sua oi), viec xay dung kich ban ieu hanh gia uoc quy inh cu the, la co so cho viec e xuat phuong huong quan ly, ieu hanh gia trong nam cung nhu e xuat muc tieu kiem soat lam phat cho nam tiep theo, nham thuc ay phat trien kinh te.
The Ombudsman for Children and Youths (OKAJU) organised a summer seminar concerned with the introduction of a criminal law relating to young offenders.

Participants of the seminar included representatives from the areas of pedagogy and the judiciary.

The exchange allowed participants to view the issue from different perspectives. Ombudsman Charel Schmit explained: "Everyone agreed that the introduction of juvenile justice represents significant progress. Of course there are still areas in need of improvement, and caution has to be paid as to not become overly repressive."

Prof Stefan Braum from the University of Luxembourg emphasised that not every small incident should be followed up by legal consequences.

Daniel Kigger, who works with young offenders, explained that it is not the job of the police to become educators: "Our role is more complex than just finding offences. I think we should also raise awareness, meaning that we speak to young offenders about the expectations that they violated."

Another issue that people saw in the draft law is that the Central Social Assistance Service (SCAS) remains affiliated to the prosecutor's office, which puts the independence of the office into question.

Video report in Luxembourgish
Tram riders got a bit of a surprise on Saturday as they were joined by a Rhea. We chatted to one of the passengers, who says the bird seemed happy to be there and is travelling the world with its owner.

As with so many of the most gloriously offbeat stories we've featured on RTL Today - the Friends Luxembourg remix, or the argument that sees Grand Duke Henri as the rightful king of England, for instance - this story comes straight from the wonderful world of Reddit and, specifically, r/Luxembourg.

Oh, and how could we forget - this isn't even the first animal-on-public-transport-story we've got via the wonderful folk of Reddit. There was also the 2019 classic: goats on a bus, and the follow-up.

 Olga Sveen  Olga Sveen  Olga Sveen  Olga Sveen  Anastasia Strekalovskaia  Anastasia Strekalovskaia  Shawn Graves  Shawn Graves  Shawn Graves The photos published on this site are subject to copyright and may not be copied, modified, or sold without the prior permission of the owner of the site in question.

Specifically, the pictures were posted by the user kryptoKid123, who said their mum snapped the photos on Saturday at around 10.15pm (it's unclear if it was heading home from a night on town). Other users also confirmed the sighting, with lux_semois stating that they'd walked past the bird and owner on a crosswalk, while ayushwas spotted the fowl by the entral station as "commuters, cops, guards, TT were taking selfies on the station with them (the emu and his owner)".

We reached out to KryptoKid123, also known in non-digital spheres as Albert, to get their permission to use the photos.. as well as answer some questions. Our feathered friend hopped on the tram at Place de Metz, and disembarked by the central station - which of course raises the question of whether it then hopped on a train or bus, or if it lives locally. Anyone with answers to that, see below.

Albert also told us that the police stopped the bird and owner, who had to show documentation: "he then asked if he could go on the tram and they said no problem! As it it was just another pet!". Luckily Albert also spoke to the owner to get some background, and says that the bird (6 years of age) and its owner are from Slovenia and have been travelling the world together, with this being their first visit to Luxembourg.

Naturally we also wanted to know if the bird seemed happy to find himself in these rather strange circumstances for a bird. Albert assured us that while he was initially very stressed - "because it was so extraordinary and I hadn't been on a tram with one before" - the bird was very gentle and curious, seemed to like interacting with humans, and hopped on the tram "without any problem. As if he were a human!"

We need to know more!

Did you see the bird? Do you have additional photos to share? ARE you the bird (or more realistically, the bird's owner/friend)? Get in touch with us via contenttoday@rtl.lu!

Update: We've just found out that the friendly fowl was recently spotted in Brussels as well!

Update 2: want to follow the bird on Facebook? You're in luck!

We asked, you answered

One of our readers was kind enough to send us this TikTok video of the bird in action!
The N25 had been temporarily closed to traffic after a severe accident involving an empty bus and a motorcycle occurred between Kautenbach and Wiltz earlier today.

The collision happened around 1 pm and the motorcyclist fell and was seriously injured.

He was treated by the emergency doctor at the scene of the accident and then taken to hospital by rescue helicopter.

By order of the public prosecutor's office, Police technique officers went to the scene to clarify the exact circumstances of the accident. The road was closed for the duration of the work.
Yesterday, police were able to arrest two thieves in the capital, one of whom was stopped by a number of vigilant bystanders.

At 4.40pm on Saturday, a thief on a Luxembourg City bus attempted to snatch the watch of another passenger from their wrist. However, other passengers stepped in before the perpetrator was able to escape the vehicle. Police were thus able to arrest the man and present him to an examining magistrate by order of the prosecutor's office.

At 3.45am on Sunday, police were alerted to a break-in on Rue des Bains in the capital. The presumed suspect broke the window of a stationary car and stole a number of valuable objects. A short while later, officers caught the suspect redhanded when he tried to repeat his strategy with a car stationed on Rue Goethe. Officers managed to confiscate and return the objects stolen from former car and arrested the burglar by order of the prosecutor's office.
Students, educators and parents in Casper hashed out their vision for the future of education in Wyoming in a listening session on Wednesday.

Gov. Mark Gordons Reimagining and Innovating the Delivery of Education (RIDE) advisory group hosted the session, which took place at Casper College. Gordon created the RIDE advisory group in May. The group, made up of volunteers, aims to improve K-12 education in Wyoming to a position of national leadership. The listening sessions help the advisory group collect feedback about what people experience and want to see in Wyoming education.

The advisory group recently published the results of an online public opinion survey that it conducted earlier this year. About 7,000 people participated, around 4,000 of them parents and guardians, 2,600 of them school district employees. Retired educators, current and former students and employers also responded.

The topics that came up the most were class content and structure, life skills, STEM and standards and standardized testing. About 59% of participants said they didnt think the current way Wyoming educates kids prepares them for the future.

About 25 people came to the Casper session; members of the Wyoming Education Association and the Wyoming Arts Alliance, school superintendents, parents, students and retired educators. A few of them had taken part in the survey.

The RIDE advisory group asked them to consider a few questions in groups: What are some of the strengths of the school system that you want to see built on? What are some areas for improvement? What ideas do you have for big, innovative changes in Wyomings education system? Everyone got cards with the questions printed on them. They wrote down their thoughts, then shared with the group.

What they thought were some strengths, at least in Natrona County School District: strong art and music departments, educator involvement, lots of extracurricular activities, the availability of different kinds of education (International Baccalaureate classes, Dual Language Immersion, Board of Cooperative Educational Services classes). And on a statewide level: a school funding model meant to create equity across districts, fully funded special education programs.

What they think could be improved: educator voices in the Legislature, making career, technical and STEAM training more consistent, getting away from dependence on the energy industry for school funding, support around mental health, educator training, the availability of life skills and financial literacy classes, diversity training, providing more safe spaces for students.

Some ideas for big, innovative changes: giving students credits for community learning, giving every child the opportunity to go to preschool, offer more student-driven electives to keep kids engaged, emphasize creating global citizens, move career readiness down to the middle school, focusing curriculum more on career paths, teaching social justice and empathy, improving and increasing life skills classes around sexual education, global citizenship and financial literacy.

One parent objected over the idea of emphasizing global citizenship.

As a parent the idea to teach globalism scares me, she said. My child is not a global citizen. She is my child, they are my children. They dont need to be global citizens, they need to be Americans. They need to understand what America is. They need to understand what we stand for, what we fought for.

She also had concerns about teaching social justice and empathy in schools.

Teaching children emotions, on any level isnt an academic purpose, she said. I know that you deal with that. But its a parental purpose.

A retired educator disagreed.

We are losing our humanity and be able to connect with each other, she said. Lets be real. As an educator, we are asked to parent a lot of the time.

Isnt it limiting to only teach students about America? another attendee, a high school student, questioned. Students come from a variety of backgrounds. Why are we limiting what students learn?
On her lunch break, Evelyn drove to Albertsons to buy another pregnancy test. She wandered the cool, fluorescent-lit store and, after a while, asked a pharmacist for help. The pharmacist led her to an unlabeled section next to the hair dyes. She bought a test and also a box of Plan B, just in case.

She headed to her Jackson home. A cardboard sign with the words My Body My Choice painted in red leaned against a dusty glass window. Her dog Winston and her housemates dog Shiitake rattled the gate and pressed their noses to the slats to greet her. She shuffled past them into the front door.

On the right, a line of hooks piled with worn leashes and a calendar with a picture of Love Island contestants, Winston photoshopped over one of them. To her left, a bookshelf with a blue fish in a glass bowl, a troll figurine, a can of bear spray and books. A pair of bleached ox skulls stared at her from their mounts on the living room walls. Her housemate and college friend Carly sat on the couch working.

The pregnancy test sat on the bathroom sink while Evelyn took a shower. Her other tests had come back negative. But it was Friday, June 24. The Supreme Court decided hours earlier to reverse Roe v. Wade, erasing constitutional protections around abortion access, protections that had existed for nearly 50 years, and paving the way for Wyomings abortion trigger ban to end the practice in the state.

No room for mistakes. Evelyn could see the door closing.

She got out of the shower, looked at the test, picked it up, walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her.

We might have to change our weekend plans, she told Carly.

What do you mean? Carly looked up from her laptop.

Evelyn held the pregnancy test in her hands.

***

Drive around Wyoming towns or highways and youll see them: car-sized billboards rising up from the prairie, smiling, big-eyed babies looking out at you. Choose Life! these billboards say. Youll see other billboards of despondent women, alone, looking off to someplace you cant see, or with their faces hidden in their hands. Theyve just learned theyre pregnant. Those billboards tell people passing that there are options, theres a way forward.

Hospitals in Rawlins and Kemmerer have cut their pregnancy services. Travel to medical facilities can be dangerous in the winter. Its hard to get health insurance when your resources are limited; Medicaid is only available to people who fall under certain limited categories and certain limited income brackets, and the Legislature has dragged its feet over expanding eligibility. Not enough doctors and nurses, the states hospitals association has said repeatedly. The 2022 Wyoming Counts Kids data book shows that pregnancy-related deaths are up. Preterm deliveries up. Low birth weights up.

The state has cut away at the option of abortion too. Abortion has been legal, but with the trigger ban passed earlier this year, which is expected to take effect this week, it will be illegal except in cases of rape or incest, or if the womans life or health is in serious danger. That leeway is too much for some; theres bound to be more proposed legislation for more restrictions around abortion in the future.

To get an abortion as a Wyomingite, youre likely to drive hours anyway  down south to Colorado, up north to Montana, out west to Jackson, the place where Evelyn has lived for the past three years, a place that sticks out from the rest of Wyoming in a lot of different ways (billionaires outdoor paradise, cowboy country tourist trap, home of the grizzlies, mountains cutting into the sky, blue dot in the middle of a red sea). The only clinic in Wyoming that offers abortions is there, where two doctors, Katie Noyes and Giovannina Anthony, will keep providing the service up to the moment the door slams shut.

***

Evelyn sat in her car after learning she was pregnant. She called the clinic to book an appointment. Then she drove back to her work at a design firm without eating lunch.

Her coworkers didnt know that anything with her was different, that she might be among the last women to get a legal abortion in Wyoming. They talked about Roes reversal. She listened to the words but didnt say much. It felt like she was in an episode of Netflixs Black Mirror, in a different place, weighing different consequences. It was her last day of work at that job, and she just needed to get through it, and after she got through it, she went to her new job as an assistant manager at a restaurant in downtown Jackson.

Hundreds of people gathered nearby that evening in Jacksons town square to protest Roes reversal.

They carried coat hangers and signs: Womens rights are human rights! My Body My Vote! Some protesters wandered over to the restaurant where Evelyn worked to eat and have drinks afterward. Old women. Young women. Women with kids. Coming in pairs and groups. Hows it going? Evelyn asked them. Not very good, a lot of them answered. An older man wearing a MAGA hat came in alone and complained about the demonstration. Evelyn just smiled.

Shes never wanted kids. She doesnt want them now as a woman in her mid-twenties, and shes pretty sure thats not ever going to change.

Shes tried a lot of different contraceptives: the pill, the patch, the arm implant. All of them circulate hormones throughout the body. She had hot flashes. She gained weight. She was tired. She felt frustrated much of the time. At a certain point, she didnt know anymore what was the hormones and what was her, so she tried an experiment and went off birth control. She used condoms and tracked her cycles instead. That made her feel a lot better; it made her feel great. She had more energy. She lost some weight. She didnt want to go back to using other contraceptives.

Getting pregnant made her reconsider.

***

She came home from work to an empty apartment the day after Roe fell.

Carly was gone. Even Winston was away for the weekend. Alone with the house plants. A string of Christmas lights around the window. Dog toys strewn about. The ox skulls watching her. Her body was doing things that she didnt want it to do. She lay on the floor and cried.

Evelyn called her parents the next day.

They were hurtling in their car down an interstate highway through a place in New York where theres not much to look at, where youre mostly alone with your thoughts, and when she told them she was pregnant, they didnt know what to say at first.

Her mom has never had an unwanted pregnancy. But it was something she was afraid of as a young woman. Roe still protected abortion access then, but it wasnt always accepted. And it was hard to get birth control; she had to wait until turning 18 to go to her colleges student health center and ask for contraceptives. She didnt tell her parents, she went to the appointment alone, she asked for the pill once she was behind a door and she grit her teeth for her yearly exam when she had to ask for a refill.

Evelyns parents pulled over at a rest stop after they hung up. Her mom got out of the car and walked around. She called Evelyn back.

***

The clinic waiting room was quiet when it opened at 8 a.m. on the Monday after the Supreme Court decision. Warm light against pale blue walls. Pamphlets and books on the shelves. Soft voices emanating from the labyrinth of exam rooms and offices. Low rasp of the air conditioner.

Then the phones started ringing and they kept ringing at a steady pace, one following another. Women calling from across the state, calling from out-of-state. Many of them were from Utah, where the trigger ban came down the same day as Roes reversal. Since the Supreme Court decision, more women have called asking for IUDs, for permanent sterilization.

Among the calls that day was one from Evelyn.

She had learned about Wyomings trigger law. She had done some Googling, and the Googling led her to a website that listed all the states that had current abortion bans. One of the states listed, incorrectly, was Wyoming. Could she still go to her appointment? Could she still get an abortion? Would she have to travel to another state? The receptionist assured her that everything was still all right, she could come.

After Evelyns call, there was another. And another.

***

Evelyn saw a brown van parked across the street from her apartment on the day of her appointment.

It had California plates and pro-life signs taped to it: PRO-LIFE! PRO-LIFE MATTERS! REPENTANCE CHANGES THINGS!

That made her a little paranoid. What were the chances? Had someone overheard her talking about her planned abortion? She took a photo of the van and sent it to Carly. Then she walked to her appointment.

A small group of anti-abortion demonstrators stood by the bus stop near the clinic building. All men. What were they even protesting at this point, she wondered. They had gotten what they wanted. She walked around them, into the cool building through a pair of double doors and down the sound-muffled carpet hallway to the clinic office. She checked in and sat to fill out some paperwork.

Evelyn hates waiting rooms. Pale blue walls. Low lights. Fake plants on shelves, on the carpet floor. Canvas photos decorating the walls  a girl and a boy with skis atop a snow-covered mountain, portrait of a woman illuminated in a dark room. Evelyn noticed some books on a shelf near her. Your Baby and Child. What to Expect When Youre Expecting. The Mother of All Pregnancy Books. A little girl stared at a phone screen, scrolling through TikTok at full volume. Phones rang.

A nurse opened the door and called Evelyns name. The nurse took her weight and blood pressure. Then she led Evelyn to an exam room, shut the door, asked her questions and gathered facts. Have you had any ultrasounds for this pregnancy? Are you monogamous? Do you have a regular sexual partner? What birth control do you use now? What birth control methods are you considering?

I cant believe that I messed up, Evelyn thought to herself then.

She felt the world examining her under a microscope, a spotlight on her, on the scenario that she found herself in, like she was being made an example. Evelyn started to cry.

Carly was sitting on the kitchen floor back at their apartment making a sign to protest the anti-abortion demonstrators when she got a call from Evelyn asking her to come to the clinic. She left the sign half-made, told her boyfriend to go buy some Ben and Jerrys ice cream (the chocolate fudge brownie flavor) and ran to the clinic, looking at Evelyns shared location on her phone.

She took the same path, through the double doors, down the carpet hallway, into the exam room where Evelyn and the doctor waited. By that time Evelyn had stopped crying. Carly walked in and gave her a hug. She sat next to her for the rest of the appointment.

Back in the hallways of the clinic is a windowless office with a cabinet. Inside the cabinet sits a white plastic bin that holds small orange boxes held together with rubber bands, squeezed next to opaque white pill bottles. Thats it; mifepristone and misoprostol, the two medications that Dr. Noyes prescribed to Evelyn so she could have an abortion. She could get a felony charge and 14 years in prison if she gave them to Evelyn for an abortion under Wyomings trigger ban. For nearly a decade Dr. Noyes had listened to patients, answered their questions, given them the information and the help they needed. Some of her tears on the night of Roes reversal were from the thought of not being able to help people who feel desperate. One patient had asked her since then if she was OK, in a way that patients hadnt really asked her before.

Dr. Noyes had Evelyn take the mifepristone in the exam room. One little tablet, a cup of water. The mifepristone stops the pregnancy from progressing. Then she sent Evelyn home with four tablets of misoprostol, tucked into a little manila envelope, to take later.

After the appointment, Evelyn and Carly walked home, sat on the porch with Carlys boyfriend and had some beers.

Everyone was asleep when Evelyn got home from work near midnight the next day. She ate some ice cream, took some ibuprofen and put the misoprostol tablets in her cheeks. Misoprostol makes the cervix soften and the uterus contract. It also makes you bleed. Evelyn sat on the sofa and watched a couple episodes of Schitts Creek while the tablets dissolved. Then she went to sleep.

The bleeding and cramping lasted several days. It wasnt too painful, not much different from a heavy period. She could get through the day on ibuprofen. Carly gave her some pads. When Evelyn went back to work, she was on the restaurant floor, managing the waitlist and the hosts and the servers and the support staff, talking to people, asking them how their meal was, making sure everything ran smoothly. Meanwhile, they didnt know. Her uterus contracted, she bled. She was having an abortion.

***

Evelyn walked through the double doors a couple weeks later  pink zip-up sweatshirt, yoga pants, camo mask. She walked down the carpet hallway to the clinic.

A black loveseat with turquoise and tan pillows sat at the back of the exam room. A big screen angled down toward the exam chair from a mount near the ceiling. Evelyn sat on the edge of the chair in a hospital gown with her shoes off. Dr. Noyes sat facing her on a stool with wheels.

A plan for contraception: Dr. Noyes held a colorful laminated chart in her hands. How Well Does Birth Control Work? it said in all caps at the top. The implant, the IUDs and sterilization got five stars. The pill, the patch, the ring and the shot got three. Pulling out, fertility awareness, diaphragms and condoms just one. Evelyn decided to get a copper IUD  a little device that looks like a maple seed and sits in your uterus  even though she didnt really want one. But she didnt want to worry about getting pregnant again. She said shed like to consider getting a tubal ligation  permanent sterilization  in the future.

Getting an IUD can be painful. Evelyn asked if she could take some medication for the procedure.

This is very anxiety inducing for me, she told the doctor. Im just a huge wuss.

She laughed at herself.

No, Dr. Noyes said, this can be very triggering for people.

An ultrasound: Evelyn reclined in the exam chair with her feet in the stirrups. The big screen above her showed grainy black and white images. She could see what was inside of her thats hidden from the outside. Bladder. Ovaries. Cervix. Uterus. Dr. Noyes traced each one with the cursor of the computer mouse. She pointed toward the boundary of the screen.

This is your vagina and kind of the outside world up here, she said. That made Evelyn laugh. Her uterus was empty. Evelyn was no longer pregnant.

A Pap smear: routine procedure for women to check for cancerous cells in the cervix.

Dr. Noyes pulled out a lamp and shined it between Evelyns legs. It illuminated the writhing mass of blue hammerhead sharks tattooed on Evelyns foot. Dr. Noyes talked her through it; one brush to collect cells on the outside of her cervix, second brush to collect cells on the inside of her cervix. Deep breath in, blow it out.

It looks healthy, Dr. Noyes said. Nothing funny going on there.

After everything was done, Dr. Noyes told Evelyn to book another appointment at the front desk for the IUD insertion. There probably wouldnt be any more available times, but she would schedule her in at lunch or after work.

***

Evelyn doesnt usually show when shes upset. Her tears during those two weeks were partly from relief. She was certain she didnt want kids. She didnt falter on her decision to get an abortion. She felt grateful that she was able to get one.

But she also cried thinking about a different scenario, if this had happened two or three weeks later, when things might not have been OK.

And its not gonna be OK for other women, she said over the phone one day. Her voice faltered.

She walked home after the appointment. The dogs made a commotion at the gate. Winston leaped over it to greet her. Carly sat working on the couch. Evelyn walked to the fridge, got a can of beer and cracked it open. A little before 4 p.m., she left the apartment to go to work.
Throughout its history, Yellowstone has been frequented by numerous indigenous tribes. All of these groups have a unique and cherished tale bonding them with the land upon which Yellowstone sits, but perhaps one of the most harrowing and tragic recent stories is that of the Nez Perce (Nimiipu).

In the summer of 1877, the gold rush and a series of treaty miscommunications resulted in the Nez Perce being driven from their homeland of the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon. A group of about 800 Nez Perce decided to refuse relocation to the newly established reservation, instead opting to seek a new home, led by their soft-spoken and stoic leader, Hinmatoowyalahtqit (also known as Chief Joseph). The voyage was meant to be peaceful, but skirmishes with settlers inevitably ensued, often times manifesting as back-and-forth revenge for killings committed during prior encounters. As a result, the Nez Perces trek to discover a new home, safe from the relentless encroachment of an ever-growing nation, became marked by fear and bloodshed.

After an initial skirmish in Idaho, the U.S. Army began to pursue the band of Nez Perce on their march east from the Wallowa Mountains, first making contact at White Bird Battlefield in western Idaho on June 17, 1877. While the U.S. Army was being greeted by a six-person peace party of Nez Perce carrying a white flag, a civilian volunteer opened fire, sparking a battle that resulted in heavy casualties and ignited the flight of the Nez Perce toward Canada. The Nez Perce would continue to encounter the U.S. Army on numerous occasions during their journey, including at the Clearwater Battlefield (northeastern Idaho) and the Big Hole Battlefield (western Montana), before the group entered Yellowstone National Park on Aug. 23, 1877.

Stinging from their losses at the 1876 Battle of Greasy Grass, or as it also known, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and determined to punish the Nez Perce to discourage other indigenous tribes who might consider rebelling against the rule of the United States, the Nez Perce were pursued by more than 2,000 U.S. Army soldiers. Yellowstone was not foreign country to the Nez Perce, who often visited the park in pursuit of its abundant resources and wild game. While within the park, the Nez Perce encountered 25 tourists, and looting of supplies and multiple revenge killings occurred. Today, you can follow the path of the Nez Perce through Yellowstone National Park along park roads near Nez Perce Creek, Otter Creek, Nez Perce Ford and Indian Pond. The Nez Perce forded the Yellowstone River at Nez Perce Ford, traveled through Pelican Valley and Hoodoo Basin, and passed over the Absaroka Mountains, finally exiting Yellowstone National Park to head north toward the Canadian border, where they hoped to find safety. Before they could reach their destination, the Nez Perce were stopped by the U.S. Army once more in the foothills of the Bears Paw Mountains of northern Montana, only 40 miles away from Canada.

This epic journey of the Nez Perce covered more than 1,170 miles across four states and multiple mountain ranges, and about 250 Nez Perce warriors held off the pursuing U.S. Army troops in 18 battles, skirmishes and engagements. Ultimately, hundreds of U.S. soldiers and Nez Perce (including women and children) were killed in these conflicts before the Nez Perce surrendered, and Chief Joseph  one of the last surviving chiefs of the band  gave the now-famous speech in which he said, From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

Some of the Nez Perce were able to reach Canada, but the rest, including Chief Joseph, accepted resettlement in numerous reservations throughout the American northwest. Chief Joseph would pass away in 1904 at the age of 64 on the Colville Indian Reservation in Washington of a broken heart, per his doctors account. He is buried near the village of Nespelem, Washington.

Yellowstone National Park is a place of wonder, beauty and almost spiritual significance to all who look upon its enchanting landscape. But long before western society encroached upon its borders, indigenous people revered this land for its resources and cultural importance. The next time you find yourself driving along Wyoming Highway 296, also known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, on your way to visit Yellowstone National Park, remember the flight, and plight, of the Nez Perce, who walked the very trail upon which you drive.

You can visit numerous Nez Perce Commemorative Sites of Nez Perce National Historical Park along the 1,170-mile Nez Perce National Historic Trail, stretching from Wallowa Lake, Oregon, to the Bears Paw Mountains, Montana. For more details, see https://www.nps.gov/nepe/index.htm.
With six months to go, a pair of petitions aimed at easing marijuana regulations in Wyoming have collected around 40% of the signatures they need to get on the 2024 ballot.

Organizers have until January to collect more than 41,000 signatures from Wyoming voters on each petition.

One is an attempt at decriminalizing marijuana  basically, removing criminal charges and penalties for possessing and using it. The other, if passed, would make the drug legal for medical use.

When the petitions 18-month collection window closes, the signatures go to the Wyoming Secretary of States office to be verified against voter logs. That makes sure everyone who signed actually lives in Wyoming, and is registered to vote.

While signatures are still being collected by volunteers around the state, their momentum has begun to slow. The 40% of signatures collected as of mid-July is up only slightly from the estimated 30% collected by February. But still, with several counties already completed, organizers are hopeful theyll meet their goal.

I definitely run into people who are like, Oh, here you are again, I already signed, said Bennett Sondeno, executive director of marijuana advocacy group Wyoming NORML.

And then theres, I had no idea this was happening! Its hard to reach everybody.

The petition has to be signed on paper, in person, though most of the promotion has been online or on NORMLs social media.

Carriers have been lugging stacks of clipboards to fairs, festivals and other events around Wyoming all summer, and even going door-to-door in some places.

Im hopeful that we can push through in the good weather and be done so that were just crossing our Ts and dotting our Is between then and the end of the year, Sondeno said.

What organizers could really use is money, Sondeno said. That would help NORML hire professional petitioners who can spend all their time hunting down signatures, something the petitions sponsor, the Libertarian Party, is already doing in some parts of the state.

Sam Watt, who owns a hemp shop with three locations around the state, said Thursday hes spending about $6,000 of his own money each month between radio ads on local stations and paying shop employees to carry petitions at least once a week. Each time they go out, Watt said, they usually bring back around 100 to 125 signatures.

Its a chunk of change, Watt said. But this is our window. If we dont do something about it, then we cant blame anybody but ourselves.

The radio ads encourage people to sign the petition to give the effort a second wind.

Watts shop, Platte Hemp Co., has also become a hub for the petitions. Some people come in, sign them, and turn around and leave, Watt said. His customers, many of whom use products including CBD and Delta 8 for medicinal purposes, also seem supportive.

Natrona County is well over its signature goal, Watt said. Still, he plans to collect signatures at Beartrap Summer Festival on Casper Mountain, which Platte Hemp is sponsoring.

Difficult process

The requirements for ballot initiatives to actually get on a ballot are more demanding in Wyoming than in most other states, organizers say. The state hasnt successfully passed a ballot initiative since 1991.

The amount of signatures you need is equal to 15% of everyone who voted in the last election  an even higher number now thanks to the high turnout for 2020s presidential vote. It comes out to about 41,000.

You also need to hit that 15% threshold of voters in at least 16 of Wyomings 23 counties  meaning organizers can pad the total by overloading on signatures in Natrona County, for example, but they still have to put in the work in smaller, more rural counties.

Organizers estimated that as of last week, around 20,000 signatures have been collected. Not all have been verified against voter logs.

The medical use petition is slightly more popular among Wyoming residents, petition carriers said. At the start of the year, it had around 5% more signatures than the petition for decriminalization.

Its kinda a no-brainer, when youve got medical doctors and youve got county attorneys saying this needs to happen, said Frank Latta, an organizer who once served in the state legislature and as mayor of Gillette. Its a pretty easy sell.

Of course, Wyoming lawmakers could still pass legislation loosening restrictions on marijuana without needing to undergo an arduous petition. But all recent attempts, aside from a 2019 law allowing hemp possession and growth, have failed. Hemp does not provide a high like marijuana, but it has a number of commercial uses.

Proponents have lobbied for medical use and legalization bills by emphasizing how much tax money the state could stand to earn from legal weed sales, and arguing that those dollars are now going to Colorado and Montana, where marijuana is legal.

But those against legalization say they have concerns over the health effects of marijuana, specifically the potential for abuse. Regulating the industry would also be costly, opponents say, though marijuana advocates say regulation and enforcement  in addition to retail, growing and processing facilities  would create jobs.

Theyre using absolute Reefer Madness tactics, Sondeno said. I mean, its just going to be here. To keep fighting it like its evil ... is just wrong.

Island in the West

Thirty-seven states have already legalized marijuana for medical use, and 19 allow recreational use as well.

Wyoming is slowly becoming an island in the Mountain West, where most states have moved to allow at least medical marijuana. Montana opened recreational sales at the beginning of the year, and has already posted sales tax revenue in the multi-millions.

The most recent survey on the issue showed that more than half of Wyoming residents support legalizing marijuana and 85% support medical use.

On Thursday, federal legislation was introduced that would decriminalize the drug across the U.S. and give states the go-ahead to make their own laws without fear of federal intervention. Though its unlikely to pass the U.S. Senate, it could influence other bills in the future.
Wyoming is the wine country of wool. At least, thats how the University of Wyoming Extension sheep specialist, Whit Stewart, describes it. And with the state ranking No. 1 in wool production in the 2017 Census of Agriculture  with 2,796,792 pounds shorn  it kind of is in a way.

With the goal of continuing to expand the sheep industry in the state and to further its current value, the University of Wyoming recently announced the launch of the Wyoming Wool Initiative at the annual Wyoming Wool Growers Association conference this month.

Its celebrating the agricultural products that are grown on our ranches, from our soil and then having more of that go back into the state economy. I think its a lofty goal, but its a very worthy goal, which is driving this whole effort, Stewart said. The mission of the Wyoming Wool Initiative is to really provide processing and innovative solutions for producers to get more for their wool in the state (and) to provide more robust training opportunities for students that want to work in the sheep and wool industry.

The initiative is a nonprofit effort supported by UWs College of Agriculture, other donations and partners. It will begin at the start of the 2022-2023 school year and will factor in two additional projects.

The first is the Wyoming Blanket Project, originally launched in January 2021. In partnership with Mountain Meadow Wool Mill in Buffalo, using wool from Wyoming, student designs are turned into throw blankets which are then sold to the community. All profits made from the funds are then reinvested back into the initiative.

In April 2021, the project developed a limited edition design over a 12-week process. The 300 blankets sold out within three months, Stewart said.

Its all reinvested back in the state, he added. Whether it be into research, different training opportunities, or in last years case, bringing some processing and manufacturing equipment back to our state for us to do feasibility studies to grow that part of the industry.

Additionally, as another tie to the Wyoming Wool Initiative, a Lamb-a-Year program will also be introduced. Producers around the state are invited to donate a minimum of five lambs to the program. The animals are then taken to a lamb feeding facility in Colorado where students can monitor their performance, then collect information on the meat to provide feedback to ranchers.

We use those lambs to teach students, but also we give really valuable feedback to ranchers. Stewart said. Because a lot of time, once [the lambs] leave their ranch, we really dont know much about how they perform and how the product looks. So this kind of follows them throughout the process all the while supporting that private public partnership of getting students out into the land feeding industry and being more involved with that process.

Producers interested in contributing to the Lamb-a-Year program can visit bit.ly/uwyo-lamb-a-year-2022 for more information.

Its really about supporting the next generation thats gonna work in the sheep industry, Stewart added. Like when we have opportunities to take some of these proceeds and take students out into the field problem solving that benefits the rancher and enhances their education. I mean, thats a beautiful thing and we just need to do more of it in higher education, I think.
The following article was originally published in the Casper Star-Tribune on Jan. 17, 2021 in the immediate aftermath of the events of Jan. 6. Since that time, several swing states conducted post-election audits or inquires, and a select committee of the U.S. House of Representatives undertook a major investigation culminating in a series of public hearings that are now concluding. The signatories below  Wyoming lawyers, judges, and legal educators  believe the state inquires and Congressional investigation over the last 18 months have confirmed, and indeed amplified, the views expressed in the original article  including the continuing courageous actions and leadership of Rep. Liz Cheney in support of our constitutional democracy.

As lawyers, retired judges, and legal educators of all political stripes, we share the shock felt by most Americans over the events of Jan. 6th in Washington D.C. In the days, months, and years ahead, the underlying causes will be debated and accountability will be assigned. We all have our own opinions on that subject, and they vary, but we will refrain from adding them here. Instead, at this dangerous moment, we think it is important to keep in mind that, while the foundations of our democracy have been shaken, they remain strong.

And for that, we are indebted to the courage of countless individuals, from both political parties, who when tested, stood up to do their constitutional duties.

Thousands of state election officials, placing themselves in harms way, worked tirelessly under the intense gaze of partisan poll watchers and internet video audiences, in a transparent effort designed to assure all of us that all legal votes would be counted. Votes were cast and counted, and in hotly-contested states, recounted (and in Georgia manually counted again) or subjected to various post-election challenges allowed under different state laws. After all of that, state election officials in contested states, mostly Republicans, publicly affirmed that no meaningful anomalies were found  conclusions that subjected some of them to violent criticism and threats. Rather than retreating, they stood their ground, in defense of their own state laws, and in adherence to their Constitutional duties.

Ultimately, the integrity of the election was challenged in every swing state in 64 different lawsuits. Judges and their support staffs, Republicans and Democrats alike, following their oaths, rose to the challenge by issuing dozens-upon-dozens of reasoned written decisions, addressing all claimed irregularities, including fraud, raised in multiple state and federal courts. No court found evidence of fraud or a showing of illegality that would have changed the results. Even the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed appeals and unanimously found no reason to interfere with any states voting procedure or result.

During all of these post-election efforts questioning the integrity of the election process, way back on November 20, 2019, Rep. Liz Cheney publicly stated:

America is governed by the rule of law. The president and his lawyers have made claims of criminality and widespread fraud, which they allege could impact election results. If they have genuine evidence of this, they are obligated to present it immediately in court and to the American people. I understand that the president has filed more than 30 separate lawsuits. If he is unsatisfied with the results in those lawsuits, then the appropriate avenue is to appeal. If the president cannot prove these claims or demonstrate that they would change the election result, he should fulfill his oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States by respecting the sanctity of our electoral process.

Rep. Cheneys post-election challenge to the former president, his supporters, and his lawyers to produce evidence to support their claims was entirely correct. Her further challenge to him, and them, to support the sanctity of our electoral process if those legal challenges failed was both proper and courageous.

Yet, sadly, after all the lawsuits were dismissed and all the states had certified their elections and electoral votes, the former president and some of his most ardent supporters pressured Congress to reject the electoral votes of swing states which the president had losta pressure campaign which, if successful, would have disenfranchised tens-of-millions of voters and put the nation into a full-blown Constitutional crisis.

Rep. Cheney, putting aside considerations of party, promptly spoke up again, calling out those actions for what they were  unconstitutional and dangerous. The congresswoman went to the effort of preparing a lengthy memorandum reviewing all of the meritless litigation and unsupported allegations of fraud and illegality in order to convince her Republican colleagues that the election was over and that they each had a duty under the Constitution and federal law to uphold the right of all states, including Wyoming, to control and determine their own electoral college vote.

In response, Rep. Cheney was personally targeted by the former president, who told the angry partisans hed summoned to Washington on Jan. 6th: The Liz Cheneys of the worldwe have to get rid of them. Yet, Rep. Cheney stood her ground.

All Wyomingites committed to the rule of law should be proud of Rep. Cheneys courage. In the face of calls to lawlessness from the highest places of her party, she adhered to her solemn oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Whatever political differences any may have with her, in connection with the election and the events of Jan. 6th, we should all applaud her understanding of her constitutional duties and her willingness to perform themirrespective of the personal or political cost she might pay.

Our country has many challenges to face in the days ahead. We call upon all of our elected leaders, at the state and federal levels, to follow the example of Rep. Cheney, and other responsible leaders from both parties, by recognizing the lawful results of the 2020 election. We ask that they recommit to the solemn oaths they swore to uphold and defend our Constitution. Living up to those oaths is the bedrock of the rule of law, the first principle of our democracy.

The events of Jan. 6th will be long remembered. May they never happen again.

Rule of Law Matters signatories July 17, 2022

John Araas, lawyer, Sheridan

Jim Belcher, lawyer, Casper

Ken Barbe, lawyer, Casper

Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming Governor (2003-11), lawyer, Cheyenne

Amberly Goodchild Baker, lawyer, Jackson

Kim Cannon, lawyer, Sheridan

Mike Davis, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice, Sheridan, retired*

Richard Davis, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Sheridan

Tim Day, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., Wyoming District Judge (Teton County), retired*

Jean Day, lawyer, Jackson*

Jeffrey Donnell, Wyoming District Judge (Albany County), retired, lawyer, mediator Laramie

William Downes, Chief Judge, United States District Court For Wyoming, retired, mediator

Michael Golden, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice, Cheyenne, retired, Cheyenne

Marilyn Kite, Justice, Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice, retired, Laramie

Matt Mead, Wyoming Governor (2011-2019), lawyer, Cheyenne

Megan Overmann Goetz, lawyer, Laramie

Paul Hickey, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Cheyenne

Dennis Kirven, lawyer, Buffalo

John Masterson, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Casper

Nick Murdock, lawyer, Casper

Rob Jarosh, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Cheyenne

Devon OConnell, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Laramie

Anna Reeves Olsen, lawyer, Casper

Jerry Parkinson, former Dean, Wyoming College of Law

Bill Schwartz, Cheryl Ranck Schwartz, Margaret Schwartz, lawyers, Jackson

Leah Schwartz & Bradley Adams, lawyers, Jackson

Ken Stebner, Wyoming District Judge (Carbon County), retired

Mike Sullivan, Wyoming Governor (1987-95), U.S. Ambassador (Ireland), mediator, Casper

Wade Waldrip, Wyoming District Judge (Carbon County), retired

Rhonda Woodard, lawyer, Cheyenne

Gay Woodhouse, Wyoming Attorney General, Past President Wyoming Bar Assn., lawyer, Cheyenne

Norm Young, Wyoming District Judge (Fremont Count), retired

*Not a signatory to original publication
A report that the Biden administration is weighing greater imports of Canadian oil is putting a renewed focus on the canceled Keystone XL pipeline and whether it would have made any difference with todays tight oil supply, Energywire says.

Ever since boycotts started blocking Russian petroleum products, social media has been rife with memes that blame rising gasoline prices on the cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline.

Example: Sooo, if shutting down Russias pipeline(s) will hurt their economy, wouldnt shutting down ours hurt our economy? Asking for a buddy.

Most of the criticism comes from people who recycle truthiness. Former vice president Mike Pence: Gas prices have risen across the country because of this administrations war on energy  shutting down the Keystone Pipeline. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan: Biden shut off the Keystone Pipeline.

Heres what really happened: No one shut down, canceled, or shut off the Keystone Pipeline. It is fully operational, daily delivering 590,000 barrels of tar-sands oil in Canada to U.S. refineries.

What some pipeline advocates think is the Keystone Pipeline is a 1,700-mile shortcut called Keystone XL, or KXL. It would have sliced through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma to the Texas Gulf Coast, delivering 830,000 barrels of tar sands oil per day. Many residents of those states fought fiercely against the pipeline cutting through their land.

Now, Build the Keystone Pipeline has become a social-media mantra, as if the United States could so decree. It is the Canadian firm, TC Energy, formerly TransCanada, that officially terminated the project once President Biden withdrew its permits.

Even if construction on the pipeline began tomorrow, KXL could not be up and running in less than five years. The KXL pipeline was a project developed by a foreign company that would have delivered foreign oil products to mostly foreign markets.

When President Trump re-permitted KXL in 2017, his own State Department reported that it would not lower gasoline prices. The price of oil is set by the global market and certainly not by U.S. presidents. Whats more, the project was just about dead for a number of reasons, including litigation from aggrieved property owners whose land TC Energy seized by eminent domain.

We should also remember that rendering gasoline from tar-sands oil, the planets dirtiest petroleum, is far more polluting and energy-intensive than conventional refining. Some carbon content is burned off in a process that belches greenhouse gases and generates toxic waste called petcoke, which is dumped around the United States in piles six stories high. Petcoke billows through neighborhoods and infiltrates schools and houses even when windows are shut.

Bitumen, basically asphalt, continues to be strip-mined from what used to be Canadas boreal forests in Alberta. Too thick to be piped, its spiked with volatile liquid condensate from natural gas and thus converted to a toxic tar-sands cocktail called dilbit, short for diluted bitumen.

Dilbit, sent through the existing Keystone pipeline, contains chloride salts, sulfur, abrasive minerals and acids, and must be pumped under high pressure. Its murder on pipes.

In addition to greenhouse gases and petcoke, tar-sands waste products include lakes, rivers, fish, wildlife and people. Between 1995 and 2006, when tar-sands extraction was accelerating, Albertas First Nations suffered a sudden 30 percent increase in cancer rates.

KXL, if built, would also threaten the worlds largest aquifer  the Ogallala. Anyone who thinks Nebraska lacks water should visit Green Valley Township, where I encountered Ogallala water so close to the surface it flowed along dirt roads and ditches. Pintails, mallards, and widgeon billowed out of them. But parts of the aquifer are now depleted, and a major dilbit spill could finish those parts off.

In 2011 a pipeline representative named Shawn Howard assured me that ramming a dilbit pipe through the Ogallala aquifer would be risk free.

Why, he demanded, would we invest $13 billion in a pipeline and put a product in it that was going to destroy it like these activists are trotting out? It makes absolutely no business sense.

The existing Keystone pipeline has ruptured 22 times, including spills in 2017 and 2019 that fouled land and water with 404,000 gallons of dilbit. Business sense, as the oil industry consistently reminds us, is an attribute more often desired than possessed.
When voters head to the polls next month, they should keep one thing in mind: the truth.

This election season, weve seen too many examples of politicians spinning narratives designed to anger, outrage and worry voters. But many of these election pitches arent related to the actual problems plaguing our state.

We learned recently through emails obtained via a public records request that the information received by the Wyoming Department of Education on changes to federal nondiscrimination policy wasnt the same as the outrage spewed out by the agency. Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder has stoked anger over the U.S. Department of Agricultures holding that existing Title IX protections against discrimination on the basis of sex apply to sexual orientation and gender identity. His public missives bring up forced pronoun usage and boys in girls locker rooms.

But guess what? The holding has nothing to do with that. Instead, its designed to protect students from being denied meals in the school cafeteria because they are gay or transgender. Schroeder and other department officials were told this by a group that represents public education leaders, but that hasnt stopped him from depicting the move in apocalyptic terms. Hes even campaigned on it, posting on his political Facebook page a letter thanking him for protecting Wyoming from the name-changing whims of 11-year-olds. Why is he sensationalizing a policy change that will likely have little practical impact in Wyoming?

Schroeder isnt alone in playing to voters fears. Secretary of State candidate Chuck Gray says he is running to stop voter fraud. Hes made election integrity the centerpiece of his campaign and has repeatedly screened a film that makes sinister claims about Democrats seeking to cheat during the 2020 presidential election. Theres just one problem  voter fraud in Wyoming is nearly unheard of.

Dont take our word for it. The conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation keeps a searchable database of election fraud cases across the country. It shows four instances of voter fraud in Wyoming since 2000. To put that in context, more than 3.81 million ballots have been cast in Wyoming elections during that time, according to state records. In other words, there is one instance of voter fraud for every 953,000 votes cast in Wyoming. So why is Gray depicting voter fraud like its a real concern here?

The irony is Wyoming has a plethora of very real problems that should be addressed. We have a structural education deficit of $300 million. Our revenue streams are diminishing due to changes in how our country powers itself. Rural communities are shrinking. Our population is getting older.

Its time for our politicians to address these questions, rather than campaigning on issues that may be relevant on cable news, but not within our borders. Politicians have been spinning, ignoring or taking out of context information for as long as there have been politicians. But they shouldnt be taking a wrecking ball to the truth.
Editor:

The July 16 mail in Buffalo brought us another nasty campaign piece of garbage from the recently renamed (why?) Patriot Conservatives of Wyoming." This picture postcard of lies appears to be slamming Johnson County Commissioner Bill Novotny and Representative Liz Cheney as being soulmates because of their support for our Constitution and rule of law as being too moderate. And even though their individual campaigns have nothing to do with each other, Cheney and Novotnys integrity, honesty and willingness to work for the good of our country and county are exactly why we should vote them back into office.

Buffalo and Wyoming are being infested with radical far right people (the Red Wave) that are trying to change our generally moderate conservative politics into a very radical, anti-everything (except their personal government benefits, of course), hard-right state.

I dont usually align with Republican Party goals, but this being my native home, Ive always been confident that even though GOP will usually dominate, the folks elected typically treat us all equally, without malice and try to govern for the overall good of our state and citizens. These far-right groups have a much more severe agenda that is not the Wyoming way," and their radical interests truly threaten our good way of life. Wyoming voters should understand what is happening and strongly resist it. The critical first step is to be sure none of your votes go to a member, or supporter, of The Patriot Conservatives of Wyoming.
China sets up national archives for preserving bibliology resources

Xinhua) 09:00, July 24, 2022

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attends the inauguration ceremony of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China, July 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the ceremony and delivered a speech.

Noting that the national archives are a cultural treasure to be handed down to future generations, Huang said the national archives serve as a general database of national bibliology resources and the Chinese culture seed gene bank.

Huang stressed that the functions of the archives should be better used, which include collections, exhibitions, research, and communication to highlight cultural confidence, carry forward the Chinese culture, build a positive national image, and boost exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening.

Huang Kunming, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China, July 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

Aerial photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows a view of the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Conghua District of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows the inauguration ceremony of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows exhibits displayed at the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Zhang Jinqiu, chief designer of the Xi'an branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, takes photos of the building complex in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 23, 2022.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows an interior view of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

A visitor tours the Xi'an branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 23, 2022.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Aerial photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Xi'an branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Aerial photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows a view of the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Conghua District of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

A visitor tours the Xi'an branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 23, 2022.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Aerial photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Xi'an branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Aerial photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Kong Linghang)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows exhibits displayed at the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Beijing, capital of China.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows a view of the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Conghua District of Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

Photo taken on July 23, 2022 shows a view of the Hangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Weng Xinyang)

Photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows a view of the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

Photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows sculptures on display at the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

Photo taken with a drone on July 22, 2022 shows a view of the Guangzhou branch of the National Archives of Publications and Culture in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province.

China on Saturday inaugurated the National Archives of Publications and Culture for preserving bibliology resources.

After a three-year construction, the project comprises archives in Beijing and three other branches in Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, respectively. It will be responsible for inheriting and preserving national bibliology resources after its opening. (Xinhua/Lu Hanxin)

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
One month before his passing on May 6, 2001 the artist Carlisle Chang relived with relish th
HDC HOUSES: Housing Development Corporation (HDC) houses like these at Oasis Gardens in Enterprise, Chaguanas, are often mortgaged with TTMF.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

How about this political agenda? Condemning most immigrants as mentally defective disease carriers poised to replace the white race, Congress restricts migration to acceptable racial and ethnic groups. Uncomfortable with scientific discoveries, many states adopt school curricula conforming to the Christian Bible. To eradicate immoral behavior, Congress and the states amend the Constitution. Amidst these actions, tens of thousands of hooded activists march towards Congress.

Sound extreme or familiar? These examples describe actual events and policies adopted a century ago.

During the 1920s, as the nation became more urban, technologically modern, and ethnically diverse, a culture war raged between religious traditionalists, primarily Protestants in the South and Midwest, and coastal elites, clustered in cities along the East Coast and upper Midwest. Traditionalists felt besieged by the cultural innovations identified with radio and Hollywood, and the surge of Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Jewish immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe. These new arrivals, explained the popular writer Madison Grant in The Passing of the Great Race, threatened to replace so-called Nordic Americans descended from the British isles and Western Europe.

Congress responded by enacting increasingly severe quotas and by 1924 barred nearly all immigrants except those from Western Europe. For good measure, all Asians were excluded, as the Chinese had been for decades. To help enforce the law, Congress created a new police force, the Border Patrol.

Evangelical and fundamentalist Christians fought back against Darwinism by regulating curricula. Tennessee, like numerous states, outlawed teaching evolution in public schools. Its 1925 law barred teachers from presenting any theory that denies the divine creation of man as revealed in the Bible or to assert that humans descended from a lower order of animals.

For decades, anti-alcohol groups such as the Womens Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and Anti-Saloon League had successfully lobbied several states to limit or ban the manufacture of alcohol. These largely Protestant reformers identified drinking with disorderly immigrants and immorality. Shifting to a national strategy, they steered the 18th Amendment to ratification during 1919 and its implementation in 1920. The Prohibition amendment, along with enabling legislation, outlawed the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. The Noble Experiment as proponents called it, was unique among constitutional amendments for restricting, rather than expanding, personal freedom.

In support of these measures, and as a warning to wavering politicians, a newly revived Ku Klux Klan recruited 5 million members during the 1920s. Adding Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and bootleggers to their enemies list, over 40,000 hooded Klansmen marched in front of the Capitol in 1925.

The 1920s holds up a not-so-distant mirror illuminating recent debates over the role of religion in public life, the constitutional basis of privacy and reproductive rights, the value of immigration, and whether sex education or critical race theory should be taught in schools. Some of these earlier policies shaped American life for decades.

Immigration opponents during the 1920s espoused views nearly identical to those of, say, Donald Trump or Tucker Carlson. They warned that migration from poor countries spread disease, boosted crime and threatened white supremacy. Their replacement theory ignored data showing that immigrants are less likely than the native-born to commit crimes or take public assistance. Throughout American history immigrants spurred, not impeded, economic growth while they and their children are among the most entrepreneurial citizens. Yet the rigid quota system remained largely intact until 1965. Todays restrictionists openly admit their desire to turn back the clock.

Prohibitions critics correctly predicted that instead of compelling morality, it would drive drinking underground, promote organized crime and encourage smuggling from Canada and Mexico. By 1933, most Americans grew weary of the Noble Experiment. Federal and state officials were especially eager to reclaim the tax revenues from alcohol sales. Congress and the states repealed Prohibition via the 21st Amendment in record time.

The public relations fiasco of the so-called Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 dealt a blow to anti-evolution laws. When Tennessee indicted science teacher John Scopes for teaching evolution, his trial became a national sensation. Fundamentalist groups hired William Jennings Bryan  a three time Democratic presidential candidate  as special prosecutor, while the American Civil Liberties Union sponsored Clarence Darrow as defense counsel. Hundreds of journalists and radio commentators flocked to Dayton, Tennessee, and portrayed the trial like a grudge match between faith and science. Largely ignoring Scopes, Bryan allowed himself to be grilled as a religious expert by Darrow. Bryan came across as a sanctimonious blowhard unable to explain the Bibles many textual contradictions and factual errors. Although Darrow lost the jury (Scopess conviction was later overturned), he persuaded most Americans that faith and science each had a proper place, but not in teaching biology.

Over the next several decades, the Supreme Court overturned most anti-evolution laws as violations of the separation of church and state. But much like dormant anti-abortion laws, many similar statutes remain on the books awaiting rulings by a Supreme Court increasingly sympathetic towards religious expression in public life and openly skeptical of the 14th Amendments promise of due process, privacy, and bodily autonomy.
The world of English literature changed forever on Feb. 2, 1922.

That was the day James Joyces epic novel Ulysses was first published in Paris, in a limited-edition run of 1,000 copies. The novel, over which Joyce had labored for more than eight years, has remained a source of fascination for casual readers and devoted scholars ever since.

It also is the subject of an exhibit currently on display in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives in the University of Tulsas McFarlin Library.

Ulysses at 100 draws from the librarys extensive collection of James Joyce memorabilia, including books, manuscripts, images, even items including a blue-and-white striped tie Joyce wore.

The exhibit also includes one of the latest addition to the collection: a bronze of Joyces death mask.

Having Joyces own image here really brings a new element to the collection, said Melissa Kunz, interim curator of the Department of Special Collections.

The exhibit also includes reproductions of some of the collections more precious items, such as the first-edition copy of Ulysses that Joyce inscribed to his Aunt Josephine, and some of the illustrations that artist Henri Matisse created for a special edition of the novel.

I have a feeling that Matisse hadnt read Ulysses before he made these images, Kunz said. What Matisse created is very classical in style.

Ulysses is the story of a single day  specifically, June 16, 1904  as experienced by two residents of Dublin, Ireland. One is Leopold Bloom, a Jewish advertising canvasser with an unfaithful wife; the other is Stephen Dedalus, an aspiring poet dealing with the recent death of his mother.

Their perambulations around the Irish capital city are recounted in dense prose laden with classic references and bawdy wit, dizzying stream-of-consciousness passages that recreate the often chaotic way the idle or obsessed mind works, and wordplay that alternates between the poetic and the puerile.

The novel also contains passages whose frank depictions of erotic thoughts led to Ulysses being banned from publication in the United States until 1934, when a landmark decision by Judge John M. Woolsey in the case United States v. One Book Called Ulysses declared that Joyces novel was not obscene, and therefore could be freely published and sold.

The TU exhibit includes a book that contains the entirety of Woolseys decision, as well as a series of prints by the Russian artist Mikhail Karasik titled Acts: Dedicated to Bloom, that use images from Victorian-era erotic postcards to suggest the sexual content of Ulysses.

That the University of Tulsa is such an epicenter of all things James Joyce is due to the efforts of the late Thomas Staley, who during his tenure at TU not only taught the first courses on Joyce and his work at the university but also established The James Joyce Quarterly, a scholarly journal devoted to Joyce and other exponents of Modernist literature.

The journal has been continually published ever since, making it one of the most successful scholarly publications devoted to a single author.

I believe there are journals on Shakespeare and maybe Dickens that have been around as long, said Robert J. Spoo, Chapman Professor of Law at TU, who co-edits the James Joyce Quarterly with associate professor of English Jeff Drouin. But they also wrote a lot more.

Joyce wrote three major works besides Ulysses: the novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, which also featured the character Stephen Dedelus; the short story collection Dubliners, which includes the classic story The Dead; and Finnegans Wake, which takes the prose experiments of Ulysses to extremes.

Joyce himself acknowledged the difficulty of his work, saying that in writing Ulysses, he had put in so many enigmas and puzzles that it will keep the professors busy for centuries arguing over what I meant.

While the novel continues to supply academics with a seemingly endless source ideas and topics for study and dissertation, Drouin said he doesnt believe that Ulysses is a book for scholars alone.

One of the things about Joyces work, especially Ulysses, is how future-proof it is, Drouin said. Were seeing a lot of articles and papers that are focusing on information sciences, which seems like a very 21st century thing, and its relationship with Joyces work.

But the truth is, Joyce was very interesting in trying to capture in prose what was going on with the electric media of his day, such as radio, he said.

As for someone approaching Ulysses for the first time, Drouin said that, while it helps to have a basic grasp of the story of Homers Odyssey, which Joyce used to structure his novel, there is another key to some of the perceived mysteries of the novel.

Ulysses is a novel about people, he said. The prose can be challenging, but once youre able to differentiate between what is speech, what is thought and what is narration, the whole thing unlocks for you.

Kunz said the Special Collections exhibit is one way to beginning to open that lock.

We wanted to give people a chance to get a sense of why this novel has remained such a presence in our culture for a hundred years, she said.

Tulsa World Scene podcast: So perfect Oklahoma fried onion burger
The City Council will consider amending an ordinance in Tulsas traffic code to permit solicitations from roadways and medians during the daytime.

The amendment  which had its first reading in the councils July 20 meeting  comes after a similar ordinance in Oklahoma City was challenged through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in McCraw v. City of Oklahoma City.

The court reviewed the Oklahoma City ordinance, which prohibited standing, sitting or remaining for most purposes on certain medians, and found in August 2020 that it violated the First Amendment because medians like sidewalks and streets are considered traditional public forums.

Tulsas ordinance could be subject to a similar constitutional challenge. It currently states that no person shall step or stand in a roadway or median or extend into or over the roadway any device, container or sign to solicit a ride, donation, employment or business from the occupant of any vehicle.

In its amended form, the ordinance will permit individuals to sit, lie upon, step or stand on, and reach into  without stepping into a roadway  a median to solicit a ride, donation, employment or business from the occupant of any vehicle without a permit as long as they meet city requirements.

Solicitations are permitted one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset by people 16 years old or older. Solicitors must wear high-visibility safety apparel that meets Class 2 or 3 requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, according to the amended ordinance.

The amended ordinance defines roadway medians as the median strip or reserved area separating opposing lanes of traffic on divided roadways. It is either painted or curbed and elevated above the surface of the roadway.

If approved, the fines for those who do not follow the amended ordinance would be not less than $5 or more than $500, plus court fees.

Action will be taken on the amended ordinance during the city councils next regularly scheduled meeting on Aug. 3.

Featured video:
The Tulsa Police Department welcomed a civilian this month to a new position aimed at improving the departments response to residents in mental health crises and fortifying partnerships with related agencies.

Katez Marshall joins TPDs Mental Health Unit with decades of experience in therapy, counseling and teaching, but one thing he has learned while familiarizing himself with the complex system of care spread across the city: Theres a lot going on already, he said.

Ive seen firsthand just in my few days or weeks of ride-alongs and training that there are some things and programs I had no idea were even involved, Marshall said. Even being in private practice, I didnt know those services were available to the community.

It was an eye-opener.

With enough time to find his footing, police officials hope Marshall will serve as a steady yet transformational figure as they seek to increase their understanding of and response to people experiencing mental crises.

Capt. Shellie Seibert, who oversees the Mental Health Unit as head of the Community Engagement Unit, said that at times throughout the nearly yearlong hiring process she felt she was searching for a unicorn to fill the position: someone who could consult with the department on best practices, work as a liaison with numerous community partners, and function as the main mental health educator for the department and the public.

Enter Marshall, a clinician with a background in private and community practice as well as a longtime adjunct professor of psychology at Tulsa Community College.

Right now, everywhere we go, he knows somebody, Seibert said. Were making all the rounds, and hes already well known in the community.

And apparently welcome.

Its extremely exciting to me that (TPD has) put this civilian position in place in relation to mental health, community service provider Amanda Bradley said. (Marshall) will have a great ability to see things from a mental health angle and be inside the Police Department to really help them see whats needed.

Bradley is the associate chief program officer for Family & Childrens Services Community Outreach Psychiatric Emergency Services, or COPES, which partners with TPD in a number of ways, including providing clinicians for a Community Response Team.

Based on a Colorado Springs model and introduced to Tulsa as a pilot program in 2016, CRT combines specially trained police officers, paramedics and clinicians to respond to mental health calls for service.

Justin Lemery, Tulsa Fire Departments director of emergency medical services, said he likes to describe such teams as the best bang for your buck in mental crisis situations.

When we show up on scene, were able to handle nearly every situation possible, he said, recounting a recent run for a suicidal person who, in about three hours, gained access to wraparound services and was back at home at the end of the day.

This year is the first CRT has been available 40 hours a week, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The unit responds to an average of six calls per shift, Lemery said.

But there are still others in need who cant be seen, and they instead receive traditional 911 responses, the outcomes of which  despite agency efforts to ramp-up mental health training  can be a toss-up.

Bradley desires to see a mental health professional involved in any applicable call that makes its way through the 911 system, she said.

When COPES is working with individuals and law enforcement is involved, we have almost a 99% diversion rate from criminal charges, she said. However, I dont know how many we dont know about.

COPES clinicians are available to respond at the request of law enforcement 24/7, 365 days a year, but Bradley said only about 6% of the calls to which COPES responds in Tulsa County are at the request of law enforcement.

The overarching vision of the collaboration is that every Tulsan will get the right care with the right resources at the right time every time.

Its an issue every agency involved would like to see addressed, and all said that will come with the increased coordination among agencies that Marshalls position is intended to help facilitate.

Theres a lot of programs for (Marshall) to get his grasp on, but ultimately we think hell be good at it, Lemery said. The mental health crisis going on right now is something we take very seriously; were putting forth all of our efforts.

Theres a lot of good people working on this and putting our brains together.

Working in the background is the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative, a statewide public policy think tank funded by the Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation. The initiative seeks to transform the landscape of mental health in Oklahoma and is specifically tasked with bringing to fruition the 2018 Tulsa mental health study and plan, which called for a policy-focused initiative to build a culture of convening and problem-solving around mental health.

Deep engagement of top-level leaders is key to significant change, Executive Director Zack Stoycoff said, adding that Tulsa is fortunate to have the attention and support of Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin, Tulsa Fire Chief Michael Baker and Mayor G.T. Bynum.

We continually hear from residents, community partners and our first responders on the importance of prioritizing mental health services in Tulsa, Bynum said in a statement to the Tulsa World.

During my time as mayor, we have expanded services to ensure those in a mental health crisis are met with kind, compassionate care and that appropriate services are available for those in need.

Tulsa certainly has many recent developments in which to take pride, Stoycoff said, including the implementation of a 911 mental health crisis call-diversion program, a one-stop crisis care center and an iPad pilot program that aims to immediately connect those in need with clinicians, but there is great growth to be had.

Since issues surrounding mental health have become more acute than ever in the past couple of years, now is not the time to coast, he said.

Now is the time to double down on our partnerships, top-level leadership and resource allocation, Stoycoff said. Were hopeful that this new hire leads to improved coordination and use of mental health systems by and for police, as well as provides an additional point of contact for the community when mental health players are in need.

Its not on any one agency to solve these issues.
Students who enroll in College Park for the upcoming semester will each receive a $250 textbook voucher, officials said.

A collaboration between Tulsa Community College and OSU-Tulsa, the program is entering its second year this fall, and applications are still being accepted. It was created to provide an affordable four-year public higher education option in Tulsa.

The one-time vouchers, offered by the TCC Foundation, are available to students in each of the program's two degree paths, business administration and psychology, to help offset the cost of books and materials.

Kari Shults, TCC vice president for advancement and president of the TCC Foundation, said: "The TCC Foundation recognizes students may face financial barriers, and we work very diligently to provide financial support to help students succeed. Some of those financial opportunities are built into College Park with the intent of increasing the number of bachelor's degrees in the Tulsa area."

In addition to the vouchers, scholarships have been awarded for this fall to business administration students from the Ronald and Myra Jeffris College Park Scholarship Fund through the TCC Foundation. The scholarships are renewable each year.

College Park students complete an associate degree from TCC, followed by a bachelor's from OSU-Tulsa. Courses are located on the OSU-Tulsa campus, 700 N. Greenwood Ave.

Deadline to apply for the fall is Aug. 7.

To apply or for more information, go to collegeparktulsa.com.
For Yancey Williams and many other would-be fighter pilots, there seemed to be no getting around it.

Qualifications notwithstanding, their color barred them from flying for their country.

But rather than just let it go, Williams, a former Tulsan, decided to push back.

He filed a federal lawsuit, and as a result, a new program at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama would be launched, finally giving African American aviators the chance theyd wanted.

Starting this week, visitors to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum will be able to learn more about Williams and other Tuskegee pilots when the museum unveils its new Tuskegee Legacy exhibit.

A ribbon-cutting is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The exhibit tells the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, the now-legendary group of African American aviators who broke racial barriers at home to help win World War II in Europe.

Its been in the works for a year and a half, and museum staff and supporters are excited to finally be able to share it with the public, curator Alex London said.

Weve wanted to highlight the Tuskegee Airmen in our museum for a long time. Its something visitors have asked about, London said.

Williams, who died in a plane crash in 1953 at the age of 37, is just one of the historical figures featured.

But hes one the museum especially wanted to highlight because of his ties to Tulsa  ties that for too long have gone unacknowledged.

Williams, who moved to Tulsa as a youth, graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in 1932.

London said Williams name came to the museums attention when it reached out to the public, looking for local Tuskegee ties.

We had a visitor who came out one day, and she told us about Yancey, he said. She said her parents had had a grocery store and that he used to work there.

From Tulsa, Williams had gone on to study engineering at Howard University. While there, he earned a private pilots license.

But in 1941, his attempt to join the Army Air Corps was denied solely because he was Black.

Williams then filed a federal lawsuit along with the NAACP and fellow Howard student Spann Wilson.

The government responded by approving a segregated unit based at Tuskegee.

Out of that program, which trained Black pilots and ground crews, the 332nd Fighter Group went on to fly more than 1,800 missions in WWII.

Along the way, the airmen both proved and distinguished themselves.

Time and time again they took on the most important missions, the most dangerous, and with a fearless mindset, London said. Also, they knew how to get the most out of their machines. They were well-trained at Tuskegee.

The exhibit tells that story through a series of panels. It also includes scale models of some of the aircraft, along with items donated by a former museum docent who attended Tuskegee.

As for Williams, he earned his pilots wings in 1944. He did not go overseas, and not much is known about his life after that. At the time of his death in 1953, he was an Air Force major.

Would the Tuskegee air program have happened without Williams lawsuit? Its impossible to say. But his role clearly was pivotal.

London believes there are several reasons why Williams has gone overlooked for so long.

He died young, for one thing, and at a time when Black contributions were mostly ignored.

And while the Tuskegee Airmen are well-known as a group today, its only been more recently that attention has focused on some of the individuals, London said.

Its time for more people, especially Tulsans, to know about Williams, he said.

The exhibit should also give visitors a better understanding of the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen, London added.

They broke barriers and helped win a war, but it didnt end there. Many of them went on to successful careers both in and out of the military.

The exhibit was funded by Oklahoma Humanities, The Ed Darby Foundation, The Bernard and Marcy Robinowitz Family Fund, and Barbara and Allen Smallwood.

Featured podcast: Tulsa World Opinion
Second District Congressman Markwayne Mullin chuckles when asked if he received advance notice of U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofes pending retirement.

No, Mullin said. It caught us off guard like it caught everybody else off guard.

We had probably a week, no more than a week, of This is possible. We didnt find out for sure until the day before.

Mullin said thats why he wound up announcing his candidacy to complete Inhofes term while on the highway to a wrestling tournament.

As a five-term congressman with a sprawling district, Mullin did have one advantage: a large-scale campaign organization already in place.

We had that, but as far as a Senate race, it wasnt even on our mind, he said.

Among 13 contenders, Mullin broke to an early lead and held it. The final count on June 28 gave him 43.6% of the vote, 26 percentage points ahead of No. 2 T.W. Shannon.

Shortly after that primary, former President Donald Trump endorsed Mullin in the Aug. 23 runoff.

Some might question the value of that endorsement in light of revelations from within Trumps own inner circle about his actions surrounding the 2020 presidential election and subsequent storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Mullin does not. Detractors may criticize his loyalty to a former president who, they contend and growing evidence suggests, tried to overturn a legitimate election, but politically and perhaps personally there seems to be no down side to it.

President Trump and I have always had a good relationship, Mullin said. His favorability (with Oklahoma Republicans) in the primary is off the charts. In the primary runoff, its even greater because its a much narrower group of people.

National polling suggests Republicans are slowly accepting the likelihood that Trump misled them on the 2020 elections outcome, but that doesnt seem to have much affected their loyalty to him.

Nothing indicates that Oklahoma Republicans  especially the ardent devotees most likely to vote in runoffs  are any different.

Mullin is right in there with them.

Although he was caught in the middle of the Jan. 6 riot, where a mob of Trump supporters chanted death threats against Vice President Mike Pence and disrupted certification of the 2020 election results, Mullin calls the hearings into the matter a witch hunt and blames House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for what transpired.

He said Pelosi should have done more to prepare the Capitol against the imminent onslaught.

What happened was awful, and it should have never, ever, ever, ever, ever taken place, he said.

But, he said, There were preventions that should have taken place. It was a lot of people doing things they should have done, but thats in the past.

For all of his vocal partisanship, Mullin often pairs with Democrats on legislation, especially in the areas of rural health care and internet access. Both are critical issues to his House constituents.

If you lose a hospital in a rural community, you dont just lose jobs, Mullin said. You lose the ability to create new jobs, to some degree. When you lose that hospital, all the businesses around, their general liability goes up and their workers (compensation) goes up.

The past two years, Mullin said, highlighted the necessity for greater connectivity in eastern Oklahoma  something he learned firsthand at his Adair County home.

In rural Oklahoma, 50% of our communities are not connected to reliable internet service, so that broadband is very important and has to be built out, he said.

I didnt have internet service at my home ... until right before COVID hit. That was huge, because everything went remote.

Mullin currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which encompasses a broad range of issues, and the Intelligence Committee, which is relatively narrow in scope. He says hed like to continue in those areas and follow Inhofe onto the Armed Services Committee.

Giving up a safe House seat for the uncertainty of a Senate run, Mullin said, was not a difficult decision. His wife, Christie Mullin, summed it up succinctly.

She said, If youre going to be away from me and the kids, where can you make the most difference? Without hesitation, I said, The Senate.
When Oklahoma lawmakers passed a bill in 2015 authorizing online voter registration, most viewed the measure as a modern solution to boost the states persistently low voter participation rate.

I believe the strong vote for a secure online registration system represents a landmark for election reform in this state, said former state Sen. David Holt, Senate Bill 313s sponsor, in a statement after the proposal cleared the Senate.

Holt, now the mayor of Oklahoma City, told the Tulsa World in October 2015 that he was hopeful online registration would launch ahead of the 2016 presidential election. At that point, 24 states and the District of Columbia allowed prospective voters to register virtually.

Nearly seven years later, the states online registration platform remains a work in progress.

The delay has caused Oklahoma to lag behind nationally. Forty states now offer online voter registration, with full implementation taking between one and three years on average, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Phase one of Oklahomas online registration portal rolled out in September 2018, allowing already registered voters to virtually update their party affiliation and address within the same county. New voters may fill out an application online, but theyre required to print the form, sign it and deliver it to their county election board in person or via mail.

State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said the online registration system is nearing completion, though it remains uncertain if the platform will be ready to launch this year.

We continue to work with OMES and the Department of Public Safety and remain hopeful that online voter registration could launch in time for the November General Election, Ziriax, the states top election official, said in a statement. However, this is dependent upon technical issues that are outside the control of the State Election Board.

State law requires online registration applications to be cross-referenced with an Oklahoma drivers license or other state-issued identification. The Department of Public Safety has worked for years to update its computer system to allow for this process, but technical issues have consistently pushed back the estimated completion date.

A Department of Public Safety spokesperson did not return phone calls or an email seeking comment on the technical issues.

Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, filed legislation in 2020 that would have required the state to launch a secure online registration system by March 2021. The bill narrowly cleared the Senate Rules Committee but later stalled.

Kirt said she plans to file similar legislation next session if the delay continues into 2023.

I understand that its hard to make everything a priority, but how do we move it up if it doesnt have a deadline? She said. Since the beginning, theyve said money isnt really the issue. If moneys not the issue, then its about having and taking the time to do it.

If technical issues persist, Kirt said Oklahoma may need to abandon its plan to cross-check state identification cards and adopt an alternative verification method. Some states, including Minnesota, verify voter registration forms with the applicants social security number.

People already have to show their ID when they vote or get it notarized if theyre doing absentee, so we have a verification process on the back end, Kirt said. I dont see why we need to have extra burdens on the front end.

How Oklahoma could benefit

Turnout in last months primary election dropped substantially compared to June 2018, when the medical marijuana state question drew widespread public interest. Approximately 33% of Republicans and 24% of Democrats cast a ballot, state election board data shows.

As of June 30, there were 2,252,101 registered voters statewide, up marginally from 2,218,374 on Jan. 15.

Kansas saw voter application transactions double in the weeks after it implemented online registration in 2009.

California saved $2 million in administrative costs in 2012 after rolling out its online registration system, quickly recouping the money it spent to build the platform.

A 2015 study from the Pew Research Center found that states with online registration systems enjoy elevated turnout and reduced administrative costs. Voter access advocates are hopeful that Oklahoma, which had the nations lowest overall voter participation in the 2020 election, will soon reap similar benefits.

If we want to maintain a good, strong democracy, we need to make it easier for people to get registered and get to the polls, said Stephanie Henson, vice president of the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma. In Oklahoma, we have said we want online registration, so this is just a matter of following through and getting it done.

With the Nov. 8 general election date less than four months away, Henson said public outreach will be critical whether or not online registration launches. The League of Womens Voters recently launched a grab your future by the ballot informational campaign geared toward young voters.

Even though I think online voting is helpful and its a good faith kind of thing, its secondary to the importance of connection and community and emphasizing that we want to see you there and hear your voice, she said.
Elections and campaigns: Republican U.S. Senate runoff candidate T.W. Shannon has several campaign stops scheduled for the Tulsa area this week.

Noon Tuesday, Steak and Eggs, 908 E. 6th St., Okmulgee.

2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Bill & Ruths Sub Shop 13835 S. Casper St. West, Glenpool.

8:30 a.m. Thursday, Notion Espresso, 321 S. Frankfort Ave., Suite 3B, Tulsa.

11 a.m. Thursday, Evergreen Coffee Co., 13720 E. 86th St. North, Owasso.

1:30 p.m. Thursday, Thomas Restaurant, 215 S. Mill St., Pryor.

4 p.m. Thursday, TBD, Grove.

Second Congressional District candidate Avery Frix said fellow Oklahoma House of Representatives member Steve Bashore of Miami has endorsed him for the Aug. 23 Republican runoff against former state Sen. Josh Brecheen.

Brecheen has scheduled a one-day Prayers, Praise & Patriots Tour with Wallbuilders founder David Barton on Friday.

The tour begins Friday morning in Durant, with stops in Muskogee, Claremore and Bartlesville to follow.

In Muskogee, the pair will be at Muskogee First Assembly Fellowship Hall, 3100 Gulick St., at noon.

At 4 p.m., they will be at Destiny Life Church, 2300 Southhaven Road in Claremore.

At 7 p.m., they will be at the Bartlesville Community Center, 300 SE Adams Blvd.

Barton, an Oral Roberts University graduate, is often described as a Christian nationalist and is considered one of the countrys foremost proponents of the idea that the founders of the United States did not intend a separation of church and state.

Democrat Kendra Horn called on the late Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn for a swipe at current 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin, who faces T.W. Shannon in an Aug. 23 U.S. Senate runoff.

The winner will be a heavy favorite against Horn and two other candidates in the Nov. 8 general election.

In a fundraising email, Horn revisits Coburns 2017 remark that Mullin had drunk the Kool-Aid after Mullin reneged on a pledge not to serve more than three terms.

Tulsa City Council District 1 challenger Francetta Mays will have a meet-and-greet event at 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Aloft Hotel Downtown, 200 Civic Center.

Dem bones: Oklahoma Democratic Party Chairwoman Alicia Andrews chewed on Gov. Kevin Stitt and Education Secretary Ryan Walters after it was revealed his office returned a large share of federal COVID-19 relief money for education and that some that was spent went to such things as household appliances, outdoor security systems and televisions.

Stitt and Walters have given up on our students, teachers, parents and public education, Andrews said. They are instead laser-focused on stripping down public education, finding ways to funnel public tax dollars into private education and lining the pockets of those pushing their voucher agenda.

Labor pool: Oklahoma added 9,500 jobs in June, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an increase of 0.6% to 1,688,600. The state has added 42,100 jobs in the past year.

At the same time, the unemployment rate rose from 2.9% to 3.5%, with the number of unemployed increasing by about 11,000. The states total labor force shrank slightly, to just under 1.88 million.

Speaking up: Task force meetings begin next week for the Tulsa Regional Chambers OneVoice initiative.

The task forces largely formulate annual legislative priorities for the influential lobbying collaborative, which includes businesses, nonprofits, education systems and institutions, local governments and chambers of commerce throughout northeastern Oklahoma.

The task force meetings lead up to a summit in late September, where a final agenda is set.

Bottom lines: The Biden administration said 186,756 Oklahoma households are receiving the Affordable Connectivity Plan internet discount.  Oklahoma Attorney General John OConnor joined Republican AGs from other states suing to repeal an Obama-era rule that allows the declaration of a public health emergency to be tied to findings of the World Health Organization.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

Featured video:
Alphabet Inc's Google said on Friday it has dismissed a senior software engineer who claimed the company's artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot LaMDA was a self-aware person.

Google, which placed software engineer Blake Lemoine on leave last month, said he had violated company policies and that it found his claims on LaMDA to be "wholly unfounded."

"It's regrettable that despite lengthy engagement on this topic, Blake still chose to persistently violate clear employment and data security policies that include the need to safeguard product information," a Google spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.

Last year, Google said that LaMDA - Language Model for Dialogue Applications - was built on the company's research showing Transformer-based language models trained on dialogue could learn to talk about essentially anything.

Google and many leading scientists were quick to dismiss Lemoine's views as misguided, saying LaMDA is simply a complex algorithm designed to generate convincing human language.

Lemoine's dismissal was first reported by Big Technology, a tech and society newsletter.
Tens of millions of Americans already baking in a scorching heat wave braced Saturday for record-setting temperatures to climb, while a major fire ravaged part of California.

The country's central and northeast regions face the brunt of the extreme temperatures, which are not expected to peak until Sunday at the earliest and have sent public health officials scrambling.

More than a dozen states are under a heat advisory, with central US metropolitan areas such as Dallas and Oklahoma City expected to reach highs of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (above 38 degrees Celsius) for at least the next five days.

A heat emergency is meanwhile in effect for cities up and down the northeast coast, from Boston to Philadelphia to Washington.

Not even the usually cool Pacific Northwest will escape the far-reaching heat, with the region expected to face several days in the 90s next week.

The high temperatures, which demonstrate the threat of global warming, have already caused an uptick in emergency calls for heat-related illness.

Cities have meanwhile been forced to open cooling stations and increase outreach to at-risk communities such as the homeless and those without access to air conditioning.

"This is really one of the things that we recognize in Oklahoma -- heat is the number one weather-related killer across the United States. It far surpasses any other" nature-related cause of death, Joseph Kralicek, director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency, told CNN.

Residents of the central US city were expecting temperatures to reach 103 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday and up to 106 degrees on Sunday and Monday.

The nation's capital was predicted to reach temperatures at or near 100 degrees Fahrenheit Saturday, with New York not far behind.

Fire conditions increased

"Look for daytime max temps to eclipse the century mark in the Central Plains and record breaking high temps from the Central Plains to the Northeast today," the National Weather Service said in a forecast.

"Sunday grows even hotter in the northeast," it said.

The sweltering heat has increased the risk of blazes, such as the major Oak Fire, which broke out Friday in California near Yosemite National Park where giant sequoias have already been threatened by fire in recent days.

Spread over more than 6,555 acres (2,650 hectares), the Oak Fire has already destroyed ten properties and damaged five others. As of midday Saturday, it was 0 percent contained, according to California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In recent years, California and other parts of the western United States have been ravaged by huge, hot and fast-moving wildfires, driven by years of drought and a warming climate.

Severe thunderstorms are meanwhile expected in the Midwest Saturday, with the potential for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes, the NWS said.

Various regions of the globe have been hit by extreme heat waves in recent months, such as Western Europe in July and India in March to April, incidents that scientists say are an unmistakable sign of climate change.
Six people including four children were found dead at a house in Binh Duong Province, southern Vietnam due to suspected gas asphyxiation on Sunday.

The incident took place at a house on NJ15 Street in Thoi Hoa Ward, Ben Cat Town, the provincial Department of Public Security confirmed later the same day.

Preliminary information showed that a friend of the house owner's was unable to contact him around noon on Sunday.

He later came to the residence, but no one answered the door.

He and some local residents decided to break open the door and discovered that six people were dead inside the house.

The house is sealed off by police to facilitate the investigation in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, July 24, 2022. Photo: Ba Son / Tuoi Tre

The deceased victims were identified as Ly Quoc Ph., the 47-year-old house owner, Do Thi T., 37, Do Nguyen My L., 15, Huynh Thuy D., 15, seven-year-old Ly Bao Kh., and two-year-old Ly Quoc Th..

Local residents said that there was a power outage the night before the incident, and that the victims could have run a generator.

The cause of death is believed to be asphyxiation from carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation, but police are still investigating the case.

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Here are todays leading news stories:

Politics

-- Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, along with Party and government officials, on Saturday paid tribute to late President Ho Chi Minh and heroic martyrs in north-central Nghe An Province on the occasion of Vietnams War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27).

COVID-19 Updates

-- The Ministry of Health documented 1,071 COVID-19 cases on Saturday, raising the national tally to 10,767,200, with 9,851,504 recoveries and 43,092 deaths.

Society

-- Five fishermen who had drifted at sea for 12 days after their boat sank off south-central Binh Thuan Province were taken to Cam Ranh Port in south-central Khanh Hoa Province on Sunday morning.

-- Police in northern Phu Tho Province confirmed on Saturday they had arrested a 31-year-old man accused of raping his own teenage niece.

-- Severe congestion occurred on a section of the Ho Chi Minh City-Trung Luong Expressway, which connects the southern metropolis with Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta, on Saturday due to roadworks.

-- Police in Da Lat, a tourist city in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, confirmed on Saturday they had apprehended eight people who were involved in a street brawl in front of a local tourist attraction last week.

-- Officers in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak have arrested a house painter for breaking into a residence where he previously worked for and stealing assets worth nearly VND50 million (US$2,100).

Business

-- In the first half of 2022, Vietnam exported nearly one million metric tons of coffee, raking in more than $2.3 billion, up 23 percent in volume and nearly 50 percent in value year on year, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

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Many drivers of buses in Ho Chi Minh City have committed various traffic law violations, including running a red light and posing traffic risks, as found by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

In fact, such violations are not new but they have become rampant again recently when Vietnam reopened the economy in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic since October last year after nearly two years of closure, during which city bus operations, among other activities, were suspended.

As there have been no separate lanes or routes for them, city buses have been given priority to travel in all lanes, leading to many bus drivers feeling free to change course suddenly and to carelessly pick up and drop off passengers, among other violations.

All that constitutes a danger to commuters, especially during rush hour.

Such practices have long prompted people in Ho Chi Minh City to call buses the street devils.

In late June this year, two buses recklessly jumped the lights to the surprise of a lot of people in traffic, including Tuoi Tre reporters, in an area near the so-called University Village in Thu Duc, a province-level city in Ho Chi Minh City.

Another violation took place on July 14 on the Dien Bien Phu Street section near the Saigon Bridge in Binh Thanh District, where two buses that were traveling in opposite directions blatantly halted next to the media barrier for a chat between the drivers, despite a lot of vehicles behind them.

Many other violations such as drivers changing lanes suddenly or inconsiderately flashing signal lights continuously to prevent being overtaken by other vehicles have been recorded on numerous routes including Pham Van Dong, Dinh Bo Linh, and Truong Chinh.

Your correspondents saw many motorbike riders express their upset and anxiety when they had to make urgent stops to avoid collisions with such buses.

There have been buses that kept running close to sidewalks to pick up or drop off passengers, occupying the lane and thus causing congestion.

Ngoc Nhung, a resident of Thu Duc, told Tuoi Tre that she felt extremely frustrated because city buses always overwhelmed other vehicles, including her motorbike, by occupying the traffic lanes randomly, particularly during rush hour.

Many motorbike riders then ran on the sidewalk to try to overtake such buses, Nhung said.

I know that buses have no separate lanes for them, but such reality is unacceptable as it seriously hinders the traffic flow of other vehicles, Nhung said.

Speeding is another traffic law breach by many bus drivers, triggering great anxieties among commuters, including those on Hanoi Highway, where many tend to choose to travel close to roadsides whenever spotting a bus rushing from afar.

Meanwhile, some bus drivers told Tuoi Tre that they have to work under great time pressure, which makes them race against the clock to be on time.

It is very difficult to drive safely when we have to race against time, a driver claimed.

However, that is not the reason for me to ignore everything while driving.

We drivers often remind one another not to commit dangerous acts in traffic.

A representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport said the center regularly pool passengers feedback and coordinates with transport firms in extracting data from traffic surveillance cameras to detect traffic law flouting and strictly punish those involved.

As the citys traffic infrastructure intended for buses has remained insufficient, buses and other vehicles have to use the same lanes, which has compromised traffic safety, the center admitted.

The city will therefore implement some projects to upgrade the bus service infrastructure system in the coming time, including adding a rapid bus system on Vo Van Kiet Boulevard, which runs through different districts.

This quality bus route is expected to be put into operation at the end of 2023 or in early 2024, according to Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board.

This image shows two buses, one of which is obscured by the trees, blatantly stopping next to the median strip for a chat between the drivers. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

The scene of an accident between a bus and a motorbike after the bus came to an abrupt standstill in an area near 23/9 Park in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Luu Duyen / Tuoi Tre

This image shows a bus station area on Hanoi Highway in Ho Chi Minh City, where buses often suddenly halt or pull over to pick up or drop off passengers. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

Two buses are seen occupying the traffic lanes on Truong Chinh Street, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Luu Duyen / Tuoi Tre

A bus runs a red light in front of a student dormitory in the so-called University Village in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Chau Tuan / Tuoi Tre

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The latest incident where an eight-year-old boy was mauled to death by a large pit bull has once again sounded the alarm on dangerous pets, with many of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper readers proposing that authorities ban the raising of vicious dog breeds.

On Friday, people were shocked when hearing the news that an eight-year-old boy had been fatally attacked by a 30-kilogram pit bull in southern Binh Phuoc Province.

In mid-July, a man from central Da Nang City released his 40-kilogram pit bull and 30-kilogram German shepherd and let them attack his neighbor during a conflict, causing the victim to suffer multiple injuries.

In May 2021, a pit bull bit to death a man and injured his owner as the latter tried to intervene in the Mekong Delta province of Long An. The dog was then put down by local authorities.

Hiep, a Tuoi Tre reader, stated that the pit bull is a very aggressive dog breed, requiring owners to take the canine to training classes and put a muzzle on them when taking them outside.

Hardly any pit bull owners in Vietnam take these precautions, thus resulting in many tragic incidents.

Another reader, Anh Thu, believed that people must register with competent authorities to be able to raise ferocious dogs, as well as training their pets properly.

A different reader stressed that many countries have banned residents from keeping pit bulls and that Vietnam should follow suit.

Supporting this opinion, Van Minh stated that certain regulations should be established to penalize people for raising dangerous dog breeds.

It is a must to ban fierce dogs from residential areas, and the pit bull tops the list of vicious dog breeds, according to a reader named Phuong Nga.

The public had become infuriated and voiced their concerns after every tragic incidents related to fierce dogs, but no changes have been made.

It is impossible to sympathize with people who raise aggressive dogs but are unable to guarantee safety for the community, Nga stated.

Authorities should start tightening control of vicious dog breeds, including imposing criminal penalties on owners if their pets fatally attack other people, she stated.

Vuong Quoc Quynh, vice-chairman of the Bar Association of Binh Phuoc Province, told Tuoi Tre that people should not blame the pit bull owner in the case of the eight-year-old boy.

The boys grandmother was keeping the dog for her neighbor at her home.

The dog was chained at the back of the house, while the kid was playing by himself near the canine before the tragedy happened, Quynh elaborated.

In this case, the adults should be blamed for failing to pay attention to their child, he added.

According to a veterinary officer, current regulations require dog owners to register with local authorities, keep the canines in their houses, ensure environmental sanitation, use a muzzle or leash when taking them for a walk, and vaccinate them against rabies every year.

Owners can be fined or criminally charged if their pets kill or severely injure other people, the official added.

Banning would be difficult as many people still consider these dogs helpful in guarding their homes, he continued.

However, stricter regulations should be implemented to better manage fierce dogs and prevent tragic incidents.

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Jason Herbison was a high school student when he wrote to producers,

eventually rising to Executive Producer and the man entrusted with its exit.

Today he reflects on its successes -including how it forever changed British television.

You dont always appreciate what youve got until its gone, as Executive Producer Jason Herbison (pictured top left) has been starkly reminded of following the news in February that Channel 5 would discontinue to fund the long-running Australian soap.

If its place in TV schedules had been somewhat taken for granted, suddenly there was an outpouring of emotion from viewers.

Its only really since the show was announced to be finishing, that weve seen this enormous reaction from the audience and we really heard how much it means to them, he tells TV Tonight.

But you dont invite a television show into your living room for decades on end, if youre not getting something very important and special from that show. And I think this has been giving our audience that.

How often would a show be become part of the popular culture, not just in its home country, but in another country -for decades?

Neighbours was Herbisons first job in television, some time after penning a Dear Producers c/0 Nunawading letter as a Year 11 student. Story editor Ray Kolle responded, eventually offering him a job as storyliner, then scriptwriter. He returned in 2013 becoming Series Producer succeeding Richard Jasek, before Executive Producer in late 2015.

Fittingly, he has scripted the final episodes, including the much-anticipated extended finale which includes returns from Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, and Guy Pearce. New names have been confirmed: Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem, Kym Valentine and Carla Bonner, while UK reports suggest Natalie Imbruglia & Holly Valance have also filmed special videos.

Surprise!  You didnt think we were done did you?! Were thrilled to share that Margot Robbie, Jesse Spencer, Delta Goodrem, Kym Valentine and Carla Bonner will all make an appearance in our finale!  #CelebratingNeighbours pic.twitter.com/KjzoLDKvx6  Neighbours (@NeighboursTV) July 23, 2022

At the time we speak, details had managed to stay under wraps.

I always had in my mind, how I would end the show if it came to an end, he explains.

Its looking amazing. The finale I think, is a very befitting, celebratory finale, which is what I wanted it to be. I think, I hope, people are really going to like it.

Obviously, people know what weve announced and Ive seen various speculation about how all these people are going to come back and what theyre going to do. I think exactly what we ended up doing is not out there.

A really nice balance of the past and the present, always with the door open to the future as well

I really wanted it to be a celebration of the past and the present. That was very important to me, that we really celebrate the show today. Its not all about yesteryear. But I wanted it to be both. So I think what we settled on is a really nice balance of the past and the present, always with the door open to the future as well. Whatever that could be.

Over the past six years, Herbison has crafted ways of bringing the past into the present, with a mix of new and heritage characters returning including Madeleine West, Carla Bonner, Ally Fowler, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Annie Jones, and overhauled a lack of diversity with a same-sex wedding, transgender, non-binary, people with disabilities and a range of ethnic backgrounds including Indigenous.

If Herbison was making up for lost time on the show, its clear that whatever spark attracted him to Ramsay Street as a teenage boy has not left him.

I remember as a teenager, when I became a huge fan of the show, there were a lot of older characters in the show. People might remember Scott and Charlene, but the balance was actually older, he recalls.

It was a sense of family, a sense of belonging, a sense of community

The younger characters back then, really got something out of the older characters and I think it was a sense of family, a sense of belonging, a sense of community that they maybe didnt have in their own lives.

When I think back to the mid 80s when Neighbours launched, I think it struck  and its corny to say it- the perfect blend of storytelling that no other show had done. Very simply, a mix of the drama, the comedy, the heartland.

It was a blend that was quite unique at the time, and then others followed. We even saw the British soaps start to change and evolve and adapt.

Herbison is adamant on this point, and one that Australian audiences dont really appreciate.

When Neighbours began in 1986 in the UK, all of the British soaps were on twice a week. But it was Neighbours coming on five episodes a week and pretty soon, twice a day. That completely revolutionised all of the serial dramas in the UK, and incrementally they went up to 3, 4, 5, 6 episodes -and its all because of Neighbours.

Neighbours completely changed the landscape of British television

I think this is something that doesnt get enough recognition. Neighbours completely changed the landscape of British television.

I think was very aspirational, there was a lot of escapism in it. But it was also very captivating. I do think that over the years, whilst its evolved and the show has moved with the times, if you compare a 1980s episode to Neighbours 2022, you will see its its moved on. But there are some benchmarks that remain the same.



Jason Herbison (Executive Producer), Chris Donis (Line Producer), Kate Kendall (Producer Director) and Andrew Thompson (Producer)

Neighbours was also a world-leader in television drama finding a pathway forward during the height of the pandemic. Production companies from around the world, and press as far away as the BBC and New York Times, all reached out to hear the solution that Herbison and his team had forged to shoot safely -and achievement that should never be forgotten.

Those of us in Melbourne know how difficult it was just for life to go on, let alone a workplace to go on

Thats an absolutely huge thing that I know weve been recognised for and that is wonderful. But it was a very difficult couple of years and I think those of us in Melbourne, as you are one of those people, know how difficult it was just for life to go on, let alone a workplace to go on, he acknowledges.

This is a contact sport, people have to interact with each other. It was a very challenging time that Im very proud we got through.

Already moving onto a newly-announced miniseries, Riptide, for 10 / Channel 5, Herbison has little time to pause.

I finish by asking for the fans, does he envisage a time when Neighbours might be revived?

He keeps all options open

Its a beloved brand. Obviously, nowadays shows do come back after a year, 5 years, 20 years. Weve seen lots of things rebooted. I think anythings possible, but certainly now its the end.

Neighbours Finale Week:

Monday July 25 6:30pm  8pm 10 Peach

Tuesday July 26 6:30pm  8pm 10 Peach

Wednesday July 27 6:30pm  8pm 10 Peach

Thursday July 28 7.30pm  9pm on 10 and 10 Peach

Attention British fans: TV Tonight will be filing a finale story following the Australian broadcast.
Lisa Wilkinson last night returned to The Project desk for the first time since her Logie acceptance speech drew media attention.

She was joined last night by Rachel Corbett, Tom Cashman and Susie Youseff, having returned from the USA.

Wilkinson was originally due back on July 14, but instead headed to the USA fo interviews with Don McLean, lawyer Gloria Allred and others, however she featured in a Michael Klim interview on July 10.

She is also scheduled for this Thursday and Friday.

However, The Australian suggests her permanent return is still some weeks away, with holidays coming in August. Those details are yet to be confirmed.
SWNS

Americans are using therapy to cure their midweek slump, new research suggests. In a poll of 2,009 adults, 59% have either attended or currently attend therapy. Of those respondents, almost eight in 10 (79%) would rather have therapy during the workweek instead of the weekend (12%). About one-quarter (26%) prefer to have their session on a Wednesday, specifically. The poll, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of BetterHelp, found that for 35%, how they feel after a therapy session is greatly dependent on which day of the week the appointment took place, even more so than than the weather outside (31%) or by recent current events (30%). Fifty-nine percent would rather have therapy in the morning than the afternoon (26%) or evening (6%). Further narrowing down their preferences, 57% of respondents prefer their therapist to be older than them. You squeeze in all kinds of things into your schedule when you find them to be valuable, necessary, and important to you, and thats how you incorporate therapy sessions into your life, says Haesue Jo, licensed therapist and head of clinical operations at BetterHelp. You prioritize them. You adopt the belief that your mental wellness and maintenance of its health is valuable, necessary, and important. You save space for sessions, you schedule sessions, you show up to sessions, and you incorporate insight and learnings between sessions. Time and day aside, almost eight in 10 (77%) believe they would benefit from being able to message their therapist whenever they needed. The poll also asked respondents to describe the goals they set for 2022. While 31% said theyd like to learn a new hobby and 26% are vying for a promotion at work, others are working on their mental wellness. The most respondents (34%) are aiming to reduce their anxiety. Eighty-five percent of those surveyed acknowledged that their family and friends have varying degrees of impact on their overall health and happiness. Asked what actions respondents believe are necessary for good mental health, resting (37%), eating a balanced diet (35%) and socializing with others (31%) ranked high among respondents. Research also revealed that respondents spend the same amount of time caring for their mental health and physical health every week. The average person spends about four hours per week maintaining their physical and mental state, which equates to about 347 hours, or 15 days total per year. Even so, one in 10 dont dedicate any time per week to their mental and physical health. Respondents also noted that physical and mental health work in tandem with one another. About four in 10 (39%) said both are equally important when it comes to how healthy you feel overall. But others prioritized mental health slightly over physical health, 29% vs. 25% respectively. Eight in 10 believe their physical health is dependent on factors completely outside of their control, but only about six in 10 (57%) say the same about their mental health. Holistic wellness considers all aspects of what makes you feel healthy, says Jo. Some may ponder, 'The chicken or the egg?' and sometimes I ponder, 'physical or mental/emotional wellness?' Only focusing on one of these aspects leaves you vulnerable to unwellness overall, since mental and physical health are so intertwined. TOP HABITS FOR GOOD MENTAL HEALTH Drinking water - 37% Exercising - 37% Resting - 37% Eating a balanced diet - 35% Engaging in hobbies - 32% Positive self-talk - 32% ENDS
SWNS

<p>A woman gave birth alone on the bathroom floor in just 30 minutes before her husband or paramedics to arrive - and the ordeal was captured on her Ring camera.</p><p>Gabriela Perez, 30, was surprised when she woke up experiencing contractions on 15th January 2022 and realised her unborn baby wasnt wasting anytime in arriving. </p><p>Her husband, Miguel Perez, 34, a warehouse manager, was unable to get home in time as he was at work and so he advised Gabriela to call the paramedics. </p><p>But 20 minutes after her contractions started, Gabrielas water broke, and her contractions were becoming very painful and much closer together. </p><p>Gabriela couldnt hold on any longer and gave birth to her little girl, Aurora Isabella, on the bathroom floor, while on the phone to 911. </p><p>Minutes after Aurora was born, weighing 7lbs 3oz, the couple's home security camera caught paramedics rushing in to wrap the newborn up in a blanket and tend to Gabriela, who was losing blood. </p><p>The mum-of-six was taken to Javon Bea Hospital, Belvidere, US, to be checked over before she was able to return home the same day with Aurora. </p><p>Gabriela, a part-time shop assistant, from Belvidere, US, said: It all happened so quickly but it was such an amazing experience. </p><p>I wasnt expecting it as doctors had checked me over just a few days before and said she still wasnt on the way. </p><p>I woke up with contractions and my waters had broken after 20 minutes, 10 minutes later she was born. </p><p>I couldnt believe it. </p><p>Miguel thought the paramedics would make it to me in time, but I was OK. </p><p>Doing it alone was an incredible experience. </p><p>Gabriela was 40 weeks pregnant when she started to experience contractions at 8am on 15th January 2022. </p><p>She had been told by doctors that her daughter still wasnt on the way and had been scheduled to be induced on 17th January if her little one hadn't arrived by then. </p><p>It didnt seem like she was coming and there were no signs of labour, Gabriela said. </p><p>I was shocked when the contractions started, and my husband was already at work. </p><p>The contractions quickly got worse, and my waters broke at 8.20am. </p><p>I realised she was coming imminently. </p><p>Miguel told me to ring 911 and I had them on the phone, but I just couldnt hold her in anymore. </p><p>I was scared, and I didnt really know what to do. </p><p>I pushed and she was suddenly out and on the floor. </p><p>Minutes later, paramedics rushed in and took over to look after Aurora and Gabriela. </p><p>Gabriela was taken to Javon Bea Hospital, Belvidere, as she was losing blood. </p><p>They just got the bleeding under control and the two of us could come home again that day, she said. </p><p>Miguel thought the ambulance would have got there in time, so I think he feels bad that I had to do it alone. </p><p>But it was a magical and scary experience, and I realised my Ring camera captured it all, so I have her birth to look back on. </p><p>Aurora, now six months old, is settling in well with her brothers and sisters - Miguel, 10, Valerie, nine, Edan, six, Elizabeth, four, and Adrian, two. </p><p>Shes doing really well and growing fast, Gabriela said. </p><p>It was an emotional and crazy experience, but I wouldnt change anything.</p>
Photograph: Ian Forsyth/Getty Images

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, will attempt to frame the next general election as a battle for the economy, declaring on Monday that a Labour governments priorities would be growth, growth and growth.

Echoing Tony Blairs assertion in 1996 that his main priorities would be education, education and education, Starmer is expected to say in a major speech in Liverpool that there is no task more central to my ambitions for Britain than making the country and its people better off. This is why I am clear Labour will fight the next election on economic growth.

He will outline plans for a new industrial strategy council, established on a statutory footing to become a permanent part of the landscape, that sets out strategic national priorities that go beyond the political cycle; holds us to account for our decisions; and builds confidence for investors that will boost long-term growth and productivity.

He will say the pandemic and the cost of living crisis have shown that the British economy in its current state is too brittle.

The speech comes amid forecasts that the UKs economic growth will stagnate next year, with consumer price inflation running at 8.2% for the year to June, and a Conservative leadership contest that has seen bruising clashes over the economy, with Rishi Sunak describing Liz Trusss plans to borrow billions to fund tax cuts as a fairytale.

Related: Rebecca Long-Bailey calls for Labour to drop cautious approach to economy

However, Starmer is also facing a challenge from the left of his party, with Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary under Jeremy Corbyn, calling on Sunday for Labour to drop its cautious approach to the economy and fight on a radical manifesto including state ownership and a living standards contract between government and the public.

Starmer has been trying to pitch Labour as the party of fiscal prudence and will say: With me and with Rachel Reeves [the shadow chancellor], you will always get sound finances; careful spending; strong, secure and fair growth. There will be no magic-money-tree economics with us.

Story continues

Long-Bailey represents thinking on the left of the party that is concerned Starmer may abandon interventionist policies such as state ownership of utilities that she argues would help with the cost of living crisis.

Starmers speech is not billed as providing detailed policies to deliver growth and he has faced questions over how much he would be able to achieve if a long-term global recession and high inflation set in.

However, he will say his economic plan will be founded on three principles  strong, secure, fair.

Strong, because it will build a foundation where every business and every person plays a role, he is expected to say.

Secure, because it will produce good jobs that dont leave people feeling insecure.

Fair, because it will unlock the potential of every place  every community, every town and every city.

In an episode of The Rest is Politics podcast last week, the former Conservative cabinet minister Rory Stewart asked Starmer about his economic plans.

We are about to head into a 10-year global recession and even if you become prime minister, you have got very limited control, Stewart said. What on Earth are you going to do with interest rates and inflation?

The Labour leader said he wanted to provide certainty and trust to investors so the manufacture of items such as wind turbines that generate power in the north of England would not be outsourced to countries such as China.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are planning to roll out attack ads against Sunak over the tax rises he announced when he was chancellor.

Polling for the party suggests the increases are as big a vote loser for the Conservative party as Boris Johnson in the south-east of England, which the Lib Dems believe will be a key blue wall battleground at the next election.
Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for his final prime minister's questions last Wednesday. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Boris Johnson leaves 10 Downing Street for his final prime minister's questions last Wednesday. (Photo: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Thousands of Tory members are demanding the right to have a vote on whether to reject Boris Johnsons resignation as prime minister.

A petition set up by Conservative peer Lord Cruddas has so far been signed by more than 7,000 party activists.

Cruddas, who has donated millions of pounds to the Tories, says Johnson is the victim of a coup by his own MPs and should remain in office.

Writing in the Daily Mail, he said: The ousting of Boris Johnson as prime minister by a minority of MPs is deeply anti-democratic.

It defies the will of the country and the Conservative Party members who elected him.

It amounts to a coup. I am ashamed that this can happen in Britain, the birthplace of modern democracy.

If thats what politics has become, were living in a nation I can barely recognise any longer.

The PM announced he was standing down earlier this month after dozens of his ministers resigned over his disastrous handling of the Chris Pincher affair.

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak are currently battling it out to succeed Johnson, with the winner announced on September 5.

Cruddas added: I dont want to see the PM as a candidate in the race to be the next party leader. I want the membership to vote on whether we accept his resignation in the first place.

If we dont  and I strongly expect that to be the case  it will be revoked and Boris will continue in No. 10.

Cruddas, a former Tory party treasurer who was made a peer in 2021 by Johnson, said his petition was being blocked by the 1922 committee of backbench Conservatives.

They say the Conservative Party rules forbid a prime minister to stand in the leadership contest after resigning, he said. But we dont want him to run again. We want his resignation torn up. Its a totally different thing.

Johnson is expected to remain an MP after he leaves Downing Street, but there is speculation that he still holds ambitions to become prime minister again in the future.

Story continues

One ally told HuffPost UK that he wanted to stay in the Commons so he could come back when his successor fucks it up. The friend later insisted that was a joke.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.

Related...
Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in a sea port of Odesa (via REUTERS)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of barbarism after a missile attack on the port of Odesa.

The strike came just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from the port.

Russia has been widely condemned over the strike in which Russian Kalibr cruise missiles hit the ports infrastructure.

Odesa regional governor Maksym Marchenko said an unspecified number of people were injured in the attack.

In his nightly address on Saturday night Volodymyr Zelensky described the cynical attack as barbarism.

He said Russia cannot be trusted to implement the landmark deal agreed to resume grain exports from Black Sea ports.

Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in a sea port of Odesa (via REUTERS)

If anyone in the world could still say that some kind of dialogue with it, with Russia, some kind of agreements are needed, see what is happening, he said.

Todays Russian Kalibr missiles have destroyed the very possibility for such statements. The occupiers can no longer deceive anyone.

The United Nations, European Union, US and UK all condemned the strikes, with UK foreign secretary and prime ministerial hopeful Liz Truss describing the attack as appalling.

It is not clear how the air strikes will affect the plan to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

Ukraine and Russia signed identical deals on Friday with the UN and Turkey in Istanbul backing the plan, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed as a beacon of hope for a world in which food prices are rising rapidly.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit in Odesa, but Turkeys defence minister said Ukrainian authorities had told him one missile struck a grain silo and another landed nearby. However, neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday (UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER)

The head of Mr Zelenskys office, Andriy Yermak, said on Twitter that the Odesa strike, coming so soon after the endorsement of the Black Sea deal, illustrates the Russian diplomatic dichotomy.

Story continues

Mr Guterress office said the UN chief unequivocally condemns the strikes.

A statement said: All parties made clear commitments on the global stage to ensure the safe movement of Ukrainian grain and related products to global markets. These products are desperately needed to address the global food crisis and ease the suffering of millions of people.

Ukraine is a major grain exporter, but because of the war, about 20m tonnes of grain is trapped in its ports, unable to leave because of Russian forces. This has lead to food shortages and price rises across Africa, which usually relies on Ukraine and Russia for wheat.

Under Fridays deal, Russia agreed not to target ports while grain shipments were in transit.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said: It took less than 24 hours for Russia to launch a missile attack on Odesas port, breaking its promises and undermining its commitments before the UN and Turkey under the Istanbul agreement.

Firefighters work at a site of a Russian missile strike in a sea port of Odesa (via REUTERS)

In case of non-fulfilment, Russia will bear full responsibility for a global food crisis.

He described the missile strike on the 150th day of Russias war in Ukraine as Russian President Vladimir Putins spit in the face of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who made great efforts to reach agreement.

US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink denounced the strike on Odesas port as outrageous.

She tweeted: The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the attack casts serious doubt on the credibility of Russias commitment to the deal and undermines the work of the UN, Turkey and Ukraine.

Russia bears responsibility for deepening the global food crisis and must stop its aggression and fully implement the deal to which it has agreed, he said.
Medical workers talk to residents before COVID-19 vaccinations in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue.  VNA/VNS Photo Mai Trang

The Ministry of Health (MoH) reported nearly 1,300 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, an increase of 100 cases from the day before. The new cases were mainly due to the BA.4 and BA.5 variants of the Omicron strain.

Associate professor Tran Dac Phu, former director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH, said that the easing of anti-pandemic measures and neglect of preventive measures were behind the increase.

People do not wear masks and do not take preventive measures, even in high-risk areas. Those with symptoms also do not quarantine, do not make a medical declaration, and do not get tested, so they do not know if they have COVID-19 or not, said Phu.

He added that the number of new cases was not exact, because testing was no longer carried out, so asymptomatic cases were not included in the total.

Phu believes it is important to protect people at high-risk, such as those with underlying diseases, the elderly, and people who have not received a full course of vaccine.

Effective protective measures are still disinfection, wearing masks in high-risk areas such as hospitals and crowded places, or avoiding contact with infected people.

It is necessary to have booster doses of the vaccine to limit the number of new cases and avoid overloading the healthcare system.

Phu said that the health sector must properly assess the risk based on the real number of infections in their managed areas. They should assess severe cases and those under treatment.

We have loosened preventive measures but still have to ensure control, he said.

Phu said booster jabs were crucial in preventing the disease, avoiding severe cases, preventing the health system from becoming overloaded and reducing mortality.

We must educate people on the vaccines, especially the elderly and people with underlying diseases," said Phu.

Vietnam still has 21.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in stock, mainly Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, said Duong Thi Hong, deputy director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

The rate of booster doses for children over 12 had not reached the plan, she said. And the rate of basic doses for children between five and under 12 years old had not reached the expected plan.

Source: Vietnam News
HCM CITY  With the boom in blockchain technology and speedy digital transformation, Viet Nam has great potential for blockchain development to compete in the global market, speakers said in a seminar last Friday in HCM City.

Speaking at the Blockchain in the digital transformation era, Huy Nguyen, deputy chairman of the Viet Nam Blockchain Association, said Viet Nam has become an emerging market for blockchain thanks to its achievement in digital transformation and digital economy.

The country is one of the leading countries in encouraging research and application of new technology in everyday life, he said.

The Government has great supportive policies on digital development and digital transformation. The country is also entirely open-minded to new technologies such as blockchain, allowing start-ups in the country to develop rapidly.

Phan uc Trung, also deputy chairman of the association, said the launch of the Viet Nam Blockchain Association in April, the first official legal entity, aims to gather enthusiasts for blockchain technology research and application throughout Viet Nam.

The association aims to promote the digital economy and bring Viet Nam to the international level in the digital economy.

It also connects and gathers the blockchain community in the country and builds a bridge to bring Vietnamese products to the world and attract more international resources to Viet Nam.

It will also promote personnel training and attract international investment into Viet Nam, he added.

The Government will continue to prioritise the development of new technologies and identify these as potential spearheads of economic development in the future, according to Trung.

It would continue to facilitate, encourage and promote businesses to accelerate the digital transformation process in which blockchain technology is the mainstay.

It is expected that by 2030, blockchain will create 40 million jobs, and 1020 per cent of the economic infrastructure will run on blockchain technology systems in the country.

Choi Soo Hyuk, president of the Korea Blockchain Startup Association, said Viet Nam has huge potential in blockchain technology with many businesses, scientists and engineers pursuing research and application of the technology.

Park Bong-Kyu, chairman of World Blockchain Summit MARVELS and Korea CEO Summit, said Viet Nam has abundant human and technology resources as well as a large blockchain community.

It has become a potential hub for blockchain projects, such as diverse choices and low costs.

Participants also noted that challenges lie ahead such as a lack of legal framework for blockchain development.

They recommended it be vital to create a legal framework for blockchain and create favourable conditions for blockchain research and development as well as utilise resources on the development of blockchain applications.

It is also important to revise the legal framework for international capital raising, making it easier for start-ups.

The US-based Globe Newswire, one of the worlds largest newswire distribution networks, has expected a bright future ahead for blockchain technology in Viet Nam.

Viet Nam is one of the five leading countries in blockchain, and there are currently about 10 innovative Vietnamese start-ups in the field with a capitalisation of over US$100 million.

Among the top 200 companies developed based on blockchain technology, seven are founded by Vietnamese people.

Axie Infinity, a blockchain game published by Sky Mavis, has attracted hundreds of thousands of gamers from all over the world. As of March 29, it had a market capitalisation of about $4 billion, according to Coinmarketcap.com.

Other Vietnamese companies such as Thetan Arena, Coin98, and Elemon have also been welcomed by the international blockchain developer community.

The seminar was held under the Viet Nam-Korea Cooperation Forum to mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

The forum aims to connect the overseas Vietnamese community with business opportunities in Viet Nam, and help Vietnamese companies, especially small- and medium- sized ones, explore business opportunities in South Korea.

South Korea has invested $74.7 billion in 9,223 projects in Viet Nam and is the country's third largest trade partner, with a two-way turnover worth $78 billion last year.

The two countries aim to increase their trade to $100 billion by 2023 and $150 billion by 2030.  VNS
HA NOI  The first-ever art exhibition on the prevention of child drownings opened on July 23 at Exhibition Hall No. 45 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi.

The exhibition, entitled "Shared concerns and action, was organised by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs in collaboration with the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids/Global Health Advocacy Incubator and the World Health Organisation.

In April 2021, the United Nations General Assembly for the first time in its history adopted a Resolution on Global Drowning and designated July 25 every year as World Drowning Prevention Day. In response to World Drowning Prevention Day 2022, the event aims to promote awareness among parents and the community about drowning accidents and effective prevention measures.

In Viet Nam, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of 15. Through this exhibition, we want to raise awareness of child drowning deaths, communicate that drowning is largely preventable and we want to talk about the importance of drowning prevention interventions. We look forward to continuing to work with the Vietnamese Government to create a safe environment for all children to grow up in, said Yolonda Richardson, the Executive Vice President of the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids.

The exhibition space includes a special installation made of thousands of paper butterflies called "Fragile". Each butterfly wing is a symbolic image representing children, both beautiful and fragile thus requiring attention and care anywhere, anytime from adults.

In addition, the exhibition also displays 12 paintings printed on canvas, creatively designed from the drawings of autistic children in the Tohe Fun Art Playground with the theme of safety in the environment. Each picture comes with a story stemming from real situations, helping to generate many different emotions and meaningful messages for both children and parents about drowning prevention and safety skills in the water.

The central area of the exhibition is a display of information, images and figures about the impact of drowning prevention and effective interventions. It also highlights the community support of the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, relevant ministries, political organisations, localities and international organisations. Information is not only displayed in the form of eye-catching designs but also combined with the display of safe means of swimming for children such as life jackets and swimming buoys.

During the exhibition period, many interesting interactive activities and knowledge games on drowning prevention and safety measures in the water environment will also be held for both children and parents when coming to the exhibition.

According to the World Health Organisation, over the past decade drowning has claimed the lives of more than 2.5 million people. It is also one of the worlds leading causes of death among children aged 5-14. More than 90 per cent of drowning cases occur in low-and middle-income countries. It is a loss for each country, for each community and family, but it also leaves a tragic, irreparable pain for the parents and relatives of the victims. In Viet Nam, drowning is one of the top ten causes of death for children aged 5 to 14.  VNS
Director Bui Tuan Dung (left) talks with actors about a scene during filming TV Series 'Binh Minh Phia Truoc'. Photo of the TV series

Seven years after his TV series uong Len ien Bien (Road to ien Bien), director Bui Tuan Dung is back in action with the 10-episode work Binh Minh Phia Truoc (The Dawn Ahead) about Viet Nam Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Van Cu. The series was screened on VTV1 every weekday from July 6 to celebrate the late leader's 110th birthday.

Dung talks with Huong Nhu about his filmmaking process and interest in historical movies.

Inner Sanctum: Binh Minh Phia Truoc is about history and a real person, difficult topics in filmmaking. You seem to have a fair bit of experience in this genre?

It is the third TV series depicting a person's life that I have made. Previously, I made Nhung Nguoi Viet Huyen Thoai (The Legend Makers) about Army General inh uc Thien and Thau Chin O Xiem (Ho Chi Minh in Siam) about President Ho Chi Minh.

Since I was a student, I've sold scripts. I have written many scripts, many of them on history and people.

Writing has become my habit and passion. Whenever receiving a movie script, I always try to research and rewrite it carefully before doing the director's job. I believe this is a good habit.

For this series, I spent a lot of time making up the outlines but was quick to write the script. Thanks to my long time researching classical literature, I met with almost no difficulty in writing the dialogue.

Meanwhile, we had to choose suitable scenes or set them up to match the concepts. My film designers had to work really hard. It was the same for staff in other areas, such as make-up.

We also had to adjust our timetable when the pandemic was spreading. We made plans so that we could avoid unnecessary risks.

Inner Sanctum: Is there anything special about making films about politicians? An element of fiction is surely unavoidable, but with portraits of leaders, you cannot show any scenes of offence or disrespect.

Every milestone in his (Nguyen Van Cu) life is real and remains in my film. I referred to details during the same period to cross-check and connect the events.

'Binh Minh Phia Truoc' tells story of Party General Secretary Nguyen Van Cu.  Photo of the TV Series crew

The characters in his family are the same, and the true story was fascinating enough, so there was no need to add or subtract any details.

However, apart from Cu and his family, who are real, all other characters in his village, school and society are fictional. They were fictional to create conflict and make more drama. They were also used to soften the hard details that movies on this subject often suffer from.

I put a lot of effort into the characters, both the real and fictional, building them up with cultural details, personalities, and thoughts in accordance with the times so that the film's plot moves smoothly and has a sense of purpose.

Inner Sanctum: How is a portrait of Party General Secretary Nguyen Van Cu built into your film?

When I researched Nguyen Ai Quoc (young Ho Chi Minh) for the movie Ho Chi Minh in Siam, I collected many documents about historical figures of this period, including those about Party General Secretary Cu.

He was one of the Vietnamese revolution's most talented and exemplary leaders. He was voted the Party General Secretary at the age of just 26.

He lived in the time that Western philosophy was introduced to Viet Nam, along with democratic movements from France, which spread and strongly influenced colonial Indochina.

The movie began by featuring the life of a different class of people living in a village in the Kinh Bac region (Bac Ninh Province and the neighbourhoods) during the war, around the 30s and 40s of the last century.

Vietnamese people were under the oppression of the French colonialists, the Japanese imperial army and the indigenous feudalist authorities. They also suffered at the hands of local bandits.

These affairs directly affect Cu, a strong and enthusiastic young man who began taking part in revolutionary activities at the age of 15.

Documents that he translated and works he wrote, especially the establishment of social organisations in the area where he worked, proved his erudition and extensive knowledge. He was a strong, energetic and brave man.

A poster for 'Binh Minh Phia Truoc'. Photo of the TV Series

I did not try to imitate or illustrate a leader's portrait as described throughout history. I told his story through social conflict in his cultural and political life. I did not need to work on his character too much. History did the job well.

Inner Sanctum: How do you cast actors for your movie?

Since I began writing the script, I also hunted for the main actor and found him one year later.

I invited Thanh Tuan as the lead actor as he had everything suitable for my character and I was pleased with him. I like his life and working style, his way of playing his character, and his personality.

Inner Sanctum: You are one of a few directors working in movies and TV, mainly with historical themes. Why are you so interested in this genre?

I have also worked on different contemporary topics, but producers are keen to invite me for historical films. History has always fascinated me because it is strange and interesting. But I think we should not make films a mere copy of history books everyone knows. VNS
Its work time at the Amazon fulfillment center in Waco, company officials confirming it will hold its Day One celebration on Sunday.

But local residents should not expect package delivery from the $250 million facility just down the road, now or ever. Spokesman Daniel Martin clarified in an interview that merchandise from California to Maine will make its way to Waco for forwarding to Amazon sorting and delivery locations.

Friends and neighbors employed at Amazon locally will not walk that last leg of a packages journey that ends at a Waco address.

At this time we dont have a delivery station in Waco. I wish I had a crystal ball, but I cant comment on Amazons road map going forward, said Martin, commenting on what the future may hold for this community.

For now, Wacos latest, state-of-the-art robotics center has received the green light, fulfilling a promise company officials and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made on a drizzly day in November 2020. They said Waco would get a fulfillment center employing at least 1,000 and paying a minimum of $15 an hour, plus benefits. Already Amazon has announced a new $15.50 base, and Workforce Solutions for the Heart of Texas mentions Amazon-generated information sheets showing $16 to $17 for starters.

Amazon continues to sidestep specifics about hiring totals. Martin places the number at hundreds, and repeatedly has said Amazon is not backing away from that 1,000-position estimate. He was checking Friday with higher-ups about Amazon Wacos possible status as a 24-7 operation.

Those already employed can expect a day of orientation, culture building and training, getting comfortable with their roles and responsibilities. Martin said he believes all management positions have been filled, though numbers may grow as the plant expands its capacity to ship and receive.

Martin said the Waco facility has begun receiving merchandise.

Certain parts of our building are open to associates. Well be phasing in other parts, said Bri Tye, an Amazon regional operations director who oversees robotics facilities in Houston, San Marcos, Pflugerville and now Waco.

Amazon veteran Juan Lopez will serve as Waco site manager.

Originally from Chicago, Tye said her search for a summer job in 2013 ended at Amazon in Lebanon, Tennessee, where she started on the ground floor as an associate. She climbed the ranks, receiving promotions and eventually an assignment in Houston, which remains her operations base.

Im within driving distance for sure, and I expect to be up here several times this week, said Tye. Im very excited about Waco.

Martin said Tye exemplifies Amazons approach to advancement.

She is one of the most dynamic leaders Ive ever met, and she started as a seasonal temp. I think she has had eight promotions, Martin said.

Entry-level can be a springboard to bigger things, he said. I was in El Paso yesterday, and three of the four senior operations leaders started at entry-level. That can be of interest to people ages 18, 19, 20 and 21.

Martin said Amazon Waco will handle items weighing 25 pounds or less: books, electronics and household essentials, to name a few. Other facilities around the state deal in non-sortable items such as furniture, TVs and outdoor carpeting. He said Amazon has a robust footprint in Texas, operating various centers employing nearly 100,000 people.

In 2020, Amazon indicated it would open in Waco the following year.

That did not happen, and concern swirled the Seattle-based company may have encountered problems filling its employment needs. Jobless rates in Waco fell drastically as the local economy recovered from COVID-19s malaise. Help-wanted signs appeared in windows citywide.

The Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes McLennan and Falls counties, saw employment levels increase from 120,600 in June last year to 127,400 last month. The jobless rate dropped from 5.6% to 4.0% during that time, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.

Martin dismissed the notion Amazon is running late with its grand opening.

This is just a dynamic business. Its really not too uncommon to adjust timetables, said Martin, who acknowledged Amazon, like other industries, has experienced some supply-chain related issues.
Ladarius Gardner moved into his newly renovated unit at South Terrace Apartments last week and described it as a breath of fresh air.

Its like something every homeowner dreams, Gardner said. My wife hasnt even seen it yet. We just had a newborn yesterday and they get to come home to something new.

South Terrace Apartments, 2616 S. 12th St., is nearing completion of a two-year, $45 million renovation as part of the Department of Housing and Urban Developments Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program.

The Waco Housing Authority, which administers RAD funds locally, decided in 2019 to convert South Terrace from public housing to a Section 8 project-based vouchers program. The 250-unit public housing complex was built in 1968 and expanded in 1974, and is the first of three local complexes to be remodeled using RAD funding.

Current and future South Terrace residents are guaranteed to never pay more than 30% of their adjusted gross income (total income minus allowable deductions) in rent, according to South Terraces website.

Milet Hopping, president of the Waco Housing Authority, said South Terrace renovations slowed drastically as a result of supply chain issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The February 2021 winter storm also damaged many of the units undergoing renovations.

There are 68 one-bedrooms, 94 two-bedrooms, 64 three-bedrooms and 24 four-bedroom units at South Terrace, all containing one bathroom.

Unit vacancies were accumulated at South Terrace so many residents werent required to relocate during the renovations, Hopping said. Once the residents moved out of the old units, they were mostly gutted, leaving only the windows. Residents were also provided boxes and movers from the housing authority, to help the process go smoothly from apartment to apartment.

The construction workers would have one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom units to work on and then we would move tenants into those units as appropriate. Each time we moved a tenant on site, the construction company would then have units to continue to work on. Im hoping to do that same model at the other two sites, I just dont know until we finally get down to the actual bottom line to see.

The Allied Orion Group, which manages numerous properties throughout the United States, began managing South Terrace in 2020. South Terrace Community Manager Janet Kelley said there are around four to five residents that move into the remodeled units daily, but there are still at least 100 units undergoing renovations.

Kelley estimates the remaining units will be completed by the end of December. Some of the renovations to the units include the installation of new wood floors, garbage disposals, dishwashers in three- and four-bedroom units, and ceiling fans, Hopping said.

They are so excited to get in these beautiful units, Kelley said.

Other improvements at South Terrace will include a new laundromat, fitness center, community areas and playground. Financial literacy, social services and other outreach classes will be offered to residents in the new community center.

South Terrace resident Candise Neumann said she is excited that her new apartment is larger than the previous unit. She is thankful for the renovations and for the South Terrace community.

Ive been here all of my life, or since I got my own place, she said. Theyre nice over here. Its quiet. I just work and go home to my kids.

Hopping said the growth experienced in Waco within the last few years has been great, but has been hard on affordable housing.

What happens is that we sort of dont think about the other items that come along with this kind of growth and housing is one of them, especially for people who are vulnerable and need assistance. Affordable housing gets lost sometimes in that shuffle to try and create enough housing, Hopping said.

Such oversights are detrimental to individuals relying on affordable housing for themselves and their families, Hopping said. It is important that people who are unable to afford other housing options in Waco are still taken care of, Hopping said.

We hope to help them and give them a safe space so that they can go to school and do some other things, but you need to have a roof over your head and a roof over the head of your children, for any success to be done. For us, it was a matter of, we are going to change a stigma about having affordable housing in Waco, so we want our housing to look very similar to what the current apartment market looks like.

Hopping said the renovation process for the other two public housing properties, Estella Maxey at 1809 J.J. Flewellen Road and Kate Ross at 937 S. 11th St., is underway. Waco Housing Authority owns and operates both complexes.

Estella Maxey is already in process, in fact I believe well start meeting with tenants about what theyd like to see in their homes. Theres going to be a group that will come in and engage them deliberately [about] what theyd like to see and amenities, what theyd like the property to be. We are a little bit behind with Kate Ross, but they will be trying to aim for the same funding cycle. Were hoping to get both of them approved and ready to go for closing next year and start construction the following year.
Water usage is down in Waco and other cities in McLennan County as a result of water restrictions, but officials say it is still too early to tell exactly how much water the restrictions have saved.

Waco implemented mandatory Stage 2 water restrictions on July 14 amid continued drought conditions and extreme heat. The restrictions call for outdoor watering only two days a week, and only at night. Many cities in McLennan County followed suit, with Hewitt, Woodway and Lacy Lakeview implementing mandatory restrictions and Robinson, Bellmead and West asking residents to voluntarily comply with guidelines for reducing water usage.

All of the named cities have contracts to purchase water from the city of Waco, and must follow drought restrictions and contingency plans similar to what Waco implements.

City of Waco Utility Services Director Lisa Tyer said initial data shows water use is trending downward, but that it remains too early to see exactly how much the restrictions have brought down usage.

Tyer said Waco residents, in general, seem to be complying with the restrictions. No fines for violating restrictions have been given yet.

Our customers are doing a great job of complying, as are our partner cities and their customers, Tyer said via email. We are still concentrating on making sure everyone knows and understands the water conservation measures.

Tyer said exact numbers of how much the restrictions have brought usage down will likely be available in a few weeks.

Hewitt city manager Bo Thomas said via email that Hewitt has seen about a 75% compliance rate with water restrictions and no citations or fines have been issued, only reminders. He said early numbers show that on July 20, 568,000 fewer gallons were pumped than on July 13, the day before the restrictions were put in place.

Tyer said Waco is hoping to reduce water usage by 5% with the restrictions, with the ultimate goal of delaying the implementation of Stage 3 restrictions. The city is trying to preserve water levels at Lake Waco, currently at its lowest level in almost a decade. The city raised the lake level by seven feet in 2003.

Tyer said the lake level loses an average of 0.04 inches per day. The number can fluctuate greatly depending on weather conditions, but Tyer said that on Thursday Lake Waco lost about 100 million gallons of water, 60 million due to evaporation and 40 million that was pumped by the city.

As of Saturday, the water level at Lake Waco is 454.26 feet above sea level. Normal lake elevation is 462 feet above sea level.

We have water but need to be good stewards of this precious resource by conserving, Tyer said. The restrictions will remain in effect until we receive a large amount of rain not only in Waco, but in our watershed to the northwest, and the National Weather Service has a favorable forecast for a return to normal precipitation.

Since June 1, the city has seen 0.87 inches of rain. The usual amount for that same time frame is 4.75 inches. For the year, Waco has seen 8.86 inches of rain. Normal year-to-date rainfall is 21.07 inches.

In 2021 temperatures at Waco Regional Airport reached 100 degrees only twice, both times in September. According to National Weather Service data, the warmest summer on record in Waco was 2011. June 2011 saw an average high of 99.9 degrees and July 2011 saw an average high of 102.8. To compare it to 2022, June saw an average high of 99 degrees while Julys current average is 104 degrees.

On Saturday Waco saw its 22nd straight day of 100-degree heat, and 39th overall this summer.

Other cities in McLennan County also reported usage is trending downward.

Bellmead City Manager Yost Zakhary said restrictions have reduced water usage to a manageable amount and that citizens have been complying with the restrictions. Zakhary also said no fines or citations have been given.

Woodway city manager Shawn Oubre said it is too early to tell if water restrictions have brought usage down, but that citizens have been complying and early numbers seem to indicate a downward trend.
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum plans to add a director of development, with plans to expand its footprint and add modern exhibits.

The new director will travel around the country most of the year raising funds and applying for grants for the museum, which is the official state museum for the Texas Rangers, an elite state enforcement agency thats existed in some form since the early 1800s. The new director will report to Lisa Blackmon, Wacos assistant city manager in charge of tourism.

Museum Director Byron Johnson said that without more room and resources at the museum, its difficult to address everything about the Rangers history.

Johnson said since the museum opened in 1964 theres been a significant amount of scholarly work that delves into the institutions history of violence and racism, including the 2020 book Cult of Glory. Author Doug Swanson said during interviews that he hadnt intended to tear down the Rangers heroic image, but the more research he did, the more he realized the Rangers had a darker history than he realized.

Johnson noted the museum does have exhibits addressing that history, like a display detailing the Porvenir Massacre of 1918.

They are the only state law enforcement agency thats served under five flags, Johnson said. They went through periods where they conducted enormous service to the state of Texas. Theyve also had darker periods, and theyve had to look at their history and change. Like any organization thats been around 200 years, we need to better tell the story of how that occurred.

Johnson said he also hopes to bring in more modern interactive exhibits.

For years, Johnson and city officials have discussed expanding the museum, a building designed to accommodate 20,000 guests a year. Just under 100,000 guests visited the museum in the last full year before the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020. Johnson said attendance is up to about 65% from its pre-pandemic level and about five million people have visited the site since it opened.

For the last decade, Johnson has said ideally the hall of fame building would be demolished and replaced with a three- or four-story building that extends toward I-35.

It was built in 1976 and its getting pretty long in the tooth, Johnson said. And it was not built to [museum] industry building standards. Its basically just a frame structure.

The building also sits on the bank of the Brazos River across from McLane Stadium. He said during floods, water has come within six feet of the hall of fame building.

We really need to make sure we have the irreplaceable stuff on the upper floors, Johnson said.

Books, archives

The museum started a bicentennial book series to end in 2023, and has published 17 titles so far. He said projects like that generate public interest which leaves the staff of 19 full-time employees stretched thin.

I think if we can do what I know this staff can do in terms of producing something on par with what we want to do, I think itll be even more amazing, Johnson said.

The museums archives are housed in its newest building, in rooms with dim lighting and low temperatures to protect aged pages.

The archive is a combination of documents, records, photographs, journals and other paperwork sent in from family members. Active Texas Rangers companies also use the Waco archive as a catch-all for old documents that must be preserved but cant be stored on-site anymore. Occasionally, investigators come to the archive to study cold cases.

Christina Stopka, deputy director of the Armstrong Research Center at the museum, said the museum has about 90 collections and as many as 100,000 items that takes up about 1,500 square feet of compact shelving.

Before we even had the new place open, headquarter company in Austin called us up and said we have records we need to get rid of, but we cant throw them away. The state archives didnt have room for them, Stopka said. So they came up here and it was almost 300 boxes of records. It takes up probably a third of my storage space.
MCC nominations

The McLennan Community College Foundations Highlander Alumni & Friends Association is accepting nominations through Friday for its 2022 Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Leader awards. Nomination forms for both awards are available online at www.mclennan.edu/foundation under Quick Links and Forms.

Questions about the nomination process should be directed to the association at 254-299-8481 or alumni@mclennan.edu.

Step Up, Scale Down class

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is launching Step Up & Scale Down, a 12-week weight management program based on the USDA 2010 Guidelines.

The series will kick off from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2 at the county extension office, 4224 Cobbs Drive.

Cost for the 12-week program is $25. To register, call 254-757-5180 or email colleen.foleen@ag.tamu.edu.

Scouting camp

Local American Heritage Girls and Trail Life USA scouting troops will host a swimming-focused day camp from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 1-4.

The cost is $50 plus membership and includes archery, leather and wood craft, nature studies, first aid, and snacks. Ages 5-13 are served, and camp counselors ages 14-18 attend free.

To register or ask questions, email ahgtroop3567@gmail.com.

YMCA aquaponics

Kids can explore aquaponics at the YMCAs upcoming kids STEAM classes held at the Y, 6800 Harvey Drive. Ages 6-12 will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 8, and ages 3-6 will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 15.

Cost is $30 per child. Space is limited and registration is required. Registration ends one week before the classes. Call 254-776-6612 for information.

Parents should be aware the children will leave with a fish to care for.
WATERLOO  American Airlines is adjusting its schedule at the Waterloo Regional Airport to bring back early morning departures beginning on Sept. 8.

There will be three departing Chicago flights at 7 a.m., 11:55 a.m. and 4:44 p.m. The 7 a.m. flight leaves daily, the 11:55 a.m. flight is everyday except Tuesday and Wednesday, and the 4:44 p.m. flight is Saturdays only.

Scheduled air service is an important economic development component to continue improving the Cedar Valleys overall economy," Mayor Quentin Hart said. "This early morning departure will be an excellent complement to the late morning flight scheduled for 11:55 a.m.
WATERLOO  With the help of a $3.5 million Destination Iowa grant, the original 52-mile Cedar Valley Nature Trail is on track to soon become a completely paved surface.

Gov. Kim Reynolds office announced Thursday the state funding from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, made possible through American Rescue Plan Act COVID-19 relief dollars, will benefit users of the trail connecting the Waterloo-Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids metropolitan areas.

The grant was part of a second round of funding from the $100 million pool dedicated to Destination Iowa, which, according to its website, provides funds to bolster the quality of life in Iowas communities and attract visitors and new residents to the state.

The $3.5 million allows the Black Hawk County Conservation and Linn County Conservation agencies to address the remaining 16 miles of chip limestone surface and dirt, from just east of La Porte City south to Iowa Highway 150 in Urbana.

Of the 16 miles, 9.44 miles of it is in Black Hawk County.

The original 52-mile trail, which has been around since the 1980s, is split evenly in mileage between Black Hawk and Linn counties.

In Black Hawk, it begins with the trailhead in Evansdale off U.S. Highway 20 near Sixth Street and River Road. According to the news release, it passes through five counties and 11 cities in the region.

This project will serve to compliment the many recreational, cultural, social venues along its path, said Mike Hendrickson, executive director of Black Hawk County Conservation, in a news release. The completion of this project will boost tourism in this region and the state of Iowa as a whole.

Conservations Planning Administrator Cherrie Northrup says the project is in the final design stage and that the state funds pushed it over the top, guaranteeing the estimated $9 million project will be completed.

Were elated, Northrup said. This is the final piece to fulfilling what has been a goal since the 1980s, to make the trail more accessible for all user groups and age groups.

'Several more arrests' expected in connection to Mexican drug operation's presence in Black Hawk County Waterloo Police announced Thursday a third person had been arrested last week on felony money laundering charges related to the two-year investigation.

She said the new hard portions will heavily benefit those who like to roller blade, skateboard and bike.

The grant also means the final unpaved segment can be addressed all at once, not in small pieces, which had been the case the past several years.

Tens of thousands of people use the trail, but this section of the trail does not get used as much, Northrup said.

She said officials have found the unpaved portion to be used at least 50% less than the hard surfaces.

Northrup said no construction date has been set, but she is hopeful construction will begin by next summer. It is expected to take several months.

The remaining project cost, which is the 60% local match needed for the grant, is being covered by Linn County Water and Land Legacy Bonds, other ARPA funds, and gifts/donations.

Additionally, the project includes needed bridge replacements, box culverts, and watershed controls to improve drainage and water quality along streams and creeks adjacent to the trail.

Two bridges will be replaced, said Northrup, one over Mud Creek in Black Hawk County and the other over Bear Creek in Linn County.
WATERLOO  New and gently-used clothing that conforms to Waterloo Community Schools uniform student dress code is being sought as the new year approaches.

Payne African Methodist Episcopal Church is hosting a back-to-school extravaganza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 20 where families can play games, eat free food, visit vendors, and receive at least two uniform-compliant sets of clothing to get ready for the school year. Boys can also receive haircuts from a barber during the event. Girls can return to the church Aug. 22 to get their hair braided.

The church is asking for collared polo shirts; khaki, black or navy blue pants; and skirts or shorts, which must be knee length or longer. Organizers are also asking for closed-toed shoes and Crocs. These items, as well as monetary contributions, should be donated to the church by Aug. 12. Make drop-offs between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the church, located at 1044 Mobile St., or call (319) 233-8189 to arrange a time.

So far, Payne AME has bought $1,500 worth of new uniform clothing, but organizers want to double that amount.

Karmin Teague, a church member and leader of the event, said children are bullied in school due to the condition of their clothing, or miss the first few weeks of school because they dont have what they need to wear. She said these factors affect childrens self-esteem and motivation to thrive in school.

One of the churchs pastors, the Rev. Lawrence E. Marshall, said this is a major issue.

If a child doesnt have to worry about their appearance, this will help them master their studies, Marshall said. The morale helps to close educational gaps.

Teague also said closing educational gaps will hopefully reduce violence that occurs on the streets, saying guns are a form of bullying. She and Marshall said kids are the future of the community.

Our community is our community. Well do everything to make sure (children) succeed, Marshall said. You cant build a community until you build a person.

This is the first year for the uniform drive, but Teague and Marshall say their eyes are on the future. Sometime in 2023 they plan to open a Payne Memorial thrift store, to provide inexpensive clothing, hygiene products, and services. Teague said after the closure of the St. Vincent de Paul thrift store there has been increased need for such a service close to residents.

The events organizers said they also need volunteers for the event. Anyone is invited to volunteer  not just church members. Call (319) 233-8189 with any questions.

The article has been updated to correctly reflect uniform purchases by Payne AME Church.
DES MOINES  A little more than three months out from Election Day, the early measurables suggest Kim Reynolds, Iowas Republican governor, is a heavy favorite to earn another four-year term as the states chief executive.

Reynolds has dominated the campaigns fundraising efforts, and early polling suggests she is overwhelmingly the choice of voters. Four top national elections forecasters all rate Iowas gubernatorial race in their strongest category for a Reynolds win.

Deidre DeJear, the Des Moines businesswoman and the Democratic challenger, has lagged far behind Reynolds in fundraising and polling. DeJear has been attempting to make up that difference on the ground by hosting public campaign events across the state.

With holding a comfortable lead in the polls while running for re-election in a state that has a low opinion of the Democratic President Joe Bidens job performance, Reynolds appears satisfied  at least early in the campaign  to focus her criticism on Biden and congressional Democrats rather than on her opponent, DeJear.

Reynolds frequently blasts Biden and Democrats in Congress in her media appearances. She rarely mentions DeJear.

With Gov. Reynolds having that lead, she doesnt necessarily have to talk about issues. The challenge for DeJear will be to bring the issues to the governor, said Donna Hoffman, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Certainly Gov. Reynolds can try to nationalize this election because its in her best interest to do that  run against Joe Biden, run against Joe Bidens policy, tie Deidre DeJear to Joe Biden.

Reynolds was chosen by national Republicans to deliver the partys response to Bidens State of the Union address in January.

Reynolds campaign declined to comment for this story.

At a campaign event last week in Cedar Rapids, DeJear said she is focused on reaching out to Iowans.

I dont necessarily need the governor to engage me. We all know that I am the governors opponent, not President Joe Biden, DeJear said.

And its clear to me more now than anything  especially as consistently that she has mentioned his name  that her perspective or focus is not on Iowa. Her focus is on something else. And we need leadership in the state to focus on us.

Who needs my attention? Iowans. Iowans need my attention. Iowans need the attention of their governor. So if she says my name or not, its not the end of the world. Whats more important is that we connect with the voter.  Thats who Im focused on.

DeJear said she plans to travel to all 99 Iowa counties  a practice made famous by longtime Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley  to reach voters in all corners of the state and to continue to raise money for the campaign.

And DeJear said the early poll results do not concern her. Over the past week, the Des Moines Register/Mediacom Poll  considered by many to be the gold standard in Iowa politics  showed Reynolds with a 17-point lead, and a poll commissioned by Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation showed Reynolds with a 15-point lead.

Rick Stewart, the Libertarian Party candidate for governor, was at 5% in the Iowa Poll.

We knew that this was going to be a hard race, DeJear said. But where we are right now is its really about digging deep and working our plans, and well see the fruits of our labor.

Tim Hagle, a University of Iowa political science professor, said there still is time for DeJear to chip away at Reynolds lead because many voters are not yet tuned into the 2022 election campaigns, and because many voters have not yet become familiar enough with DeJear to form an opinion about her.

Having said all that, yeah, a 17-point lead is pretty big, Hagle said.

Hagle and UNIs Hoffman said Reynolds came into the campaign with at least two key foundational advantages  Iowans historically like to vote for their incumbents, regardless of political party; and Bidens low job approval numbers nationally and in Iowa could make it hard for Democratic candidates to win here, especially statewide.

Most national polling aggregators show Bidens average approval rating in the 30s and disapproval rating in the upper 50s.

Even though technically hes not on the ballot, everybody knows that, effectively, (a midterm election) is a report card on how the presidents doing in the first two years of the administration, Hagle said. And for the Biden administration, its not looking too good.

And so thats what allows Republicans to focus their attention perhaps on him and whats going on there, rather than necessarily your opponent.

The general election will be Nov. 8. In Iowa, early voting will start on Oct. 19.

Gazette reporter Marissa Payne contributed to this story.
Aspirants wait in a queue before appearing for the Armed Forces recruitment exam 'Agniveer', at an examination centre in Kanpur, Sunday, July 24, 2022. (PTI )

Kanpur: The first-ever examination for the recruitment in Indian Air Force through the new 'Agnipath' recruitment scheme began across the country on Sunday morning amid tight police security.

This exam is being conducted in many parts of the country including Delhi, Kanpur and Patna. This exam is being conducted from July 24 to July 31 across the country.

In many cities of UP, the examination is being held for the recruitment of Agniveers in the Air Force.

In Kanpur, Police have made tight security arrangements to conduct the Agniveer Airforce examination. Along with the deployment of police personnel, Air Force personnel have also been deployed in all the examination centres.

All the centres are also being monitored by CCTV and drones.

A total of 11 centres have been assigned for the Agniveer exam, out of which six are in Kanpur Outer. The exam is being conducted in three shifts.

A total of 31,875 candidates are appearing for this exam in Kanpur today and in every shift, 625 students will attend.

Speaking to ANI, an Air Force aspirant said, "I have come here from Meerut to give Agniveer Airforce exam. We are very happy that after so much interruption we are able to give the exam. We have prepared for our exam and we will give our best."

Another student, who came for Pratapgarh said that he has come to appear for the Agniveer exam today.

The Indian Air force has received a total of 7,49,899 applications under the Agniveer recruitment scheme.

This exam for the Air Force will be held till July 31.

The Union Cabinet on June 14 approved a recruitment scheme for Indian youth to serve in the three services of the Armed Forces called Agnipath and the youth selected under this scheme will be known as Agniveers.

The Agnipath scheme allows patriotic and motivated youth to serve in the Armed Forces for a period of four years. The Agnipath Scheme has been designed to enable a youthful profile of the Armed Forces.

'Agnipath' is a pan India merit-based recruitment scheme for enrolling soldiers, airmen and sailors. The scheme provides an opportunity for youth to serve in the regular cadre of the armed forces. All those recruited under the 'Agnipath' scheme will be called 'Agniveers'.

'Agniveers' will be enrolled for a service duration of 4 years including the training period. After four years, only 25 per cent of the Agniveers will be retained or re-enlisted in the regular cadre based on merit, willingness and medical fitness.

The Agnipath scheme has been brought to strengthen India's security. The 'Agniveers' will be given a good pay package and an exit retirement package after a service of four years.

The first four years, served under a contract, are not likely to be taken into consideration for the fixation of the final pensionary benefits.

The other 75 per cent 'Agniveers' will be demobilized, with an exit or "Seva Nidhi" package of Rs 11-12 lakh, partly funded by their monthly contributions, as well as skill certificates and bank loans for help in their second careers.

Following the announcement of the scheme, there have been protests against it in some states.
23.07.2022 (12:55) Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation in Ukraine

23.07.2022 (06:00) Russian servicemen deliver over 5 tonnes of humanitarian goods to secluded areas of Lisichansk The kits included groats, macaroni, butter, tea, canned food, sugar, confection for children and diapers.

23.07.2022 (05:00) Russian Defence Ministry publishes footage of WMD special units in combat action within special military operation area Russian Armed Forces continue launching attacks at AFU military facilities using the data received from reconnaissance and special units.

WtR
Weather Alert

...Thunderstorms Chances increasing this Week... * Another surge of monsoon moisture will continue thunderstorm chances across the region this week, with the best chances extending through Thursday before diminishing into the weekend. * Most areas will see a 25-45% chance of storms in the afternoon and early evening hours. Nocturnal showers are possible tonight with a few thunderstorm possible overnight Wednesday. * Impacts will range from lightning, new fire starts, and strong outflow winds with blowing dust, to periods of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. * Ensure you have a way of receiving weather alerts. If you live in a flash flood prone area, especially near a burn scar, be ready to act quickly if heavy rainfall occurs.
Spam emails are annoying, so the unsubscribe button thats usually at the bottom can be your best friend. Same goes for the delete button.

But unsubscribing is not always the wisest move. Thats because when you do so, youre letting an unscrupulous sender know your email is a live one, which could set you up for even more unwanted stuff.

You can safely unsubscribe when you know the sender is legitimate. Perhaps its a company with which you previously did business, or an organization to which you once belonged. Make sure to hover over the senders address to confirm authenticity.

For all the questionable unsolicited messages clogging your inbox, use the tool your email provider offers to mark the sender as junk or spam. This should consign to the junk folder any future mail from that sender.

To learn how to do this, search for: your email provider name plus how to unsubscribe from unwanted emails.

You can also usually block specific email addresses or domains  the part of the address after the @ sign.

Either way, the technology isnt perfect, so regularly check the junk folder to make sure youre not missing any legitimate emails.

Here are a few other tips, from the Federal Trade Commission:

 Avoid listing your email address on social media sites or online membership directories. Spammers scan websites to harvest email addresses, the FTC says. If a website asks for this information, pause and first decide whether you want to share it. Some sites share or sell email addresses. You can check the privacy policy, although its not always easy to tell how the information is used.

 Forward unwanted or deceptive messages to your email provider.

 Also forward junk messages to the senders email provider, if you can tell which company this is. Include the entire spam email and make clear youre complaining about spam. Most web mail providers and ISPs (internet service providers) want to cut off spammers who abuse their systems.

CALL PNM ABOUT DISCONNECT: Its like clockwork. With intense summer heat come PNM imposters trying to scare customers into paying them money.

The utility says its receiving reports about fake electricity shutoff threats, in which the perpetrators are using a false PNM caller ID name on their phone number to get you to answer. If youre not home, they leave bogus call-back numbers.

The basic con is that you are behind on your bill and your service will be disconnected unless you pay up with a prepaid gift card or through an online digital payment service. You have to do this within an hour, callers say. For a dose of added urgency, they might tell you a technician is already en route to disconnect you.

The common requested amount is $200 to $500 for residential customers and more than $1,000 for business customers, PNM says. The greatest number of targets are in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Ruidoso.

Scam reports show that customers went against their better judgment, reacted out of fear and overlooked the red flags of the scam, explaining they were afraid to be without power during the heat of the summer, a PNM alert says.

The utility wants customers to know this: it does not shut off power over the weekend or on holidays, you will get written notice of any shutoff and you can check with PNM directly about any possible disconnect notices. Text #bal to 78766 to get balance information or call (888) 342-5766 to use the automated system.

Contact Ellen Marks at emarks@abqjournal.com or (505) 823-3805 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1 (844) 255-9210, prompt 5. Complaints can be filed electronically at nmag.gov/file-a-complaint.aspx.
When we were elected, our promise to the public was to improve transparency at Albuquerque Public Schools and create policy that would help improve student outcomes. We promised to be deliberate and thoughtful in our methods and to collaborate given that our approach to solving problems comes from opposite ends of the political spectrum; one of us is a Republican and one a Democrat. And yet, even with these differences, our goals are ultimately the same: to improve the educational and life outcomes for all of our students. The proposed new APS Parent Rights and Responsibilities policy was a direct attempt to address that goal.

As the only members of the board with school-aged children, we know there is value to a policy that clearly states parents/guardians have rights in our education system. Right now, it is overwhelming and cumbersome for families to navigate the system which still, too often, misses the mark for our low-income, language minority and families of color. Our schools can be good at putting up barriers, and this policy is a way to bring those down. Ultimately, it is about collaborative relationships, strengthening the home-to-school connection and respecting historically marginalized families, all while putting student safety and success first.

This policy was never intended to out students, to create fear, betray trust or to hinder communication with our counselors. It was intended to foster and improve communication with our parents, their children and the schools. In fact, the ATF Union, in a post to members, states Parents can take part in school board meetings and elections or approach teachers and administrators about any concerns regarding their students education. In fact, parents already have rights to access students academic records. How true this is, and yet so many of our families have no idea that they have the right to do so.

We have to be bold. We have to try new approaches to solve our problems. We have to find ways to work across differences. And most importantly we have to elevate the voices and experiences of key stakeholders, including parents. We are committed to engaging in a collaborative process with families, students, school and district staff, and advocates and community leaders to get to a place that balances student safety and privacy with providing information to families so they can effectively ensure the very best for all APS students.

This op-ed was part of a point/counterpoint feature. To read an opposing viewpoint, click here.
At GLSEN New Mexico we firmly believe in parents/guardians rights, as well as students and educators rights. For us, the tabling of the parents rights policy was a major positive outcome at the APS Policy Committee Meeting: the understanding that all parties in the education of our children have rights and responsibilities and need to be involved when creating policies around such tenets.

Students, educators and other critical parties have historically been removed from the conversation regarding policies in educational spaces, and the result too frequently creates policies that do not work. The APS parental rights policy is the latest example of this exclusion. The 6-1 vote by the committee to table the policy and take the time to include all essential parties shows a commitment to an inclusive policy respecting everyone involved.

Wed also like to clarify a misunderstanding about the current policies regarding student records and the perceived danger in the policys statement that parents would have access to all student records, including counseling records.

At present, there are some conversations between a student and a counselor or social worker that have not historically been shared with a parent/guardian. Such professionals have a duty to protect the confidentiality of a student with regard to a number of issues including, but not limited to, sexuality, spirituality, pregnancy, orientation, gender, problems at home, struggles with class work, and other topics a student might not seek counsel for if they knew what they said might be shared with a parent/guardian. The duty to report is very specific for all educators when they suspect abuse or neglect, or imminent harm. Otherwise, counselors and social workers ethical standards require confidentiality be maintained.

The proposed policy made no mention of this and by omitting it did raise the speculation of students having information shared that they were not comfortable sharing with parents/guardians. At GLSEN we are especially concerned that a schools efforts to support a student who identifies as LGBTQ would result in the student being outed to a parent/guardian who is not supportive. Wed all like to live in a world where all parents/guardians support their childs self-exploration without judgment, but unfortunately that is not the world we live in.

We at GLSEN New Mexico want to ensure all parties rights are being considered, including students, educators and parents/guardians. We want to create and maintain safer spaces for all youth, especially LGBTQ+ youth whose voices are often left out of conversations that directly impact them. We stand with students, educators and parents/ guardians and will continue to ensure all voices are heard in policy creation.

This op-ed was part of a point/counterpoint feature. To read an opposing viewpoint, click here.
How about this for a state-line sign? Welcome to the Land of Enchantment. Warning: Traverse our highways at your own risk.

Unfortunately, even after several years of cash-flush state budgets thanks to oil and gas, and billions in federal infrastructure dollars available, that sign could/should greet folks driving into New Mexico.

The latest highway drama involves the states primary north-south thoroughfare. Damage to the underbelly of the 49-year-old Interstate 25 bridges over the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque was discovered during a regular biannual inspection in November. Traffic, loads, the age of the structure and brittle concrete from temperature variations have been blamed for damage in five piers on the bridges.

These bridges handle a high percentage of truck traffic and average more than 35,000 vehicle crossings daily, so it is concerning the New Mexico Department of Transportation had to shore them up to keep them from failing some months back, then seek an emergency procurement last month because if this location is not treated expeditiously, the bridge could fail completely.

Regular semis are still allowed, though oversized/overweight loads must seek an alternate route.

NMDOT has since awarded a $1 million, sole-bid contract to AUI Inc. of Albuquerque, the only contractor that responded to the request for repairs this summer. NMDOT had asked for the emergency purchase to patch the piers because it couldnt find a local construction company on the states preapproved list with time or staff to do the permanent fix. Emergency, sole-bid contracts in the 11th hour are hardly the most economical/ideal method of maintaining roads and bridges.

And New Mexico has a lot of state-owned bridges  2,978  to maintain and repair. Around 127 of those are in poor condition, according to NMDOT, requiring an estimated $525,223,030 in rehabilitation or replacement.

And thats if prices dont go up due to lack of contractor availability, labor shortages and escalating material, fabrication and shipping costs.

Damage to the I-25 bridge structures pier caps and bearings is similar to damage on the river bridge at Rio Bravo Boulevard, which had an emergency repair more than two years ago. Jill Mosher, an assistant district engineer for NMDOT, says a $50 million replacement is now $78 million as prices have skyrocketed. That work remains on hold due to a lack of funding.

Failing roads and bridges are truly a statewide problem. Drivers in southern New Mexico will remember for years a sign warned motorists: US 285 south subject to sinkhole 1,000 feet ahead. The Carlsbad City Council and Eddy County Commission declared an emergency after a giant cavern was discovered beneath U.S. 285 that threatened to swallow part of the highway and possibly a church, several businesses and a trailer park.

And while an NMDOT spokeswoman explains that bridges in poor condition are still safe to traverse, and proactive management and dedicated funding mean New Mexico has a relatively low number of bridges with a poor condition rating compared to other states, slapping patches on more than 100 bridges is not a selling point to daily commuters and wont make New Mexico Trues tourism campaign.

Historically New Mexico has done a poor job focusing its capital money on true capital  i.e. infrastructure  projects. Every year too much money is appropriated to smaller want items (in 2022 that includes wrestling equipment and a heavy metal museum) rather than larger need items like safe roads and clean water. And far too many projects dont last the life of the bond that finances them.

Its an old refrain but an important one: The state should use its capital money to invest in true infrastructure  roads and bridges, as well as water systems and internet access  that will better stand the test of time. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state lawmakers have an opportunity like never before to invest in the states hardscape. Hundreds of millions of dollars are pouring into New Mexico for road and bridge improvement projects as part of the massive $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Joe Biden in November. New Mexico will receive $3.7 billion, including $2.8 billion for road and bridge projects over the next five years. The money can also be used for airport, broadband and water projects.

State coffers are also overflowing with about $6 billion from oil and natural gas proceeds.

The time to invest in our infrastructure is now, while funding is available to make a lasting difference for every New Mexican. Our lawmakers and governor pulled together to fund a three-year, $65 million remediation project of pumping sand and grout to fill the Carlsbad sinkhole. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a general completion of the project last month.

New Mexicans need our lawmakers and governor to do that on a statewide scale so we dont have to question the safety of the highway or bridge they are traveling.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
For decades, New Mexico has worked to bring the film industry to the state.

The first film commission was founded in New Mexico in 1968 by former Gov. David Cargo.

The governmental body has since evolved into the New Mexico Film Office. Though the name has changed, the mission has always been the same  steering full-fledged feature-film and TV productions to the state.

Today, the effort is not only to have productions come to film in the state, but to build a sustainable industry that would create jobs for New Mexicans.

A comprehensive film incentive program began under Gov. Gary Johnson and then overhauled by Gov. Bill Richardson. It was scaled back by Gov. Susana Martinez during her tenure.

The states film incentive program today offers a 25%-35% refundable tax credit on New Mexico goods and services.

By 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who has long been a champion of the film industry, upped the ante when she signed Senate Bill 2, which gave incentives to companies to collaborate with the state through partnership agreements. Currently, Netflix and NBCUniversal are two of the biggest partnerships with a 10-year plan.

The 2019 bill also raised a 2011 cap on what the state can pay out to film and TV productions from $50 million to $110 million per year, while also authorizing the spending of up to $225 million to pay down an accumulated backlog in film incentives.

This is when the rural uplift credit went into effect. It gives a production a 5% incentive to film at least 60 miles outside of the Bernalillo and Santa Fe county corridor.
Karolyn Winge has joined Kirtland Federal Credit Union as creative brand manager. Her professional background spans more than 26 years in integrated strategic communication specializing in omni- and multi-channel marketing, copywriting, branding, visual communication, design, public and media relations and internal and external communication. She has worked for local and national companies, cooperatives and nonprofits. Winge received her masters degree in media management from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. In addition, she has spent more than a decade teaching in higher education at three universities, including the University of New Mexico, where she received UNMs Outstanding Lecturer of the Year Award, is a Society for News Design Gold Award winner and is an AchieveGlobal certified facilitator and trainer.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that Speakers of the Maharashtra Assembly and the Lok Sabha violated constitutional norms by recognising the rebel groups of party lawmakers.

The action is akin to a temple priest looting its donation box and temple trustees cutting its dome atop. Similar things are happening in temples of democracy in the country, Raut claimed in his weekly column Rokhthok in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

He alleged the Centre was trying to save the current Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government to "finish off" the Shiv Sena.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra collapsed last month after Sena MLA Eknath Shinde along with 39 other legislators revolted against the party leadership.

Shinde was on June 30 sworn in as the chief minister and BJP's Devendra Fadnavis took oath as his deputy.

Out of the 19 Shiv Sena MPs in the Lok Sabha, 12 are lending support to the Shinde camp.

CM Shinde on Tuesday said Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has recognised Rahul Shewale as the Shiv Sena leader in the Lower House of Parliament.

In his column in Saamana on Sunday, Raut claimed, "After the formation of the new government in Maharashtra, the Legislative Assembly Speaker violated the constitutional norms. The picture was no different in the Lok Sabha."

The rebel MLAs and MPs are now free from probes which they are facing from central investigation agencies, said Raut, who is the executive editor of Saamana.

The contention of the rebel lawmakers that they are the real Shiv Sena and have not quit the party is an attempt to save their skin, he claimed.

As per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, 16 rebel legislators including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde stand disqualified, he further claimed.

"The Centre is trying to save the state government and the 16 rebels to finish off the Shiv Sena permanently," Raut alleged.

The country's future and its democracy depend on what decision the Supreme Court's constitution bench takes (on a petition filed by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena seeking disqualification of these rebels), he said.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla recognised the breakaway group of Sena parliamentarians without taking cognisance of a letter that party MP Vinayak Raut gave to him, the Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson claimed.

Vinayak Raut had in his letter submitted to the Lok Sabha Speaker on Monday night said he was the "duly appointed" leader of the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party and Rajan Vichare was the chief whip.

He had also asked the Speaker not to entertain any representation from the rival faction.
The city of Albuquerque has christened four area artists as CityMakers.

The Department of Arts and Culture program brings Albuquerque artists and their creativity into the public sector to develop projects to positively impact and inspire communities.

The city will pay each artist up to 20 hours of work per week for 10 months, department director Elsa Menendez said.

About 30 artists submitted applications for the program.

Its a new program; it started last year, Menendez said. Word about it is still getting out and around.

The artists entered ideas for possible projects, but nothing has been decided yet.

Last years artists created a dance and movement workshop for the Wellness Hotel for unsheltered families, painted the Alamosa Community Center Skate Park and performed mural-related projects.

This years finalists are:

 Victoriano Cardenas, a trans poet of Genizaro (detribalized Native Americans who were taken into Hispano and pueblo villages as indentured servants) and Boriken descent. Born and raised in Taos, his poetry examines the intersections of identity in an atmosphere of colonization, climate crisis and queer and transphobic oppression. Cardenas earned his MFA in creative writing from the University of New Mexico in 2020.

 Aaron Richardson is a self-taught realist/expressionist painter working in oils and charcoal. Hes had solo shows in both Albuquerque and San Antonio, Texas. He has worked as a painting animator for film and had drawings used as props for a TV series. Since 2019, he has shown and sold works at ArtsThrive at the Albuquerque Museum.

 Annie Mitchem is a visual artist with an emphasis on acrylic painting and photography in the aesthetic of AfroFuturism. Born and raised in Albuquerque, she boasts familial roots tracing back to Blackdom, New Mexico. Mitchem is passionate about amplifying Black voices and creating spaces for learning, creativity and action. She is a 2022 graduate from the University of New Mexico.

 Jacob Garcia was raised in Edgewood and is based in Albuquerque. He finds inspiration in New Mexicos rich culture and history. He has explored many mediums of art, focusing on painting, sculpture, conceptual work and digital art.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

Public Service Company of New Mexico announced the inauguration this month of a new 50-megawatt solar facility in Cibola County to provide clean energy to Facebooks massive data center in Los Lunas.

Its the sixth solar farm built by PNM and third-party developers since 2018 to directly provide Facebook with 100% renewable-based electricity to run its operations in Valencia County, where the social media giant is investing $2 billion to build out an enormous data storage and processing complex that will eventually employ 400 permanent workers housed in eight sprawling high-tech buildings.

The solar facilities  combined with two new wind farms in eastern New Mexico  now supply nearly 400 MW of clean power to Facebook. And two more solar plants, plus a 50-MW back-up battery storage system, are under construction and slated to come online next year to add another 290 MW of renewables for Facebook.

All told, that nearly 700-MW renewable network equals about one-third of the 2,000-plus MW of total generating capacity PNM currently manages on its grid to supply electricity to all utility customers in New Mexico.

None of PNMs 530,000 other customers pay for any costs related to the Facebook-connected facilities, which were specifically built, and are now managed, solely for Facebook under a special service contract approved by the state Public Regulation Commission in 2016. Thats a novel, first-of-its-kind arrangement for PNM that helped recruit Facebook to New Mexico, bringing huge economic benefits to the state.

But Facebook may now represent just the tip of the iceberg among rapidly-growing opportunities to lure more companies here with renewable energy. About two dozen other firms are currently looking at locating new facilities in New Mexico, the majority of which emphasize access to clean power as a key factor influencing company decision-making, said Elisha Saavedra-Torres, PNM manager for business development.

We have 25 economic development projects in the queue now at various stages, Saavedra-Torres told the Journal. About 60% of them are asking for renewable options to consider in their selection process.

If just 75% of companies currently in the queue choose to locate in New Mexico, it could mean doubling the size of PNMs total grid over the next few years, Saavedra-Torres said.

Our economic development team is seeing an unprecedented level of interest in our service territory, she said. From the economic development perspective, I believe we could consistently grow our total load (electric demand) by 10% or more annually for two to five years in a row. That represents a lot of investment in New Mexico.

That, however, raises many questions about how to accommodate explosive growth in industrial and commercial demand for renewable energy, something utility experts, economic development professionals and clean-power advocates are only now beginning to address.

It means building a lot more renewable generating capacity in the state. And that, in turn, may require more flexible state regulatory procedures to rapidly approve new solar, wind and battery storage facilities, plus additional electric infrastructure such as transmission and distribution.

Were talking about potentially billions of dollars of investment and thousands of jobs, PNM Vice President of Generation Tom Fallgren told the Journal. But we cant just build new electric plants and infrastructure to accommodate load growth on the grid. We need regulatory approval to do it.

Seizing the moment

Todays expanding industrial and commercial appetite for renewable generation represents immense economic development potential for New Mexico going forward, said Rob Black, New Mexico Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. But capturing those opportunities will require local and state agencies to work together to respond rapidly to private sector needs, including agile regulatory procedures to approve new clean-energy capacity within the tight time frames required for companies to plan and develop projects.

Most Fortune 500 companies are now pushing hard to transition to carbon-free fuels, Black told the Journal. We have abundant natural resources that make New Mexico well-positioned to provide it, but we also need a flexible regulatory environment to allow new technologies and investment to move forward.

As New Mexico works to diversify away from dependence on oil and gas, building out more renewable generation is critical, Black added.

We have to lay the groundwork for companies to grow and expand here, he said. Just like roads, broadband and water, we need to be proactive now on investing in renewable electricity.

The transition from fossil fuels to renewables necessitates a fundamental change in approach to energy development, Fallgren said. Going forward, the grid will no longer rely on massive, centralized baseload facilities like coal or gas generating stations, but rather, a growing array of smaller and more-distributed solar, wind and battery-storage plants.

And that means regulators and policymakers must be more open to approving those things as needed.

In the 1970s and 1980s, we made bold decisions to build big facilities like coal plants to be prepared for growth, but today theres resistance to building things ahead of time, Fallgren said. We need to be ready for expansion to get ahead of the curve with a new, modern outlook on how to build a renewable grid.

One concern is slow regulatory approval for new electric facilities and infrastructure at the PRC, which can take up to 18 months or more. Companies often cant wait that long, encouraging them to choose neighboring states like Texas or Arizona where larger grids allow them to accommodate additional demand much faster, Fallgren said.

Folks who come here are on a timeline, Fallgren said. If it takes two years for regulatory approval and two more years to build something, its problematic.

Working together

If more companies want new, dedicated facilities built for them like Facebook, the new special service contract arrangement approved by the PRC can facilitate that, Saavedra-Torres said.

But many companies want access to clean energy already on the utility grid, such as Amazon, which negotiated delivery of nearly 10 MW of renewable power from PNM for its new facilities in New Mexico. That includes a huge fulfillment center on Albuquerques West Side that now employs about 3,500 people, another fulfillment center under construction in Los Lunas that will support 600 jobs, and a cargo facility at the Albuquerque International Sunport.

PNM can support that expansion with its current renewable capacity, Saavedra-Torres said. But if another firm seeks a lot more clean energy, say 200-300 MW, PNM would have to build it.

The big challenge now is how to know in advance how much extra capacity to build to be prepared for requests like that using prudent load-growth projections that dont lead to overbuilding, Saavedra-Torres said.

That will be a challenge going forward for the PRC, where PNM has yet to formally ask the commission to address those issues, said Pat OConnell, senior policy analyst with Western Resource Advocates.

As we transition the grid to renewables, the issues will become more complicated, OConnell told the Journal. We do need to be planning for growth now thats fueled by renewable energy with a simpler, faster approval process. But to make that happen, we all need to work together.

Indeed, the PRC represents only one peg in the regulatory process, which also includes siting, water rights and other permitting by local, state and even federal agencies, said Noah Long of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The potential areas for regulatory reform are abundant, Long told the Journal. I think the first step is for PNM to map out a plan and a process that it can bring to government agencies and the public to collaboratively work on pin-pointing potential hurdles and resources to get things done.

The states Energy Transition Act  which requires PNM and other public utilities to convert their grids to 80% renewables by 2040 and 100% carbon-free generation by 2045  has caught the interest of many companies that are now focused on achieving carbon neutrality. The challenge now is how to efficiently capitalize on those opportunities, Saavedra-Torres said.

Companies are paying close attention to their carbon footprint and carbon neutrality, and its becoming a big part of the conversations we have with them, Saavedra-Torres said. All parties need to come together to creatively build a new model for grid growth that makes sense for the states economic development.
BERNALILLO  Triple-digit temperatures and a fickle monsoon season have combined with decades of persistent drought to put one of North Americas longest rivers in its most precarious situation yet.

Islands of sand and gravel, and patches of cracked mud are taking over where the Rio Grande once flowed. Its a scene not unlike other hot, dry spots around the western U.S., where rivers and reservoirs have been shrinking due to climate change and continued demand.

Local and federal water managers on Thursday warned that more stretches of the beleaguered Rio Grande will dry up in the coming days in the Albuquerque area, leaving endangered silvery minnows stranded in whatever puddles remain.

The threat of having the river dry this far north has been present the past few summers due to ongoing drought, officials with the Bureau of Reclamation and one of the largest irrigation districts on the river said. But, this could be the year that residents in New Mexicos most populated region get to witness the effects of climate change on a grander scale.

Its not uncommon to have parts of the Rio Grande go dry in its more southern reaches, but not in Albuquerque.

Like a monument, the river courses through the city, flanked by a forest of cottonwood and willow trees. Its one of the few ribbons of green to cut through the arid state, providing water for crops and communities.

This is almost the sole source of water in the central part of New Mexico and were not trying to save it just for the fish, said Andy Dean, a federal biologist. Its our job as the Fish and Wildlife Service to prevent the extinction of this animal, but this water is also for everybody in the valley. Were trying to save it for everybody and, if the fish is that piece that helps us do that, then thats what we have to use.

The Bureau of Reclamation will release what little supplemental water it has left in upstream reservoirs along the Rio Grande. Over the past 20 years, the agency has leased about 700,000 acre-feet  228 billion gallons  of water to supplement flows through the middle Rio Grande for endangered and threatened species.

Biologists arent sure this latest release will be enough to make a difference for the endangered minnow.

Crews have already been rescuing stranded minnows in the San Acacia and Isleta areas, and will continue as the river dries. So far, theyve been lucky to net about 50 fish a day, but Dean said those numbers are just a fraction of what has been rescued in past years.

It doesnt look like theres a lot of minnows out there currently. Our population monitoring is reflecting that, as well, he said.

Dean said scooping up minnows in Albuquerque will be new territory for the crew as they have never had to do such work that far north.

With a series of dams and interstate water-sharing agreements governing the Rio Grandes flows, local, state and federal officials have been successful in previous years reaching resolutions that allow for extra water to be leased and released so that flows could be boosted in times of need.

This year is different. New Mexico has been unable to store any extra runoff in upstream reservoirs because it owes Texas water as part of an interstate compact. With the outstanding debt and no water in the bank, New Mexico has nothing other than the hope of rain to recharge the system during the monsoon season.

Jason Casuga, chief engineer for the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District, which serves farmers throughout the Middle Rio Grande Valley, said it should serve as a wake-up call for the public and water management agencies.

Theres a lot of infrastructure on this river that was built for a purpose and that was during a period of time when water was plentiful, he said. Im hoping thats the silver lining that comes out of this, that people start re-envisioning the way we can use that existing infrastructure.

Congressional legislation would be needed in some cases. In others, it would require agreements with federal water and wildlife agencies that would allow for more flexibility.

The longer this drought stays around, (the more) I think people are going to recognize weve got to find balance, Casuga said.

The irrigation district and state officials have been pushing more farmers to participate in voluntary fallowing programs. Farmers would leave their fields unplanted for a season in order to save water and increase what flows across the border to Texas to help chip away at the debt.
KYIV, Ukraine  Russian defense officials insisted Sunday that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa hit only military targets, but the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault.

Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

Speaking late Saturday in his nightly televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

Under the grain-shipment agreement obtained by The Associated Press, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative, including the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The Ukrainian military said the attack involved four cruise missiles, two of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit. Turkeys defense minister, however, said he had had reports from Ukrainian authorities that one missile struck a grain silo while another landed nearby, although neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

It was not immediately clear how the airstrike would affect plans to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of the ports.

Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed identical agreements with the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer.

Senior U.N. officials voiced hopes that the deal would end a months-long standoff that threatened food security around the globe.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and wound civilians in Ukraines south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two that make up Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russias offensive, said two civilians had been killed and two more wounded over the previous 24 hours.

The U.K. military reported Sunday in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making minimal progress in its Donbas offensive, which it said remained small-scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian militarys General Staff confirmed in its regular update that Russia was conducting military operations to create conditions for an assault on Bakhmut, while firing on surrounding settlements and battling Ukrainian defenders for control of a nearby thermal plant.

In Ukraines south, regional officials said that at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

Also, as a result of the scattering of munitions and their fragments, fires occurred in open areas in the city, said Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region.

In other developments:

 A Washington-based think tank said Ukrainian forces are likely preparing to launch or have launched a counteroffensive in the Kherson region.

The Institute for the Study of War quoted Kherson Oblast Administration Adviser Serhiy Khlan as saying Ukrainian forces have seized unspecified settlements in the region, but he called on Ukrainian civilians to remain silent on the progress of the counteroffensive until Ukrainian authorities released official statements.

The ISW noted that open-source information on any progress by Ukrainian troops will likely be limited and lag behind events.

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov landed in Cairo late Saturday on the first leg of his Africa trip, which will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo, according to Russias state-run RT television network.

Speaking at a news conference following bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, on Sunday, Lavrov said that he had reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to fulfill all their obligations in the wake of the U.N.-backed deal to unblock grain shipments.

 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a speech in Romania that Western sanctions against Russia have failed and that the war in Ukraine will not end until there is a Russian-U.S. peace negotiation.

Orban said Saturday in a speech in Baile Tusnad in central Romania that a new strategy is needed which should focus on peace talks  instead of winning the war.

The situation is that today we are sitting in a car with flat tires on all four wheels, he said. It is quite obvious that the war cannot be won this way. Ukrainians will never win a war against Russia with American training officers and weapons.

The far-right leader went on to say that had Donald Trump and Germanys Angela Merkel still been in charge in their countries, then this war would never have broken out.
JAKARTA, Indonesia  The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the past five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its pacing threat and Americas primary long-term security challenge.

Milleys trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this coming week in Australia, where key topics will be Chinas escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwans chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of grave concern, but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

Chinas joint chiefs of staff chairman, Gen. Li Zuocheng, told Milley in a call earlier this month that Beijing had no room for compromise on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons, Milley told reporters traveling with him. Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region.

Milleys visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in Chinas backyard and counter Chinas growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an alarming increase in the number of unsafe intercepts by Peoples Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Also, U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a statistically significant increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an equal proportion.

Milley, who met on Sunday with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively, Milley said, in order to ensure they can meet whatever challenge that China poses.

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Milley, who spent the afternoon at Andikas military headquarters, was greeted with a massive billboard bearing his photo and name, a military parade and a large television screen that showed a video of his career.

At the end of the visit, Andika told reporters that Indonesia has found China to be more assertive and a little bit aggressive with naval vessels in connection with terrirotiral disputes with his country.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9 billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta last December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an Asian NATO. During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs, he said.
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If you have been paying any attention at all to academia in this country, you know it has entered a dark age, neglecting what my alma mater once described as its function: A place for the sifting and winnowing of ideas. Todays academic marketplace increasingly sells only one product, drives others from the agora with a variety of bullying actions, and threatens both the sellers and purchasers into silence about alternate products.

Heres an eye-opener to illustrate the extent of the assault on free speech and free thought.

We are entering a future where blacklisting, censorship, and the abuse of power will become the norm, because apparently the new generation thinks such things are always justified, if they have been offended in any way. From a recent poll of 2,000 students at 130 colleges: In one eye-opening finding, 74 percent of undergrads endorse the view that a professor who says something that students find offensive should be reported to the university. By a majority almost as lopsided, 65 percent believe that a fellow student who says something they consider offensive should be turned in. That informers mindset is especially pronounced among students who identify themselves as politically liberal, fully 85 percent of whom would report a professor who offends them. But even among self-identified conservatives, a solid majority, 56 percent, are of the same mindset.

The consequences of this are far reaching. After detailing a number of outrageous campus actions, Heather Mac Donald contends the deleterious effect on society.

Every year, thousands of college students graduate and carry into society the same megalomaniacal confidence in their own righteousness that has turned campuses into zones of conformity. Those graduates regard any disagreement with their own political outlook as a manifestation of hate, and as such, fair game for suppression. Democratic politicians and the mainstream media have adopted the same tactic, defining political disagreement as hate rather than the product of a good-faith difference in world view. Any college presidents not already committed to the premises of the victim revolution should follow the lead of Robbins, Yager, and, before them, the University of Chicagos Robert Zimmer. The preservation of our Enlightenment culture of reason and violence-free discourse rests on their shoulders.

There are a variety of explanations for this shuttering of the academic thought marketplace, not the least of which is the hiring policies which have excluded from the professional ranks those with views in conflict with the left-wing orthodoxy. Still, I find Camille Paglias explanation compelling.

Todays campus political correctness can ultimately be traced to the way those new programs, including African American and native American studies, were so hastily constructed in the 1970s, a process that not only compromised professional training in those fields over time but also isolated them in their own worlds and thus ultimately lessened their wider cultural impact... For every new department or program added to the U.S. curriculum, there should have been a central shared training track, introducing students to the methodology of research and historiography, based in logic and reasoning and the rigorous testing of conclusions based on evidence. Neglect of that crucial training has meant that too many college teachers, then and now, lack even the most superficial awareness of their own assumptions and biases. Working on campus only with the like-minded, they treat dissent as a mortal offense that must be suppressed, because it threatens their entire career history and world-view. The ideology of those new programs and departments, predicated on victimology, has scarcely budged since the 1970s. Because of the failure of American colleges and universities to seek and support ideological diversity on their campuses, the humanities faculties have trended so far toward liberal Democrats (among whom I number myself) that they often seem naively unaware that any other beliefs are possible or credible.

She opposes the notion that we should make life easy for students. Intellectual life is confrontational, challenging, and often uncomfortable, and students should be taught to face that.

Is it possible to reverse this noxious trend? FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression) works hard to this end. Alums can withhold contributions. Trustees could speak out against it, but this doesnt seem to be the usual case -- most seem elected to churn out more contributions rather than exercise reasonable oversight of college policies on things like this.

Professor Jonathan Turley, in a lengthy and detailed article in the Harvard Journal of Law and Policy Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States examines the censorship of ideas on social media and colleges and universities and suggests a remedy on college campuses may be limited government support for academic free speech.

Yes, the notion of combining government action and free speech warrants skepticism -- the danger of any intervention being more likely to increase the harm rather than ameliorate the problem. Still, his arguments are well-considered and his proposals of a limited nature. We do know that sound campus free speech policies are possible -- the University of Chicago, for one, has adopted a defensible and effective one. Turley would make federal funding to public universities conditional upon adoption and compliance with the principles of free speech.

The most cogent, to me, of his descriptions of the nonsensical justification for limiting speech (and thought) -- the prevention of harm -- is a justification so broad that what sounds at first blush like a libertarian principle has turned into an authoritarian measure.

Free speech is as important a constitutional right as any other enumerated constitutional right and though we must be careful in fashioning a remedy for its deprivation, he still finds areas for government action, among them:

Federal legislation can create systems that track and highlight the record of states in protecting or failing to protect free speech activities.... Federal legislation can also create federal causes of action to challenge both government and private action. The use of federal legislation to reinforce speech rights can find analogies to the Civil Rights period when local officials often failed to intervene to stop attacks on protesters or refused to prosecute the culprits.

The Turley article documents the silencing of dissenting views of students and professors, citing a poll which found that seventy percent of students said they had experienced political bias, that nine out of ten students said that the climate on... campus prevents students/faculty from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive. Nearly two-thirds of faculty shared this view.

Surely then, he argues, the concern that the issue of preserving (or, rather, reinstitution of) campus free speech is a legitimate one.

As for private colleges not as dependent on government funds as public universities, he argues that Congress can condition federal funds, including use of federal funds supporting grants and tuition, on the satisfaction of minimal conditions. We do this to preclude racial and religious discrimination, and we can do it for viewpoint discrimination as well.

To this end, Professor Turley advances a list of 10 basic protections Congress can condition recipients of federal funds provide:

Before the Senate Comm. on the Judiciary, 116th Cong. (Aug. 4, 2020) (testimony of Professor Jonathan Turley). The list includes (1) guaranteeing that speakers appear on campus under the same costs and conditions, regardless of their views (or opposition to their views); (2) committing to disciplinary action of students or faculty who block classes, lectures, or speeches by violent acts or threats of violence; (3) committing to the expulsion or termination of students or faculty who physically assault speakers or others seeking to exercise free speech or the right to peaceful assembly; (4) committing to disciplinary action of students or faculty who block classes, lectures, or speeches through disruptive conduct inside classrooms, halls or other spaces reserved for such presentations; (5) enforcing a presumption that the exercise of free speech outside of the school (including statements on social media) for faculty or students is generally not a matter for school sanctions or termination; (6) committing to due process of students and faculty who are disciplined for exercising free speech rights, including the right to discovery of patterns of bias or inconsistent treatment in other controversies; (7) barring restrictive free speech zones and other exclusionary zones for free expression (other than rules barring demonstrations, disruptions, or exhibits in classrooms, halls, or other spaces used for lectures, presentations, and events); (8) barring student governments or organizations from sanctioning or censuring fellow students for their exercise of free speech without a clear and narrowly tailored standard as well as the approval of a university body; (9) barring faculty from sanctioning, censoring, or retaliating against students for their political, social, or religious statements or values (subject to protected exceptions for religious-based institutions); and (10) barring faculty from requiring that students adhere to, adopt, or endorse political, social, or religious positions as a condition for any class, program, or benefit (subject to protected exceptions for religious-based institutions)

I dont see congressional action this term, but if the tides change at the midterms, I hope the new Congress will take up this important issue. In the meantime, it might be helpful if more college trustees, administrators and presidents, parents of college students and alums read, understood, and took to heart the import of Professor Turleys cry for remedial actions.
And where the body of the people, or any single man, is deprived of their right, or is under the exercise of a power without right, and have no appeal on earth, then they have a liberty to appeal to heaven  John Locke

History is the story of who we are and resonates with us because it gives us a sense of belonging and purpose. It challenges us to be great and to be fearless as we pursue the greatness of our predecessors. In recent history, we have succumbed to a revisionist tale of our past, and as a result, we have forgotten who we are.

America has been led to believe stories of a secular past that brought us favor and prosperity. Proponents of this secular society lean on cherry-picked quotations from our Founders, who sought to bind a union of separatist states established for the free exercise of various Christian denominations. To the north, the Puritans established the colonies of New England, and the Quakers settled Pennsylvania. The Anglican Church established the Atlantic states like Virginia and Maryland, while the Baptists established Rhode Island. When the Founders spoke of a separation of Church and State, they rejected one official state church that they might find common religious freedom and not the rejection of Christianity or its tenets in government.

From the villainous portrayal of Christopher Columbus to the reimagining of our founding by the authors of the 1619 Project, America has rejected the Truth and the God of the Founders and, subsequently, His blessing. If America is to reacquire the blessings of God, it must look to its past revivals and seek the God of its founding. This is the thesis of The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall and David Manuel.

First published in 1977, The Light and the Glory is a novel that recounts the Christian conversion of two Ivy League college students in the 1970s. It describes their pursuit to validate or debunk American college professors assertions that the United States Founders were deists or atheists pursuing a secular nation. Digging through the shelves of Americas first university libraries like those of Harvard and Yale, they uncovered something else altogether. The Christian foundations of this nation are inseparable from its existence.

The deists believe that God, if He exists, sets the wheels of the universe in motion and otherwise doesnt mingle in the affairs of man. This stands in contrast to founding Revolutionaries who found no redress in government and, heeding the words of 2 Chronicles, appealed to the highest authority they knew: an appeal to Heaven.

One of my favorite Revolutionary War symbols is the Pine Tree Flag. It is a basic white flag with a green pine tree on it. Inscribed above the tree is the slogan An Appeal To Heaven. This flag was flown by ships commissioned into the navy by then-Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington. The inscription originates in a quote from John Lockes Second Treatise on Civil Government, which suggests that when a society finds no redress with its government, it has the right to appeal to the authority of God. For Founders who allegedly did not believe in the mingling of the Almighty, they certainly raised their petitions to Him, and they did so on official state insignia.

Throughout the insanity of the past few years, I have often wondered where the Church was in anchoring the American society to its foundation. I was disappointed to find that the Church had adopted the lies of the postmodernists and was no longer on stable enough ground to be a Biblical anchor. Such lies suggested that the Church is a racist institution or that America is antithetical to the Kingdom of God. Because the modern Church received its understanding from postmodernism and not from scripture, they were ill-prepared to address the maladies of a national moral collapse from a Biblical perspective.

I believe that the Spirit of God speaks to His people, so it was no surprise that members of different Church bodies have expressed similar concerns over its direction to me. The Church has denied the direness of our national state and rejected the rallying cry of 2 Chronicles to collectively humble ourselves and seek Gods face. In 2 Chronicles, God promised to restore the land of those who turned back to Him. Do Christians believe this, or is the Bible merely a supplement to postmodern philosophy?

Since 2020 and the failure of good-faith electoral challenges to be heard, a feeling of despair crept over conservative Americans. Repeat government abuses at the hands of an unresponsive regime have left much of the electorate with little recourse in government. In their desperation, many conservatives have reserved their final appeal for the Almighty.

Recent headlines of the leftist press have taken note of this appeal, which terrifies them. They call it Christian Nationalism and liken it to any other ism theyve adorned conservative America with. This one falls squarely outside their secular realm, and they are helpless to avert its groundswell. Is it a coincidence that as a quiet collective appeal rises to God, fifty years of policy and the termination of sixty million children in-utero is finally rebuked? Is it a coincidence that natural rights to self-defense are being reasserted, or that the ability of the unresponsive regime to wage bureaucratic war on its people is being reined in? I dont think so.

Our Founders did not wish to establish an American theocracy, nor should we. They also recognized that no nation has existed or been governed without religion and that Christianity was the greatest of them and a gift to mankind. Will America humble itself and pray and appeal to Heaven? Perhaps this is our best recourse to restore the blessings of our posterity.

Brian Parsons is a paleoconservative columnist in Idaho, a proud husband and father, and saved by Grace. You can follow him at WithdrawConsent.org or find his columns at the American Thinker, in the Idaho State Journal, or in other regional publications. Email | Gab

Photo by Matt Artz on Unsplash / Unsplash License
In his Twitter feeds during his Middle East trip, President Joe Biden posted photos with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to reaffirm our shared commitment to the U.S.-Egypt strategic partnership. He also tweeted a photo with President Sheikh Mohammed of the UAE, with Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi to recommit to the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement. And there was a group shot captioned as the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan met at the Jeddah Security and Development Summit. There was no mention that the summit was held at the invitation of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and was chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia. In the group photo, it went unacknowledged that President Biden and the Saudi Crown Prince stood next to each other, separated only by the displayed crest of the meeting. They were posed to show that they were the two most important statesmen at the event. Yet Biden has downplayed his meetings with the Saudi heir apparent amid the left-wing backlash about the photo showing the two men exchanging a fist bump upon their greeting. Neither this photo nor any other of the president and crown prince alone were posted by the White House on Twitter.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized President Biden for even going to Saudi Arabia. You have a leader of the country who was involved in the murder of a Washington Post journalist. I don't think that type of government should be rewarded with a visit by the president of the United States," Sanders said. His reference was to the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident who wrote op-eds for the Washington Post. This did not make him a journalist or a friend of the U.S. He had always opposed Western influence into the Middle East and was a critic of the alignment of the Arabs states with Israel against Iran. He wanted to stay focused on the Palestinian struggle against the Jewish state.

Khashoggi first came to prominence for interviews he did with Osama bin Laden before 9/11. Though Khashoggi claimed he favored democracy over violence, both men wanted to overthrow the Saudi government and install a militant anti-Western regime. It is alleged that the crown prince ordered his death. So what? This incident did not change the strategic situation which is the basis for U.S.-Saudi cooperation against common enemies.

Khashoggi had been a member of the radical Muslim Brotherhood and continued to praise them in his columns. He supported the Arab Spring revolt that overthrew a pro-American ruler and brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Egypt. Their regime proved so intolerable the Egyptian people went back into the streets and backed a military coup in 2013 which brought former army general and now President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to power. President Biden was happy to meet with the Egyptian leader whom Khashoggi considered illegitimate, praising Al Sisi for promoting peace and an end to the conflict, thereby expanding the circle of peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors and globally, as well as preserving sustainable calm between Israelis and Palestinians.

No one with a concern for American security interests in the Middle East should shed a tear over Khashoggis demise at the hands of Saudi agents in Turkey. But then, Sen. Sanders and his cronies do not have any concern for national security or for Khashoggi either except as a tool in their own plans. On the day before President Bidens meetings in Saudi Arabia, Sens. Sanders, Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced a joint resolution to direct the removal of U.S. Armed Forces from unauthorized (by Congress) involvement in the war between the Saudi-led Arab coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen. This is nothing new. Sanders has been pushing these resolutions on Yemen since 2018 and with some success due to the support his Democrats have gotten from libertarian antiwar Republicans like Rand Paul (R-KY) and Miles Lee (R-UT), leading to a veto by President Trump. As senator, Kamala Harris was a strong backer of Sanders as Yemen became a cause celeb for the Left.

Under internal party pressure, within days of taking office, President Biden did cut off all military support to the Saudi-Arab coalition in Yemen.This did not end the war, of course, it only emboldened the Houthis and Iran to escalate. Missile and drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, on the UAE and on the Saudi oil industry increased. It is Yemens strategic location at the outlet of the Suez Canal-Red Sea shipping route and on the border of Saudi Arabia that led first President Barack Obama and then President Donald Trump to provide the Saudi-Arab coalition with weapons, intelligence, logistical support and even aerial refueling to keep the Houthi Shiite minority from taking over the entire country. An even stronger, sustained effort will be needed to drive them back.

Despite its initial desire to cut and run from Yemen as in Afghanistan, the Biden administration has not been able to disengage from such a strategic conflict. Last May, sanctions were imposed against two senior leaders of Houthi forces in Yemen who are involved in military offensives that exacerbate the humanitarian crisis, pose a dire threat to civilians, and destabilize Yemen. The State Department noted: The Houthis benefit from generous military support from the Iranian government to wage attacks against civilian population centers and commercial shipping. In November, the U.S.-GCC Iran Working Group convened to discuss, among other topics, the Yemen civil war and agreed that Irans support to armed militias across the region and its ballistic missile program pose a clear threat to regional security and stability. And in his meeting with the crown prince last Friday, the White House reported that Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to help Saudi Arabia protect and defend its territory and people from all external attacks, particularly those launched by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. The Fact Sheet also notes that Saudi Arabia will participate in maritime task forces providing security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, and North Arabian Sea (all menaced by Iran and its proxies) and join the U.S. Fifth Fleet in exercises involving advanced technologies.

Yet, the administration is still trying to maintain an arbitrary, largely nonsensical, and certainly defeatist distinction between offensive and defensive weapons and missions. Perhaps Bidens team will learn something from the Ukraine war and apply it to their policies involving conflicts elsewhere like Yemen. Unfortunately, there seems little chance for a learning curve among Sen. Sanders antiwar cabal.

Wars generate humanitarian crises and Yemen is no exception. The Houthis captured not only the capital of Sanaa but also the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, which the Coalition then blockaded. The U.N. has sought to negotiate ways to use the port to bring in food and medicines without the supplies being seized by the Houthis for their own use. U.S. warships have also intercepted weapon shipments from Iran to the Yemen rebels. There is currently a U.N. truce in Yemen, but no end to hostilities. Fighting could break out again at any moment. Houthi rule in its conquered area has been brutal.

President Biden was more comfortable talking tough when in Israel, though even in Jerusalem the alignment with Arab states was an important factor in meeting Iranian aggression. As he declared, The United States stresses that integral to this pledge is the commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome. The United States further affirms the commitment to work together with other partners to confront Irans aggression and destabilizing activities, whether advanced directly or through proxies and terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Those other partners obviously included those countries that had signed the Abraham Accords during the Trump administration. The UAE (a prominent member in the Saudi Coalition), Bahrain (headquarters of the U.S. Fifth Fleet), Morocco, Egypt and Jordan were all mentioned. And in what is considered a big step towards Saudi Arabia making formal the security cooperation enjoyed for many years, Riyad announced it was opening air travel with Jerusalem.

There is no reason for any American statesman to hide from or be ashamed of the broad U.S.-Israel-Arab alignment that has been so patiently put together by diplomacy choreographed in Washington to meet the threats from Iran (and by extension its Great Power backer China). As a realistic strategy in a dangerous world, it needs no further justification.

William R. Hawkins is a former economics professor who served on the professional staff of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. He has written widely on international economics and national security issues for both professional and popular publications.

Image: Screen shot from Fox News video, via YouTube
Once again, the Senate filibuster is under attack. With each passing salvo, the 60-vote threshold stands on shakier legs. Unless we enshrine the filibuster in our Constitution, its days are numbered, as is the political stability we enjoy.

Earlier this year, President Biden declared his support for changing the Senate rules... to prevent a minority of senators from blocking actions on voting rights. Now, with Roe v. Wade fresh off the chopping block, congressional Democrats have renewed their attacks on American institutional norms. Protesting in front of the Supreme Court, Representative Andy Levin declared: The filibuster is a vestige of Jim Crow, one which [o]ur founding fathers didnt want and a majority of senators should get rid of. But attacks on the filibuster are not unique to Democrats. In 2018, with his agenda similarly languishing in the upper chamber, President Trump urged then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to use the Nuclear Option and get it done!

Its telling that many, including the former President, call eliminating the filibuster the nuclear option, so named because it involves changing Senate rules by simple majority vote. The implication is clear: without the filibuster, the Senate -- and our nation -- would be a nuclear wasteland devoid of meaningful deliberation.

The upper chambers trend toward nuclear annihilation is unmistakable. In 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid nuked the filibuster for most presidential appointees, excluding only Supreme Court justices. Just five years later, Majority Leader McConnell finished the job, ditching the 60-vote threshold to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch with only three Democratic votes. Now that two consecutive Presidents, each accompanied by a chorus of congressional partisans, have advocated the abandonment of the filibuster, the time has come to put an end to these games.

The filibuster has always been -- by design -- a thorn in the side of Washingtons majority party. When passions run high in the House, the Senate pumps the brakes to encourage deliberation and consensus-building, effectively requiring 60% of the states to agree before enacting great social change. Thus, one party is typically incapable of political revolution on its own, bringing both stability and comity to our system of governance.

As Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes so famously claimed, our Constitution is made for people of fundamentally differing views. What one states residents find natural and familiar, another states citizens might think novel or even shocking. Such is the essence of a pluralistic democracy, which the filibuster embraces by making one-size-fits-all federal solutions a heavy lift. Indeed, the 60-vote threshold is so onerous that it practically requires the Senate majority to reach across the aisle for votes.

Legislation that reconciles stark partisan differences stands the test of time, having trudged through a deliberative process in which the minority is offered a say. Look no further than the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which achieved supermajority consensus and consequent legitimacy before becoming law by surmounting a filibuster of southern senators. Having been defeated by such a strong, deliberative consensus, the South quickly came to accept the Civil Rights Act and dismantle Jim Crow.

In a larger sense, the Union itself owes the filibuster thanks for continuing stability. Were Senator Mitch McConnell to have buckled under pressure from President Trump and nuked the legislative filibuster, Republicans would no doubt have scored noteworthy victories. From 2017 to 2018, the GOP could have defunded Planned Parenthood, hardened security on the southern border, regulated abortion procedures, gutted green subsidies, or enacted a nationwide right-to-work law. But these victories couldnt last. After Biden's inauguration, and the Georgia 2021 runoffs, Democrats would repeal and reverse each conservative policy, dramatically expanding federal power.

Without the filibuster to restrain them, Democrats could pack the Supreme Court. They could strip the Supreme Court of its power to review certain cases. They could even add new states to the Union for the first time since 1959, as Democrats attempted to do with D.C. To effect such significant change by party-line vote would cost the nation dearly, fomenting partisan rage and inviting political retribution. As soon as the GOP regained control of Washington, a likely prospect in light of Bidens current approval ratings, it would repeal and reverse the policies scarfed down its throat; in the words of Senate Minority Leader McConnell, [t]he pendulum would swing both ways, and it would swing hard. The Union would pay dearly for such turbulence.

Two Presidents and many Congresses having assailed this fundamental rule of American governance, the time has come to safeguard the Senates 60-vote threshold by constitutional amendment. So doing will forever secure minority rights in the chamber our Founding Father Alexander Hamilton charged with cooling the impulse of sudden and violent passions and curbing intemperate and pernicious resolutions.

Charles Brandt is a second-year law student at the George Washington University Law School.

Image: Library of Congress
So what did we learn from the final cliffhanger season finale of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the Capitol? Of course, the cast hopes to be renewed for another season and promised to be baaack! in September.

Well, first, the Democrats of both parties are interested only in convincing people not to vote for Trump again. Theyre not so much interested in improving security at the Capitol or improving communications or lines of cooperation among security agencies involved. Even the handling of the six permits issued by the U.S. Capitol could be improved, but thats not interesting.

The Left and the Swamp of both parties hate Trump with the heat of a thousand suns because they feel the sting of the voters rejection from 2016. They spent their lives studying government and politics (getting everything wrong and making a mess of things) and yet the voters chose him over them.

It reminds one of an ex-boyfriend angry with rejection that his girlfriend dumped him for that? I would be so much better for you than him! Why cant she see it? Surely, she will come running back. The voters must not have noticed that the political elites are so much better for us than Trump.

Its not unlike musician Salieris hatred of Mozart as portrayed in the movie Amadeus. Salieri recognizes that Mozarts jaw-dropping, effortless musical genius is a gift from God, and struggles to honor God and accept it. But eventually jealousy overcomes him and consumes him. The movie suggests Salieri arguing bitterly with God, sputtering why would God bless this superficial, amoral, dithering, unworthy ninny.

Trump haters cannot stop, cannot help themselves, because the sting of rejection is blinding. You must beg to take them back. They cannot accept that they are just really awful at their jobs. We would prefer voting for a floor mop over establishment insiders.

So, second, we learned from the Committee that Trump wanted to go to the Capitol after his speech. Then, after an insurrection by the Secret Service and others refusing to carry out his orders, Trump was irate. Shouldnt he be? White House officials and staff just overturned the authority of the President. Does that worry anyone in terms of setting a precedent?

Some months earlier, we learned that Trump officially appointed Sidney Powell as a special counsel to review the data from the election. But White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and others refused to carry out the Presidents orders. The shocking part is any POTUS giving an order and being told no. Earlier that day, we learned, a staffer conspiring with Cipollone tipped him off to that very meeting that Trump had with outside advisors. Cipollone set a new land speed record rushing back to the White House to break it up. Cipollones palace coup was portrayed as typical, normal, and routine. The junior staffer felt comfortable texting the White House counsel at night and warning him that the President was meeting with people Cipollone might not approve of.

B y the by, on January 8 the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi publicly announced that the military should not carry out Trumps orders as commander in chief. What if our enemies had believed that the U.S. military was leaderless and had used that moment to attack our allies?

So after telling Trump he could not go to the Capitol, the Trump haters blame him for not taking control of the situation at the Capitol. Well, which is it? Did you want Trump to go to the Capitol or stay out of it? The jilted ex-boyfriends blame Trump either way.

Third, of course, there is no reason to believe that the crowd at the Capitol would have responded to a television address from the White House. They were not carrying flat screen televisions around on their backs.

In fact, cell phone communications were limited. PCMAG published an explanation the next day Why Cell Networks Cut Out at the US Capitol Riot. Sascha Segans technical article mainly doubted that law enforcement jammed the system. But it vividly describes the cell phone outage. The article notes that text messages were often delivered hours late.

An analysis of the DoJs January 2022 press release shows.

Criminal charges:

More than 225 defendants have been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding officers or employees, including over 75 individuals who have been charged with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer.

That is only 75 out of 10,000 demonstrators at the Capitol, or 0.75%. Note DoJ included resisting or impeding along with assaulting to come up with 225.

It is unlikely the few violent thugs would have stopped to listen to Trumps words, even assuming they werent the mysteriously absent Antifa (seen at every other protest). They would have been too busy committing criminal mischief to stop and watch a video from Trump. But of course, Trump had just been ordered in a palace coup to go back to the White House.

Fourth, the political class objected when Trump spoke of wanting to use the military under the Insurrection Act to quell deadly, bloody riots and arson by Antifa at the White House, setting fire to the church across the square and pelting police with frozen water bottles. Now, they skewer Trump for not doing on January 6 what they said he must never do. Which is it? Did they want Trump to call out the military or not?

Fifth, the political class lies when asserting that Trump did not request military assistance. These are the experts who are supposed to know that it doesnt work that way.

Congress passed laws giving the U.S. Capitol Police exclusive authority over the U.S. Capitol and Capitol grounds. The Committee blamed Trump of a dereliction of duty and failing to see that the laws be faithfully executed. But Congress passed the laws putting the Capitol Police in charge of Capitol security. Those are the laws Trump must see are faithfully executed.

The Capitol has also entered into arrangements with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. for back-up assistance. Trump plays no role in security at the Capitol. And notice the committee has not called Nancy Pelosi, the Sergeant at Arms, etc. to testify?

Sixth, the governor of the state (in this case the mayor of D.C.) can request the National Guard or military help. D.C. did not do so until late in the day -- and then got the National Guard in record time. The committee claims that Trump did not request the National Guard on that day. Thats because Trump had already pre-approved the National Guard -- if D.C. asked for it -- four days earlier as now proven in documents. So not on that day -- but four days earlier.

Seventh, the Democrats just cant stop lying about the nonexistent police officers who "died" on January 6 or as a result of the demonstrations. The U.S. Capitol Police finally issued a press release Medical Examiner Finds USCP Officer Brian Sicknick Died of Natural Causes on April 19, 2021. Yet the committee never misses a chance to spread the lie that police officers died. Thursday night they whittled it down to Officer Sicknick died later but as a result of his injuries. The D.C. coroner was very clear. Sicknick had no injuries whatsoever from January 6.

All in all, the incidents were a sad mess. But the political class is not winning anyone back.

Image: yooperann
I am currently having a difference of agreement with a good friend I met way back in 5th grade at Tokeneke Elementary School. My friend is a TikTok aficionado. He has sent me several TikTok videos over the last year. Today, I asked him to stop.

When we spoke to each other on the phone after my request for a TikTok ban, he was curious. I told him that I think TikTok is demonic. I told him that I do not trust anything from the Chinese Communist Party. To make my position more emphatic, I told him with all the grade school voice I could summon, TikTok has Cooties!

As a sexagenarian nearing septuagenarian status, I can still recall recess on my elementary school playground from the recesses of my mind. We played kickball, four square, or tag to pass the time and get some exercise. We also spent some of the time teasing each other. I recall, for example, hearing something like, So and so has cooties. If memory serves, this was a way of accusing an elementary classmate of your sex that he or she was interested in a classmate of the opposite sex. After reading To Kill a Mockingbird, I now know this phrase has other meanings.

Am I right? Does TikTok have cooties?

Image made by Andrea Widburg using Cooties (edited) via PublicDomainPictures.net.

Now I could call 1-800-TicTock. If I called their customer service and asked them if TikTok has cooties, I doubt they would understand the question. If I took the time to explain my meaning, I suspect they would deny it and put me on a secret list of Americans needing re-education once they have assumed total control of the United States. Perhaps they would send an email to Merrick Garland or Chris Wray asking them to investigate me.

If anyone is still listening, I believe that the CCP is the largest slave master on earth. I believe its government suborns our politicians in Washington with money bearing the face of Chairman Mao. I believe they send their students to American colleges and universities to spy on us. I know they steal intellectual property from us. I know they spy on their own people to maintain control of them. I dont trust anything from those wonderful folks who gave us the Wuhan Flu.

If they offered the world something positive, I would give them a hearing. When I look at the CCP, all I see are variations of coercion. They are power-hungry and refuse to allow their people the freedom God gives us.

Because of our sad history with slavery, I admire the abolitionists in the UK and the USA who fought to stop slavery. I see the CCP as slaveowners who use tanks, extensive monitoring, and all kinds of coercion to control their people. I dont see TikTok as a warm, fuzzy, and harmless diversion. I see TikTok as head lice. It is another nefarious technique those tyrants use to gain information on their enemies. I suspect TikTok is a cyber remake of the Trojan Horse. I dont want to open my gate to TikTok. I think TikTok has cooties!

Ned Cosby, a regular contributor to American Thinker, is a pastor, veteran Coast Guard officer, and a retired public high school teacher. His new novel OUTCRY is a love story exposing the refusal of Christian leaders to report and discipline clergy who sexually abuse our young people. This work of fiction addresses crimes that are all too real. Cosby has also written RECOLLECTIONS FROM MY FATHERS HOUSE, tracing his own odyssey from 1954 to the present. For more info, visit Ned Cosby.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently remarked that the summer, early autumn will be very hard for French people due to the war in Ukraine, as he believes a total cutoff of Russian gas is likely to occur. Macron is telling French citizens to engage in energy sobriety and to prepare for even higher food prices.

Macron added, From now on, I will ask public bodies, and all companies that can, to consume less. We will create a program and try to use lighting less in the evenings. We are launching a load reduction and sobriety program. We have to prepare for a scenario in which we have to give up Russian gas completely.

Ironically, the French President noted that public lighting will be turned off at night in some places during a televised interview to commemorate Bastille Day, July 14th. The taking of the Bastille signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, and thus became a symbol of the end of the Old Regime.

Choosing to go dark by turning off the lights at night is an unmistakable symbol of the coming end of the current regime.

And France is by no means alone. California, the erstwhile Golden State, the Land of Milk and Honeyand Hollywoodsays it expects periodic blackouts this summer as the power runs low. In fact, California has struggled to keep the power on the past two summers, due to progressive policies that range from the nonsensical to the insane.

France is not engaged in war with Russia but is using the war as an excuse to demand energy sobriety from her citizens. California is not fighting Russia either.

As the sun literally and metaphorically rises in the East, the lights flicker and grow dim in the West.

Should the West go dark, it will be of its own making, and the whole world will be cast into an inky, despotic abyss -- from which it is unlikely ever to ascend again.

The Great Reset will likely also be a permanent one.

Formerly known as "The city of lights"

public domain
Recently, Merriam-Websters online dictionary made a significant amendment to its lexicon.

The dictionarys digital publishers added a new definition for female which reads: having a gender identity that is the opposite of male.

Similarly, the secondary definition of male reads: having a gender identity that is the opposite of female.

The usage of gender identity is noteworthy.

The primary definition of "female" also underwent changes.

National Review columnist Jack Wolfensohn noted that Merriam-Websters tenth edition defines the noun female as of, relating to, or being the sex that bears young or produces eggs.

The online edition adds the phrase: typically has the capacity.

If they were referring to females who cannot reproduce due to infertility issues, the amendments would have been made much sense than before.

The timing of these amendments makes it clear that Merriam-Webster has subscribed to the trans doctrine that gender and sex are mutually exclusive.

Trans activists claim that gender identity is not based on who you are but on what you claim you are. Hence, any gender identity that an individual claims to identify with is legitimate, even if the person's physical characteristics or capabilities do reflect the gender the person claims to embody.

Men who simply consider themselves to be female must be regarded as female. Since they obviously cannot reproduce, Merriam-Webster broadened their definition to 'typically has the capacity to bear young or produce eggs.'

The Kids Definition of female section in the online edition remains unchanged and reads of, relating to, or being the sex that bears young or lays eggs. Do not be too surprised if this undergoes changes in the near future.

The definition entries of female were amended back in 2020

The Merriam-Webster dictionary had changed its definition of "female" to "having a gender identity that is the opposite of male". So how you feel inside matters more than the body you have. They are literally erasing women from existence. Enough is enough. https://t.co/KDcVxSoId6  Julia Hartley-Brewer (@JuliaHB1) September 5, 2020

Merriam-Webster also broadened their meanings of boy and girl:

Girl has a secondary definition - a person whose gender identity is female, "boy also was amended to reflect gender identity-based descriptions.

Libs of TikTok posted a screenshot of a web archive page from July 26, 2021, that showed the secondary definition was absent.

Merriam-Webster also changed the definition of the word girl pic.twitter.com/5wkPcD9yJA  Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 19, 2022

The definition of woman remains as is i.e., an adult female person.

Back in 2019, Merriam-Webster defined the pronoun they, with one of its definitions as a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary. The word they was also Merriam-Websters Word of the Year for 2019, their rationale for selection makes it amply clear that this is a nod to trans activists.

This has caused complications in the real world.

During a recent Senate committee hearing on abortion, Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, asked California Berkeley law professor Khiara Bridges to explain her usage of the phrase people with the capacity for pregnancy.

Hawley asked Bridges if she was referring to women. Bridges responded said that some women cant get pregnant, just as there are some transgender men and nonbinary people who can get pregnant.

Bridges went on to accuse Hawley of transphobia claiming that the senator opens up trans people to violence by not recognizing them.

Last May, Democrat Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, used the phrase black birthing people when testifying in front of the House Oversight Committee.

Even liberals find it impossible to comprehend.

Bette Midler criticized the recent hesitation to use the word 'women.'

WOMEN OF THE WORLD! We are being stripped of our rights over our bodies, our lives and even of our name! They dont call us women anymore; they call us birthing people or menstruators, and even people with vaginas! Dont let them erase you! Every human on earth owes you!  bettemidler (@BetteMidler) July 4, 2022

CNN's Fareed Zakaria wrote a piece in the Washington Post reminding Democrats to focus on real issues instead of obsessing over pronouns. Zakaria was viciously attacked by a social media mob and called transphobic. The WaPo even altered the headline to appease the outraged mob.

The Merriam-Webster's dictionary, which was founded in 1828, is widely regarded as among the trustworthy sources for dictionary definitions. A dictionary must amend its definitions to reflect the evolution of language, but there must be strict rules.

For example, the word pundit originates from the Hindi word Pandit, which means a learned individual. This deserves to be included in the Merriam-Webster's dictionary since it is part of common parlance in the English-speaking world

Other scenarios for amendments could be new discoveries or inventions or new theories, all of which are a product of deep and prolonged study.

What if Merriam-Webster claims they wanted to be comprehensive and provide all possible definitions of the words female,' male, boy, and girl? They should have added footnotes with details and context that only a small group of people define those words in a certain way.

But they did no such thing. Instead, they altered the main definitions.

We are living in perilous times where every unchallengeable standard, which was once considered sacrosanct, is being violated without much contemplation. The Merriam-Webster's dictionary seems to be the recent casualty in the war on culture and norms.

The importance of controlling language can hardly be exaggerated. If they can alter or broaden definitions and meanings of words, they can revise culture to alter history, and to destroy both your past and present.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
On Friday, Janet Levy wrote about the fact that the Chinese have purchased land in North Dakota, immediately next to two highly sensitive military bases. The Biden administration is unconcerned, but ordinary Americans think its a problem when a geopolitical foe starts buying up land around military bases. Now, Governor Ron DeSantis is talking about ways to push back against the Chinese gobbling up American farmlandthat is, our food source.

Were we living in normal times, the people in Washington, both in the Biden administration and in Congress, would be getting very worried about the fact that China is buying up massive tracts of American farmland. After all, our population continues to grow, supply chains are breaking down, Ukraine and Russia are ceasing to have food to export, the Dutch government is seizing farmers land, Sri Lanka and Panama are having food shortages...and D.C. sits complacently as China buys up land that ought to be feeding Americans.

Ron DeSantis, however, is not complacent. In an appearance on Laura Ingrahams show, DeSantis said that the Chinese purchases are a huge problem. As a general matter, DeSantis says, I dont think they should be able to do it. Indeed, hes generally disturbed about Chinas increasing influence in America. In 2019, Florida shut down the last of its Confucius Institutes, which are organizations that represent the Chinese Communist Party on American campuses.

Image: Ron DeSantis. Fox News.

DeSantis also told Ingraham that the Florida legislature is contemplating trying to clear CCP connections from its pension funds as well: We're also probably going to do legislation next legislative session about our pension investments, with things that may be linked to the CCP. We don't necessarily have a lot of it, but we want to make sure that we're cutting ties so that we're not funding our number-one adversary.

Currently, America is in the peculiar position of having a political elitethat is, people who, while not actually elite in terms of character but in terms of powerthat owes its allegiance, not to the country it governs, but to the country that funds it. Usually, when the political class is hostile to the people it governs, thats because the political class represents invaders, whether it was the Hyksos in Egypt or the Normans in England. America has done something extraordinary, which is to have created a homegrown leadership class that hates the country it leads.

DeSantis, however, like Donald Trump, loves America and believes that it deserves a leadership class that wishes it well, rather than wishes to sell its resources to the highest bidder.

Currently, theres a lot of chatter about Trump versus DeSantis in 2024. I see both men having virtues and issues. But we havent even had the 2022 election, so Im not interested in looking that far ahead. In the near term, we must have both men work for the good of America rather than for the good of their potential political runs in two years.
Once again, the Ayn Rand Institute (ARI) gets it wrong.

On April 27, 2022, the Ayn Rand Institute published an article by Ben Bayer titled "If You're a Doctor or Nurse, Don't Feel Guilty for Quitting." The author expresses sympathy for the health care workers who have the desire to quit due to stress-related problems during the COVID pandemic. Staffing shortages and inadequate resources for treatment are mentioned as problems, but the majority of the blame is put on...wait for it...the unvaccinated.

Bayer asks doctors and nurses how much of their stress is due to their anger toward being disrespected by patients. Which patients? He says:

These were mostly the unvaccinated patients who were belligerent and uncompliant with doctors' medical instructions. Some demanded treatments with no known basis[.] ... Between their behavior and the fact that they could have avoided hospitalization by getting vaccinated, it must have been hard to feel compassion for them.

He goes on to reassure them that their anger is justified at the ungrateful, disrespectful, irrational patients because they didn't listen to the expertise of their doctors and nurses. Not only is their anger justified, but they actually have good reason to feel contempt for their unvaccinated patients, who treat them like "chattel."

The organization based on the philosophy of Ayn Rand must have forgotten that knowledge is founded in reality. Have they not noticed that the so-called "vaccines" do not prevent everyone from getting COVID? Have they not read about the serious vaccine injuries and/or deaths? It isn't true that the unvaccinated had no known basis for the alternate treatments they wanted. Does the ARI know nothing about ivermectin and that it was on the approved list of treatments? There were staffing shortages way before the vaccine in 2020. Then the CDC made it worse when they made those who were exposed to the virus stay home for 15 days. Was that the fault of the unvaccinated, too? Did the ARI not notice that doctors who questioned the vaccines or used other methods of treatment were threatened with losing their jobs or removal of their licenses? Are they unaware that government institutions, such as the FDA, CDC, and NIH, are dictating medical treatments?

The medical standards for treatment pushed by the hospitals have been established by the government. If we had independent doctors who could treat people based on the doctor's own best judgment, instead of one size fits all, it would alleviate all this distress. And because of the one-size-fits-all recipe, it causes patients to be circumspect and untrusting about the advice they are getting. This is a complicated issue. It isn't just "if everyone had gotten the vaccine, all this stress could have been avoided."

What are people supposed to do when navigating through a contradictory system such as socialized medicine? According to ARI, they shouldn't think for themselves; just do what the experts tell them to do. Just take what they are told on faith. And those who don't comply are "belligerent," "disrespectful," and "irrational." They should be shunned.

There is nothing wrong with a patient asking for a treatment, such as ivermectin, that has no negative side-effects. It is not irrational to refuse to accept something said by an authority just because he is an authority, especially when there are conflicting assertions by other experts. It is not belligerent to be distrustful of a medical system run by unelected bureaucrats. It is not showing disrespect to think for yourself.

Ayn Rand understood that independent thinking is required for man's survival. "If devotion to truth is the hallmark of morality, then there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking." Yet the ARI is not supporting people who think. Instead, it is advocating that people give up their own independent minds to judge for themselves and surrender to the corrupt system of socialized medicine. This is outrageous.

The blame needs to be placed where the blame belongs: on government intervention in medicine. It needs to be explained that the reason why medical people are feeling angry and stressed is because socialism causes shortages and problems. Yet the ARI blames the unvaccinated. The institute has no sympathy for the people who are concerned about rushed drugs and the persecution of doctors and nurses who disagree with government protocols.

The ARI's resentment for those who think for themselves is antiAyn Rand, anti-individualism, anti-autonomy, and anti-American. Saying "prove this to me" is an attitude that should be respected, rather than rejected. Questioning is the American way, and the ARI should know better.

Image: Julius Jaaskelainen via Flickr (cropped).
After reading about the press conference that John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council, held on Tuesday, its tempting to ask, Climate changeis there anything it cant do? According to Kirby, climate change is a national security issue because it will be a major driver of military strategy world instability, and military development.

American Military News has a straightforward summary of Kirbys pronouncements on the climates effect on Americas national security and the military:

Its a driver of actual missions, because climate change creates instability, which creates insecurity in some places. And you can end up  the fighting in Syria started, really, as a result of a drought. And so, theres  theres a  it can actually drive military missions and force the military to become involved in places and at times where they wouldnt have had to otherwise, Kirby said. Kirby said climate change impacts the U.S. militarys readiness because our  our troops, our sailors, our Marines, our airmen, our Coast Guardsmen are being called out for  to respond to natural disasters, which are getting worse because of climate change. He also claimed that climate change can affect our infrastructure, adding that military bases like Norfolk Naval Base have invested millions of dollars to try to improve their infrastructure because of rising sea levels. So it has an impact on our infrastructure. It has an impact on our readiness, because you  and youre seeing it now, even in the wildfires, where so many National Guardsmen are being called out, Kirby said. And  and God love them for that, but theyre  those are important tasks and missions, but it takes away from other tasks and missions when it comes to defending the United States.

If that all sounds a bit silly to you thats because it is. Climate change has become such a ubiquitous driver of everything that its meaningless. But meaningless doesnt mean that its not worrisome. As a friend of mine is wont to say, if you can regulate CO2, you can regulate everything, because CO2 is involved in every aspect of life on this planet.

In the same way, once you call climate change out as a military driver, theres nothing you cannot do in terms of expenditure and action. And indeed, there remains the distinct possibility that the administration will find a domestic enemy connected to climate change that requires the U.S. military to be activated on American soil, with its weapons aimed at American citizens.

Image of a Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper from the Department of Defense.
WHO declares monkeypox outbreak int'l public health emergency

Xinhua) 09:36, July 24, 2022

Health care workers assist people waiting to be vaccinated at a monkeypox vaccination site in New York, the United States, on July 14, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

After reconvening the WHO Emergency Committee on Thursday concerning the monkeypox outbreak, WHO Direcotr-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision at a press briefing on Saturday to sound the highest level of alert that the global health authority can issue for the time being, even without a consensus of the committee.

GENEVA, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared on Saturday that the current multi-country monkeypox outbreak outside of the traditional endemic areas in Africa has already turned into a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

After reconvening the WHO Emergency Committee on Thursday concerning the monkeypox outbreak, WHO Direcotr-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the decision at a press briefing on Saturday to sound the highest level of alert that the global health authority can issue for the time being, even without a consensus of the committee.

"So in short, we have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little, and which meets the criteria in the International Health Regulations," said Tedros.

"For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," he noted.

He cited five reasons behind the decision. First, the information provided by countries shows that this virus has spread rapidly to many countries that have not seen it before; second, the three criteria for declaring a PHEIC under the International Health Regulations have been met; third, the advice of the Emergency Committee, even without a consensus; fourth, scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information which are currently insufficient and leave us with many unknowns; and fifth, the risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic.

Health care workers assist people waiting to be vaccinated at a monkeypox vaccination site in New York, the United States, on July 14, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

"For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," he noted.

He cited five reasons behind the decision. First, the information provided by countries shows that this virus has spread rapidly to many countries that have not seen it before; second, the three criteria for declaring a PHEIC under the International Health Regulations have been met; third, the advice of the Emergency Committee, even without a consensus; fourth, scientific principles, evidence and other relevant information which are currently insufficient and leave us with many unknowns; and fifth, the risk to human health, international spread, and the potential for interference with international traffic.

However, he added that for the moment the monkeypox outbreak is concentrated among men having sex with men, especially those with multiple sexual partners. "That means that this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups," he said.

Tedros first convened the WHO Emergency Committee in late June, after which the latter advised him then that the event had not constituted a PHEIC. According to Tedros on Saturday, the outbreak has continued to grow to see more than 16,000 cases from 75 countries and territories reported to WHO, including five deaths.

Monkeypox, first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958, is assumed to transmit from wild animals such as rodents to people, or from human to human. Multiple clusters of the monkeypox virus have been reported within the past few weeks in several European countries and North America, which are regions where the virus is not normally found.

According to WHO, endemic monkeypox disease is normally geographically limited to West and Central Africa. The identification of confirmed and suspected cases of monkeypox without any travel history to an endemic area in multiple countries is atypical.

Health care workers assist people waiting to be vaccinated at a monkeypox vaccination site in New York, the United States, on July 14, 2022. (Photo by Michael Nagle/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Sheng Chuyi, Bianji)
LoL star Faker Fights Back Toxic Fans

League of Legends star Lee 'Faker' Sang-hyeok with his team T1 has filed criminal lawsuits against multiple anonymous individuals who have been continuously harassing Faker for some time now.



These lawsuits were filed in response to an unnamed LoL fan creating a community page in the top SoKor internet forum DCInside for the sole purpose of harassing and disparaging Faker; several other lawsuits were also filed for other unnamed users.



With its unquestionable performance during the Mid-Season Invitational (MSI 2022), especially their odd draft that led to a terrible upset, T1 received numerous disdainful comments from a disappointed League of Legends community in Korea.



Watch this report about the lawsuit here:

Things only got worst when these fans started targeting the players, especially Faker. Toxic fans started spreading foul insults online that went worse and more frequently. These individuals even went to the extent of pronouncing vulgar comments about Faker's own family and sharing unspeakably insulting drawings. Whatever comments that these individuals posted, it is surely extreme to force Faker to push for sanctions.

In retaliation, T1 has already ordered for the said posts to be taken down, as well as gathered some important files to build a strong defamation case against these individuals.

This is not the first time we hear about fans acting rude to gaming stars and personalities. Flaming can be strongly observed in almost any online game forum. It is just most of the time, these people do not face certain consequences.

As an LoL icon, Faker has been enduring this type of treatment from some fans since 2015. Along with his rise to fame came attacks from toxic fans.

It is actually odd that it is just now that the star finally does something to address this worsening case of really rabid haters. Maybe the real 'unkillable demon king' has finally awakened after years of insults and maltreatment from fans.

Also read: Infamous Destiny 2 Troll Finally Sued By Bungie For Threatening Company Employees

In an interview, here is what the T1 legal team has to say: "With respect to Faker's opinion on this matter, we are filing criminal lawsuits only towards those that repeatedly and habitually left such malicious comments, as he felt that these individuals need to be severely sanctioned. As such, there will be no plea nor favourable arrangement deals."

In Korea, sanctions for the Insult Law can range from a fine of $760 to $1,520 and even a considerable amount of jail time for some cases. But according to Faker's legal team, these individuals can face more severe punishment as what they have done is considered 'harsher' and 'very malicious', considering they have been doing this for an extended period of time, they can only expect the worse.

With these developments, we can only expect some changes as to how fans should act in online forums. This event should be a lesson to every fan to distinguish between criticism and abuse.
When COVID madness was in its infancy, a big story across the Western world was the way in which governments shut down peoples access to their faith. Sadly, many religious leaders cheerfully went along with these shutdowns as if it were nothing to deny religious succor to believers during dark days. One of the pastors who refused to accept that religion had no place in a crisis was Canadian pastor Artur Pawlowski, who the state relentlessly persecuted, arresting, fining, and imprisoning him. Now, though, hes finally been vindicated.

I wrote about Pastor Pawlowski frequently during the dark days of COVID. One of the pieces was on May 9, 2021, which I entitled Calgary police finally got their revenge against Pastor Pawlowski. In it, I briefly summarized how Pastor Pawlowski had bravely stood against the state, citing to Canadas own Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Calgary police didnt care, and they arrested Pastor Pawlowski and then boasted about it.

Now, though, Pastor Pawlowski is having the last laugh. Ezra Levant, a stalwart Canadian freedom fighter, tells the tale:

2. Kenney -- and his disgraceful justice & health ministers -- spent millions of dollars hounding Pastor Artur and his brother Dawid. Kenney set the precedent for Justin Trudeau's political persecution of Tamara Lich.



Today the Court of Appeal ruled it was an illegal vendetta.  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) July 22, 2022

4. Remember this shocking, SWAT-team take down of Pastor Artur and his brother Dawid, like they were drug kingpins? Illegal. The @CalgaryPolice are an international disgrace. If their chief had any moral fiber, hed resign. pic.twitter.com/RZ913cQns3  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) July 22, 2022

4. Remember this shocking, SWAT-team take down of Pastor Artur and his brother Dawid, like they were drug kingpins? Illegal. The @CalgaryPolice are an international disgrace. If their chief had any moral fiber, hed resign. pic.twitter.com/RZ913cQns3  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) July 22, 2022

[I skipped a tweet in which Levant told readers he would be having a broadcast to discuss the courts decision.]

8. Today's ruling by the Alberta Court of Appeal is a binding precedent across Alberta and it's also persuasive across Canada. Pastor Artur's victory will help thousands of other Canadians break free from the brutal and often unconstitutional enforcement of lockdowns.  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) July 22, 2022

9. By the way, you can read the whole ruling for yourself at our website, https://t.co/bMwAj1iNfP.  Ezra Levant  (@ezralevant) July 22, 2022

Aside from being a wonderful vindication of Pastor Pawlowski, this story should be heartening to all of us. It is a reminder that, in societies that still have a vestigial remembrance of the rule of law, as you go higher up the judicial ladder, youre more likely to get learned judges who actually believe in justice. And, while the mills of law most certainly arent the mills of God, the reality is that, like the mills of God, they grind both slow and small: You may ultimately get the right outcome, but you have to be willing to fight and wait for it.

Image: Twitter screen grab.
The spectacle, quite literally, of protesting crowds outside the homes of justices of the Supreme Court of the United States, should prompt an additional questions during the voir dire (pretrial examination of jurors) for trials that are likely to be politically sensitive, as, for example, last week's trial of Steve Bannon for contempt of Congress.

The question is: Are you concerned that if you find the defendant not guilty of refusing to comply with a subpoena issued by a House committee completely hand-picked by Speaker Pelosi, contrary to the rules of the committee, your home will be targeted for protests?

This question should also be asked of the judge who presides over a politically sensitive trial. After all, the Hon. Carl J. Nichols, the jurist presiding over the Bannon trial, by limiting the witnesses Bannon could call in his defense, seemed to make inevitable a guilty verdict, notwithstanding the fact, as I pointed out previously in American Thinker on July 20 , that the committee ignored significant rules in House Res. 503, which is the resolution that created the committee.

Are depositions sought in a manner contrary to the rules of the committee valid? How else could Bannon have established that the committee ignored its own rules, but by questioning the chair of the committee, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson -- or "vice chair" Rep. Liz Cheney -- who, of course, should have been asked: "How did you become "vice chair" of the Jan. 6 committee when the rules establishing the committee do not call for a vice chair?" Ms. Cheney should also have been asked: "Didn't the authorizing resolution require a 'ranking member,' but, as a 'ranking member' is chosen by the minority, this committee lacks a 'ranking member'?" (The committee's rules called for consultations on depositions between the chair and ranking member. In the absence of such consultations, the depositions ordered by Chairman Thompson, arguably, were not valid.)

Counsel for Bannon might then have explained to jury and judge that "without consultations between chair and ranking members, the demand that my client sit for a deposition was illegitimate."

But questions making clear that the Jan. 6 committee acted in an ultra vires way could not be asked in the Bannon trial, as Judge Nichols did not permit questions of the chair of the committee, the phony "vice chair" of the committee or, indeed, of Speaker Pelosi who, as Newt Gingrich has stated, has conducted her position of highest responsibility as a dictator. Could the judge have imagined that if he accepted the valid arguments of counsel in defense of Steve Bannon, his home would be besieged with leftists carrying posters: "How dare you let Bannon call the speaker a "dictator?"

But these are parlous times, when politics, not legal principles, determine public controversies. Law professor Alan Dershowitz suspects that the verdict may be overturned for different reasons, but we shall see.

Notwithstanding laws that prohibit demonstrations in front of the homes of Supreme Court justices, the laws are ignored by Democrat authorities on the state, local, and federal levels -- and the obvious attempts to intimidate the members of the Supreme Court proceed apace.

Should we blame a federal judge for being concerned that he, too, could be the target of intimidating hordes, given license to make life as difficult as possible for his and his family -- if he rules on the basis of the law, not on the basis of mob rule -- with zero security from President Biden or his attorney general?

At the very least, when this November, G-d willing, the Republicans win majorities in House and Senate, the judiciary committees of these legislative bodies, must hold hearings on the politicization by the Democrats of the judicial process -- for the purpose of making certain that the constitutional travesty of the "January 6" show trials (for enhancing their "drama" according to the New York Times T.V. reporter) never again threatens to undermine our governmental institutions.
A Cabinet minister has warned that HS2 is a killer whale that could rip the arm off the next prime minister.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Kit Malthouse, the most senior minister in the Cabinet Office, told the Telegraph that the HS2 project was akin to a killer whale and suggested it was one of the projects that could spell trouble for the next incumbent of No 10.

The Government-backed project comes with promises that it will deliver growth to all parts of the country, but its opponents have attacked the massive costs associated with the plan.

(PA Graphics)

Mr Malthouse, who only a few weeks ago was policing minister but took up the job in Boris Johnsons forced reshuffle, may only occupy the Cabinet Office role for the summer as the Tory Party chooses between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss for its new leader.

But he warned the newspaper that the Government faces killer whales, namely the big projects that sit out there below the surface, waiting to breach above the waves and rip your arm off.

He contrasted those with hornets plaguing the Government  issues such as the cost-of-living crisis, strikes and NHS backlogs.

The engine at the moment is actually pretty good, and my predecessors have built a pretty good engine, he said of the Cabinet Office.

But its one that is recovering from Covid.

During the pandemic it was very focused on its Covid work. And dealing with that particular national international emergency was a huge moment for the Cabinet Office. And it did some remarkable stuff.

Kit Malthouse said that HS2 was like a killer whale project for the Government (Aaron Chown/PA)

But it is now time for us to shift off that kind of big uni-focal activity, and have a look at all this other stuff.

He continued: These are the big projects that sit out there below the surface, waiting to breach above the waves and rip your arm off. Big projects with big money involved, that often take quite a lot of sophisticated leadership and management.

And we need to just make sure that weve got the risk assessed properly on that for a new prime minister.

He said that HS2 is a big project and its definitely on the list of so-called killer whales.

HS2 is obviously making significant progress, he said.

What I want is when a new prime minister comes in, that he or she is able to say to me Kit, what should I be worried about? Thats the exercise that were going through over the next four to six weeks.

A HS2 Ltd spokesperson said: With over 350 construction sites active between London and Crewe, three giant tunnelling machines currently underground, and works started on our viaducts and stations, HS2 is on budget and making fantastic progress.

Furthermore, the project is providing work for over 26,000 people, with tens of thousands more jobs supported through our wider supply chain, and more than 2,500 companies awarded HS2 contracts to date.

HS2 is zero-carbon public transport that will play a vital part in the Governments ambitions to level-up the Midlands and North.
A cat has died and another was seriously injured after they were shot with a crossbow.

The animals owners found their pets with serious injuries caused by a crossbow bolt in the Kerrow Drive area of Kingussie in the Highlands.

One of the cats survived following treatment from a vet, but the other died.

Police are appealing for information about the incidents.

Police in the Highlands are appealing for information after two cats were shot by a crossbow in Kingussie. READ MORE: https://t.co/gOHLUdnF6B pic.twitter.com/tsDPsLWJSR  Northern Police (@northernPolice) July 24, 2022

Sergeant Craig McGhee said: We are eager to trace whoever was responsible for these attacks and I am appealing to members of the local community to assist us with identifying those involved.

If anyone saw anything suspicious around the time of this incident or has information that could help with our ongoing enquiries then please get in touch.

You can contact officers via 101, quoting incident number 2421 of Friday, 22 July, 2022, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Pop culture fans were treated to a truly super Saturday at San Diego Comic-Con as both Marvel and Warner Bros dropped trailers for several upcoming blockbusters.

Clips from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man: Quantumania, Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury Of The Gods delighted fans in the conventions Hall H.

Marvel boss Kevin Fiege took to the stage in the afternoon to host a mega-panel in which he teased further events of Phases Five and Six of the franchise.

Among the major reveals was the trailer for the upcoming Black Panther sequel which is scheduled for release on November 11.

The cast and crew paid tribute to the franchises late star Chadwick Boseman and said they had put their love for the actor into the film.

Sharing the clip, the films director Ryan Coogler recalled sitting with Boseman at a previous Comic-Con.

Chadwick had these huge hands and he was just squeezing down on my shoulders. I felt his hand the rest of the day, he said.

I promise you, I can feel his hand on me right now.

Emotional scenes in the trailer showed queen Ramonda, played by Angela Bassett, and her family mourning the loss of her son king TChalla, played by Boseman.

Just announced in Hall H: Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, in theaters May 5, 2023. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/gp1fh4HHKQ  Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 24, 2022

Other films announced by Feige included Captain America: New World Order, Guardians Of The Galaxy 3, and Ant-Man: Quantumania, the latter two also debuted trailers.

Stars of the films including Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Will Poulter, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily appeared in person at the panel.

Guardians director James Gunn told fans that it was the end of the story for the characters as he shared the exclusive footage.

The emotional trailer contained scenes including Gamora as head of the Ravagers, new super-suits and a muscled-up Groot.

Just announced in Hall H: Marvel Studios' Captain America: New World Order, in theaters May 3, 2024. #SDCC2022 pic.twitter.com/NcORU27Kmt  Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) July 24, 2022

The Ant-Man trailer shows Scott Langs (Rudd) daughter Cassie dragged into the quantum realm, and the ensuing rescue mission, featuring an appearance by actor Bill Murray.

Feige also revealed that Marvels Phase Six would begin on November 8 2024, kicking off with a Fantastic Four film.

He added that it would end towards the end of 2025 with two Avengers films: Avengers: Kang Dynasty and Avengers: Secrets Wars.

Earlier in the day Dwayne Johnson appeared in full superhero costume  surrounded by crackling electricity and swirling smoke  to promote DCs Black Adam.

Blue sparks flew in the darkness as special lanyards given to attendees flashed blue as the Hollywood star made an epic entrance onstage, warning fans that the superhero universe would never be the same again.

Fans were treated to an extended look at the film with explosive footage showing Johnson deflecting bullets and smashing helicopters into each other.

Sat alongside his fellow cast members Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Quintessa Swindell as well as director Jaume Collet-Serra, Johnson said the films journey has been an incredible one.

To be here to watch Black Adam levitate and throw lightning like he was handing out candy, its a dream come true, he said.

The film is scheduled for a UK release of October 21.

Moments before, fans were officially introduced to the Shazam-ily as a new trailer for the superhero sequel Shazam! Fury Of The Gods debuted.

Stars of the film Zachary Levi, Asher Angel and Jack Dylan Grazer appeared on stage on the first panel of the day, and virtual messages were sent by Dame Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler, who could not attend.

Check out the official trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods  in theaters this Christmas. #ShazamMovie pic.twitter.com/WlHdrkG99L  Shazam! Fury of the Gods (@ShazamMovie) July 23, 2022

Dame Helen Mirren joked that she had been banned from Comic-Con for fighting, and shocked fans with a humorous but risque greeting.

Panels were also held for HBOs upcoming Game Of Thrones spin-off series House Of The Dragon and the final series of Paramount+s Star Trek: Picard.

British talent including Matt Smith, Emma DArcy and Paddy Considine were joined by US author George RR Martin, and Sir Patrick Stewart was cheered by fans as he arrived to speak.
Line Of Duty star Adrian Dunbar has predicted a bright future for a literary festival in his home town after it returned with a bang following the pandemic.

Dunbar, renowned for playing Superintendent Ted Hastings in the hit police drama, has been involved in the Happy Days festival in Enniskillen celebrating the work of Nobel laureate playwright Samuel Beckett since its inception in 2012.

This year he directed one of Becketts plays amid ancient monastic ruins on the island of Devenish on the outskirts of the lakeland town in Co Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.

Beckett spent several of his formative years in Enniskillen as a boarding pupil at Portora Royal Grammar School between 1920 and 1923.

Lalor Roddy, left, and Vincent Higgins pictured with Adrian Dunbar ahead of their performance of Ohio Impromptu on Devenish Island (Cordula Treml/PA)

Fifty years earlier another of Irelands literary greats, Oscar Wilde, also attended Portora, which is now known as Enniskillen Royal Grammar School.

Dunbar, who grew up in Enniskillen, joined stage and screen actors from Ireland and beyond for the Beckett international festivals first outing since 2019.

The town is a really good size for a festival, the 63-year-old told the PA news agency.

Its got some great places to eat. Its got some really interesting buildings where we can curate things and its very proud of its connections with Beckett, and Wilde of course as well.

My hopes for it is that it will sustain itself, that people will keep coming from across the world as they do.

Its lasted for 10 years, it survived Covid, a lot of things havent survived that period, but the festival has and its back and the aficionados are back, the Beckett lovers are back, the people who engage with Sams work are back and theyre coming from all over the place again.

They will come from America and they will come from Australia and Japan and all over Europe, and so therefore, you know, Im hoping that that is going to sustain it, but also Id like more people from Belfast and Derry and Dublin and Sligo, Id like more people from Ireland to feed into the festival as well.

Actor Toby Jones also took part in the Happy Days festival (PA)

Dunbar said he first became engaged with Becketts work when he saw a performance of the play Waiting For Godot in 1980 but said his involvement in the festival was the trigger that ignited a deep passion for his work.

A literary festival around Samuel Beckett is an absolute no-brainer, he said.

Hes such an exemplary person in so many ways. Hes a bit of a hero of ours and so it was a no-brainer to get behind it and of course to promote the town and promote this part of the world.

Im very proud to have come from Enniskillen. This was an incredible place to grow up as a kid with the rivers and the lakes, the fishing, the boats, its kind of like Huckleberry Finn-type stuff.

And so Im always very, very happy to promote the town.

As well as Ohio Impromptu directed by Dunbar on Devenish Island, the five-day festival also staged performances in a variety of other unusual settings, including below ground in the Marble Arch Caves.

Actors and artists Toby Jones, Dame Sarah Connolly, Fleur Barron, Alex Murphy and Liam O Maonlai were among those taking part.

Artistic director of the Happy Days festival Sean Doran (David Young/PA)

Sean Doran, the artistic director of Happy Days, said the challenge of securing funding to put the festival on made its success all the more satisfying.

Its a wonderful shock and surprise that its real and that people are turning up, he said.

Weve had so many wonderful sold-out shows and theyre just coming back, you see familiar faces, you see a lot of new faces as well.

We go from year to year. Its a very, very underfunded festival and we sort of scrape the funding together. Therefore, its more rewarding to cross the line somehow or other with that, and each year it is a struggle to do so, but we get so rewarded by the audiences reactions  thats what takes us on to the next year. Wed love to get bigger and better.

I think its so important in our place, post-Troubles, to have this kind of equality of activity, that people here locally dont have to go to London, New York, Paris, wherever it is, to see great artists and great actors.

Mr Doran pointed to the growth of the Galway International Arts Festival as inspiration for what the Beckett festival could ultimately become.

The business community here in Enniskillen absolutely loves the festival coming back because of the type of cultural tourists that come in who are so interested in the place and the shops and buying other things and spending time and so forth, he said.

So, I think theres huge potential for it and Id really love to see it, you know, the way the Galway International Arts Festival started in 1985 and look what it has become.
The UK will crack down further on illegal migration in the coming months regardless of who enters Downing Street, after both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak pledged fresh measures to tighten British borders.

On a weekend in which the two rival camps traded blows over tax cuts and economic credibility, the Foreign Secretary and the former chancellor appeared united on the need to toughen up UK policy on migrants.

That unity was only temporary however, as the Truss campaign questioned the credibility of Mr Sunaks proposals.

Ms Truss has promised an expanded Border Force, while Mr Sunak has committed to an annual cap on the number of refugees coming to Britain.

The leadership campaign has so far seen both candidates re-commit to the Governments controversial Rwanda asylum scheme, over which Britain currently stands to lose the 120 million it has paid to Rwanda if the plan to deport migrants is ruled unlawful by the courts.

Both candidates defended the policy, despite officials from the east African nations government confirming this week it had received the entire initial payment for the agreement signed in April and that the funds are already committed, with some money spent on preparations for arrivals.

The first deportation flight was grounded in June after a series of legal challenges, and another attempt is yet to be scheduled.

Ms Truss told the Mail On Sunday that the Rwanda scheme is the right policy, and said it could be expanded to include other countries.

Expanding on comments made in an interview with the newspaper, the Truss campaign also said that as prime minister she would increase the UKs frontline Border Force by 20% and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels.

Mr Sunak made a similar pledge on Rwanda, with his campaign promising to do whatever it takes for the scheme to succeed.

Illegal migration has so far played a less significant role in the campaign, with inflation and the cost-of-living dominating the clashes between the candidates.

 I have a clear @Conservatives plan and vision for our country and economy. I will deliver and get things done from day one. Join the team: https://t.co/koPyqw4wIG#LizForLeader  Liz for Leader (@trussliz) July 23, 2022

On the first weekend since Tory MPs whittled down the candidates to the final two, Mr Sunak travelled to Margaret Thatchers birthplace of Grantham in Lincolnshire where he stressed his common sense Thatcherite credentials and labelled the tax plans of Ms Truss immoral.

His concerns were backed by Tory grandees Chris Patten, Norman Lamont and Malcolm Rifkind, who told The Observer that Mrs Thatcher would not have approved of cutting taxes to curb inflation.

Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary and Truss backer, rejected those concerns.

In a sign of the divisions within the party, she told Sky News: Well, I dont know the basis on which theyre saying that: many of them were not in the original Margaret Thatcher Cabinet at the start of when she took over in 1979.

Every year thousands and thousands of people come into the UK illegally. Often we dont know who they are, where theyre from and why they are here. These are not bad people, but it makes a mockery of our system and it must stop. Watch below  sign up https://t.co/3cXn1rFhca pic.twitter.com/gXjtsGqdXK  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 24, 2022

Im not going to exchange comments with people who havent been in government for a very long time.

Ms Truss, during a visit to party members in Kent, once again defended her plans for potentially 30 billion of tax cuts, saying: I think it is wrong to be taking money from people that we dont need to take, when people across the country are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

Ms Truss said her plan to tackle illegal migration would be given a strong legal foundation by the new UK Bill of Rights, adding: We need to break the cycle of these appalling gangs and stop people taking dangerous journeys across the Channel.

(PA Graphics)

As prime minister, I am determined to see the Rwanda policy through to full implementation as well as exploring other countries where we can work on similar partnerships.

Ill make sure we have the right levels of force and protection at our borders. I will not cower to the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights) and its continued efforts to try and control immigration policy.

A source close to Ms Truss said she had been involved in developing the generation-defining Rwanda policy, and had been frustrated at ECHR mission creep.

On illegal immigration, Mr Sunak offers a 10-point plan that will include a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR, with enhanced powers to detain, tag and monitor illegal migrants.

Mr Sunak also promises to give Parliament control over who comes to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, albeit one that can be changed in the case of sudden emergencies.

He said: Our immigration system is broken and we have to be honest about that. Whether you believe that migration should be high or low, we can all agree that it should be legal and controlled.

Liz Truss addressing supporters during a visit to Ashley House, Marden, Kent (James Manning/PA)

Mr Sunak said if he wins the party vote, top of his agenda will be a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron to find a solution to small boat crossings, which he also suggests should be tackled with a new cross-Government taskforce.

But the Truss camp has raised questions about Mr Sunaks proposals, arguing that it was unclear how the refugee quota would work and suggesting that some of his plans amounted to a rebrand.

Both candidates plans have already faced criticism, with Oxfam labelling as cruel any plan to link UK aid payments to countries co-operation with immigration removals.

If anything, this shows that the heat of campaigning leads to bad policy, said Sam Nadel, Oxfams head of government relations.

To meet a world in desperate crisis  facing climate change, famine and conflict  with cruel policies such as these would not live up to the role. We need more aid and safe and legal routes to the UK.

Absolutely delighted to have @RishiSunak in #NorthWestDurham today. Clear Plan to:  Crack down on inflation & avoid unnecessary interest rate hikes thatd hurt families & kill businesses Focused plan tackling #NHS Covid Backlog Unite  & beat @UKLabour @theSNP & @LibDems pic.twitter.com/NcFXkuf8t3  Richard Holden MP (@RicHolden) July 23, 2022

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper also criticised the proposals, accusing the candidates of wasting taxpayers money on the Rwanda scheme.

She said: The Conservatives have been in power for 12 years. It beggars belief that they claim to be the ones to sort things out when they have both failed for so long.

On Sunday, Welsh Secretary and Sunak supporter Sir Robert Buckland rejected such concerns, calling the proposals humane.

He told Sky News: I think it is a very common sense and pragmatic approach to a problem that has been around for longer than we care to remember, Sir Robert said.

It comes as new polling by Opinium suggests voters are largely split between Ms Truss and Mr Sunak, with 43% believing the former chancellor would be a good PM compared to 36% for the Foreign Secretary.

Both candidates still have time to make an impression on the public, with the pair set to face-off in a televised BBC debate on Monday, followed by another debate on Tuesday hosted by The Sun and TalkTV.

Mr Sunak and Ms Truss have also signed up for a Sky debate on August 4.
Rishi Sunak has promised to ban Chinas controversial Confucius Institutes from the UK, labelling the country the biggest-long term threat to Britain.

The announcement would signal a major hardening of government policy on China if Mr Sunak becomes the next prime minister, following pressure from a vocal caucus of Tory backbenchers.

In recent months Mr Sunaks Tory leadership rival Liz Truss has also taken an increasingly hardline approach on China in her role as Foreign Secretary.

This latest announcement will be seen as a move to firm up the former chancellors national security credentials, as he promises to close all 30 of Chinas Confucius Institutes in the UK.

Former prime minister Theresa May with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing in 2018 (PA)

Funded by the Chinese Government, they are ostensibly culture and language centres but critics have labelled them propaganda tools amid worsening relations between the West and China.

Mr Sunak accused China of stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities.

Abroad, they are propping up Putins fascist invasion of Ukraine by buying his oil and attempting to bully their neighbours, including Taiwan.

They are saddling developing countries with insurmountable debt and using this to seize their assets or hold a diplomatic gun to their heads.

They torture, detain and indoctrinate their own people, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in contravention of their human rights. And they have continually rigged the global economy in their favour by suppressing their currency.

With a pledge to lead the world in standing up to China so-called technological aggression, Mr Sunak said he would implement an amendment to the Higher Education Bill that would force British universities to disclose any foreign funding partnerships of more than 50,000.

He is also committing to a review of all UK-Chinese research partnerships which might assist China technologically or have military applications, as well as expanding MI5s reach to provide greater support to British businesses and universities to counter alleged Chinese industrial espionage.

He said he will examine whether there is a need to prevent Chinese acquisitions of key British assets, amid concerns about the scale of Chinese investment in key industries.

I will stop China taking over our universities, and get British companies and public institutions the cyber-security they need. And I will work with President Biden and other world leaders to transform the Wests resilience to the threat China poses, the leadership hopeful added.

The Truss campaign was quick to question Mr Sunaks new pledges, with Sir Iain Duncan Smith calling the announcement surprising.

Sir Iain, the co-chairman of the inter-parliamentary alliance on China, said: Over the last two years, the Treasury has pushed hard for an economic deal with China. This is despite China sanctioning myself and four UK parliamentarians.

Despite China brutally cracking down on peaceful democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan, illegally occupying the South China Sea, committing genocide on the Uyghurs and increasing its influence in our universities.

After such a litany, I have one simple question, where have you been over the last two years?

A spokesperson for Ms Truss said: Liz has strengthened Britains position on China since becoming Foreign Secretary and helped lead the international response to increased Chinese aggression.

This will only continue when she becomes prime minister and seeks to expand her network of liberty around the world.
Disabled drivers have been warned about using their blue badges in popular European holiday destinations this summer due to an outrageous Brexit hangover that means they may not be accepted.

Ministers are still negotiating with 11 nations on the status of UK blue badges, which were recognised across the EU until the country left the union two years ago.

France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy are among the countries still undecided about whether UK blue badges will be recognised, according to the UK Government website.

The others are Iceland, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovenia.

The AA has said disabled drivers may leave themselves open to parking fines if they use their permits in these countries as it criticised the simply unacceptable situation.

The Government has told badge-holders to check with the embassy of the country you are travelling to for the latest developments.

But the motoring association said consulates had insisted they could not issue advice to disabled drivers until an agreement was reached.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: To keep blue badge users in limbo is simply unacceptable. Blue badges are issued because of specific health reasons, and to not have their status confirmed two years down the line is simply outrageous.

Rather than take a chance, we would encourage blue badge users to use drop-off and collection zones where possible while the car is parked in a non-disabled bay.

While problematic, it reduces the risk of a vehicle being given a ticket or towed away. While the Government website asks blue badge users to ask the consulates for further advice on if their blue badge would be accepted, most could not provide any assurances or advice to the AA.

Both the UK Government and the 11 European nations yet to ratify the status of UK-issued blue badges need to resolve the matter urgently and provide clarity for all concerned.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: Negotiations on Blue Badge recognition are ongoing between the UK and individual EU states, and motorists should check our guidance to find out where the Blue Badge is recognised in the EU.
More Russian oil imports have found their way to the Middle East as the EU embargo is pushed. These developments come as India and China buy discounted oil, not so for G7 nations.

Western Nations Gets No Oil

According to Bloomberg on Friday, which cited vessel-tracking data, crude oil deliveries from the Middle East to the EU have surged by 90% since January as the bloc refused Russian oil due to penalties.

Deliveries have virtually doubled compared to the previous year, the report claims, reported RT.

More than 1 million barrels per day were pumped via the Sumed pipeline from the Middle East, primarily Saudi Arabia, to the EU in the first three weeks of July. Another 1.2 million people arrived via the Suez Canal, largely from Iraq.

It represents a 90 percent increase over what the EU obtained from the region in January, the month before Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine. Consequences against Moscow were then implemented, including a restriction on the import of Russian energy.

Early in June, the union enacted yet another wave of sanctions, which included a partial embargo on Russian oil and a prohibition on seaborne shipments.

Moscow's reply was to give a discount on oil, which India and China quickly seized upon. In recent months, both nations have boosted their purchases.

Read Also: Emmanuel Macron Facts: Interesting Info You May Not Know About The French President

Although economists caution about the potential repercussions after the oil embargo takes force by the end of the year, the EU may have discovered a substitute for Russian oil in the Middle East, noted Fast News.

The move includes a ban on shipping Russian oil exports with insurance to customers globally, which might cause issues for total oil shipments and increase competition for the region supply.

G7 Demands Russian Oil Price Cap

Elvira Nabiullina, the head of the country's Central Bank, warned on Friday that Russia would stop providing countries that set a price limit on its oil.

Moscow contends that establishing a price cap will increase oil prices and harm Russian producers.

If they persist with the price cap, the next step will be to halt oil deliveries permanently as Moscow cracks the whip.

She made her remarks the day after Alexander Novak, the deputy prime minister of Russia, expressed concerns to the same effect, telling Russia's Channel One that a price cap would cause income to fall below the production cost.

Joe Biden desperately wants to lower oil costs and deprive Russia's earnings to show that he carries weight, as the G7 looks to him to do just that. It comes to even denial of shipping and insurance over a set rate.

The G7 nations think they can demand a price cap because British and European companies insure about 85-90% of oil transported from Russia, as remarked by the Brookings Institution, a US think tank.

Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev slammed the attempt to get cheaper gas and said it might cost $300-400 a barrel.

Increased Russian oil imports to the Middle East due to low prices have prompted the G7 to think they could demand a price cap, but Russia refused.

Related Article: Russia Threatens G7 Zero Oil Exports If West Imposes Oil Price Cap

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. still remains a ways away from reaching an international agreement to impose a price cap on Russian oil exports, with limited enthusiasm from the worlds largest energy buyers India and China, so far, a Senior Biden energy advisor said.

But Amos Hochstein, Special Coordinator for International Energy Affairs for President Biden, said he remains optimistic that Russia would ultimately continue its output despite a price limit, in large part because their economy has nothing else.

We already are seeing evidence in the market that Russia is selling its oil at a significant discount. So we wanna put that max, Hochstein told Yahoo Finance. So we know that they're willing to sell it at a discount in order to be able to sell it, because frankly they have cash in the bank, that is true, but they don't have anything else.

Hochsteins comments come after Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina said Friday, Moscow had no plans to supply crude oil to countries that choose to impose a price cap on its exports. Speaking to reporters, Nabiullina added that any Russian oil would be redirected to countries that are ready to cooperate with the country.

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about gas prices during remarks in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building's South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, U.S., June 22, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The Biden administration has proposed a price cap on Russian oil exports to limit President Vladimir Putins revenues from oil, which Hochstein said is being used directly to fund the countrys war against Ukraine. The cap is intended to keep Russian oil prices low, without cutting off supply altogether, triggering a devastating spike in global oil prices.

But some EU countries largely dependent on Russian oil have been hesitant to embrace such a move. This is partially because of fears Putin will refuse to sell at the price, and cut off Moscows supply altogether.

'Trying to perfect the mechanism'

Last month, the G7 nations agreed in principle to explore ways to prohibit 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. Hochstein said the U.S. has yet to settle on the specifics of a framework for a global price cap.

We're trying to perfect the mechanism of how that would actually look and how it would work. We're not at a point where we have an agreement, Hochstein said. We have an agreement in principle with the major economies, but not an actual agreement.

Brent crude, the global benchmark, has pulled back significantly since climbing near $140 a barrel since Russia began its war on Ukraine earlier this year. Oil futures settled near $103 a barrel on Friday, though that still marks an increase of more than 30 percent this year.

Gas prices are displayed at a petrol station in Monterey Park, California, on July 19, 2022. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S. crude prices fell below $95 a barrel for the first time since April, following a decision by European Union member states to adjust sanctions to allow Russian state-owned companies to ship third countries.

Yet, critics of the administrations proposed policy remain skeptical of its efficacy, in part because Washington has yet to receive any commitments from the worlds largest buyers, India and China, who remain wary of disrupting their long-term relationship with Moscow.

The plan will prevail

Since the war began, China has nearly doubled its imports from Russia to 1 million barrels per day, while Indias Russian crude imports have soared 24-fold to 600,000 barrels per day, according to the Eurasia Group.

Jorge Montepeque, who is credited with reforming benchmark oil pricing, told Reuters, the mandates to fix prices have been tried before and failed.

The U.S. tried to fix prices for oil in the 1970s, the U.K. tried fixed forex prices in the 80s, Mexico tried fixed tortillas prices. And then  boom!  the market settles. It is a waste of time," Montepeque said.

Hochstein is convinced the economics of the plan will prevail, arguing that every country wants to pay as low a price as possible. He added, that Russia has very limited options, and is likely to force Putin to come to the table.

Their economy has nothing else. They produce weapons and they produce and they drill for oil and gas, he said.

Akiko Fujita is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AkikoFujita

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One person was killed and another was hurt when a pickup truck collided with two pedestrians in Belmont, North Carolina, just west of Charlotte, according to the police.

The pickup sped away and the driver remains at large, the Belmont Police Department said in a news release.

Investigators identified the pedestrian who died as Christian Beatty.

It happened around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 23, officials said.

A vehicle traveling west on Catawba Street ran off of the right side of the roadway and collided with two pedestrians who were walking west ... in the bike lane, police said.

One pedestrian has been treated for minor injuries. The second pedestrian ... was pronounced dead at the scene.

The identity of the injured pedestrian was not released.

Investigators have described the pickup only as dark colored.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to call Traffic Officer Alejandro Valverde at 704-825-3792.

Woman hurt after escaping handcuffs, leaping from moving squad car, Pineville cops say

Gunshots kill 1-year-old child and wound 7-year-old in southeast Charlotte, CMPD says

911 call leads to 1 dead, 2 wounded and 6-mile pursuit through Charlotte, CMPD says
Police in Portland, Ore., close a street as part of heightened security measures before the National Governors Assn. annual conference this month. (Brianna Soukup / Portland Press Herald via Associated Press)

The meeting place? A secret. Agenda? Not public. Name tags? Take them off in public.

Even one of the main social events  trivia night  would be at an undisclosed location.

This was no meeting of spies or undercover law enforcement agents. Instead, these were the security protocols for a gathering last week in Madison, Wis., of state election bureaucrats from around the U.S.

While the hush-hush measures might seem a bit extreme, they were put in place because of the very real threats against election workers that have been escalating since the 2020 presidential election as former President Trump continues to promote the lie that widespread fraud cost him reelection.

Security increased at meetings of government officials after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but not like this where the agenda is kept secret, said Kevin Kennedy, who was Wisconsins top election official for nearly four decades before retiring in 2016. He has attended meetings of the National Assn. of State Election Directors for more than 30 years and said it was jarring that otherwise anonymous election workers are now being targeted.

This is just at a different level, and its a reflection of the times and its unfortunate, he said.

State and local election officials have become targets for those upset with Trumps loss and who believe any number of unfounded conspiracy theories about a rigged election. Many have retired or quit as a result, raising staffing concerns in some offices.

Four people have been charged by federal prosecutors, with one of them pleading guilty last month. In that case, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold was the subject of multiple threatening posts on social media.

Robert Heberle, deputy chief of the Justice Departments public integrity section, told state election officials recently that dozens of cases were still under investigation and more prosecutions were expected.

Griswold, a Democrat who has received numerous death threats since the 2020 election, traveled to the National Assn. of Secretaries of State conference earlier this summer in Louisiana with private security.

In a statement to the Associated Press, Griswold said she wont be intimidated by the threats and said a new state law she helped pass increases protections for election workers at all levels.

We cannot allow violent threats to secretaries of state and election workers become an accepted norm in the United States, she said.

Organizers of the secretaries of state meeting, held twice a year, have been increasing security measures since the 2020 election, said Maria Benson, the groups communications director. That includes coordinating with law enforcement agencies before and during the conferences, she said.

At the groups summer meeting this month in Baton Rouge, local law enforcement officers were visible in the lobby and meeting areas of the hotel where the conference was being held. Members of the media were instructed to keep their credentials visible while in the meeting area.

Its not just election officials who are commanding tighter security during their gatherings.

When the National Governors Assn. met earlier this month in Portland, Maine, security was the highest in the state in decades.

The heavy law enforcement presence included city police, state police and security details, including troopers from other states. Plainclothes police roamed the event, and extra officers were kept out of sight, in case they were needed.

The increased security presence took place as demonstrators gathered to protest new abortion restrictions in states including Arkansas, home of outgoing association chairman and current Gov. Asa Hutchinson, a Republican.

Security planning, which was in the works for months, also involved police K-9 units and patrol boats in the harbor.

We are in different times right now," said Shannon Moss, spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Public Safety. Just look at recent events that happened in our country  mass shootings, violent and disruptive protests, a divisive political climate. Law enforcement has to be prepared to deal with these kinds of potential security threats.

There were no protesters outside the gathering of election administrators in Wisconsin, but the threats of violence against election workers have become so pervasive that the group was taking no chances on security.

The exact location meeting  which ended up being just a block from the state Capitol  wasnt revealed to reporters who registered to cover it until four days before the event began. There were no signs in the hotel announcing the meeting. And the agenda detailing topics to be discussed, such as understanding and preventing insider threats," wasnt handed out until the start of the meeting.

Amy Cohen, executive director of the state elections group, cautioned the 170 registered attendees from 33 states to wear their name tags at the event, but to take them off when they left and went into the city.

Dont advertise who you are and exactly why youre here, she said.

Cohen said meeting organizers coordinated with federal, state and local law enforcement for the event. She encouraged attendees to report any suspicious activity they saw, and hotel staff had been trained to be vigilant.

She said the association did not livestream any of the panels, nor did it post any messages to its Twitter account during the gathering, although there were no social media prohibitions for those who attended.

Please do be thoughtful about what you post and remember that some of the people in this room are dealing with serious security concerns and we need to be respectful to keep everyone safe, Cohen said at the start of the gathering.

Judd Choate, Colorados state elections director for the past 13 years, attended the Wisconsin event and said he has been surprised at the level of rancor and hostility toward election workers. He said many of the attacks are coming from people with little understanding of how elections are run.

We were kind of a sleepy part of government, and were not anymore, he said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Another large apartment complex is moving forward in Beaufort amid questions about the cumulative environmental and traffic impacts of a spate of housing projects planned or under construction on the western edge of the city and neighboring Port Royal.

Pointe Grande Beaufort, which is being developed by Hillpointe LLC, is the latest large housing plan to be OKd. The 328-unit apartment complex is planned on 24 acres off Burton Hill Road between Robert Smalls Parkway and Old Salem Road, across from the Lowes store.

Hillpointe, based in Winter Park, Florida, and Athens, Georgia, is planning a mixed-use project featuring 14 three- and four-story apartment buildings, which would be located on 17 of the 24 acres, with the remainder set aside for green or community space. The apartments would be constructed and managed by Hillpointe, while three yet-to-be-determined commercial projects would be handled by others.

The plan, Hillpointes Marcus Wiedower said, is a best-in-class multifamily rental community that provides high-end design features. Units will include patios or decks, open layouts, dual master bedrooms, large closets, kitchen island bars, quartz countertops, stainless steel fixtures and appliances, washer and dryer hookups, digital locks, and high-quality synthetic wood flooring.

When asked how much rent would be, Wiedower said, Im not privy to the market study at this moment, but he added the company is often able to charge market rates or below.

Large portions of the property will be cleared, the developer said in its application, but as much vegetation and tree cover as possible will be saved.

Pointe Grande Beaufort, a 328-unit apartment complex, is planned on 24 acres on Burton Hill Road between Old Salem Road and Robert Smalls Parkway, near the Lowes store.

On Monday, members of the Beaufort-Port Royal Metropolitan Planning Commission voted 4-0 to approve a sketch plan for Pointe Grande. Remarks about the project were generally positive. The project nonetheless sparked a broader conversation about the brisk pace of new housing development along Robert Smalls Parkway from Boundary Street in Beaufort to the Broad River in Port Royal, a bustling major thoroughfare with wooded areas in its wings. There, thousands of new dwelling units are in the works or under construction.

Were putting a lot of density into our area, said Michael Tomy, former chairman of the commission whose term recently expired.

Concerns about traffic

For six months, Tomy said, he had been asking for a map of the new development, which he said would better contextualize the traffic impact to major streets which are already getting slammed. That information, Tomy said, should be a part of the package that planning staff provides to developers.

The city needs to better understand how the developments will affect not only traffic and the environment but the overall quality of life in these areas and these neighborhoods, said Sue Cosner, a commission member from Beaufort.

She asked Riccardo Giani, Beauforts interim Community Development director, to prepare a picture of the development thats already in the funnel and proposed projects.

I would like to see that sooner than later, Cosner said.

Wendy Zara of Port Royal, another Commission member, said one of the failures of traffic analysis reports is they show the impacts from only one development.

We probably will have some pretty serious water quality and flooding issues will be my guess, Zara said, adding the Beaufort, Port Royal and Beaufort County needed to work more closely together.

Commission members added a condition to their approval of Pointe Grand: The Design Review Board must first take a closer look at how the buildings will displace trees on the property. And, in the future, they said, they want more information about how individual projects fit into the bigger picture.

One of many developments

An estimated 3,100 housing units  apartments, townhouses and single-family homes  are planned or under construction in Beaufort and Port Royal along Robert Smalls Parkway and Battery Creek, said Jessie White of the Coastal Conservation League, which monitors local development and its impact on the environment.

And that number does not include projects planned in areas of unincorporated Beaufort County.

Site work is underway at Beaufort Station, which is near the intersection of Parris Island Gateway and Robert Smalls Parkway.

Taken together, White said, the projects represent a significant landscape conversion from tree cover to rooftops, roads and parking lots.

Consider the bigger picture of impacts in this relatively confined area and what it will mean for the environment, sense of place and quality of life for the region, White told members of the Metropolitan Planning Commission.

Site work also has begun at Beaufort Station, a 28-acre retail development at the southwest corner of Parris Island Gateway and Robert Smalls Parkway across from Walmart and Cross Creek Plaza.

Tree preservation

The Pointe Grande plan, White said, is improved from the original version. But CCL still is trying to figure out how trees will be affected by construction.

Hillpointe conducted a tree survey that identified 77 specimen landmark trees, she noted, but it is impossible to determine the location of the protected trees in relation to the proposed development without an overlay exhibit.

Trees designated as specimen and landmark status are considered assets to the city and are therefore afforded heightened scrutiny and protection, said White.

She noted recent impacts to Battery Creek, such as the raw sewage leak in February that led to a 21-day shellfish bed closure on the creek and the Broad River.

Giani, the interim Beaufort Community development director, said the Pointe Grand apartments have improved since they first were presented in April, and commission members agreed.

The project now includes more community and green space, a significantly larger tree protection area, the addition of a trail around a storm water detention area, traffic cooling measures like the narrowing of streets to slow down vehicles and better layout that improves connectivity for pedestrians and vehicles.

Hillpointes Wiedower said the developer is open to the possibility of also adding bicycle lanes.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a welcome ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Sunday. (Lolita C. Baldor / Associated Press)

The Chinese military has become significantly more aggressive and dangerous over the last five years, the top U.S. military officer said during a trip to the Indo-Pacific that included a stop Sunday in Indonesia.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.

The message is the Chinese military, in the air and at sea, have become significantly more and noticeably more aggressive in this particular region, said Milley, who recently asked his staff to compile details about interactions between China and the U.S. and others in the region.

His comments came as the U.S. redoubles its efforts to strengthen its relationships with Pacific nations as a counterbalance to China, which is trying to expand its presence and influence in the region. The Biden administration considers China its pacing threat" and America's primary long-term security challenge.

Milley's trip to the region is sharply focused on the China threat. He will attend a meeting of Indo-Pacific chiefs of defense this week in Sydney, where key topics will be China's escalating military growth and the need to maintain a free, open and peaceful Pacific.

U.S. military officials have also raised alarms about the possibility that China could invade Taiwan, the democratic, self-ruled island that Beijing views as a breakaway province. China has stepped up its military provocations against Taiwan as it looks to intimidate it into unifying with the communist mainland.

U.S. military officials have said Beijing wants to be ready to make a move on the island by 2027. The U.S. remains Taiwans chief ally and supplier of defense weapons. U.S. law requires the government to treat all threats to the island as matters of grave concern, but remains ambiguous on whether the U.S. military would defend Taiwan if it were attacked by China.

Chinas top military officer, Gen. Li Zuocheng, told Milley in a July 7 call that Beijing had no room for compromise on issues such as Taiwan. He said he told Milley that the U.S. must cease U.S.-Taiwan military collusion and avoid impacting China-U.S. ties and stability in the Taiwan Strait."

The U.S. and others are also worried that a recent security agreement that Beijing signed in April with the Solomon Islands could lead to the establishment of a Chinese naval base in the South Pacific. The U.S. and Australia have told the Solomon Islands that hosting a Chinese military base would not be tolerated.

This is an area in which China is trying to do outreach for their own purposes. And again, this is concerning because China is not doing it just for benign reasons, Milley told reporters traveling with him. Theyre trying to expand their influence throughout the region. And that has potential consequences that are not necessarily favorable to our allies and partners in the region."

Milley's visit to Indonesia is the first by a U.S. joint chiefs chairman since Adm. Mike Mullen in 2008. But U.S. leaders have crisscrossed the Asia-Pacific in recent months, including high-profile visits by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.

The Biden administration has been taking steps to expand its military and security relationship with Indo-Pacific nations as part of a campaign to build a stronger network of alliances in Chinas backyard and counter China's growing influence.

Milley declined to provide specific numbers of unsafe Chinese interactions with U.S. and allied aircraft and ships. But Austin, in a speech in Singapore last month, referred to an alarming increase" in the number of unsafe intercepts by People's Liberation Army aircraft and vessels.

Austin specifically pointed to a February incident where a PLA navy ship directed a laser at an Australian P-8 maritime patrol aircraft. But there have been a number of others. A surveillance aircraft controlled by Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. And U.S. ships are routinely dogged by Chinese aircraft and vessels during transits, particularly around manmade islands claimed by Beijing in the South China Sea.

Milley said there have been Chinese intercepts with Japan, Canada, Australia, Philippines and Vietnam. They all, he said, have seen a statistically significant increase in intercepts, and the number of unsafe incidents has increased by an equal proportion.

Milley, who will meet with Gen. Andika Perkasa, chief of the Indonesian National Defence Forces, said Pacific nations like Indonesia want the U.S. military involved and engaged in the region.

We want to work with them to develop interoperability and modernize our militaries collectively," Milley said, in order to ensure they can "meet whatever challenge that China poses.

He said Indonesia is strategically critical to the region, and has long been a key U.S. partner.

Earlier this year, the U.S approved a $13.9-billion sale of advanced fighter jets to Indonesia. And in Jakarta in December, Blinken signed agreements for enhanced joint naval exercises between the U.S. and Indonesia.

China has condemned U.S. efforts to expand its outreach in the region, accusing America of trying to build an Asian NATO. During a speech in Singapore, Austin rejected that claim. "We do not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs, he said.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
In this photo provided by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Anthony Orlando Sherwin is shown. Three people were killed in a shooting at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground in eastern Iowa Friday, July 2, 2022 and the suspected gunman is also dead, police said. Mike Krapfl, special agent in charge of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, said officers searching the campground found the body of a Nebraska man who had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities identified him as 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin.(Iowa Department of Public Safety via AP)

A Cedar Falls couple and their 6-year-old daughter were fatally shot while camping at an Iowa state park in an apparently random attack by a man from Nebraska, who later turned the gun on himself, authorities said.

The couple leaves behind a 9-year-old son, according to the Cedar Falls mayor. It was not immediately clear Saturday if the boy was with his family at the time of the attack at the Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety identified the victims as Tyler Schmidt, 42; his 42-year-old wife, Sarah Schmidt; and their 6-year-old daughter, Lula Schmidt. Their bodies were found in their tent early Friday at the campground, about 180 miles (290 kilometers) east of Des Moines.

Authorities said the suspected gunman, 23-year-old Anthony Sherwin, was found dead in a wooded area of the park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Mitch Mortvedt, assistant director of the Department of Public Safetys division of criminal investigation, told The Associated Press on Saturday that the motive for the attack was still unknown.

We dont know what led up to this, what precipitated it, he said, adding that so far, the investigation has not revealed any early interaction between the Schmidt family and him.

Cedar Falls Mayor Rob Green, who said he is a neighbor of the Schmidts, posted on Facebook on Friday that the couple's 9-year-old son, Arlo, survived the attack, and is safe. The post did not say whether Arlo was in the tent or at the campsite when the shootings happened, and Green told the AP he did not have those details. Authorities would not immediately confirm the information in the mayor's post or make any comment about the boy.

Sarah Schmidt worked at the Cedar Falls Public Library, which was closed Saturday after news of her death.

Like many of you just hearing the news, Im devastated, Green wrote on Facebook. I knew Sarah well, and she & her family were regular walkers here in the Sartori Park neighborhood. I was working with her this week on a public library tech presentation for 7/26.

Their 9 year old son Arlo survived the attack, and is safe, Green wrote. Ive notified neighbors, and for those of you just learning about this through this post, I am so sorry. He said he would share upcoming details about services and memorials.

By Saturday afternoon, more than $40,000 had flowed into a GoFundMe page created for Arlo. The page, which says it was organized by a cousin, Beth Shapiro, said: Arlo is a strong boy, surrounded by family and friends who are supporting him as best we can. The page says the fund will help Arlo now, and help fund his future education.

The killings prompted the evacuation of the park and campground, including a children's summer camp. After the evacuations, Sherwin was the only person unaccounted for, Mortvedt said.

He said that during the course of the investigation, authorities learned Sherwin was armed and that of course heightened our awareness. Iowa allows people with permits to carry firearms virtually anywhere in the state. Officials did not say if Sherwin had a permit and provided no information about the firearm that was used to kill the Schmidts.

The Des Moines Register reported that Sherwin came from La Vista, Nebraska. La Vista Police Chief Bob Lausten told the newspaper that Sherwin had lived in an apartment complex with his parents and that he had no history of criminal conduct.

Autopsies on Sherwin and the victims were scheduled to be performed over the weekend, Mortvedt said, and more information would likely be released based on those findings.

The state park and campground were closed until further notice. The Department of Natural Resources said in an email to the AP that campers with reservations through Thursday were given refunds. All of the campers who were at the park but not associated with the shooting have been able to retrieve their belongings, the DNR said.

___

Forliti reported from Minneapolis. Ryan J. Foley contributed to this report from Iowa City, Iowa.

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the daughter's first name. She was Lula Schmidt, not Lulu.
South Carolina residents looking to further their education in Beaufort County can do so for free at the Technical College of the Lowcountry.

The free tuition program began in the fall of 2021 following the announcement of a workforce scholarship from Gov. Henry McMaster that would go to all of South Carolinas technical colleges. Now, that program has been extended to include the fall 2022 semester at TCL.

Tuition in all areas of the schools career pathways, from healthcare to early childhood development, will be covered under the workforce scholarship, which was developed to combat the ongoing worker shortage.

The whole program started with the caveat that this was for high-demand career paths, said Mindy Lucas, a public relations specialist at the school.

Students must be enrolled in at least six credit hours, which is two classes per semester, in order to be eligible. While the program offers free tuition to all South Carolina residents regardless of financial status, Lucas said, students should fill out their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to qualify. The tuition program does not apply to dual enrollment high school students, whose tuition is already covered by the school district, or transient students who are enrolled at another college, Lucas said. The deadline for fall enrollment is Aug. 18.

This is TCLs promise: We are committed to offering quality, post-secondary education to residents here in the Lowcountry, Lucas said. This just helps for us to continue that commitment.
It has been a practice of mine to order a hamburger, french fries and Dr. Pepper while waiting for my flight to Idaho soon after I go through customs at any of the international airports in the U.S. And completely oblivious of my thought process, I utter the words, Thank God for America.

On May 24, those words had an unimaginable meaning. My father had died on May 16, and we laid him to rest on May 21. He had been admitted to the hospital on May 12. From the moment he was admitted until the day I left Kenya, I was subjected to heartbreaking experiences that should have taken ones lifetime to experience.

For a patient to be touched by a health care specialist, the patient had to provide the health care specialist with gloves. Luckily, a friend of mine knew the requirements and carried the gloves my stepmother was using to take care of dad. I soon realized that patients families also had to bring saline solution.

As my dad was being taken care of, I noticed a few patients writhing in pain, apparently getting no attention. That prompted a basic question: Why is no one attending to them? The answer was quick. Their families have not brought gloves, saline and whatever else was needed.

Even for medications, families have to purchase them from pharmacists and bring them to the hospital for their loved ones to be treated. I wasnt strong enough to purchase those basic necessities for my dad only. I bought some extras to share. Gloves and saline cost less than $1, but millions of Kenyans still cant afford them.

A day after my dad was admitted, I visited him at about 9 a.m. and found my younger siblings changing his adult diaper. I stepped out to wait until I could go back and be with him. I knew being with him is all I could do now. He wasnt talking. I heard a voice of a woman consciously drawing my attention to her direction, the womens ward. It was a familiar face. It was a mother of several girls who are sponsored by Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope.

She was involved in a motorcycle accident that left four riders (her included) in critical condition. She was the first to come out of a coma but still didnt know how the accident happened. After learning why I was there, she hit me hard with the news that all patients, even those suffering from diabetes, had not had breakfast and were not likely to get it from the hospital.

I visited the hospital managers office and learned that they had not received funding for anything from the county government. Support staff were on strike and health care specialists could not start seeing patients unless their working areas were cleaned. There was no fuel for the generator, thus risking the lives of patients on life-support systems that depend on reliable electricity.

What depressed me were memories of my youth. I was admitted to that same hospital. There was everything patients needed, medicine included. Corruption was not rampant, and lives were saved.

There was an experience that started as a sweet one before it became bitter. After my fathers passing, it occurred to me that he wore a winter shirt I had taken to him in his last days of life. He was also covered with a blanket I took to him. But then I realized all those patients wore their own street clothing.

Normally, hospitals provide gowns to their inpatients. I found out that the washer and dryer had broken down years ago without replacement. An industrial washer that can save thousands of lives is $60,000  an amount beyond the imaginations of people whose major dream is the next meal.

In America, hospitals have full supplies and health care providers are obligated to treat you first and bill you later. The hospital environment is safe. The generators work. This is not the case in developing countries.

I turned my attention back to my delicious, albeit unhealthy hamburger meal, paused, and then thanked God for it and for America.

Vincent Muli Wa Kituku is an author and speaker for business organizations, schools and Christian groups. He is the founder of Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope and Caring Hearts High School, a vulnerable girls boarding school in Kenya. Contact him at (208) 376-8724 or vincent@kituku.com . The Idaho Statesmans weekly faith column features a rotation of writers from many different faiths and perspectives.
Model Kate Moss testifies during Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's 2022 defamation trial in Virginia. (Evelyn Hockstein / Associated Press)

For the first time since taking the witness stand in Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's turbulent defamation trial, Kate Moss is speaking up about her experience testifying on behalf of her ex-boyfriend.

The British model, who dated the "Pirates of the Caribbean" actor from 1994 to 1998, recently explained her decision to support Depp during an episode of the BBC Radio 4 podcast "Desert Island Discs."

"I believe in the truth and I believe in fairness and justice," Moss said. "I know the truth about Johnny."

Moss made headlines with her brief but pivotal court appearance in late May. While testifying via video from Gloucestershire, England, the '90s style icon debunked a longstanding rumor that Depp once shoved her down a staircase while they were vacationing together in Jamaica.

Depp's team  which ended up winning his case  took advantage of the opportunity to call Moss to the stand after Heard referenced the staircase story while testifying that her ex-husband, Depp, was abusive.

"I know he never kicked me down the stairs," Moss told BBC Radio 4. "I had to say that truth."

At the end of their highly publicized defamation trial, jurors in Fairfax, Va., awarded $15 million in damages to Depp and $2 million in damages to Heard. However, per Virginia's statutory cap, Judge Penney Azcarate reduced Depps total to about $10.4 million.

Leading up to the verdict, Moss' bombshell testimony marked a turning point in the case that likely benefited Depp and hurt Heard, who had already been widely vilified on social media. On Thursday, Heard filed to appeal the verdict, while a spokesperson for Depp remained "confident" that the "verdict will stand. Depp has also filed to appeal the jury's decision to award $2 million to Heard.

[Depp] never pushed me, kicked me or threw me down any stairs, Moss testified earlier this year.

There had been a rainstorm, and as I left the room, I slid down the stairs and I hurt my back. ... I screamed, cause I didnt know what happened to me, and I was in pain. [Depp] came running back to help me and carried me to my room and got me medical attention.

While speaking with BBC Radio 4, Moss also opened up about traumatic experiences she endured early in her modeling career. At one point, she recalled a man asking her to remove her shirt and bra during a photo shoot for a catalog when she was about 15 years old.

"He said, 'Take your top off,' and I took my top off," Moss said. "I was really shy then about my body. And he said, 'Take your bra off,' and I could feel there was something wrong, so I got my stuff, and I ran away."

"It sharpened my instincts," she added. "I can tell a wrong 'un a mile away."

Now, Moss has created her own talent agency and hopes to help rising models today  including her own daughter, Lila  avoid similarly exploitative situations.

I've said to [Lila], you don't have to do anything you don't want to do. If you don't want to do this shoot, if you don't feel comfortable, if you don't want to model, don't do it," Moss told BBC Radio 4.

I take care of my models. I make sure that they are with agents at shoots so when they are being taken advantage of, there's somebody there to say, I don't think that's appropriate. I don't know if that's across the board, but absolutely, that's what I can do.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed Russia after a missile attack on the port of Odesa, which followed a breakthrough agreement to resume Ukrainian grain exports to ease the world food crisis.

Subsequently, the missile attack has raised questions about Russia's commitment to the deal. The leader of Ukraine swore to do all in his power to obtain air defense systems that might later shoot down such missiles.

In the agreement signed on Friday, Russia pledged not to attack ports while grain shipments were in motion.

However, according to the southern command center of the Ukrainian military, two Kalibr missiles struck Odesa port a few hours after the deal was signed, per BBC. Air defense systems also intercepted two other missiles.

Russia Denies Missile Attack After Drawing Condemnation

The command center reported that the strike did not significantly damage the port. However, the attack has received strong condemnation. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken charged Russia with escalating the world food crisis and said the attack raised "serious doubt" about Russia's adherence to the agreement.

On Saturday, Zelensky said: "Russia must stop its aggression and fully implement the grain deal to which it has agreed."

Although Moscow has not yet released a statement regarding the attack, the Turkish government, which mediated the agreement, claimed that Russian officials had denied involvement.

According to Mykola Solyski, Ukraine's agriculture minister, the attack on the Odesa port was a grave matter. In a phone interview with The New York Times, the official noted that an attack on a port impacts everything. "You use a lot of the same infrastructure for oil, for grain," he said.

A UN official said Russia may not have officially broken the grain agreement because it did not promise to refrain from striking the areas of the Ukrainian ports that are not specifically used for grain exports. Russia could have been attempting to exploit a weakness, a tactic that has become more often throughout the war if there were adjacent military objectives.

According to Solskyi, the strikes would still impact Ukraine's attempts to export grain, and some of the destroyed infrastructures were essential for managing all imports.

Read Also: Monkeypox Now a Global Public Health Emergency Says WHO; Infections in the US Shoot Up

UN Push the Restart of Grain Exports From Ukraine

In a significant diplomatic achievement intended to ease a worldwide food crisis brought on by the conflict, Ukraine and Russia have reached an agreement allowing the restart of essential grain exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports, according to a CNN report.

In Istanbul, ministers from both nations signed a deal mediated by the UN and Turkey.

The agreement came about after months of negotiations and commitments to open Black Sea ports so grain and oilseed, two of Ukraine's most significant exports, could pass without incident.

Millions of tons of Ukrainian grain have not been exported to the numerous countries that depend on it thus far because Russia has been obstructing maritime access to those ports.

According to the UN agreement, the deal would help stabilize global food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war, and provide relief for developing nations.

As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, the World Food Programme estimates that 47 million people are now experiencing acute hunger, and Western authorities have accused Russia of using food as a weapon during its invasion of Ukraine.

Related Article: Russian Oil Exports Increased Deliveries to the Middle East

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
When the national chapter of the Sigma Chi fraternity suspended the organizations University of Kansas chapter indefinitely last week it did just what every Greek letter organization should do with their rule-breaking chapters: Get rid of them.

And if the nationals wont do it, then universities should kick these fractious social fraternities off their campus, period.

Sigma Chi is the third fraternity to be suspended in 2022 at KU. Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Delta Theta also were suspended for a hazing culture, which we all know is nothing more than excessive bullying and dehumanizing of other students.

In November 2020, KU terminated Pi Kappa Phi until spring of 2026, and in 2018 the national chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon closed its KU chapter for four years.

Sigma Chi attributed the closure to accountability issues among its members, The Star reported on Wednesday. The universitys campus paper reported that hazing and lying to the national organization were involved.

KU is far from alone when it comes to trouble with fraternities. Last year, an 18-year-old University of Missouri freshman nearly died and suffered severe brain damage after he was pressured to drink an entire bottle of vodka during a fraternity pledging event. MU revoked the fraternitys charter.

Many of these exclusive student social groups have been the bane of college campuses all across the country for years. Often, fraternity houses are located just off campus property, so schools dont have direct oversight over them. They do, however, control penalties for student behavior code violations.

While colleges are supposed to be places where young people get to interact with students from all walks of life, fraternities and sororities do the opposite. Many Greek letter organizations traditionally recruit from a narrow band of affluent white students, and in doing so, reinforce race, class and gender stereotypes and perpetuate discrimination.

Black fraternities and sororities, which started as a resistance to their exclusion from other Greek life organizations, are not immune to these same problems of hazing, and they should be held equally accountable.

Students call for ban of Greek letter organizations

Several private colleges have banned fraternities altogether, including Middlebury College in Vermont, Bowdoin College in Maine and Swarthmore College, an elite liberal arts school in Pennsylvania.

Fraternities remain a central part of the social culture on many campuses. But after a series of toxic events that have gained national attention, , including student deaths, schools are beginning to seriously reassess support of these organizations.

And some students are objecting to their existence too, claiming they are outdated, exclusionary and discriminatory  resistant to reform and the opposite to an atmosphere of inclusion that todays students want.

Last year, students started an Abolish Greek Life, movement on social media.

Students have called for doing away with these institutions at a number of prominent colleges, including Duke University, Washington University and Vanderbilt University, where two years ago a student joined a fraternity to change it from inside. He concluded that diversity groups, educational initiatives and accountability structures set for the fraternity were, in the end, just window dressing, he wrote in the campus newspaper. The rot goes much deeper, and nothing short of abolition can adequately excise it.

Colleges and universities have long been reluctant to outright ban fraternity life.

Heres how a typical Greek crisis looks: A student is hurt or dies at a fraternity house because of hazing, forced binge drinking or sexual assault. The school puts out a no tolerance statement saying student safety is a priority, and the chapter promises to change and establishes a list of reforms.

A few years later, theres another incident either at the same house or a neighboring one on the same campus, and the cycle continues.

No. Thats not good enough. Zero tolerance has to mean just that, because kids are dying and they have been for years.

The message ought to be one and done. You break the rules, and your fraternity is suspended for at least five years  long enough for the bad lot to matriculate off campus. If after reinstatement the chapter has even one more incident, it should be banished for good, no exceptions. Break the cycle.

Sure, social fraternities offer students some benefits: lifelong friendships, career and professional networking, academic support and leadership development. But when they also offer up a dose of danger that outweighs the positives, they have to go.

Unless universities are willing to impose stiff, unyielding penalties on repeat-offender Greek chapters, they will continue to wreak havoc on college campuses and students will continue to be hurt. That can no longer be tolerated, and it never should have been.

Either fraternities abandon their unacceptably bad and sometimes even criminal behavior, or universities must shut them down.
At 11:28 p.m. on March 9, 2020, Adam McKinney said his life was complete. His son, Dawson, had just been born.

I knew Dawson was going to change the world. I knew Dawson had already changed my life and the lives of so many others in just the first few minutes of his life, McKinney said to a courtroom full of people Friday. I knew that any darkness or any problems seemed so small compared to this beautiful life I had just seen come into this world  and that I had helped create.

A little over two months later, at 6:08 p.m. on May 15, Dawson McKinney took his last breath in his fathers arms.

Dawsons death was labeled a homicide, and happened at the hands of his mother, Danielle Radue. The 28-year-old woman was sentenced Friday for first-degree murder in the death of her son.

Just before Fourth District Judge Patrick Miller handed down Radues sentence, her family members at the Ada County Courthouse moved in closer together as they held back tears. Then they listened as Miller sentenced Radue to up life in prison, but with eligibility for parole after 18 years.

The minimum sentence Radue could have faced under Idaho law was 10 years in prison.

Radue entered an Alford plea in April 2022, according to court records. An Alford plea carries the weight of a guilty plea, but means Radue did not admit to committing the crime.

When we think about the goals of sentencing and the impact of victims, certainly Adam (McKinney), I cant imagine, Miller said. I am a father. I remember when my first child was born, he was in an ICU for 10 days, and I remember the fear of not having my child live.

Cries could be heard from Radue  who looked back at her new husband, Trevor Farmer, with a tear-stained face  as authorities immediately took her into custody.

Fridays seven-and-a-half-hour sentencing hearing took place more than two years since the killing of 2-month-old Dawson. Roughly 20 family members and friends of both McKinney and Radue filled the courtroom and sat through multiple witnesses and statements from the prosecution and defense.

Dawson ultimately passed away  while in my arms  in his daddys arms, he took his last breath, McKinney said, sniffling back tears Friday. In that moment, I took my last breath, too. Dawsons death caused my death emotionally and mentally.

Fourth District Judge Patrick Miller swears in a witness over a computer screen during the sentencing of Danielle Radue on Friday.

Events surrounding Dawsons death still unclear

McKinney had come home mid-morning on May 11, 2020, to help with his son. Just before leaving to go back to work, he fed Dawson and put him back in his swing inside the home, Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Kai Erik Wittwer said in court Friday.

Approximately six minutes after McKinney left, Radue ran out of their Meridian home with Dawson, who appeared limp and lifeless on video footage from a Google Nest camera, Wittwer said.

What exactly took place in those six minutes is unclear.

Paramedics were called to the 2000 block of North Swainson Avenue for an unresponsive baby, police have previously said. It was the EMTs who made the decision to alert police.

Authorities were initially told the emergency was a Code Blue, which means a respiratory or cardiac arrest incident, according to court documents obtained by the Idaho Statesman.

After some initial medical services were provided, the child was taken to St. Lukes Meridian Medical Center  where health professionals discovered the boy had a skull fracture, court records showed. He was then transferred to the Pediatric Intensive Center at St. Lukes Boise Medical Center, where an examination by medical staff found Dawsons injuries were a result of non-accidental trauma.

He died after five days in critical care.

Radue initially told authorities that she found Dawson not acting quite right, Wittwer said in court. And at one point, Radue told McKinney that their dog had jumped up on the couch, which caused Dawson to roll off.

Meridian Police Department detectives interviewed Radue at both the Meridian and Boise hospitals, where she provided different information regarding what happened, according to a court document previously submitted by the Ada County Prosecutors Office.

Radue eventually told police that she placed a crying or screaming Dawson on the floor much harder than she intended after taking him off the diaper changing table.

McKinney said in court Friday that since Radue changed her story of what happened to Dawson so many times, he doesnt know what to believe.

I cant tell people what happened to my son, McKinney said.

Miller said during Fridays hearing that the idea that in under 10 minutes, Radue got Dawson out of his swing, took him to the changing table and then couldnt get him calmed down, which caused the head trauma, and then subsequently went to a neighbors house to call 911, was an awfully fast reaction.

Miller said that the legal strategies Radue and her attorney used to help defend Radues case made it so that authorities never got a complete story. Miller also said he doesnt hold Radues legal tactics against her.

Frankly, today, I still dont know what happened that day, Miller said Friday.

But Miller said the testimony presented in court by St. Lukes Child Abuse Pediatrics Specialist Matthew Cox, who is commonly called as an expert witness by Ada County prosecutors, and medical documents showed that it was a very violent force that caused Dawsons death.

Attorney Edwina Elcox, who is representing Danielle Radue, reads through a document during her clients sentencing on Friday.

Expert said perfect storm led to Dawsons death

The day before the battery that led to Dawsons death was Mothers Day. Radue, who read from a prepared statement just before she was sentenced, said she got the greatest gift that day.

Radue said she had just finished changing Dawson when he looked up at her and gave her the biggest gummiest smile for the first time.

Im lucky to have that personal memory to hold on to, Radue said. He was so loved by everyone, and I cant put into words how hurt I am that his days were so short on this Earth.

During her statement, Radue acknowledged that she had the power to take measures into her own hands to prevent this tragedy from happening. Radue said she battled severe postpartum anxiety and insomnia and said she still has trouble piecing together that day.

A large part of Radues defense at sentencing was that her mental condition contributed to Dawsons death. Expert witness testimony from Nicole Cirino, the director of the Division of Womens Mental Health and Wellness at Oregon Health and Science University, and arguments presented by Radues attorney, Edwina Elcox, backed that theory.

Cirino said Friday, via Zoom, that she evaluated Radue on three occasions and diagnosed her with postpartum depression. Cirino said Radues symptoms included high anxiety and hypervigilance with her son, and that she sometimes saw danger when there possibly wasnt any, which led to her insomnia.

Cirino testified that Radues untreated psychiatric problems, the COVID-19 pandemic and Radues naivete around mental illness created a perfect storm of events.

It is very, very rare for a woman with a prenatal psychiatric condition to harm her child, Cirino testified.

An important part of Cirinos diagnosis relied on the fact that Radue allegedly suffered previous trauma that exacerbated her mental illness and caused her to have PTSD, which then worsened her postpartum depression. Radue alleged that McKinney physically abused her.

McKinney, in court, denied Radues claims.

(Radue) claimed that I was an abusive husband because she cannot accept responsibility for her actions, McKinney said in court Friday. (Radue) is spoiled, she always has been. Shes been bailed out of her problems time and time again.

The judge said he reviewed extensive text messages between Radue and McKinney and found no indication that McKinney was abusive. The text messages dated to before Radues pregnancy. Miller also noted that Radue had an affair, and it sparked tension between the couple.

I do hope that I can be given the earliest chance to reenter society, which is still no guarantee with a life sentence, Radue said. But no life sentence will hurt as much as the life sentence Im living without my son.
A Stockton man was arrested by Modesto police Saturday in a womans fatal shooting days earlier in a Modesto motel room.

Detectives from the Police Departments Violent Crimes Unit arrested 31-year-old Maurice Franklin Jr. on suspicion of killing 22-year-old Diasia Sease of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

She was found dead of a gunshot wound July 20 in her room at the Best Western Palm Court Inn at 2001 W. Orangeburg Ave.

Through information gathered during the investigation, detectives were able to identify Franklin as the suspect, according to an MPD Facebook post Sunday morning. With help from the Stockton Police Department, Franklin was taken into custody during a traffic stop in Stockton.

Investigators served a search warrant at his Stockton residence and found two firearms, along with additional evidence related to the crime.

Out of concern for the occupant, motel staff entered Seases second-story room a little after 11 a.m., found her and called 911. Firefighters and paramedics responded to the hotel, declared Sease dead and notified police.

No information has been released on a possible motive for the homicide or any relationship between the victim and the suspect.

Seases death marks Modestos eighth homicide this year. There were five homicides in Modesto at the same time last year.
New council districts were drawn and approved by the Meridian City Council, but no one noticed at the time that something was amiss.

The Idaho Legislature in 2020 passed a law that required cities with populations exceeding 100,000 to elect council members by district rather than at-large. Boise had already exceeded 100,000 residents, so its council complied in time for the 2021 municipal election.

But Meridian decided it had to wait for the 2020 census results to verify that the city passed that population threshold. The census results did not come out in time for the 2021 election, so Meridian stuck with at-large voting one last time.

The Meridian council appointed a redistricting committee that held five meetings and two public hearings and reviewed six drafts of the district map. To follow federal and state law and local ordinance, the districts cannot vary in population by 10% or more.

But there was a problem. No one thought of how the city would comply with the law by 2023 when three council members were elected at large in November to four-year terms starting in January 2022 and ending in January 2026.

A proposal for six new city council districts in Meridian. The Idaho Legislature enacted a law that forces cities with more than 10,000 residents to elect council members by district rather than at-large.

Would only half of the council represent districts after the 2023 election? Would the three elected in 2021 be forced to run again in 2023 for seats in districts, instead of filling their full four-year terms as at-large members?

The independent committee that drew the districts was instructed by the mayor not to consider existing council members home addresses. They werent supposed to try to prevent two incumbents from winding up in the same district and facing the unpleasant possibility of running against one another in the next election.

That may have kept the process independent from elected officials, but it still complicated future re-election possibilities for council members who won races last November and were sworn in this year.

Those three are Joe Borton, Treg Bernt and Luke Cavener. Borton was elected to Seat 2, Bernt to Seat 4 and Cavener to Seat 6.

The citizens committee, meanwhile, came up with its own Seats 1 through 6, each representing a specific district. In Meridian, races for Seats 1, 3 and 5 are held in one election and for Seats 2, 4 and 6 in the next.

When Boise drew its new City Council districts, it ran into a similar problem. The city drew its district map before the 2021 November election, and it had only three seats on the ballot, all for two-year terms representing new districts, instead of the standard four years. The other three council members would complete their full terms, and then all six seats would be on the ballot in 2023.

Meridian didnt like Boises approach. Instead, Mayor Robert Simison proposed swapping the numbers of council Seats 1 and 2 to match with Straders and Bortons residencies in the new districts with those numbers.

While Bernt and Cavener have seat numbers that correspond with the districts they would live in, 4 and 6, Borton does not. He lives in what would become District 1, not District 2, the one whose number matches the seat he holds now. So Simison proposed swapping Bortons Seat 2 with Straders Seat 1, because Borton could then serve the rest of his term there.

The swap wouldnt hurt Strader, because if she ran again in 2023 and won, shed serve as the District 2 council member, because she lives in the proposed District 2.

Bill Nary, Meridian city attorney, said changing the seat numbers would be less disruptive than changing the terms and having every seat up for election at the same time, as Boise will in 2023.

Theyre gonna have six people running in one election, which seems a lot more disruptive than really what our ordinance would say, Nary said told the Idaho Statesman by phone.

The council must approve this change as a separate ordinance. If it does, Seats 2, 3 and 5 would be on the 2023 ballot as district seats. In the 2025 election, Seats 1, 4 and 6 would be.

The City Council is scheduled to have two public hearings on the ordinance before approving it. The first hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, at City Hall. A copy of the proposed ordinance is on the council agenda.

Legislature may force Boise, Meridian voters to choose City Council members by district

Meridian mayor not comfortable spending on affordable housing. What happened next
While activists talked about the ways they believe industrial air pollution has affected peoples health, especially in Black communities, at a virtual rally Saturday morning, first responders were working to get an airborne chemical leak under control at an East St. Louis manufacturing plant.

The rally was held by United Congregations of Metro East, Sierra Club and Metropolitan Congregations United to call on Illinois lawmakers to pass a bill that would give citizens a platform to voice their concerns before industrial companies get a permit to build in their community.

The bill would also require companies to assess the potential health impacts to the area. And companies considered to be major pollution sources would face a $200,000 permit fee. The proposed legislation is known as the Environmental Justice Permitting Bill.

During the rally, a hazmat cleanup was underway at the Allnex USA, Inc. plant on Missouri Ave. in East St. Louis, where smoke had been reported to be coming from a tanker trailer as early as 6:30 a.m.

JD Dixon, an environmental justice organizer for the United Congregations of Metro East, took to social media Saturday afternoon following the rally to criticize company officials for not yet identifying the chemical that leaked into the air in East St. Louis or the potential side effects of it.

We need those answers now so the people will know what is going on and the measures they must take to stay healthy, he wrote in a Facebook post.

The Allnex plant produces industrial coating resins and other materials. Calls placed to the plant Saturday evening did not go through because the phone line was busy.

East St. Louis Fire Chief Jason Blackmon could not immediately provide details about what chemical was involved in the leak.

Mayor Robert Eastern III said in a submitted statement that East St. Louis would be developing a plan to address post event contaminates expeditiously.

Mamie Cosey, 81, has spoken out multiple times about fearing for her great-grandchildrens health in East St. Louis, particularly because they live near the Veolia incineration plant, located in Sauget. At Saturdays rally, Cosey said she was tired of talking about it.

Its time to do something about these plants in residential communities, Cosey said. Its time for us to stand up and say, No more of this. And you, the government, should say, Yes, we will come to your rescue. We will help you. We will do something about it. We will monitor the quality of air so that our children will have a healthy life. My life is almost over. But what about my three great-grandchildren?

Save our families, she added.
Firefighters battle a blaze at the Ukrainian port of Odesa on Saturday after a Russian missile attack. (Efrem Lukatsky / Associated Press)

Russian defense officials insisted Sunday that an airstrike on the Ukrainian port of Odesa hit only military targets, but the attack tested an agreement on resuming grain shipments that the two countries signed less than a day before the assault.

Long-range missiles destroyed a docked Ukrainian warship and a warehouse holding Harpoon anti-ship missiles supplied by the U.S., Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing.

Speaking late Saturday in his nightly televised address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack on Odesa destroyed the very possibility of dialogue with Russia.

Under the grain-shipment agreement obtained by the Associated Press, both Kyiv and Moscow agreed not to target vessels and port facilities involved in the initiative, including the ports of Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.

The Ukrainian military said the attack involved four cruise missiles, two of which were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Command spokeswoman Nataliya Humenyuk said no grain storage facilities were hit. Turkeys defense minister, however, said he had had reports from Ukrainian authorities that one missile struck a grain silo while another landed nearby, although neither affected loading at Odesas docks.

It was not immediately clear how the airstrike would affect plans to resume shipping Ukrainian grain by sea in safe corridors out of the ports.

Russia and Ukraine on Friday signed identical agreements with the United Nations and Turkey in Istanbul aimed at clearing the way for the shipment of millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain, as well as the export of Russian grain and fertilizer. Senior U.N. officials voiced hopes that the deal would end a months-long standoff brought about by the war in Ukraine that threatened food security around the globe.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities reported that Russian shelling continued to kill and injure civilians in Ukraines south and east.

The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, one of two which make up Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and a key focus of Russias offensive, said that two civilians had been killed and two more had been injured over the previous 24 hours.

The U.K. military on Sunday morning reported in its daily intelligence update that Russia was making minimal progress in its ongoing Donbas offensive, which it said remained small scale and focused on the city of Bakhmut in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region.

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed in its regular update that Russia was conducting military operations to create conditions for an assault on Bakhmut, while firing on surrounding settlements and battling Ukrainian defenders for control of a nearby thermal plant.

In Ukraines south, regional officials said that at least five civilians were wounded by Russian shells in the Black Sea port of Mykolaiv on Saturday night and Sunday morning.

"Also, as a result of the scattering of munitions and their fragments, fires occurred in open areas in the city, said Vitaly Kim, governor of the Mykolaiv region.

In other developments:

 A Washington-based think tank says Ukrainian forces are likely preparing to launch or have launched a counteroffensive in the Kherson region.

The Institute for the Study of War quoted advisor Serhiy Khlan of the Kherson Oblast Administration as saying Ukrainian forces have seized unspecified settlements in the region, but had called on Ukrainian civilians to remain silent on the progress of the counteroffensive until Ukrainian authorities release official statements.

The Institute for the Study of War notes that open-source information on any progress by Ukrainian troops will likely be limited and lag behind events.

 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in Cairo for talks with Egyptian officials as his country seeks to break diplomatic isolation and sanctions by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov landed in Cairo late Saturday, the first leg of his Africa trip that will also include stops in Ethiopia, Uganda and Congo, according to Russias state-run RT television network.

Speaking at a news conference following bilateral talks with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri, on Sunday, Lavrov said that he had reaffirmed the commitment of Russian grain exporters to fulfill all their obligations in the wake of the U.N.-backed deal to unblock grain shipments.

 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a speech in Romania that Western sanctions against Russia have failed and that the war in Ukraine will not end until there is a Russian-U.S. peace negotiation.

Orban said Saturday in a speech in Baile Tusnad in central Romania that a new strategy is needed which should focus on peace talks  instead of winning the war.

The situation is that today we are sitting in a car with flat tires on all four wheels, he said. It is quite obvious that the war cannot be won this way. Ukrainians will never win a war against Russia with American training officers and weapons.

The far-right leader went on to say that had Donald Trump and Germanys Angela Merkel still been in charge in their countries, then this war would never have broken out.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Malcolm Gladwells book, The Tipping Point, analyzes moments when something changes in the progression of an event or idea. It catches fire and morphs into something much bigger than the one single event it set off. When it comes to gun violence in America, you would hope that the tipping point for Idahos senators and representatives who defend the Second Amendment might be, for example, the recent killings at the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

Bob Kustra

How could anyone read about Aiden McCarthy, the 2-year old boy pulled from under the body of his daddy, who had apparently saved the little boys life by hovering over him, and not differ with the NRA on its interpretation of the Second Amendment. Aidens mother was also killed in the attack.

On this 19th day after the killing of Aidens parents by a shooter who was able to purchase a high-powered rifle and fire off three, 30-round magazines, killing Aidens parents and 18 others, we can only imagine how many times Aiden has cried for his parents, how many times he has asked where they are, how many times his remaining family have no good answers for his questions. He likely just cries himself to sleep until the next day when he asks for answers once again.

Does a child ever recover from the trauma this kid experienced? And Aiden is not the only child suffering in the aftermath of the shooting. Eight-year-old Cooper Roberts was placed on a ventilator after he was hit by gunfire and although he survived, he was paralyzed from the waist down. Imagine how a youngster copes with the news that he will not enjoy a playground in the same way as he had before the shooting.

This column could easily expand into a book-sized rendition of those Americans  young and old  slaughtered by semi-automatic weapons with large-capacity magazines and those left behind to cope with loss. There are not words to describe the enormity of the tragedy of a blood-soaked little boy asking his rescuer if his lifeless Daddy will be OK.

Too often, we read of moments such as this and then, as we must if we are to carry on with our own lives, we store this incredibly sad moment in a place where it will either be forgotten or just laid to rest until the next mass shooting occurs.

And that is exactly what Idahos congressional delegation is counting on  that we will forget and remove them from any accountability for these killings.

What kind of person can ignore the grief and sadness of children gunned down with weapons of destruction beyond anything required for hunting or personal protection? What happens to elected officials who claim to be guardians of our liberties, but then ignore the right of a young child to be safe from deranged shooters and their high-powered rifles? Why can they not see that countries around the globe who have tougher requirements of gun ownership and use do not have anywhere near the number of killing sprees that occur in our schools and on our streets?

The ruse Idahos congressional delegation employs to oppose gun safety legislation is based on their old friend, the infamous and vaguely worded Second Amendment, with language that does not specifically prohibit legislation to limit access to guns nor prohibit other requirements of gun ownership in the 21st century. But this nation is currently under the rule of men and women in the Republican-controlled United States Senate and Supreme Court majority that does not reflect majority sentiment on several issues and who could care less about the cause and effect of gun violence.

In the aftermath of the Uvalde killings, an observer wondered if public officials could see what a childs body looked like after being eviscerated by the close-up firepower of a semi-automatic weapon, might that change the minds of those who stand in the way of gun reforms.

I doubt that would even do it. Elected officials like U.S. Sens. Jim Risch and Mike Crapo and Reps. Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson are not in the business of taking any chances with their cushy jobs, their pensions and their parking places at the U.S. Capitol. They choose to ignore any legal or constitutional justification for how America could get tough on semi-automatic rifles with high-capacity magazines without violating a Second Amendment written in the founding days of the Republic to protect militias then serving as the armed defense of the young republic. Hardly what we are witnessing today as a spate of young shooters kill our kids at random with weapons that didnt even exist in revolutionary America.

This is dangerous territory for any of Idahos public officials in Washington to tread so they take the easy way out. Just send out a standard press release, express sorrow over the latest killing spree and move on to business as usual. They change the subject with lightning speed when forced to address the issue back home and they follow the dictates of those constituents who have no interest in understanding how our Constitution is a living document and how it can allow for gun safety legislation without jeopardizing citizens right to buy and bear arms.

God forbid that any member of our congressional delegation admits there are other ways of interpreting the Second Amendment. That might cause a primary challenge from someone either equally ignorant of the constitutional paths to gun safety legislation or, more likely, just perverse enough in their self-preservation that they toss in with the NRA which rules on this issue by fear of retaliation.

And with the election of Dorothy Moon as the new chair of the Republican Party in Idaho, it is even less likely that Risch, Crapo, Fulcher and Simpson would ever consider legislation to curb gun violence. Moon has now branded the Idaho Republican Party as a house of extremists and her infamous quote, We have to make sure, with the Democrats coming at us in full force, that we have our barriers up, our guns are loaded and ready to keep this state free, will hold our cowardly congressional delegation in check against any reconsideration of their votes on legislation to curb gun violence.

As for Aiden McCarthy, left an orphan on the Fourth of July, he remains confused and grief-stricken by the absence of his parents in his young life. Just another victim, in this case, a little boy who cannot fathom why his Mommy and Daddy are not there to tuck him in at night.

I will never understand nor have even a modicum of respect for public officials who turn their heads and ignore the tragic loss of life guns cause in America and fail to act. Shame, shame on them.

Bob Kustra served as president of Boise State University from 2003 to 2018. He is host of Readers Corner on Boise State Public Radio and he writes a biweekly column for the Idaho Statesman. He served two terms as Illinois lieutenant governor and 10 years as a state legislator.
Calling it an indefensible act of hatred, the Florida Holocaust Museum sharply condemned demonstrations at the Tampa Convention Center, where a group of neo-fascists waved flags with swastikas Saturday outside Turning Point USAs Student Action Summit.

This isnt about politics or religion, museum chairman Mike Igel said in a statement. Its about humanity. The Florida Holocaust Museum calls upon everyone, Jew and non-Jew, regardless of political affiliation, to condemn this blatant antisemitism in the strongest possible terms. This should matter to everyone.

Andrew Kolvet, a Turning Point spokesperson, said the flag-wavers had no affiliation with the conference. He later added: Turning Point 100% condemns these ideologies in the strongest of terms.

Groups clashed briefly outside on the convention center steps. Some were there to protest the gathering inside. Others were there to show support.

A Creative Loafing photographer captured images of neo fascists carrying a swastika flag. They also carried a flag with an SS emblem, and a black sun flag that has been hoisted by far right extremist groups.

Openly and proudly displaying genocidal symbols is a direct threat to the Jewish community, Igel said in his statement. Carrying the Nazi flag, or that of the SS, the unit responsible for some of the worst atrocities of the Holocaust, is an indefensible act of pure hatred.

Inside the summit, Turning Point USAs founder Charlie Kirk told a cheering crowd that there were 5,000 people in attendance. Former president Donald Trump was slated to deliver a keynote address on Saturday night.

Others in the lineup included Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert and Sen. Josh Hawley. Talking points included culture wars, accusations of uprooting traditional social values, denying the existence of transgender people, bashing COVID vaccines and conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen. Tables outside the convention center featured flags that said Trump won.

Kirk called Democrats the invading, occupying force in the U.S. and encouraged attendees to have lots of children to outbreed liberals.

Igel, the museum chairman, thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis, who headlined the Turning Point summit on Friday night, for his support to expand the Holocaust Museum this year in his statement.

When antisemitic incidents occur that leverage chilling Nazi symbols, we are reminded of the importance of the Florida Holocaust Museums mission to preserve the memory of the Holocaust while educating future generations to prevent antisemitism and hatred of all kinds, he wrote. We will not be deterred.

Kolvet, the Turning Point spokesperson, said the group didnt know who the neo-fascists were or why they showed up.

They have nothing to do with TPUSA, our event, or our students, he said. Our students took the mature route and vacated the space. Once that happened, they left.
Florida resident Medford Bragg was stunned the first time he drove past his grandsons school in Morro Bay.

There was no fence around Del Mar Elementary School, making it easy for anyone to walk onto campus.

A mass school shooting had just occurred in Uvalde, Texas, and Bragg was convinced the lack of a fence at Del Mar Elementary  together with what he perceived as other security lapses  put his grandson in danger.

Bragg, who describes himself as just an outsider grandfather, shared his concerns with the mayor of Morro Bay, the school principal and the school district.

He even reached out to Lowes and Home Depot to ask for donations of materials for a 6-foot fence. He figured he could put together a group of volunteers to provide the labor.

My son-in-law is a contractor. He knows how to do it. I know how to do it. Youre not building an airplane or designing an atomic bomb, he told The Tribune.

But thats not the way things are done, at least not here in California.

Braggs DIY-style fencing project is in direct conflict with rules and regulations that govern school construction.

We cant just put up a fence. Everything, even a temporary fence, must be carefully considered, said Eric Prater, superintendent of the San Luis Coastal Unified School District.







Anyone and anything can enter our campus

Bragg, a 79-year-old former airline pilot, isnt alone in worrying about school safety in the San Luis Coastal district, which includes San Luis Obispo, Avila Beach, Edna Valley, Los Osos and Morro Bay.

Families at Pacheco Elementary School in San Luis Obispo have similar concerns about their campus. Following the Uvalde shooting, several wrote to the district, stressing the urgent need to install a perimeter fence around the school.

For those that are not aware, our campus is open on all sides, one parent wrote. Anyone and anything can enter our campus at any time.

Prater agrees fences are important.

If you do it correctly, what they effectively do is create a boundary where kids belong and where adult citizens should not go, he said. It acknowledges that this is a place you should not cross into unless you have a really good reason.

The district has already installed perimeter fences at some schools, including Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo high schools, while other campuses have partial barriers.

Pacheco and Del Mar, however, are wide open  so much so that the district is looking into installing some temporary barriers.

The ultimate goal, though, is a full security upgrade at every campus in the district.

That includes not only fencing, but also interlocking doors that keep out intruders, additional security cameras and other safety measures such as smoothing out rutted playing fields that pose a trip hazard.

The upgrade will be hugely expensive.

San Luis Coastal Assistant Superintendent Ryan Pinkerton estimates it will cost around $200,000 just for perimeter fencing for an elementary school and more for a middle school.

Among other steps, the district must prepare a design and submit it to the Division of the State Architect to ensure the fence meets structural code, is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and doesnt impede emergency access.

Plus, the fence needs to be visually appealing.

We dont want our schools looking like prison, Prater said.

School bond measure on November ballot

The district hopes to finance the work with new tax revenue; its placing a $349 million school modernization bond measure on the November ballot.

Bragg says it shouldnt take a bond measure to build a fence.

We get a little architect to come in and get the drawings of how were going to do it, and we go from there, he said. Thats not a bond. Thats called free. I can get it put up.

But security upgrades would be just one of many improvements covered by the bond. It also would fund new classrooms to replace portables; repair or replace leaky roofs; improve technology and energy efficiency; and provide new classrooms for the districts transitional kindergarten program, among other items.

The bond would primarily benefit elementary and middle schools. Measure D, passed in 2014, funded improvements at the high schools and an ongoing cost to homeowners of $39 a year per $100,000 of assessed home value.

If it passes, the new bond will add $49 per $100,000 assessed value, or $245 a year for a home valued at $500,000.

Security experts: Fencing is not enough

Security experts say fencing, security cameras and interlocking doors are just one facet of school safety.

Prevention is important too. That includes counseling and anti-bullying programs, training for faculty and staff and encouraging the see something, say something mentality.

San Luis Coastal officials say their security program has all those elements and more. Yet many of those efforts  which arent as visible as a fence or a security camera  go unnoticed

Were not shouting from the rooftops everything were doing, Prater said.

For Bragg, thats a problem.

He would like to know more about the training thats required not just for school staff, but also for law enforcement officers who would respond to an incident. Hes also curious about the number of safety drills conducted each year, how video surveillance is used and what it would cost to staff each campus with a school resource officer.

Bragg  the quintessential squeaky wheel  suspects district officials would just as soon wash their hands of him.

I am an outsider and the people in charge of the school would like for Medford Bragg to go away, he wrote.

Prater, though, diplomatically described Bragg as a super well-intentioned guy.

I do appreciate anyone who cares enough to say Hey, I want to make our campuses safer,  he said.

While their methods differ, the two men are on the same page when it comes to wanting to make schools as safe as possible for children in an America where gun violence is a full-blown epidemic.

For Prater, who is responsible for 7,500 students, that means asking voters to approve a massive bond to upgrade security at every school  or finding another way to fund the work in the event the measure fails.

For Bragg, it means rolling up his sleeves and building a fence around the school his grandson attends.

Hes a very good kid, he said, and I dont want to visit his grave.
A former University of Kentucky employee has filed a federal civil suit in the United States District Court against the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees, saying the board violated her rights after she didnt get a COVID-19 vaccine.

Laurie Ann DeVore stated in the suit filed Friday that the board committed religious discrimination, failure to accommodate, after she was forced to retire in January 2022 when she did not receive a vaccine and was denied a religious exemption.

According to court documents, DeVore has worked with the university since April 1999. Since 2014, her job title was Department Academic Administration, Sr. with the Office for Policy Studies on Violence Against Women. When the pandemic began, she and other employees were advised to work from home.

DeVore returned to work in-person as instructed on Aug. 2, 2021, and in September, was advised of a new policy at the university which required employees working on campus who had not received the vaccine to undergo mandatory weekly testing, according to court documents.

Due to deeply held religious beliefs, the plaintiff had not gotten the Covid vaccine, the suit says. Also due to her deeply held religious beliefs, (DeVore) objected to mandatory Covid testing.

DeVore submitted a request for religious exemption Oct. 1, 2021. That night, she received an email from UKs general counsel that her request for exemption from mandatory testing was denied, court documents state.

(UK) did not offer, recommend, or otherwise reference any possibility of (DeVore) receiving an accommodation, court documents state.

The university again denied an additional request from DeVore on Oct. 15. She then submitted a request for an accommodation and proposed she should be allowed to work from home as she had done for the past 17 months. The documents stated this would allow her to continue to do her job without requiring her to violate her religious beliefs.

She was denied by the university again on Nov. 2. UK stated she needed to be on site to assist students and staff members who may visit the office. Court documents state UK did not propose an alternative accommodation, and insisted the plaintiff either get the vaccine or submit to the mandatory testing.

On or about December 4, 2021, because (DeVores) religious convictions prohibited her from getting the Covid vaccine or submitting to weekly testing for four consecutive weeks, (DeVore) was placed on unpaid administrative leave, court documents state.

A month later in January 2022, DeVore received a correspondence from the university that she would be terminated by Jan. 29, 2022, if she were not in compliance with the mandate.

On Jan. 28, DeVore, to avoid the impending termination, was compelled to retire, documents state.

In April, the university ended the requirement that unvaccinated workers undergo weekly testing, according to the document. In May, DeVore filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, asserting discrimination based on religion.

(DeVore) was constructively discharged when she was forced to retire under the threat of termination, because (UK) refused to provide a reasonable accommodation to (UKs) mandatory testing requirement, court documents state.

The suit states this discrimination resulted in the loss of income, benefits, emotional distress and mental anxiety -- all of which she is seeking compensation for in the way of actual damages, future lost wages and benefits, punitive damages, attorney fees, and all other relief.

A response has not yet been filed by the University of Kentucky. According to Jay Blanton, UK spokesperson, the university had not yet received the litigation and was unable to comment.
The National Weather Services (NWS) warned the lethal heat wave that is currently searing most of the United States persists on Sunday in the Northeast and mid-South.

There are multiple heat alerts in effect for more than 85 million people around the nation due to extremely high temperatures. The Northeast would have its hottest day on Sunday.

This weekend, oppressive heat will bake much of the US, with triple-digit temperatures predicted for the Northeast, as reported by CNN.

On Twitter, the NWS posted: "From the southern Plains into the East, it will feel extremely oppressive, especially in the major metro areas of Washington DC to New York City and Boston."

The dangerous and intense summer #heat continues on Sunday and here's a look at the apparent heat/heat index forecast. From the southern Plains into the East, it will feel extremely oppressive, especially in the major metro areas of Washington D.C. to New York City and Boston. pic.twitter.com/BQxjxRkVgo  National Weather Service (@NWS) July 23, 2022

Moreover, the Weather Prediction Center announced that Sunday heat index values "from the Mid-Atlantic up into New England (Sunday) with many places expected to hit the upper 90s and heat indices to eclipse 100 degrees."

Forest Fires, Death Due to Heat Exhaustion

A representative for the city's medical examiner's office confirmed that at least one individual in New York City died on Saturday due to heat exhaustion. According to the spokeswoman, the person also had other medical conditions. Saturday's expected high in New York City was 97 degrees.

A 66-year-old Dallas lady who had pre-existing medical issues was among the other heat-related casualties this week, according to a county official. A 22-year-old hiker died on Wednesday at a national park in South Dakota, possibly from dehydration and exposure, per local authorities.

At least 19 individuals died in America in July as a result of the extreme heat.

After igniting a day earlier, a wildfire in California tore through hundreds of acres as millions of Americans sweltered in the heat as temperatures were already breaking records and were expected to rise.

The risk of fires has grown due to the widespread heat wave, such as the significant Oak Fire that started on Friday in California close to Yosemite National Park, where gigantic sequoias have already been put in danger by fire in recent days, as per a report from Inquirer.

Read Also: Joe Biden Quells Fears After Positive COVID-19 Test with Video Message: "It's Going To Be Okay"

Within 24 hours, the fire-which authorities called "explosive"-grew from roughly 600 to over 11,900 acres (4,800 hectares). Concentrated in Mariposa County, it has already damaged five buildings and destroyed 10, with hundreds more potentially at risk.

Hector Vasquez, an officer with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, reported that more than 6,000 people had been evacuated because the wildfire was still blazing as of Saturday night.

Authorities Advise the Public To Be Extra Careful

Fox News reported that heat indices were predicted to reach 105 in some areas of southern Utah and northern Arizona and to reach 110 in some spots. According to the NWS, some parts of the Northeast will experience temperatures in the 100s with heat indices as high as 110.

Local officials have declared heat emergencies in response to the intense heat that millions of people have been experiencing, conditions that experts say are becoming more regular owing to climate change.

Additionally, authorities urge people to exercise extra caution when outdoors, drink plenty of water, and be vigilant about neighbors and towns with increased danger.

Related Article: Monkeypox Now a Global Public Health Emergency Says WHO; Infections in the US Shoot Up

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Five people were taken to a local hospital after a minivan crashed near Boise, Idaho State Police said.

At roughly 4:11 p.m. Friday, a 68-year-old Boise man was driving south on Idaho 21 when he drove his Chrysler Town & Country off the road and the vehicle rolled over, according to a news release from state police. The collision occurred at milepost 14 in Ada County.

Idaho 21 is a primarily two-lane highway that passes through Idaho City and continues until Stanley.

There were four other passengers in the vehicle: a 39-year-old Boise man, a 71-year-old Boise woman and two minors, who were in car seats, state police said. The three adults were wearing seat belts.

Everyone was taken to an unidentified hospital by ground ambulance. The Idaho Statesman has reached out to state police for more information.

The incident was under investigation by the state police.
Wondering about the Kansas abortion amendment? We answer your questions ahead of vote

All Kansas voters can cast a ballot on a proposed constitutional amendment Aug. 2.

Theres a lot of confusion and misinformation about the amendment. We answered the most common questions weve been hearing from readers and fact-checked some common claims.

What does it mean that Kansans currently have a right to abortion?

In 2019, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that the state constitution includes a right to bodily autonomy. That includes abortion, the justices said.

As a result, the Kansas Legislature is barred from passing laws that restrict access to abortion. Any abortion restrictions must clear an extremely high level of strict scrutiny from the court to become law, and most restrictions on abortion, including a total ban, would be considered unconstitutional in Kansas.

What is the exact language of the proposed amendment?

The amendment, which supporters have dubbed the Value Them Both amendment, would add the following language to the state constitution, if passed.

Regulation of abortion. Because Kansans value both women and children, the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion. To the extent permitted by the constitution of the United States, the people, through their elected state representatives and state senators, may pass laws regarding abortion, including, but not limited to, laws that account for circumstances of pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, or circumstances of necessity to save the life of the mother.

To read the legislatures summary of the amendment and what it would do, visit here. To see the full resolution that called for the amendment, visit here.

What does a yes vote mean?

If a majority of people vote yes on the ballot and the amendment passes, language would be added to the Kansas state constitution that would take away the right to abortion. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, the state Legislature would be able to impose new restrictions on abortion, which includes the possibility of completely banning the procedure.

What does a no vote mean?

If a majority of people vote no and the amendment does not pass, the Legislature would continue to be barred from passing most legislation that impedes on a persons access to abortion.

Kansas would continue to protect the right to abortion, despite the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that removed the right at the federal level.

With the constitutional protection, does Kansas regulate abortion at all?

Yes. Even with the right to abortion protected, Kansas regulates the procedure.

Abortions after 22 weeks are strictly limited. Patients must receive mandatory state-written materials before going through with an abortion. An ultrasound is required, and so is parental consent for minors. Abortion clinics in Kansas face regulation from the state health department for safety, sanitation and cleanliness. Practicing clinicians must abide by license requirements and investigations by the state, just like all other medical professionals in Kansas.

If the amendment does not pass, could current abortion restrictions go away?

Not necessarily. Its a little complicated, but any restriction in question would need to be legally challenged and deemed unconstitutional in court.

The campaign advocating for the amendment warns that existing regulations could be struck down under the 2019 ruling that found the state right to abortion.

Last year two of Kansas abortion restrictions were deemed unconstitutional under this ruling, and a lawsuit challenging the states ban on telemedicine abortion is ongoing.

Abortion rights advocates could sue to block other existing abortion regulations in the future, but any changes would depend on Kansas courts ruling that the regulation in question violates the states constitution.

Do state taxes pay for abortions?

Generally, no. Publicly funded health insurance plans like Medicaid will only cover the procedure in Kansas if it is necessary to save the life or a major bodily function of the patient.

If passed, will the amendment ban abortion?

The amendment vote will not automatically ban abortion if passed. A total ban would require a few more steps and would not be immediate or guaranteed in Kansas.

This amendment vote will decide whether current abortion protections will remain in place.

If the amendment passes, legislators will be able to pass laws in the future that further restrict abortions, which could include a total ban.

Will legislators ban abortion if the amendment is passed?

We dont know for sure. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, it is possible that lawmakers would introduce a bill that could either further restrict or ban abortion.

We cant tell the future, but we do know that earlier this year, state legislators introduced a bill that would have banned and criminalized nearly all abortions, except in cases of miscarriage, stillbirth or ectopic pregnancies. The bill died once the legislative session closed in May.

State lawmakers could discuss abortion rights in a special session, which is when lawmakers convene outside of the regular legislative session.

What is the history behind this amendment?

In 2015, Kansas lawmakers attempted to ban dilation and evacuation abortion, which is a common procedure in second-trimester abortions that involves using surgical tools to remove the fetus.

A lawsuit to strike down that law led to the 2019 ruling when the state Supreme Court found that the Kansas constitution protects the right to abortion.

In 2021, state legislators voted to have the upcoming special election so Kansas voters could essentially vote on whether or not to overturn that 2019 ruling.

If the amendment language is added to the state constitution, lawmakers would have the ability to pass more restrictions on abortion.

Who can vote on the amendment?

All registered voters can participate in the vote, regardless of party affiliation.

Are churches and nonprofits legally allowed to post Vote Yes or Vote No signs on their grounds?

Yes. Although nonprofits, including churches, are not supposed to engage in political campaigning, they are allowed to lobby for issues, according to Terry Mosteller, who is the founding attorney at Mission Counsel, a law firm that specializes in helping nonprofits.

It would be a violation of their 501(c)(3) status if a church or nonprofit had a sign that was endorsing a candidate for governor or mayor, but since the upcoming vote doesnt involve a candidate nonprofits can have yard signs without being in violation of their nonprofit status.

If a nonprofit does contribute a substantial amount of time, money and resources to a certain issue or topic, the IRS can revoke their nonprofit status, but Mosteller said that rarely happens and can be difficult to prove.
The two Tory leadership hopefuls have been engaged in bitter clashes over immigration, China and tax cuts ahead of a crunch TV debate on Monday evening.

Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak will enter the first head-to-head TV debate on the BBC on Monday after a weekend that saw both camps trade increasingly personal attacks.

Allies of the Foreign Secretary were quick to lash out at the former chancellor over his warning that China represents the biggest-long term threat to Britain.

In a hardening of tone against China, Mr Sunak promised to close all 30 of the countrys Confucius Institutes in the UK.

(PA Graphics)

Funded by the Chinese Government, they are ostensibly culture and language centres but critics have labelled them propaganda tools amid worsening relations between the West and China.

Mr Sunak accused China of stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities, pledging to work with US President Joe Biden to stand up to China at home and abroad.

But those claims were met with scepticism by Truss supporters, with former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith calling the announcement surprising.

Sir Iain, the co-chairman of the inter-parliamentary alliance on China, said: Over the last two years, the Treasury has pushed hard for an economic deal with China. This is despite China sanctioning myself and four UK parliamentarians.

Despite China brutally cracking down on peaceful democracy campaigners in Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan, illegally occupying the South China Sea, committing genocide on the Uyghurs and increasing its influence in our universities.

After such a litany, I have one simple question, where have you been over the last two years?

A spokesperson for Ms Truss said: Liz has strengthened Britains position on China since becoming Foreign Secretary and helped lead the international response to increased Chinese aggression.

This will only continue when she becomes prime minister and seeks to expand her network of liberty around the world.

Every year thousands and thousands of people come into the UK illegally. Often we dont know who they are, where theyre from and why they are here. These are not bad people, but it makes a mockery of our system and it must stop. Watch below  sign up https://t.co/3cXn1rFhca pic.twitter.com/gXjtsGqdXK  Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 24, 2022

Mr Sunak also came under pressure from his rival over his strategy to combat illegal migration, as he seeks to win over the Tory grassroots voters who will decide the next Conservative leader.

Calling the current system broken, he offered a 10-point plan on Sunday that included a commitment to a narrower definition of who qualifies for asylum compared to that from the ECHR, with enhanced powers to detain, tag and monitor illegal migrants.

Mr Sunak, who was on the campaign trail on Sunday, also promised to give Parliament control over who comes to the UK by creating an annual cap on the number of refugees accepted each year, albeit one that can be changed in the case of sudden emergencies.

But those proposals were picked apart by Truss allies, who raised questions about Mr Sunaks proposals, arguing that it was unclear how the refugee quota would work and suggesting that some of his plans amounted to a rebrand.

Allies of Ms Truss also queried a suggestion from Mr Sunak that illegal migrants could be housed on cruise ships, something the Truss camp suggested would amount to arbitrary detention and a breach of both domestic and international law.

 I have a clear @Conservatives plan and vision for our country and economy. I will deliver and get things done from day one. Join the team: https://t.co/koPyqw4wIG#LizForLeader  Liz for Leader (@trussliz) July 23, 2022

Mr Sunak sought to defend his proposals on Sunday afternoon, telling the BBC that tackling illegal migration was a priority for him and that no options should be off the table.

But he was unable to give a clear assurance that his policy proposals would be legal.

What we do need to do is be very honest about the challenges that the ECHR, these European laws, have on our ability to grapple with this problem.

The Truss campaign had said that as prime minister she would increase the UKs frontline Border Force by 20% and double the Border Force Maritime staffing levels, with Ms Truss claiming that her plan to tackle illegal migration would be given a strong legal foundation by the new UK Bill of Rights.

The plans from both candidates generated anger in some quarters, with Oxfam labelling as cruel any plan to link UK aid payments to countries co-operation with immigration removals and Amnesty International saying that making policy only to please Tory members has caused chaos and backlogs.

Elsewhere, Ms Truss unveiled plans to boost UK growth rates with full-fat freeports, a move that may be seen as a bid to steal a march on Mr Sunak, who has been an advocate of free ports since his days as a backbench MP.

Pitched as the cornerstone of her tax-cutting economic vision, the Truss campaign said that the plans would see brownfield sites and other locations turned into investment zones.

Liz Truss addressing supporters during a visit to Ashley House, Marden, Kent (James Manning/PA)

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will use a speech in Liverpool on Monday to pitch his partys vision of growth, growth, growth.

In the speech, he is expected to predict more Thatcherite cosplay from Mr Sunak and Ms Truss when they square up in the BBC studios on Monday, the first of three hustings over the next few days.
Not at all. It just seems like a lot of back-and-forth talk.

Yes. I'm growing very worried over what might happen.

If it keeps up, I might be a little more concerned.

I think there are much larger things to concern us as a country.

It's hard to tell; I can't take the leader of either country seriously.

Vote

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Human rights for all is the common pursuit of humankind. While the global human rights cause has witnessed rapid progress, the human rights situation in the United States has been deteriorating, inviting criticisms from the international community.

Racial discrimination in the US has intensified. The "virus" of racism is deeply entrenched and widely spread in the US, which takes pride in being a "White Anglo-Saxon Protestant" country. As a result, other ethnic groups such as African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans face serious discriminations and human rights violations.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Americans and people of Asian descent in the US have become the target of xenophobia, stigmatization, hate speech, bigotry, and hate crimes. According to New York Police Department statistics, anti-Asian hate crimes in New York City in 2021 rose by 361 percent from that in 2020.

Discrimination and attacks against Muslim Americans are also on the rise, while in the past Indigenous people have suffered bloody massacres, brutal expulsions and cultural genocide.

Gun violence has escalated. There were 693 mass shootings in 2021, up 10.1 percent from 2020, with more than 44,000 people being killed in gun violence. According to the Gun Violence Archives, a nonprofit organization, 19,841 people had been killed in gun violence in the US by June 15 this year. And according to CNN, the number of mass shootings this year is likely to exceed that of last year, probably becoming the "worst year" on record.

People's lives have been ignored. Despite having the world's most advanced medical equipment, technology, and medical facilities, the US has the world's highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths, with more than 88 million confirmed cases and over 1 million fatalities. In fact, COVID-19 deaths have reduced average life expectancy by 1.13 years, the steepest drop since World War II. Yet the worst hit are African Americans and Hispanics, as their life expectancy is estimated to decline by 2.10 years and 3.05 yearscompared with 0.68 years for whites.

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Also, the pandemic prevention and control measures have been highly politicized in the US, with politicians focusing on their political gains rather than people's lives and health. The US' unscientific, unequal and irresponsible anti-pandemic measures and rules have seriously undermined American people's rights to life and health, which has resulted in the deterioration of people's mental health and a staggering increase in the number of homeless.

Social injustice has been exacerbated. Economic inequality between the white population and ethnic minority groups in the US has been a long-term systemic malaise, which manifested in various ways and areas such as employment and entrepreneurship, wages and financial loans. Not to mention the polarization between the rich and the poor, which is astonishing.

The Policy Research Institute, a US think tank, says the overall wealth of US billionaires increased by 19 times from 1990 to 2021, while the median wealth increase was only 5.37 percent. According to the data released by the US Census Bureau last year, the poverty rate among African Americans is 19.5 percent, making them the poorest and most vulnerable ethnic group in the US.

Poor understanding of human rights. Human rights have rich and broad contexts, including not only civil and political rights but also economic, social and cultural rights as well as the right to development. However, the US only recognizes individual rights such as civil and political rights, despises economic, social and cultural rights, and does not recognize the right to development.

The US is the only country in the world that has not yet ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and refuses to ratify other core human rights conventions, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

For a long time, the US has prided itself as the biggest "defender of human rights". But unashamedly, in using human rights as a political tool, the US resorts to double standard. On the one hand, it holds the baton of human rights, pointing fingers at others, putting pressure on developing countries, launching wars and imposing unilateral sanctions on other countries. On the other hand, it turns a blind eye to its own human rights problems. The US has always claimed to be a beacon of human rights for the world, but has always been found struggling in the dark at home.

The author is a board member of the United Nations Association of China. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/
Before the ceremony, the outgoing President and the President-elect will arrive in Parliament in a ceremonial procession

New Delhi: President-elect Droupadi Murmu will take oath of office of the highest constitutional post of the country on Monday followed by a 21 gun salute.

The Union Home Ministry said the ceremony will be held at the central hall of Parliament at 10.15 AM on Monday where Chief Justice of India N V Ramana will administer the oath of the office of the President to her.

The Presidentelect will take the oath of office followed by a 21 gun salute, the home ministry said.

The President will then deliver an address.

Before the ceremony, the outgoing President and the President-elect will arrive in Parliament in a ceremonial procession.

Vice-President and Chairman of the Rajya Sabha M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Members of the Council of Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, heads of diplomatic missions, Members of Parliament and principal civil and military officers of the government will attend the ceremony.

On the conclusion of the ceremony in the central hall of the Parliament, the President will leave for Rashtrapati Bhavan where an inter-services guard of honour will be given to her in the forecourt and courtesies will be extended to the outgoing President.

Murmu, 64, scripted history on Thursday after defeating Opposition Presidential candidate Yashwant Sinha in an one-sided contest. She would become India's first tribal President.

Murmu won the election by an overwhelming margin against Sinha after receiving over 64 per cent valid votes of MPs and MLAs, comprising the electoral college, to succeed Ram Nath Kovind to become the country's 15th president.

Murmu got 6,76,803 votes against Sinha's 3,80,177 votes.

She will be the first President to be born after independence and is the youngest to occupy the top post. She is also the second woman to become the President.
The ED had planned to fly Mr Chatterjee to Bhubaneswar for further interrogation

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested heavyweight West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee and his close friend Arpita Mukherjee from their respective residences in south Kolkata on Saturday in the School Service Commission (SSC) jobs scam. After model-turned small-time actor Ms Mukherjee, name of Monalisa Das, a professor of Bengali at Kazi Nazrul University at Asansol in Burdwan West, has come on EDs radar because of her suspicious link with Mr Chatterjee.

Both Mr Chatterjee and Ms Mukherjee were earlier detained and grilled in the case by the Central agency during a raid and search at their respective homes since Friday morning. Mr Chatterjee is the state commerce and industries minister. He also holds the parliamentary affairs and information technology portfolios in chief minister Mamata Banerjee's Cabinet.

Mr Chatterjee is also a close aide of the Trinamul Congress supremo and the party's secretary general, one of the senior-rank members of the party responsible for disciplinary matters in the organisation.

Early on Saturday, Mr Chatterjee was booked at his Naktala residence for not cooperating during a 27-hour-long questioning by the ED in its money laundering probe into the allotment of government primary school teachers' jobs in exchange for a hefty amount of cash from the candidates that took place during his tenure as the state education minister.

According to sources, Mr Chatterjee was evasive about the seizure of Rs 21.20 crore in cash, Rs 79 lakh of jewellery, mostly in gold and foreign currencies worth Rs 54 lakhs from Ms Mukherjee's flat at an upscale housing apartment in Tollygunge. The ED later transported the alleged "ill-gotten wealth", suspected to be part of the scam, in a truck carrying 40 steel trunks.

The central agency also found the school education department's envelopes used for bringing the cash to Ms Mukherjee's flat, as well as evidence of Mr Chatterjee's regular conversations with her and his visits to her flat.

Caught on the back foot, the Trinamul Congress quickly distanced itself from the controversy. Trinamul Congress state general secretary Kunal Ghosh claimed, "Our party is not involved in the case anyway because neither the wealth nor its owner and address of recovery belongs to our party. Our party and government will take steps against Mr Chatterjee only if and when he is found guilty by the judiciary."

Mr Chatterjee, when asked about any talks between him and the CM, said hopelessly, "I tried to contact her but failed." He was later produced before the chief metropolitan magistrate of the Bankshall Court after a medical check-up at ESI Hospital in Joka.

The lawyers for Mr Chatterjee prayed for his bail and his hospitalisation on the account of his ill health, while the ED appealed for his 14 days remand, submitting that the ill-gotten wealth seized from Ms Mukherjee's flat was linked to him. The judge rejected the minister's bail plea and remanded him in ED custody for two days.

The ED had planned to fly Mr Chatterjee to Bhubaneswar for further interrogation. He was, however, admitted to SSKM Hospital. In the evening, Ms Mukherjee was arrested. While leaving her flat, she angrily alleged, "I have done nothing wrong. This is a big ploy by the BJP. The ED tortured me."

Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said, "We were not ready for such an incident. Mr Chatterjee's arrest will affect parliamentary affairs work. It is the constitutional obligation of the ED to inform me about its steps against any member of the House. They should do it."

Attacking the TMC, Midnapore BJP MP Dilip Ghosh and Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari called Mr Chatterjee's arrest the "tip of the iceberg". Praising the ED, Mr Ghosh indicated that more arrests will follow in the case.

Mr Ghosh alleged, "One woman was found to have three flats. Around 21 crores were recovered from her. There is another woman whose name is Monalisa. She also has links with this case. She teaches at a university, lives in Santiniketan and owns 10 flats."
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A very affordable Toyota takes on a limping Rolls-Royce, and both get slammed by a Maybach. Whats the best over 15-year-old V12 getaway car? There are many fast options, but if one were to make a quick exit while not giving up on luxury, then the choices are limited. And, surprisingly, not as expensive as we might be inclined to assume. Enter Japan and Germany (why is there always a battle between these two countries when it comes down to the best car in the world business?)

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"Lore Olympus," a webcomic created by Rachel Smythe and released by Webtoon, has become the winner in the Best Webcomic category at Eisner Awards. Screenshot from Webtoon Twitter





By Kim Rahn







"Lore Olympus," a webcomic released by Webtoon, the American unit of Naver Webtoon, has won an award at the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards.







According to the San Diego Comic-Con International website, the organizer of the prestigious annual awards, "Lore Olympus" by Rachel Smythe was named the winner in the Best Webcomic category.







The webcomic revolves around romance and other stories of the gods of Greek mythology, which are presented in a modern setting. It was first uploaded on the platform's "Canvas" section, where amateur webtoonists can showcase their works and get the chance to debut them on the platform as professional webtoonists if the works receive good responses from viewers.







"(Smythe) started out as Webtoon Canvas and saw the creation of 'Lore Olympus' as a creative challenge, spending countless nights turning her visions into reality. From Canvas creator to Eisner Award winner, Rachel continues sharing her passion for storytelling with the world," Webtoon wrote on its website, Saturday.







Named after American cartoonist Will Eisner, the Eisner Awards, often dubbed the "Oscars" of the comic book industry, honors the best publications and creators of comics and graphic novels since its establishment in 1988. It made the webcomic section in 2017.







"Lore Olympus" has gained global attention since its first release in March 2018 on Webtoon, recording more than 1.1 billion views so far. Its graphic novel version ranked first on the New York Times' best seller list for graphic books last December.







It also won the Digital Book of the Year at Harvey Awards last year, another acclaimed award for comic books established to honor American writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman in 1988.







"Navillera: Like a Butterfly," a Korean webtoon about a 70-year-old man's pursuit of his dream to become a ballerino, was also nominated for Eisner Awards' Best Webcomic category, but did not make it. Written by Hun and illustrated by Jimmy, it was the only work by Korean creators among the five nominees in the category.


Having just recently opened up shop in Australia, CUPRA (formerly SEAT Sport) still has bigger plans ahead. Our reason for coming to Australia is to prove that we can become a global brand, SEAT president Wayne Anthony Griffiths mentioned.While in Australia for the opening of CUPRAs new showroom in Sydneys central business district, Mr. Griffiths told the media that there are markets outside of Australia that were developing. One such market is North America, but the brand is only starting to analyze it, leaving it on the back burner for the time being. According to Mr. Griffiths, for now there is no decision being made on North America.Still, that decision might come sooner rather than later, given CUPRAs impressive expansion rate  the car makers annual turnover has grown from 430 million euros (about $437M) in 2018 to almost 2.2 billion euros (approx. $2.234B) in 2021.And even if theres no decision being made right now, the US still has priority over China due to Volkswagen Groups dominance in that area with brands such as Audi and Skoda.While imitation is flattery, the brand hasnt tried to model itself after anybody, nor does it want to copy other automakers. Still, Mr. Griffiths affirmed his respect toward Tesla, which has been one of the first movers in electrification.CUPRA isnt lifting the foot off the accelerator for 2022  the carmaker wants to double its sales, turnover, and global network of City Garages. They won't stop here, either.Besides selling 500,000 cars a year and expanding into new markets and segments, one of CUPRAs goals is to introduce the world to its 3 new electrified models by 2025 : Terramar, Tavascan, and UrbanRebel.
HVAC

Without going into a dissertation about the definition of extraordinary circumstances, we think this converted Airstream RV camper trailer turned into a mobile quarantine facility for Apollo astronauts surely qualifies. It may not be a Saturn V rocket or a fully-fledged lunar landing vehicle . But it sure as heck makes for an interesting story in this month celebrating the history of recreational vehicles.Let us paint the picture for you. It's July 24th, 1969, around 900 miles southwest of Hawaii. After humanity's first voyage to the surface of another heavenly body, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins have just splashed down in the Pacific Ocean with Apollo 11's Command Module Columbia. They're mentally tired, physically fatigued, and parts of their space suits are still covered in moon dust.One would think the first place the three American heroes went off to after the Navy scooped them out of the water would be straight to New York City for a well-deserved ticker-tape parade. But you'd be dead wrong. As bonkers as it may sound, NASA and the Department of Defense were concerned about something unforeseen, hitching a ride back home with Apollo 11's crew.That's right, more than anything else, NASA's most pressing concern was potentially bringing home some sort of alien life form from the surface of the Moon back home to mother Earth. If that sounds like some kind of sci-fi movie plot, we refer you to the 2017 horror film Life, in which that's pretty much the plot of the whole movie in a nutshell.It's almost like they were taking inspiration from someplace. In any case, even the minute possibility of some form of "Moon Bug" showing up on any of the astronauts from this historic mission was not one NASA was ready to take lightly. Instead, Collins, Aldrin, and Armstrong were forced to be rubbed down in an interesting-sounding solution called sodium hypochlorite.The idea was that the stuff would kill any lunar microbes that hypothetically threatened to spread across the planet if they escaped. With that in mind, the first place the crew of Apollo 11 embarked after being scooped up from the ocean was the deck of the World War II veteran aircraft carrier USS Hornet.From there, the crew walked a distance of around 30 feet (9.1 m) to where a truly special and unique RV was waiting for them in the Hornet's main hangar. It'd be the last time they'd see fresh air for at least 21 days. It was the Airstream Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF).That was made by the very same makers of the iconic trailer camper and recreational vehicles since the early 1920s. But of all their glamorous models, perhaps no other airstream was of any larger prestige or historical significance than what's become known by its nickname, the Apollo Quarantine Trailer.This was to be the new home for the crew of every completed Apollo mission for the next three weeks after their fiery return to Earth. Inside would be all the necessities and requirements any human being would need to live and survive inside for the entire duration of their mildly ridiculous government-mandated quarantine.At the far right end of the trailer, a six-person crew quarter consisted of one long table with three chairs per side, seemingly ripped out of an airliner. These seats were occupied by the three astronauts and a crew of doctors, technicians, and scientists who could quarantine along with the crew.Moving down towards the center of the vehicle, we find the kitchen area, complete with running water and a microwave oven to prepare pre-packaged food brought in from the outside and heated on plastic serving trays. Finishing up on the left-hand side, a set of bunks seemingly taken straight from a military barracks was the astronauts' only sleeping arrangement for the three days the MQF was in transit from their landing site to Pearl Harbor.There were also ample accommodations for climate controls andsystems for crew comfort, alongside a capable communications array that allowed Apollo crews to talk with their family and friends. Four Airstream MQFs were manufactured during the Apollo program.After NASA determined the idea of a Moon germ is as preposterous as we think it is, the program was canceled. Today, you can find the existing MQFs from Apollo 11 through 14 at museums across the U.S. We were privileged enough to take a trip to the National Air and Space Museum's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia, a few months ago and see the very first MQF used in the historic Apollo 11 mission up close and in person.Safe to say, it was one of the coolest exhibits in the whole building. We leave you with this hilarious photo of President Richard Nixon greeting the Apollo 11 crew through the MQF's window like a trio of caged puppies. How this isn't a meme or an NFT yet, we have no idea.Check back soon for more from RV month here on autoevolution.
EV

Between the many videos he publishes on the platform and his busy life as an auto mechanic, Scotty Kilmer also finds the time to answer his critics. The shift in content strategy, however, is visible. Now he argues that Toyota and Honda aren't making reliable cars anymore.Kilmer argues that innovations commonly found in new cars like advanced cameras, multiple sensors, wireless charging pads, new software, driver assistance systems, andtechnology are to blame for sending well-established auto companies like the Japanese ones at the bottom of the dependability report.He says Honda was met with many issues when it introduced new technologies like automatic emergency braking. However, the company still managed to recall all the affected vehicles and fix them promptly.On the other hand, he points at Toyota and underlines that the company is getting ready to face a much smaller profit in 2022. Kilmer thinks this won't happen because parts prices are continuously increasing. He underlines discreetly that there are way too many technologies being forced on consumers either by government regulations or by manufacturers that want to sell more expensive vehicles, which may guarantee better profit margins.But Scotty Kilmer also says that brands like Volkswagen, Volvo, or Chrysler were faced with a considerable downfall regarding the dependability report.The mechanic-turned-YouTuber argues cars shouldve followed the same path as aviation companies. They didnt rush to push out many new technologies and continue to fly around the world with minimum changes. Things improved in the fuel consumption department, but other aspects remain unchanged.Scotty Kilmer has a knack for saying a lot of things, while the essence of his statements rarely changes. However, this new video is different and marks a change for the auto mechanic. He might have been tired of peoples accusations and decided to bash every manufacturer equally  even the ones he liked and recommended. But at the same time, hes not wrong. Reliability issues have been present at almost any automaker lately. Ford, for example, had 10 major recalls just last month!Let us know what you think about all this in the comment section down below.
Roman Abramovich is on sanctions lists in the UK, the U.S., and the European Union, which means that assets tied to him can be seized if found in any of these territories. Until ownership is established, the same assets can be arrested  which is what happened to superyacht Halo and support vessel Garcon in late March.Halo and Garcon, two spectacular though comparatively smaller builds, moored at Falmouth Harbour in Antigua and Barbuda just as sanctions went into effect after the start of the war in Ukraine. Flagged under the Bermuda flag, they were arrested after British publication The Observer determined that they were owned by British Virgin Islands-based company Wenham Overseas Ltd, which, in turn, was supposedly owned by Abramovich.At the UK governments request, Antigua detained the two vessels but did not seize them. A later investigation determined that the direct beneficiary (i.e., the actual owner) was, indeed, Abramovich , but Antigua didnt have sanction laws or the grounds to impound them. Both ships left Antigua on Friday, July 22, and are now crossing the Atlantic together, heading for two different ports in Morocco, eSysman SuperYachts reports (see the video below).Both Halo and Garcon are now sailing under the Cook Islands flag, with re-registration taking place just before they left. Antigua officials are keeping mum on the reason for the departure or, for that matter, on whether they knew the ships were about to set sail . A likely reason would be that, since they had no grounds to impound the vessels, they no longer had the right to detain them Halo is a 180-foot (55-meter) luxury superyacht delivered by Amels in 2018 and often offered for charter. With an exterior design by Tim Heywood Design over the Amels naval architecture, it features an interior by Studio Laura Sessa and offers accommodation for 12 guests and 13 crew. Halo has a top speed of 15.5 knots (17.8 mph/28.7 kph) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (5,178 miles/8.834 km) at a cruising speed of 13 knots (15 mph/24 kph).Garcon is an even more impressive build, as its both a support vessel and an explorer, delivered by Damen Yachting. With a total length of 220 feet (67.2 meters), it offers an impressive volume of 1,145 GT divided between garage functions and actual living space (including luxurious quarters) for 21 people in total. Powered by 4 Caterpillar engines, it can reach 25 knots (28.7 mph/46.3 kph) at full throttle and cruises at 18 (20.7 mph/33.3 kph).
Bearing Wayne Raineys signature on its front fairing, this mint-condition 2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 LE is one of only 500 units produced to mark the brands 50th anniversary. The bike has never been ridden by the previous owners, and we highly doubt that its going to see much action in the future  if any at all! Yamaha s special-edition icon can be told apart from a regular R1 by its yellow, black and white color scheme, but it also features higher-spec Ohlins suspension, a slipper clutch, and forged aluminum hoops from Marchesini. Bringing the Japanese rarity to life is a fuel-injected 998cc inline-four powerhouse, which packs 20 valves, dual overhead camshafts, and a ram-air intake setup.This short-stroke juggernaut will go about producing 174 hp at 12,500 rpm, along with 79 pound-feet (107 Nm) of torque at approximately 10,500 spins per minute. For the engines force to reach the asphalt, it makes use of a six-speed transmission and a 530 O-ring drive chain.When all its power is called into action, the YZF-R1 can go from zero to 60 mph (96 kph) in a little over three seconds. Once thats done, itll continue accelerating to a top speed of 179 mph (288 kph), with an astounding 9.9-second quarter-mile time occurring along the way.The suspension falls under the jurisdiction of inverted 43 mm (1.7-inch) forks up north and an adjustable shock absorber out back. Prompt braking is made possible by dual 320 mm (12.6-inch) rotors at the front and a single 220 mm (8.7-inch) disc at the opposite end. Finally, the machine weighs 384 pounds (174 kg) dry.If that bank account of yours stores more dough than you know what to do with, make sure you have a gander at current listings on Iconic Motorbike Auctions as soon as possible because this rare R1 is up for grabs! The bidding process will be ending on July 28, so youve only got a few days to go ahead and take action.
An inbound traveler at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2 on July 20 takes a COVID-19 test. Yonhap



By Ko Dong-hwan



The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has reinstated a COVID-19 quarantine regulation that requires those who arrive in Korea to take a PCR test upon arrival or within one day of their arrival instead of within three days, as the numbers of new daily infections have surged in the country.



The new measure becomes effective from Monday.



Starting in June, the health authority had eased the regulation on incoming travelers, requiring them instead to take the test within three days of their arrival, as the numbers of new daily infections in the country had been declining since reaching the peak of the fifth wave in March.



However, the weekly counts of new COVID-19 infections started doubling at the beginning of this month due to the arrival of Omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.2.75. Experts predict that the number of infections in the pandemic's sixth wave here could rise to 300,000 per day in mid-August.



The daily number of infections coming in from overseas has been steady, at around 300 over the past month. In the past week (July 17-23), the daily tally of infections coming in from overseas ranged from 293 to 429, with the latest figure from Saturday at 333. Since the first COVID-19 infection was reported in the country in January 2020, 429 is the highest number of infections coming in from inbound travelers. The record before was 406 from Jan. 14 of this year.



The reasons behind the high number of infections among inbound travelers include a spike in the sheer number of inbound and outbound travelers following the easing of travel restrictions overlapping with the summer vacation season, which kicked off around June this year. Other reasons boosting the number of inbound travelers here are that some large-scale K-pop concerts have started hosting audiences for the first time in over two years, as well as the central government's increasing demand for migrant workers in order to resolve certain labor shortages.



Starting in June, inbound travelers had been recommended by the KDCA to take a rapid antigen test within six to seven days of their arrival  replacing a previously mandatory measure. But the recommendation has not been widely followed, according to the authority.



The number of daily new COVID-19 infections for Saturday was 65,433, down 3,118 from the previous day but 1.6 times the figure of the week before, and 3.2 times that of two weeks before. The number of COVID-19 patients in a serious condition was 146 on Sunday, the highest number in 51 days.



Among inbound travelers, Korean nationals, as well as foreign nationals who are residing in Korea, can take PCR tests for free at health centers in districts near where they live. People of foreign nationality in the country  for short-term stays  must pay for their tests.


After an outpouring of community support, a Lamar University student is on his way to salvaging the scholarship that could pay for his master- and doctorate-level education.

Julio Delgado earlier this month received his transcript from Lamar University after months of trying.

Delgado, a Port Arthur native, took a year off of school to help take care of his family and had to defer his Gates Millennium Scholarship. However, he was unable to do so without his Lamar University transcript.

Last week, he met with the Lamar University Vice President of Enrollment who helped him obtain his transcript.

"A lot of people started donating. So, I was able to get back to school and because I had enough to like pay enough of the debt," Delgado said. "I was able to negotiate with the records department to release the transcripts."

Delgado paid part of his $7,500 overdue balance related the unfinished 2021 semester in order to get his transcript.

RELATED: 'I'm not throwing away my shot:' Lamar students seeks help deferring scholarship

And he was able to get his transcript to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation by his July 14 deadline.

"I'm not in the clear yet, but it went from like literally a 10% chance of saving the scholarship to a 60% chance," Delgado said. "It all depends on the board choosing whether or not to extend the deferment."

Delgado is waiting for his scholarship deferment to be processed through the Foundation. In the meantime, he is planning on returning to school in the fall after taking last year off.

The Lamar University administration has helped him set up meetings with the correct advisers to start getting ready to go back to school, Delgado said.

"With this new president, there is more of an effort to get people to come back to school," Delgado said. "I don't mean to criticize the previous administration, but this administration seems to be more focused on creating a sense of community."
The past few years in Beaumont ISD has been tumultuous. Between tropical storms, freezes and a multi-year worldwide pandemic, it seemed as if the district couldn't catch its breath to have a "normal" school year.

But it's still managed to see improvement across its campuses.

When the districts and its campuses were last rated on the standard A thorough F Texas Education Agency accountability scale for the 2018-19 school year, the district as a whole was rated C.

Out of 23 campuses, Beaumont ISD had only one A-rated campus, one B-rated campus, nine C-rated campuses, five D-rated campuses and seven F-rated, or failing, campuses.

RELATED: Beaumont school district plans to harden campuses, equip police

The tide seems to be changing.

At Thursday's regular school board meeting, district Superintendent Shannon Allen and district Associate Superintendent of Schools Anita Frank presented the district's preliminary accountability ratings for the 2021-22 school year.

While the district maintained its overall rating of C, 12 of its 23 rated campuses saw improvement, while three saw their ratings decline.

The district went from one A-rated campus to two and one B-rated campus to eight. It also saw a decrease in the number of failing campuses from seven to two.

RELATED: Donations open to support Beaumont teachers

Frank said during her presentation that there are three areas that make up the district's and each campus' accountability rating: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps.

"Student achievement (looks) at how many students (took the STAAR test), how many tests were taken (and) how many were passed," she said. "School progress looks at relative performance, that means the campus compared to other campuses that have the same demographics as them, same class sizes as them. It also looks at growth of students -- did the student maintain from where they were last year or grow? Closing the gaps looks at our student performance, at meets (grade level) or masters (grade level) at all of our student groups."

For the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, school districts and campuses across the state were not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, districts and campuses that did not received an A, B or C rating were not rated, a guideline implemented by Texas Senate Bill 1365 last year.

RELATED: Local orgs help prepare for start of school with supply, service drives

"We know that we've been dealing with COVID, we know that we have lots of gaps with students and so the state says if you do not received an A, B, or C, you will not be rated for this year," Frank said.

The district's goal this year -- as it is every year, according to Frank -- is to continue to show growth.

"We know we have a long road to go," Allen said at the board meeting. "We have so much more work that we have to continue to do. We know that our kids need additional support. We are continuing to look at the data, analyze the data and make adjustments to our strategic plan to address the deficits that we have because the deficits are still there. What I'm proud of is that so many of our campuses grew."

The campus ratings are as follows:

A-rated campuses -- 2

Early College High School, maintained from 2018-19

Sallie Curtis Elementary, improved from its C rating in 2018-19

B-rated campuses -- 8

Odom Academy, maintained from 2018-19

Amelia Elementary, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

Blanchette Elementary, improved from its C rating in 2018-19

Charlton-Pollard Elementary, improved from its C rating in 2018-19

Fletcher Elementary, improved from its C rating in 2018-19

Guess Elementary, improved from its D rating in 2018-19

Martin Elementary, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

Regina Howell Elementary, improved from its C rating in 2018-19

RELATED: Beaumont ISD rejuvenates Pathways alternative learning program

C-rated campuses -- 3

Calwood Elementary, maintained from 2018-19

Dishman Elementary, maintained from 2018-19

Homer Drive Elementary, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

D-rated campuses -- 8

Fehl-Price Elementary, maintained from 2018-19

Jones-Clark Elementary, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

Marshall Middle School, declined from its C rating in 2018-19

King Middle School, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

Smith Middle School, improved from its F rating in 2018-19

Paul Brown Center, maintained from 2018-19

West Brook High School, declined from its C rating in 2018-19

F-rated campuses -- 2
Inside Hook

When traveling by air, some of the things youre prevented from bringing on board a plane are relatively logical choices. Its pretty obvious why weapons or volatile substances are barred from being brought on board, for instance. But certain other things that can be restricted are barred for less obvious reasons. Seeds and other agricultural products, for instance, are often subject to restructions by variouus countries around the world.



The U.S. Customs and Border Patrols website explains that [p]rohibited agricultural items can harbor plant pests and foreign animal diseases that could seriously damage Americas crops, livestock, and the environment. But not all barred items are going to be obvious to the naked eye or to an X-ray machine.



Thats where the beagles come in.



A new article at the New York Times details the efforts of the governments Beagle Brigade, who can be found at airports, postal depots and borders around the country. Their job is to sniff out various banned substances  a process that begins with a 13-week training program after which they can detect five basic odors.



As the Times points out, the beagles are generally used in airports for the inspection of baggage carousels. Why? Because of the breeds generally friendly disposition, it seems. I am currently typing this in the vicinity of a beagle who, several days ago, found a fully shrinkwrapped Clif Bar that had been expired for a year, so  I can attest to their olfactory skills very much.



Its an important job for the hounds to carry out. And they seem efficient at it  according to the article, the dogs have found 96,000 pounds of illicit materials so far this year.
Funeral workers carry the body of a shooting victim at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines, July 24, 2022. At least three people, including a former Philippine town mayor, were killed and another was wounded in a brazen attack on Sunday by a gunman at the university campus in the capital region, officials said.

Updated at 11:54 a.m. ET on 2022-07-24

A gunman killed at least three people and wounded another at a law school graduation ceremony in Metro Manila on Sunday, including a former town mayor from the southern Philippines who was there to watch her daughter graduate, police and campus officials said.

The target of the shooting at Ateneo de Manila University was Rosita Furigay, a former mayor of Lamitan town on Basilan Island, who was killed on the spot along with two others identified as her assistant, Victor George Capistrano, and a campus security guard, police said in a report.

The shooting at the campus in Quezon City took place at around 3:30 p.m. when a lone suspect shot Furigay as she was attending commencement rites for her daughter and other students, according to the police incident report. The daughter was also wounded and rushed to a hospital, where she was listed in critical condition as of Sunday night.

We have three confirmed deaths, said Rudy Ang, the universitys vice president for administration. He said one of those slain was the university security guard who tried to stop the shooter.

The (ex) mayors daughter, who was one of the graduates, is in the hospital in critical condition. Shooter has been captured.

Sundays attack occurred while Ateneo de Manila University and other areas in the northern part of Metropolitan Manila were on a security lockdown ahead of newly installed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.s first address before Congress, scheduled for Monday. The Philippine House of Representatives meets in a complex also located in Quezon City.

Alexander Gesmundo, chief justice of the Philippine Supreme Court, had been invited as a guest speaker for the commencement program but he immediately cancelled in the wake of the shooting, said Brian Hosaka, a spokesman for the high court.

He was still in transit when the shooting happened and was advised to turn back, Hosaka told reporters. The Chief Justice is safe.

The rest of the graduation ceremony was cancelled in the wake of the shooting, officials said.

A vehicle carrying one of the dead victims exits the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, Philippines, July 24, 2022. At least three people, including a former Philippine town mayor, were killed and another was wounded when a gunmen opened fire during a law school graduation ceremony at the campus in the Metro Manila region, officials said. [Aaron Favila/AP Photo]

The motive for the attack was still unknown, but political violence is common in this Southeast Asian country. The attack was the first in recent years to have occurred inside a well-secured university in Manila.

Political rivalry, especially in the local level, often times turns violent in the Philippines, where clans battle it out to establish their dominance and fiefdoms in the far-flung countryside.

In 2007, Wahab Akbar, a former Muslim separatist fighter who rose to become a congressman representing Basilan, was among three people killed in a bomb attack at the House of Representatives in Manila.

The PNP strongly condemns this criminal act, Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, spokesman for the Philippine National Police, said in a statement, adding that the suspect was in custody. We are assuring the public that this incident does not represent the entire peace and order situation in the country.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued late Sunday, Marcos said he would commit our law enforcement agencies to thoroughly and swiftly investigate these killings and bring all involved to justice.

We are shocked and saddened by the events at the Ateneo graduation today. We mourn with the bereaved, the wounded, and those whose scars from this experience will run deep, the president said.

Camille Elemia contributed to this report from Manila, while Jeoffrey Maitem, Richel V. Umel and another BenarNews correspondent added reporting from Davao, Iligan, and Zamboanga cities in the southern Philippines.
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.
Four FA-50 light combat aircraft flying over urban area / Newsis



Poland set to sign major deal to buy tanks, howitzers, fighter jets



By Jung Min-ho



South Korea has emerged as the world's fastest-growing arms exporter, vastly outpacing the growth of other major market players in recent years.



According to a recent report by the Export-Import Bank of Korea, the nation's arms exports hit a record high of more than 7 billion dollars last year. Its exports during the 2017-21 period were 177 percent higher than that in the 2012-16 period  by far the highest growth among the top 20 exporters, followed by Australia (98 percent) and France (59 percent).



South Korea's share of global arms exports nearly tripled to 2.8 percent from 1 percent. It is now the world's eighth largest, and Asia's second (after China), arms exporter  a rapid rise from 31st position on the list by the SIPRI arms transfer database back in 2000.



"Exports of naval vessels grew by 1,660 percent (during the 2017-21 period compared to 2012-16) which led the trend," the report says. "Arms exports are estimated to continue to grow. The number is expected to reach $10 billion in 2022."



The Philippines and Indonesia are the two biggest buyers of South Korean weapons, accounting for 16 percent and 14 percent of its sales, respectively. Although the Asian region will remain an important market, the country is expanding its global presence with its newly developed military hardware.





Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile system / Courtesy of Defense Acquisition Program Administration



In January, South Korea inked a deal with the United Arab Emirates to export its Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missiles, developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), in its largest-ever arms export deal.



The following month, the Korean firm Hanwha Defense signed a contract to sell K9 self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over 2 trillion won ($1.65 billion).



Another big deal appears to be in the making in Europe. Poland, a NATO member bordering war-torn Ukraine, is set to ink a contract with South Korea next week to purchase its tanks, howitzers and fighter jets, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak reportedly said.





The K9 self-propelled howitzer / Courtesy of Hanwha Defense
Project Manager

Remuneration: negotiable Location: Cape Town Remote work: Not Applicable Education level: Degree Job level: Mid Type: Contract Company: The Racket Club

Job description

Minimum two-three years of experience in an advertising agency or similar in the BTL space

Must have a marketing-related degree

Must have at least two years of event management and Activation or campaign management experience (BTL)

Must have a good understanding of the digital world. We work on a hybrid model of Live and Digital work.

Must be able to develop plans from brief stage right through to the delivery and execution of these plans

Must be able to manage clients and maintain strong relationships with our new and existing clients - A peoples person is a must

Diligent and hard worker but be able to have fun when the curtain drops

Must be familiar with the agency creative process and be able to manage this process with our creative team

Must have your own transport

Must have a strong network of suppliers and be able to manage multiple suppliers on projects.

Strong google documents and Microsoft knowledge is a must

But be purpose-driven, and be able to build reports of work executed.

Requirements

Must be a problem solver

great budget management skills

Be able to lead and manage projects

Must work well under pressure

Time management is a key skill, and you must be able to manage your time across multiple projects.

Strong admin skills

Microsoft computer literate

Knowing your way around chase software is a plus

Must have design knowledge and understand the production process

Agency process knowledge is a must

Be able to manage clients (and expectations)

We are looking for a strong project manager to join the club. Someone with a get-it-done attitude who has the ability to problem solve on the fly and ultimately turn around high-quality work with a focus on BTL executions in the events and activation space. The position is a work-from-office position and based in Woodstock, Cape Town.As part of the interview process you may be asked to complete a project and share references. please also make sure to send across an updated CV with proof of work.Posted on 24 Jul 21:14, Closing date 22 Sep
The U.S. State Departments approval of the $980.4 million agreement for upgrades and sustainment of the UAEs fleet of Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport planes was announced Tuesday, two days after the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court sentenced Asim Ghafoor to three years behind bars, a fine of over $816,000, and deportation upon completion of his sentence for alleged money laundering and tax evasion.

Ghafoor, a US citizen who previously represented murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and his fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, was arrested Thursday at Dubai International Airport while en route to Turkey to attend a family wedding, the group Democracy in the Arab World Now (DAWN)  on whose board Ghafoor serves  said Friday.

The U.S.-UAE deal was announced days after Biden met with and praised leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, countries accused of perpetrating human rights violations ranging from war crimes and apartheid to the killing, and persecution of US citizens.

Its clear that Biden isnt breaking with Trump on the Mideast, MSNBC journalist Mehdi Hasan tweeted Tuesday, a reference to then-President Donald Trumps embrace of Arab dictators and unconditional support for Israels right-wing government. Israel, Saudi, the UAE Biden [is] doubling down on support for them, even when they kill or detain U.S. citizens and residents.

Its clear that Biden isnt breaking with Trump on the MidEast. Israel, Saudi, the UAE Biden doubling down on support for them, even when they kill or detain US citizens & residents. And no sign of the Iran nuclear deal being restored either, which Biden once claimed hed do. https://t.co/d5M5AWXHjP  Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) July 19, 2022

US lawmakers, activists, and journalists are leading condemnation of Ghafoors imprisonment.

Middle East Eye reports nearly a dozen members of Congress, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and Don Beyer (D-Va.) have demanded Ghafoors release.

I am appalled that Asim Ghafoor, American lawyer who represented Khashoggi, was detained and imprisoned in UAE based on an in absentia conviction with no notice or opportunity to defend himself, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) tweeted Tuesday, adding that Ghafoor must be freed and allowed to return to the US

Meanwhile, Cengiz said in a statement Tuesday that she believes Ghafoors prosecution was politically motivated.

I have an ongoing civil lawsuit against the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, and his co-conspirators in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The trial begins soon, she explained. Asim Ghafoor is part of DAWNs legal team in this lawsuit. I am concerned that the UAE has jailed Asim to intimidate the legal team and myself, and anyone who calls for democracy in the Middle East.

We call on the Biden administration to stand up for Asim Ghafoor and other American citizens who have been targeted by our so-called allies overseas. 2/2 Read our statement to learn more. https://t.co/vFd1f3g6MR  CAIR National (@CAIRNational) July 19, 2022

Matt Duss, who advises Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on foreign policy, sardonically questioned the UAEs commitment to fighting the type of corruption of which Ghafoor is accused.

If you believe that UAE, a global destination for kleptocrats stolen wealth, has suddenly joined the anti-corruption fight and just coincidentally started with Jamaal Khashoggis lawyer, I would very much like to invite you to my poker game, he tweeted.

In explaining why Ghafoor was arrested, the Emirati state news outlet WAM claimed the apprehension was the result of mutual coordination to combat transnational crimes with the United States.

However, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said during a Monday press briefing that the US did not want Ghafoor arrested, and that administration officials conveyed our expectations to our Emirati partners that Mr. Ghafoor receive continued consular access, that he be afforded a fair and transparent legal process, and that he be treated humanely.

#UAE had Sheikha Latifa, daughter of the ruler of Dubai (al-Maktoum), dragooned home after attempting to flee UAE in 2018. UAE rights defender #AhmedMansoor remains in jail. The credulity of @StateDeptSpox statement in #UAE's "due process" for detention of #AsimGhafoor is absurd. https://t.co/UJEnTzSgVa  Michael Page (@MichaelARPage) July 20, 2022

Price stated that we see no indication at this point that [Ghafoors] detention has anything to do with his association with Jamal Khashoggi, but were still gathering information.

According to The Washington Post, the US Department of Justice, when asked if it requested an Emirati investigation of Ghafoor, said that the agency does not publicly comment on communications with foreign governments on investigative matters, including confirming or denying the very existence of such communications.

Although the Biden administration was initially applauded for pausing arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, human rights defenders have condemned renewed deals including the 2021 sale of tens of billions of dollars worth of Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, armed drones, and munitions to the Emirati government.

Brett Wilkins is is staff writer for Common Dreams. Based in San Francisco, his work covers issues of social justice, human rights and war and peace. This originally appeared at CommonDreams and is reprinted with the authors permission.
Ryu Sam-young, the senior superintendent of Ulsan Jungbu Police Station, speaks on Saturday after a meeting with fellow senior police officials from across the country at the Police Human Resource Development Institute in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, over the interior ministry's plan to establish a supervisory bureau over the national police force. Yonhap









By Ko Dong-hwan







Police officials from around Korea on Saturday organized and participated in a rare collective action, gathering together to state their objection to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's bid to establish a new supervisory bureau over the national police force.







Some 190 senior police officials from across the country  one-third of the country's senior police officials  responded to a call by Ulsan Jungbu Police Station Senior Superintendent Ryu Sam-young to gather at the Police Human Resource Development Institute in the city of Asan, South Chungcheong Province.







After a discussion that lasted nearly four hours, the participants concluded that the interior ministry needs to get the consensus of the country's 130,000 police officers for the plan for the supervisory bureau before pushing for it. So far, a visibly large number of police officers have publicly objected to the bid, by which new Interior Minister Lee Sang-min will officially wield the upper hand over the head of the National Police Agency (NPA), the top overarching administrative group of the national police force.







The police officials, according to the statement they issued after the gathering, agreed on the illegality of establishing a supervisory bureau inside the interior ministry. They agreed that the measure turns back historical progress in Korea regarding the organization of the police force and is inappropriate. The national police force was removed from the direct control of the central government and made into an independent organization in 1991, following the revision of the Police Officers Act as part of Korea's democratization.






Under the guise of public safety, Limes E-scooters could soon be recording everyone and everything they see.

A recent article in TechCrunch revealed that Limes advanced rider assistance technology (ARAT) will be using a camera to detect when riders are on sidewalks.

At a Lime event in Paris, the startup shared plans to pilot an in-house built computer vision platform that will leverage cameras to detect when users are riding on the sidewalk. While it will be at the discretion of the cities whether to both audibly alert the riders to their transgressions and actually slow them down, both functions are available.

While the article does not discuss how Limes sidewalk detection cameras will work, one can assume that the news isnt good.

For starters, it is hard to imagine the European Union allowing e-scooters recording people and cars in cities across the union. But none of that seems to matter to Lime.

In the U.S., Lime plans on installing ARAT e-scooters in six cities by mid-August.

Lime will be piloting the tech on close to 400 scooters in San Francisco and Chicago starting early to mid-August. By the end of the year, Lime hopes to expand its pilot to six cities in total.

According to Lime, their sidewalk detection program was designed under the guise of safety of the communities.

We began developing sidewalk detection over a year ago as a commitment to the safety of the communities we quickly became a part of, said Nick Shapiro, Limes Head of Trust and Safety. "We know that micromobility can only be successful if riders and communities feel safe, and at Lime, were dedicated to advancing safety for all."

But when it comes to the amount of data Lime collects on riders, the devil is in the details.

For every ride in downtown San Jose, Lime will collect accelerometer and speed data. From this data, the vibration of the underlying riding surface (e.g. a road or a sidewalk) can be detected using a sophisticated statistical model (AI) that Lime designed. With this functionality, Lime is able to discern with up to 95% accuracy when a rider is riding on a sidewalk instead of the street.

Lime uses a proprietary AI to collect vast amounts of information on every riders usage and has now added surveillance camera footage to boot.

Why are Limes e-scooters more invasive than Ring doorbell cameras?

Because Limes e-scooters are constantly in motion, traveling down our citys streets, recording who knows what.

Lets say police used Limes GPS tracking to ID a riders proximity to a crime or alleged crime and they ask Lime to provide camera footage of all e-scooter(s) in the vicinity.

We are excited to leverage the data we collect to better understand when and where people are riding on sidewalks. Once we have that data in hand, we can share it with the City of San Jose and work on potential infrastructure improvements, such as protected bike lanes, to make riders and pedestrians feel safe, EV Ellington, Limes Northern California General Manager said.

Lime, like Ring, would probably just hand over their e-scooter footage to law enforcement without a warrant.

Ring says it also reserves the right to supply police with footage in emergencies, defined broadly as cases involving imminent danger of death or serious physical injury to any person. Amazon declined to elaborate on how it defines these emergencies beyond imminent danger of death or serious physical injury, stating only that Ring makes a good-faith determination whether the request meets the well-known standard.

Police could forcibly slow down e-scooters to ID people of interest

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency warns that rental e-scooter companies are already using sidewalk riding technology to track riders in real-time and forcibly slow them down.

Sidewalk riding detection technology enables the device to detect sidewalk riding in real time. Once detected, the scooter automatically slows the rider to a safer speed.

Its possible, in the not too distant future, law enforcement asks Lime to provide information on riders in a one-mile radius and forcibly slows down their e-scooters so they can better ID a vehicle(s), suspect(s) or a protester(s).

How will that affect the publics privacy?

It is not hard to imagine how police will abuse camera-equipped e-scooters to ID people or vehicles they deem suspicious.

According to Engadget, Lime has also begun testing their new Citra e-motorcyle.

Lime plans to launch the new motorbike at scale in Long Beach, California. The company plans to start with several hundred and could ultimately hit 500 vehicles if ridership is strong, spokesperson Russell Murphy said.

What happens if Lime decides to equip their their e-scooters and e-motorcyles with facial recognition software in the future. What if they decide to equip them with license plate reader software to boost revenue?

According to Lime president Joe Krauss, Citra is the latest example of our relentless pursuit of innovation, aimed at helping riders get around cities safely.

It appears Limes relentless pursuit of innovation also includes putting surveillance cameras on ARAT e-scoooters in the name of public safety.

When a surveillance state like China bans Teslas cars over concerns their eight out-ward facing cameras could be used to monitor the public and government buildings, one has to ask how is Lime any different?

Unfortunately it isnt hard to see how law enforcement can and will turn Limes sidewalk detection E-scooters into real-time micromobilty surveillance platforms.

Image credit: Lime
A deal between Ukraine and Russia aims to ease the global food crisis. - New York Times - Jul 23, 2022

BRUSSELS  Russia and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on Friday to free more than 20 million metric tons of grain stuck in blockaded Black Sea ports in Ukraine, a deal aimed at bringing down soaring grain prices and alleviating a mounting global hunger crisis.

The highlighted claims are as false as much of the other NYT reporting on Ukraine.

Ukraine grain exports reach 47.2 million tonnes so far for 2021-22 - World-Grain.com - Jun 6, 2022

KYIV, UKRAINE  Ukraine has exported 148,000 tonnes of grain in the first five days of June, pushing its July to June 2021-22 marketing year total to 47.2 million tonnes, the countrys agriculture ministry said on June 6, Reuters reported. The ministry said the total volume included 18.578 million tonnes of wheat, 22.4 million tonnes of corn and 5.7 million tonnes of barley, with corn shipments dominating the June start, Reuters reported.

...

Ukraine reached 54.9 million tonnes of wheat, corn and barley exports in 2019-2020, but dipped to 44.9 million tonnes in 2020-21, mostly on lower wheat production, according to the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Feb. 1 Foreign Agricultural Services (FAS) quarterly report. Before Russia's invasion, Ukraine had been projected to export 63.7 million tonnes of the grains in 2021-22.

The above numbers are more than 6 weeks old. Back then the difference between projected exports and exports up to June 5 was 63.7 - 47.2 = 16.5 million tons.

Ukraine's grain exports to reach 2 mln tonnes in June - deputy minister - Reuters - June 20, 2022

Ukraines grain exports will increase to 2 million tonnes in June from 1.7 million tonnes in May and reach the maximum volume that Ukraine can ship by land routes, First Deputy Agriculture Minister Taras Vysotskiy said on Monday.

Since the first report a further 3 million tons of grains have been exported. The total left to export from the last season is thereby likely down to about 13 million tons.

Where the New York Times found '20 million metric tons' 'stuck in Black Sea ports in Ukraine' (because the Ukraine has mined the approaches) is unexplained.

As for 'soaring grain prices' please consult these charts.

To me it does not look like the recent prices have 'soared'.

The NYT also claims that the release of Ukrainian exports will be 'alleviating a mounting global hunger crisis'. In 2021 Ukraine's share of global wheat exports was 8.5% while Russia's was 13.1%. Since February exports from Russia had been hindered by 'western' sanctions on Russian banking, freight insurance and port access. In connection with yesterday's deal those sanctions have been at least partially removed. It will be Russian exports that will alleviate the hunger crisis much more than Ukraine's.

The NYT once had fact checkers who looked out for mistakes like the above ones. That now seems to be uncommon.

The main wheat farming in Ukraine occurs in the east and south where the war has likely led to much less planting during this season than in previous years. It is therefore unlikely that whatever will get harvested will be exported by farmers as local needs will have to be satisfied first.

(The map above does not reflect the natural distribution. During the 2016-2020 period pictured above Luhansk and Donetsk had less than the usual production due to the civil war that had started in 2014. Crimea likewise had much less than the usual agricultural production as the Ukraine had since 2014 blocked its water supplies.)
Amid a mortgage crisis in China, which has sparked protests and homebuyers threatening to boycott payments, social media companies have stepped up censorship; blocking messages, keywords and videos of demonstrations.

In China, social media companies are required to censor or remove content that undermines social stability, like the ongoing mortgage protests.

On Twitter-like Weibo, the hashtag #stopmortgagepayments has been blocked, reported Reuters.

Searching the hashtag brings back a notice saying: Due to related laws and rules, the topic page cannot be displayed.

A protester from Henan province told Reuters that a video he uploaded on ByteDance-owned Douyin protesting the mortgage crisis was among the top trending at one point but is now unavailable.

Douyin also blocked a video showing homebuyers fingerprinted notices declaring a boycott of mortgage payments, according to screenshots obtained by Reuters. The TikTok-like platform said that the video didnt pass scrutiny.

Another protester told Reuters that he was unable to share videos about the crisis via messaging app WeChat.

In an effort to contain the situation, local governments and regulators are trying to reassure protesters that the projects will be completed and that everything will be taken care of.

The censorship is not limited to social media. Analysts at a few securities and research firms were advised to not discuss the protests. Because of an order from above, an employee at a developer was told by his boss that staff had been banned from commenting on the crisis.

The protests timing is not good for the Chinese Communist Party, which would prefer social stability ahead of the 20th Communist Party Congress, where the partys leadership is expected to extend President Xi Jinpings leadership to a third term.
Members of "Cheoreomhoe," a liberal lawmakers' study group on prosecutorial reform, hold a press conference, in this Sept. 2, 2021, file photo. Left is Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom, who was assigned to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on Friday. Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun



By Nam Hyun-woo



Several lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who have been taking a hardline stance on prosecutorial reform, were assigned to the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, heralding a head-on clash with the ruling People Power Party (PPP) over President Yoon Suk-yeol's key initiatives.



According to the Assembly, Sunday, five lawmakers from the DPK's "Cheoreomhoe" study group joined the Legislation and Judiciary Committee. They are Reps. Kim Nam-kuk, Kim Seung-won, Kim Eui-kyeom, Lee Tahney and Choe Kang-wook.



Cheoreomhoe is a lawmakers' group established in 2020 to study measures to reform the prosecution. Its members have designed the draft of the law revisions aimed at separating prosecutors' investigative powers from their authority to indict  which became the subject of heated political debate before the revisions were promulgated into laws in May.



Following the assignment, Cheoreomhoe members account for half of the DPK's 10-lawmaker quota in the committee. Given that two other DPK lawmakers in the committee  Reps. Park Beom-kye and Park Ju-min  have displayed a similar stance regarding prosecutorial reform, they are expected to butt heads with the seven PPP committee members and one independent member over the prosecution reform issue.



From the PPP, six out of seven committee members are former prosecutors, lawyers and judges. The committee's chairman, PPP Rep. Kim Do-eup, is a former prosecutor.



Though laws aimed at stripping prosecutors of their investigative power, in regard to serious crimes, have gone into effect, the DPK wants to finish its prosecution reform drive by setting up a government investigative agency to be in charge of serious crimes. However, the PPP is still expressing its opposition to the revised laws and further conflict is anticipated.



"After the Yoon Suk-yeol administration was inaugurated, the public has a grave concern that the country may become a republic of prosecutors, and we will have our eyes on this issue," a Cheoreomhoe member told Yonhap News Agency.



The DPK has been claiming that prosecutors have been dominating the Yoon government's key positions. Yoon is a former prosecutor-general.




Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Brown Cardigan are two men from Sydney running a meme page. Theyre godfathers of the Australian larrikin comedy scene, giving a key early boost to Tom Cardy and The Inspired Unemployed as they rose to stardom. They're holdovers from the pre-social media internet who made the leap to Instagram and are building a following on TikTok. They can be pugilistic with critics and unlike the vast majority of fame-hungry influencers, are so ambivalent about publicity they will only be photographed wearing balaclavas and without their last names used. But mostly they post videos. It might be a streaker getting tackled, a painfully failed backflip or a highly inebriated old man at a pub losing a tray of beers. Some posts are obscene, many are crass or not politically correct but they are almost always  at least for Brown Cardigans 1.1 million followers on Instagram  funny and very Australian. Now the largely anonymous duo behind Brown Cardigan, Jonny and Toby, are turning the amorphous enterprise they have created into a business. They've dabbled in political campaigning, are looking at raising money from investors and turning their fire hose of posts into something other media businesses can license from in the viral-hungry internet of 2022. In an emailed question and answer with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity, Jonny reveals how the duo built a media business that has traversed the changing internet of the 21st century. Whats the story of Brown Cardigan? When did it start? In its purest form (a website) Brown Cardigan has existed since September 2003 ... The name itself was a reference to my Cornish father who (as English blokes do) at 5:15pm would swap his office suit jacket for a 20-year-old knitted woollen cardigan from April to August. He let me borrow his credit card to pay for the first few years of domain registration, so the name was my way of repaying him for that.

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At some point it flipped from a personal weblog to a Tumblr-ish daily image dump of very inside Sydney jokes - real no rules, no f--ks given areas. At that time it was administered by myself and a rotating gang, including Berlin Mike, Joey Drinks, Gus from 12 Major Chords, King Kripy (theres maybe more, sorry if I forgot you). How did Toby get involved? Toby was in Melbourne then (I think). We knew each other (online) from a rap music Google email group, and he pushed me for an admin password. Mr Internet himself, he really took it and ran with it. Soon enough we were smashing some big page views (a few million a month) and making some coin from [then-popular clothing retailer] American Apparel ads via Google Adsense (it was a certain time.) It wasnt heaps of money, but I remember I once took Tobys monthly cut out in five dollar denominations for his birthday and threw the full stack at him in a some probably-now-closed Sydney pub. Loading Instagram kicked off and we migrated the audience over there - really just because it made more sense for the content, especially as mobile viewports and video-first quickly became the standard. Why does it work? How do you pick an image (video?) to go on the page from all the submissions you get? Its just a feel. Ive tried and failed to explain it to people before who arent familiar and it always falls flat in those instances. We like the idea of this though - a certain, unexplained genre of Australian humour thats just called Brown Cardigan. Probably around 99 per cent submissions are binned, missing the mark or probably going far too far (some end up on the b-roll Twitter).

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But ultimately I think it works because its real. Over time Brown Cardigan has come to document the others, not the glossy tourism bulls--t, but the real funny nuances that make this girted bastard of a country so special (for better or worse.) It seems like Brown Cardigan has been pretty critical in The Inspired Unemployed and Tom Cardy getting big. Do you feel like some kind of influencer influencer for a particular kind of very Australian Instagrammer/TikToker? Yeah, we love to see them all getting their successes and [are] happy were a part of those early stages legging them up. I think people generally recognise that too which is nice. That said, I think the Inspired Unemployed boys still might owe us a paid promo invoice or two from those early days when they were really hustling for the views. But they did also recently send us a sixer of their no-carb beer, so maybe were even now? An early post from Brown Cardigan helped kickstart musical comedian Tom Cardys social media presence. Credit:Anna Kucera What's the business plan for the future? Any plans to raise money from investors? Yeah, weve been approached a few times over the past few years from various businesses and individuals with different deals - from partnerships to equity stakes and things in between. Its something weve considered, and an investment of any size would definitely help us turbo-boost the business a bit - not to mention purchasing more of the submissions that come at us every day. But its all about it being the right fit and something that doesnt f -k up the usual flow of what we do. Our membership set-up [where fans can pay between $12 and $100 annually for early access to posts and merchandise] has been fantastic in helping us stay independent. Pretty much any money weve made from venture has gone straight back into the licensing side of the business, ensuring we can pay those who send us stuff.

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Jonny (left) and Toby found Brown Cardigan was getting hit with takedown requests for videos that their page first posted after the original creators licensed it elsewhere. Now theyre in the licensing business themselves. What made you get into licensing images and videos from the people who create and submit them? Our hand was kind of forced to be honest. We found over a time a bunch of licensing businesses overseas were using our account as a shopping centre. [These are companies that find posts going viral online and pay the original user a fee in return for a contract that gives them rights over the further distribution and use of the content, which they tend to aggressively enforce]. Weve always credited people (when they want to be credited) and basically that meant Viral Hog, Jukin Media etc were simply going through the posts, finding the more PG ones and then hitting up the submitters directly, offering them a bit of coin for a signature and then slapping us with a take-down notice. So we just had to set up the mechanisms for doing that process ourselves. Its been a bit of a slog - contracts, lawyers etc - but weve got it really humming now, paying people real money for their contributions (when we can afford it.) Its the classic business model - sell some socks, buy some videos. Repeat. How did the Unions NSW partnership, in which Brown Cardigan designed and documented mobile billboards targeting former prime minister Scott Morrison in the 2022 federal election, go? Pretty great. They were fantastic to work with and it really gave us free rein to come up with the slogans we wanted (some we submitted went too far, but most were accepted.) Weve purposely avoided politics in the past but this just felt right for us. Fake footy fans, turncoats etc is something that transcends any political partisan bullshit.

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What's the status of your deal with publishing group Scout, which is behind outlets like Junkee and Australian Geographic? Who does what? While Scout is a relatively new thing, Ive known the team behind it for years. We needed some people to help us with the random agency work that comes at us sometimes. Neither of us are sales people by nature, so theyre helping us on the commercial side of things so we can focus solely on the creative element of those campaigns. There was some confusion in the initial announcement around the deal which suggested wed been bought out by Scout. I got a few odd messages from mates before I realised the announcement had been misinterpreted. Not sure how that all happened, but the relationship is purely working on a case-by-case basis at the moment, and purely on the sales side of things. How many people are you hoping to hire? Loading I think at some stage well need help with the general admin and merch side of our business. Its still just the two of us and sometimes it gets a bit much. Were currently focused on adding some components to the licensing side - including a submission portal so we can hopefully remove some of the clog from the various inboxes submissions currently land in. I can definitely see that side then requiring a few more sets of hands over the next year or two to chat to contributors, send cash to their various off-shore accounts, pack some socks in some satchels - you know, normal business things. Speaking of TikTok, what are your thoughts? Going to go hard there? Its definitely been a bit of a focus for us this year - fishing where the fish are etc. Were probably close to maxing out on Instagram as well, considering our million-plus audience is around 80 per cent Australia and theres only so many phone-owning humans in this land. TikTok can be a frustrating place with the heavy-handed moderation, but weve also managed to crack a fair few million-plus posts over the past few months, so the appetite is definitely there on the audience side.

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After her one-year contract expired, Lacy-Nichols had a gap of four months waiting for her next one to be signed off. During that time, to avoid having to break her employment with the University of Melbourne, she converted her previously four-day-per-week role to one day, then took that day as annual leave. I cant live on a 0.2 salary so I luckily picked up a short-term consulting gig, she said. Thats the nature of the beast; that was my first introduction to the academic funding cycle. A renter, she said the job insecurity made it hard to plan ahead and complicated taking on a mortgage with her partner. Im very confident Ill have a career in academia but cant tell you what my next job will be in two and a half years. Shed like to see casual contracts abolished at universities. Lets not have universities be the next Uber. You can have part-time work that still has benefits.

Ankur Singh Ankur Singh has both researched insecure work  he co-wrote a paper on undocumented farm workers  and lived it as a migrant from India with a young family. I started my postdoc [post-doctoral research placement] five years ago and had a one-year contract, and just figuring out whether the contract would be renewed every year put enormous stress on me. Ankur Singh has both researched and personally experienced insecure work. Credit:Jason South Adding to that pressure was his temporary visa and the uncertainty about whether he would stay in the country, let alone have an ongoing job. Singh said there needed to be more work done to understand the intersectionality of insecure work and how it affected people differently, including by gender, background and visa status.

He moved from research-only roles and is now a lecturer in epidemiology at the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, where he conducts both teaching and research. To be honest, I think Im one of the lucky few that survived this. Ive seen incredibly talented colleagues who did get those ... competitive fellowships and then are not able to stay on in the jobs they loved because of lack of funding. It was heartbreaking. His biggest concern for colleagues is damage to their mental health from the stress of navigating the system. If they miss out on a grant, they are suddenly out of a job. Where is the backup strategy to support these people? Natalia Egorova Brumley When her second child was just a week old, neuroscientist Natalia Egorova Brumley was filling out a grant application so her career would not stall, or end, soon after she returned to work.

I was typing on the computer with one hand while holding the baby in the other, the PhD graduate from the University of Cambridge said. Her current grant was due to expire at the end of this year so she needed to line up another one to ensure she had several years of more work locked in. With the grant process only coming around once a year, she had no choice but to apply so soon after the birth. Neuroscientist Natalia Egorova Brumley with her six-month-old son. Credit:Chris Hopkins There needs to be some systemic changes to alleviate the stress, she said of a research environment where funding has become far more precarious and work more insecure. With a four-year-old daughter and six-month-old son, she says the system is particularly hard for women with children to navigate.

As a senior researcher at the Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, Egorova Brumley is originally from Russia but has also studied in the US and worked across Europe. Since 2015, she has worked in Australia. She said there needed to be multiple deadlines to apply for grants and a chance to apply for smaller sub-grants. She found she had to work while on leave to ensure her research career remained on an upward trajectory. In the end, she won a three-year fellowship that will keep her employed for a while. George Taiaroa George Taiaroa knew some of what to expect from a scientific career because both his parents were academics. But it has still been a challenge to navigate the system as a young infectious diseases researcher studying the evolution of diseases such as Covid-19.

If we are saying that we value science as a nation and its role in meeting challenges such as the pandemic or climate change  well, we are not really funding that. Although Taiaroa works in an in-demand area of research, there remain few opportunities for stable funding, and for many researchers, looking for a new job can mean moving interstate or overseas. George Taiaroa is an infectious diseases researcher who has also researched insecure work. Credit:Jason South Taiaroa completed his PhD in New Zealand and is now coming up to his fourth year as a research fellow at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne. The biggest stress was that he had to commit to moving to Australia with little job security: hes employed on a 12-month contract that gets renewed annually.

If you have a mortgage or are looking to start a family and you can only plan for 12 months of income, it means the sector can be far less attractive, he said. Vaughan Macefield Vaughan Macefield gave up an ongoing academic position to return to pure research and his speciality, which is studying how the brain controls blood pressure. Vaughan Macefield describes research as a gig economy. Credit:Paul Jeffers From 1986 when he finished his PhD to 2006, Macefield was on short-term contracts, and now, after a decade-long stint in academia, hes working in non-ongoing work again.
Bill Sykes knows the emotional toll of being on the front line of a foot and mouth disease outbreak. He can still remember how the slaughterers would let the bobby calves suck on their fingers like a teat, tenderly winning the animals trust before humanely killing them.

Sykes estimates thousands of animals were slaughtered under his supervision when he flew to England in 2001 to help contain the horrific outbreak.

Former Nationals MP Bill Sykes flew to the UK in 2001 to help contain the foot and mouth disease outbreak. Credit:Jason South

Sykes, a former regional vet officer in the Victorian Agriculture Department, said slaughterers handled the animals with compassion. But befriending the calves only to slaughter them moments later took its toll.

You use that trust to then humanely destroy them, he said. I found that pretty hard to watch.